Panelists: Andrew Dubber (New Music Strategies), Steve Lawson (SoloBassSteve), Ruth Daniel (Fat Northerner),
As ‘unsigned’ becomes a redundant term, how do bands burst out of the bubble and gain profile and audience.
“Project Breakthrough” was a headline in a US computing magazine in 1975 when the first home personal computer kit was unveiled. ‘The Bubble’ is the overpopulated crowd that ‘undiscovered’ artists exist in. Project Breakthrough, therefore, is the term that we are using, for the purposes of this debate, to describe the mission of the ‘undiscovered’ artist to gain exposure and build following in the contemporary music environment.
The concept of an ‘Artist Page’ is now completely prevalent, the ubiquitous MySpace page is still the market leader with many similar services trailing in it’s wake. Facebook’s Artist pages are becoming more popular and Twitter is emerging as a viable tool for spreading news and harvesting fans.
The panel will investigate what the realistic aims might be for an emerging artist and will consider the basic set of materials and tools that any artist might need to begin their ‘Project Breakthrough’. The panel will also consider various strategies used in successful campaigns by niche artists and those hoping to break into the mainstream.
These ideas and this information is relevant to artists in any genre of music or with any level of aspiration. The panel will be highlighting the basic building blocks that will equip an artist to begin the job of getting themselves and their work noticed.
