Imogen Heap Shows Us That DIY Pays Off - And Takes a Lot Of Work

Imogen Heap Shows Us That DIY Pays Off – And Takes a Lot Of Work

Posted on 13. Aug, 2009 by refe in ARTISTS, INNOVATION

Spend enough time online and you might begin to suspect that some media folks want you to think that the DIY approach will somehow be less work than then a traditional career in music. Strange, given that the term itself implies the opposite. ‘DIY’ does, after all, stand for ‘Do It Yourself.’ More rewarding? Less artistically limiting? More fun? Yes, yes, and probably. But less work? No.

Better does not always equal easier. Creating quality music and running a business are both challenging tasks on their own. Put them together and you’ve got your work cut out for you. The artist/fan relationship is the lynch-pin in today’s music marketplace and that relationship also takes a lot of time and energy to maintain, let alone grow. As much as you might want it to be ‘all about the music’ there are many other responsibilities vying for your attention. One artist who has learned this lesson – and who has experienced its sacrifices and rewards – is Imogen Heap.

An article called The New Music Business Model: Imogen Heap has been getting a lot of attention lately. Any article with a headline like ‘The New Music Business Model’ is likely to get a lot of attention these days, but this one is worth reading. The author, Colette Weintraub of Deep Dive Marketing, describes the sometimes novel ways Heap utilized technology and fan engagement in the making and marketing of her upcoming album Ellipse.

Imogen Heap wasn’t starting at square one when she began promoting Ellipse – she already had a committed fan base thanks to a host of films and TV shows featuring her music. But with Ellipse Heap has expanded her reach exponentially, and has truly done the bulk of the work herself. She refinanced her house to fund recording, she communicates constantly with her fans, even crowd-sourcing song titles and album artwork, etc.

She does SO much, in fact, that it’s hard to see how she has any time left to create music.

I didn’t really think of it that way until I read a recent Lefsetz post about his reaction to the Weintraub article. Here it is:

I uncovered the essay … delineating everything Imogen had done to sell her new album.

And my first reaction was, is it worth it?

Now the activities took two years to unfold. But suddenly, you’re no longer a musician, but a personality. And so much of what Imogen was doing was generating no revenue. It was all leading up to a single sales event, the ultimate release of an album. Huh?

He goes on:

Do you have to be a newfangled self-marketer to have success in today’s world? If that’s what it takes, if you’ve got to do everything Imogen did, how many will say no? What about practicing, gigging, getting good? … Just about everything Imogen has done here has nothing to do with music … There’s got to be a better way to reach fans.

It was refreshing to see a different perspective on the ‘New Music Business Model’ buzz, and it got me thinking about something I had seen from Heap herself a few days before the Lefsetz post. In responding to one of her followers on Twitter, Heap indicated that she was feeling the strain the process was putting on her. The DIY model that she had embraced was leaving precious little time for what she loves most: music. You can read her updates in the screenshots below.
imogen tweets small | Imogen Heap Shows Us That DIY Pays Off And Takes a Lot Of Work
Building a successful career in music on your own terms and with your own two hands is a difficult task, more akin to the life of an entrepreneur than to the iconic lifestyle of a rockstar. You’re the CEO, the content creator and PR coordinator all rolled into one overworked and (usually very) underpaid package. It’s not for everybody. Not everyone is going to enjoy that kind of lifestyle, and let’s not kid ourselves – not everyone is cut out for it.

I appreciate all of the excitement Imogen Heap’s story has been generating recently, and I hope that her new album launches to enormous returns. It’s great to have such a compelling example of DIY success. Those who do choose to go for it would be wise to study her experiences.

That, and after following Imogen for while now on Twitter and in the media I can’t help but root for her. I suppose that means that what she’s been doing for the past two years is working.

Photo by Jeremy Cowart.

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Tags: business models, imogen heap, marketing, music, PR, Twitter

18 Responses to “Imogen Heap Shows Us That DIY Pays Off – And Takes a Lot Of Work”

Matt Rod

14. Aug, 2009

I must say, this time I whole-heartedly agree with Lefsetz:

“Just about everything Imogen has done here has nothing to do with music … There’s got to be a better way to reach fans.”

Also, do you think there any room for an artist that wishes to have a private life too?
Or is that simply not possible?
- refe
  
  14. Aug, 2009
  
  I would hope so! Social media marketing doesn’t have to delve into every aspect of the artist’s life just to sell their records. Even in this case Imogen’s communications are almost entirely about her professional life – the process of recording and releasing her album. That’s part of why it can be such a good study for less experienced artists. She’s very transparent about how her experiences in the music business.
  
