Suzanne: I never miss your posts – I love the way you bring branding lessons from other industries to bear on the music business. Whatever one’s views on how artists will be compensated in new models, the simple truth is that fans are more into their music and the artists who make the music than ever. You mentioned flash mobs – the Internet’s ability to disseminate information may be bad news for sales of music through traditional means, but I couldn’t agree more that creative new ways for artists to connect with fans, and fans to connect with other fans, are where it’s at for the future of music.

We had lots of discussions about how to create content that was valuable to readers, to advertisers, and to the site owners. So I’ve been participating in new media discussions for a long time.

In 2001 I got very involved with music marketing, working with successful DIY artists and also working a bit with a band that signed a deal with a major label and became best-selling international artists as a result.

When I first got involved with music, I could see the disruptions happening in music because of the Internet, and I thought someone would figure out how to make a lot of money as a result. I’m still waiting.

Now I’ve started to tell everyone no one will make money in music. Of course, that isn’t really true, but I think that if everyone who hopes to make money quits, then we can start over and see what we have to work with.

What I see now, with social media and new technology tools, is the extent to which fans want to be part of the show. When they are at concerts, they are often so busy sending photos and text to their friends, they aren’t really paying attention to the music. But that’s their way to get involved.

Amanda Palmer is getting fans to party with her online on Friday nights. That’s not really music, but her fans feel like they are part of something.

So now I am advocating that we focus on the fans and how to pull them into music. They like karaoke. They like music video games. They want to have an experience. So let’s get them singing and playing along. The new music model may be about how many fans we can actively engage in the creative process. Not necessarily remixing and making fan videos. It could be as simple as having them show up to be in a flash mob. But let’s find ways to let them feel it’s “their” music.

For the up and coming artist, you need to get out and play, develop a fan base, get email addresses so you can communication directly to your fans on the next shows, merch, etc. First you need to find out if you have a fan base that you can build a business around.

As a developing artist, I would strongly suggest that you are involved in every aspect of the business decisions you make. As a musician, you can be an artist but to make a living as an artist, you need to understand that as soon as you sell your product, you are now also a businessman/businesswoman.

My personal opinion on question 2, is that licensing via publishing and the public performance organizations is a mess. Music publishers do not offer a simple way to license their content. And because there can be many different publishers (major and independent) that have ownership stake in one song, it becomes a maze trying to figure out who to pay. There needs to be one place where all publishers are registered and businesses can apply to license their content.

But they should learn from the PRO’s. Make sure that the rates are sustainable and will let companies continue to pay you in the future. The recent rate for webcasters that Pandora is now paying, are still outrageous and prevent others from even attempting to create a business around digital music.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by fyimusic: New blog post: Building Bridges ConnectsToday’s Music Business http://bit.ly/1hvAsN...