MixedContent

Fellow Vancouverite Tim Bray has an interesting post about podcasting and the economic impact it will have on musicians. I agree with just about everything he says. Which is good, since the same ideas he discusses form the impetus for Bryght’s new musician focused web platform.

Tim suggests a subscription based podcast service, and this is one type of revenue generating solution Bryght plans to offer to musicians. I’ve said this before, but based on my own informal surveys, I think there are many musicians out there who might want to be free from the constraints of the album. As an artist, why not just release and sell a few tracks a month, delivered straight to your fans MP3 player through Podcasts?

One could argue that the very concept of the “album” is arbitrary and is simply an artifact of our current (and physical) distribution channels. In the past, an album has been a convenient way to get music to the people. Stores stocked high selling albums, due to limited shelf space. People came and bought them. But now, we are at an interesting time. Digital distribution channels have matured to the point where they will start to influence the art that people produce and consume. Music distribution technology influencing music? That’s right, it’s a two way street!

For example, the phonograph and radio drastically influenced the music that was produced, simply by creating new markets. Would 80’s rock bands have worn as much makeup if their faces weren’t being beamed via MTV to millions of homes?

Looking ahead, I think a post-album future filled with regular releases of individual tracks will be more then simply a sea of singles, and I can’t wait to find out what takes shape.

– Update –
Richard chimes in with some good thoughts