Back in the day, artists, venues and promoters shared media, because it made perfect marketing sense to share.

No artist would publish their own Gig Guide because they are concerned about other bands (the competition) being promoted on the same page. Smart artists understand that Gig Guides work precisely because everyone elis in it. It makes life easier for the fans!

Radio and television is exactly the same. No venue or promoter would start it's own radio station or TV channel, because no one would listen or watch it. Sharing media is essential, especially when when it comes to local live music, where ever you are.

These days, Technology has provided the ability for artists to DIY. So every band, singer/songwriter and musician started building their own website, spending a lot of time and money creating their own online media channel.

Every artist wants their own website, even if they don't do much, if any sales online, and of course no one wants to send fans away from their own website, they want to keep them to themselves.

YouTube proves that strategy does not work, your options are, a) publish a video on your own website, or b) publish the video on THE website, where everyone goes to discover what video they want to watch. Which option will help your video be discovered more often?

Musicosity is YouTube for local live music. It’s the living breathing Gig Guide for the local live music industry where ever you may be.

Sharing a media channel is good, Musicosity is great, and telling people you're on it is even better.

Quote of the week "What's the point in paying for distribution, if no one's gonna buy it?". Wise words from an up and coming talent.

Rarely do you hear an artist refer the basic principals of supply and demand.

Brilliant.

"what is the difference between Musicosity and Facebook?". It's the most frequently asked question. This blog will hopefully answer it...

Before Facebook and Myspace existed, artists used to know who REAL FANS were. They were the people who bought tickets for gigs, merch at shows, albums in shops, and sent in their name and address on a postcard to to join the fan club... even then, some fans for more interested than others. Bands spent a lot of time and money looking after them. Technology meant they could contact them more easily and cheaply. This was brilliant for bands that already had an audience... it saved them time and money. Of course at the very same time technology killed their album sales thanks to downloads. You can't have everything!

However, those bands had already done the hard work. They had built up loyal fans.

But what if you don't have loyal fans? or know who they are? What if you're just starting out?

Well, Facebook and MySpace seemed to be the answer. You could get hundreds maybe thousands of people in one place and send them messages, lots and lots of messages. It looked as though Artists could cut out all the hard work of gigging, touring and the relentless promotion, not spend money and go straight to having a huge fan base! Wow. So then, how's that working out for you?

Facebook and MySpace (which make all their money out of selling advertising to 'your fans'... more the merrier for them) have made it easier for bands to send more and more messages... to publish more and more information and images. As technology killed album sales for those selling albums... technology has killed the the spirit of being in a band. It has made us lazy. Complacent. It's boring.

It gets worse for new bands. Other technology companies started developing 'services' to help them "Get Fans, Get Gigs, Track Stats, Earn Money". Who could say no? And it only costs a little bit. Another company says you can distribute your music globally, for only a little bit of money. Other services say how you can Acquire fans and sell more stuff, and it only costs you a little bit of money. Guess what, you've just spent a lot of money.... and been forced to become a marketing guru overnight. How's it going so far?

Technology helps us be more efficient and productive. But to get leverage and benefit, you still have to do all the things that artists used to do. Artists that choose to spend more time on Facebook than you do in the real world will never know who their real audience is and they will miss opportunities.

Why did you start a band in the first place? Musicosity is taking you back... back to the future.

RICHARD CATRIDGE was a musician before getting a break with the BBC in the Seventies. In a relatively short space of time he became a regional celebrity on BBC Radio Solent with his unique voice, style, and personality.
He’s also worked for Radios’ 1 and 2, Classic FM, 2CRFM, Play Classical UK, Play Jazz UK and Play Talk UK.
Richard had a top 50 hit single in 2004 called, “I’ve found love again”. Check it out in the Guinness book of hit singles! His children don’t really know what to make of it!
He’s also toured the country with his legendary stage shows, with capacity crowds at every venue.
His latest show with The Richard Cartridge Band is “The Rock and Roll Years”, humorous observations, recollections and music from a kid who grew up in the Fabulous 50’s, Swinging’ 60’s and Sensational 70’s!!!
The production includes live performances of songs from his current album, “You Never Can Tell”
He was commissioned by the American computer giant, Silicon graphics, to co-produce, script and host a number of presentations to introduce the first virtual reality platforms (CGI) to the United Kingdom and Europe. These were seen by professionals from various disciplines. Film and television, computer aided design and the manufacturing industry. The set was inspired by Pink Floyd's "The Wall", and the presentations were illustrated live on five screens. They took the show on the road to the major exhibition halls of London, Birmingham, Brussels and Geneva.
http://richardcartridgeband.co.uk