Band Thanks File-Sharing For Greater Exposure and Success
Written by enigmax on August 30, 2009There are many bands around the world who would rather not see their material getting exposure on file-sharing networks. Canadian band Great Lake Swimmers take a different view. File-sharing is “global word of mouth” they say, and are happy this so-called piracy has enabled them to become familiar to a wider audience.
We’re all familiar with the aggressive anti-piracy stances of artists like Prince and bands like Metallica. But file-sharing doesn’t have to be all about conflict, and for many artists it is proving to be a very effective promotional tool to reach people who otherwise may remain oblivious to their art.
One band embracing file-sharing are Toronto-based melodic folk rock group Great Lake Swimmers.
In an interview earlier this year, the band’s lead vocalist Tony Dekker said that although he doesn’t share files himself and would prefer it if fans got music from legitimate sources, he’s OK with it since people are “spreading the word about a band they love through file sharing.”
Now, in a recent interview, Dekker recalls their performance at an Ontario music festival in 2008, after which Robert Plant said he liked the band’s songs. Getting noticed by a big name was a boost for them but it was the band’s transformation from playing small venues to becoming more widely known that he says demonstrates the power of a new type of marketing.
Dekker says that this development of the band’s wider exposure is down to the modern equivalent of word-of-mouth promotion. We know it as “file-sharing” and it is this technology that Dekker says has allowed the band to move far beyond its Canadian roots.
“It’s not just something that’s specific to a region anymore. It’s global. It’s global word-of-mouth,” he says.
“People can share ideas, share music files and stuff, and I think it’s good. It’s good for music because you don’t have to scratch far below the surface to find interesting music that doesn’t have the machinery of a big record label behind it,” he concludes.
Indeed, as the anti-filesharing antics of the big labels continues to further alienate them from their artists’ fans, finding good music that they have nothing to do with is becoming more important than ever.
Previously: Pirate Bay Buyer Has Car and Motorcycle Repossessed
Next: When Pirates Become Copyright Cash Cows
63 Responses
At least there’s still some entertainers with some sense in this world.
Never heard of them, they’re just using the “we support filesharing” line to gain an audience
#2, and it works. Never heard of them before but I think their music is kinda amusing in some way. I like it.
now only if they’d make some money. Oh wait, they can always start a new pirate bay
@2
So what if they are being pro-filesharing to get an audience? Don’t we want ALL artists to do this?
Honestly, people like you should try and see something positive in life, instead of being so cynical. Its depressing
The title of the article says it all
BAND Thanks File-Sharing For Greater Exposure and Success
Should be
STONES
U2
OASIS
or at least GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS
I support file sharing, too!
Now, wheres MY medal?
“…from legitimate sources…” ?
When was file sharing outlawed?
Nobody told me!
offtopic: we need more tpb informations , what it’s happening?
won’t download because video is interlaced
very good!
“Tony Dekker said that although he doesn’t share files himself”
Right. I almost believe him.
Funny how people have double standards on this. I know a lot of decent people who, while commenting on my support of the Pirate Bay say that torrents are unethical and are theft and the next minute speak about a movie they downloaded from a local net and for which they did not pay.
I know that Jimmy Urine from the band Mindless Self Indulgence has said repeatedly that he fileshares music, movies, games, comics, and so on, and that he has had no problem with other people sharing his work online.
In other news, Decker found out exactly what “file-sharing” was from Fred down in IT and once he found out it was actually costing him money from people downloading his songs, his reaction was a, “Wha wha wha?”
LMAO, you people are absolutely ridiculous! You all bitch that musicians should spread their music freely, and when one group comes out and does so publicly you get people making jackass comments againts the group??!!!
Well, actually I know this band. And only because of file sharing. Not that I liked them, but still… It’s funny to see them talk about all this sharing stuff, because if it wasn’t for sharing, I wouldn’t know who they are :D.
