mdlbear | Musicians and the Web

Techdirt: Musicians Realizing That Access Is A Key Selling Point

While I've been writing this series of posts about the economic models involving non-scarce things like content and ideas, a key element of understanding the business models that come out of this is recognizing that a key, scarce component is access to the musician. Clive Thompson has written up a great article for the NY Times Magazines about how new musicians are discovering the two sides of this coin. Basically, they've learned that the internet and the ability to communicate with fans is a key element in allowing them to be successful in the first place. That is, it's that ability to go straight to the fans that allows them to have a music career at all. I particularly like the one musician who strategically tours by using his online presence to figure out if over 100 fans will show up at any particular venue -- and then will make plans to perform there. Nearly all of the musicians being profiled probably wouldn't be nearly as successful without their online presence, without promoting their music for free, without asking others to help them promote their music for them -- and without being around and being accessible to fans.

The New York Times article features Jonathan Coulton. The series of articles in TechDirt has been very instructive about the economics of non-scarce goods, and how to construct a viable business model that uses them to increase the value and profitability of traditional, scarce goods. This one and the NYT article have been particularly inspiring, but I'm not about to quit my day job just yet.

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Thanks for posting the summary and links. This looks interesting, and maybe useful to a non-musician.

Very likely, especially the TechDirt series. If you're trying to make a buck on the web, you need to read it.

I screen-scraped Mike Masnick's self-described relevant blogs (Economics.... to Scarcity....) as far back as October 2006. Looks like I've got some reading to do.

When my eldest daughter gets back from the BWCA, I'll show them to her. The two of us are, singly and collectively, trying to make a buck on the web - several, if possible.

Viable, or even believable, economic and business models aren't easy to find in this new world.

Thanks again.

You're welcome!

Musicians and the Web

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