Dan's Papers - May 30, 2008 - New Bands: Takin' it to the (Information) Highway

The music industry is in an uncertain place these days and continues to get crazier all the time. Record sales have steadily plummeted over the last 10 years, mostly because of Internet downloading - both legal and illegal. Downloading prevailed after industry execs pushed CD prices higher and higher, trying to cash in on the momentum of late '90s pop acts.

Now even big name artists are feeling the effects. You know when bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails offer their albums downloadable from their Web sites for whatever price fans feel like paying - and many pay nothing - the industry is really hurting.

Unsigned local bands are especially feeling the effects of the ailing industry. Record labels don't have the money to take a chance on just any semi-promising band they find. And the dense Long Island music scene, which has long been stuck in the shadows of New York City, has often had a hard time getting noticed. In fact, people often joke that Long Island is comprised soley of cover and tribute bands. And the East End scene, though it's often viewed as a separate entity from the rest of the Island, is the same way - lots of cover bands with few opportunities for up-and-coming, young rock acts.

But thank God for the Internet.

That's right. The Internet, the technology that was a major cause of the downfall of the record industry, is probably the biggest thing indie bands have going for them. If anything, it's bolstered indie rock acts. Ingrid Michaelson, a singer-songwriter from Staten Island, has released her albums on her own, attracted a ton of attention online and as a result has had her music featured in a variety of places, including "Grey's Anatomy" and an Old Navy commercial. Push Play, an unsigned Long Island pop-rock band, has had more than 1.5 million plays on Myspace and have been the only unsigned band to play not only at the Nokia Theatre in Manhattan, but to also play Z-100's Zootopia, which features the nation's hottest pop acts.

With the click of a button, a band can create a presence for itself. No longer does a band have to rely on its Web site now that there are electronic press kits and the ever popular Myspace. Many bands don't even have a proper Web site any more, and instead simply direct people to their Myspace profile.

A band can sign onto Myspace, post its songs, its bio and gig dates, and within seconds not only connect with local fans and bands, but fans and bands from around the country, even the world. It's an easy and immediate way to create a sense of community and let your music be heard. That's a far cry from how bands that came before had to do it - when they essentially pounded the pavement, handing out fliers and demos to anyone they came across and hoping for the best the night of a show.

Of course, there's a downside to relying on the internet. Any depressed teenager sitting in his or her bedroom can record a crappy song and put it online. This means fans have a ton of bad music to weed through in order to find the real talent. Anyone can have a Myspace music profile, but that doesn't mean all of it's good.

Also, unsigned bands are often forced to sell their albums at very low prices or even give their music away for free, in order to get people to listen to them. And just because you get your music into someone's hands - or these, days, onto their iPod playlist - a band's work doesn't stop there. With so many bands to sort through and so many other types of media constantly thrown in people's faces, bands need to find creative ways to get people out of their computer chairs and at their gigs and buying their merchandise. Selling merch, and if you're lucky enough to have a song featured in a movie, on a TV show or in a commercial, are really the best ways for indie bands to make money these days.

Next week, we'll get into local media outlets, including radio and press, as well as local venues appropriate for unsigned or underage bands. Thoughts or questions? tiffany@danspapers.com.