The Future of Music Production is Here!

People are now able to create and publicize their music on their own, and without having to leave the comfort of their homes. The independent band The Phantom of the Cineplex has been able to find fame because of the Internet, through several different websites. In order to get their music into the public, POTC is a part of five website communities including Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Myspace, and Purevolume.

Q: Do you think these networking sites are better compared to traditional ways of publicizing your band?

POTC: Yeah I don’t have to do any work. It’s just a click of a button. I wouldn’t be able to go to school, swim and advertise for my band at the same time without the Internet.

The ability to reach literally millions of people with your music on the Internet has become the catalyst for a generation of new self-made bands. A band no longer has to physically hand the consumer his music in order to be heard. The Phantom of the Cineplex is a product of this phenomenon, gaining fans just like many other bands are doing so as well.

Q: When it’s so easy to run a band on the Internet and there are so many bands out there, how does a band like POTC stand out from the rest?
POTC: First off quality, there are a lot of bands, but a lot are just one hit wonders with poor music quality. Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of good catchy bands out there, but the quality of their music isn’t great. I can make more quality catchy songs at a faster rate because of the equipment I own and a lot of my music is electronically based.

Each band has the ability to reach millions of people on the Internet, but in order to reach that online community the band must be good. When a band is good enough they are able to develop a following of fans from the Internet. On The Phantom of the Cineplex’s web pages they have thousands of fans from all over the world that interact with the band by expressing their love for the music by commenting on POTC’s web pages. At this point because of the Internet, a following for The Phantom of the Cineplex is created where the majority of their listeners have not even seen the band or each other in person.

Q: What kind of community is there between bands?
POTC: The community is pretty tight between bands everyone is willing to help out and give references you just got to ask.

When bands make it big because of Internet fame it gives hope to other bands like The Phantom of the Cineplex. POTC depends on the community of fans to help them gain as much exposure as they can. Random people on the Internet are able to connect with each other by making music videos for Phantom of the Cineplex, sharing the music and images they create themselves for the band. Phantom of the Cineplex has no part in the creation of these videos, but they are still being created and spread around.

“Manager Jamie Kitman says [OK Go’s] You Tube popularity has led to ‘greater ticket sales, bigger offers for concerts and festivals, and greater interest in licensing our songs. And more people means more merch.’” –David Brown, Rolling Stone Magazine

In the case of OK Go, a cult following was created around the popular music videos that they created. The Internet has become such a huge tool for bands to become famous that it may even start replacing record companies. Record Companies just cannot compete with the millions of potential fans that surf the Internet.

According to OK Go “OK Go's label, EMI, hasn't found a way to cash in on the phenomenon. In March, the band announced it was leaving the label to go indie. ‘EMI has failed to view the Internet as part of the music-selling business,’ says Kitman. ‘The future arrived earlier than we expected, where bands will be their own labels and will go to non-music corporations to fund their videos.’” –David Brown, Rolling Stone Magazine

When bands like OK Go are joining the independent bands on the Internet like Phantom of the Cineplex, it shows that this is not just a random phenomenon.

Q: How do u feel about people turning your music into music videos on Youtube?
POTC: It only helps get my music out there. I've only added probably five Youtube videos all the rest are from other people. The fans usually do more advertising in that aspect.

Phantom of the Cineplex is an example of music being shared and spread through the Internet, gaining popularity not only because of self-promotion, but also because of promotion by its fans.

Q: why do u think people create these music videos and things when they don't have to?
POTC: Everyone has his or her own reasons. I think one of the videos was from this girl to another guy and it just played my song and scrolled through pictures of them. As long as people feel better and dance when they hear my music, I'll keep having success

 

Q: How well does this Internet following translate into the real world?
A: Well when I play the songs at parties people go crazy and if I play it anywhere else people will dance, they just wont know the song name. I played it at a swim meet and six girls came up asking what the band was

In the real world, virtual people are brought together by POTC in a physical setting in the form of live shows and parties creating connections from the Internet to real life.