josh
flood of red , see you on tour , theyre ace guys and amazing music , and i think downloading music is pretty bad being a band in myself id like to make a little money from music i write , but as long people go to the shows , who cares

adam haaretz
by "make it" i guess you mean become popular. Sure, you develop a local following and expand from there. You sell your CONCERTS not your records. Give away MP3s and make your LIVE SHOW the thing to see.

john
short answer ... yes. even bands now dont make NEAR as much from label fed CDs for instance coldplay x&y sold over 3 million cds well coldplay only made slightly over a million for the band... divide by 4 (members) 250,000 apiece... not much....compared to the fact that their concert in california made 1.9 gross ... one concert... that is just an example that shows that bands make the money touring... you can "make it" going on the road and playing mad gigs i know too many people that make a better living then most doing just that...

Stavern Mole
All i have to say is flood of red are the best band in scotland and should be signed immediatly

Sam
Cradle of filth were on SONY. Lamb of God are on EPIC. Those are huge labels.

Joey Sales
Yes. But if they really want to get money and have a long-standing life as professional musicians, they will have to follow the business rules. NO one can escape from that!

matt
yeah of course you can. selling records is good, but thats just giving money to the record labels. if a band is unsigned they can go out on the live circuit playing stomping shows and making money. their fans will get mp3s from their site and sing along... peace

Aaron S
Well, depends on how you define 'make it'. In reality to make it, you have to be earning money from it and as this is the case then I don't think that MP3's help directly. To make a living out of your music you have to sacrifice it to the labels, obviously some let the artists have more freedom than others but you still have to give them your music as part of your offering. Failing that you could sell your tunes through a website but as your MP3's would have only got you a small, cult following I don't think that too many bands could expect to see the money roll in for a decent amount of time.

aaron
yes, cradle or filth, lamb of god, and as i lay dying are all not on a major label but have a huge following, and even if a record company wanted them, they probably would not go that way.

Ramonez
There's lots of crap out there too,dudes.

Emma
Yes! I know a band very well who when i first discovered them via myspace and mp3s, were just coming into the limelight. Thye travelled, and played locally to me. Almost two years later, and they supported a full with Aconite Thrill and Cry For Silence; and are due to play Taste of Chaos in Glasgow tomorrow at the SECC They are still unsigned, and have been throughout. Yes, they have released two EP's (a 6 track and a 3 track) The first of which was released on a small time local record label in Scotland, the second was self released. My Minds Weapon are well worth listening to, and certainly would be making their way upwards in the industry without mp3's...but nowhere near as soon. I also promote bands and put on local shows in my area. Without mp3's and the internet this would be near impossible. I like to promote unsigned bands for two main reasons 1)It gives them a chance to get heard in other areas, and 2)its cheaper for me.... But there are other bands such as The Hurt Process, who are now signed to Victory Records. I first listened to The Hurt Process via mp3....Following that, they have played for my promotions company and been signed. The only flaw with mp3s is that signed bands can also have mp3s on the internet. Many people are more likely to search for mp3's of signed bands, thus unsigned bands are likely to be overlooked.

Ben Drexler
The short answer is no. While the internet has created a more level playing field for reaching the music connoisseur, the pop market still has the same gate-keepers. A song cannot reach mainstream popularity with a major label promoting it. I'm not advocating that the record labels don't treat their artists poorly, but at the same time, the internet is not creating pure opportunity. People still make safe choices in music and are only exposed to music that is recommended to them--they don't go search out something new. Where money is being made in the music industry right now is in the technology side of things. People care more about getting iPods than what's actually on them at this point.

Oli
No. I started listening to MP3's in 1997-98 and found Eminem. I then bought his albums. If he hadn't have had a record deal, he wouldn't have made any money from me. MP3's are just a marketing tool, just like video's. Build up the support using MP3's, and the record companies will sign you because you are also bringing your own customers - makes the record companies work much easier!!

Karl from Donny
yeh, the do. cos if i hear that a band did a decent gig somewhere then i'll see if i can download some of there songs through peer-2-peer software. ie. Artic Monkeys; chuck demos out at gigs and then kids started puttin it out on net n that,

Holli
I love the new band scene, its the purest version of new music you can find. I hate the way bands get controlled by there record companies and molded into commertial fakes. Free mp3's is the way music should go instead of backwards.

Halima Khonat
Download music listening

c jones
with downloading and whatnot, its helping people who might not have a chance otherwise to get their music out there somewhere and not have to go through the stress and stuff of getting signed, everything to do with the media, everything. great way of getting ur stuff out there, i thinik. jsut the illegal stuff and unfair stuff that we dont like

Mardy Bum
Oh yes! We do look quite good on the dancefloor dont we?

Jamila Scott - Manchester
Of course! I've downloaded many songs that I wouldn't be able to hear elsewhere, and that's left me craving for more. So I go out and buy the CDs. Since I've begun downloading, I've bought more songs than ever before. Share and share alike!

James
I've been file sharing for years its simply fantastic cos the advent of mp3s means that I.ve been able to get back into making music and publishing without the constraints of working with large record companies. I think that this time they have had their chips and better look at new ways to flece the music loving public!

