David Harrell  is the Editor of Digital Audio Insider and has blogged about the economics of digital music since 2006. With his indie rock band the Layaways , he has self-released three albums. The latest, "The Space Between," is now available for free streaming and download from Last.fm.

The best I can remember, the class was called something like "the scientific method." A graduate biology seminar, it consisted of meeting once a week to watch an old science fiction movie, followed by a discussion about the treatment of science in the film. For the students, it was a low-stress way to add a couple semester hours to our schedules, and for the tenured professor who "taught" the class, it seemed like an incredibly easy way to pad his course load.

But unlike most of my college classes, there's something specific that's stayed with me. It was the professor's contention that there is no such thing as a truly repeatable experiment, at least not for biological sciences. The classic scientific method depends on the notion of repeatable results -- running the same experiment again should give the same results as those obtained in previous experiments. His point was that no matter how careful a researcher was, there'd always be some alteration in a small detail, such as a different batch of food for the lab animals or the health of the laboratory personnel. He wasn't implying that most scientific research wasn't valid, just that there was no such thing as a perfect do-over for most experiments.

Why am I yammering on about science experiments in a music business blog? Well, as anyone reading this post knows, over the past few years, the music industry -- from the largest record companies and the biggest selling artists down to the level of self-released artists -- has been experimenting like crazy. Free music, pay-what-you-want music, "360" deals, exclusive deals with Wal-Mart sans digital distribution, iTunes exclusives, etc. And after every large-scale experiment (Radiohead's "In Rainbows," Kid Rock's no-iTunes strategy, AC-DC's current Wal-Mart exclusive), music industry analysts, the news media, and bloggers attempt to assess the relative success of the approach.

Yet in all of these cases, "experiment" is probably a misnomer --there's no "control group" receiving the placebo treatment. Absent a trip to a parallel universe where you could buy Kid Rock's last album (or the single) from the iTunes store, we really don't know for certain if Kid Rock helped or hindered his total sales.  (It's possible, of course, that some record companies have been using control groups of some sort. You could make an album available in iTunes for a specific country or region, and compare sales to those in non-iTunes regions. Though the demographics and fan bases probably aren't identical across regions, so you're still guessing somewhat…)

And even if we knew for certain if an individual experiment was a relative success, it's not necessarily transferable. Just because something worked for Radiohead doesn't mean it would work for R.E.M. Further, in addition to the non-interchangeable nature of audiences and albums, the music retail environment itself is changing on a daily basis.

Yet music is art, not science, and even if these different business tests aren't controlled, repeatable experiments, there does seem to be a few obvious takeaways. One thing that seems certain is that for acts of a certain stature, deviations from the standard sales approach will result in increased attention, perhaps enough to generate additional sales. Offering free music certainly seems to have helped Trent Reznor SELL a lot of music, music that is readily available for no charge. And maybe AC-DC's new album wouldn't be selling as well without the promotional push behind the Wal-Mart exclusive.

One problem, however, is diminishing returns. Radiohead got the attention it did for its "In Rainbows" experiment not because it was the first act to offer its music on a "pay what you want" basis. Rather, because they were the first act with that level of name recognition and artistic credibility to do so. Post-Radiohead, a similar experiment by a well-known act might not get the same attention.

What's less obvious, however, is if free or pay-what-you-want music has the same impact on the other end of the scale. That is, for self-released acts like my own, who are all trying to figure out how to compete in an environment of seemingly endless listening choices.

If you spend some time on the CD Baby message boards, you'll see that some self-released musicians that are quite indignant over the idea of "free music." They'll point to the both hard work that went into writing and recording their music and the hard-earned dollars that funded the recording, mixing, mastering, and manufacturing of their music. They simply want a chance to earn some of that money back.

But offering free music doesn't mean you don't expect to get paid for it. For musicians at ANY level, the fundamental challenge is twofold. First, you need to get people to hear your music. Then you have to convince them to buy it. For relatively unknown artists, without access to commercial radio and the mainstream music press, offering free music along with paid versions of it seems the easiest way to increase your listening audience and, eventually, your paying audience.

Anecdotally, there are plenty of examples of how free and paid music can co-exist. A few years ago, when the Strokes released their second album, they offered a free 192k mp3 of the lead single on their website. Yet that song remained their top-selling track on iTunes, despite the existence of a free equivalent. And when I look at our cumulative iTunes sales, the two tracks we've sold the most copies of are songs we've made available as free downloads.

