Gaz6002 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 There is an Indie Band called Hamfatter on the TV show Dragons Den this evening on BBC Two. They have pitched for the investment of £75,000 for a 30% share of all sales of their album, and they get the deal. It took 2 hours of off-camera grilling by mogul Peter Jones before the descision was made to finance the band. This is interesting - they have foregone the usual method of going through a record company and will manage the whole thing themselves, thus more revenue for them and cutting out the middle men. Could this be the tide turning in the music industry towards entrpeneurial methods rather than "being discovered"? Maybe it's the perfect PR stunt for the contemporary music scene? One thing is for certain, the recent drop in CD sales (10.6 per cent last year!) coupled with bands such as Radiohead giving their latest album out for free means that there is a definite shift going on. Who knows where it will lead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 dam I missed that free McFly album yesterday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snooze Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Not sure the Radiohead thing is relevant - after all, they've made enough money not to have to worry about the next pay cheque, and are established enough to ensure a steady stream of good income through live performances. The music industry is interesting. I quite like the idea that "free" distribution (legal or illegal) of music will reduce, if not eliminate the "money-making middlemen", who are largely responsible for lumbering us with the same dross year upon year, but I'm concerned that if there is no real money to be made, that otherwise good quality music may not get the funding it needs to get made. Whilst most good music is created by people who do it just for the love of it, these people still need to get the bills paid. Surely some alternative form of funding needs to be available for these type of artists, or will music be largely relegated to hobbycraft? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Haven't McFly done something similar? They are on their own label now and gave their album away in the Mail on Sunday this last weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz6002 Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 dam I missed that free McFly album yesterday! Haven't McFly done something similar? They are on their own label now and gave their album away in the Mail on Sunday this last weekend. Correct - but like Mr Snooze says above, is that relevent? I think so, it signifies a shift in the way the money moves around the industry, and that is going to have an effect on how the bands choose to promote themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 dam I missed that free McFly album yesterday! I can't believe that Courtney Love is a fan! Mind you, they are doing the same thing. They have their own label and pay for everything themselves. I read an article in which they couldn't afford to have all the pyrotechnics that they wanted in their video. So they decided to fly back home in Economy and use the cash saved for fireworks. Bands have been circumventing the music industry for years. It's nothing new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz6002 Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 I've also heard Amy Winehouse will be starting her own label when her contract is up with Island Records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 dam I missed that free McFly album yesterday! Me too. Isn't this just 'indie' music in it's purest form? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewOW Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 MySpace seems to be the place to market your band nowadays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz6002 Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 Isn't this just 'indie' music in it's purest form? Publicly asking for investment from someone outside of the music industry? Isn't it verging on comical commercialism? Is that what Indie music is all about? I really don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Publicly asking for investment from someone outside of the music industry? Isn't it verging on comical commercialism? Is that what Indie music is all about? I really don't know. Independently finding their own revenue, abeit publically as opposed to approaching large labels, not sure what it is really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz6002 Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 Independently finding their own revenue, abeit publically as opposed to approaching large labels, not sure what it is really. Interesting - that's what it is Well, I think so anyway. I love to see how people try new and exciting things to stop "the man" getting all their hard-earned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kranz Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I guess they are Indntrepreneurs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I want to invest in the tree company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz6002 Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 I want to invest in the tree company. Yes! Trees are a brilliant idea. I'm glad the deal was done though, they deserved the two investors they got Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbleapple Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I think McFly did it so that they could broaden their fan base... 3m+ readers of the paper = a lot more fans = a lot more sales. I would also point out that 'free' is a funny word since I bet the paper paid them for the privilege. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkR Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I think the band was pretty good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.