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What's the best way to support smaller/Indie-type bands or musicians?
Is it better to buy physical CDs over music from either Amazon or the iTunes store? I realize seeing the smaller bands in concert probably supports them better than the music, but what or the other ways to lend financial support to bands that are on the fringe
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I think buying the actual cd would help them more. Another great way to support them is to advertise them all over your personal web sites, myspace, facebook etc.
Going to a show and buying merchandise is the best way you can support a band.
Oftentimes record labels will give the bands a certain amount of shirts, CD's, etc to sell at their shows and any resulting sales are profit for the band.
Purchasing through iTunes or Amazon music store unfortunately does not do a lot for the band monetarily but it does work them up the ladder of popularity on either store and could eventually help get them more sales which - through volume - will support the band.
@lesliec is right, word of mouth is what makes small bands huge. Using the web (like last.fm and others) is the best way to promote the group.
Oftentimes record labels will give the bands a certain amount of shirts, CD's, etc to sell at their shows and any resulting sales are profit for the band.
Purchasing through iTunes or Amazon music store unfortunately does not do a lot for the band monetarily but it does work them up the ladder of popularity on either store and could eventually help get them more sales which - through volume - will support the band.
@lesliec is right, word of mouth is what makes small bands huge. Using the web (like last.fm and others) is the best way to promote the group.
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I have spent some time discussing this issue with some of my favorite small bands. You'd be surprised at how much time they will spend with you if you hang around after a show for a few hours.
I have spent some time discussing this issue with some of my favorite small bands. You'd be surprised at how much time they will spend with you if you hang around after a show for a few hours.
Most Indie bands have a website or some web presence, and many usually have a paypal donate button. I think that is the best way to lend financial support besides buying physical CDs.
It's funny, but the advice I'm about to give is only natural if you truly love a band; you're very likely already intuiting/experiencing these things on your own. But here's my experience:
GO, GO, GO to wherever they're playing.
I recall one fave local indie band in the Dallas, TX area (now defunct). I went to see them as often as I could. If there's no cover, buy a drink. If you don't drink, buy pop or buy water. Money talks, and the evening till tally lets the club owner know this band drew people in and loosened 'em up.
Take friends to see the band.
I also enjoyed talking with the band members, if they were amenable. I remember telling one guitarist that some of my peak moments were when I was watching them work live, and he was really touched. Musicians are human, and can get discouraged. Telling them the truth about how you feel about their music reminds them that they're not doing it for nothing. Just be sure to speak from the heart and make sure you're not gushing or fawning. Sensitive people hate flattery.
If they self-press a CD, buy it. If they release something through production/distribution channels, buy it. If they have T-shirts, buy some.
Here's an odd story. I was thinking of a tune by another of my fave local bands. It was a song whose lyric used high-seas piracy as a metaphor for transnational business rapacity. I had a flash! Have a pirate dance, with men in hybrid business/pirate drag; suits/ties w/ eyepatches and headscarfs and daggers and suchlike! I wrote the bandleader and told him my idea. I approached him at the next venue I attended, and he told me he loved my idea and wanted to do it, if I was willing to follow through. We did it!: I assembled a bunch of friends, we worked up the costuming and choreography, and we performed our little number at their next venue! Everyone loved it!
In short: Let them know you love them (if, of course, you really do!), inject money into their support systems, and perhaps (if truly inspired) you can find opportunities to create "happenings" around their work.
GO, GO, GO to wherever they're playing.
I recall one fave local indie band in the Dallas, TX area (now defunct). I went to see them as often as I could. If there's no cover, buy a drink. If you don't drink, buy pop or buy water. Money talks, and the evening till tally lets the club owner know this band drew people in and loosened 'em up.
Take friends to see the band.
I also enjoyed talking with the band members, if they were amenable. I remember telling one guitarist that some of my peak moments were when I was watching them work live, and he was really touched. Musicians are human, and can get discouraged. Telling them the truth about how you feel about their music reminds them that they're not doing it for nothing. Just be sure to speak from the heart and make sure you're not gushing or fawning. Sensitive people hate flattery.
If they self-press a CD, buy it. If they release something through production/distribution channels, buy it. If they have T-shirts, buy some.
Here's an odd story. I was thinking of a tune by another of my fave local bands. It was a song whose lyric used high-seas piracy as a metaphor for transnational business rapacity. I had a flash! Have a pirate dance, with men in hybrid business/pirate drag; suits/ties w/ eyepatches and headscarfs and daggers and suchlike! I wrote the bandleader and told him my idea. I approached him at the next venue I attended, and he told me he loved my idea and wanted to do it, if I was willing to follow through. We did it!: I assembled a bunch of friends, we worked up the costuming and choreography, and we performed our little number at their next venue! Everyone loved it!
In short: Let them know you love them (if, of course, you really do!), inject money into their support systems, and perhaps (if truly inspired) you can find opportunities to create "happenings" around their work.
Word of Mouth: twitter, youtube, facebook, last.fm, spread it like wildfire!
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