These examples don't necessarily prove anything -- there's no way to know if the Strokes would've sold more (or less) iTunes downloads if they didn't offer a free version of the track. Nor do they reveal why some consumers are paying for music they could have legally obtained without purchasing it. Maybe some purchasers of the iTunes tracks were simply unaware of the free versions, or maybe they are deliberately choosing to support the artist by purchasing the tracks.

For our new album, we're taking the free music plunge, inspired in part by a post by David Rose on this blog. For their 2004 release "Conductor," the Comas had a level of critical and promotional success that most small bands would kill for -- things like an 8.0 Pitchfork review and strong support and airplay from KEXP (one of the biggest/best known CMJ-reporting stations).

Yet they sold less than 6,000 total units, including physical CDs and album downloads. Would the Comas have done better with a free strategy? Again, without access to a parallel universe, there's no way to know to know for certain.

But in our case, given our very modest sales, the upside seems to outweigh the minimal downside of potential lost sales. And while it won't be a controlled or repeatable experiment, there are plenty of things we can quantify over the next few months: our number of Last.fm listeners, web traffic, friend statistics for MySpace and Facebook, and -- we hope -- increased sales over our previous release.

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

today is the day

be part of history and

VOTE ! !

Attached is a Public Service Announcement by Yo La Tengo and Chris Stamey entitled "V.O.T.E" in MP3 format. We encourage you to forward to any of your friends and neighbors who have not yet voted.

thanks,
JD

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan are the authors of The Indie Band Survival Guide: The Complete Manual For The Do-It-Yourself Musician published by St. Martin's Press/Macmillan in the US and Canada and founders of the open and free musician resource, IndieBandSurvivalGuide.com. They are also lead members of the horn-powered Chicago indie-pop band Beatnik Turtle . Their latest project is the The DIY Music Manual: How to Record, Promote and Distribute Your Music without a Record Deal from eBury/Random House in the UK, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand to be released in February 2009.

Most musicians, when they think about where to get their music heard, think radio. Unfortunately, commercial radio is essentially off limits to indie musicians unless you spend tens of thousands of dollars, and even that's no guarantee. College radio is in reach, but time consuming. And new license rates have even curtailed webcasting.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Podcasting has emerged to become the radio of the internet. In fact the September 2008 Pew internet study estimates that 19% of internet users have listened to a podcast. And unlike radio, podcasters are hungry for music to use for their shows. But the best news is that the major labels have made their own music nearly impossible to use on podcasts.

That's right: podcasts are a major-label free zone.

How Podcasting Works

Podcasts are like internet radio shows. They are simply sound files, usually MP3s. In fact, anyone with a computer and a microphone can make one using free recording software such as Audacity . The magic isn't in making the MP3, it's in the distribution mechanism. Podcasts use feeds similar to blogs (using RSS or Atom) that allow programs like iTunes to subscribe to them and automatically download shows. It's similar to how a Tivo will automatically record a show except listeners can download the episode any time after it is released without having to wait for a "broadcast". Also, listeners can go back and hear all of the previous episodes if they want to.

Since anyone can make a show, there are podcasts about every topic you can imagine. To get an idea of the variety, go on PodcastAlley.com or PodcastPickle.com and search on any topic that you are interested in; from the profound to the profane, from the popular to the picayune, podcasts cover it all. Since podcasts are released through the Web, they have a global reach. While some have only a handful of listeners, others have hundreds of thousands. And, best of all, podcast listeners are more engaged than a causal radio listener since they've actively sought out the content.

Getting Podcast Play

The simplest way to get podcast play is to make your music "podsafe"-- a general, non-legal term that lets podcasters know that they can use your music in their shows. Since copyright law sets everything to "all rights reserved", telling podcasters that your music is podsafe lets you carve out an exception so they can use your music and not get sued. Or, if you want to be formal, license the song under a Creative Commons license.

To make it easy for podcasters to find your music, you can register songs at a podsafe music collective—websites that make it easy for musicians and podcasters to find one another. Podcasters routinely go to sites like music.podshow.com or podsafeaudio.org to find music. If you join these collectives, read their agreements carefully and make sure that you are comfortable with the rights you are granting to your music in order to turn them podsafe. In return, podcasters must tell their fans who the band is, and link to you (more than you ever get from a radio station.)

Another way to get play is to contact podcasters directly, usually with just a friendly email. While there are music podcasts, you will get better exposure and have an easier time getting played on non-music podcasts. Your songs will stand out better, since they often play just one or two feature songs in the middle of their show. According to PodcastAlley.com, the current top 50 popular podcasts are not music podcasts, instead covering topics such as politics, Harry Potter, and learning Spanish. Most likely, these popular podcasts have tens or hundreds of thousands of listeners--and have a need for music.