And yeah, get some positive thoughts. Advertising? Why not? If they’re recognizing the fact, that because of this “illegitimate” activities of ours they get exposure, which means bigger stages, why not? They could be acting like most of artists, saying something like “they are stealing our work, and that’s a crime, stop file-sharing”. Would you be happier then?
their latest album is very good. palmistry is awesome song.
they are not bad.
@14, its not COSTING him any money, its just money that hes not getting. most people who download stuff wouldnt have gone out to buy it anyways, so they download it, spread the word if the music is good, and people who dont know how to download, buy it. it actually kinda helps them.
Neij, all your base are belong to us
Finally, a nice article not involving TPB.
Actually there are more bands that don’t mind file sharing than not. The ones that do are just corporate mouth pieces. Because of downloading it puts me in touch with bands I would of never heard of. And what I download, I tend to buy when I can.
Peter Sunde -> Kolme, Flattr, Binero
Fredrik Neij -> DCP
Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, hacker -> PRQ
Carl Lundstrom -> Rix Telecom, Port 80 (supplier to PRQ)
Tobias Andersson, hacker wannabe -> Piratebay, Piratbyran
Daniel Oded -> Random Media, Targetpoint advertising
Fredrik Holmqvist, hacker -> Black Internet, Dual Crew Shining DCS.net, D-CS.com
Patrik Lagerman, hacker -> Patrikweb
Anonymous -> DOS attacks
Angry Young Hackers -> scriptkiddies
Organized crime anyone?
Seems logical that these people would come up with a type like Pandeya.
@ johnny d
what are you trying to say? are these the pro or con guys for filesharing?
never heard of the band/dont really like the song.
This somehow gives me the urge to buy their CDs.
You never see .neostyles bigotry or reasoned mind bigotry posts with articles like these..
These days if your music isnt being shared your a nobody..
these big labels and rock stars can shove it.. they have made way too much money with there untalented unoriginal crap that is pushed in peoples faces by these monopoly labels. Your time is up. Welcome to the future.
They’re a good band. Really solid live. Worth supporting.
@ time traveling white rabbit
johnny d is gonna make it rain
Like the song. Will check this band out live.
Of course music groups can benefit greatly from their music being shared. That’s not the main issue;
The record labels, executives like Simon Cowell and all the lawyers want their share. They don’t want the artists to take the lions share of the profit, the executives and lawyers want the lions share. They want to keep the artists muzzled, brainwashed and on a short leash. They don’t like this type of information getting out and they don’t want artists thinking for themselves.
The record labels have been very comfortable with this arrangement from the very beginning, and they don’t want this to change. This is why they are doing all that they can to stop it. Brainwashing law makers, the public, whining, dining and wooing those who can help them keep their antiquated business model the same, and continuing to brainwash and exploit artists paying them as little as possible so they become completely reliant on them.
They don’t want artists learning how to make money without them. It would mean the death of all record labels, and the executives and lawyers would have to find another business where they can exploit mindless sheep.
@2-
Whether or not they sopenly support filesharing doesn’t change the fact that people will still do it. They do however recognize that they have a wider audience–meaning more and better gigs, more merch sales, and more exposure.
This year they are up for the Polaris Prize (translated: CASH MONEY!), and I think that the fact that they made the shortlist is in no small part due to the fact that more people were able to find their music.
Seriously, try finding an album by Rae Spoon or One Hundred Dollars. All the bands on the longlist for the Polaris prize that didn’t have their albums uploaded on a torrent site (I looked) didn’t make the shortlist this year.
Coincidence?
The ACTUAL loss caused by p2p is almost indistinguishable from ZERO percent.
The industry just don’t want to have the middle-man (themselves) cut out of the equation.
Which is why we see their useless shills posting here.
As a software developer and music producer, I see no problem with file-sharing. Legitimate, convenient, advertising supported media exists to compensate these people anyway.
This is at least a small step in the right way.
First time I’ve heard of Great Lake Swimmers. I’ve listened to a few songs off of the new album, and I have to say, this is fantastic.
This is brilliant. Great music sells itself.
OT/
Great to see they are for file sharing, and people actually supporting artists like this.
