Spinnerette an Indie Example for Local Talent
by IanR on Jan.23, 2009, under Info, Local Talent, Other
So I am in my car today and of course the radio is on and I inevitably get bored with the commercials and start flipping through the presets to find something worth listening to. I came across a catchy little tune on CFNY 102.1, The Edge so I left it on. Immediately after the song there was a brief explanation of the band, where they were from and what they were trying to accomplish. Spinnerette was the band being discussed, and the catchy tune that first caught my attention is called “Ghetto Love”. Check out the video below.
Bottom line was that they are selling their EP online at their website for $5 each in an attempt to raise money to be able to carry their tour as far as possible. I would love to know how many they will sell just from that spectacular mention (I know I went and purchased my copy when I got home), on a major radio station that is well known for their representation of the independent artists. This song had over 7,000 plays today alone on their MySpace! But this is only part of why I would like to make an example out of them. It is what they have already done to get that special mention that I would like to focus on.
This group has done something that thousands of other bands were not able to do, and that is stand out from the crowd. There are hundreds of thousands of bands using MySpace, Facebook, iLike, YouTube, Blogger, Twitter, and countless other social networking sites to promote themselves and their music. Spinnerette has over 25,000 friends on their MySpace, and their music player has had over 1,000,000 plays. They have done something right, besides making a kick-ass tune of course. Believe it or not, they are not some kind of freak of nature breaking records for friends and downloads as many bands have these stats and higher. No matter how you look at it, this is fantastic exposure for an indie band that is still seeking a label.
The story here is networking, as you have to be out there promoting your band in every way you can, online, in person, in print, and by way of your extended network of friends. In this new world where even the new President of the United States is going to be hanging on to his Blackberry, we have to see the need for creating and developing strong networks and we must also recognize the power of communication.
Why don’t you start by going to Spinnerette’s website and following the links to their respective promotional sites (MySpace, Facebook). If I were you, I would be adding them to your friend list as it can never hurt to surround yourself with people that have what it takes to make it in this business. I think it is a safe bet to say that this group is not going to remain unsigned for very long, and we are going to be hearing big things from them.
I know that we have some awesome local artists in the area, and creativity is something that is celebrated across the region. I am confident that it won’t be long before the events of today that I have shared with you here will be repeated with a K/W or Cambridge band and you never know, it could be YOU.
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January 26th, 2009 on 4:29 am
Wow, this is actually really good.
January 27th, 2009 on 4:38 pm
Yeah, I wrote this with the intention of showing the bands how others have managed to get noticed, but have found myself going back and watching the video many times over. Like I said, it is an awesome and catchy tune.
January 27th, 2009 on 6:01 pm
it didn’t hurt that THE DISTILLERS were on a major label for years, toured the world and did quite well for themselves before they were disbanded. if you’ll look up THE DISTILLERS, you’ll find a striking fact. SPINNERETTE is already established! fans have been waiting years for this! the lack of foresight and research in this ‘article’ is embarrassing.
January 27th, 2009 on 6:16 pm
look up ‘the distillers’ and you’ll see why there’s 1,000,000 myspace hits. this is a new band with an established lead singer. a little more research is needed for articles such as this, especially considering the entire underlying theme is ‘getting noticed’. thanks for the heads up though; i’ve been waiting for this for years.
January 27th, 2009 on 10:40 pm
I just thought I would also mention that someone by the name of alec baldwin has been commenting as well, but has been caught in our spam catcher (maybe he shouldn’t send from an email address of xxxxx@spamcorptastic). Anyways, he has been quick to point out that I need to do more research for an “article” like this as they are already established as The Distillers. Fact is that the lead singer is from this other group that disbanded in 2006 and I didn’t mention them on purpose, so as to allow this group to receive their own praise for their hard work. Every band has a history, and every singer surely has bands left in their wake as they are finding their way to the big stage, but it doesn’t mean that they are only being recognized for their prior accomplishments. I think that Spinnerette has put together a neat sound and a solid following, and this didn’t happen by just changing their name.
