First, let me tell you a little about myself. I have been in the music business for about 35 years. I started performing when I was in high school. In the Army, I performed for Special Services touring Europe while stationed in Kaiserslautern Germany. In the early seventies, returning to my home state of upstate New York, I played in various bands and duals, and as a stand alone performer. During this time I appeared on the television show, "The Access Program" broadcast on PBS.

In the eighties, I formed a record company in Johnson city called Ice Records, inc., as well as Larry Gene Music (BMI), J-Paul-Music (ASCAP), Ice Artist Management and Horizon Productions "audio cassette duplication". My companies had entertainment attornies New York City, as well as Washington, D.C. and also was a member of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) This is the organization that certifies all gold and platinum sales in this country. This gave me a seat on the board and a say as to what went on in the industry at that time and entailed regular business trips to Washington, D.C.. Ice Records, Inc. had a national project that reached 29 on the Billboard charts, had a theme song on a popular television show and was third best in the state of Ohio for independent radio airplay, all with the same artist. Ice Records, Inc. did, however, come to an end due to having stockholder problems.

I have continued to stay active within the industry, doing music business consultations, performing and recording. I have recently relesased my own cd called "Classic Fantasy" through my publishing company "Larry Gene Music" records division and this brings me to the heart of this article.

Within the new music business, there are more and better opportunities for the independent artist than ever before. In the old days, you would make a demo tape and send it to the major record companies trying to get it heard and to land a record deal. Getting heard - well, good luck! You had and still do have a better chance if you go through an entertainment attorney or a reputable publishing company. These doors have always been very difficult to open. Some, even seem nailed shut. The advent however, of the internet has changed and opened new opportunities for the independent artist on a world level. Also, new digital technologies have given the independent artist the ability to get into the studio at a fraction of the cost, or to even setup a relatively cheap studio in their own home or apartment. Also giving the independent artist the ability to burn their own cd's and do their own graphic work. Because of the internet there are new world markets for the "indie", such as www.cdbaby.com, www.amazon.com and my own site www.larrylupole.com just to name a few. As well, a artist could create their own website to market their projects. You don't even need to have your own merchant accounts for accepting credit cards, such as Visa, Mastercard, etc. There are pay portals such as Paypal and many others who provide this service. All you need to do is route your "buy buttons" to take your customers to a secure payment proccessing site, such as the above named. Webstores like cdbaby will even package and ship your cd's for you, right from their distribution warehouses to points all over the world. With my store however, that is in your control, keeping you even more independent. Also with MP3's you can offer samples of your music to help the customer make their decision to purchase your cd or MP3 file download. The really nice thing about the MP3 files is that they are virtual and can be sold as many time as is needed. This fact alone help with the cost of product manufacturing for the indie.

Now it is possible for the independent artist to place their music projects in front of the whole world.

There are also some very good cd manufacturing companies that will run small quaity orders or large orders like the one I used which is Oasis cd manufacturing, which is located in Virgina. You can find them on the internet at: www.oasiscd.com. They not only do the duplication proccess, they will even take care of your printed artwork, insert the artwork and cd's into the jewel cases and even shrinkwrap each one. When you receive your order they are ready to sell!

Even in the new indie marketplace there are still things you must adhere to, such as clearence forms, upc codes etc. If your project just happens to take off you will want to be ready! Good luck and I hope this is information you can use.

Larry Lupole has been into web development and  online marketing. Larry has been doing music business consultations, web development consultations and online marketing consultations for many years now. Larry has also had numerous articles published pertaining to the music business. www.larrylupole.com