Start An Independent Music Revolution

I'm done talking, writing and complaining about the way independent music and the people who create it are treated. I am old enough to have worked in the old system and young enough to have been at the forefront of the digital revolution. I have scars from the major labels and publishers, and scars from my own efforts and mistakes. For all my efforts I have earned a little fame, a small fortune and a lot of knowledge. (mostly from what NOT to do)

I am ready to pull my top down and lead one more charge!

In the interest of time I will skip to the What and put the Why at the end for those of us with ADD. I want to start an independent music only super platform. Independent means artists and music currently not signed or controlled by a major label. Super platform means a platform for music discovery, streaming, downloads, licensing and performances. (broadcast performances as well as live ticketed events)

WHAT: WeGet Music An Independent Discovery & Delivery Platform

In the end creating 10 ways for artists to make money. 5 Passive (you put you music on and other people or technology market it, sell it and collect the money) 5 Active (You have to do some kind of extra work to make the money)

I have a rough beta version with 4 Passive revenue streams and 2 Active revenue streams that is ready for a few good bands with a few good fans. This is not a normal platform and it will not be a normal beta test for several reasons.

1. Because this will be very disruptive to a lot of very big rich companies so we cannot get funding by the normal methods because most of the big funders that are interested in music already have backed one of the big players in the streaming space.
2. There are some secret marketing plans we have that we want to keep a little quiet. Plus we are too small for the big tech companies, music companies and investment firms to care about. In the 80%/20% rule we are the 80% they can't be bothered with.

We Are Looking For BetaStarters

What is that? We are creating hybrid funding and testing model. We need a select number of independent artists and real music fans to sign up for a subscription $9.95-$14.95 and test it while we are finishing building it. We are thinking of it as Beta Testing meets Kickstarter. We will be changing the tires while the car is moving. (yes it's dangerous but it's also exciting) BetaStarters will be helping to fund the creation (30% of the subscription) and to test fairly paying all of the people involved in making the music. (70% to artists, songwriters, publishers, producers, engineers, managers, indie labels, radio stations, production companies and every musician, singer and engineer who worked on the record) We also have a way to generate money for the testers and the fans.

WHY: Here are some of my reasons for why we need this.

Streaming and it's inevitable success means that we will soon be facing one great battle. Our musical lives will live and die on that one hill. Streaming will be the coin of the realm and he who is not streamed will perish. (ok never be rich and famous)

LIBERTY: The good news is we are free to get our music around the world in a million online stores and platforms. The bad news is most of the main sites will not deal directly with independent artists so we must add a middle man to gain access. So we are Free because no one tells us when and where our music will be released but we have a new filter that takes some of the money and control back away.

EQUALITY: The good news is most of us know we are not facing a fair fight and there is nothing equal about the music business. The bad news is it is worse than most of us realize.

1. Independent artists are NOT in the Apple Music genre search so if someone is searching for Rock only famous artists and those on major labels are found.
2. The major labels own almost all of the companies creating Spotify playlists along with 20% of Spotify's stock
3. Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, and Deezer all have over 35 million songs with no real search engine so good luck getting any actual independent music heard.

FRATERNITY: We are a community and we all need to be concerned with the fact that less than 2 1/2% of all artists have ever gotten a royalty check. Engineers never get one unless they are a super famous mixer. Producers get a percentage of a records sold so what happens to them when all music is streamed? We need to see that everyone gets rewarded when the music they helped create makes money. So join me if you feel the same.