January 27th, 2009 on 11:39 pm
Turns out that both “alec” and I were right. Alec was right in saying I didn’t do enough research on this band and I was right in saying that they wouldn’t remain unsigned for very long. It was announced 3 days before my post that they signed to Canadian indie label Anthem Records.
So, I guess that was my bad. Although I can’t feel too bad about it as I am pretty sure that it wasn’t mentioned on CFNY’s show and isn’t posted on the bands website either. Besides that, I wasn’t writing the story specifically about them, as the purpose of my post was to encourage local bands and musicians to network to improve their chances of success.
January 28th, 2009 on 8:03 pm
Couldn’t disagree more. The Distillers best album was their last, on a major and they toured extensively around the world. Fans don’t forget honest music.
To improve local chances of success, I have one word: move! the facilities aren’t here to become big. tour your ass off. get noticed. be different.
don’t read articles like this to become inspired. i became so deflated after reading this because the proper research wasn’t done and the message was lost.
Closing: This is an offshoot of an old band. Old band suddenly breaks up. Fans confused. Fans clamor for scraps of news. Project slowly takes shape. New music, after years of nothing comes out. People remember old band. Give new band a chance.
New bands: do something different. This fight wasn’t fair.
January 28th, 2009 on 10:32 pm
This was a great article and merely a personal opinion piece with some background. Leave it to internet trolls who don’t have the balls to give their real name, to trash someone’s efforts. Fess up “Alec”, or is the closet where you prefer to stay?
January 29th, 2009 on 12:23 am
I don’t know what to think about you alec. You seem to almost harbor some angst towards the breakup of the Distillers or the ongoing success of their lead singer, even if there was an extended hiatus. You also thanked me for the heads up saying you were waiting for this for years and later say that you were “deflated after reading this because the proper research wasn’t done and the message was lost”. Not sure how I made you feel now, but obviously you are not deflated to the point of dismissing my so called “article”. I am not even sure that you ever caught on to the message that I was sending.
Anyways, in response to your last comment I guess we have to agree to disagree. Local bands shouldn’t have to move to make it. Where you come from, just like the previous bands you were in, shouldn’t have any effect on where you can tour, or how big you can get. I think that just about any of the local bands that I have gone to see lately could take it to the next level and beyond. What if all the good local bands picked up and moved to L.A. for success? What would we be left with here, or should we just buy their music on iTunes and be happy for them? Local bands simply need support and nurturing, and I think they can get that right here.
January 29th, 2009 on 1:08 pm
My comments are advice.
If the basis for your article is faulty, your article has no credibility and therefore has no audience.
I caught your message. It lacks supporting evidence. See above.
Oh, bands move for greater exposure. If any of these ‘local acts’ caught a break, they’d up and move faster than you can blink.
I should write for you guys. You’d get the best music knowledge in this region.
January 30th, 2009 on 5:45 am
Hmm, interesting article but generally spinnerette striking out as a entirely new entity cannot be comparable to other indie bands. Why? Because Dalle has had huge mainstream press which almost sunk to papparazzi levels with her revolving relationships with two of rock musics most prolific writers (give or take your musical preference) already well know in their scene. As such she was bound to have the world watching just out of morbid curiosity to see what she was going to do next.
I just think Dalle is a bad example to your point. Her fame exceeds her music, and that is a point you cannot deter from regardless of whether you try to avoid it.
January 30th, 2009 on 7:19 pm
Why Alec, we welcome your submissions. Please share your opinions of the local music scene with us, you obviously have some knowledge of the local scene. Unlike other local entertainment magazines, we pay our writers for articles chosen for publication, and rumour has it you could be out of work soon.
You can do us favour and come out of the closet and let us know who you really are. I already know, just giving you a chance to fess up before I take you apart.
January 31st, 2009 on 12:46 am
i’d love to contribute…email me your guidelines?
i’m not sure who you think I am… i go to school at conestoga and grew up here my whole life.
who are you talking about?
February 2nd, 2009 on 1:57 pm
Unfortunately, after piecing things together I will have to decline your offer at this time.
Please refer to the following for more information.
http://localvibe.ca/2009/02/02/the-wonderful-spinnerette-invasion/
Thank you for your interest though, it has been interesting.