Why Fans Don’t Fall In Love With Bands Anymore

Remember the days when a fan would discover a new band and fall head over heals in love with the music? I’m not talking about pre-teen girls swooning for the latest pre-packaged Disney incarnation.  I’m talking about a true LOVE for the music – purchasing the album, listening to it 900 times the first week, going to concerts, buying the t-shirt, telling your friends, all out love fest.

For some reason, that kind of dedication to a band is sadly, rare these days.

In my recent conversation with Matt Borck, front man for Canadian stadium rockers, YUCA, we discuss what the problem might be.  Matt has a unique take on the solution, too!

LISTEN HERE

 

XpoRadio Gives The Indie Artist The Professional Advantage

I don’t have to tell you that services abound for musicians. From ReverbNation to BandCamp to SonicBids, there’s a myriad of places for bands to park their music and hope for exposure.  Each has it’s pro’s and con’s. Each have value. Most of the big players, however, were created by business pro’s for the express purpose of making money.

When a site comes my way that has been created for artists BY an artist, I pay attention because artists intrinsically know what they need.

This is the case with www.XpoRadio.com  Built by a performer, Rick Tobey, XpoRadio isn’t really a radio station.  It is so much more.  It is set up with various “stations” – each that plays the music of a specific genre making it easy to plug into the genre you want to stream.  But the beauty of the site for the musician is the exposure it offers to producers of movies, commercials and other media outlets.  Additionally, it’s a great place for fans to go and find new bands and music.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Rick about the many features this FREE site offers indie musicians.  Click HERE to listen!

It only takes a few minutes to create an account and begin using this rich website.  Then you will begin to benefit from the traffic they drive to the site as well as the superb features that include incredible search capabilities, social media linking, electronic press kit and easy interaction with listeners.

New Driven gives www.XpoRadio.com two thumbs up!

 

 

The Most Meaningful Gift You Can Give

I don’t need to remind you that the gift-giving season is upon us! Many of us wrack our brains trying to find something unique and special for somebody that has “everything”.  It can be very frustrating and time consuming.

Finding a gift with true meaning that demonstrates to the recipient your feelings about them is hard to find.

But there is a gift that is so personal – so thoughtful that you will become the star of the gift-giving season just by giving it.

Music by independent artists is by it’s very nature a rare and intimate gift.  You have to search out the bands which are sometimes rather elusive. You have to spend time reviewing the music and matching it to the person you are gifting.  You have to order the CD or or download the digital files.  It takes a little time and that is a precious commodity.

Giving independent music shows you care.  It demonstrates that you know and understand the likes of the person you are gifting.  You share a piece of who you are in the process.  Unique and thoughtful gifts are hard to come by.  Because of this they stand out, make a mark and leave a lasting impression.

I recently discussed this very topic with James Wilson from the MY RANDOM JUKEBOX blog.  He give me 3 bands that he recommended as great holiday gifts.  You can listen to our discussion HERE.

The bands James recommends are: Yellabird, Carousels and Limousines and Brother and Bones. We suggest you check them out. Each is unique and Better Than Mainstream.

Outstanding indie music is a way of life at NEW DRIVEN.  I highly recommend you check out our playlists here on this blog and listen to the music of our bands.  Those on the CRUISIN show offer the softer side of independent rock. TORQUED shows off kicked up indie music with a hard rock bent.  All are exceptional.  Here’s a handful to help you get your search started:

YUCA – Canadian stadium rockers who are setting the world on fire. Positive and bold.

 

 SCARS ON 45 – British sensation with a smooth, soft sound.

 

 

 GRAND SPLENDID – Straight from Montreal to your heart. Uplifting songs in a soft rock style.

 

 

HOLLIE LA – Dance music that will get your feet moving!

 

 

 

THE MILK CARTON KIDS – Indie folk music from California.

 

 

 

3 YEARS HOLLOW – Kicked up hard rock from America’s heartland

 

 

 

 

BREE – Bree makes seductive hard rock with her flying V!

 

 

 

 

 

LEONA’S SISTER – Raspy, soulful rock. Lead singer J.T. sounds like she gargles broken glass. Sexy.

 

 

 

 

 

MEMORY OF A MELODY – They’ll make you scream…with delight.

 

 

 

I’m not even scratching the surface.

The idea is – YOU know the individual you are gifting. When you take that knowledge and match it with an independent band you show how much you care and how well you know that person.  Gifts with REAL meaning are rare.  Make a lasting impression – give the gift of indie music.

What I’ve Learned As A Fan of Music

Guest blog post written by James Wilson, owner of the My Random Jukebox Blog.

