I recently sat down with GiGHiVE’s creator and administrator, Duane Charles, to find out more about GiGHiVE and what it offers to independent artists.
GiGHiVE Interview
By Noe Pacheco
NP: How did you come up with the concept of GiGHiVE?
DC: Well, like most ideas, it came out of necessity. As an aspiring musician, singer, songwriter, engineer and producer, I wanted to connect and collaborate with talented people to take my music to the next level. Looking at the success stories of many major artists, you can see that they all have one thing in common: they rely on a supporting cast of musicians, songwriters, engineers, producers, promoters, etc.
So, I wanted to connect with other people who are talented and passionate about their music. But I learned the hard way that it’s not so easy to find those resources. Indie artists are not interconnected the way major artists are, at least not yet.
And even if I could find skilled performers to collaborate with, they might not fit my style, or have the same dedication, or we’d have any number of “creative differences.” That’s what led me to create GiGHiVE, so that artists would have that wider community.
I guess I was also inspired by Berry Gordy — one of my idols — and the music business model he created for Motown. He assembled a dynamic staff of songwriters, producers and musicians, and, in the process, built one of the most impressive rosters of artists in the history of pop music. He formed the largest and most successful independent record company in that era. His ideas weren’t new or unique, but with the help of others he executed his plans to perfection.
"Berry Gordy, using methods practiced in Detroit auto factories, ensured the continued success of the Supremes by assembling parts of a hit making machine, that included standardized song writing, an in house rhythm section, a quality control process, selective promotion and a family atmosphere reminiscent of the paternalism of Henry Ford in his auto plants in the early twentieth century."
NP: How would you describe GiGHiVE? Give us a working definition.
DC: GiGHiVE is an evolving, growing network of independent musicians, artists, singers, producers, etc. It’s designed to help artists of all kinds build a network of like-minded folks — people who can develop each other’s talents and success. It’s kind of like a dating site or a LinkedIn.com for independent artists.
Think of The Beatles, or the relationship between Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones — those were matches made in heaven, right? Those connections produced some of the best, most lasting and most successful records of the last 50 years.
It’s a simple formula: independent artist + great supporting cast = successful artist. The music industry had over 100 years to perfect this formula. It’s time for independent artists to see it for what it is and run with it. Let’s stop trying to do it all ourselves!
NP: What do you expect artists to achieve when they join the GiGHiVE network?
DC: Right now, GiGHiVE is a basic social networking site. It collects artist information when they sign up and puts it into a database. The site becomes a powerful tool when the member base grows. In time, members and nonmembers will have access to a wealth of information about their extended music family, just by browsing or searching profiles.
We are in the process of building the GiGHiVE platform from the ground up. Although we do have specific plans for this site, we want to get as much input from the independent community as possible on the initial stages. Ultimately the site will grow and I expect the site resources to grow with the artists. I hope it will become the ultimate tool artists around the world can use everyday to expand their craft.
NP: Who can sign on to GiGHiVE?
DC: GiGHiVE is designed for every independent artist involved in the daily activities of the music industry — not just singers or musicians. That means, if you design wardrobes for performers in a music video, cover music stories, sell vintage records or shoot photographs for bands, GiGHiVE has something for you. We’re always adding new categories and artist types to the database.
We think music and “the arts” are all intertwined. It just starts with music and goes from there. We do have a user profile and network in the works (the hive user community), but GiGHiVE is primarily being designed for indie artists.
NP: When did the site launch?
DC: GiGHiVE launched first on Dec 7, 2007 then on May 9, 2008. We never officially launched, primarily because we felt it was still in the initial design phase. We have come a long way since then...
NP: Why did you decide to launch the web site as a beta?
