By Scott A. Johnson • Rock Titan TV • www.rocktitan.tv
In an age when technology continues to evolve ever more quickly, it becomes increasingly challenging for musicians to establish
themselves on talent alone. Not only can technology allow musicians to sound better than they actually are, but it’s that same technology
that has ultimately changed how a musician might potentially make a living doing what they love. What defined a musician’s success and
popularity just a couple of decades ago? Music sales right? Whether it’s records, CD’s, or any other form of hard copied media, consumers
just aren’t purchasing music the way they used to. That’s not just my opinion. It’s a plain and simple fact. All music now is freely available
via outlets like iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, etc., and I’m willing to bet, not too many recording artists are generating any significant cash
flow depending on those mechanisms. The three primary sources of revenue for musicians once upon a time were record sales, touring,
and merchandising almost in that exact order. That model has now almost completely reversed. To be a successful musician you must
tour, have successful merchandising, and have some semblance of music sales. But if you’re an independent musician, whom ION Indie
Magazine is so passionate about supporting, it’s very difficult to establish yourself without the full backing and support of a record label.
So what does one do?
Technology has changed the game entirely. Well, that’s the beauty of this new age Indie scene. To accommodate the independent
musician, there are an expansive number of professionals working independently in the media to bring visibility to such musicians that
may not otherwise garner such attention. Just recently I had the opportunity to film the pilot for a new Reality TV show called “Crowd
Surfing”. So what’s the objective here? It’s about fighting fire with fire. Independent media meets independent musicians. It’s that very
symbiotic relationship that gives all those passionate about the independent music scene a chance to evolve in spite of the new
challenges that technology itself presents.
The age of Reality TV has presented more opportunity than ever before to those that want to be recognized by the greater public. For
musicians, could there be a better platform to showcase not only your work, but who you are as a person? Let’s face it--bands and
recording artists aren’t just defined by the quality of their work, but who they in fact are. It’s called “branding”. Branding equals greater
opportunities to tour and have successful merchandising. What is a song? Well to me it’s a short story or sorts. It’s one thing to hear or
read that story--it’s another thing entirely to see that story on top of hearing it. After all, that’s what gave birth to Music Television. Music
videos are entertaining to be certain. Taking it a step further, to be able to share everything that goes into creating original music would
be a whole new level of reaching out to a fan base. That was the whole premise of “Crowd Surfing”.
The primary objective of “Crowd Surfing” was to follow musicians from the practice space to the main stage of their next concert and
everything in between. What you have now is a recipe and a platform for independent musicians to not just be heard, but also seen by the
public, using the very same technology that presents a number of revenue generating challenges in the first place. Just a couple of weeks
ago, I had the opportunity to work with bands GIVETHEMROPE, LOCAL DEMISE and SINGLE BULLET THEORY, leading up to a show they
were putting on at BULLSHOOTERS in North Philadelphia. Granted, Single Bullet Theory has been on MTV’s “Head Bangers Ball” back in
the day, and GIVETHEMROPE was started by drummer CHRIS HAMILTON of Rock bands ST. CAINE and DOWNSET. But, these musicians
aren’t regularly being asked to pack arenas and stadiums as much as they have the talent and stage presence to do so. Now that a media
platform exists that showcases not only the music from these amazing artists, but also gives you a bird’s eye view into everything it takes
to make it as an independent musician, we’ve got a product that provides previously unknown entertainment being distributed to the
masses.
Will there ever be another BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, KISS or AEROSMITH? Would any of those musicians have achieved that level of
greatness if they were faced with the same technological challenges that independent artists face today? It’s impossible to know the
answers to those questions, but the current environment for independent artists is irrefutably more challenging than ever before. It’s not
enough to simply have talent. The musician or band has to be a brand that consumers want to know. To know isn’t just to hear, but to see.
Yes. Get out and support local original music. Go to the venues to see some amazing musical talent that you many not otherwise get to
see or hear. But it’s time to encourage these artists to be more than musicians. They’ve got to be business people as well. Use every form
of media that’s available to make the unknown, known. It’s time to be heard and seen. It’s time to bring back music television for the
independent musician.