Good afternoon! As promised here is part 2 of our interview with Andi Durrant where he gives his thoughts on the music industry in 2011.
How easy/difficult was it to be a music artist in 2010. Do you think it will get easier/harder in 2011? Why?
I’d say it was very difficult – especially if you’re just starting out and trying to get recognized for your work. It used to be the case that only a very small amount of people could use a recording studio, or even afford to hire one. Now for around £200 and a laptop you can do virtually everything, which is why I’m now receiving an average of 400 new tracks a week to listen to. Trying to stand out from that huge crowd is no mean feat.
Social Media has exploded over the last few years. Do you find tools such as Twitter and Facebook useful as an artist or just something you have to be on these days?
I absolutely love Twitter. I was scathing at first (“Who wants to know what salad Ashton Kutcher had for his lunch?”) but then I got the point of it – you only follow the people you’re genuinely interested in and its opened up a new world to me. I’m on there all day every day catching up and chatting with the rest of the electronic music community. I actually think it’s brought us together a bit more and strengthened the scene. DJs and dance music artists have really embraced Twitter and come off all the better for it. As for Facebook, I see that more of a promotional tool. It often seems a bit too personal sharing all your pictures with the world, and is ruined by people spamming your wall and trying to make you play imaginary farm games.
2010 has seen a rise in the popularity of cloud music services such as Spotify. Do you see them breaking in to the mainstream in 2011 and becoming the new way we consume music?
I’m sitting on the fence on this one – I really wouldn’t like to guess. The Spotify business model isn’t working for artists at the moment, and I don’t see that changing very soon… but then a new service might pop up next week and change the whole thing again!
How important do you think mobile technology and apps will be for the music industry in 2011?
VERY important. We’re nearly all living our lives through iPhones, iPods and Blackberrys these days, so those artists who have the best online presence, the most up to date and interesting Apps and websites, and make their music the easiest to access will come out on top.
Finally, do you think 2011 will be the year that the music industry will ‘get fixed’?
The music industry was probably broken the day it began. It’ll never be fixed and I’m not sure any of us want it that way even if it could be.
Some great insights from Andi. Share your thoughts with us about the state of the music industry in 2011 on Twitter @pokerpr
MN2S are the latest electronic dance music brand to enter the mobile app world. Their official iPhone app, developed by Poker PR’s sister company Scribble, is now live in the app store and is available to download for free
The app gives the user access to all the latest happenings in the world of MN2S including live news updates, the option to listen, or buy and download music straight to your iPhone from any of the MN2S labels or artists on the day of release, plus upfront event details from some of the biggest names in dance music.
App users also have the option to browse through the infamous MN2S roster of legendary DJs and live artists including Fedde Le Grand, Martin Solveig, Alex Gaudino, Joey Negro , Kenny Dope, Bodyrox and many more; scroll through music videos or spot yourself in MN2S party photos.
For promoters, the app boasts a function to send a booking enquiry for any MNS2 artist direct to their team of agents.
To celebrate going mobile, MN2S are giving away an iPhone 4. To enter, click here
This app is the latest solution from app developers Scribble who created the app for Pete Tong’s IMS conference and for artists Riley & Durrant. Scribble’s other app solutions include events, record labels and festival brands, all now created for Android phones too.
Poker PR has re branded and we would like to introduce our brand spanking new Scribble: site. A brief introduction from us is in order as you’re probably wondering, who is Scribble:? Well we are a digital media agency based in Brighton. We provide communication services to clients across the world within the music and entertainment industry. We specialise in mobile applications, digital media, social media as well as website design & development.
We are very happy to announce the launch of our brand new, exciting and innovative iPhone application, Scribble: App. It has been in the pipeline for a while now but after a lot of effort and hard work it is ready and set to revolutionise the music industry.
The first app version is an interactive communication tool for music artists, DJs and bands. With their very own branded Scribble: App artists, DJs and bands have the power to create a unique user experience and stronger connection with fans and followers. Through the app they can promote their music, videos, photos and events as well syndicate their social media activity ultimately increasing their exposure.
With over 3 billion Apps downloaded to 14 million iPhones, and 4.5 billion mobiles used worldwide, we believe that mobile technology will soon be the dominant delivery mechanism for content and entertainment.
We are very proud of Scribble: App and we hope you think it’s as exciting as we do. For a full list of features follow the link. http://www.scribbleuk.com/apps
Universal Music are to drop the price of CDs and other major labels will more than likely follow their lead. The hope is that this price drop will bolster CD sales, which have dropped year on year for the past five years.
The news of the price drops came within 24 hours after a report commissioned by GetJar – the second largest app store to Apple – was published. The report looks at the expanding app market and the key finding is that the app market will be worth a potential $17.5 billion by 2012. This would mean that the value of apps sold would be greater than the value of CDs sold in 2012, at a predicted $13.83bn.
We at Poker PR are always waxing lyrical about the potential of the ‘album app’ and can see that when the big record companies take this on board, they will finally realise that, as a format, the CD is dead. The possibilities of the album app are endless, allowing interaction with your fans on lots of different levels, connection to social media, offering exclusive (paid) content, and allowing user generated content (remix competitions etc.) to name only a few. A CD simply does not allow these capabilities.
If you are looking to produce an app and get on board with this rapidly expanding market we at Poker PR are here to help, contact us here.
The SXSW (South by South West) festival in Austin, Texas starts tomorrow, running for nine days and encompassing many forms of media making it the festival that leads the way in interaction over many platforms.
SXSW really show others what is possible when it comes to using social media, utilising Facebook and Twitter amongst many other platforms, to bring up-to-date information to delegates and those attending. You can also use your Facebook and Twitter accounts to connect with other services such as the (unofficial) guide to the event on sched.org.
The festival, of course, has an iPhone app and it looks great. With schedule and maps as the more basic functions, it also includes some special features for the badge holders including a card feature that allows you to send your contact details to other delegates and a messaging feature that allows the badge holders to communicate away from the festival’s own social network my.SXSW.
It would be great to see some of the UK festivals embrace these types of technology; fans love to interact and connect in every way possible and we at Poker PR can offer all the services to make this happen.
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