I think a good way to prove to the record industries that file sharing works and remove the stigma that not all pirates are selfish is to have peoples iTunes, Amazon or whichever online MP3/CD store they use, somehow linked (anonymously) to their Bit Torrent accounts.
You can then see a clear distinction between the amount of times it has been downloaded from that tracker and the times is has been legitimately bought.
Maybe then this user on the bittorrent site
***** Please delete, I pushed my ’send’ hotkey prematurely.
OT/
Great to see they are for file sharing, and people actually supporting artists like this.
I think a good way to prove to the record industries that file sharing works and remove the stigma that not all pirates are selfish is to have peoples iTunes, Amazon or whichever online MP3/CD store they use, somehow linked to their Bit Torrent accounts.
You can then see a clear distinction between the amount of times it has been downloaded from that tracker to the amount of times is has been legitimately bought.
An incentive then from the people who run the Bit Torrent sites could be that if you are seen to support the artists you become a privileged/VIP/trusted member, sort of like what Oink had.
Encouraging more people to share, talk about and support the deserving artists.
Obviously you will still have the leechers that just take, take, take, but people like that are the type that would never support anyone anyway, let alone an artist.
great band, gone download there album!
Arguement flawed in second sentance “Canadian band”
I strongly believe file-sharing offers great opportunities for artists, and agree it is still hard for Record Industry entities to grasp it, yet they should find ways to capitalize on P2P services.
Some thoughts on how to monetize File-Sharing: http://digg.com/music/How_about_monetizing_File_Sharing
A good way to earn recognition from file-sharers atleast…
if you are a noOb, you may want to know that emailing someone you do not
know that posts in a anonymous comment board offering invites to private services where they would be responsible for anyone they brought in
is dangerous and could damage you and/or your computer. Make friends elsewhere.
Not sure if anyone here has heard of the band dispatch but they were a band that got huge thanks to Napster. They credit napster with giving them (a small independent band) exposure throughout the country. They would get to major venues across the US in cities they never played in with a full house of kids singing along to every word. Here is an excerpt from their DVD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNrbFyISseU
-Aaron
Oh man, I love the Great Lake Swimmers. (even though I’ve never actually bought any of their albums, I downloaded them all. heh.)
It’s good to see an artist embracing filesharing.
Well good and uplifting article about a band who doesn’t discourage filesharing…
Scroll down……………………………………………………………………………………to the comment section…….
time to take my prozac now……
I found them through a movie I DLd.
The only problem is that once someone has downloaded something over bittorrent, they have no incentive to actually buy it. Thus, zero money goes towards the creators.
Your Rocky Spine is the 4th most played song on my iPod. I actually heard them for the first time on Weeds.
Agree , Honestly, people like you should try and see something positive in life, instead of being so cynical. Its depressing
http://www.softwarefreedown.com
#48
As was said earlier: “Good music sells itself”.
I’m a Metallica fan myself and I’ve recently bought their entire collection of studio recorded CD’s. 4 DVD’s and a book even. Why you ask? Because good music sells itself.
All of their music has been available on the internet for many years now. In lossless format aswell. Nothing though, beats the feeling knowing you have a proper real legal recording on your shelf at home.
It’s like downloading a new book as an E-book PDF. Nothing beats a real book. The letters are in the exact same order, but the experience is much better when the book is in your hands instead of on a computer screen.
you guys are amazing, I’ll give it that.
all week you raise awareness of how bad the MAFIAA is, and how beneficial file-sharing is.
then, when a band speaks up and shares their experiences (despite the motives behind it), instead of saying “way to go”, you ridicule them and tell them what idiots they are for accepting file-sharing?
do you guys just post in here to see yourself type?
you guys are amazing, I’ll give it that.
all week you raise awareness of how bad the MAFIAA is, and how beneficial file-sharing is.
then, when a band speaks up and shares their experiences (despite the motives behind it), instead of saying “way to go”, you ridicule them and tell them what idiots they are for accepting file-sharing?
do you guys just post in here to see yourself type?