We have two suggestions if you get a request: Firstly, give them a high-quality WAV version of your song. There's nothing worse than hearing your song garbled because the MP3 you sent them got re-encoded as an MP3 a second time. Secondly, mention each podcast play in your own blog and website to give the podcaster exposure to your fans in return. That makes it even more likely that the podcaster will start requesting more of your songs—something that happens the more you get played. We found that after years of doing this, and getting play, they now come to us looking for music. Something we're happy to give them.

Just think, when was the last time a radio station asked you for your music?

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A Question from Jen in Atlanta

Hello John,

I was thrilled to finally get to see X on tour this year. The band was incredibly tight and the energy of the show was "off the hook"! I'm in the process of forming a new band and wanted to get your take on what to look for in bandmates. Everyone in the last band I was in shared an interest in the same type of music, had similar favorite bands etc. But once we started playing together regularly it became clear we all couldn't be more different in our approach, work ethic, songwriting and so on. Needless to say it didn't work out well in the end. What's the best way to find out if new potential bandmates might be a fit? A friend suggested I put together a list of questions to ask but I'm afraid the "vibe" of that process could be a real turnoff for people who might be a great fit.

I would love to hear what you think.

Thanks,

Jen

hey Jen,
  Yeah a questionnaire might be way too much like a job interview or some Harmony.com dating service, so . . . NO.  How about dinner & drinks?  How about just hanging out for several evenings & see if you actually do see things similarly?  how about playing cover songs in yr living room? Always trust yr intuition.  Be sure you're in a big enough city to have a "talent pool" that's large enough. There are always exceptions but it's rare that you find everyone all at once. Most bands that I know have grown over a period of time.  A gtr player here, a singer there, a drummer etc, you get my point.  There is something to be said for fate & it seems that the best combinations & meetings have that as an element.
best of luck, hope this helps
& as always, thanks for writing 
JD

 PS: Make sure to vote on November 4^th. It’s important.

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

Dear friends of WWJDD,

This message could be one word long; VOTE!  That's my main message.  But a bit deeper lies what you're voting for or against.  Someday when we meet in some night club we'll discuss this at length but right now I urge you to go to the media, websites, internet blogs, friends & family to get the facts, however fluid they may be.  You're smart & can separate the lies from the truth (also fluid) & I'm sure you will vote for the right guy . . . no, not the one who suspends his campaign every time there's a dip in his poll numbers or some crisis he must attend (not really his job), uses falsehoods in adverts or agrees w/ 90% of Pres GWB's policies.  Please VOTE & vote for someone who can restore our FAITH & HOPE in this country.  BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT AS A CITIZEN & VOTE!  THIS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER.

Thanks for allowing me a little soap box time & for your support. Below is a list of the different state's voter registration deadlines.

yours in solidarity,

John Doe

p.s. get yr slacker friends to register & vote too!

If you have any questions about registering or voting contact your Secretary of State. Click here to for a complete contact list by state at Rock The Vote.

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com.

Matthew Ryan first debuted in 1997 with May Day (A&M Records) and since, has amassed an impressive catalog of critically lauded major label, DIY and indie releases to date. Matthew Ryan vs The Silver State is Ryan's 11th record released by Brooklyn indie 00:02:59. Photo by Bob Delevante.

I'm in a mood today. So this could read grumpy, or even curmudgeonly (if that's a word).Things are good, things are above the waterline. Work is good, I'm writing, I just scored a television show and there's more ahead. I just released a new song called Some Streets Lead Nowhere via iTunes and I'm finding there's a new flux of listeners finding me. My last tour was successful, more and more people coming out and singing along. My listeners are beginning to help me tell my story. And I'm genuinely moved by this new migration of intimate advocacy. It's a humanizing hum in all the flash and adverts. But there's a part of me that continues to feel unsatisfied in the new lawlessness of music and the way it's internalized.

I don't wish to mourn the horse-drawn wagon vs. the automobile. But things have changed, and there's no going back. The days we knew are a boutique, progress isn't always progress. Often it's what's expedient or more thoroughly marketed.

I miss the tactile nature of music. The submersing seduction of artwork. The smell of the ink on paper with the images and the liner notes. The large speakers, the console, the ritual of removing the plastic wrap and inserting the breathe of a world changed by someone's ability to say and sing something. I miss it. It's what I wanted for my work. I wanted it to exist for those that needed it, and I wanted my work to hopefully confide and insist that things are always on the verge of exploding into a perfect opportunity. I'm confused by the homogenized experience of downloading music now. There's no physicality to it now. There's no unique sensation to the event. It's a click and a few seconds and then a declaration of war vs. instant judgment. Now, the quality of music itself has been compromised for speed of delivery. The system of delivery is rarely gonna mug you like a sudden rain or burst of sunshine will. It's more of a cute little machine that looks more like it could light a cigarette rather than unleash Love Will Tear Us Apart, Positively 4th Street or Keep On Rockin' In The Free World on you.

