Networking With The Indie World via A2IM

A2IM is the American Association of Independent Music, it serves as a coalition to represent the Indie market with one voice.  Its objectives are to put the indie music market on the same level as the major labels.  Developing distribution outlets and providing access to technology that evens out the playing field.

With members spanning from Indie Labels, to websites designed specifically for bands, the members are truly diverse and extremely important in the low budget do it yourself world of music.  Working as one also gives its members a say in legislations that impact them, where as before only the big labels had enough power to have a say. This is very important with the changing digital world impacting existing intellectual property laws.

But why is this useful to an independent artist or venue?  Even as a nonmember of this association you have access to daily news updates of the successes in the indie market, whats hot, who is on what label, awards and events going on.  These are all things Indie artists need to know in order to try and get themselves in those positions.  Also for venues, booking artists can be a challenge, you don't have access to Pollstar telling you the numbers the artist pulls in in each market, you have to figure it out yourself and make that gamble if you don't know.  keeping up to date with indie artists who are winning awards, making headlines, etc. will help you to not pass up an opportunity to book Mumford and Sons and go with the local band instead cause you know them and not this irish sounding band who sent you an email.  Knowledge is power and any website that provides content directly associated with what you do is worth reading.

Further more A2IM provides a list of its members, or as I like to think of them, resources.  Reading through the descriptions of all their associates is like reading that companies overview of what they do and how they can help you.  For instance if your band has some awesome songs that everyone keeps telling you should be in TV commercials, well go out and do it with Pump Audio.  They specialize in getting indie music on television. They are one of the hundreds of associates of A2IM, who many of us in the scene including myself did not know about until seeing it on the A2IM site.

Although the "Local Chapter" portion of the association is a little weak to say the least, this could develop into a great opportunity for local  musicians and venues to stay connected and discuss local issues they see in the scene.  Right now the association really caters to services and labels in the independent market, but as more bands get hands on in their careers, I could see he American Association of Independent Music opening its doors to true indie music.  Until that day comes, bookmark the site, read the news, analyze the members and get to know the people and businesses that can help you get further in exposing your music to more people.

Always remember it is easier to work as a team and A2IM embraces that concept, pulling together all the I's and Me's and making it one big We.

References 

      n.d. A2IM Home. A2IM: American Association of Independent Music. Retrieved October 13, 2011 from http://www.a2im.org.