Independent Labels Archives

My new client, Lance, releases his new album, What you Make It on April 20th. Backed up by the Peterson family, Lance joined forces with Berklee College of Music graduate, Randall S. Peterson, who produced this collection; another Berklee grad, Paul Meyer, did the mastering.

The finished product is being met with stellar reviews. This praise is indicative:

. . . one song that I have to chose as my over all play repeat and do it again song it would be “So Into You” . . . Lance did not hold out any of his heart and soul on this song as well as guitar and piano solos that make you want to roll the windows down and drive fast. This jam alone is one of many reason you should purchase this entire album.

Freelance writer Sherry Bach has this to say:

The feel of Lance’s music takes me back to the Atlanta Rhythm Section and Lionel Richie, two greats whose music never gets old. If you don’t remember who those artists are, just think sexy, raw, emotional, beat driven, and mood setting guitar licks – preparing us to feel good and fall in love.

Read the full review here.

Another blogger, educator and freelance writer, Anna Summers, summarized as follows:

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Lance’s music] is an eclectic mix of pop/rock and alternative songs with a distinctly soulful, bluesy-vibe that is trademark Lance. There’s something for every palette—from the sexy, sultry “Meet Me Downstairs” to the upbeat, charismatic, can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head Hey Everybody. So Into You promises to be the anthem of summer with its mesmerizing lyrics and shoreline groove. True to its title, this album meets you where life and love intersect, inviting you to make the most of every moment.

From a different media, disc jockey “OC” at KRUF 94.5 FM in Shreveport, Louisiana raves “Excellent tunes Lance! . . . Love the Downstairs tune but then again I love them all!

Finally, Sylphie Mitchell of The Last Note Standing says:

Favorite track . . .? For me, it’s a tough choice. If I want to dance, I’m going to pick “So Into You” because you can’t help but move when you hear it. For quiet moments and pure feeling, I want to listen to “Downstairs” and “I Wish You Were Here”. Lance’s music and lyrics are strong, and given even more depth and color by the Peterson family, who back him up instrumentally. All in all, for this writer, I have to say to LANCE that I “Got Love” and that I “Want (more) Love!”

Lance is currently on a tour of the Hot Topic retail outlets across the Southeast, currently appearing in Regency Square Mall in Jacksonville, Florida. He will be back in the Music Row area on April 19th appearing at the Belcourt Taps & Tapas in Nashville, and then at Borders Books in Brentwood and then at the Cool Springs Galleria on April 20th. Be sure to get out and show your support.

Find out for yourself what everyone is talking about. Submit your own review! But by all means, pre-order the CD here.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

I have often advised my clients in the past that the new direction for independent artists is what I refer to as “guerilla” marketing, meaning finding alternative means of marketing your product. One of the most explosive methods of doing that over the past few years has been the Internet. One of the problems with marketing yourself on the Internet, however, is how do you get people to come to you? The void of the Internet is so vast, that finding an artist whose sound is something that matches your musical taste is even more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack!

So, it is a beautiful thing to see an artist actually breaking into the Billboard charts catapulted in large part by her success on the Internet, particularly her MySpace page. Her success story gives hope to every artist whose desire is to put out a record, throw it up on the Internet, and have people flock to listen.

Enter Indianapolis, Indiana singer-songwriter Sally Anthony whose “eTeam” of over 125,000 fans, including over 40,000 friends on MySpace, helped propel Anthony to stardom. Thanks in large part to that online community, Anthony’s first album, Vent, released in 2004, sold over 175,000 physical and digital copies. Two releases from that album spent months on the R&R pop chart.

Her new album, Goodbye, released October 23rd, has already sold 14,000 digital copies. It has already reached the top of the pop charts at walmart.com, FYE Digital and iTunes and on November 7th landed at No. 9 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. The album is being distributed by her company, Gracie Productions, through Imperial Records/EMI.

Anthony is succeeding because she is treating the music industry as broader than just the radio promoted, hit-driven, plastic disc business the major labels seem stuck in. She is viewing the music industry as an entire package, generating buzz wherever she can, from the ground up rather than from the top down.

I predict that we will start to see more and more of these types of breakthrough artist as the popularity of YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and other online communities grow in popularity and as the pioneers of the Internet find more creative ways to index diverse product, match it to the tastes and purchasing patterns of Internet users, and make recommendations – sites such as LivePlasma, Pandora, Audiobaba, Last.fm, MyStrands and, of course, Amazon,

As radio fades into the annals of history alongside the monolithic corporate conglomerates that are record labels, these innovative types of indexing sites will help those artists in the deep dark recesses of the “long tail” find an audience for their music. By the way, if you haven’t read Chris Anderson’s treatise on this subject, The Long Tail, buy a copy and dissect it now. The long tail consists of that product that is not in the mainstream — not on the shelves of Wal-mart — but product that is still sought after and purchased by people. Maybe it’s only ten people per month, but people still want and buy it. It is the millions of artist that fly below the radar of the “hit-driven majors.” These are the artists who can benefit from the exposure the Internet can provide.