Is Indie Hip Hop Dead?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) April 23, 2008 -- April 23, 2008, Montreal, QC, CA – Getting known as an artist has always been the big problem. They struggle and fight their way to a devil’s agreement with a label, often to find themselves further in debt and earning less then the minimum wage with the contract. The contract sticks like fly-paper, leaving the artist in a mire of legal problems and often the actual songs end up being owned by the corporation.

Nowadays, however, numerous alternative solutions exist and there is no doubt that the traditional record label approach in the music industry is shifting. Top artists are taking different approaches, with the best-known example being Radiohead, exploring the internet as an alternative medium to reach the public.

Hip-hop, the largest of all the music markets, in which the artist arguably puts the least amount of initial investment in to, offers plenty of ways to independently release material and touch a large fan base, thanks to the internet.

“There’s never been a time like this in the history of music where it was easier to develop and release material,” says Nick Laroche, owner of underground hip-hop radio station The Midas Touch. “Through a couple simple emails, MySpace, and Podcasts, it takes roughly an hour to get hundreds of people tuned in to the music.”

“The funny part is,” he continues, “is that most of the material that I personally receive from indie hiphop artists is just as strong or stronger then most commercial releases out there! The quality is normally outstanding due to technological advances in home studios, and the MCs are often university students; they really shine lyrically on a broad spectrum of topics.”

Online sales have reached a point where they surpass actual sales of discs, and the trend continues with the ever-growing enlargement of sites such as iTunes, MsnMusic, and others. Independent artists are no longer forced to grind through a horrible contract, as Talib Kweli would say, “just to get by”. Lots of resources exists and the internet is a large place, and though it may seem saturated with the large amount of people currently marketing through it, it is most definitely possible to make a living as a hiphop artist without any label support whatsoever.

Nick Laroche has been releasing independent material for years, and recently has started The Midas Touch radio in order to shed some light on some of the lesser known acts out there. He is always in search of more material, and maintains a blog where he talks about various forms of promotional tools, reviews tracks, and offers archived versions of the radio show for free downloads, at www.themidastouchradio.blogspot.com

free     hip     hiphop     hop     independent     music     online     radio     underground