Indie darlings to launch online music tv channel

Pitchfork, the immensely popular music blog, is launching an online music channel to "document independent music as it happens". According to the site, the channel is in response to the decline of music-centric programming on music networks. While television attention is given to rock giants (Bono, anyone?), independent music often fails to receive similar creative attention. The rise of the Independent film channel, and general success of Independent films over the past years has proven that the American public is open to deviating from the mainstream, and, thanks to Pitchfork, indie music gets its own venue.

A visual extension of the blog, Pitchfork.tv will bring indie fans closer to their favorite music- through mini-documentaries, exclusive stage sessions, full concerts, interviews, and a carefully "curated" selection of music videos. In addition, Pitchfork.tv will become the first online video channel to screen full-length feature films, vintage concerts, and music DVDs free of charge. How cool is that? Sure, netflix has obscure-ish music titles, but you pay a fee. Now you can watch a Pixies concert film free of charge, in the comfort of your own living room. Content is also available to consumers on-demand, a feature that allows people to weed out what they deem uninteresting and move on to their preferred content. The online channel is without revenue, leaving it to be a user-controlled, and pitchfork-moderated creative vehicle.

I love this. I can't wait for the launch (April 7, in case you're interested). I love Pitchfork, and read it often, frequently using it for purchasing advice, music news, and concert updates. Sure, MTV2 airs some independent videos, and MTVu (yes, it exists) communicates the interests of the college radio devout, but indie music needs it's very own visual home.

Also, speaking of the channel's boast of secret rooftop shows, I found another venue for indie artists. The "Black Cab Sessions" takes artists on a cab ride around London, wherein the musicians perform and record a song or two. It's pretty great, and the lineup so far has been impressive, and I have found myself constantly checking for new videos. Check it out. If you're a music fan, you won't be disappointed. Local tip, Austin bands Spoon and Okkervil River have both participated.

How does an album get better sales? By being blogworthy, of course!

A recent study done by NYU's Stern Business School shows that the amount of online "chatter" about an upcoming album release directly correlates to higher physical album sales. Researchers studied 108 albums released in 2007 to see how various outside elements affected the sales once the album had been released, and found that all had an effect in one way or another. Certain elements, however, proved to have more impact than others. Which elements, you ask? Say it with me now, BLOGGING and SOCIAL NETWORKING. I may sound like a broken record here, but article after article points to the strengths of web 2.0 as a marketing tool.

Researchers studied Amazon.com sales ranks (Nielsen Soundscan Ratings are too costly), as well as articles, blog posts, and Myspace presence for each album listed over a period of eight weeks. Findings showed that blogs tended to be the most strongly correlated to high album sales. According to the findings, if 40 or more legitimate blog posts- legitimate as in written by regular people, not marketers- were made prior to an album's release, sales ended up being three times the average.

This success is not limited to albums released under the umbrella of the "Big 4" labels, Independent releases reaped the same benefits. The study also discovered, as bad a rap as Myspace gets, that the number of Myspace friends a band has also correlates to album sales. Take this finding with a grain of salt, however, as the law of numbers proves that more friends generally equals more people ready to buy the album and support the band. That being said, while social networks are a new phenomenon and a good catalyst for high album sales, they simply cannot compare to a review from a notable source like Rolling Stone Magazine or one of it's counterparts.

As I've said before, I am a regular reader of music blogs like Pitchfork and Brooklyn Vegan, and I buy into the hype. I'm still loyal to the bands I've like all along. A negative Pitchfork review wouldn't deter me from buying, say the new Radiohead album. I'll admit though, that If a band I'm unfamiliar with gets intense praise, I will look into it, and perhaps buy the album. So yes, the hype machine (as we've collectively termed it) claims another victim. But really, is that such a bad thing?