I'm convinced there has never been a better time for independent artists. The general public is hungry for quality musical content, and there seems to be an endless amount of hard working talented people making great music. Musical activity is massive. It is becoming clearer all the time that music's future home is the Internet. Social Networking and this web concept have elevated the entire musical culture to something different, and dare I say...cool! Just when you thought that modern music, so often misunderstood or regarded as uncool, was stagnant - we now are standing at the brink of passing cool entirely, and moving to something quite possibly Way Beyond Cool! Being an indie artist is unbelievably difficult. Saying that life is unfair is among the largest of understatements. When it comes to being an indie artist, there are countless injustices you must constantly endure. There are forces at work causing damage to the culture of music. We live in a jungle and our only chance of survival is sticking together. Support other artists. By support, I'm referring to more than just buying a show ticket or a CD. Positive vibes and encouragement are necessary to keep people energized about music. If you are in a state of perpetual cynicism about the unfair aspects of the music industry, you are not helping yourself or anyone around you. Focus on what you can do what is within your means, and take control of your destiny. Make it happen. Do not except NO for an answer. Themes of pain and suffering are deeply rooted in music the correlation is easily seen. Maybe artists are supposed to suffer a little but maybe in modern times, the suffering can be managed a little and tragic endings can be avoided. The music industry is US. Its what WE say it is. And its what WE make of it. There are recent developments that are changing the music industry. The Internet IS the best thing ever to happen for indie artists. There is much to be optimistic about. The tide has turned... Enough Said!

The biggest challenge for independent artist is promotions, and selling their release. It's so hard for an Indie Artist to get heard. I think to some extinct artist under estimate, or don't pay enough attention to the promotion and sales of their release. You’re really into your craft. You’re into recording, and song writing, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That's the stuff that you love and got you into the business. But it seems promotions are almost an after-thought for many artists. They’ll catch themselves saying, “Well, what am I gonna do now?", after they’ve finished recording. Sometimes they don't even think about that until after they have CD's made. You have to create demand as an artist. This is true whether you're a label artist, or an Indie Artist. Creating demand is really hard. Distribution…the Bricks and Mortar traditional distribution…? That's a horrible business. It is particularly when you are an independent artist who has 0 clout. It's almost impossible to get in when you’re an Indie Artist. As an independent artist, if you want to get your product distributed by traditional distribution, you have to have a track record. If you have that, even then it's almost impossible to get paid. They'll hold your payments 90-120 days, or sometimes they just don't pay period. They're very unresponsive, and you just can't hold them hostage as an Indie Artist. If you're a major label and you're not getting paid by you distributor, you tell them "you're not getting the next Prince, Madonna, Metallica, Mariah Carey album until you pay your bills. And so, they'll pay their bills so they can continue to get product. As an Indie Artist you don't have that kind of sway over them. There’s this misconception among Indie Artist that think, if I can just get distribution, my product will sell. That's totally wrong. You have to create the demand as an artist. If you do that, you will be able to sell product. It's really difficult to work with the bricks and mortar distributors. Alot of artist have shared their bad experiences with them. CD Baby is a great alternative for Independent Artist. But you still have to create demand before your music will sell. Demand is the second hardest part. Promoting your release is the first. With Radio station consolidation, clear channel and all the major top 40 stations won't play any indie artist music. Even at the colleges it's getting harder and harder to get your music played. That’s really and always has been, and will probably continue to be from my perspective the biggest challenge for Indie Artist. Nd Face… promoting, supporting and uplifting the Indie Music Industry one artist at a time. Enough Said