Dr Rubberfunk – Independent artist case study

What genre is Dr Rubberfunk’s music?

Soul/Funk/Hip Hop

Production - technology

Recording studios have equipment that is big, very expensive and needs many people to operate it (sound engineers, producers, etc.)For further info look at this website...

What technology does Dr Rubberfunk use to produce his music?

Sometimes Dr Rubberfunk records in a studio, but the majority of his music

is produced in his home studio.

Something like this!

Record label?

Distribution?

Publishing? Have a look at the websites for each of these companies and

find out who they are and what they do.

For last album Hot Stone:

State 51 Conspiracy - digital distribution

Physical distribution (CD & Vinyl)

Creative Control

• Because of the way Dr Rubberfunk produces his music and his relationship with his label, he has much more control over the creative process and decisions about the direction of his career.

Quite different to how a band like One Direction would be managed with a huge A&R team, marketing department, artist

management team, etc. all having an input!

In some of the usual places, e.g. independent record stores, HMV, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, YouTube, but also many other sites.

Where can you access Dr Rubberfunk’s music? Do an online search to see for yourself.

Why is digital distribution important for artists like Dr Rubberfunk?• Digital distribution is much cheaper. Physical distribution is expensive as requires

an initial outlay to press CDs/vinyl and transport them to retailers, etc. – you need to be sure you are going to sell enough to get a return.

• Music is more accessible to a wider audience through a range of platforms. With physical distribution it is difficult to reach everyone – i.e. expense and difficulty of getting your music in record stores and retailers nationwide. Many retailers (e.g. supermarkets) focus more on a limited range of mainstream pop music so wouldn’t stock this.

• Can potentially reach a global audience.

What is the downside of digital distribution?• Piracy/illegal downloading – even greater threat to independent labels and artists

like Dr Rubberfunk who do not benefit from the resources and connections of larger independents or major labels to promote to a larger audience or proactively explore other ways of generating revenue from their music.

Distribution

Where does Dr Rubberfunk’s revenue come

from?

Licencing, e.g. Red Bull event, Driver

video game

Selling CDs – Own albums and featuring on compilations e.g. Craig

Charles Funk & Soul Club Album, Driver: San Francisco Soundtrack

Selling Vinyl (LP & 12”)

Airplay Royalties from radio (e.g. BBC 6 Music, international radio stations) and TV (e.g. played in

Eastenders café scenes)Click here for some info on amount per

radio play

Merchandising (e.g. T-Shirts on dizzyjam.com)

Performing at live events (DJ at festivals etc.)

Digital downloads – iTunes, etc.

Royalties from track plays on streaming

services such as Spotify, YouTube and iTunes

preview

Producing, mixing and remixing for other artists as

well as co-writing

Reaching an audience• Dr Rubberfunk uses new media technology to connect with and build an

audience. He can also connect with other musicians and professionals in the industry. Research his social media pages to see how. Some examples:

Shares and promotes current and recent releases, as well as unofficial tracks he is experimenting with. Has also found new musicians to work with here and gets ideas/connections for future work/collaborations

Shares images of things he’s working on, photos of record collection …as well as minis, sunsets, etc.!

Interacting with fans and industry professionals

Archive of themed mixtapes from over the years plus radio features, etc.

Not forgetting Facebook, Rubberfunk.net, Flickr, Funkydown.com, Ello, Discogs…

Reaching an audienceWhy is this particularly important for an

independent artist like Dr Rubberfunk to use online media?

• Can reach target audience (without the power of traditional mass marketing).

• Can reach a wider audience – build a fan base.• Can target a niche audience – connect with fans, fans sharing content –

viral effect, connect with online communities.• Does not have the benefits of being part of a horizontally and vertically

integrated organisation.