Consumption Journal: Week Four

My media consumption for Week Four, since Monday 1/26 consisted of cable/broadcast television, movies, computer (Internet), newspaper, and music. Last week I watched the movies There's Something About Mary and Layer Cake. In addition, I watched programs on cable and broadcast television including news, late night talk shows, and the Super Bowl. I read the Chicago Tribune throughout the week along with gathering my news through Internet Websites (Yahoo). 

I finally bought an iPod so I took time converting my cd collection to MP3s. Furthermore, I listened to the radio while driving in my car. I also spent time on the Internet visiting Facebook, Youtube, and Myspace music. 

The Internet has proven to be a great tool for musicians to promote their music and update fans on current news. You can get radio play, grow a fan base, create a distribution channel, manufacture and sell CDs and music downloads all online. Artists can use such sites as Myspace, Pure Volume, and Facebook to reach their fans or gain new listeners. 

However, now more than ever, unsigned bands or artists can gain a fan base without the support of a major label because of the Internet. Of course this always means that horrible music needs to be "weeded out" before one can actually find the good stuff. There has even been the emergence of Myspace records, an independent record label started in 2005 to sign artists who appear on the social networking site MySpace.

If you want to be successful promoting and distributing your music online, it's going to take time and hard work. Like anything else of real value, you get out of it what you put into it. But aspiring musicians should know that they don't need a major label deal to have a successful music career. If you are seeking  to "make it big" in the music business, then yes, you need the backing of big money. But, if you're just wanting to do music full-time and be a successful artist, that's something you can do all on your own, and the Internet can help you reach that goal.