Having just read Mike’s post about the future of the music industry, I came away with two very different thoughts on the matter.
First off, yes. The internet is a fantastic leveller, and in the ideal world the likes of MySpace and ReverbNation etc.. would meant that new bands, who are talented enough, get the recognition that they deserve.
But, as I discovered when I was tasked with producing a presentation on social media for our Regs and Ethics module, the internet isn’t such a great tool. But as Jillian observed, people are often incredibly hesitant to step out of their musical comfort zones. Consequently, it would seem that the major record lables still hold all the power, as they are the ones who can diver the attention from one MySpace to another.
But let’s hear from the artists themselves.
Speech Debelle is one of the nominees for this year’s  Mercury Prize and in her short editorial for the Guardian, she touches upon the need for musicians to be all over the social media/ Web2.0 phenomenon.
I’m supposed to go on Twitter five times a day and tell people what I’ve been doing. That’s a rule I’ve been given. I think now to have a successful record would depend on how successful your online presence is.
I’ve long believed that musicians – mainstream and indie alike, view sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter as free publicity – and I suppose at their heart they are. But what’s most telling is that she, as an artist, is told how and when to tweet. But there’s no mention of any sort of conversation, which I believe is much more likely to attract audiences than any preset ‘message to the fans.’
I have to admit, I don’t use MySpace that much, and since I allow HTML comments I am used to having my comments board clogged with advertisements for one thing or another. But when a band that I ‘befriend’ leaves a personalised message it makes all the difference. Consequently when I received a totally unsolicited and personalised message from  The Demon Barbers it not only made my day, but also enticed me to check out more of their stuff.
So to that end. Here they are performing with the legenday Bellowhead at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award. And if you like that…
I cannot WAIT to see them at The Rhythm Festival!
Post by Mary Stokes - Meet Me
Located in the UK, music has been part of my life for a long time. I'm a classically trained violinist but have a wide range musical knowledge.
