Finding your way with Independent Music

The beauty of the internet age is that people can publish their music from their homes, from their schools, even from the public library. This phenomenon even applies to self-publishing literary works...

The not-beauty of the internet age is that people can publish their music from their homes, from their schools, even from the public library.

Confused? Hang on a minute...

When it becomes easy for people to do something, many more people do it - but this growth in quantity doesn't mean they do it well (quality). So, it becomes a public minefield of music that ranges from the sublimely inspired to the insanely un-listenable.



How do we wade through it? How do we (as listeners) find the nuggets of music we'll enjoy?

There are at least two ways to look at the solution:
1) Look at music discovery as though you're wandering through a YouTube adventure - find some decent music sites, and start listening. Look at the other artists on the pages and listen to them, follow their links, listen to the next, etc.

Let's call it a "music safari." I think music safaris are a blast.

2) Ask friends, family members, co-workers, and people with whom you interact. Every person with whom I converse on this subject always has an opinion. It is not unusual to hear of a band/artist/type of music of which I've never heard... "Yeah, I like Mastodon - have you heard that they just released a new album?" or "I listen to pretty much anything they play on {some radio station}." or "I heard this awesome artist on internet radio last night - I'd never heard of him/her before, but I'm going to find some more! His/Her name is {some name}."

Let's call this one "pimp my ears."


Whether you love to wander through the musical landscape on safari, or if you ask other folks about what they've found, listen! There is a phenomenal amount of great indie (and indie-indie) music out there. It is very much worth panning through bags of dirt to find a ruby or diamond!

It "Bears" Repeating

Tune in
Turn on the music
Be brave enough to like what you like
To love the music you love to hear

Be brave enough to make the music your heart tells you to make
Whether it is singing in the shower, or a nine-track, home-produced requiem
Spread it to the world, infect souls with your sound.

Remember: Everything is musical if you give it a chance...

Making Music - Independent and Dependent

Recent events have reaffirmed my faith in "good musicians who work hard get heard." For quite some time, it seems like only boy- and girl-band spin-offs were able to make money and get tours.


Out Of State has been playing their own material (mostly) to all kinds of small and large crowds. All four musicians are excellent, the singer is a true young phenom, and the sound gets you going in a big way.

Find out about "Out of State." GIVE THEM A LISTEN!!!


They're getting gigs - gigs where they're just having a blast playing - and getting less than a few shekels for their troubles. At the end of the night, ask them how they feel... "The music is alive in me and I love the passion of sharing it."


I'm still worrying about those who can't afford studio time: They are very under-represented in the public for-play world. Maybe survival of the fittest is a good thing in business... just maybe.


How many George Harrisons, Bobby Dylans, and David Gilmours are out there right now recording on home systems - and making GREAT STUFF? LOTS of them are out there.



Listen. Ask around. Don't be afraid to listen to something that isn't "awesome overcooked loudness-clipped radio-playable stuff promoted by someone motivated by something other than the sound."


Have you heard the recordings of the Monterey geniuses like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and so many others? How would those acts fare in today's "if it's not in a studio, it isn't good enough to be music" atmosphere.



On a side note: I'm NOT (NOT) knocking studios. Technicians, producers, and professionals all over the world make the recordings we all remember - and make them timeless and wonderful. I'm not digging out against studios: I am saying that music made outside a studio isn't bad because it wasn't in a studio.


Listen, troll online music sites for indies, troll CD Baby (even if you never hear a single tune of mine) and other self-publishers... Therein lies the next Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd and Dolly Parton and Nirvana.



Tune in, open your mind, turn off the corporate labels, and set your soul free to some awesome music.


It's not even hard to find.

The idea is to encourage, not discourage

Music is (and probably has always been) an evolving and living thing.

The good music that has already been made will stand the test of time, and will be enjoyed for many generations to come. Both musical tastes and trends come and go, ebb and flow... but great music sustains and persists over and above trends, fads, or fluctuations in the human condition.

Beyond music that has already been made, there is the potential for new music. New music comes from both established artists and inexperienced neophytes. New music comes from the imagination, the hunger for success, or combinations of both.

I think it is great to revel in the beauty of music that is already with us. I think it is wonderful to give in to the safety of tunes that we know and understand. However, I think it is equally important to give our ears to new things (even if all that happens is that one has greater appreciation for what one already likes). We must grow and change to foster new music.

Which brings me to my point: New artists/newbies/neophytes need to be deeply and enthusiastically supported and encouraged. We need and want new bands/artists - on a constant basis. Yes, many new bands should probably stay in the garage or basement. Yes, not all of them are Led Zeppelins, Yoyo Mas, Johnny Cashs, or Mariah Careys. Yes, sometimes, the beginnings are a bit sour.

But, over time, newbies grow musical muscle. They grow understanding of how to express their art. We must be there for them through all the stages of their development. John Lennon didn't start out as an iconic musical firebrand - he started out just like the latest garage band that you've heard on YouTube - sour notes and all (well, maybe with lots of underlying undeveloped genius).

Spend some time sending notes of encouragement to new musicians. Go to see live shows of folks you've not heard. Buy self-produced CDs of artists who sound good (or who sound like they'll be great in the future). Write positive comments on band music pages at places like isound.com and stage.fm. Encourage the young ones to pick up an instrument and play. Offer your warehouse or garage to some local folks looking for a place to play. Listen to one unheard artist a week.

Support new and upcoming musicians (of all ages). It makes a difference. Besides, you might just enjoy yourself along the way.