Like it or not, file sharing is what’s going on. As a music marketing professional I advise all musicians to accept and embrace it. There are many ways of using file sharing to your benefit. In fact I suggest you take it one step further and offer your music for free directly from your website which would ensure good quality recordings so nobody is listening to junky versions of your music. Read Chris Anderson’s books “The Long Tail” and “Free”. He provides great insight into where the markets are aheaded with regards to free content and some really good examples of how some are using this “Free” model to make a lot of money.
Tom Siegel
http://www.onlineartistpromotion.com
I would never have heard of Great Lake Swimmers if it hadn’t been for torrents, and more specifically, OiNK. And never would have bought their CD without that. At least not everyone in the music industry is completely fucking retarded
I find this hilarious. As a musician I find the rationale behind stealing music is invariably feeble. Granted, the costs of making a recording have gone down, but then again, to make a recording like Bohemian Rhapsody still actually requires a real engineer, real gear, etc. These things cost money. To those who say “well, musicians should make their money playing live”, I say: most gigs actually end up costing money – and – “So you expect BB King to haul his tired old ass out on the road to support his record you refuse to pay for?”.
One thing a label is good for is providing the money to make a real recording, something most bands can’t afford. Your friend with a pirate copy of Pro Tools on his laptop is not Bob Ezrin.
If I found it incredibly easy to steal your work without getting caught, would that make it okay for me to deprive you of a living?
No? What if your boss is an asshole? What? He is an asshole, but you still would rather I didn’t just steal your work so that you can’t get paid? You have bills to pay? Not my problem! Your boss is evil, so *you* must suffer!
@agingguiterplayer
if you can not pay your bills plying your trade, unlike millions of successful, working musicians,
you should think about another career. And paying into a pension fund. The rest of us have to go to work every day, if you want something like a few lucky musicians in the past had, where they put out a hit record and became millionaires overnight, I suggest you buy a lottery ticket.
Most gigs do not end up costing money,
unless no-one wants to go see them. This is the internets, we can check such things as ticket-sales & tour revenue. Would you suggest that if I play a 40 year old B.B. King track for a friend, that they should paypal B.B. 99 cents? And when someone buys a 40 year old B.B. album, how much goes to him, and how much to the investment fund that owns the rights to his music?
If you do not want people hearing and sharing your music, then play behind closed doors. Filesharing is increasing the quantity of something, spreading the word. Nothing missing=nothing stolen.
If you have a machine that can automagically copy a pair of my shoes that I paid for, go for it.
They are my shoes, I say you can, no one loses anything,
no theft.
Oh get off it.
‘as a musician’ What musician? In what band, group or ensemble do you play your ‘agingguitar’?
If you were actually someone important like say; Buddy Guy, he’d come out and say “Hi I’m Buddy Guy, and I hate/love file sharing.” Well then we could at least respect his opinion.
But you’re not really a musician are you ‘agingguitarplayer’?
Your a hack that has made his living ‘covering’ other peoples tunes.
All this time a pirate yourself.
Hey! Im Keith Richards and I love file sharing!!!
“If you’re going to kick authority in the teeth, you might as well use two feet.”
Explain to us then why is that music sales dropped before the 90’s and been stable after Napster ever since, how is filesharing affecting sales(more like renting) when there is no perceptual or relevant statistical difference in the numbers. When radio was introduced there were a seriously decline in music sales in the 30’s still after Napster there is no monetary proof of damages that people can see but still fools claim that it is hurting them, how?
Madonna made $200 million dollars in tours and she did not have to give a cent to corporations because that is a terrain that artists don’t have to share profits with labels, how was her ability to make money compromised?
You know what I’m tired of sob stories, artists think they are the only ones with sob stories? Let me tell ya the history of my life and see you in tears after LoL
I think “agingguitarplayer” is actually Brian May himself.
The Great Lake Swimmers have been around for a few years now, 2003, and tour regularly ’round the world.
Their great. And your not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D6DwskD3Yo
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