Dave Jones
MP3 Music has had a massive positive impact on music and upcoming groups and bands in my opinion. Thanks to mp3's and downloading I now own store bought albums of and listen to a huge amount of new and old music from a massive amount of new and old bands. Some of which I may have never known existed without media such as mp3. The ease of creation and sharing of an mp3 is proving for it's self that it can infact bring unsigned bands into the same spotlight as those carefully crafted and chosen by industry leading record companies. The artic monkeys are one band imparticular that a friend passed me the mp3 of. Since then i have been a massive fan, i then bought the new single of the band, which in turn made an amazing debut in the top spot! This is proof of the power of an mp3 and how it helped a band with a very limited audience expand its fan base and help them make it!

Ryan skivington
MP3s are a massive marketing tool for bands today. You only have to look at the success of arctic monkeys as proof of that. They put up demos on the net for fans to access which allowed them to get their musci out to their fans. Another example is pete doherty who alos has a number of sessions online availlable for the fans. Its a very good way of bridging the gap between the band and the fans, and both the monkeys and babyshambles are known for their close realtionship with their fans.

Shab
It depends what making it means. If it means selling a lot of units then the answer is no. If it means getting your music heard and loved by lots of people then the answer is yes.

Barry Kirkham
Never seen such an explosion of new music come to me at once, but since i started using myspace music - my ears have undoubtably sifted through hours of radio worthy music, just not big enough for the mainstream. Thumbs up from me!

laurence
duh! yeah . as long as they have a online vehicle, why not?

Fletch
er yeah! dur! the arctic monkeys made it quite quickly after their songs were found on mp3 download sites... and wht did ppl do? they went out and bought their single even though theyd downloaded them!!! bring on the future!!!!

Shalini
I sure hope they can make it without being signed. My friends Jacob and Jeff have a band and they are trying to reach people using podcasts. I really hope it works out for them.

Liam O'Neill
mp3 does not necessarily mean that a band can "make it" without being signed, it can help to get their music known, but in nine out of ten cases bands need the backing of a record label who's specific job it is to release and promote the band's record's. The arctic monkeys managed to produce their hype and publicity to get themselves noticed by turning down numerous record contracts. They have now gone on to create their own record label, so effectively they are signed. A band solely releasing mp3 tracks could not practically make it, this is due to the revenue produced by physical sale of singles and albums.

cally n kerry
we think that you are so cool and we love you

kathryn giddins
woteva

Joe
As soon as a record label catches wind an unsigned band are doing well and capable of making money companies are sure to invest.

Bowie
I don't think a band could make it without getting signed, at the end of the day they will always need the financial backing only a record company can give, what it does do is generates enough popularity for a band that a company would be stupid not to get involved, it's ironic that the one thing that is supposedly killing the music industry is the one thing that's making it stronger with 'real' bands like the AM's leading the way in what can only be a revival of 'real' music, MP3's won't kill the industry, neverending TV talent shows will, MP3's are the way forward.

Alex
Of course, arctics being the prime example. It's not just about music, if artists of any kind can get there work out for people to see or here then there will always be a chance of an unknown hitting the big time.

Sam, London
It seems that people are willing to forgive anything to make sure they are at the beginning of the 'next big thing'. By forgive anything I mean lask of tunes and talent. There is no question that Blogs and free Mp3 downloads offer an exciting alternative to the traditional route to the top of the charts, however to suggest that they could make major label deals less appealing is like suggesting that a home made burger could outsell Macdonalds.

Vijitha
no

Paddy
Absolutly bands like the monkeys show it, but this still isnt a fast track to sucess, it just helps the genuienly talented missed bands shine through, but its still the live scene provided the buzz that turns people onto the net, so ya still gotta have the talent to shine live!

Henrik Batallones
For me, I've downloaded MP3s of those little-known bands and have liked them. Although it doesn;t mean they'll really make it big, at least they've earned one more fan. If they do break out I'm going to look out for those releases.

Nick Stewart
Potentially... but you need a lot of cash to back yourself up. Even if bands don't make ANY money from their record companies at the start of their careers, the record companies underwrite their tours, without which the tours and hence the only chance to make any money, wouldn't really happen. Suppose if the tracks get out there, bands could make money from PRS etc. What should really happen is a reform of PRS. Since downloads are so big now, PRS should pay out according to EXACTLY what sells, not percentage shares of the market. The the little guys could get in on the action.

Wix
Depending on who listens to your music anything’s possible. It's just nice to know that people who can't afford the cost of albums are able to listen to your music. A song can change your life be it popular or underground. If it makes a single person smile then it's a job well done. I hope more unsigned talent distribute their own work more, and mp3 is a good way to do this. It would benefit the music industry massively, introducing new ideas and a lot of love.

rich
of course, lok at how many people download tracks illegally and share it with their mates.

shamanski
MP3s make it easier to get your music heard but harder to get signed, because not many people pay for them

pete whiles
Yes definately Arctic Monkeys have proved that you can grow a fanbase without being exploited by a giant label that are only interested in making money rather than groundbreaking new music!

Tim Hallas
I would say that in theory.. yes it may be possible to "make it" without being signed although in practice I would say that it as just as difficult as it ever has been releasing your own records. THe advantage that being signed gives you is increased exposure. The internet is so full of unsigned bands and other musicians it is very difficult to get noticed in amongst the crowd of new music. Even if music is on MP3 a major label will be able to get it on to legitimate download sites for maximum exposure. I'm not saying it isn't possible to make it without label backing... just more difficult and I don't think MP3's have improved a great deal.