Behind the online music
Fledgling musicians find outlets online
By Ann Hoevel
CNN
(CNN) -- Before groups such as Aerosmith, Run-DMC and Bon Jovi hit the charts, they were struggling musicians, trying to promote their names and songs. These days, musicians still struggle, but the Internet takes promotion of their fledgling careers directly to music fans all over the world.
"Instantaneous, worldwide exposure is one of the biggest advantages" of using the Internet to launch a recording career, said Jon Foster, who goes by the name DJ Jon Doe and is a member of the Atlanta-based hip-hop group Prophetix.
Prophetix used Web sites such as iuma.com and mp3.com to post audio files and concert information during the early years of its music career.
"Before the Internet became so huge, there was no way you could reach people in Korea and in Japan other than sending the CD over there," he said.
Musicians deliver music files, information about their upcoming events, video clips and more to potential fans all over the Internet through blogs, electronic bulletin boards, and personal Web sites.
Without the backing of a major label, many artists turn to the Internet to promote themselves and their music.
Nic Harcourt, host of KCRW's radio show "Morning Becomes Eclectic" in Los Angeles, California, understands their motivation.
"The mainstream media gets tighter and tighter on its control of what people hear, and people are using the Web as an outlet, a different place to find all sorts of things, including music," he said.
Many of the independent artists Harcourt promotes on his radio show use music Web sites such as CDbaby.com, GarageBand.com, and iTunes.com to broadcast and sell their songs and albums.
"The more places you can find this stuff, the more chances for people to hear your music," Harcourt said. "I think one of the best things about the Web is it takes distribution away from the record labels."
Mark Ghuneim, president and CEO of Wired Set Records, is quick to point out that independent musicians are not the only ones using the Internet for promotion and distribution.
He says the medium is an "absolutely essential" part of launching a recording career in today's music industry.
"Major labels are using the Internet to break artists, and so are independent musicians," he said. "The differentiator is how good your music is and how well you can market yourself in the space."
Ghuneim pointed out that most of the major label distribution still consists of compact discs. Nearly 8 billion CDs were shipped to retail and direct and special markets in 2003, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
Do-it-yourself approach
 |  DJ Rasta Root uses the Internet to promote his record label, Smokin' Needles, his own music and the career of hip-hop artist Phife. |
For independent artists, one of the benefits of using the Internet is the ability to keep a hands-on approach to controlling their Web sites and their careers, said producer DJ Rasta Root, whose real name is Dion Liverpool.
An independent artist can update his or her Web site "immediately, if you're your own webmaster," said the 33-year-old producer and manager of hip-hop artist Phife and his soon-to-be-reunited group A Tribe Called Quest. "The biggest pro is you can do it from your house."
Even if independent musicians are not technically savvy, they can still update their Web sites and contact fans by themselves through blogs and e-mail newsletters.
The long-reaching power of the Internet can help independent artists succeed in the music industry, but it can also limit the effectiveness of their marketing and promotion.
One problem artists may have to deal with, said DJ Jon Doe, "is that a lot of people don't take you seriously: labels, fans, people in general, because anybody can have a Web site."
DJ Rasta Root said some artists also may rely too heavily on the Internet for exposure.
"A lot of people just focus on online and don't realize that there's also a street presence and there are people who aren't on the Web," he said.
"If you neglect that, you're going to find yourself only being known in the Net. I've seen it go both ways -- people having a strong presence on the Internet and then getting known on the street -- but it doesn't happen often."
For independent artists using the Internet to promote their way into a major label contract, industry executive Ghuneim advises, "Make good music first, then bring it online and form great relations with your fans."
Web services and success
|  Nic Harcourt is the host of "Morning Becomes Eclectic," a free-form radio show in Los Angeles that receives 400 CDs a week from artists hoping to be played on his show. |
Besides dedicated Web sites, some independent artists can take advantage of music service Web sites to promote themselves and their music. iTunes.com, for example, offers artists bio and album pages and a venue for selling their music.
Independent artists can use such services to create a buzz about their songs without the assistance of a large corporation, said Eddy Cue, vice president of applications for iTunes.com.
iTunes.com hosts downloadable songs from major label artists as well as independent artists, but Cue says all files are treated equally in the iTunes store.
"We don't treat [independent music] in any second class kind of way," he said. "We don't take payment for placement, and we feature [independent] acts like The Pixies and Deathcab for Cutie -- which is the No. 1 record on iTunes right now -- on the home pages and genre pages. We treat it like any other music."
Harcourt, the Los Angeles DJ, said he has seen many examples of independent musicians finding success using sites such as Cdbaby.com as well as iTunes.
"Gary Jules is one guy who actually now has a record deal with Universal Records," Harcourt said. "He made a cover of a Tears For Fears song, 'Mad World,' that was on the 'Donnie Darko' soundtrack. He sold 10,000 copies of his record on his own before he ended up getting a record deal."
CDbaby.com lists Gary Jules' "original independent release" featuring "Mad World" as its third top best-selling album ever.
Other music promoting venues on the Web claim success stories.
Okayplayer.com, an online community of recording artists, helped launch the hip-hop act Little Brother from obscurity in North Carolina to a large Internet presence, said DJ Jon Doe.
"If there's ever a fairy tale as far as indie hip-hop and a group coming from out of nowhere, especially online, those guys are probably the definition of it. I've never seen anything like it in my life," he said.
Little Brother signed with the independent hip-hop label ABB Records and released its album "Listening" in November 2003.
"The Internet is such a great tool," said DJ Jon Doe, "because pretty much anybody can pull up a website and look at it and listen to it."
