What is an impressive number for an independant band

[Poker99]

How many cds do you have to sell on your own to attract labels these days?

 

What is an impressive number in 2k9 ?

 

I'm impressed everytime someone mention they sold 1000 cds on their own.

 

 

 

 

...In fact I rarely believe them.

[BlueStrat]

Selling 1000 CDs ought not be that hard. Since In ten years I've sold about 4k, not really working very hard at it. The last 4-1/2 years I haven't even had my own band or played many originals. In 2000 I sold 1000 CDs in 7 onths and did another run of 500. Those sold in about another year. Meanwile in 2001 I put out my 2nd CD and sold 1000 in 14 months. In 2002 I put out a live CD and mostly used it for promo but I've sold a few hundred too. My last CD came out in 2003 and I sold 600 the first year, but I folded my band in 2004 and didn't play out except solo and duo for over 3 years. I sell a few here and there now (I only have about 100 left) but I'm considering putting my own band back together and making another recording.

 

I guess I'm like the kid who gets locked in a room full of horse crap up to his neck and given a shovel to clean it up. And he gleefully starts shoveling, because he just knows that with all that horse crap, there just has to be a pony in there somewhere.

[werdna]

I don't think 1,000 is really that high, my band has sold almost 2,000 and we've only been around since last mach (or i guess two marches ago?). I guess being a pop/rock band on a college campus though probably differs than someone who is trying to sell a not as mainstream sound where there aren't 35,000 people to easily cater to.

[pjrake]

we sold 1000 of our EP's last year. this includes iTunes downloads, online store, and at shows. it was only 3 songs for $5, so we'll see how our full length album does when it comes out this summer. so far we pre-sold 100 in about a month or so.

 

spoke to a couple of lables, but nothing yet...

 

-PJ

[BlueStrat]

 

I don't think 1,000 is really that high, my band has sold almost 2,000 and we've only been around since last mach (or i guess two marches ago?). I guess being a pop/rock band on a college campus though probably differs than someone who is trying to sell a not as mainstream sound where there aren't 35,000 people to easily cater to.

 

That's pretty good. How much are you selling them for?

 

I was getting $15 for one, $25 for two, 30 if you bought all 3 studio CDs and 40 for all four including the live one. Now I just sell for 10 bucks each at shows and 15 at festivals (they set the prices.)

[werdna]

It's just a 6 song EP we're selling for $5 on iTunes and amazon and at shows

[lalasingergirl]

I think they would consider other things just as much, like the size of your email list and Myspace, things like that. I would say an email list of double digit thousands would be a good start.

[pjrake]

 

I think they would consider other things just as much, like the size of your email list and Myspace, things like that. I would say an email list of double digit thousands would be a good start.

 

 

the numbers from myspace are misleading, especially with so many bands using bot programs to bump their song plays.

 

-PJ

[Poker99]

the numbers from myspace are misleading, especially with so many bands using bot programs to bump their song plays. -PJ

 

I was about to say that.

[Kramerguy]

I read a story about a year ago about a band that sold over 1 million CD's and still couldn't get signed.. somewhere down south. Can't remember their name, was country-ish rock, with some harder rock in it.

 

According to most industry professionals, they majors aren't signing anymore, unless you are 14-17 years old, incredibly physically attractive, and naive enough to sign their outlandish contracts.

[Poker99]

 

According to most industry professionals, they majors aren't signing anymore, unless you are 14-17 years old, incredibly physically attractive, and naive enough to sign their outlandish contracts.

 

 

Yeah the Disney trend... Miley Cirus / Jonas Brothers...

[germs]

You need to sell infinity kajillion records to get label notice.

 

Labels ain't doing much for you anyhow. It's a better rap to go the middle of the road route ($30K+ a year touring) than to try and burn out on being a rockstar.

 

You know rockstar is dead when you see Lil' Wayne failing a guitar solo on SNL.

 

Anyway, it's not all about CD's. It's about the complete package. And in a way, it's always been that way. Moving units is good, but you've got to have people at the venue, AND moving the merch. It's about creating and sustaining multiple revenue streams...

