Internet offers forum for independent artist

April 7, 2005
By Phil Lineburg
Staff Writer

The Internet’s open and unregulated system has given independent artists the ability to produce their own works and have them shared with millions across the world.

Animators like Trey Park and Matt Stone, of “South Park” fame, as well as Mike Judge (“Beavis & Butthead” and “King of the Hill”) have had their own independently produced cartoon shorts featured on the Spike & Mike’s Cartoon Festival.

The festival started in the 1970s as a traveling film show, currently most viewings are now done from their regular DVD releases. The festival accepts animated short films from independent producers and even pays the animator if they choose to use their short film. Some, like Craig McCracken and Eric Fogel, have been hired by MTV and the Cartoon Network after their shorts were seen at the festival.

Wing Han Tsang, a singer who emigrated from Hong Kong to New Zealand, who is simply know as Wing, is one of the many musical artists who use the Internet as primary way to distribute their music. Wing was given a little national exposes when she had a guest roll on “South Park”, in March. Her website is located at HYPERLINK "http://www.wingmusic.co.nz" www.wingmusic.co.nz.

The Quad City area band Suburban Chronicles, made up of three St Ambrose students, maintain a website, suburbanchronicles.tripod.com, that features information on their music and events.

A relatively new service, Lulu.com, started by Bob Young, founder of ACC Corp, which would later become known as the Linux giant Red Hat, allows writers, artists and musicians to provide their works to the public, through their website.

While many artists do make their content available for download from the website, the service is not just downloadable content. You can have Lulu.com sell your paperback on Amazon.com, or even print out your full color comic book. If they sell any of your works you can make money.

The website also maintains a discussion and other resources. All can be found within the website at www.lulu.com.

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