The truth is much more complex. There’s no denying that if you already have a fanbase or a reason for people to be searching for you on myspace, the internet is going to help you in ways that never existed before. You can stay in touch and make sure that your fans know all about your gigs and forthcoming releases in a much more reliable and efficient way than by physically distributing flyers.  However, if you’re unknown and don’t have a manager, no-one is going to know or care about your myspace page; even if you stop having a life and spend all day inviting friends, you will achieve very little other than to slightly annoy people or at best, get 2 extra people to your gig!

One thing that has definitely changed in the music industry is the willingness of the majors to develop bands; now more than ever before, they are unlikely to sign you unless they think you have a good chance of selling a lot of albums on your first release. It’s all about branding, in that you need a back story and to be some kind of archetypical band or singer, or preferably already a celebrity via reality tv or things like the x factor. Anything risky simply doesn’t get a look in.

The underlying reason for this is straightforward; music doesn’t make as much money as it used to. Because of filesharing, everyone expects to get music for free. If you’re a serious fan of a band, or a die-hard collector, you may still buy a cd, but the vast majority of casual music consumers now expect to download free tunes and restrict their purchasing of cd’s to Christmas presents. The official download sites where you pay for music are actually not making much money; itunes allegedly runs at a loss, subsidised by Apple because it helps sell the ipod. Ok, so musicians, like everyone else can get free music but the gains they make on this are massively outweighed by their loss in income; I’m not talking about internationally famous artists, I mean the more underground musicians who might previously have made a few quid here and there from cd sales over a long period, or from a small record company/publishing advance. These musicians are increasingly being forced to seek other means to support themselves; they may be able to download other artists’ music for free, but they can’t eat it!

I recently sat down with an executive from a major record company, and we talked about which famous British bands wouldn’t have been signed in today’s climate, either because they needed developing, didn’t sell on their first release or were too ‘risky’. These bands include Queen, Led Zeppelin, Blur, David Bowie and Feeder, to name but a few. You could argue that cream always rises to the top, but I happen to believe that scum rises first… by which I mean that the more aggressive, cut-throat people will always be heard, but the more subtle, fragile or unusual talents will no longer get a look in because they won’t get a chance to develop.

Let’s hope that some new system evolves whereby those who swim against the stream still find a way to get exposure. Its not that I’m opposed to filesharing or unlimited access to music via the web, but there really needs to be a new way to sort the sheep from the goats!

Artwork, duplication and printing, pressing and distribution deals, press agents and pluggers, download and filesharing websites, merchandising, make your own video.

If you’re anti-establishment or if you can’t find the right label to release your music, there is always the option to do it all yourself. This can work well if your music is part of a scene; some scenes are based on the DIY ethic and have a good support network (eg. art punk and hardcore). Sometimes the DIY approach can be a good way to start and lead to label interest later on. Basically you will have to do everything that a record company does so it will mean lots of hard work. The advantage is that you won’t get ripped off by a multi-national corporation!

If you’re going to DIY, a website is absolutely essential (see HOW TO GET STARTED) to promote and sell your music and maintain contact with fans.

I have already covered some aspects of DIY; things like setting up your own event with like-minded bands and printing stickers (see HOW TO PERFORM LIVE) can help to get a scene going and get your name around.

Assuming you have a good quality recording ready to go, the next thing you need is some artwork for your cd cover. You can easily do this yourself with software like photoshop or ask an artistic friend to help. If you have money to spend there are graphics companies who will do artwork for you; if they like your music they may do you a cheap deal. remember that complicated pull-out pages are going to cost you more to print so try to keep it simple.

When your recording and artwork are finished, you have 3 options. The first is to do the duplication and printing of the cd’s and covers yourself at home on a computer; this is by far the cheapest method but will look the least professional. The second option is to pay for duplication and printing; some small studios have facilities to do this for you or there are designated duplication companies. The cost is likely to be in the region of £500-£1000 for 1000 cd’s and covers.

The third option involves getting a pressing and distribution deal with a distribution company. Independent labels use distribution companies to get their records into the shops; they have a network of independent record shops who they regularly provide stock to. A pressing and distribution deal means that the distribution company will pay to duplicate your cd and print the artwork and then take a percentage of the sale price to recoup their costs. If you have already duplicated the cd yourself you can just get a distribution deal. However, the distribution company is more likely to work hard to get your cd in the shops if they have expenses to recoup. Check out the covers of your favourite indie bands to find distibution companies to approach or ask in your local indie record shop.

All record companies use press agents and pluggers to get their releases in the press and on the radio; majors tend to have in-house press and plugging departments whereas indie labels often use independent press and pluggers. A press agent can charge from around £2000 per month for their services but as with most aspects of the business, they are likely to do favours or at least reduce their fee if they like you; if a press agent thinks you’re likely to succeed they’ll help you at the start on the understanding that you’ll pay them properly in the future if your career takes off. The same can be said of pluggers. Both are pretty indispensible; reviews of your release and gigs and radio play will help to sell your music. There is no set way to find a press agent or plugger; try asking other up and coming bands to introduce you to theirs. You can try doing your own press; if you have a good telephone manner you may be able to get music magazines to review your single or album. If you can’t get a plugger, approach independent radio stations (like XFM in london) who regularly play new and unsigned bands. Radio stations now tend to playlist tracks up to 5 weeks in advance of their release, so start working on this as early as possible.

There are other ways to sell your music; you can sell physical cd’s or downloads direct from your website or contact download and filesharing sites. These often offer a deal whereby you pay a small fee to put your track on the site and then you receive money every time someone downloads your track. This has proved to be so popular that some record companies are now offering download only deals. Some sites will count towards chart placings so it’s now possible to get in the charts without having a cd in the shops at all. If you’re using peer to peer sites where downloads are free, it’s a good idea to make a couple of tracks available to generate interest in your music, then sell additional tracks or whole albums through your website.

Another good source of income for DIY bands is merchandising (see HOW TO PERFORM LIVE). As well as selling t shirts, badges, posters etc at gigs, sell them through your website. This is even more important if you’re putting your music on a free peer to peer website where you won’t make money from downloads, but you will be getting your name known and creating a demand for other products.

If you’re taking the DIY route, it’s helpful if you can make your own video. Again, this is now easily achievable on a small budget if you have a digital video camera and software like imovie. Alternatively, try to find students doing video courses who will be able to use college equipment and edit suites. An interesting location will help to make a cheap video look classy; if you can’t afford lighting equipment, shoot it outside in daylight for more professional-looking results. Try shooting several takes of the whole song so you can keep editing to a minimum. TV stations like MTV2 sometimes play videos by unknown bands provided your track is being released and you have some press; it helps if you can give the video in person to someone who works there and talk up your band. If you can’t, send it in with press cuttings, a biog and info on the band, and details of your release.