Support Indie Music Month in January
Updated: Jan 3, 2020
It has become pretty obvious to musicians over the last decade or so, that it is getting very challenging to make a living from your music these days. Gigs alone aren't really paying the bills, and almost nobody is buying music anymore. Sure millions of people subscribe, and are streaming on sites like "Spotify", but what most listeners don't realize is that the artists are only getting a "FRACTION OF A PENNY" for every stream! So when the only way you listen to music is via a streaming service, yes musicians do appreciate the support, but its not exactly putting food on the table.
It seems that long gone are the days of the "Super Fans", that would collect the whole discography of their favorite Artists on CD or vinyl, as well as buy their merchandise. Not to mention singing the praises of their number one band to anyone with ears like it was the Holy Gospel. Not that these types of fans don't exist at all anymore, but they are few and far between these days. It seems as if there is only room for the mainstream manufactured artists when it comes to paying out for music, and the massive indie musician population must go mostly uncompensated for their hard work. The saddest part is that it really does not need to be this way.
I want you to ask yourself, "how many times have I wasted my money on something useless?" If the answer is frequently, you're one of the millions of people that have some kind of a disposable income. Now ask your self, "how often do I listen to music?" If the answer is all the time.... Well I think you know where I am going with this. If you love supporting artists by streaming their music, or adding it to your playlists, then why not show that little bit of extra support by buying their album or single. Doing this alone could literally save the Indie Music scene, or at the very least would mean so much more to the artist that you are supporting.
So we here at "Hamilton House Records", are putting out a "Call to Action". We are proclaiming the month of January as, "Support Indie Music Month" or "SIMM"... What we are asking people to do is show their support for Indie musicians by, you guessed it, buying their music or merch. Then go on social media and post a sweet pic of you with the single, album, or merch that you just bought, and tag the artists, as well as use the hashtags, #SupportIndieMusicMonth and #simm, and if you can't buy a physical copy, then take a screen shot of your shopping cart (like the one above of my first purchase this month) after you make a purchase online. This is something little we can do each year going forward, and really start to make a difference in the industry.
There are plenty of places to not just stream, but to buy Indie music online, such as www.bandcamp.com, www.cdbaby.com, and of course iTunes, so if you can't make it to your local record store, make sure to check out those sites. Another option is to go to a live show, bands often have CD's and other merch that they would happily sell you.
So remember... PURCHASE THE MUSIC, POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA, TAG THE ARTISTS, then use #SupportIndieMusicMonth and #simm in the post description.... and support Indie Artists in January!
If you are not really an indie music fan yet, but still want to get involved, you can literally do a search online of "Indie Music" in your area, give a couple of bands or artists a listen, and buy there work if you are into it. Lets help musicians to keep creating art, Support Indie Music Month
Here are a couple of recommendations from all of us here at "Hamilton House", of bands and artists both local to us and international, and a link to their bandcamp pages.
(These bands have no affiliation with "Hamilton House Record")
