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Hip Chick Music: Chicks with lives to share
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This week, a new record label launched on the scene called Hip Chick Music. This almost sounds ridiculous, because music labels are moribund, right? Not if you consider a women's label as a connective and unifying force.
Independent music label, in the Oakland Hills
"Hip Chick Music was set up to create a social place where like-minded fans could go to interact with their favorite artist and invest in their career," explained Founder and CEO Elise Lebec.
"We want to give the music fan a memorable experience with the artist, something that will enrich their lives in some way," she said.
How Musicians Break Through:
In the not-so-olden days, successful musicians signed with major labels which pushed their mainstream tunes through radio stations, concerts and various album sales. There wasn't much of an opportunity to stretch beyond what appealed to the masses, and many talented musicians never found their their natural audiences.
Of course the web and digital downloads shifted the balance of power from labels to listeners. Aspiring artists have rushed to create their presence on mySpace or YouTube, but didn't break through either. Elise Lebec warned that "putting your brand all over the web means that people will recognize you, but more people are stealing your music."
Interestingly, female artists generally sell more than male artists online because both sexes buy their music. Lebec attributed this difference to women “who like to write and talk, so word spreads fast." That's the energy Hip Chick Music (HCM) will tap into for its label's artists.
Like other labels, HCM offers typical promotional services, along with opportunities to tour and record new material. What’s different is that this chick-focused label delivers online tools for artists to share their daily lives, do video blogging, communicate with fans – and sell downloads.
Where Listeners Find Cool Music:
Now the listeners access music more easily than ever, it’s still challenging to discover new and interesting music among the cacophony of would-be musicians online – and serendipitous discovery seems out of the question.
"For many of us, there is too much to choose from but nothing we really want to buy," Lebec noted. Boomer and Gen-X women often turn to the familiar favorites, unless their kids or someone in their social network introduces them a newcomer or two.
HCM is a label targeted at these women, and aims to be a friendly place where listeners meet great artists who have lives and challenges like their own. The current group of female musicians is loaded with talent, and head chick Lebec declared that "none of our musicians sing pop music, and we don't care!"
Mia Vermillion, R&B Singer-Songwriter
Listen to Mia Vermillion, as one of the artists who's on the HCM label. She's a powerhouse blues singer who also writes and produces her own tunes, such as Love's Lost and Found. Mia should just be dusting her well-earned Grammys!
Well, life intervened for this Anacortes, WA resident, who discusses this musical transition on her video blog. When two of her kids left the nest, she finally had the time and energy to follow her creative muse.
Since HCM does the hard work of discovering talented chicks, you can't go wrong with Mia or the other artists at hipchickmusic.com. HCM wants listeners to enjoy their time connecting and networking with these artists.
Lebec believes her artists will become "superstars" among their loyal fans, in the tradition established by Natalie Merchant or Sarah McLaughlin. Longer-term relationships will develop between Hip Chick Music artists and fans - based on listening to the music, meeting online, buying music, and attending festivals.
Elise Lebec, CEO of Hip Chick Music
Hip Chick’s Prospects:
So how will Hip Chick Music measure its success? The HCM label doesn't care if you are a struggling independent or a mainstream artist - it's interested in your story and in providing a place where musicians can express their stories powerfully.
HCM would like to develop steady visitor traffic and has set an initial and modest projection of one million site visits monthly.
Of course, HCM is still in the business of creating demand for and selling music from these visits. Lebec proudly noted that HCM artists "receive a higher percentage of the profits for each track sold than most online music sites."
She believes that removing the business stresses will keep her talent happy and focused on creating and performing the music they do best. After all, Elise has been here and done that herself - as a musician, producer and executive.
We think Hip Chick Music has an interesting socially-networked model and will be watching its progress ahead. You discover people and not just music, and isn’t that what music is all about anyway?
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