  Is the DIY-constant-social-media-contact model THE new model? Who knows. I think that things are still sorting themselves out. The media (us blogger types especially) have a tendency to find something that has worked for a few people and blow it up into a dramatic headline.
Suzanne Lainson

14. Aug, 2009

I applaud those musicians who want to go this route, but I hate to see this being held up as the new route to music success. For one, many artists aren’t good at this sort of social marketing, and two, many people who get into music do so because they want to make music, not do all the other stuff.

I tend to jump on these examples (particularly when they are offered by those who have no experience in the music business) because I fear the fantasy of getting a record contract is being replaced by the fantasy that the DIY route will produce a living wage for any artist who follows the right steps.
Suzanne Lainson

14. Aug, 2009

I applaud any artists who want to go this route. But it won’t work for everyone for two reasons. One, not all artists are good at social marketing. Two, many artists got into music because they wanted to perform and create music, not to do all the other stuff.

True, you can hire people to do some of the online stuff for you, but the Heap and Amanda Palmer models require that they personally are interacting with fans. It’s not the same thing to when your assistant does it.

Whenever I see a discussion of the “new music business model” (especially when proposed by someone with no music business experience), I try to inject some realism into the thinking. What concerns me is that the fantasy of getting a big record contract is being replaced by the fantasy that you can make it as a DIY artist.

Often it is more lucrative and more creatively freeing to make money in some other fashion and play music as your avocation rather than as your source of income.
- refe
  
  14. Aug, 2009
  
  Now, for those who do count the costs and still choose to try to make a career of music, marketing through social media is one of the cheapest and most accessible options available. Traditional marketing can take a lot of capital. That’s the main reason why record labels existed in the first place – to front those expenses. If the labels aren’t doing their jobs, or if they are struggling and can’t take on new acts, the new artist has to take a route with lower up front costs. It doesn’t necessarily have to consume the artist’s life or schedule.
  
  Imogen Heap and Amanda Palmer have become common examples simply because they are extreme cases. It doesn’t have to look quite that way for everyone, even if they do make social media tools a big part of their strategy.
Matt Rod

14. Aug, 2009

Hmm. I do tend to agree:

“…[the] fantasy of getting a record contract is being replaced by the fantasy that the DIY route will produce a living wage for any artist who follows the right steps.”

yes, the media does tend to “blow it up into a dramatic headline.”

It just gets to me when “indie” artists and those supporting “independent music” believe that ALL established labels have nothing to offer them, and that auctioning one’s belongings on twitter one night (sure you remember that) is a sustainable source of revenue : the “NEW MODEL” !!

In reality, I don’t think much has changed.

You’ve got to get good musicians, write good music, and play serious shows everywhere you can. And as often as you can.

Then… and only then, do these things platforms start to matter ( just my opinion )

It’s a tough world man…
- refe
  
  15. Aug, 2009
  
  RE: auctioning one’s belonging’s on Twitter:
  
  Amanda Palmer (who Matt is referring to in the above comment for those who don’t know) recently wrote this:
  
  “i started making the music in the first place not because i wanted music, but because i wanted human connection.
  music was the bridge there… connection = primary.
  music/art = secondary.”
  
  I wasn’t surprised at all to read that – I think it has always been very obvious in the way that she conducts and markets herself. I don’t have a problem with it either – but I think that to trumpet her model as THE music business model (which many have lately) is nonsense. That’s not what she’s doing. Her priorities are different than the priorities of many who consider music to be primary.
  
  Again, that’s fine – but we need to call it like it is.
Suzanne Lainson

14. Aug, 2009

Sorry about the double post above. I wrote something, didn’t see it posted, wrote a second one, and now they are both there.

I live in Boulder. String Cheese was based here and they did a great job creating an empire that started with their music. In time Madison House became a management company, a booking agency, a PR firm, a merchandise company, and a travel agency. So I was totally sold on the DIY model.

Then I became friends with The Fray and saw how many doors opened for them as major label artists. So I realized that there are some opportunities that come with that. If you can get the right deal, it might be worth it for some artists. The Flobots, who are friends with The Fray, took a major label deal based, I am sure, on advice they got from The Fray. The Flobots already had an album and they insisted that it be offered by Universal unchanged. The band’s primary focus has always been social activism and the major label deal gave them far more visibility to promote their non-profit organization.

