Kathy Fisher and her partner Ron Wasserman, started Fisher seven years ago, and up until March of 1999 they were just another band on the verge. That is until Rons friend told him to check out this MP3 thing-referring to the digital-music format that allows people to swap their favorite tunes online. The rest is a success story thats the first of its kind.
Zap2it: The net has become a new and very powerful word of mouth but at the same time it can be discouraging to bands to see just how many artists are on there.
Kathy Fisher: Well and now MP3.com has bootleg versions of Madonna, David Bowie and Bare Naked Ladies. I mean thats whats in the top 40s now.
Zap2it: You had good timing and some good angles working for you but for other artists on MP3 do you think its become the equivalent of playing the club circuit and trying desperately to be heard?
Kathy Fisher: We were very lucky. Our motto is leave no stone unturned. Plant every seed. We did all this work and then the Internet put it over the top. We always were and still are trying to figure out what more we can do to be heard. We know artists who thought we were crazy when we used to license songs for films for a dollar. What are you doing? theyd ask us, What are you nuts? But we needed to get our stuff out there, get it into the public consciousness. And the musicians that have resisted doing what weve done because they didnt want to sacrifice the money have made nothing. They have 100% of nothing. We definitely paid our dues in that regard; we just wanted the exposure.
Zap2it: Fisher had more than two million downloads before you were even signed. Was there a temptation at that point to just keep doing it yourselves or did you still dream of a record deal?
Kathy Fisher: No, no we always wanted a record deal. Thats how we can afford to go on the road and do radio stations and in-stores. I dont want to spend my money. Why should I have to dip into my life savings and go bankrupt if someone else will do it with a marketing team? And its always been a dream of mine to be on the radio. Indie artists dont get airplay on STAR or KIIS. They just dont.
Zap2it: So armed with Internet popularity Fisher signed a deal with Farmclub.com, which is a label with a new approach to discovering and promoting bands. Because Farmclub.com is a record label, a TV show and a web site, does this concept affect a change in artist relations or is it business as usual?
Kathy Fisher: Farmclub.com proposes ideas that are a little more risky, which is great. I think Farmclub.com is a great opportunity for unsigned bands. Ive done the show twice and both times theres been a band from somewhere in the U.S. from some town Ive never heard of, getting a shot at National Television. So in some regards its really tough. Its like MP3 in that its getting harder to be seen and heard but once you do, the opportunity is great.
Zap2it: The Internet just becomes one more door to open.
Exactly just one more open door. And you know, the smart musicians look at every opportunity as one more door.
