Its always been a struggle for musicians to make money unless they were on a major label and even then the deals that they would need to accept from labels would often skew the profits towards the record company. In the past there were two options. Either secure a record contract or start your own label and release your music that way.
It is still true that a recording contract with a major label will give you a good chance of success but they are becoming harder and harder to get. Even if you do get a record deal, unless your first album is a big success you won't be given chance after chance to prove yourself commercially viable. Think of the amount of bands who never turned in their best work until their second third or fourth album. These days labels aren't going to take the chance that their struggling artist will blossom one day when there is so much competition from other labels and new bands.
The traditional music industry model has been in trouble for years. The few million selling artists have been used to subsidise all of the artists who never break even. To break an artist into the realms of million sellers is a long process which takes capital and reach that only the majors have. That's just for the chart sensations though isn't it. The Indie artists and the cult rock bands still have loyal fans of their genres looking for new bands all the time don't they? They do but they're spread far and wide. If you're selling online you need to reach them, all of them. How do you do this?
The old ways are still effective in part. Play as many gigs as you can in as many places as possible with one extra thing. Get your online identity sorted out first. Ensure that you're web presence is as professional looking as the majors sites. If you're serious about spreading your music invest in a professional web site. Make your music available on your website but also look at where the public now get their music from and get your songs on there. Itunes, spotify, emusic, get onto all of them. You don't want to do the hard work of writing recording and promoting only for fans not to be able to find your music when they want it.
Join up to as many social media and unsigned sites as possible and ensure that your bands image is carried across everything you do. From myspace to twitter get on and get involved. Then wherever you play make sure everyone who sees you goes away with your web address. Put it on your tickets, print it on a banner, offer a free cd with the website.
Anything to get it into their hands or heads. Build a fan base slowly be acquiring as many email addresses and social media friends as possible. Then when you have something to release you will have a ready market for your new music. The more quality releases you do the more fans you pick up. Whether or not you make any money from the sale of the actual music is irrelevant as once new bands can gain a fan base there will always be a way to monetise it. By Calum Macleod
Published: 7/30/2009
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