Written by
Sweet Beets - IMD
Last week I shared some observations about The Indie Music Phenomenon. Upon posting and reviewing the related comments, I understood that it is quite a phenomenon after all....
Many of us took to social media with the sole intention of trying to get our music heard. Many of us have taken the time to create profiles on umpteen different platforms. Some of us attempt to keep the information current. Some of us have fun with it, some of us loath it.
It seems that no matter where we land, some things are pretty common to the aspiring Indie Musician. And I use the word "aspiring" in true form. Say what you will, I simply do not accept that anyone who pays money to put their music on a streaming platform or takes the time to create music based profiles has no aspirations. Granted, it matters not what I accept, I already acknowledge that I am incapable of truly adjudicating truth. And furthermore, any of you who believe that any of us can otherwise....well, be you - you fantastic you!
But what does all of this mean? NOTHING! It is meaningless. My observations are born of ignorance and limited perspective. However, I suspect that I am far from alone in my observations and that leads me to:
The Indie Music Bubble
Curiously, I didn't initially seek to enter the bubble. I happened upon a handful of artists who were employing some interesting promotional strategies. Because I was among those who created band profiles with the hope that I could increase the chance of getting my music heard, I started paying attention. Before too long, I found myself in this network of artists from all over the world. We were sharing music, we were engaging with one another, swapping playlists....it was quite a magical time! Online web stations were opening up everywhere, artists were promoting other artists.....it seemed like quite the utopian environment! Thousands upon thousands of artists, one shared vision.....music!
But then something odd happened. Perhaps it was there the whole time....but what I saw was alarming. It seemed that more and more artists were no longer their happy selves or maybe more unhappy artists were emerging.....The amount of times I saw artists posting about wanting to quit music because they felt no one cared. Or the artists who were seemingly begging for someone just to see them and hopefully listen.
Many of us took to social media with the sole intention of trying to get our music heard. Many of us have taken the time to create profiles on umpteen different platforms. Some of us attempt to keep the information current. Some of us have fun with it, some of us loath it.
It seems that no matter where we land, some things are pretty common to the aspiring Indie Musician. And I use the word "aspiring" in true form. Say what you will, I simply do not accept that anyone who pays money to put their music on a streaming platform or takes the time to create music based profiles has no aspirations. Granted, it matters not what I accept, I already acknowledge that I am incapable of truly adjudicating truth. And furthermore, any of you who believe that any of us can otherwise....well, be you - you fantastic you!
But what does all of this mean? NOTHING! It is meaningless. My observations are born of ignorance and limited perspective. However, I suspect that I am far from alone in my observations and that leads me to:
The Indie Music Bubble
Curiously, I didn't initially seek to enter the bubble. I happened upon a handful of artists who were employing some interesting promotional strategies. Because I was among those who created band profiles with the hope that I could increase the chance of getting my music heard, I started paying attention. Before too long, I found myself in this network of artists from all over the world. We were sharing music, we were engaging with one another, swapping playlists....it was quite a magical time! Online web stations were opening up everywhere, artists were promoting other artists.....it seemed like quite the utopian environment! Thousands upon thousands of artists, one shared vision.....music!
But then something odd happened. Perhaps it was there the whole time....but what I saw was alarming. It seemed that more and more artists were no longer their happy selves or maybe more unhappy artists were emerging.....The amount of times I saw artists posting about wanting to quit music because they felt no one cared. Or the artists who were seemingly begging for someone just to see them and hopefully listen.
Whatever the case, my eyes were open (always my ears) and I couldn't stop thinking about how difficult it must be for someone who isn't in love with the journey itself. In my quite flawed mind, if one loves what they do, quitting is never even a consideration. It seemed to me that many were at am impasse.
And to complicate it, ideologies crept in, opinions flourished, and imperfect people behaved imperfectly. Having written that, doesn't that describe most everything specific to humans? Imperfect people behaving imperfectly. A flawed bunch of us, trying to navigate through this world, all stricken with the same basic wants, needs, limitations and imperfections.
THAT led me to my first twist and turn....
THAT led me to my first twist and turn....
Next week, I will share more observations as I attempt to chronicle The Indie Music Phenomenon - Living Inside the Bubble.
Sending a treasure trove of love,
DC
