That's very cynical, you can in fact reach real publicity and distribution if you can show "traction" on the sites you mentioned. Traction is over 2000 hits by strangers in 6 months or less. Most of us just don't have what it takes to grab that much attention, but if you can build enough traction, publicity, distribution and radioplay will come at no cost. (Distribution is a percentage) but some artists would prefer it. I know artists that dropped their old record deals to go the route I just explained. Its not impossible.
You REALLY think that just getting 2000 hits on YT or Reverbnation is going to = enough "traction" that it actually means something AFA your product is concerned???
The whole point of publicity and distribution is to get some kind of return in return. Tell me what you've been getting back with all this "free" publicity and distribution?
And I don't mean satisfaction of personal vanity just because you can say that you got "2000 hits"....I mean that it translates to $$$.
If you don't care about it translating to $$$....then why care about promotion and distribution?
You're not going to be remembered by anyone just 'cuz you had 2000 hits on YouTube.
That's not "cynical"....that's reality.
There was once a wet dream that someone started , about how with the Internet and your home computer/
studio....no one will have need of major labels and all that backing in order to make some money and get somewhere. That the music biz was dead or soon to be.
The wet dream dried up awhile ago...yet you still have millions of "YouTube stars" thinking that they're "making it" because of the number of hits they have.
Man...you can put up a clip of a cat licking it's ass on YouTube and get more than 2000 hits.....and what does that get you?
People place very little if any value in anything that is "FREE"....and that includes your music, and everyone else's that's out there floating for free on the Internet. You got better odds of hitting the Power Ball lottery than you do of someone important with connections finding your one song in the millions and millions of YU clips that are out there....and from that, helping you get somewhere else, instead of you remaining just another guy on YT doing "free" publicity and distribution.
....but if you can build enough traction, publicity, distribution and radioplay will come at no cost.
That's still the "wet dream" I was refering to. I never said it was "impossible"....but it's very unlikely, more now than it ever was. The "free" is available to EVERYONE. We are now all just specks of sand on a very, very large beach....so if you're expecting *discovery*, don't hold your breath, it will make you blue.
That's all I'm saying.....but yeah, it is "possible", just like winning the lottery.