Music Deserves The Right Promotional Tools

There are a lot of things that musicians do trying to make a living with their music that amounts to little more than spinning their wheels. Here are 3 easy ways to begin building a solid financial foundation for your music career.


Firstly, find the appropriate tools that will work for you or your band. Don't waste money on tools that will not help you as there are plenty of free tools staring right at you. The new music industry is turning out to be a mixed-matched combination of independent labels, D.I.Y independent musicians and the major record labels finally making efforts to join in the game. One of the results of this new music industry is that there have been hundreds of companies popping up offering products and services designed to accomplish what only the major labels could accomplish in the old industry model. Some of these companies are nothing more than hacks. It really does pay to check these sites out befor commiting anything. Some of these companies are incredible in what they are offering and how they are serving musicians. Certainly they are not all created equal. Furthermore it is near impossible to determine whether the product or service that is being offered is something that will work for you and your music. Fear not! There are plenty on companies that are both legitimate, sincerely interested and more than capable of serving your needs.

Secondly, measure your results. Use analytics and statistics tools available. You absolutely have to pay attention to what results you are getting from your efforts. This way you can tweak your approach until you are being as effective as possible. There are many analytic tools available. You can use Google analytics for free. I use Google analytics myself and can't speak highly enough of it. Google analytics will give you a wide variety of statistics about your website including how many visits, how many unique visitors, which links are being clicked on and what page your visitors are leaving from.

Any good online distribution service will offer your band analytics as to which tracks are being downloaded from which stores and so on. This is so important. You have to know what things you are doing that are producing the best results. This way you can continuously correct your course.


Finally, don't let band merchandise weigh your down. There are companies that are set up to manufacture all types of merchandise and will drop ship directly to your fans. You do not need to order 1,000 t-shirts and sell 50 in a 3 month period ending up with five boxes of t-shirts in your basement, or worse, renting a storage space to store the t-shirts that you lost money on. Of course your profit margins will be smaller with this method but it is a great way to offer the merchandise without having to carry inventory.

I hope that this brief entry will be of some benefit to you.




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Let's Stick Together

No doubt this entry will initially raise the ire of independent musicians, fans and major record labels. I don't care. It's only one guys opinion.

To some degree I blame the independent musician who wants to get signed to a major record label!! I feel there is no need for you to get signed by a major label. Don't you want to help yourselves, plus everyone else in the same situation as yours? Well then lets stop having the goal of getting signed and have the goal of making your own profits and career!

On the other hand I don't blame independent musicians for trying to get signed, I mean they get more cash then they would not going with them. BUT! Lets change that! Lets make it so they no longer exist and you can help yourself to profits instead! And those profits would be yours entirely not like 50 cents for 1 album selling, no you would get whatever you want to sell it for!

When it comes to fans and anyone still buying CDs, merchandise and other things from major labels. Why blame them? Well I think you already know that answer... But lets say no one did buy CDs, merchandise, and whatever else the record labels try to push down our throats, lets say we only bought music that was sold from individual musicians and small labels that take a lot LESS cut into the CD, merchandise, etc... What would there be?


There would be a more equal opportunity for all musicians, no more media, radio stations getting paid off from record labels, instead they would be no more, or they would be down to the level of alot more record labels! There would be harmony and freedom to do anything you want. This is what we need to fight for! Or else we are no better than those 4 big record labels!!

I have discovered one pretty good distribution option for independent artists in the site Bandcamp. It is a no-frills site which allows the artist to upload music in most formats and likewise the fan has the option of what format to download. Musicians set their own prices and keep 100% profit, thus alowing for major price cuts.

If you look at the soundplayer to your left (it is one of four sizes) you can play the entire album as often as you wish. In theis particular case, if you wish to buy the album, enter the codeword thistle for a 50% download, effectively making the album $5.00 AU (Ssshhhh). You also have the option of only purchasing individual tracks.


Think about it for a little, take some time, calm down, and think you and everyone else all helping each other out and all moving in one direction, there is really no stopping us! So what do you say? Lets get this rolling already!

Independent Musicians Can Make Money Against The Odds

The independent music industry seems to be in a something of a slump of late. It seems like there is nothing good being said about the industry at all. Everywhere you turn independent musicians are reminded about how the illegal music downloading, low album sales, minimal video play on national TV, radio playing only a handful of songs, and lets not forget a glut of awful music being made by people who just became musicians yesterday have all killed the music scene.



