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Take out a sheet of paper.
Rank the likelihood that you would download a new EP from an artist you've never heard of, from the following sources:
- A netlabel you know & follow
- A netlabel you know & don't follow
- A netlabel you've never heard of
- A bandcamp page of an artist you've never heard of
I think you'll have your answer.
Last edited by Decktonic (Jan 3, 2012 8:08 pm)
I wish netlabels spent more time outside zero day pushing their artists.
Take out a sheet of paper.
Rank the likelihood that you would download a new EP from an artist you've never heard of, from the following sources:
- A netlabel you know & follow
- A netlabel you know & don't follow
- A netlabel you've never heard of
- A bandcamp page of an artist you've never heard ofI think you'll have your answer.
So, really in this case, it's not that the netlabel DOES anything for you but, it's nice to just have their name alongside yours for exposure? Makes sense, I guess.
I wish netlabels spent more time outside zero day pushing their artists.
Lately ubiktune has been posting relevant videos and stuff well after zero day
without pterodactyl squad, i doubt as many people would have heard our first e.p.
so it couldnt hurt to have a netlabel behind you.
How about labels outside of chip? There are many great labels that accept digital submissions. I've noticed some sort of trend along this line, Ralp released on Spoo, HenryHomesweet on Antigen, etc. Has/is anyone tried(trying) this?
Take out a sheet of paper.
Rank the likelihood that you would download a new EP from an artist you've never heard of, from the following sources:
- A netlabel you know & follow
- A netlabel you know & don't follow
- A netlabel you've never heard of
- A bandcamp page of an artist you've never heard ofI think you'll have your answer.
My personal 1st answer is bandcamp-page, everything else is at same level. Every net label have their own way of distributing mediafire links or god knows what or their players are flawed one way or another. One reason is that I mainly listen new music by streaming and only download music that I really like, Im on 40mb/s for the best part of the day but cant always dl stuff.
Besides, tons of "real" small labels release their digital stuff through bandcamp too. I'm all for standards on these kinds of stuff. If a label wants to have their own site, cool, but in reality everything would be easier through these really good services (Bandcamp, that other one like it, Soundcloud, etc) and info sent straight to our facebook666-pages. Many really nice netlabels exist, but its no way the only way for good exposure.
Decktonic wrote:Take out a sheet of paper.
Rank the likelihood that you would download a new EP from an artist you've never heard of, from the following sources:
- A netlabel you know & follow
- A netlabel you know & don't follow
- A netlabel you've never heard of
- A bandcamp page of an artist you've never heard ofI think you'll have your answer.
My personal 1st answer is bandcamp-page, everything else is at same level. Every net label have their own way of distributing mediafire links or god knows what or their players are flawed one way or another. One reason is that I mainly listen new music by streaming and only download music that I really like, Im on 40mb/s for the best part of the day but cant always dl stuff.
Besides, tons of "real" small labels release their digital stuff through bandcamp too. I'm all for standards on these kinds of stuff. If a label wants to have their own site, cool, but in reality everything would be easier through these really good services (Bandcamp, that other one like it, Soundcloud, etc) and info sent straight to our facebook666-pages. Many really nice netlabels exist, but its no way the only way for good exposure.
When I made this list, I meant to assume that the netlabel would be using Bandcamp too. I'll put it this way: there are some labels that I like, and I'll check out the music released on those labels even if the artist in question is completely unknown to me.
netlabels are egotrips ran by talentless cuntnuggets
However you release, having a preview of some description is essential. Bandcamp is great for this because it provides the preview as well as a standard interface that people recognise and know how to use already (and I can parse albums from it in <30 seconds).
Here's why I like netlabels:
The little blurb can really motivate young artists to hit it out of the ball-park. It's worked on me! It's also nice to know that there are some positives your music.
why I hate netlabels:
They are all "butterflies and candy! OH MY GOD THIS IS DELICIOUS!"
I especially hate i when the songs themselves suck!!!
Last edited by Monovfox (Jan 4, 2012 2:31 am)
I think netlabels can be great tools for artists, so long as they have an unwavering vision or plan. The two labels I'm involved with (Ubiktune and Pause) are both very good in this arena, which is why I think people keep coming back to them. You generally know what you're getting when dealing with them. Ubiktune is especially noteworthy in the fact that they really push everything they put out. I've had reviews from russian websites pop up weeks after a release. Good stuff.
The two main problems I see with netlabels are this:
1) Labels are sometimes too 'nice' and accept material with little concern for quality or content. It may seem elitist, but I think a lot of chip labels could benefit from being more selective with the artists/works they promote.
2) There is no defined style or sound to distinguish the label. A label needs something identifiable that people can latch on to; even if it's just a broad or abstract concept.
I like netlabels, and bandcamp. There's a place for well grouped music in this crazy alphabet soup we call the Internet !
I think net labels might evolve into collections of links to bandcamp (or whatever follows it) pages. Then artists get the advantage of a nice easy way to get paid for their work while being able to track downloads / plays and being able to manage all their content really easily. Downloaders get a nice collection of curated links for the type of music they like. Bonus for everyone.
I think the most traditional net label in our scene is bleep street http://www.bleepstreet.com/ . They have great artist bios, a constantly maintained list of upcoming shows, merch, extra videos and mixes, a very slick webpage, music available on most digital download sites, a very high quality bar and a fairly clear type of music they favor. I think they are pretty much the bar for chip netlables to aspire to.
However, I think the trio of labels I like most is Metrodub, Ubik and Pause as they seem to value a few things which I rate pretty highly
- Very high quality bar.
- Pretty clearly defined idea of what music they like.
- All releases visible and downloadable on one page. Im fairly unlikely to click through one of the blog style release pages.
- Easy track previews.
Love all three of them!