Net music is a Phishy business July 24, 1995 - Financial Times (London) by Victoria Griffith There are plenty of bands rocking around in cyberspace. But none has been so innovative, or effective, as Phish, the US rock group. The PhishNet, which links the band to its fans in the cyberworld, has helped catapult the once obscure Vermont quartet into the rock superleagues. A number of groups have tried to capitalise on the Net by staging 'live concerts', but Phish is the first band to build its reputation largely in the world of multimedia. 'The internet has certainly contributed to the band's success,' says Shelly Culbertson, who manages Phish's internet links through Dionysian Productions. The bluesy rock group has taken an unorthodox approach to marketing. Unlike most bands, which order guards to search concert-goers for taping equipment, Phish encourages its fans to record its shows. The practice has created an active market in amateur Phish tapes, which fans love to trade with each other. Most of that trading is done via the PhishNet, helping to create interest in the band's music. Fans also use the internet to discuss concerts (the band stages about 100 performances a year), trade tickets to sold-out Phish shows and exchange information about forthcoming events. But PhishNet's biggest coup may be its electronic mailing list, which keeps followers informed about concert dates, venues and new record launches. The PhishNet has been so successful that the band's managers are considering branching out with a designated site on the World Wide Web. 'The new spot would be a little less free-wheeling, with more information from the band itself and less from fans,' says Culbertson. The site would also pave the way for more direct links with the band's cyberspace followers.