This link has been bookmarked by 44 people . It was first bookmarked on 22 Apr 2008, by a77ila.
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Like most technologies, the internet is morally neutral and we can better use its powers to assist the broadening of artistic expression, to assist minority artists to make a better living by communicating directly with their audience, to create tools tha
music business marketing longtail economics fans art culture
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02 Oct 10
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09 Jul 10
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In reality the life of a "microcelebrity" resembles more the fate of Sisyphus, whose boulder rolls back down the mountain every time he reaches the summit. After every tour I feel exhausted but empowered by the thought that a few people really care a lot about this music. Yet, a few months later all is quiet again and CD/downoad sales slow down again. If I take the time to concentrate for a year on what I hope to be a breakthrough album, that time of silence widens out into a gaping hole and interest seems to fade. When I finally do release something that I feel to be a bold new direction, I manage only to sell it to the same 1,000 True Fans. The boulder sits back at the bottom of the mountain and it's time to start rolling it up again.
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So let's look a bit at the finances. If I can make about $5-$10 per download or directly sold CD, and I sell 1000, I clear a maximum of $10,000 for that year's effort. That's not a living. Let's say, after 20 concerts I net about $10,000 for three to four months worth of full time effort. That's not a living.
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In my case I'm lucky. I can can augment that paltry income through some of the added benefits of "microcelebrity" including licensing fees for sample clearance and film use rights, sound design libraries, and supplemental income from studio mastering and engineering fees. So, I make about as much money as our local garbage man; and I don't smell as bad after a day of work
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02 May 09
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09 Feb 09
mhamburgThe Reality of Depending on True Fans
kevinkelly longtail 1000truefans fandom businessmodel industry long_tail marketing art distribution fans blog future business artists internet socialmedia copyright music ambient article culture research ideas interesting creativity economics money 2008 a
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11 Dec 08
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08 Dec 08
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01 Oct 08
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Michel BauwensI have been researching new business models for artists working in the low end of the long tail. How can one make a living in a micro-niche? Is it even possible, particularly in this realm of no-cost copies?
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08 Jun 08
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01 May 08
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24 Apr 08
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23 Apr 08
Robert Rich: "In reality the life of a "microcelebrity" resembles more the fate of Sisyphus, whose boulder rolls back down the mountain every time he reaches the summit."
2008 algorithms ambient art article articles blog business culture data economics economy evolution feeds future ideas industry Internet longtail marketing money music research sustainability ToDo toread trends work
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FruFru FourOneRobert Rich: "In reality the life of a "microcelebrity" resembles more the fate of Sisyphus, whose boulder rolls back down the mountain every time he reaches the summit."
2008 algorithms ambient art article articles blog business culture data economics economy evolution feeds future ideas industry Internet longtail marketing money music research sustainability ToDo toread trends work
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luistxoIngelesa badakizu, denbora baduzu, eta musikarien kezkak interesatzen bazaizu, Robert Rich-en bizipenak irakurri behar dituzu
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Lloyd ShepherdFabulous thoughts from a musician with "True Fans" on the economic realities of working at that level. He earns as much as his dustman, but smells better.
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22 Apr 08
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Evolutionary biology shows us one metaphor for this trap of stylistic boundaries, in terms of species diversity and inbreeding (ref. E.O. Wilson). When a species sub-population becomes isolated, its traits start to diverge from the larger group to eventually form a new species. Yet under these conditions of isolation, genetic diversity can decrease and the new environmentally specialized species becomes more easily threatened by environmental changes. The larger the population, the less risk it faces of inbreeding. If that population stays connected to the main group of its species, it has the least chance of overspecialization and the most chance for survival in multiple environments. This metaphor becomes relevant to Artists and True Fans because our culture can get obsessed with ideas of style and demographic. When an artist relies on such intense personal commitmen from such a small population, it's like an animal that relies solely upon the fruit of one tree to survive. This is a recipe for extinction. Distinctions between demographics resemble mountain ranges set up to divide one population from another. I prefer a world where no barriers exist between audiences as they define themselves and the art they love. I want a world of mutts and cross-polinators.� I would feel more comfortable if I thought I had a broader base of people interested in my work, not just preaching to the choir.
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