Enter Shikari and all that malarkey - Sentric Music Blog 26/03/07

Enter Shikari and all that malarkey - 26/03/07

So, have you heard? It's finally happened! The death of the music industry has arrived!

Yes of course I'm referring to Enter Shikari who Last night entered the album charts at number 4 without the help of a record label either major or independent. ITS JUST THAT EASY!
Of course it isn't but they are a grand example of the old DIY model that is getting thrown around these days and pops up in this blog every other week, so how did they do it?

o First of all they toured for about 3 years non stop all around the country (one of the members of the band was quoted as saying they've played over 600 gigs)
o They didn't get giddy the second they realised that record companies were interested, and turned down multiple offers
o They utilised myspace very fucking well, so much so in fact it spurred John Webster (the guy who runs the BPI and set up the Mercury Music Prize) to say to that they are the 'first genuine myspace bad' in a masterclass he gave the other week.

So what Enter Shikari have done is prove that the DIY model is do-able, but by no means easy. There are companies out there that can help you in various areas of the music industry without taking ownership or copyrights of your songs for a unfair amount of time (cough-did someone say Sentric?-cough)

Here's my suggestion on how to get people to stand up and notice you…

o Gig regularly and don't expect to play anything glossy or big and don't expect to get paid
o This bits quite important – make some good fucking music
o Utilise free online tools like myspace for example
o Don't think that making your band into a brand is 'uncool'. It's just clever if anything
o Once you've got your fan base (of a good few thousand, nationwide) approach PR companies rather then record companies – You can get digital distribution without took much hassle (through us obviously) so once your music is out there all it takes is some clever and original marketing to make people stand up and take notice

I'd suggest cooking these ingredients at a constant temperature for around 2-4 years minimum. Also remember that if you're in a new-ish band, the music you'll be making in 12 months time will be distinctly different to what you are making now, no matter how good you think it is so be prepared to put time into your passion.

I'm aware that the blog this week is quite short but I've just got back from a weekend in Amsterdam so I wouldn't say my brain is going at 100%.

I ask you all to leave me comments on your thought or questions you may have so I make up for the lack of words with a gallimaufry of wisdom.

What I'm listening to this week - The Randoms and Enter Shikari