Saturday, December 01, 2007
Subscribe to efM Podcasts
Here at long last, efolkMusic moves into the 'casting" world- I'm going to call it "e-cast", I refuse to advertise for McPod, let's think of a better name! It's really a logical extension of what we've been doing for the past 7 years, distributing music to raise awareness of the good music in these MainstreamMediaBleak times. Last year we distributed about 26,000 mp3s from our exceptional roster.
We're going to keep the music flowing, and we're making it easier for you, the listener and fan, and our artists- we're now offering members a free subscription to one of our soon-to-be-many rss feeds.
 << click for more info
This one we call "efM Song of the Week" and is just that- we'll send you a link, you click and your computer practically takes over, gets the song, sets up a schedule to get it each week (while you sleep, if you like). Once you start doing this, you'll never turn back- it's so easy. The music is just THERE in your iTunes, etc every week, you do nothing except click to listen!
We'll follow shortly with an "Album of the Month" that we will "push" to the desktop of members. We project a minimum of 1000 subscribers to this feed within 2 months, towards a goal of 10,000 by the end of 2008. I think it's a great service, a new way of competing with the heavyweights, we just push the music to the user's media player/rss reader, they gotta love it!
Artists on the site choose at least one track per CD or Digital Album (or at least one track if they have only single tracks) that efolkMusic will use to promote in newsletters (25K+), and on the website. We in turn use the music to attract supporters- I think it's a win-win: The artist gets their music spread around, gets a presence and traffic on the website and in the efolkMusic community, no charge, and we use the "free" (there's nothing really free...) music to attract new members. Maybe we can grow this thing and actually pay some people- and at the same time GET MORE MUSIC INTO MORE EARS! What's wrong with that?
(you understand, efolkMusic is basically me, a programmer -who does get a little- and a volunteer bookkeeper. I made better than 50 cents an hour for my work last year!!!!!! I don't need no Mercedes, but I would like to earn a living wage)
So we have several ways to promote member tracks- (can you have too many?) Of course we mention all new albums in our monthly newsletters, and member tracks are eligible for inclusion on our (1) "Digital Samplers"- free to all on the site, a new one every two months; (2) "Song of the Week" for all members; and (3) "Monthly Members Sampler" e-cast paid membership subscription .
I swear, no one wants anything anymore if it's not automatic. We've got to push it out there! This is the future, the "music service"..... I think this e-casting is going to rock- ya'll please comment.
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007
More on the Future of Music...
I think a big change is that radio is no longer the main driver of sales for a huge percentage of artists. Clear Channel makes the short list of who gets enough spins to create sales, and the really good stations pick from a catalog that is so broad that no single song gets more than a handful of plays.
I enjoy listening to a folk show that spans recorded history, but I know as a "contemporary folk artist" that the chances for blockbuster sales are nil.
The Internet has been great to facilitate distribution of the near-infinite folk catalog, but, boy, it sure is hard to rise above the soup....
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
What's "Radio Airplay"??
 There's a great spot, the folk DJ site on folkradio.org , that gives insight to the plight of the "folk" genre on the radio. Everybody knows we're not being heard on the Clear Channel stations, or any commercial station, for that matter, and I guess at least a few people are listening to 'alternative' music via satellite. But what about the actual airwaves? Folk DJs to the rescue!!!
Folksters have non-commercial radio for fans of the "mighty fine", singer/songwriter/bluegrass/Celtic, etc.- bigger NPR affiliates, smaller college and community radio stations (Check out our own 100-watt wonder- that is Carrboro, NC's WCOM-LPFM ), but what does that add up to?
The folk DJ site compiles airplay lists from several hundred shows around the country, and it is very revealing. Last year the NUMBER ONE song reported a total of 80 spins!!!!! (a tie, Eliza Gilkyson's "Peace Call" and "Devil's Paintbrush Road" from the Wailin' Jennys) Go down to #25, Rhonda Vincent's "All American Bluegrass Girl", and we find a meager 45 spins.
A learned DJ pal of mine estimates this report shows about half of the total airplay, that only about half of the shows are reporting to the list. If he's right, and the top song got 160 spins in a whole year, where does that leave folk music fans? Out in the cold, if you ask me.
Is there any hope? How can the aspiring young talent get heard? Things aren't like they used to be in the radio biz, back when a great song could make it's own way to the top. What do you think?
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