The Rise Of The Singer/songwriter In The New Millennium
One of the hottest trends in music in the new millennium is that of the independent acoustic singer/songwriter. Back in 2002, John Mayer really opened up the door for this phenomenon when he released the EP Inside Wants Out on his own and built strong local followings, and then made a big bang and garnered interest from labels at South by Southwest. When his hit “No Such Thing” hit the airwaves and he became a mega star, it seemed that becoming an independent singer/songwriter became the new hot thing.
Not to mention, the invention of the web has made it a reality for thousands of singer/songwriter hopefuls to head out across the nation with nothing but some original songs and their trusty guitar and make money, many times quite a bit of money, going around from clubs to bars to coffee shops coast to coast. They sell T-shirts and posters and self-produced CDs. They get the word out about their music with their myspace pages and net radio stations and sell ringtones of their music and digital downloads. Now that the big labels don’t control distribution of musical material anymore, the concept of distributing one’s own music independently has become popular and this has put much of the control back into the hands of the individual artists.
Take a look at some great new artists who have utilized independent ways of promoting their material to create names and careers for themselves.
Ernie Halter – Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Ernie Halter sprinkles a bit of Soul into the acoustic mix. He self-released the home-recorded “Lo Fidelity,” and later studio recordings “Congress Hotel,” and “Starting Over.”
Tristan Prettyman – Tristan is a native the North County area of San Diego, and her music reflects that easy, beachy style. Her sweet, positive lyrics and cheerful fingerpicking guitar playing style make it the perfect music for either a long, relaxing bath accompanied by flickering candles or a cheerful summer afternoon backyard barbecue. It might not be possible to take a trip down to the beach, but all you have to do is pop in Trizzy P’s CD to feel like you’re there. Tristan’s concerts give you the feeling of having spent that time hanging out with a good girlfriend, chatting about men and pop culture, rather than attended a concert. Her debut EP (The Love EP) was self-produced, and her two subsequent efforts (twentythree and Hello…x) have both been studio produced.
Matt Nathanson – Matt’s career is the fruition of a long history of promoting relentlessly and near-constant touring, building a strong, even fanatical, fanbase built from years of touring and above-the-call-of-duty efforts to personally connect with fans. His lyrics are poetic and symbolic – they go far beyond the standard Pop ABAB rhyme schemes and “You’re so amazing I love you so much,” themes that dominate the airwaves on mainstream radio. His initial effort was the independently produced “Please,” released in 1993, while Matt was still in college. Over the next ten years, his independent releases included, “Ernst,” “Not Colored Too Perfect,” “Still Waiting for Spring,” and “When Everything Meant Everything.” He then released, “Beneath These Fireworks,” on Universal and “Some Mad Hope,” on Vanguard. He also released a concert recording entitled, “Live at the Point.” The combination of his winning material and hilarious, personal banter in live shows have made Matt one of the favorites among the singer/songwriter fan community.
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