Indie Musician's Journal: The Internet Turns The Music Biz On Its Head

Thirty years ago I was in a band that produced several singles and two albums.  We did it ourselves through Philo Records, a small Vermont label that was at the forefront of what is now known as "Indie" music.  Philo had nothing in common with the big, bad boys who called the shots on every aspect of music publishing, recording and distribution. 

In those days big record companies ruled.  If you defied them, you had to find or even start your own label, which usually meant being banished to obscurity and the 'cut-out' bin, even for some great musicians.

Now, the joke is on the record companies.  Sales of CDs through stores are down a whopping 20% since the start of this year.  This is a huge change.  Record companies are reeling, panicking, trying to figure out how to deal with (and make money from) the enemy...the brave new world of digital distribution.

iTunes.  Napster. CD Baby. Digstation.  These upstarts are messing with what used to be a sweet little near-monopoly.   And Indie musicians are loving it.

Thirty years later I am in a new band.  I never really left, I've been playing bars, weddings, whatever came my way.  18 months ago I get a call from Colin McCaffrey, a young producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who is a fast-rising star in the Vermont scene that has produced the likes of Phish.  Colin loves old-school country, Texas swing, roots rock, what they call 'Americana'.  He assembles some of his favorite sidemen, we play a few gigs and the band takes on a life of its own.

Last summer we realize we have enough good original material for a credible CD.  We spend two days in the studio and Colin massages the mix on his Pro Tools software over the winter.  He has produced some 30 albums for local artists so this is his milieu.  Two weeks ago we get the boxes back from the company that pressed the first 1,000 copies.  I can honestly say...I really like the CD, and usually I am sick to death of anything I've recorded long before it's pressed!  The songwriting, the playing, somehow it all gelled, and we've had some very nice reviews. 

Now for the fun part, or as Mel Brooks called it, "Moichandizing!"

And, here's where the internet changes everything.  Thirty years ago I lugged heavy boxes of vinyl LPs to gigs, maybe sold a couple.  One Christmas I decorated the tree with unsold 45 rpm singles, to the amusement of my kids.  It was slow going, and I don't remember making any money.

Fast forward to 2007.  We have a website.  We have a MySpace.  We're on Digstation, for digital download, or CD Baby for either download or physical CD.  We just started the 'moichandizing' and we're already hearing from some far-flung people who like our stuff. 

It's incredible how you can make a CD in the woods of Vermont and somebody will dig you in Australia.  The big record companies don't have a chance.  Everything has changed, and I'm grateful that I am still playing and able to see it happen.  We couldn't even dream about this in 1977.  It feels good, it feels like music has been given back to the people and that is a wonderful and joyous thing.

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Links to our website , cdbaby and myspace...enjoy!