All of those things paint an extremely dismal picture, BUT it's not all bad. True enough it's hard for even the biggest mainstream musicians like Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton to sell a million records, which just a few short years ago could be done in a week or two. Artists aren't even selling gold, which is half of that, even months after their album comes out.

The reason that I say it's not all bad is relies on your willingness to reprogram yourself on how the industry works. I'll break down some strategies that are not necessarily new, but for many artists a refresher is in order.


Be independent: With all of the successful examples of independent record label success, many artists are still shopping demos and breaking their necks to get signed to a major record label. The reality is that major labels are only taking chances on mega artists with huge followings and proving sales records, and even those mega artists are finding less support from the majors. For new artist, or those who have been dropped from the majors, starting an independent label is the way to go. Don't be afraid or embarrassed of being on a smaller scale, because there are bigger rewards and dollars in it for you. Take an artist who sold 300,000 albums, but was considered a failure on a major label and was subsequently dropped. Just think if he starts an independent label and sells that same 300,000, but this time he keeps all the profits. At $5 to $10 a copy...well you do the math. Let's say that you don't have that huge following, but you got what it takes to sell one, five, or even ten thousand albums or better. You're making more than some people make at their jobs.

Become internet savvy: Sounds like a no brainer, but just because you and your music is online doesn't make you savvy. The internet has almost crippled major labels like BMG, etc. but for independent artists who really have serious online campaigns, the internet is a powerful weapon for gaining exposure and sales. You must have a professional website, Facebook, YouTube, and other online campaigns and make yourself stand out from the average Joes. Please take note of the term professional. With an amateur image online, you're asking to not be taken seriously, plus you won't sell any songs via download, ringtones, or whatever other merchandise you have to offer.


Make your name a brand: Artist are and have been attaching their star power to products to sell everything from clothes, soda, movies, and even gold and platinum teeth. Too many think that record sales and performances are the only ways to get paid. Even on a small scale, independent artist with significant buzzes can make small fortunes hawking merchandise like T-shirts, bobble heads, g-strings, and even mouse pads via their online and offline presences. Having said this, don't focus on merchandising as an income. Utilise it as a free advertisement tool. People buy your t-shirt with your name on it. How many people do you think will see this? Lots. How many people may be curious about you (as yet) unknown name? More than you think. Any profit that you make on merchandise is, of course, always a bonus.

The music industry may be in a slump, but I'm confident that with the music going away from its corporate shackles and back to its underground roots, independent artist will finally get back to providing the airwaves with good, solid music of all genres and save us from this extreme 'same-ness' we're being force-fed. For those of you who have been inspired by this article, I encourage you to seek all of the knowledge that you can get to prepare yourself to further your independent musical career. Remember by starting an independent label, getting with the times and being internet savvy, as well as branding your name is a recipe for success.

I truly wish you well.

Outwork Your Bands Competition

The opportunities that are available in the music business today have never been greater. The advancements in technology have really leveled the playing field for everyone that aspires to become a successful musician. Thanks to the Internet, local bands are no longer local; everyone is connected to a giant worldwide network with almost no limitations. The distribution of music is no longer controlled by radio, by record companies, or by chain stores. Your aspirations of becoming an international sensation have a better chance of materializing today than anytime in history. They are very real. However, since the opportunity for musicians has broadened, the competition for the big spotlight has never been fiercer.


The successful musicians of today have developed themselves intonmusic business workaholic powerhouses. These are the people that dedicate all of their spare time to their music career instead of casually promoting on the weekends. They are constantly thinking about what they can do for their band instead of what they can do to relax. They are willing to sacrifice a night at the bar for a night of Internet marketing. Success in the music industry isn't an accident; success is the result of consistent effort put forth every day. The bands that are getting ahead are not necessarily making the most groundbreaking music the world has ever heard; they are simply outworking the competition.

It is more important than ever to develop a music businnes workaholic mentality. The serious competition is doing whatever it takes to get the most recognition, and they are willing to work day and night to make their dreams come true. Most people in bands do just enough to get by and then find another activity to occupy to pass the time. This serves merely to your band going around in (small) circles and losing its' 'drive.' Time is the most valuable resource you have; wasting it will move you further and further from your dreams. Do something every day to benefit your band and benefit your music career. Even small steps in the right direction add up to miles over a period of time. What are your plans for tonight? How about for tomorrow?

Your bands competition plans on using that time to get further ahead in the business, are you?