Nimbit: a step in the right direction

Today on my twitter feed popped up the typical slew of music industry news and something really caught my eye. Hip Hop Press had a release about a new service for artists (independent and otherwise) called Nimbit.

Nimbit is a service that attaches to an artist’s facebook page and allows them sell their music, merchandise, and tout their tours directly to their fans. After registering for the service myself (just to check it out) it comes off as very easy to use and understand and offering a plethora of services crucial to fan-base development.

For instance, all within one web interface an artist can upload and make available their songs for download, sell t-shirts, get their music distributed digitally through major carriers (including iTunes and eMusic), and perhaps the most cool thing – monitor who is buying what.

That last bit may be well worth the investment for a savvy artist looking to target specific demographics, or perhaps even use the data to bring to a network or ad agency for use in synch for a particular product or TV show. For more info on the services offered and fees related to using the service you can click here.

This service is a fantastic way to expand and track a fan base and an excellent example of how artists viewing themselves as a brand – rather than some commodity looking to get picked up and sold by a major entity – can be put to work effectively.

Finally artists have a tool that allows them to independently market themselves and not rely on record label and music publisher budgets and schedules for exposure – even if they’re already signed!