NEW YORK — The internet has provided a forum to showcase Queer indie music artists for several years now. The evolution of Queer music online has grown from static websites to complex multimedia sites where artists can sell their music directly to their fans.

The increasing visibility of Gay America has opened the doors to queer expression and the internet is a major tool for this. The mainstream music industry may ignore Queer music but the internet is an open field for exploration and success. Queer artists now have a large network of online community to connect with. Many of these artists are self-releasing music, playing clubs, gay festivals and pride events, building a loyal fan base. According to dtdmusic.com President Terry Dobbin, a digital music store serving the LGBT community, “there are thousands of indie music artists who are queer identified online making music”. Some queer artists are promoting causes like feminism, gay rights and other political ideals while others are completely non-political.

The diversity of music by out artists online is growing each year. There are now online communities of ; queer punks, gay rappers and queer metal heads each enjoying their own scene and web sites. The emergence of “social networking” sites like MySpace page have also helped queer artists connect with an audience of like minded people. The Montreal based band, Lesbians on Ecstasy, featured songs on myspace.com and it translated into a tour of Eastern Europe. “We weren’t able to get physical CDs there, but we had people in Slovenia and Greece singing along to our songs,” said singer Bernadette Houde. “Myspace created a world for us.” (source:1.1) With the advent of digital distribution, selling music online has also made it easier for LGBT artists.

Selling digital music files means less expense for the artist and larger profit margins. Many indie music labels have stopped producing physical cd’s in favour of digital files. On the flip side, digital music has also allowed for the easy distribution of illegal music downloads, however this issue appears to apply more to popular artists then less known indie bands. The digital revolution is a two sided sword indeed. The music game is a rough one but the internet has given the indie artist that competitive edge, something they definitely didn’t have just 15 years ago. Even though the net has been good for queer artists, it is not a shortcut to over night success but simply another tool. A tool that is here to stay and always evolving along with queer music.

Dtdmusic.com was founded in 2006 to provide artists with digital distribution, very generous artist compensation and a wide selection of music genres for the customer to choose from. DTD is also a great site for those seeking new and fresh music outside the commercial mainstream offerings and it is great way to support ‘out’ artists. DTD Music.com the first ever online digital music store serving the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community is legitimizing “Queer music” and providing a retail distribution platform. DTD provides a home for artists to sell there music and get exposure.

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