Mark Salamone and Scott Barber, owners of Barbershop Studios in Lake Hoptacong, N.J., have launched DreamMakersMP3.com (www.DreamMakersMP3.com), an online music service for independent musicians to self manage the distribution of their music.
With DreamMakersMP3.com, unsigned musicians can post their songs, videos, tour dates and photos — up to 50 Mb — to the Website for six months ($29) or an entire year ($49). Once registered, users can access the information posted on the site. It is the band’s decision whether or not listeners will be able to download the creative work, or if they can listen through streaming files.
“There are other sites that offer opportunities for independent artists to be heard, but DreamMakersMP3.com is the only site associated with a professional recording/production company,” stated Salamone, president of the Barber Shop. “We’re looking at DreamMakersMP3.com as a breeding ground for future talent.”
DreamMakersMP3.com’s homepage features a Top Ten Artist list highlighting the most listened-to artists as determined by Website visitors. According to Salamone, as the site builds interest and gains momentum, the Barber Shop will consider offering musicians that consistently appear on the Top Ten list an opportunity to record an EP at their newly opened recording/production facility. Interest in the EP will then be generated by Waffle Makers, the Barber Shop’s in-house production company, with the hope that an established record company will sign the artist to a record contract. “Go to any nightclub in New York City on any given night, and you’re likely to be blown away by the level of talent on display,” Salamone continued. “That’s what we’re trying to capture with DreamMakersMP3.com — innovative new music that you don’t regularly hear on the radio.”
Future plans for DreamMakersMP3.com include enabling independent artists to sell their music to subscribers for a nominal fee, with a portion of the sales going to the Barber Shop for maintaining the website.
“We’ve created music for the people, an outlet for music lovers to discover hidden talents,” commented Scott Barber, Barber Shop CEO. “Popular radio is fantastic, but sometimes you just need an alternative — somewhere you can go to find the next U2 or Bruce Springsteen.”
Visit www.DreamMakersMP3.com and www.thebarbershopstudios.com for more information.
