Now that the 2010 holiday season is over it means less Pomplamoose in our lives. For some it might be a great thing as the Hyundai holiday campaign featuring the quirky group seemed to popup during every commercial break. Even their catchy performances of Jingle Bells, Up on the Housetop and Deck the Halls became a tab bit overplayed by about the 20th playing. If the general public did not recognize the duo prior to the commercials it is because the indie music duo did not take the traditional path to music fame. Jack Conte and Natalie Dawn Knutsen make their living by selling their songs directly to fans. In 2009 alone, Pomplamoose sold around 100,000 songs online.
The group plays few live performances. Prior to their mainstream acceptance of the Hyundai commercial, Pomplamoose played almost exclusively for their online audience. Few bands can truly know the exact number of fans that follow them. Pomplamoose has about 205,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel.
Pomplamoose shows how the Internet has changed the music business. In the past, bands that did not enjoy the backing of a major label had almost no chance of gaining widespread success. Anyone with basic video equipment and Internet access enjoys the power of a minor recording studio. Networks such as iTunes or other stores provide a global market for artists to distribute to. Podcasts and bloggers provide ways for people of diverse musical tastes to discover new and upcoming bands.
The Eclectic Mix is a website that promotes indie bands. The site issues a podcast that features a new band or artist on every edition. The tastes in music range from classical to indie punk. The Internet might not be the perfect place for artists to market their material, but it provides the means for bands to control their own marketing. Pomplamoose thrived as an independent group, and their path to success could not be imagined without the online community.