A Music Fan's Independence Day


When most of us think of the Fourth of July we think of fireworks, hamburgers and a day off from work. There are lots of ways we celebrate the fourth, but I propose a special way music fans can celebrate the occasion; by making Independence Day all about independent music. Independence is independence, whether it’s from Great Britain or from major labels, and today I'm combing those two forms of independence as I bring you my top five ways for music fans to celebrate Independence Day.

Tell a Friend About Your Favorite Indie Artist – This is, far an away, the easiest way to celebrate Independence Day as a music fan. When a lot of people latch on to a band or an emcee that’s unknown they try to keep it to themselves, like they have a really cool secret they’re hiding from the rest of the world and it makes them all the more cooler for knowing this band when no one else does. Well, take this day to spread the cool around and tell a friend about that band or emcee. Nobody says they have to stop being your favorite artist just because other people like them, and remember, they won’t be able to keep making the music you enjoy if they don’t sell enough albums to survive!

Move Your Radio Dial Down – Another simple way to declare your musical independence today is to move your radio dial way down to where the college and community stations are (perhaps 88.5FM – Fairfield, CT at around 8pm est). These are stations that do not have overbearing program directors barking out orders regarding what DJs can play and what they can’t and as a result their playlists are filled more with what the DJ actually likes, be it mainstream or underground. By spending a little time on this end of the dial you’re sure to find a new artist that you dig that you would have never heard of otherwise.

Attend a Live Show in Your Area – OK, not everybody lives in a town or a city where live music is readily available on a nightly basis, but if you do, or if you at least live near such a place, take a few minutes to check out the artists performing this weekend. Thanks to MySpace it’s a safe bet most of them have some music online that you can sample. Give a few of your local performers a quick listen and figure out which one you want to go see. Most of the time it’s all of five bucks at the door and more likely than not you’re going to have a good time, especially if you bring a friend and listen with an open mind. Of course, you can also wait for this and simply plan on attending my show on August 30th in Danbury, CT. :)

Find an Indie Music CD Retailer – The internet is a haven for these types of stores with CDBaby being one of the oldest and largest. Of course, numerous Hip-Hop sites also carry the albums of independent artists, as well. In fact, there’s really no reason not to have a few of these sites on your radar if you’re a music fan. Take today to look through one of these indie music retailer sites and, if possible, listen to some of the snippets from a CD or two and pick something up if it catches your ear. Even if nothing grabs you today, bookmark the site for later. You never know what you may come across.

Listen to a MySpace Artist – Yeah, I know, getting a dozen add requests from artists you’ve never heard of can be annoying, but if there was any day to take the time to listen to one it’s today. Pick an artist from the long list that wants your online friendship and listen to one of their songs. You have the day off, so it’s not like the two to three minutes spent is going to affect your work at all. Give some lucky independent artist a listen and maybe even a much appreciated friend request approval.

So there you have it, five quick and easy ways for music fans to celebrate Independence Day and the numerous talented independent artists we have making music right now. If you want some artist recommendations feel free to check out my Artist Of The Week Archives.

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