Indie Artists Deserve Every Cent

Unbeknownst to the vast majority of music fans of the independent musician, climbing the ladder to 'success' in the music industry is a lot of work. It takes years of building networks, cultivating fans, practice, backbreaking work, and getting used to the word no. In the past, bands were just out of luck in getting their album distributed unless they could get signed via band managers to a record label. Playing clubs and promoting your band can get you a lot of attention, but you can't expect to make a lot of money without selling your music. Your fans want to be able to listen to you any time, and booking shows every weekend is almost a full time job.

Luckily times have changed drastically. In recent years due to the popularity of the internet. It is now easier than ever for an independent band to get their music distributed to their fans. I haven't performed a live gig in several years but am quite confortable selling my music over the internet as an independent musician. No band managers, no band politics, no egos. There is, however, quite a lot of work involved when distributing ones music exclusively on the internet as mp3 downloads. Having said this, I am slowly but surely turning my marketing and promotional activities into a well-oiled machine.

In the music industry, the musician is the only one that is going to have a sense of urgency in making your product available to the masses. A&R Coordinators get hundreds of demo cds a week, and may not even listen to their music if they they don't have a band manager to hound them. Even if they do get signed with a record label, they are dealing with hundreds or even thousands of other bands and musicians, so they aren't going to be their first priority. Making money in the music industry is not about live performances in the beginning. Independent musicians may make a little money from the club circuit, but chances are most of that will go to overhead costs like equipment, transportation, and practice space.

Selling their music is the best way to get money from their hard work right away. Getting distribution was hard for a long time, until the internet came along. The internet is receiving a lot of criticism from the music industry because of illegal downloads, but the popularity of internet shopping could work in favor of the internet musician. As previously mentioned, they don't have to be signed with a record label to record their music. It's not cheap, but they can purchase time in a recording studio to record quality, professional sounding albums. There is also new software that allows them to indulge in recording at home. This is a fraction of the cost of a professional studio but with the right audio recording software combined with the right 'ears,' (ideally a sound engineer), home recording is the way to go and I am already hearing vast differences in the quality of home recording efforts by independent musicians....and let's face it, audio recording software is only going to get better.

Once an independent artist has recorded an album to the standard that the desire, they can offer them for sale from their website, Amazon and so forth. I have began distributing via Bandcamp. The player to your left allows you to listen to the entire "Mean Business" album as often as you wish. Should you want to buy it, enter the codeword thistle and receive a 50% discount....thus making the album only 5.00 AUD.

Promoting an album is easier than ever too. Not only can albums be offered for sale at shows, but independent artists can spread your website there as well. Loyal fans will spread the word of the music, and direct sales to the band webssite. Social networking sites are good for attracting new fans too. A link on a social networking site to the bands sales page will let new fans hear what the band is all about. 

The independent musician chose to make music their career. Many musicians don't make a lot of money, but it doesn't have to be that way. Distributing ones own music is easy, and it promotes an independent band more effectively than what could possibly be done through word of mouth.

Independent musicians work hard. Don't let the speed of the internet fool you into thinking otherwise.

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mp3 Or CD?

For musicians, most of the revenues come from the rights to their songs and the albums that they sell. For an independent musician especially, money can come in very slowly if at all. However, the power of the worldwide web can help them to gain higher profits. There are more resources than you can ever use available online. Plus, you can reach new fans anywhere in the world quickly and easily and sell them your music. Here is a look at ways that you can use the internet to your advantage as a music artist.



First, you need to take advantage of the independent music resources that are available to you online. These are numerous, and can be used to spread the word about your songs and music, as well as assist you with album sales. Chat rooms, websites, online radio broadcasts, communities of music lovers, and even online stores that sell music can all be ways for you to get your name and music out there. Remember, the people visiting these sites are already interested in music, and many times specifically your genre, so you will have a captive audience to listen to, critique, and purchase your music.

Selling your MP3 downloads is a great way for you to get your music out there without spending a small fortune. Focusing on selling CDs works for some artists, but a lot of times the money will not come in quickly due to the costs of packaging, shipping, and other items associated with CD production. Selling MP3 downloads can allow you to save on the majority of these costs, making each sale nearly pure profit. Plus, there are plenty of ways for you to market your MP3s, from your own website to music communities. While you may have to pay a fee to the website, you still end up selling your music at a high profit. You can also ask friends or other website designers to sell your music as well. A flat fee or percentage of the sales can be enough of an incentive for other people to help you sell your music. Plus, you may find that using others can broaden your fan base and bring in fans from places you may not have even considered. Lastly, you can use the efforts of other musicians to teach yourself how to become successful at marketing music online. Watching other musicians that have had success can help you to get an idea of what works and what does not. You can find music interviews to study, picking up the strategies that have made other musicians money. You may also be able to avoid common pitfalls of marketing your music online.

The internet is a literal pool of millions of music listeners and the people that create the music. Musicians of all types and all skill levels are available for download, so expect some competition. At the same time, many of these musicians are finding ways to profit from the demand for independent music online. Now is the time for you to get out and share your individual music and talents with a captive and awaiting audience.


Grab the 10-track album "Mean Business" for only $5 (AU) by entering the codeword thistle