Getting played
"More Bounce in California," a Canadian songwriter's ironic comment on American consumerism, didn't get Soul Kid #1 any radio play. But it did become a sports anthem at the NBA All-Stars' slam-dunk contest, ESPN's X Games broadcast, the Dodgers' batting practice and the San Diego Chargers' cheerleader shows. It landed on two movie soundtracks ("Legally Blonde 2" and "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!"), in the Fox TV show "The O.C." and in heavy rotation at a New York Marc Jacobs boutique. When Kazaa users started trading it online, songwriter Marc Godfrey knew he'd arrived.
And this was after he'd lost his record deal.
As the music industry reels from an epic identity crisis, musicians are circumventing the old system and finding new ways to reach fans. Artists who've been shut out of the major labels are thriving at indie labels. Improved technology has decreased the cost of quality recording and reproduction, enabling struggling bands to produce and release their own albums. Bands without budgets can use websites to cultivate global fan bases with tour updates, music downloads and merchandise.
And while mainstream radio playlists have narrowed, new-media venues have exploded. Independent artists are turning up on satellite radio, video games, online music stores and weblogs. They're also exploiting a new marketing trend -- image branding with music -- by getting songs on retail store CD compilations and in-store playlists, at sporting events and festivals, and in TV shows, commercials and films.
"It's the bands that actually get out and do things without consulting the record labels that get somewhere," Godfrey says. "It's actually good for them to rough it a bit
Six months after Soul Kid #1 landed a deal with DreamWorks Records, he was dropped from the label with an offer of about $100,000 for rights to his album. Godfrey, against the advice of attorneys, declined the money and left with his music. By May, he will have earned double that offer in licensing fees.
Taking it to the streets
"The level of quality coming from independent sources right now is staggering for many reasons," says Steve Schnur, an industry veteran and now worldwide executive of music for video game publisher Electronic Arts. "The record industry has been looking at business differently lately, much more cautiously. Bands have to prove themselves before they get to a major label. Once they get there
