The ArtistForce Blog

The first installment of the ArtistForce.com product launch campaign, was a huge success at the South by Southwest music trade show in Austin, TX. (more…)

Come join the mobile community and listen to Industry leaders including ArtistForce CEO Jonathan Romley in an exclusive open forum to discuss Mobile Music, From Ringtones to Downloads and Who is Really Making Money.
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“The American company ArtistForce is aiming to make a big impact at Popkomm 2007. It is not only making its first appearance at this trade show but, with its online software solutions for “on-demand entertainment relationship management”, it is also bidding for the Popkomm-IMEA. Popkomm has created this award to acknowledge the creative input of new companies in the music business that is giving a fresh impetus to new media and digital technology.”
- From the POPKOMM Newsletter

We’re back. Berlin was incredible. Our trip to POPKOMM was a huge success - we made a number of great contacts that will help us expedite a localized release of AF1 in select European markets.

Visitors to our booth expressed a great level of interest in the ArtistForce solution, and we signed up more than 100 new Industry accounts (Agents, Managers, Labels). We also had the opportunity to sign up great independent Artists from all over Europe, and even a band from Australia!

Pictures of our booth at POPKOMM:

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Something that caught my eye a week or so ago in the newspaper was the story of how Prince is releasing his new album “Planet Earth” free in the UK with the Sunday paper. Prince wants to release his music to as many people as he can, what better way to execute that, then making it free! Prince also plans on giving a CD away with each ticket purchased for his numerous upcoming UK shows. With the obvious decline in CD sales over the past years and with knowing that today’s generation wants music at their fingers at all times, what a better way to do that then walking outside and grabbing your Sunday morning paper. The trend for artists to do what Prince is doing is what we refer to as “artist as an entrepreneur”. It is the new trend with artists, and why shouldn’t it be. You can get any music you want online, whether it is legally or illegally, and artists have the power now to market themselves and release their own music online thanks to sites such as MySpace Music.

On a recent CNBC segment titled “Facing the Music”, a quote from the show’s interviewer really caught my attention:

“Even if the recording industry figures out a way to compete with free music, it has another problem - In the same way they’ve lost control of the distribution of music, the major labels are also losing control of the artists themselves. Not long ago musicians had to have a recording deal with a major music company. If you didn’t have a deal you weren’t going to be on the shelves at Tower Records. Today, Tower Records is gone”

That is so true, technology is the way to go today and it is becoming more obvious with every passing moment. This is where I believe ArtistForce becomes so helpful. This application is a great way to integrate the artist and record label and make the most profit possible for both. The trend of “artists as entrepreneurs” is something that ArtistForce is “perfectly poised to exploit”. I think that the way that the industry is changing is exciting and I cannot wait for the time to come when online applications can rule the music industry and the music industry fully realizes the importance of technological integration.

I can’t stress enough the amount of untapped talent that lies in the unsigned music industry. Think how easy it is for a local band to make it big just by releasing music online. In previous years, they would have to wait (potentially) years to get signed by a record label and then worry about raising a fan base whose loyalty would support them. Now, they release music and post tour dates online (for free) and local shows are more packed then they have ever been!

The co-chairman of Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) said “the Artist Formerly Known as Prince should know that with behavior like this he will soon be the Artist Formerly Available in Record Stores”. I think that is crazy to say. This type of brilliant marketing and publicity is what is going to change the music industry and reinvent record labels - As long as the record labels figure out how to connect with artists on these new levels using ArtistForce.