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Before the internet, musicians relied on radio stations and record labels to gain exposure. Now, with the internet, musicians can establish an online presence through websites and social media platforms like MySpace and YouTube to sell music online. However, they must distinguish themselves from others and take precautions against illegal downloads. Some artists even hire lawyers to monitor the internet for copyright violations.
Before the internet age, musicians had to rely on radio stations to spread their sounds around the world and build a fan base. From there, major record labels like Sony and Virgin would sign new artists based on the amount of radio airplay their songs got. Today, thanks to the communication capabilities of the Internet, musicians and other artists no longer need to rely on the giants of the industry to get discovered or promoted.
To position yourself to sell music online, one of the first steps musicians need to take is to establish an Internet presence. An official website provides a standard means for an artist to establish a home base; however, a website alone is no longer enough to stay competitive. Musicians also need to take advantage of social networking tools also made available by the Internet, such as YouTube, Facebook and MySpace. MySpace has become an especially popular hub for musicians and fans due to its networking capabilities and features, which include the ability for musicians to upload up to six of their own MP3 songs and the ability for unsigned musicians to sell music online using SNOCAP, a digital music copyright and licensing provider. Both signed and unsigned artists, such as Lilly Allen and Snow Patrol, have used MySpace to raise their profile and sell music online.
While MySpace provides an important forum for e-commerce and fan interaction, musicians must first distinguish themselves from the millions of other musicians on MySpace in order to sell music online. Internet celebrity and musician, Tay Zonday first rose to fame when the video for his debut song, Chocolate Rain, went viral on YouTube. Unlike many other artists’ videos that get lost in the YouTube shuffle, Chocolate Rain has captured the public’s attention for its quirky and fun nature. Zonday quickly capitalized on the video’s success by becoming a member of YouTube and starting his own channel on the site. From his official YouTube channel, Zonday is able to host more of his music videos, connect with fans, and promote himself to sell music online.
In addition to proactively promoting their music on the internet, musicians also need to take precautionary steps to sell music online. This means cracking down on some of the bootleg song downloads that fans and other internet users may have made available for free. Artists like Prince are especially busy eliminating the amount of their music that has been distributed illegally. To combat this, these artists sometimes employ lawyers to regularly monitor the Internet and send warning messages to individuals or organizations who have ignored copyright laws and distributed their music without permission.
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