So the space for what I’m calling “indie digital music storefronts” continues to grow, with sites offering services for independent musicians/bands to sell their wares directly to their fans (either from their websites and other digital stores, like the iTunes Music Store). Digital Music News has an update on this emerging space, with two new additions:
These seem to be similar to the other emerging players in the space, (which I discussed in an earlier post), with the exception of Nimbit, which appears to be pushing the angle that artists can sell their music via iTunes.
Perhaps more significantly, it appears that Nimbit is the first of these indie start-ups to include an option for artists to sell concert tickets. Adding new opportunities to sell concert tickets will be a key element for most independent bands, as they tend to focus on their live shows for promotion and to simply making a living.
It will be interesting to watch how this space continues to evolve, particularly in how these services compete against the recent partnership of MySpace/Snocap (also noted in my earlier post). Watch for Musicane and ReverbNation to follow suit by adding the option for ticket sales (and other merchandise) to their services.
The more options independent musicians have for selling their wares, the more they will be able to side-step the mainstream distribution channels (and restrictive recording contracts) of the Big Four music behemoths. But even though indies will have the tools to be successful with the DIY model, the space for marketing will still be in play and will be even more important as music continues to compete with other media for the consumer’s free time. They can try to utilize new marketing concepts and gain momentum with videos on YouTube, but one of the best forms of promotion for independent bands is allowing taping and tape-trading of their concert recordings.
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