How to Discover New Music Using the Internet and Podcasting
By Daryl Kulak
What's happened to music on the radio in the past 10 years? It seems like the same songs are being played over and over. The deejays on most stations seem to have very little interest in the music they are playing; they just act like fast-talking automatons giving us mindless chatter, small talk or, even worse, vulgarity. The days when AM/FM radio led us to discover new music may be over. However, whenever one industry forgets its customer base, inevitably another industry remembers it and gives those customers what they want. For us forgotten music lovers there is now a new way to discover music – it is called podcasting.
As with so many other things, the internet has provided yet another innovative way of accomplishing something in our daily lives. The term “podcasting” refers to a type of internet radio show that can be listened to on either a computer or a portable music device (such as an Apple iPod). While some large companies – such as National Public Radio, Discovery Channel and the BBC – create podcasts, most are created by people who dreamed of being deejays or talk-radio hosts but ended up elsewhere in their occupations. Imagine a diverse menu of thousands of radio shows created by passionate lovers of the Green Party, golf, coin collecting, video games, comedy, raising kids, cooking or music. Music podcasts sound similar to traditional radio programs, but instead of relying on the common monotony, podcasters feature the music that impassions them. And usually there are no commercials.
How Songs Get Played on the Radio
In order for a new song to get played on traditional radio, a musician must sign with an agent (see diagram 1). The agent then secures a deal with a record label (hopefully a major one). The label pays people called independent record promoters to get the artist's song played on the radio. Once the song gets played, listeners decide if they like it.
There are several problems with this system. First of all, no matter how you slice it, this is a “pay to play” system – the major labels must pay the promoters to get their music played on the radio. With this system the music that gets on the air is not necessarily the best music; it is just whatever the labels paid to have played. Also, there are just too many middlemen in the process. Most musicians, especially the mid-level ones, do not get paid very much. The musician typically will receive less than 50 cents from a $19 CD. The rest goes to pay all the middlemen.
Podcasting Removes the Middlemen
But podcasting uses a very different approach (see diagram 2). As you can see in the diagram, the podcaster gets music directly from the independent musician, who is also acting on his own behalf as agent and promoter. The podcaster then plays the music over the internet where listeners can hear new music and find songs they like. In order to buy a song, the listener simply goes to the artist's website and purchases a CD or digital download (mp3 file). With podcasting, the artist usually receives more than 95 percent of the purchase price. (Small fees go for credit-card processing and sometimes a portion goes to the podcaster.) What a difference!
How to Listen to Podcasts
You can find podcasts in several podcast directories on the internet (see the Poscast Resources at right for details). Ninety-nine percent of podcasts are free of charge to the listener. This is possible because podcasters often donate their time to their passion and because of special arrangements made with the musicians. Podcasts can play any music that is “podsafe.” According to Rob Walch, author of Tricks of the Podcasting Masters, “Podsafe music is music podcasters can play on their show without getting into trouble legally.” This means no Britney Spears, no U2, no Miles Davis, no George Winston.
Who's left? Luckily, a whole new set of independent musicians has jumped on board to provide podsafe music for podcasts. These are musicians making great music who are not signed to a label and just have not been heard enough to become popular. To them, podsafe music is an excellent way to get noticed. “Podcasting has definitely been a source of success for me,” says Larry Florman, professionally known as Brother Love. His grooved-out pop music was known to a select group of New Yorkers until this year when his popularity went worldwide thanks to podsafe music. “The hardest part of being an independent artist is to get exposure,” Florman continues. “Since I don't have money like NBC or Sony to get my music known, I can use tools like the Podsafe Music Network to get my music in front of new fans.”
The Podsafe Music Network (see the Poscast Resources at right for details) has more than 20,000 songs from literally thousands of independent artists. Podcasters use this network to search for songs to play. Listeners use this network to find the music they heard on podcasts and also to make purchases directly from the artists.
“Podcasting is what college radio was in the 1980s before it went corporate,” says Walch. “Today, independent artists and podcasters are like peanut butter and jelly. They belong together.” Podcasting is the new radio. It is more efficient, kinder to artists and more flexible for listeners. Have you used the internet to find new music? If not, maybe now is the time.
Daryl Kulak is host of Holistic Health Nation (www.holistichealthnation.com), featuring holistic-health news, interviews and a wide selection of podsafe music.
