Independent Artists Find A Back Door in Music Lunge
By Li St. Michael | July 21, 2011 at 7:10 am
MusicLunge.com is an invaluable resource for independent artists seeking to lunge their music forward without the support of major record labels. Currently, Music Lunge (ML) streamlines to 130 worldwide online digital stores including iTunes, Rhapsody and AmazonMP3. On the heels of a recent partnership with Play MPE, is ML’s extra bonus of radio distribution. The reward: your music is now instantly available for download by thousands of major radio stations and DJs.
The benefits of placing ML and Play MPE at the helm of your music genesis are fierce, the pitfalls few, said Patrick Edvards of the Swedish pop-rock band Against the Day. After only two months at ML and a year from the release of their debut album, All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go, the band is already negotiating a publishing deal with Sergio Giles, CEO of and overall mastermind at ML. “We’re getting far more attention on ML than on any other site,” Edvards said.
This attention breaks down like this:
National Exposure
As an independent artist you’ve likely had your fill of playing in carcinogenic-filled rooms for the pennies of an ADD-stricken audience. Music Lunge leaves 90 percent – a percentage based on the total number of track sales for each album – of your music’s royalties on the table. This means that what you earn really is up to you.
Social Networking
We’re not just talking about Twitter, Facebook and Reddit here, but potential schmoozing with a hodgepodge of major music industry professionals, fans and other musicians. The social networking aspect of Music Lunge will soon be morphing to include valuable consultations by music industry insiders.
Distribution
Music Lunge and Play MPE guarantee delivery of your music to Major, Sirius, BDS, College, On Demand and Internet radio stations. For an additional fee, they also provide music video distribution and promotion.
“If you compare ML to Myspace, Reverbnation, WhoozNXT and all those other sites we would definitely say there is no downside to ML,” Edvards added. “ML is actually honest about what they can and can’t do for you as an artist,” which is rare.
While it may be too early for Against the Day to point out potential downsides to ML, ML’s website gives a few hints:
Cost
The rates of Music Lunge, i.e. $25 for two songs, is a gamble for an emerging artist struggling to get his or her foot in the proverbial door. As there is no guarantee that your music will sell, in essence you will still be singing for your supper. The plus side is that you will have more control of whether that supper is filet mignon or the finest Ramon noodles.
Production
Not all music is accepted by Music Lunge and Play MPE. The tracks you submit must be devoid of Sparky’s trotting nails and the hungry squalls of your bug-eyed cockatoo; unless they are needed artistically or are an essential part of the mise-en-scène. The general drift here is that Music Lunge requires professional sound in WAV format. This will no doubt knock a few brilliant, but raucous home recordings out of the race.
For Against the Day, the benefits – including online staff chats – outweigh any potential costs. “We think ML has great potential. They´re offering services that no other site has.”
If you are lucky enough to fit the criteria for submitting to Music Lunge and believe you have the talent – by all means carry on. If music really is “love in search of a word” just imagine what your music could do.
