Tuesday 5 July 2011

Is this the first DIY Musician star?

Lil_b
OK, so Lil B is now signed to a label - well, a very modern take on a label - Amalgam Digital.

But, his rise to success is almost entirely down to an understanding of the online marketing and promotion of his music. He embraced social media and demonstrates an ongoing willingness to give music away for free - his new album has a free download link as well as being for sale on iTunes.

And, that album was released with no fanfare and no obvious campaign from Amalgam, but it caused a stir in all the right places because of the work that Lil B has been doing for the last 4 years.

Of course, his talent for getting a story covered in traditional media has added to his level of awareness, but it's his hard work and DIY ethic that make him a DIY musician to model.

1400 tracks posted on MySpace over the last 4 years - constant improvement and evolution of his music whilst in direct engagement with his fans. Oh, and note, that's MySpace - dead for 'cutting edge' rock acts for a year or more, but still a very important musical hub for Hip Hop. A large part of the Hip Hop fan demographic is still looking for music there. Don't ignore it yet if that applies to you and your music.

He's got Facebook ,Twitter and YouTube licked too though!

For a far better appraisal of what this means for DIY musicians, read this article on The Arts Desk.

 

1 comment:

  1. I am a singer-songwriter Tally Koren writing to you today about the launch of new single 72 Names (Hallelujah) which will last for 72 days. Over the campaign I’m exploring the significance of the number 72 in lots of different situations and I would like you to be part of it!

    When I decided to open the 72 days target group I stood in front of the Eiffel Tower seeing that unbelievable monument and it inspired me to open a group. I’m inviting you to be a part of the group, which will be about having a target and achieving.

    Your target can be simple everyday thing like losing weight, getting fit or creating or improving something.

    Click here to watch the video filmed from outside the Eiffel Tower: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEmLPF4NT_w

    ReplyDelete