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 [...]
Is There a Way To Track My Sales on iTunes?
Here’s a question we get asked alot: how do I track my sales on iTunes? REFER TO YOUR DISTRIBUTION COMPANY Well for starters, you will need to refer to your digital distribution company (i.e. the company you submitted your album through) for this information. Most artists are using CD Baby or Tunecore as [...]
Getting Your Fans to Review Your Music
It’s great if they post a comment or a review of your album without you asking, but why not go out of your way to ask you fans to say a good word or two…or three! Why does it matter? Fan comments are a big deal; after all, it’s the fans that fuel the flame, [...]
Ode to Steve Jobs and The Job of Music-Making
Who hasn’t been affected by the death of Steve Jobs? I’m actually not an iPhone user (or a user of any Mac products), but i have alot of respect for this guy. My genuine interest in him began rather late in the game. In fact, I was on the road this past August and came [...]
CD Baby or Tunecore?
It’s funny how quickly the music industry and social media change. One day A is good. The next day B is better. Then a week later, C trumps them both. After trying both CDBaby and Tunecore, I’ve seen my allegiance shift back and forth. So I thought I’d offer pros and cons of each company [...]
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: [...]
Why Do I Need a CD When Everyone Listens to mp3s?
82% of music sales are digital 18% of music sales are CDs 90% of CDs sold are at shows I attended the LAUNCH Music Conference last week. Over the course of two days and several hours of panels, I had a chance to hear questions and answers to the things that independent artists are thinking [...]
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 [...]
Good Marketing for an Upcoming CD Release
A couple independent artists are releasing CD’s next month and have some great self promotion to go along with it. So I thought I’d highlight the efforts of a full time independent artist named TJ Cornwall. Hopefully this information will help a few of you who might be putting out new projects or just need some good marketing ideas from a [...]
Creating a Killer Marketing Plan for Your Music
While visiting Artist House Music (and incredible music business site) today, I came across a really rock-solid marketing plan by Boston-based Band Convey. It prompted me to put up this post. Make sure to check out Convey’s Marketing Plan when you have a chance. The key to having a killer marketing plan is being practical. Yea…you’re [...]
Alternatives – CD Packaging, Production, & Distribution
This is continuation of yesterday’s post: “Starting from Scratch: What it takes to Release a CD“. Read that past to get ideas on CD recording, artwork, photography, and packaging. Now, lets say you don’t want to go the Dismakers or Oasis route (even though they handle digital distribution and other great hookups). Lets say you just [...]
FAQ’s and Recapping the Last Two Months of Blogs
I’ve gotten a handful of similar questions from different people in the last few weeks – people asking the same questions. Here are some popular ones. 1.) “Question… i’m really trying to find places to play here in town. but it’s quite difficult. Could you please name some places where you feel that me [...]
