Do You Really Need Taxi?

Many indie musicians are looking for that big break, that recording contract or someone to verify their sound. Many artists have stars in their eyes, looking for the one company that will bless them and give them the green light for their material.

This brings into mind the web portal of Taxi.

Taxi is a web portal that declares that it assists individual artists to get record deals, tips on songwriting and publishing. It has a wealth of resources, a musician’s database for collaboration and seminars that musicians can go to and meet with industry executives.

Some of the activities that Taxi has are commendable but at times, they seem to come across as a representative or an extended arm of the major record companies.

Do you really need Taxi to tell you whether you’re good or not? Shouldn’t your fan based determine whether they approve of your music or not? Taxi makes decisions based on business models that are traditional and right now, the business model is to sound like someone else. The music industry is a very cookie cutter industry to begin with and the statistics don’t lie.

Contrary to Taxi telling you that you can be the next hit maker, music industry sales over the past six years have dropped 20%. Why? It’s because of the lack of originality and everyone wanting to sound like someone else.

So if this is the case, what is Taxi really trying to do for you and tell you?

If you make music from the heart, someone is going to listen. Indie artist need to set up their own business models and not be dictated or influenced by representatives that really have the major labels best interest at heart.

Taxi has some good resources, but you don’t need their approval to do music or have an established career.

The Changing Roles of Compact Discs

Do you really need to manufacture a bunch of CD’s to get heard?

The answer is “no”.

Technology has changed the way that we listen and buy music. 22 years ago when Phil Collins was the first artist in the industry to only manufacture a CD instead of an album (the award winning “No Jacket Required” CD), industry insiders thought that he was crazy.

The CD ended up being Album of The Year, winning several Grammies in the process and the album era was officially beginning to end.

Let’s look at a brief history of recording and distribution.

The singles concept – This is the concept that is coming back into vogue, only via the Internet. In the 1950’s records were cut as singles and distributed to local radio stations. Singles allow an artist to really give their best on a couple of cuts as well as on alternate cuts or what was called a “B” side. Singles were used primarily for radio station promotion with sales of the single being a secondary issue.

The album of singles – record companies basically started grouping singles together in an album concept in the early 1960’s. Even though the singles were not connected, it was a hodge podge of A and B cuts and with the improvement of the stereo phonograph, record companies started taking advantage of putting a bunch of singles on one recording with the same time format as the original single.

The concept album – The first concept album, overall was the Beatles St. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. It had a common theme, link tracks and orchestrations that were highly dynamic and were driven especially for album sales. At this time, groups started experimenting with extended versions of singles (compositions that were more that 3:57 seconds long). Other artists that were groundbreakers in the album concept were the Beach Boys and Isaac Hayes. This format was to last until the mid 1980’s.

The Compact Disc – Primarily, the CD was manufactured to provide a clearer sound that wax and became the main selling instrument, replacing the album format by 1990. The CD’s allow the artist to put more music on the CD (up to 80 minutes worth of music as opposed to the album format which was at max 45 minutes for both sides).

Digital Downloads – The current trend is moving towards digital downloads from a selection of artist songs. The CD’s role has changed totally from a sales tool to a promotions tool, especially for indie artist. Establish artists are still manufacturing CD’s because they have a track record and some fans would rather fight than switch but they are also embracing digital technology.

As an indie artist, if you are going to manufacture CD’s, you are better off selling them at your concerts and making downloads available through your internet web-site. You can manufacture the single version of songs on a sampler that will guide people to your web-site to download music.

The industry hasn’t found a way to use these hybrid forms of distribution. CD manufacturers are against digital downloads saying that fans prefer their music on CD. It’s funny, industry insiders said the same thing 22 years ago about the album format.

As an indie artist, you can have the best of both worlds. CD’s in this age will be used more for marketing and promotions than sales

Butch Walker

Butch Walker recently toured the states promoting the July 2006 release of his album “The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and The Let’s Go Out Tonites. Walker is a self-aware cool guy with an organic 70’s rock beat. His writing style is cheeky, and you can almost feel his eye wink as you listen to such hits as his latest “Hot Girls in Good Moods”. The lyrical content in “Ladies and Gentlemen” is all sex and drugs wrapped up in a swanky, naughty beat. He makes wisecracks on his myspace page questioning modern punk bands’ thick use of disco beats when historically punks hate disco. He’s an observant, sarcastic guy who could be viewed as pompous if he didn’t have the talent to back up such brazen observations. Fortunately for Walker, and his fans, he does have the musical chops to make such statements. He has the image of a fun rock n’ roll guy out to have good times while inviting you along for the ride. While his solo career with his backing band The Let’s Go Out Tonites is fairly new, Walker is seasoned in the music biz. He has written as well as produced hits for a wide genre of musicians, from Hot Hot Heat to Avril Lavigne. He has also appeared as a judge on the second season of network hit "Rockstar: Supernova", and will produce the created band’s first album. Walker is currently enjoying his own fame fronting his band and continuing his production career. In an era where the alternative has become the mainstream, Walker seems to have stuck to a laid-back style of rock with consistently good beats with a fresh point of view. He has grown from tunes such as "Freak of the Week", which he released with his band at the time Marvelous 3. He’s part flashy, part scruffy, and all about the music. -Julia Charvat

If You Really Want To Sign A Record Deal…

Maybe you are at the point in your musical career where things are just getting a little too difficult.  You dream of days when you will be able to play your music the way that you want to on the stage.  However, there is the problem of getting to be known as an artist.  Wouldn’t it be better to just sign a record deal?

Before you even think of signing on the dotted line, consider what you will really be getting into. 

The rule of the ‘big four’ when signing a record deal is that the only thing you will make is royalties as the artist.  That means that the millions of dollars you may accumulate….go to everyone else first. 

Not only that, but if you don’t sell, it means that you are in debt to the record company.  You owe them for the recording time, songs they arranged, and all of the little details that go into making a song and marketing it. 

The recording industry, when looked at from a national level, is a business.  It is about cash flow going into everyone’s pockets, from the top of the hierarchy to the bottom.  As an artist, you will be the bottom. 

So, when the going gets tough as an Indie artist, remember that if you had decided to sign that record deal, things would be much worse. 

Mandi Perkins

Don’t let Mandi Perkins’ relaxed style of tank tops and low-slung corduroys deceive you. She isn’t another cute singer/songwriter strumming her guitar for the entertainment of coffeehouse regulars. She is a rocker chick with music of substance not to be used as background fluff for latte lovers. Her flowing blonde hair and Joss Stone looks probably have people staring at her before she even opens her mouth. Yet when she does begin singing, the Canadian born musician belts out vocals reminiscent of powerhouse Natalie Merchant. Perkins’ Berkeley education honed her songwriting skills, which is evident in the EP’s title track “Broken Window Pane”. Perkins’ standout single "Why" starts off slow and pretty, then takes off into a crescendo of questions as it rocks out. Her sound is a bit Avril Lavigne mixed with the depth of Evanescence. She moved to Los Angeles to make her music happen, and she can be seen playing at venues like the Roxy and The Viper Room. She is a self-made talent who has developed her own words, sound, and vibe. “Fallen Under” is an angry rant about being trapped in a controlling relationship. In the song she is defiant against being suppressed – fitting for a woman whose independence shines through her strong voice. And people are taking notice, her music has been licensed for use on MTV shows Road Rules, and “Why” is currently being played on radio stations around the country. Perkins’ promises a full-length album in the beginning of 2007. To hear Perkins’ for yourself, check out her myspace page or her website at mankiperkins.com.

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