One of the biggest factors we (Silver Medallion) have always had to address when talking about a label has been content generation.
In today's age in the music industry you need the maximum amount of content updated as much as possible. Silver Medallion suffered a lot because we have no money and no resources and so our MySpace has the same damn songs, and we only add new videos every month or so etc. If we had had a constant weekly stream of new content we'd have an even bigger buzz than we do.
That's all about to change. The new label office is located inside a state of the art video and audio production headquarters with a 350k video booth down the hallway. Silver Medallion will literally be able to create as much content as we can humanly desire, and have a team to edit it and a smaller team to promote it.
I can't wait for this, I was so happy when we had a lil flip hd camera my parents got me for Christmas, but it bit the dust at a show like every camera we've owned ever, and we were cut off. The Silver Medallion Kyte had soooo many views and just tapered off, and now it's back to being really able to update.
It was an always an argument in my mind about whether a label or artist should set a high standard for content generation, because if you want to keep living up to it it takes serious resources. I firmly believe that we should do as much content available, and for free, as possible, mainly because of Kanye West's blog. As a Kanye West fan, and not a megafan, just a normal fan, I am excited to read what he writes and posts every single day, I personally think he has the best (most interesting, frequently updated, relevant, and exciting site ive ever been to on the internet) blog I've ever had the pleasre of going to. And I will listen to a new Kanye song, verse, beat or watch a video about him doing damn near anything (announing he's changing his name to Martin Louis King Jr. and bragging about his Louis shoes, whatever) anytime he posts it because it's always pretty frickin awesome. So if Silver Medallion normal fans have even the opportunity to feel that way about us I want to give it to them.
What I feel is a useful way to expand this continual new content update from how labels and artists do it already is broken down in the following three ways
1. Diversify the content: Use as many media as possible, and break the mold, I don't want to post 145 16 bar freestyles from Carnegie or a new song every week that sounds like what people think Silver Medallion sounds like I want to give them a mixed media painting our a blues song we remixed randonly, or a flash game someone designed, always something different to break the routine.
2. Make it industry relevant. In the MySpace era, everyone is a rapper or artist or whathaveu. Theres MILLIONS of attempted artists, and thats an excuse from a lot of them not to buy your music. "Oh, I do this too fam..." Okay cool, I'm never going to be one to hate on a dream, but I recognize that that pool is a catergorizable fanbase of epic proportions, and even if they don't like Silver Medallion, I want them to have to deal with our content. For instance, me writing a candid blog about our music industry experience and ideas, is something all of those artists should read. If there were bloggers doing this I would read it all the time. I was so damn hungry to learn about the music industry in college it was unbelievable. One of my jobs was an archiving clerk in the University library and I ordered dozens of books from the exchange system and made them buy new books I wanted and just read everything from technical manuals to industry bibles to biographies to producers notes trying to soak up info. The problem with that is I learned very little because none of it is relevant to todays music industry!
Today's music industry moves at the speed of the internet, and deals like the one we're getting are revolutionary and happening right now and theres no time to write and publish a book for people to learn about it, because the game is constantly changing. Twitter has changed the music game in the last two months alone, once the top indie tier of artists realized how useful it is!!! The blog is the answer, and I want mine to be on top. One thing artists have in common in music I've found is they all want to read about it, everyones hungry to learn about their dream, and you know what I'm not afraid of sharing, down to dollar amounts, if that's what the people want to read, and I really think they do.
Silver Medallion is a publicity band for a number of reasons, our deal is going to be shown off by our label to attract other artists, we're a poster child for the industry to show off to show its still relevant, and I'm about to show our industry side to the public to open up to a huge fanbase that will listen to us, potentially buy our content, generate ad revenue etc because they follow us avidly to learn about the industry and industry success. Hope we can live up to all that above.
3. Place it across many media.
Myspaces are not updated nearly enough, or websites. Artist blogs might be but I get kids checking our myspace EVERY DAY for months with nothing to see and if I could give them something every day they would pounce on it. MySpace is still king, despite how much it blows (I don't even read messages any more, or log in to mine).
My current argument is about my facebook account. I have 1300 friends on facebook, many of whom I don't know, and the number is growing based on band fans, some I accept some I don't. But they can get way too deep into my life reading that, and thats a good and a bad thing. We want to be accessible, thats the new industry, our accessibility, you can follow my twitter and find out I like Kona Grill and know where we party and what we eat and look at pics from last night or whatever and feel like you know us before you meet us. I was tempted to just cut facebook down to people I know and privatize it, but its too useful a tool, people REALLY read my facebook it's frightening. Instead I'm just going to shut off commenting, delete any mentions to people in my life that could get approached (family, girlfriends etc) and let the good times roll. All that is coming up as things shift next week and we go 9 to 7 at an office with Silver Medallion as a priority.
We thankfully have no lack on content. I could last for years just telling ridiculous scandalous anecdotes about the last year of our lives...
And if it all falls apart Ill tell ruthless lies about everyone who screwed us to feel better about it all (DJ J-Nice edition coming soon!)
