Musicians Find Own Way as Labels Struggle

Singer Amy Correia has made two critically acclaimed albums, but for her next record she's changing her tune, reports CBS News Business Correspondent Anthony Mason.

"I'm making this hopefully with the help of fans as opposed to a record label," Correia told an audience one night.

In the brutal shakeout in the music business, Correia, like so many artists, was dropped by her label. So the 41-year-old singer turned to her most important asset: her fans.

"They're my lifeblood," Correia told Mason. "They are the people that are going to make or break me."

In April, she posted a fundraising appeal on her Web site AmyCorreia.com, sent out an e-mail to her several thousand fans and waited.

It's a strategy that paid off for Jill Sobule.

In 1995, her song "I Kissed a Girl" was an MTV hit. But her last two record labels went belly up. So Sobule set up a Web site JillsNextRecord.com to raise $75,000.

"I think I got it within six weeks," Souble told Mason.

Most came in small gifts like one from a donor who wrote:

"'I'm really not a fan of your music, but I think this is a great new model so I'm giving you $50,'" Souble told Mason before referring to a list she provided her fans of what they would receive for their donation. "As a joke - I didn't think I'd really get it - but I had '$10,000 you sing on my record.'"

But Jill Pottinger, a software designer from San Francisco, had some extra money after selling her house.

"I could've spent the money on a nice holiday," Pottinger told Mason. "I could have spent the money on a car. I chose to spend it on Jill."

And, after signing that $10,000 check, she proved to be a pretty good singer.

Sobule's album "California Years" was released in April and features Pottinger singing some lyrics.

"I think it's gotten the best reviews of any of my records," Souble told Mason.

For Correia, the checks started coming in to her father's barbershop in Lakeville, Mass., while she was on tour.

"Please take this as a vote of confidence in your great music," one donor wrote to Correia.

She's already raised nearly $30,000, enough to record the album. With a little more help, she plans to release it on Apple's iTunes early next year.

"Will you get a special satisfaction from having done this with your fans?" Mason asked Correia.

"Oh yeah, It's a new lease on life," Correia said.

Correia's calling her new record "You Go Your Way." With help from her fans, she has.

[jaydee102]

Gee, Brian, I've been a (hard) practicing professional musician for 40 years or so, and have lots of music theory education - years of formal education, decades of transcription, arranging, and composition experience - and I still can't play the piano as well as Leon Russell, or the sax as well as Branford Marsalis (I'm a guitarist and bassist). Did my theory teachers fail me - or is your statement ludicrous? My guess is, more likely, that your statment is just one of acceptance of really low standards for the future of music - - gee, great. Who needs the incredible development and talents of a John Mayer when we can just lower our standards ... even MORE than we have over the past ten years! - and decide that the "guitar playing" of Kid Rock is just the highest and most brilliant threshhold we could ever hope to reach! Egad. Geez. I guess. Shucks. To h-ll with practice, dedication, development, real artistic craft. Mediocre is the new brilliant!!

[edgy44]

Having been raised on AM, switched to FM in 1968, and a history of big amps and big speakers, I am still waiting to hear music like it sounds live.

The technical term is dynamic range. So far there is no electronic medium that is as good as live music. I know, I've spent thousands on the quest.

Suffice to say, the artists should be giving the CD's and downloads away, and concentrating on working the people, one city at a time. I go to a lot of events every year, and most of them are less than $50. I consider that a better way to spend money on talent.

[ss433]

why not just make a demo for almost nothing, and if it's any good at least an indie label would pick it up. Maybe I'll start my own non-profit organization.

[Amy_Correia]

I want to make a clarification to the story: My new CD will be available as a physical CD, not only digitally. In fact it will ONLY be available as
a physical CD at first. I'll be sending them out to "fan funders" when I get them back from the plant in a couple weeks.

Once it's "released" (April/May most likely) it will be available both digitally and as a physical CD at various places like
I-tunes, Rhapsody, Emusic, LaLa, CDBaby, Amazon etc. and my own site amycorreia.com

[pollroller1]

Amy I want to wish you the best of luck with your new CD.

[formrusmcsgt]

As a businessman, I would be ashamed to beg for money to be able to deliver my product.

Obviously, Amy is of a different cloth.

I guess she dosn't consider it begging as she does it on line...

[formrusmcsgt]

Some people have no aversion to begging....

[cubscout09]

I've made enough money producing cd masters to know that it can be done for less $10,000. It's not the size of your pencil, it's how you write your name.

[bill0bob]

"I've made enough money producing cd masters to know that it can be done for less $10,000"

"Producing a cd master" is not the same as "building a professional digital recording studio". I was speaking about the latter. As I said before, creating a properly sound-isolated room costs at least $10,000. Add in professional quality mics, cables, A/D convertors, computer, mic stands, mixer, monitors, compressors, limiters, eq, effects, etc., and the cost goes into the stratosphere.

[bill0bob]

"With less than $10k, she could build her own digital recording studio"

You can't build one properly sound-isolated room for less than $10,000. And just ONE Neumann U87 costs almost $5000. So, there simply is NO WAY to build a professional digital recording studio for under $10,000.

[pollroller1]

Way to go Amy!!!!

[brianbwb-2009]

$75k to make a recording?

With less than $10k, she could build her own digital recording studio, and never need to pay hourly studio rates again.

For another $10k max, she could get very good session musicians to play what she cannot.

Selling on iTunes means no pressing costs, shipping and freight, and for another $5k, she could have the internet's best promotion at her disposal.

$1k more can buy a digital camera to record performances and other video, to complete the DVD.

Not to mention that the next recording will cost less, because she won't need to build another studio, and with some music theory lessons, wouldn't even need the session musicians.

[formrusmcsgt]

My thoughts exactly.

I hope she's a better singer than she is businesswoman....

[bill0bob]

Brian,

You can't really build a professional digital recording studio for less than $10K. Just ONE good mic, like a Neumann U 87, lists for $4,698.00! And creating a truly soundproof recording area will cost much more than $10,000!

But if you're willing to settle for something less than professional results, and you live somewhere really quiet, you might put together a decent project studio for $10K or $15K.

[bill0bob]

"With less than $10k, she could build her own digital recording studio" - Brianbwb-2009

One single Neumann U 87 microphone lists for $4698. Just one! And it costs WAY more than $10,000 to build a proper sound-isolated room.

[bill0bob]

"With less than $10k, she could build her own digital recording studio"

You can't even build a properly sound-isolated room for $10,000. And a SINGLE Neumann U-87 microphone lists for almost $5000.

You just can not build a professional digital recording studio for only $10K.

[ddaryl1]

You have no idea what you rare talking about... The Music industry is expensive business, and studio time is spendy.

AND NO you cannot build a proper studio for $10K.

All the music I listen to is Band owned and produced. There are legions of bands out there that have made their living on the road, and selling their own music and merchandise.

Bands like moe. Galactic, Greyboy Allstars, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Government Mule, Railroad Earth, MMW, and 100's of other bands. The crazy thing is these bands also allow fans to record and freely trade their live performances. AND all of the bads I mentioned make a very good living for themselves.

Check out etree.org for more information about free tradeable music...