Bon Iver: Another Indie Artist is "Giving it Away", and the Bigger Issue

Here's another example of how a compelling story and free downloads can - sometimes - propel an unknown into the spotlight.

Please note: He's not a big star yet, but his CD is due out in February, and he already has started to build his fan base. It may be that this is the marketing plan of the future: give away the first batch of songs, and build a touring base, then see what happens. In actual fact: the interview mentions that people have already started to invite him to play gigs (and ask yourself, what's better: scratching around trying to find a gig, or having people call you and ask you to come play? Marketing 101 tells us that it's better to have them calling you).

Of course, all these free give aways may backfire in the long run: if people are always getting the music for free, they may come to expect to always get that end of the product for free (even the people who buy now, rather than steal).

But that's a topic for another day.

Good luck with your own propulsion,

JG