for bands
article by: Stefan Aronsen
This book will promote the Bay Area music scene, delivering what is socially popular directly to those most interested in it. Second: buzz harkens back to a lo-fi tradition. A guitar amplifier buzzes, there is a buzz in microphone feedback, and buzz refers generally to any background noise produced by analogue music equipment. Third: buzz alludes to the parent company, SF Intercom. The intercom is another method of spreading news; you can “buzz” an intercom to transmit information or to “buzz” someone in to your apartment or office. The concept of letting someone in is central to Buzz’s role as a clearinghouse for news and inside information about indie music.
Overview
The old record industry model has collapsed. CD sales are down, print magazines are dwindling, and information is spread via the web in a completely chaotic and unrefined mess. Out of this disorder, Buzz codifies a solid set of rules, imposes a new order, and assigns practices and habits that will lead emerging musicians towards success. Buzz is a survival guide to the present day live music landscape. A rapidly and radically evolving music industry is changing the rules for emerging bands across the country. As more and more forms of entertainment compete for a limited amount of audience attention, it is increasingly important for musicians to market and package themselves professionally. Unfortunately for emerging musicians, it is uncommon to earn any money at first. This puts new bands in a dilemma: new musicians do not have the resources to promote themselves professionally and they do not have the time or expertise to do it themselves. Buzz will initially be a survival guide for San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. This allows the book to focus specifically on one music landscape before eventually covering future markets with Buzz LA, Buzz Portland and Buzz Seattle. After expanding throughout the West coast, Buzz will be released in New York City and across the East coast, and finally in other target markets such as Austin, Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Buzz brings professional design directly to new bands, helping new musicians distinguish themselves. Buzz distills and distributes essential wisdom gathered from fans, bands and industry professionals. The goal is to help new bands and struggling bands become more viably successful. Buzz utilizes existing social networks to connect with bands; this ties the book into a rich web presence that serves as an interactive clearinghouse. Buzz is the lifeline linking bands to their audiences, venues, labels, and producers.
With over 1,000 bands in San Francisco alone, two major hurdles confront new musicians. First, they are attempting to break in to an already saturated market. Buzz will offer musicians the guidance necessary to distinguish themselves in a competitive market. Second, the local audience is overwhelmed by a flood of information about the music scene, which creates a demand for carefully selected and relevant information. To this end, Buzz will serve as an information curator for fans and industry professionals, further aiding new musicians by filtering out the noise that threatens to drown out their own unique offerings.
While other “guidebooks for musicians” have been written, not one of them is written in a voice that speaks to its purported audience. Buzz is designed with accessibility at the forefront. It is a survival guide for musicians. Good design, by definition, makes a product easier and more enjoyable to use. Buzz’s intelligent, thorough design makes it as functional as possible in the hands of new musicians seeking success in the Bay Area music scene. While the book is designed for San Francisco, a very wide net was cast in researching the project, thus the information is useful well beyond its local focus. Whether you are a musician in New England or a restaurateur in New Orleans, the wisdom behind the book’s tactics for delivering to an audience make it a valuable tool for every facet of the entertainment industry.
