Netlabel 101 with Blocsonic

We at Kilted Chaos love netlabels, I think that’s obvious, but the one we think is putting out quality releases right now is blocSonic. Now 3 years strong, the blocSonic crew are releasing a solid mix of netaudio samplers and original releases, and the quality of their recordings, and the attention to detail that goes into the artwork accompanying all releases are marketing tactics we really think they do well!

Currently blocSonic release “Netblocs” (AKA sampler CD’s, XE Releases (AKA extended releases) and originals (Exactly what the name says  -original material to the Blocsonic Stable(Note  -links go to my current favorite in each genre.) More details about the release types here

We were lucky enough to score some time from the very busy founder of blocSonic, Michael Gregoire, recently and asked him to share some of his thoughts about the state of play in the world of netaudio and where he thinks it might be headed. The Interview follows below:

Kilted Chaos: So, tell us a little about what Blocsonic is, and your goals, etc

blocSonic: I first started being interested in “netaudio” (e.g. music released for free online, usually under a Creative Commons license via netlabels) back in 2002. Back then I liked the “idea” of it… but wasn’t enjoying the amount of work that it took to find any gems in the rough so I only sporadically browsed the music available. A few years passed and momentum was beginning to build in the scene. I was beginning to find some incredible music! Still, it took a lot of sifting through mediocre stuff. I found myself wishing there were some sort of way to easily find the gems. Of course that didn’t exist. Thankfully I’m a “digger”… I don’t mind seeking out music. Others aren’t diggers and prefer to have tastemakers show them the way. I realized that if I as a digger would like a simpler way to discover new netaudio gems, the other type of listener would surely appreciated such a resource. At that moment I decided that I’d attempt to begin a compilation series.

Over the next year or so I planned it, programmed the site and then began to approach netlabels and artists. In January 2007 the site was launched and “netBloc Vol. 1: The Opening Salvo” was released. My initial plan with blocSonic wasn’t to release originals… only the netBloc releases and to develop blocSonic into a sort of community site for netaudio. As things developed, original releases began to seem like a good idea and in late 2008 I put out a call for artists. One of the first to answer the call was Just Plain Ant, who had previously been featured on “netBloc Vol 17: Refined excursions for the discriminating listener”. With the release of Ant’s “Dig Deep” in February 2009, the response to original content was immediate… site traffic doubled and has only increased since.

For now, the community aspect of the site are on the back burner… though it will make an appearance once the netlabel aspect of blocSonic settles into a good rhythm. One thing that I hope to explore in the coming year or two is how to move blocSonic into a hybrid business model. Continue giving away releases while also developing revenue streams. A couple ideas have been bubbling for a while and will be tested either by the end of this year or early 2011.

Kilted Chaos: For those out there that may not “get it” – how would you say a netlabel differentiates from a conventional record label?

blocSonic: The number one difference is distribution priorities. With a conventional record label, the priority is offline distribution which means you have to find distributers to get into retail in whatever region you plan on selling your music. With a netlabel, offline distribution is secondary (if given priority at all). Netlabels’ priority is distributing digital audio directly to fans via their websites. If a netlabel chooses to also sell music, it’s quite rare that they’ll attempt to distribute to retail. Instead the music is sold directly or via online vendors in digital form or CD. There’s an incredible amount of overhead that the netlabel doesn’t have to deal with.

The other difference…
budget. A conventional label has one. A netlabel usually doesn’t, unless of course they have a hybrid business model in which they both sell and give music for free
even then, the budget is small in comparison to a conventional label.

Kilted Chaos: The last few years really saw a huge growth in the popularity of Netlabels as distribution channels for emerging artsists. Where do you see this developing?

blocSonic: What I’d love to see is some song from the Creative Commons licensed netaudio world take the music worlds by storm…
mainstream, independent and netaudio in the way that Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” did. There really hasn’t been a musical shift of that size since that moment. Of course, that’s wishful thinking and netaudio’s watershed moment most-likely won’t happen that way. However, I do think that there will be one
a moment when the awareness of netlabels/netaudio grows to such a degree that the scene sees a large influx of listeners in a relatively short time.

Kilted Chaos: Is it just us, or do netlabels seem to be the most hands on when it comes to “direct to fan” and using social media to promote artists?

blocSonic: Netlabels sure are. Partially out of necessity
no budgets and most of all out of simply knowing how to make it happen. I see the music world in three tiers – the mainstream, the independent middle tier and netlabels. I think that the independent music world is still lagging when it comes to “direct to fan”, though a few labels “get” it. The mainstream world have it all wrong due to an inability to adapt.

