High5: In other music news #1

Artists, build a better relationship with journos

 

A music journalist's email inbox, at the best of times, can look like a shopping mall on Christmas Eve - utter chaos. Emails are constantly coming in from artists and PR agents asking writers for a piece of their time. And that's all fine - they like to stay on top of what's happening on their beat. But there are some irks journalists have about various approaches employed in getting their attention.   

 

Read "Haulix advice: 10 things musicians do that drive journalists insane" to better your relationship with music journalists and get what you need.

 

Alternative income for musicians

 

The truth of the matter is that artists in the music industry hardly ever find over night success. You have to be either ridiculously good at what you do - at a seriously collosal level, or you have to know someone who knows someone who's awesome at getting people famous. It's a long hard road - think about it, it took Jack Parow nine long years before he blew up. In the interim, why not find an alternative income source within the music industry so that you don't lose track of your musical ambitions.

 

Read "Untapped potential: alternative income streams for musicians" to find out what some of your options are. 

 

Create a fanbase on YouTube not an audience

 

Speaking at last week's MIPTV television industry conference in Cannes, YouTube’s global head of entertainment Alex Carloss encouraged YouTube channel-owners to focus on building fanbases rather than audiences. He explained that an audience will get what they need and leave, while a fanbase will interact through comments and sharing. YouTube's potential is vast - Die Antwoord's 'Ninja' is a case in point - would the international market know Die Antwoord exist if it had not been for their video upload? Unlikely. Would every other South African wedding DJ be playing Psy's Gangnam Style? Probably not.

 

Read "YouTube wants its creators to build 'fanbases' rather than audiences" to find out more of what Alex Carloss had to say.  

 

What's Songcoin? 

 

There's a new cryptocurrency in the market - this time it's for the music industry; it's called Songcoin. It's creator, Pimovi suggests that it could become the standard currency across the music industry allowing labels and distributors to offer special promotions and even fans to leave tips for artists, and buy concert tickets.

 

Read "Songcoin: the music industry's deliverance or a futile detraction?" to find out more about Songcoin and how viable the crytocurrency could be in replacing traditional currencies.

 

An ode to MTV

 

Like many others who were born before the internet went mainstream, TV and radio were my magical transporters into the world of music. I religiously listened to the 5FM top 40 and, put me in front of a TV and I would have tuned directly into MTV. Today, MTV is not even a consideration when I channel-hop. While it makes me sad and nostalgic, I know I've got the internet to satisfy that need now.     

 

Here's an ode to MTV, and the channel it used to be for a generation: "I don’t want my MTV: How MTV lost its originality and role as a cultural gatekeeper".