ON THE RECORD: JIM CARROLLon music
Many acts out there will nod their heads in recognition when they read the latest blog post from Wayne Fahy of Dublin band Sleep Thieves.
In December, the band discovered their debut album, Heart Waves, had been illegally uploaded on to some file-sharing sites. Instead of reaching for a legal eagle to issue huffy cease-and-desist letters, the band watched the stats as their online profile surged.
Fahy says Sleep Thieves saw a huge increase in “search results, recommendations on regular folks’ blogs, Twitter accounts and Facebook pages, as well as far more views of our YouTube videos. Our Soundcloud plays have shot up, plays on Bandcamp have increased, but the best barometer is LastFM.”
But the online buzz didn’t lead to an increase in sales, and the band recorded just two sales on Bandcamp after the album went rogue.
“Even with all these listens, and our music now getting out there internationally on a scale we’ve not seen before, we’re still in the proverbial band poor house,” writes Fahy.
The new music ecosystem may give acts traction from tweets, likes, recommends and streams, but the big issue is how a band can turn these attributes into cash.
Increased buzz and profile may lead to lucrative offers and tours down the road – look at the success of The Weeknd in 2011, for instance (see CD of the week, p14) – but as the Sleep Thieves have discovered, it doesn’t necessarily turn listens into sales.
Some will argue this shows fans are now unwilling to pay for recorded music. Yet merchandise stalls and recent sales figures from industry bodies indicate this may not be the case.
The state of flux continues and you can expect more bands to do some pondering before this one is resolved.
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NEW MUSIC
FAWS
Right now, we know zilch about this Dublin-based producer, or producers, bar the five amazing tracks on his/her/their Bandcamp page. But that’s more than enough: the spooky, broody, haunting downbeat electronica by Faws is a hugely promising find for early 2012. As tipped by 2FM’s Dan Hegarty.
Facebook.com/fawsdublin
WHALES IN CUBICLES
This London-based four-piece take their name from an Andrew Bird song and their sounds will remind you of a rake of anthemic indie acts who have gone before them. Debut single We Never Winfor the Young & Lost Club label is a great introduction to the band and their sonic rollercoaster rides.
whalesincubicles.com
INKSHIPS
From Manchester, Inkships, aka Matt McMahon, hits OTR’s new-music radar with a lush, hazy electronic pop groove called Cassettes, which oozes interesting angles and fascinating ingredients.
Soundcloud.com/inkships
