Indie Artists: Cut Costs with NFC Technology

In the new music industry, artists look to more creative means to promote their craft.  Rolling Stone explains that in the past, artists would sign with major labels.  After signing with a major label, those artists would then receive large cash advances to complete a project.  We fast forward now to an American economy and social culture where technology and knowledge rule.  Barriers to entry in the music business could not be lower and more accessible.  The downside, however, is that independent artists alike must now find a way to manage budgets and cut costs where they can.  Indie Ambassador points out that artists waste money sending out press kits daily and distributing their own merchandise and music inefficiently.  With technology comes the ability to cut costs for independent artists today.

One such new technology is the near field communication (NFC) technology. The near field communication takes a small microchip and delivers specialized, customizable, and up-to-date electronic information. Moo.com, a business card company, will be launching their NFC business card next month.  With a NFC business card, one could share music, a location on a map, a contact card, an online portfolio, a coupon, and much more with the individuals that receive the business card.  With this product, consumers can reset their business cards or update them at anytime with the "NFC by Moo" application on their smartphone.  This product can cut costs for artists across the globe.  Electronic press kits would be one tap away from a potential employer's reach.  Special fan offers and links to social media accounts are located with ease.  Artist albums or demos could be downloaded without ever having to search online. This product will eliminate the need of many tangible materials needed for artists to be independently successful.  Paper, compact discs, plastic covers, and numerous other wasteful materials could virtually become even more obsolete with NFC technology.  The most exciting aspect of this product is that this stage is only the beginning. Watch a brief video of how the NFC technology works above. 

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Clive Davis' Memoir Stirs Backlash from Kelly Clarkson

Clive Davis is well known for his uncanny ability to find and nurture talented artists within the field of music.  He has been responsible for skyrocketing the careers of artists like Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson, and Kelly Clarkson. Last month, Clive Davis released a memoir titled “The Soundtrack of My Life”, which shed light on his 52 years as an artist manager in the music business. A Hollywood Reporter book review says the memoir focuses on his artists’ journey to do things the way they want, rather than listening to everyone else. The memoir received negative attention this past week across entertainment news platforms alike.  Kelly Clarkson claimed that Davis misrepresented her in his book, and she has demanded clarification. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Clarkson took to social media to express her discontent with the alleged falsified information written by Davis.  As a response to Clarkson’s actions, a representative of Davis released a comment stating that Davis verified his chapter on Kelly Clarkson with five independent individuals.  In this article, Clarkson expressed that Davis discouraged her songwriting and personal projects numerous times in private and in public.  Additionally, she says Davis even told her she was a terrible songwriter.  It seemed like a classic case of two different accounts of the same story until Howard Stern, the infamous radio personality, stepped in.

In this article, Howard Stern took to the radio and expressed his disgust for Davis diminishing such a talented artist like Kelly Clarkson.  In addition, he added that music business professionals often diminish talent to depict themselves as artistic geniuses behind the artist.  Fortunately, Kelly Clarkson did not remain quiet about the situation and utilized social media to rally support on the common dispute between artists and their professional staff. Social media has allowed artists to voice their personal concerns inexpensively and effectively.  In just days, Clarkson was able to diminish the accounts of Davis’ “The Soundtrack of My Life”, a work that probably took him several months to complete.

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