Reflection on "Music Lessons"

While reading Alissa Quart's "Music Lessons," I was reminded of all of the times I have supported artists or been drawn to their projects because of their independent, self-serving marketing and business models. One of the things that struck me was how frequently I download those "pay-what-you-want" albums by bands that I like, usually not paying anything for them, and then going to spend upwards of $20 on the same album on vinyl for my collection or tickets to their shows. I just recently did this for one of my favorite bands, Circle Takes the Square, a band that I don't expect many people who read this to actually enjoy. They put out their EP for a set price, and then released their full album as "pay-what-you-want." It made me realize how well this Free Culture Method actually works. Additionally, I also am drawn to artists that have started to "Go Micro." One of the sites that helps promote the venture to go micro is Kickstarter (or Indiegogo). This past year, another one of my favorite bands, Murder By Death (for fans of Johnny Cash, indie music, folk, and Americana whiskey lovers), decided to put out their latest album by themselves. In order to fund this process, they had people pledge certain amounts of money to which they would be "rewarded" with a copy of the CD. For larger donations/pledges, the band made the rewards come with more or be super excited. I think for $1000 dollars, a few lucky (and might I add rich) fans could get the band to cover any song that they requested. Either way, this system of Kickstarter is one aspect of Going Micro that gets the fans involved in the process from the very beginning. It's really neat!

I'm actually planning on putting together a chapbook to self-publish, something that's becoming more and more popular with the rise of e-books and indie publishing firms.