When they interviewed Bruce Houghton on the CD Baby DIY Music Podcast, I stopped what I was doing many times to take notes.
The old model: A manager works with a record label who does promotion.
The new model: Managers and labels look for artists with the ability to draw at least a hundred people in three or four markets. They ask: Does it have momentum? Do they have a good team? They don’t look at the band, they look at the audience for a niche and ability to bring people out, give them a good time, something to talk about, tell friends.
It’s a new world, and not always an easy one, but Bruce believes (as I do) that the new model provides greater hope of a good middle-class income for artists who can play the new game.
Bruce runs a booking agency, Skyline Music, and blogs about the changing music industry at Hypebot.com.