Myspace is the way to go for the struggling musician

Response to Isha's blog post "The Long Tail: When will the music industry get it?":

Great post Isha. This is a really interesting topic. I agree with the comments eerin made. I was having a discussion with a musician friend of mine on this topic to see what his thoughts were, being an active participant in the music industry. He said that he makes more money from his gigs and merchandise sales than he does from his cd's appearing on the cd racks in HMV. The traditional model is no longer a feasible option (see here). Social networking sites like Myspace are the way to go. The personal and conversational nature of these online communities allow musicians to interact directly with their fans. Once a musician has charmed their online friend there is more chance of that person turning up to their gig. This is because the person feels a closer and personal connection to the music than they would from simply seeing a poster or reading about in RAVE. Once there, there is an even greater likelihood of them purchasing a $10 EP, especially when the musician is standing right behind the merch stand after the gig and recognises their face from Myspace.

The best part for the musician in all of this is that if a fan has a positive experience then human nature dictates that they're likely to tell their friends about it. This creates a snowball, viral marketing effect at absolutely no cost to the struggling musician!

Sharing is the essence of music. Myspace allows musicians a direct and personal way to share their passion and talent. It is this personal and open structure that is more likely to attract fans and KEEP them than the old and static traditional model of a cd collecting dust on the racks at HMV.