Kilted Chaos: It used to be that smaller labels, and netlabels were merely “jump off points” for artists as they tried to secure that elusive deal with one of the majors, but it seems that now, with the technologies available for distribution, marketing etc, that you guys could easily be an alternative for almost any size artist . Agree or disagree?

blocSonic: I agree… though the artist first needs to understand that the days of millions of fans and dollars are done. The majors will still try and sell the “dream” of stardom, but it’s all a facade. There are no more Michael Jacksons, Van Halens, Madonnas, Led Zeppelins or Rolling Stones. Once the artist comes down to earth and realizes that they need only build a dedicated fan-base and earn a decent living, then they can easily be served by a netlabel or even go it independently without a label.

Whether an artist needs a netlabel or not is based on one thing alone… technological knowhow. If the artist or someone within their team knows how to make it happen, they can go it alone distributing and promoting directly to fans. If they don’t have that knowhow, they need to trust those who do, netlabels, to help them.

Kilted Chaos: What tips would you give to any aspiring musicians looking to find a good netlabel to work with, and to anyone out there that thinks “hell, i know my music -i could start one of these thingies” ?

blocSonic: First, ask yourself this:

• Are you or someone on your team tech savvy?
• Savvy enough to design and deploy a website, prepare music files in multiple digital formats for online distribution?
• Who’s going to prepare the album art? Can they do so in a way that represents your “brand”?
• Are you or someone on your team able to quickly grasp the latest developments in social media and to utilize them for your direct to fan dialogue?

If the answer is yes to this, then you don’t need a label. However if you can’t handle any of that. I’d say educate yourself… research netlabels… find one that fits you musically and one that seems to be handling themselves professionally. A netlabel is no good to you if they won’t help promote you and are distributing your music poorly. Does the netlabel name, tag and package the music in a consistent manner?

Kilted Chaos: What are your top 5 resources for Independent Musicians?

blocSonic:

1. Creative Commons licensing: Licensing your music this way allows it to become viral. It tells your fans that you understand and approve their sharing the music they love with their friends, listeners, readers aka possible future fans.
2. Creative Commons licensing: Just in case you didn’t get it the first time. It’s that important!
3. Archive.org: Free online file storage for free Creative Commons licensed music.
4. Bandcamp.com: A platform to easily sell your music that supports Creative Commons licenses and a plethora of digital audio formats.
5. Netlabels: Either to release music through or to consult for advice if you’re doing it alone. The netlabel/netaudio world is an open and friendly one. There’s lots of folks who’ll be glad to give advice and/or tips.
6. Twitter/Facebook pages/any other social media service that’s hot: A direct line of communication with your fans. The services will change often… what’s hot right now might not be hot next year (e.g. Myspace). Adapt.

Kilted Chaos: Floors all yours mate, feel free to add anything else you want to add to this little Q+A session

blocSonic:Lastly, Creative Commons licensing (that again?!?). There’s one thing I see time and time again… artists giving their album away online, but either through a lack of knowledge or stubbornness are not distributing it under a Creative Commons license. The CC license is one the most powerful tools in an independent artist’s arsenal. I can understand when an artist is selling their music that they’d be hesitant to CC (however I still would advise to go the CC route… think Nine Inch Nails*) but I don’t understand the unwillingness to go CC when you are giving your music away! Even if its free, if it’s not CC licensed, you ARE specifically telling your listeners that you don’t like them sharing that music with others. A CC license makes VERY clear that you want “word of mouth” promotion via file-sharing. That you want your music to go viral.

Thank you to the fine folks of Kilted Chaos for inviting me.
*Google ‘”Nine Inch Nails” “Amazon” “Ghosts I-IV”‘

So, there you have it! In addition to heading over to the blocSonic website and supporting them by listening to and downloading the music, you can follow them on FACEBOOK and of course on TWITTER

If you like their music, make sure and leave them comments to that effect, and make sure to spread that great music to your friends and Twitter/facebook “tribes” too – Word of Mouse/Word of Mouth is highly valuable currency to the success of a netlabel and we sure would like to help keep blocSonic up there, producing high quality netaudio for the masses for a long time to come - Thanks Michael!

Tagged as: Amazon.com Inc., artist, community site, Creative Commons, Culture, direct to fan marketing, Entertainment, free music, Google Inc., Independent Artist, Independent record labels, music, Music 3.0, Music industry, Music Marketing, netaudio, netlabels, Open content, Plain Ant, Record label, retail, Smells Like Teen Spirit