[BlueStrat]

 

I think they would consider other things just as much, like the size of your email list and Myspace, things like that. I would say an email list of double digit thousands would be a good start.

 

 

An email list is useless and meaningless too. I could put together a list of emails of thousands of people just from the forwards I get. It is no indication that those people are fans or would ever buy a thing I produced.

[danosongs]

If you read the stories of tons of people who have gotten signed the amount ranges from 0 to 500,000 plus. There are tons of factors like other have said - like age, genre, if they like you, if they think you are marketable, etc.

[Kramerguy]

Think I said it already in another post but here's a challenge:

 

Name ONE arena rock or metal band that has signed to a MAJOR label in the last 5 years.

 

25 years ago, it was unheard of for them not to sign 10 major acts in each genre in a year... now, not ONE of them has signed a single act outside of disney kids and angry girl music in the last 5 years...

 

Face it, they are done, stick a fork in 'em.

[Poker99]

Dammit guys, I wasn't talking about MAJOR LABELS. I said LABELS, which include INDIE LABELS.

[BlueStrat]

Dammit guys, I wasn't talking about MAJOR LABELS. I said LABELS, which include INDIE LABELS.

 

Well then, it depends on the label, I suppose. For some, selling 1000 CDs in a year would be a big deal. For others, selling less than 1000 a month might get you dropped. I don;t think there's any set number.

 

When I did my first CD the engineer said if I couldn't sell 1000 CDs in a year I probably shouldn't be making them. That was 10 years ago though.

[Kramerguy]

Dammit guys, I wasn't talking about MAJOR LABELS. I said LABELS, which include INDIE LABELS.

 

lol. my bad.

 

Well there are no guidelines, rules, or anything set with indie labels. Some of those labels are guys living in their mom's basements who would be happy to sign someone who could sell 500 albums.

 

75% of indie labels are actually owned and operated by the major labels (at least the marginally successful ones), so the point might be moot.

[Poker99]

If you read the stories of tons of people who have gotten signed the amount ranges from 0 to 500,000 plus.

 

What's the point of getting signed if you can sell more than 2/300 000 copies on your own?

[strathound]

What's the point of getting signed if you can sell more than 2/300 000 copies on your own?

 

Again, it depends on what they bring to the table. If you are going to get international exposure and distribution, it might be worth it depending on the terms. Basically, at that point, it's a business decision where you are paying a percentage of future profits for an increase in sales. And it needs to all be laid out in the contract to protect all parties.

[Jasco]

In the 90's my blues band sold 18,000 cds on our own, and didn't get many looks from blues labels. 18,000 might sound like a lot, but that was from 10 years of hard touring - 220+ dates per year.

 

We almost managed to brake even by the end. :lol:

[Poker99]

In the 90's my blues band sold 18,000 cds on our own, and didn't get many looks from blues labels. 18,000 might sound like a lot, but that was from 10 years of hard touring - 220+ dates per year. We almost managed to brake even by the end. :lol:

 

[bostonwal]

The costs of producing professional sounding CDs/mp3s has dropped so much that the labels are needed far less. 10-20 years ago you really needed a label to foot the bill for recording, let alone all the marketing and distribution. Not so much nowadays. Now, the modern "rock stars" will always be internet sensations first - the internet is the new "local" music scene.

[bostonwal]

you guys do realize that signing with a label means signing away a portion of ownership in your own stuff, right? you don't do that if you don't have to.

[BlueStrat]

 

you guys do realize that signing with a label means signing away a portion of ownership in your own stuff, right? you don't do that if you don't have to.

 

 

Only the recording, but not the writer's mechanical royalties or publishing share the writer may own.

 

 

let alone all the marketing and distribution. Not so much nowadays. Now, the modern "rock stars" will always be internet sensations first - the internet is the new "local" music scene.

 

 

There is not an internet band that can come close to the distro and promo leverage of a major label, for the simple reason that the internet is a "go to " medium where the consumer has to be online and seek out sites to be exposed to the music. Labels use the "come to" media of TV, radio, magazines and posters in public places to sell and place product awareness in front of the consumer.