The Internet Alternative
The business of music will never be the same. Thanks to new technologies such as the Internet and the wide-scale use of mobile communication devices, artists and music producers now have at their disposal a number of new channels to facilitate music production, music promotion and distribution.
Thanks for example, to MYSPACE artists are now able to build websites for free that include biographical material, photos, videos, music samples, tour dates, and messaging facilities for fans. I would encourage every artist and music producer to get onto myspace. Already many Reggae and Dancehall artists and producers have set up their myspace page and are using it wisely.
One of the first things I noticed about myspace was the presence of a very large number of radio, club and sound system DJs from all over the world, DJs who are hungry for great Reggae and Dancehall music, and who will accept music delivered to them via the Internet as MP3 files for play on their radio programmes. Those young artists who think that they must pay to get radio exposure need to think again and spend some time checking out what is possible through proper use of myspace.
Another interesting revelation from my examination of myspace is the access it provides to hundreds of traditional as well as online radio stations that play Reggae and Dancehall music. Some of these stations are also interactive and allow listeners to participate online by sending messages and voting for their favourite DJs. I would strongly recommend that our artists and producers check out one such station in the form of Supreme Vibz Radio at www.supremevibz.com . This is a station with DJs from a number of different cities around the globe. Several Jamaicans living overseas play on this station.
Thanks to MYSPACE the Internet now offers an affordable avenue for the worldwide promotion of music. This is definitely an opportunity for Jamaica, Reggae and Dancehall, as our music is truly global in nature, being among the few music genres demanded and consumed in countries all over the world. But the Internat does not only provide alternatives for music promotion and exposure of artists, it also provides alternative music distribution channels.
A few years ago many pessimists in the music industry saw the entry of digital music files and downloads as signalling the end of the business of recorded music. The last three years have proven them all wrong however, as legal sales of digital music files have grown significantly every year over this period. So too have the sales of music delivered by way of ringtones through mobile phones.
The bottom-line is that it will not be business as usual in the international music industry. The reliance on traditional radio promotion for music and artist exposure will get less as younger music buyers go more and more to the Internet and mobile devices to satisfy their entertainment needs. Already we have witnessed the demise of several traditional music distribution and retail companies, as they get replaced by online and mobile distributors.
So, to the artists, producers and managers who cannot afford payola, don’t give up. Always remember that good Reggae and Dancehall music is in demand all over the world, and that while acceptance in Jamaica is important, Jamaica is only one market. There are many much larger music markets waiting for you around the world.
One Love.
lloydstanbury@hotmail.com
"Consistently Setting The Trends"
