Should I Stream My Whole Album Online?
THE ARTIST: Michael Gaither (Santa Cruz, CA) THE QUESTION: I’m finishing my third CD. I recently posted my first two records using the Bandcamp widget, so I posted full songs. Im curious: do you have any thoughts, pro or con, about posting full length songs? In a way this just seems more honest. Plus, clips only can [...]
Social Media: How Much Is Too Much? PART1
Are you pushing your fans away by your use of social media? Today’s post comes from contributing writer Barbarie Jolie who writes for online classes. Here is Part 1. Check back on Monday for the second half. ______________________________________________________________________________ As a musician in the midst of the current technological and social media craze, you have everything to gain [...]
Should I Pre-Sell My Album?
THE ARTIST: Michael Gaither (Santa Cruz, CA) THE QUESTION: I’m working on my third CD and am considering doing a real pre-sale when I’m about halfway through. Note: Not a Kickstarter funding campaign, but just a presale of the actual product. Have you covered this on your blog? I searched but didn’t see anything. I’m debating whether to [...]
What Exactly Does a Full-Time Artist Do All Day? An Interview with E.May.
Pittsburgh-based Erika May is one of the most multi -talented artists you will ever come across. She runs sound here and there, has a band, and even tosses fire (yea check out www.erikamay.com/fire). In today’s feature, she talks about how she has been able to sustain herself as a full-time musician who doesn’t tour (like all [...]
Is Bandcamp Really Worth It?
THE ARTIST: Caleb Pogyor (Pittsburgh, PA) THE QUESTION: I was just wondering if Bandcamp has been good to you in terms of fairness and profit. Is it worth signing up and selling a $5 record? I’m releasing my new album on October 25th and was trying to find a good site to sell through. THE ANSWER: [...]
"How Do I Get My Album Sales to Register with Soundscan?"
Today’s Ask Grassrootsy question… THE BAND: Laura Harrison THE QUESTION: Hi Grassrootsy, I was hoping you may know the answer to this. My only motivation, at the moment, for selling my CD through CdBaby is because of Soundscan. I want the sales reported to Soundscan. Is there any way that Paypal can do that? I went to [...]
Bandize: A Tool for Band Management
Not able to post anything thorough today, but i want to make you all aware of something a friend passed on a few days ago. It’s a new band management tool called Bandize. It’ll be introduced at this years South By Southwest and it’s extremely appropriate for the readers of Grassrootsy. Here’s a great introduction: [...]
Bandcamp – A Great Place to Pitch Your Tent
I first really got into Bandcamp when Pittsburgh Indie band, Colonizing the Cosmos, launched a digital release of their brand new album The First Frontier. Just when you think there are too many online digital music websites, another pops up. But Bandcamp is unique for several reasons. Here’s why you’ll love it and why it [...]
A Few Last Minute Ideas for the Holidays
“If you are selling CDs, downloads, and merch then you’re in the same business as the stores where you do your holiday shopping! Problem is you may not fully realize this. You need to compartmentalize if you’re going to maximize your success as an independent artist. Learn to think like a marketer, a salesperson, and [...]
Free Things Your Fans Will Love #2
If you’d like to show your fanbase a little love this year, here are some ideas. After you try them, leave a note in the comments section and let us know how they work. And here’s the first post in this series: Free Things Your Fans Will Love. A Christmas Card Think of Christmas time as a way [...]
