PromoVUZ was founded in Ann Arbor in 2006 by Ron Suarez to give independent musicians a pathway to the new music industry. A low-priced (like, $1-2 per month) promoVUZ package will connect MP3s of individual songs to networking sites where they can be downloaded for free – all in the name of viral marketing.
PromoVUZ will host the MP3s as part of the service and will also provide musicians with easily accessible statistics in graphical form on which songs are being downloaded and geographically where they are being downloaded. Suarez explains that an artist might find that their music is particularly popular in Germany and "think about booking a tour." Suarez says that what his company essentially does is, "We are helping people moving into this space [of on-line marketing] to take advantage of social networking sites for viral marketing."
The company was inspired, in large part, from Suarez's work with Toolshed, a digital marketing company that has 30 independent record labels as clients. "We started doing this work with Toolshed, then decided to productize it. In our work with them, we've been learning a whole lot of what the successful independent artist needs. We are creating a path for an emerging artist to become a successful artist."
The main principle that separates promoVUZ from other similar services is that there is no dip into artist royalties. Suarez says he is able to charge so little for the service because it started in the digital age, one that cuts costs such transportation from the equation right off the bat. "We're service oriented. You pay us a very reasonable fee and we'll provide you with tools to sell."
Suarez has firm beliefs on how much the internet and downloading have changed the music industry. "In the new music industry, musicians and managers are going to have to think about how they're going to get the work of marketing done." He cautions, "Our tools are not going to perform magic, but we'll make it easier to decrease the distance between artist and fan."
PromoVUZ currently has three full-time employees, several part-time contractors and two interns. He plans to soon begin hiring producers, directors and writers to develop an ongoing series of informational podcasts and blogs that will help promoVuz clients learn to maximize the internet in their drive to become successful independent artists. "There will be podcasts about podcasting and blogs about blogging," he laughs.
Suarez is deeply concerned about Michigan's "brain drain" of young college-educated people to other states. He hopes an investment in film production will do three things to stem that tide: "creating jobs for those people in that age bracket, helping to build a new industry and reaching some of those people in that age bracket."
Suarez also plans to launch salesVUZ, a platform for musicians to digitally sell their own music.
Source: Ron Suarez, promoVUZ
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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