Topspin officially emerged from stealth mode last week to unveil their technology platform that aims to help music artists build their business and brand directly with fans – without the help of a label.  There’s not a lot of public information on the product itself other than it sounds like a Salesforce.com (CRM) for the music industry – a suite of tools designed to help artists build relationships and distribute music directly to fans. 

What’s great is that Topspin is not trying to brand this product to consumers.  It’s completely B2B, which means artists will be able to incorporate Topspin technology into their own websites and social networking platforms.  Reportedly artists like David Byrne and Dandy Warhols are already using the technology to offer a subscription model to fans that will give them access to a host of content either exclusively or before general release.

While the direct-to-fan model is not a new concept – think Radiohead, The Raconteurs and supposedly the forthcoming Beck album – not every band has had the longevity or popularity of groups like these to implement such a strategy successfully.  That’s where the beauty of technology like Topspin comes in.  As Topspin’s new CEO, Ian Rogers, stated in this month’s Billboard interview, it empowers the middle class of artists – those either past their commercial prime or too new to enjoy the marketing support of a major label.

It’s a paradigm shift either way you slice it, for both artists and fans in terms of how music is distributed and consumed.  I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. I just hope Topspin plans on launching a similar platform for the film industry too!