So I don’t think it is always black-and-white in terms of which is better: DIY or major label. In most cases, an artist or band isn’t going to be offered a major label deal anyway, so there isn’t a choice to make. But if a good deal is offered and the extra promotional push that can from a major label deal is a means to an end, then it might be worth considering.
- refe
  
  15. Aug, 2009
  
  Suzanne – great to see your comments here, I always appreciate your perspective!
  
  A major label deal may open doors, but the majors can be profoundly fickle. Sales start to slip and you might find all those doors closing just as quickly as they opened.
  
  What I hope is that the surge of successful DIY artists that we’ve begun to see will force the big labels to embrace a more cooperative partnership-based approach to the artists they sign. Some have already begun to experiment with different ways to do that, which is encouraging.
  
  I’m glad your friends have found a deal that’s working out for them, I wouldn’t mind picking their brains to hear more details about what that deal looks like.
  - Suzanne Lainson
    
    15. Aug, 2009
    
    I don’t know all the specifics for either The Fray deal or the Flobots deal. But I believe The Fray deal was for just two albums. And I know they were very conservative about taking an advance for the first one. So the advance was paid off very quickly. I believe three, maybe all four, of The Fray members were music business majors in college. They were pretty savvy before going into the deal and particularly cautious. They all also have outside interests which they can step into should they want to expand beyond a traditional music business path.
    
    Here’s a good piece about the Flobots, their background, and their motivation for signing their deal.
    
    http://www.westword.com/content/printVersion/867457
    
    Both of these bands have a world view of what they want to accomplish, so label deals have just been a means to an end, rather than an end in itself.
Jim Combs

14. Aug, 2009

Imogen, Radiohead, NIN et al are doing the work of what traditional record companies used to do, in addition to doing the work of what musicians have always done. So yes, more work, but more control, more of a direct relationship with fans, less overhead and charges from record companies for that promo work. I don’t think anyone is stating it (doing your own promo work via social media) is a silver bullet. But it is possible and it is an alternative.

And yes, many artists are not good at self-promotion. Or time management of promotion vs music making. But the one’s who are or have an organization that is, can make it work well.

I too am hoping for great things for Imogen. Not only is her music a favorite, but I love her giving us fans a close look at her process.
- refe
  
  15. Aug, 2009
  
  She’s hard not to like, which as I mentioned in the post seems to suggest that she’s doing a pretty good job with her self-promotion!
Andrew McMillen

16. Aug, 2009

Great to read the comments here. Like Suzanne, I’m sceptic of anyone who holds these extreme examples of success (Heap, Palmer) as THE way to succeed at marketing yourself online. So it’s good to see that commenters on this site are staying level-headed and realistic! Cheers.
- refe
  
  20. Aug, 2009
  
  Examples like these are valuable, not so much as a complete model to be reproduced, but as a source of inspiration for artists who are looking to build their own promotional strategies. There is certainly no one-size-fits-all solution, but that’s what is so much fun about the music business these days. Tons of options, tons of opportunity.
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3REV

05. Oct, 2009

Interesting Article about the the DIY ethic now making the rounds. But why is that? Its because Technology and the new media have made it possible. Before, if you wanted to make a record and hopefully some serious coin, you had to know who to blow (regardless of your talent) . Other wise you were the “Piano-man” or House Band at a bar and Weddings or Doing Cruise ship gigs to sing for your supper (which is the majority of working musicians no?) There was no real DIY option. I’ve read a lot of the articles and I’ve talked to great artists who are taking the DIY avenue because they have no choice. None of them has said it is easy but for them it is a labor of love. As pointed out by other commentator’s hopefully Record labels will realize that there is another way to do business and come to terms with te new realities on the ground. Successful DIY Performers releasing albums that they (Major labels) are not making any not making any coin off of can’t possibly making them happy, but they are still stuck in the past unable or unwilling to experiment with the future.
Suzanne Lainson

05. Oct, 2009

I want the DIY approach discussed, but I want as many details as possible. How much money is coming in? Where is it coming from? Where is it going? How many hours are people putting in on non-musical activities?

I’ve been involved with DIY musicians. Some can pull it off and some can’t. And it doesn’t come down to musical skill because all of them excel at writing and performing songs. But not all of them want to deal with the other stuff, or even deal with other people who deal with the other stuff.

Even if you have someone else doing the booking, PR, fan management, bookkeeping, etc., you need to be involved at some level. Yet I find some artists who want someone else to do everything, hand them a check, and let them play. They want nothing to do with any part of the process that doesn’t involve writing, recording, or performing music. To them I usually say, “Get a day job for your money and do music for a creative outlet.”
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