Week 8: Improvisation

In the week 8 readings there was much discussion about musicians and becoming more tech-savvy. This is the case as everything is becoming more digital and new generations rely on the internet. If artists' fans are checking their website there is a certain level of expectation from the artist to have free music, videos, or even photos. Fans want to see myspace or facebook pages and become closer to the artists by befriending them on social networks or following them on twitter. As musicians become more popular they are almost considered role models or something a fan may want to be.

Never the less, fans or just plain curiosity lead people to want more information and the easiest way to find it is behind a computer screen in the comfort of one's own home. Cohen (2010) makes an excellent point about the internet creating a line of communication between musicians and fans. He also suggests that the internet is just an extension or an aid to provide music services and artists need to take advantage of this. Whether it be through social networking or creating a web page, bands need to get on the technology band wagon in order to satisfy modern fans.

In The Future of the Music Business, Steve Gordon advises that there are several different ways to improvise with relatively free or low-cost technology for musicians. Blogging or web blogging, getting onto Satellite Radio, selling on online record stores like CD Baby., webcasting. Everything must be used wisely, however, because there can be loop holes in every type of business and artists can often become victim to it. In the example of MySpace Gordon (2008) explains how if you are not an indie artists you could end up paying a great deal in commission to MySpace. So much commission that it is not even worth it to use MySpace. The reason being is that indie artists are sought out on MySpace and there is a great demand for indie bands.

Thus, just like with anything in life everything must be taken with a grain of salt and artists must be ready to improvise with what they have and what they can do. Jazz musicians improvised a form of art and were able to put the United States on the map of music history. Many musicians are talented and do not always have the means to make it on their own. With today's advances in technology there are ways to self-promote at a cost-efficient rate and improvise with whatever you can. As I have discovered with this class it is as cheap as free to create a blog. If anyone other than my professor reads it - that is an entirely different story. Musicians must work twice as hard as ever to self-promote, but the advantage is there are more options at low-cost.

Gordon, S. (2008). The Future of the Music Business: How to Succeed with New Digital Technologies. New York: Hal Leonard.

Cohen, A. M. (2010). Reinventing the music business: will artists and fans even need record companies in the future? The Futurist, 44(1),12-13.