James Wilson, England
MY RANDOM JUKEBOX

First of all, I will introduce you all to myself. My name is James and I am a big fan of music, some call me a music junkie. Music has always influenced my life and as a result I have spent the last few years writing about it on my blog ‘My Random Jukebox’. I blog about the music that I like so much that it’s part of my own music collection and it is write from the point of view of a music fan. Over time I have learned about the world of music from talking to musicians, people who help to promote music, including bloggers, shows like New Driven and many more.

I used to think that the world of music was about creating a song, getting it released and making the money. I was so wrong! I have learned that the world of music is about hard work which is not always fruitful, in fact it can be a ruthless environment. It seems that only a small percentage of musicians in the world today are put in the category of a commercial success. I always wonder how some of these so called musicians are successful when they have their songs written for them and some of them can’t even sing, but I won’t go into that. I feel the world of mainstream music is losing its way as it has become more about the money than the quality of music that is released. This is a factor in why my taste in music has changed so I mostly listen to independent artists as it is more about the music to them. Don’t get me wrong, they are also driven by the financial side, as at the end of the day it is their job and they deserve to get paid.

Since I have started to support independent music I have had my eyes and ears opened. I would like to take the opportunity to share some of the things I have learned.

Albums vs EP’s

I am a person who loves to buy albums NOT single tracks. If I like an artist I want to hear as much by that person as possible to get a good grasp of their musical ability. With an album you can hear if an artist has got lucky with a few good tracks or if they have created a work of art filled with many examples of their talent. Some artists release EP’s (Extended Plays) which are normally between 4-7 songs long. These drive me insane as I have listened to so many EP’s filled with great songs but they always finish too soon and always leave me wanting more!

I have learned that EP can be released instead of albums for many reasons which has made me appreciate them a little more. One of the main reasons behind them is funding as it’s all about how much it costs to record the music and to have it produced. Musicians are not all rich rock stars like the media portrays. A lot of them have their music life along with a day job as they are normal people too who need money to live. These are hard working musicians who do not always get the credit they deserve. I admire these people who juggle their lives to do something they love which is to create music.

Another reason for the popularity of EP’s has been explained to me recently by a lot of musicians. They feel that music listeners attention spans has reduced so they create the EP to target this audience. I can understand this reasoning, and it does create a minority of musicians wanting a release with more tracks. The way I look at it, as long as the music is good then who care if it’s an album or EP.

CD’s/Vinyl vs Digital

Ok, this is a topic that I used to have a strict policy on but over 2013 I have learned to be a little more open minded. Anybody who really knows me will confirm that I love buying CD’s as there is something about having the physical media with the artwork that goes with the cover. I enjoy reading the notes on the covers and reading the lyrics, like you used to do with vinyl’s. The world of digital music was never an option until recently as I now understand I may have to purchase this media because of two reasons. Reason one, it’s about the cost. There is a lot of music which I like which is created by artists outside of the UK and the price of importing them can be crazy! I have been told that the delivery cost on top of the CD can be up to three time the price of the CD. I may be a music junkie but I’m not crazy! For this reason, the digital format has to be considered.

The second reason is the most important factor, its about supporting the artists. Again, musicians may have a budget when it comes to creating music and sometimes the recording/production can use most of that up. So, when it comes to distribution it is more cost effective to release the music digitally than having to pay more to get CD’s made. If I like the music and a CD is not an option then the digital version will now be bought.

Social Media

I am a huge fan of social media, especially Twitter (catch me at @myrandomjukebox). I believe it is a power tool for musicians/bands to connect to fans and grow their fan base.  It can be used to promote new music, post video/photo’s and updates for upcoming gigs. I follow people who use this promotional tool to great effect but others do not use it to its full potential. I’m not saying they need to post updates every 10 minutes but at least one post every day or two. This way fans will know what is going on.

Another great use of social media is to connect with other fans of music. I know plenty on twitter and we talk about music often and we like to share recommendations too. This has been a great way to find new independent music as there is so much of it out there.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it is a huge crazy world that musicians live in. They put everything into creating music and they need all the help they can get to make their music ambitions into reality. This is where we (the fans) can do out part and show some support. If you hear an song/EP/album which you really like then show them how much you like what they have created. To do this I recommend that you buy the music (CD or digital) and then tell the world all about it using your social media sites or other sites like blogs. This way not only will they have the additional funds to create MORE music but they will know that they have created songs that you (the listener) really enjoy! Let’s support the music together!

Make sure to check out the My Random Jukebox Blog and to follow James on Twitter at @MyRandomJukebox