Bryght has started development on the ultimate recording artist and record label tool. Codenamed ‘Backstage’, this customized version of the Bryght platform will allow artists and record labels to easily build thriving online communities, and then sell their services and merchandise to these communities. This will be offered as a hosted solution for a reasonable monthly fee. Peter Caputa had a few comments on this project already, and there is a video from Pete Grondal floating around of myself discussing Backstage at Gnomedex last week.
Aside from driving home the point that beer and video cameras don’t mix, this video does an adequate job of giving a rough overview of what Bryght’s latest project is about. I would like to add a few more points though.
I think that one of the main things (if not the main thing) a Backstage site should do is to immediately and easily open up new revenue streams for artists. Ranging from online sales of mp3’s, to a paid subscription for podcasts of new material, Backstage will let an artist choose the revenue models that work for them. In the beginning, I did a lot of thinking about Backstage as a tool to primarily generate online communities around artists, but I think a much better way to look at it is as ‘life support for artists’. If a band can easily sell an MP3 for a dollar straight from their web site with no record company middleman, and no manufacturing costs, hallelujah! Adam Curry did an admirable job of explaining this during his keynote presentation at Gnomedex
In summary, I want Backstage to be the technology tool that allows artists and musicians to be financially stable. I want the long tail to get some!