But it is amazing isn't it? Even with all the new traffic online, and as compromised as technology has made the width and clarity of recordings, songs still arrest you. Anonymous and handicapped, they still take over a room, shake you, force you to shake your ass or stop cold in reflection, cry and smile. Songs. You can't fucking kill them. And if you're song is good enough, honest enough, clear enough.... It will create a universe all its own through the migration and delivery in cold places like email and Yousendit. And on the end of those strange transmissions lie ears and a heart still wanting to be moved.

So I say, give your music away. Not all of it, but consider which song of yours at this moment is the ONE song you'd want anyone to hear. That's the song you should unlock the cage for. Be smart. Pay your rent. Work hard. Stay open and hopeful. Don't buy into subscriptions and donations and other silliness, If your songs are good enough they will speak for themselves. You should lean for life outside of your cult. People value what moves them. If you engage people, they will engage you. And eventually they will tell your story for you.

When we do our jobs, when we deliver on our promises, we're rewarded. I suggest that we understand that. Listeners, lovers of music, want artists that full fill their promise. And in return, they understand the reality of it. They will become patrons of your work. They'll come to your shows. They'll buy your t-shirts. They'll pass your music along with genuine heart and advocacy. Because even still, music is one of the few things that can connect, comfort and rile us in such a pure way. It has value because (watch out, this is gonna get redundant) when it has value, it has value. It's indefinable, scary and dangerous. The new world can't be bought. At least the halls of truly meaningful music cannot be bought. The Jonas Brothers and other drivel will always exist. It's brainwashing. It's bought and designed and sold and bought and re-invented and sold again. But the halls of the meaningful have to carve their own path, it has to exist ultimately based upon its merits and some collective willingness to understand or feel it. Those merits are cousins to magic, and it depends on its ability to confide something that everyone knows, but can't manage the words let alone a melody. That's the work of artists. You gotta be willing to release those songs like a bird into that great wide open. Cause you know, if you love something, set it free. If it never returns, it was never yours. If it returns to you, it's yours forever.

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A Question from Matthew in Liverpool

Hi John,

I'm a big X fan and I love your solo work particularly, 'Meet John Doe'...a  great album, I hope maybe Rhino Records may remaster it.

My question is something I've already emailed Peter Case about, I play guitar but find that when I try and flat pick I can't get the right sound. I use 12's on an old EN acoustic, I'm fed up of playing finger style and want a tougher sound. Are there any tips you can give me about flat picking? Should I be using a thumb pick or a particular plectrum?

Yours with Respect.

Matthew 

WWJDD?
 
Hey Matthew,

  Peter Case is a much better guitar player that I am, so take his advice first.  Most good gtr player that I know use very heavy picks & a very light touch. Billy Zoom uses something like Fender heavy & Dave Alvin uses a heavy thumb pick & both use their fingernails for more intricate picking parts. To avoid my own confusion in switching picks from bass to gtr, I use Herco nylon flex 75 (silver) which are fairly stiff. They do the job w/ both bass & gtr & don't turn floppy during a show.  Certainly trial & error is the best method to find out what works best for you.

best of luck, hope this helps & as always thanks for writing,

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A question from Robert in Jacksonville, FL

Hello John,

I am in the process of putting a new band together with some really strong players and experienced songwriters. We all have a good work ethic and it feels like we have the real potential to create some meaningful material. I know it's tough out there to get noticed as a new band these days. Any suggestions you have for hitting the ground running and ultimately getting signed to a record label would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Robert

WWJDD?

OK . . .  You want to be noticed? Just do EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF!!! And try to think of those things all the time.  Believe it or not that's what every one big or small in the music biz does, everyday they're at work & sometimes all night long too.  Wait . . . unless you work at a major label, then like all offices, you fuck around all day & just make sure it LOOKS like your busy.
    Write the best songs, learn to play the best you can (don't forget original style helps but not totally necessary these days), find the best gigs or any gigs, tell as many people as you can think of, make demos & send them to record companies (a contact always helps), make friends in the music scene in yr town, if there is none, then move, make a My Space & Facebook page, a web site, get yr friends excited & throw a party. the list goes on forever but you get the idea.  In my experience when a record or artist "takes off" (and there are hundreds of definitions of that) it's because they did everything & three or four elements or people actually worked. I believe that if yr truly talented, have a little ambition & not a complete social wash-out, you will get noticed.  Many of my friends debate this w/ me but I still believe it because I've seen it happen too many times.  It's all pretty basic.  Just take a shot, cross yr fingers & work as hard as you can at EVERYTHING. I know that sounds like the Prodestant  work ethic but that's the way things seem to succeed.  Though it seems like it, this isn't just drudge work.  It needs creativity & inspiration too. 

