Webcasting is now finally gaining ground as a legitimate global growth vehicle for any level band.

I was able to meet with two San Francisco bay area musicians – Brian Vandemark and Brandon Watson – both of whom have been gaining knowledge and experience using justin.tv.

They have handled the webcasting duties for their various music projects, and were gracious enough to explain what they have learned so far.

When was the first time you used Justin.tv or any online video streaming site to promote or show your music? What was that experience like?

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In order to be a successful in this day and age, musicians must not only be great artists but also smart business people.

Mason Reed exemplifies the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of a new generation of independent artists who are able to create their own paths to success.

Reed combines new technologies with traditional ways to make fans and promote his music.

I asked him some questions about his music, his “never ending tour,” his opinions on the music industry, and the record label he’s working to start so that he could share some of the lessons he’s learned with our V11 readers.

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When sifting through the many interesting topics which were covered in April music blogs, I came across a guest post on Future of Music by Fran Snyder called “Direct to Fan – the art of the house concert,” which discusses a new trend of independent artists playing concerts in people’s homes.

At first I wasn’t terribly impressed with the idea, but the more I read and the more I thought about it, the more I realized Snyder was actually on to something that could be a valuable tool for independent musicians.

Considering other articles I’ve read recently about the importance of direct to fan sales in facilitating independent musicians ability to make a living, the concept of making the live show available as a direct to fan item makes a lot of sense, and seems like the next logical step in direct to fan sales.

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