Comments on: Why 2012 will be year of the artist-entrepreneur

By: SpotMagic, Inc

SpotMagic, Inc — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:59:24 +0000

We’re doing that :)

By: Kim McAllister Mallek

Kim McAllister Mallek — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:08:04 +0000

They’ve been saying this for years with the internet. It is nothing new.

I’d like to hear from an artist who has actually been able to create and profit from leaving out the middle man.

We are a creative studio, self-funding our own creative entertainment properties into apps, and let me tell you, you still need a huge marketing budget or big company behind you… ie. Apple, to promote and help you sell it. Just getting it out there with out the middle man does not pay for the costs of development.

So please… Someone tell me how they are able to make money, sustainable money, from their art on the internet.

Louis CK can do it because… duh… he’s Louis CK and people know him.

By: Max Murder

Max Murder — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:46:29 +0000

I’m hungry (starving) and i have a passion for what I’m doing.
I did not plan this venture, I’m just running with it and never gonna stop. (even if the fcking wheels fall off)
Max

By: Greg Spalenka

Greg Spalenka — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:15:57 +0000

I have been living the the life pf an artist entrepreneur for two decades now. It take a strong personal vision and courage to make a living this way, but it is very much possible especially today. The entrepreneurial spirit is not taught in schools. I find that my students at various colleges have a difficult time understanding these market principles. All they know is the corporate model which is about getting a job. It takes a paradigm shift in thinking. This is one of the reasons I started the Artist As Brand workshop! Let’s start empowering talented individuals to realize the awesome industry they can build around themselves.

By: Janice C.

Janice C. — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:02:35 +0000

I commented last night but it’s still not up.

By: Janice C.

Janice C. — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:13:20 +0000

I couldn’t agree more and I have a perfect case study for you (that isn’t near the level of A-lister Louis CK or an Amway scion). DIY Pittsburgh band Punchline, together since 1997, seems to be on the precipice of “making it” after slowly but steadily eliminating the middle men for the past decade. They have made a point personally engaging their fans, first via MySpace, and now on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. They use SoundCloud to let fans preview upcoming releases, and even quickly release new recordings or remixes as an incentive or reward to the loyal base. Founding their own record label, Modern Short Stories, they retain creative freedom, and have been able to sign other, likeminded artists. They even produced a book, “Whistle Pig.” While the big guys (U2, Bon Jovi) need to tour in order to make any money, Punchline sacrifices the high cost of a tour for a self-funded band such as themselves, and instead builds real connections with their fans via social media. They are prolific with their video releases on Youtube. Essentially, they are creating Customer Evangelists, one Tweet at a time.

This band has been putting out their music their way for years and now, with a solid base of national and international fans, they are putting up a fight against bands with huge marketing budgets. Just this week, their EP “So Nice To Meet You” dropped on iTunes (17 hours late mind you – talk about a potential loss of momentum) and within 24 hours climbed to #1 on the Rock Album Chart (overtaking the likes of Metallica and The Beatles “1” album) and #7 on the All Albums Chart (surpassing pop princess Taylor Swift and overnight sensation LMFAO). This couldn’t happen if they didn’t have hundreds (thousands?) of fans blogging, tweeting and buying! Many admit to even buying more than one copy.

By cutting out the middle man, Punchline has made direct and real connections with their customers, aka fans. And while it wasn’t overnight, it has shown returns as the world becomes more connected online.

By: gregorylent

gregorylent — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:17:00 +0000

this site loads slowly, waiting for s1.wp.com waiting http://www.gravatar.com, on and on ..

#occupytheinternet

By: DMystro

DMystro — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:33:25 +0000

Thats the only way to make a big impact!

By: richardkooyman

richardkooyman — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:16:30 +0000

Rick, Thats my point. Louie CK is a comedian. He makes money from doing his comedy. Do you consider a comedy promoter who make money promoting comedians a comedian? Would you call him a promoter comedian?

By: Rick Dahms

Rick Dahms — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:31:20 +0000

Richard, you do realize that, in this case, “Louie CK and a business person using comedy to make money” are the same person, right? He’s producing the material and he’s selling it over the internet. Much like you are with your paintings – which I like a great deal. But I don’t think that makes you any less of an artist… that you’re using your art as a business, I mean.