I hope this helps, good luck
and as always, thanks for writing
JD

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .

Steve Wynn led the influential band the Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 and afterward began a solo career. Steve recently teamed up with fellow baseball and music fan Scott McCaughey plus Peter Buck and Linda Pitmon to record The Baseball Project, Volume One: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails

There's a story from the filming of “Marathon Man” that I love and often repeat (I hope it's actually true and not just a cinematic urban legend).   It seems that Dustin Hoffman was in the process of trying any method acting trick he could come up with to get inside his character.  He stayed up for three nights straight, didn't shave, worked himself into a slovenly stupor and came onto the set bemoaning to Laurence Olivier, “I just don't get it.  I've tried everything and I just can't get inside this character.”  Sir Larry gave Hoffman a withering look and said, “Why don't you try acting?”

This is often the way I feel when musicians ask too many questions about how to make it in the music business.  Or when fellow musicians talk a little too much about “the biz.”  Hey, these things are important.  I'm ever grateful to my industrious peers, my mentors who have taught me ways to survive as an independent musician and I've tried to be as free with my advice for those who come to me for clues and suggestions.  It's enough for Gloria Gaynor to swear that she will survive-she had a hit record.  For those of us who have slalomed through the independent scene for years and decades it's a little trickier.  You need clues.  And tricks.  And tenacity.

But at the end of the day you have to love writing songs.  And you have to love making records.  And you have to especially love playing shows and touring.  And you have to love doing all of those things for their own sake.  The biggest issue when writing a song or making a record shouldn't be “what will my fans think?” or “will it get on the radio?” or “will Byron Coley like it” (okay, this used to trouble me in 1982) but rather “Do I like it?  Am I getting off on this song, this album, this gig?”  You should be able to honestly feel that the record you just made would be your favorite record of the year or that the gig you just finished was the epitome of your own idea of what a great gig should be.

Amuse yourself.  Indulge yourself (personally, I always thought that being “self-indulgent” is what being a great musician is all about).  Take chances.  Do something crazy and precocious and surprising.  What's the worst that can happen?  You might suck.  And, really, sucking is the best way to find your way to greatness.  You have to be willing to fall on your face in order to hit the heights that all of your heroes have hit over the years.  Nobody inspires awe with competency or proficiency or “getting the job done.”  The great ones became great because they did something that nobody else would dare to do-that is until the great ones did what they did and then everybody wanted to do what they had just done.  Got that?

So, the next time you're wondering how to write a hit song or make a hit record or make your fans happy or get better reviews than your last album you might just want to consider what Laurence Olivier might have said to you:  “Why don't you just try making music?”

Be sure to check out the The Baseball Project Blog for more information on The Baseball Project, baseball news and updates on a music celebrity fantasy league.

John Doe is the founder of the seminal Los Angeles punk group X, a solo artist and actor. John answers questions from our community members in the WWJDD? blog. Photo by Autumn de Wilde.

A Question from Pete in New York

What would you do if a drunk punk throws bottle rockets at you onstage during a solo acoustic show?

WWJDD?

It seems obvious that you have to keep yr cool and fire back some choice words to the dummy who wishes he had enough talent to be on stage rather than firing bottle rockets from the audience.  As Peter Case once told me, "Don't lose yr cool, man. If you lose yr cool, you lose yr power."  Occasionally this kind of disturbance can save an otherwise dull show, it's happened to me.  Where the show goes along, good but nothing special. Then some drunk start mouthing off & you've got immediate conflict & something memorable. Just go w/ it, be witty & don't get ugly.  If it comes to that, hopefully there is some security guy to "throw the bum out" or you might just have to put up yr dukes, this if course is a last, & ultimately never satisfying, resort.  And handling these things (stupid people or equipment failure) just gets easier the more time you have to deal w/ them.  Keep yr cool & no one will notice. If they do, they just think how cool you are.

good luck, I hope this helps
and as always, thanks for writing
JD

If you have questions for John Doe about music, the music business or life feel free to email them to wwjdd@knowthemusicbiz.com.

For more information on John Doe check out theejohndoe.com or YepRoc.com .