The Online Music Distribution Revolution

Where We’re Coming From

Before there was any form of recorded media or online music distribution, music was played live – otherwise, nobody heard it! While one could publish sheet music so that musicians could play the piece to make a song popular, there were no records, no tapes, no CDs, and no radio stations to give artists air time. The only form of media was live media and there was great demand for such entertainment.

Once Edison invented sound recording and playback machines, the public began to buy music and the fledgling entertainment industry was born.

Once high demand for recorded music came into play, anyone with a good song and the ability to sing and play an instrument could go to a studio and record songs. Since there was a small supply of singers and bands, and costs were high, there was not much competition.

Once artists had their recordings, they could easily get those recordings played on the new media known as radio. There was a very high demand for recorded music to play between the old radio shows which were once so very popular. Once songs were played on the radio, people would know the name of the songs and the artists who performed them. Record stores became big business and musicians and singers began to make loads of money.

Why Is It Now So Hard for an Indie Artist to “Break” Through Traditional Means?

However, once the industry became established, it became harder to get into the game. Production costs came down and major record labels flooded the market with mass-produced music. Unknown record labels and independent acts began to be ignored by the radio stations who decided to only play artists who had contracts and were promoted by big record companies.

Mainstream FM radio stations decided to format their playlists based on what major label the artist was signed with and what rank the artists’ songs held on Billboard charts. There were obscure, little known and seldom heard AM stations that were willing to play unknown singers and bands, but that brought very little exposure for indie musicians. Emerging artists seeking to gain recognition from the music buying public required not only getting the music played on the few stations that would oblige them, but also having to hit the road and travel all around the country to become well known.

Change Has Come

Computers used to be large enough to fit into three buildings; soon, they will be implanted in our bloodstream and brain. For now, there are PCs, tablets, and smartphones. Thanks to these innovations and the internet that ties us all together, there has been a seismic shift in the entertainment industry. Suddenly, with the power of personal computing machines and online music distribution, indie artists can be just as likely to score a hit as a major record label, or, at least, earn as much and maybe even more money on the release of just one song!

How to Get Started In the Modern Entertainment Industry

Some of the most important questions that an independent artist could ask in this golden age are, “where can I upload music to share?” and “what are the best music marketing sites?” Singers and musicians pitching material to the music-buying public through the right venues will ensure exposure and success, assuming their music is good.

Some sites and apps are better than others since they are more popular and have a high level of traffic from music fans browsing the web to find new music to enjoy. Knowing where to upload music to share and how to promote your band online is essential if any level of success is to be achieved.

The New Way to Get Your Music Out There

The new forms of media storage such as MP3s and online media streaming have taken the place of all other forms of digital entertainment media. Sales of compact discs are way down; sales of online media are way up. There is no longer any need for a tangible object to be shipped to stores or directly to customers, consumers can now get songs and albums online and enjoy them on the very first day they are released.

There are many sites offering online music distribution services to artists to allow them to make their content available to the public. It is best for artists to make themselves present through multiple channels, since people have different preferences for the site or app they wish to use.
With just as much value as the big guns, smaller sites are springing up and gaining popularity among audiophiles, such as Indiesound.com. The wildly popular site is a highly successful cloud based music hosting site where artists can upload and promote their original music to the network free of charge. Artists can share playlists, create their own personalized profile for fans, and invite new listeners to join in as well. Artists can create an account for free and start building a fan base by showcasing the content they have to offer.

Groundbreaking Opportunities

Never before has there been so much opportunity for new and independent artists than with the power of the internet and online music distribution. In this digital age, a band can record a song and publish it for listeners to enjoy all over the world. A song can be recorded in New York and seconds later a listener can enjoy the song in Japan.

In this manner, an artist or band can connect with the indie music community to increase the size of its audience. Through tools offered at IndieSound.com, bands can easily share content to Facebook, Twitter, independent blogs, and on the band’s own website. Artists can easily interact with fans and even other artists who have similar interests and musical preferences. All serious artists should take full advantage of all of these opportunities available in this modern age, as it cuts out all of the heavy and slow industry machinery that has gotten in the way of indie artist success for decades.