1/4 In the mid 90s through to early 2000s, I ran an #indie#netlabel, sold tapes, cds & even had streaming downloads (Realplayer!). In those early web days, I was generally laughed at to try to do such a thing (then again, people still laugh at me, but that's another matter). Later on, I ran a full e-commerce #music downloads site at a slightly larger scale but still very much #indie. I've been gradually working towards doing it all again recently, bearing in mind the lessons I've learned.
2/4 So having been heavily involved in internet #music distribution for almost 30 years now, my two main thoughts are - (a) simplicity is always best. Both in frontend and backend. Nice clean interface. Don't make the backend try to do too many things but one thing well. (b) Finance is always the problem. Accepting payments is almost always a nightmare. It's generally also the point at which most ethical systems / standards break down.
3/4 You'll note I make no mention of promotion. An album is an album, not a vehicle for promotion. The day artists have to become promoters is the day art dies. Same with the website front / backend. Its job is to make the art available. Yes, of course, promotion is necessary if one is to exist in "an industry", but it should be a separate thing. Musicians do not, and probably should not, need to become experts in the physical process of manufacturing vinyl / CD production, for example.
4/4 It's a huge conversation, and I probably should have written this in a longer form essay - it's hard not to make sweeping statements that are open to misinterpretation in small posts. Still, I'd like to make it clear that I fully support any #decentralised#indie project that's responding to the #Bandcamp situation. A healthy ecosystem is one that is composed of a large variety of smaller cultures - not ruled by a single monoculture. Vive la différence!
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