DC: When I sit down to talk to people about GiGHiVE, I have to try to condense 10 years of personal experience and ideas into a couple of paragraphs. And, to be honest, I haven’t figured how to do that. So I decided I had to find a way to get GiGHiVE online, so artists could interpret it for themselves. I launched it as beta because the network as it exists now is just the foundation on which the entire project will be built. It looks and feels like a basic social networking site, but it’s going to be so much more as we phase in the interface and integrate the new functions.
Of course, it’s just going to take time and resources. Fortunately, there are lots of independent artists in the community who are offering their services to make this a reality.
NP: Why do you think your site is a good resource for an independent artist?
DC: Lots of reasons. The site gives indie artists so many ways, so many resources to develop their music, their business. I think, I hope, that we’re giving them solutions to their everyday problems. Every component we add to GiGHiVE is a solution to a problem we are trying to solve.
We hope in time we can continue to empower our members, leveling the playing field. I believe it will help us achieve our goals of being and staying completely independent.
Also, as an artist myself, I would love to spend more time on my particular craft. I really don’t want to have to spend my time learning all the other areas of the music industry, just to get a competitive advantage. But it is the reality of many artists. We spend a lot of time assuming different roles just to get by. At GiGHiVE we want to help our members find people in the network to delegate those services to, artists who specialize in their area of need.
NP: Do you think the advanced technology available to independent artists helps the music industry?
DC: Yeah, of course. It puts the technology in the hands of the people who bring the music to life. I believe 99% of the music industry is made up of indie artists anyway. We are the music industry. Unfortunately the major music network is just like any other corporate business. They transfer ideas, wealth and resources from the many and funnel it to the very few.
Somebody has to come up with a better solution. If we sit back and continue on the present course, with many of the top social sites jumping on the major label bandwagon, ultimately music and the artist suffer. Nothing pains me more than to see a great indie band dismantle and then just disappear. It’s sad.
NP: What makes GiGHiVE different from any other music social network out there?
DC: GiGHiVE is different because our major concern is solving problems for indie artists. We’re practical that way. It’s not just a page to showcase your music and communicate with your fans. It’s more about creating an environment on the web, where you can collaborate, network, manage resources and spend more time advancing your craft. Showcasing your art is just small part of it.
GiGHiVE is geared toward cultivating artists. As I mentioned before, major and independent recording companies spend considerable time and resources on artist development to get the maximum return on investment. They recruit the best songwriters, producers, musicians, engineers and other industry professionals to manage careers of the big multiplatinum-selling artists and bands.
At GiGHiVE we want to duplicate this model by creating an open online network of independent artists who work within this community. Now that more artists are managing and promoting their own careers/portfolios online, it’s about time someone creates a platform to manage artist development, personal branding and establishing an online presence.
The difference for us, of course, is that we want to focus on all types of indie artists, not just singers or bands. Just because you don’t feature music on your page doesn’t mean you’re not an important part of the community.
NP: Why did you decide to have a blog added to your site?
DC: Launching “the buzz” is just the first step to giving the independent community a voice. There are millions of stories out there ready to be heard. But it seems like so many music sites don’t focus on the human side of its users. They usually feature them on the home page and then provide a link to their user profile. And they all pretty much read the same, with the encyclopedia-type bio, professionally written by someone else. I don’t want to knock any artists out there, but it’s hard to make any kind of meaningful connection to the artist that way.
Here’s an example of what I mean…We recently interviewed Lauren Ianuzzi, an up-and-coming singer. After reading her interview, I instantly got a view into her personal world and could relate to some of her experiences. Instant connection! Intrigue, then interest. Ultimately what you want is a new fan.
NP: Where do you plan on taking this movement?
DC: My goal is to continue building on the GiGHiVE infrastructure, offer new services, applications and resources artists can rely on; and cut out the middle man out entirely. It should be the artist’s decision to conduct music decisions on their own and retain the use of their copyrights. That’s how it should have been all along…Eventually the cream will rise to the top and the best man/woman wins. The ultimate goal is what I wanted all along. “Better music and networking relationships without the price tag.”
GiGHiVE Beta is Under Construction