"Nowadays, there are two areas you need to get comfortable
with if you're going to make it as a songwriter and musician,"
Cutler said, "Not only do you need to be proficient in your
instrument, but you need to have a good basic grounding in the
tools of Web and Internet promotion."
With a decent hard-disk recording system, a home computer and music-production
software, even a novice can produce quality recordings. And, perhaps
most importantly, it doesn't require a lot of money, Cutler said.
Before the Internet an artist had to get a record deal first and then
go on tour to promote their music and then maybe they'd sell a
lot of albums and make some money,"Cutler said. "Now,
if you write a song you can immediately put it on the Web and
get it in front of people, and the costs to the artist are minimal."
And, if the public likes what it hears and people pay to download songs,
the artist won't see the money disappear into some recording studio
black hole.
For guitarist and singer Ricci Terranova of Westlake Village, learning
how to Web tools means he can continue chasing his musical dreams.
Terranova, who describes his music as "heavily Prince-influenced pop,
funk rock with a little Lenny Kravitz thrown in," hopes,
with Cutler's help, to have a CD finished and made available on
the Web within a few weeks.
With the Web you don't have to let your musical dreams go just for
the sake of being responsible and paying the bills,"Terranova
said. "The Web is great for artists who don't have touring
capabilities. It gives you exposure to people who want to hear
your music."
While Terranova, 28, has played in bands, Cutler also works with students
who have no previous musical experience. Students such as Gary
Lunter, 56, a retired Navy lawyer, who sees a second career as
a songwriter.
With Cutler's help, Lunter has written and recorded eight pop and rock
songs, which will soon be compiled on a CD and offered for sale
via the Web. Lunter also is taking guitar lessons from Cutler,
a soft-spoken native of England.
For someone like me who doesn't have access to the recording industry,
the Web is a great alternative for getting exposure, "Lunter
said.
There's that word again --exposure. The Internet revolution has made it
possible for independent artists everywhere to make their music
instantly available to music lovers the world over.
Cutler himself uses Web sites such as mp3.com and tonos.com to sell his
original works. In addition to composing and producing music for
Microsoft and Mattel computer games, Cutler is known for his children's
songs, like "Digger the Dog,"and "The Bug Song;"
and smooth jazz and blues CDs.
Online sales of his CD"Pop Songs for Kids" are doing quite
well, by the way, Cutler said.
Another great thing about the Internet is that musicians can use the Web
to collaborate with other artists, Cutler said. Tonos.com, for
instance, offers a "collaboratory" where musicians can
record with other artists in an online recording studio. Or, a
band in need of a drummer, can use the Tonos site to search for
available drummers by name, style of play, or zip code.
I love showing somebody what they can do with their music,"Cutler
said. "Some students come in with just an idea and we turn
that idea into a finished song that we can put on the Web where
people can hear it."
Major record labels aren't going away and bands will always be looking
to land a recording contract, Cutler said.
But at least the Web will be there to give independent artists a chance
to be heard.
Roger Harris is the editor of Fast Forward. He can be reached
online at harris@insidevc.com or by phone at 645-1050
