WHAT IS INDIE? (Part 2 of 2)

As promised here is the 2nd part of my interview with Dave Cool.

There are many bands who have gone the indie route. What do you think the secret to their success is? There are lots of reasons why artists make their careers a success, and every artist's path is unique, but it’s mostly a lot of hard work, getting educated on how to run a business, and staying organized is also really important. And I would suggest that a book like Peter Spellman's "Indie Power" is a great place to start.

Do you think the term "It takes money to make money" applies to music? It applies to every business out there, including music, without a doubt. There are lots of guerrilla-marketing tactics you can use that don't cost any money, but at the end of the day, it will require some kind of investment to get your music out there. I know a lot of artists will be asking "Well, where do you get the money?!", and the truth is, every situation is different, but money can usually be found. Whether it's by getting your friends/family/fans to invest in you, or taking out loans, or pre-selling albums etc., there are many creative ways to raise the money you need to launch a new album.

What do you think major labels would have to do in order to put themselves in a more positive light? Well, for starters, stop suing music fans! Secondly, stop ripping off music fans with price-fixing schemes (which they were caught doing in the late 90's). Thirdly, stop payola with radio stations which we all know has always existed, and which they are finally paying heavy fines for these days. People hear about all of these things and realize that the major labels are like most corporations, and are just looking after their bottom-line, even if it's at the expense of music fans and the artists who are driving the industry.

What are your plans now that the movie is finished and the DVD is launched? I honestly believe we're experiencing a revolution in the music industry right now, and this film was lucky enough to be made at a time to capture a small part of that, so I hope to get it seen by as many people as possible! So right now it's being booked at almost every music conference out there, and I'll be launching a very aggressive guerrilla-marketing promotion in the near future that will give people incentives to arrange screenings in their hometowns where they will be able to re-sell the DVD themselves and make some cash.

A message from Dave Cool: For all of the members reading this, you can visit the following link to get a 20% discount ($16 instead of $20) on the price of the "What is INDIE?" 2-disc package just for using such an awesome service like Bandzoogle: http://www.whatisindiemovie.com/discountstore.cfm. If anyone has any questions, they can always reach me through the film's website at whatisindiemovie.com (hosted by Bandzoogle of course!)