Vancouver, BC; Sept 26, 2013- In 2013′s music industry, the forefront of the public focus is often American Idol and The Voice-style reality shows, Disney/child pop stars, celebrity beefs, polarizing gossip, and mashups or club-focused remixes. A small company from Vancouver, Canada has launched a series of services this month aimed at changing this trend and providing more recognition for unsigned artists.
Independent Music Promotions , founded as “an ethical, DIY approach to music PR” by James Moore, author of the bestselling music marketing series “Your Band Is A Virus,” works only with “music with depth” from what they consider to be honest artists. Moore launched the company in 2011 after a successful recovery from cancer, after which he decided to relocate from Calgary to Vancouver with his wife.
“The year started out with a rough diagnosis and ended with a new beginning. I was able to turn my promotion experience into something useful and surround myself with music all day, every day.”
“Your Band Is A Virus” was originally released in 2010 and again as an expanded edition early this year. Moore is known for his critiques on industry protocol and artist attitudes, most notably in his “Can We Get In Pitchfork? 6 Philosophical Reasons Indie Bands Fail” article, which was shared by the likes of Reverbnation, CDBaby, The Lefsetz Letter, Music Think Tank and Buzzsonic.com recently.
“It may not seem like it in our current gossip-focused blog culture, but people still want music with soul and meaning. They want music to inspire them to do whatever it is they’re meant to do. And there are still thousands of blogs and media outlets who focus on quality music content, and they share the same values as us. The key, for us, has been building a network, a movement, of individuals and blogs/publications who want to see inspiring art as a critical part of our culture,” says Moore.
“We are in a niche. There’s no doubt about it. We don’t accept Idol pop, mainstream or typical club hip hop, radio rock, religious music, low quality demo’s or music by children. Other than those, we’re open to greatness within any genre. We love strong artistic statements such as Nirvana’s In Utero, for example. It’s an example of an artist doing exactly what they wanted, not appealing to an industry.”
Moore’s “music with depth” movement has been gaining popularity among both artists and the music media in 2013, partially due to the “artists first” approach detailed in his books and promotion style.
“We’re getting more and more word-of-mouth, and I think it’s because of the quality control. Saying no can be a powerful tool for a business. I operate the company essentially as a music fan. There’s no industry in my eyes, just people.”
Independent Music Promotions’s new services launched this month are aimed at providing deserving unsigned artists with press and reviews. The company’s current roster includes Australia’s Monks of Mellonwah, currently touring in support of their 2013 release “Ghost Stories”, The Tomas Doncker Band, who recently released a critically acclaimed Howlin’ Wolf tribute, Arc & Stones, now touring nationally with KANSAS, New York noise rock trio EndAnd, soul/electronic artist Joshua Worden, alt rockers Beijing, Houston politically charged prog rock group Liquid Casing, solo outfit The Gabriel Construct, and Marla Mase, who was awarded a “Messenger of Peace” nod by Friends of the UN and her own show at the upcoming New York SummerStage concert series.
