Sunshine

Luckily for me, Advertising is becoming increasingly involved in new artist promotion in the music industry. It has even been speculated that soon, record labels will only be a minor player in the development of an artist's personal branding.

Indaba Music, referred to as "the LinkedIn of music", has been hosting remix contests for reggae artist Matisyahu. Through this community site, users are able to upload their own personal remixes of the new single, Sunshine. They can then vote for eachothers remixes and the winner will be given an official release of their song, as well as a $1000 prize and concert tickets. The music industry is entirely fan-driven, as with other industries. However, an important difference is that music fans have a need to become involved. Fans want to interact with the product, the music and musicians, and many have lifelong dreams of one day creating their own brand. The idea of the contest, then, is to get the name of one of these dreamers out in association with someone who gave them the inspiration needed for success.

I mention this contest because of it's importance in depicting the current music community. It is an evergrowing web of connections and downloads, with tons of new material being produced on a daily basis. There is so much undiscovered talent due to the struggle to get noticed under a record label. However, there is a solution: Free Music.

Free music has become an increasingly important issue in the music industry. The great success of electronic dance music, I think, can be attributed directly to this issue. EDM artists offer samples, remixes, and new tracks for free through websites like Soundcloud. Hip Hop has also taken the free music route, offering mixtapes from websites like Datpiff. With the availability of these free songs, audiences are more likely to become exposed to new artists and material. For example, if it costs you a dollar a song to purchase an album, you may only select a few songs from a specific artist album. However, free music makes the audience more willing to participate and expand. Rather than just one song, a user may download entire discographies and related artists discographies as well.

So how can they make money?

Pretty Lights Music has mastered the free music model. Beginning with Derek Smith, also known by his stage name Pretty Lights, the label has grown to adopt multiple new names such as Gramatik, Paper Diamond, Break Science, and more. Only a short time ago, these names were unheard of, and now they are the headliners at major festivals around the world. Pretty Lights started by promoting his music for free from his website, prettylightsmusic.com. This generated a huge following not only for his talent, but for his love of the fan. This is what the industry is currently missing. The record industry has moved from a love of the audience, to a love of their money.



Pretty Lights offers tickets to his concert at reasonable prices, and tours constantly. This is what other mainstream artists have been failing to do. Live performances should be the most important part of music. Intricate lighting and sets motivate people to actually go to Pretty Lights shows, and they can afford to. He does live remixes that have never been heard before, creating a unique experience for every show he plays. In other words, it's worth it. He's even taken a personal stance against ticket scalping, which puts outrageous prices on tickets through third party taxation, by implementing anti-resale precautions for ticketing. Smith understands that fan satisfaction is the most important thing for his success.

What then, is the solution for the current piracy issues in the industry? Make the music free. Art is free, and music is an art. It makes people happy, and they're going to get it however they can. By making music free, you can use advertising to promote new availability and focus on events. People want an experience, and that is what they are going to be willing to pay for. If record labels continue to raise prices and arrest their fans, there will be no fans left. The current state of the industry must change, or else it will self destruct.