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Why Are You Giving Your Music Away?


six acre lake

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Just to make sure it's understood - I'm not advocating that all music should just be given away. I agree that you should have CDs for sale, and as a good consumer I purchase most of my music (I get some of it for review for www.thenewscheme.com).

 

On the other hand, you have to know which battles to pick. Just because I have the CD for free doesn't mean I'm not going to come to the show and buy a t-shirt, vinyl, stickers, etc. Focus more on getting people in the door first, worry about CD sales later.

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@ Chakosh: starting a band that needs the things you described is like starting a business. One I would assume you love and hold dear. Why would you relinquish control to a {censored}ing monster company. Why not hire your own mAnager, book your own shows et al.

 

 

Who said it's a "monster company"? Is Southern Lord a "monster company"?

 

I understand your point, sal. A band is a business, whether you want to say "I'm in it for the art" or not. If you want it to succeed, you have to have in the back of your mind all the costs and income that the band can make if you're hoping to expand your little circle of "customers." Your music is a product, like it or not. People coming to shows are purchasing your product. You may choose to give some of it away for free, or you may not. It's all in how you want to model your business. When you have the balance is when things are really good.

 

Think of it this way - I've got a 10 song disc. To help promote that disc, I'll post 3 of the songs for free. If you want the rest, you gotta buy the disc for $10. Does that make the music "worthless," or are you trying to get people to check out your music for no initial investment?

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Here are my thoughts on this:


I agree that simply giving away downloads for free isn't the best idea. I also agree that fans cherish music and take it more seriously when they purchase it. But I also know that a lot of people, even though they may like your music, won't take that extra step to pull out the credit card and make the purchase.


I honestly believe that the name-your-price model is the best one for my situation (this may not be true for others). To me it's really the best of both worlds: fans can get the music for free if they want. Therefore, more people hear it. On the other hand, people like you SAL who appreciate music and want to support the musician(s) have the opportunity to do that as well.


I was skeptical at first, so the first album I put on Bandcamp I set at $7 per download. The next album I put up I thought I would try the name-your-price thing, just to see how it would work out. I was blown away, and as I said in my previous post, I actually made double on that album than I did for the one that was $7. And I had way more downloads.


I do have one album that is completely free to download, but that's only because they are one-take live songs that I did for YouTube videos. A lot of people wanted to download them, so I obliged. But since the sound quality is below what I would want a proper album to be, I thought that was the best way to go.


Now, I might be kind of a strange case here, because I have actually never played a show as the project for which I am selling these albums. And I do have the dream/goal of eventually doing music full time. So I'm really happy with the way things are going... I'm making descent money from album sales, and I'm also maximizing the access to my music for people who can't/don't pay for whatever reason.


And the funny thing is that since I've let my music go for "free", I've also seen an increase in sales in iTunes and Amazon, which I wasn't expecting. My guess is that "word is getting out" or whatever, and people would rather get music from wherever is comfortable and not some relatively unknown place like Bandcamp.

 

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Here is the problem, as I see it...

You can buy a genuine original Picasso for about $100,000,000 (original 1951 sale price, $19,800). You can buy a nearly exact hand painted artist reproduction (a cover of sorts) of the same painting (by some no name art student) for around $300. You can buy a cheap print for about $30.

You can buy a beautiful original piece of art from a no name artist without a huge following for around $100 (for an average sized painting).

5 song EP on Itunes from the greatest band in the world (whoever that may be to you), $4.95.

5 song EP by the worlds most unlistenable and untalented unknown random {censored}ty Harmony Central member's band: $4.95.

If you are going to charge... $.10 a song would be a more realistic model for the unknowns.

I understand that some folks are adamant about being paid for their product... but they also seem equally adamant that they should be paid as much or more than a "proven" artist.

When one factors into account the amount of money the average artist sees in royalties from sales (provided they are on a label)... some folks in this thread seem to think that their time and effort is worth something like 400x what an artist who is almost assured of selling millions of copies of their album is (considering 99% of the sale price of a self released product goes directly back to the artist).

So... the worlds most beloved artist see $1 an album... but YOUR art is worth $4+ an album?

:idea:

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Here is the problem, as I see it...


You can buy a genuine original Picasso for about $100,000,000 (original 1951 sale price, $19,800). You can buy a nearly exact hand painted artist reproduction (a cover of sorts) of the same painting (by some no name art student) for around $300. You can buy a cheap print for about $30.


You can buy a beautiful original piece of art from a no name artist without a huge following for around $100 (for an average sized painting).


5 song EP on Itunes from the greatest band in the world (whoever that may be to you), $4.95.


5 song EP by the worlds most unlistenable and untalented unknown random {censored}ty Harmony Central member's band: $4.95.


If you are going to charge... $.10 a song would be a more realistic model for the unknowns.


I understand that some folks are adamant about being paid for their product... but they also seem equally adamant that they should be paid as much or more than a "proven" artist.


When one factors into account the amount of money the average artist sees in royalties from sales (provided they are on a label)... some folks in this thread seem to think that their time and effort is worth something like 400x what an artist who is almost assured of selling millions of copies of their album is (considering 99% of the sale price of a self released product goes directly back to the artist).


So... the worlds most beloved artist see $1 an album... but YOUR art is worth $4+ an album?


:idea:



That was a really good point.

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Here is the problem, as I see it...


You can buy a genuine original Picasso for about $100,000,000 (original 1951 sale price, $19,800). You can buy a nearly exact hand painted artist reproduction (a cover of sorts) of the same painting (by some no name art student) for around $300. You can buy a cheap print for about $30.


You can buy a beautiful original piece of art from a no name artist without a huge following for around $100 (for an average sized painting).


5 song EP on Itunes from the greatest band in the world (whoever that may be to you), $4.95.


5 song EP by the worlds most unlistenable and untalented unknown random {censored}ty Harmony Central member's band: $4.95.


If you are going to charge... $.10 a song would be a more realistic model for the unknowns.


I understand that some folks are adamant about being paid for their product... but they also seem equally adamant that they should be paid as much or more than a "proven" artist.


When one factors into account the amount of money the average artist sees in royalties from sales (provided they are on a label)... some folks in this thread seem to think that their time and effort is worth something like 400x what an artist who is almost assured of selling millions of copies of their album is (considering 99% of the sale price of a self released product goes directly back to the artist).


So... the worlds most beloved artist see $1 an album... but YOUR art is worth $4+ an album?


:idea:



the established artists also have a label who fronts all the costs of making the product whereas the indie band who funded it themselves does not. so really it works out in the end if you think about it. Even sales for a DIY CD can still end up in the red.

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It makes a great case to not sign a terrible contract. Read about Discord, Touch And Go, Southern Lord and any other reputable DIY label and things are much different.

 

 

Depending on the style of music you play, those labels may not be an option. There is more music out there than indie rock.

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I


You can sell, say, maybe 250 at $5/unit (if it's good)... or you could sell all 1000 for $1/unit. You make the same amount either way, but in the second scenario you have 300% more exposure for the same amount of loss.



or if it's really good you could sell all 1000 at $10 a piece :idk:

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If you really want your music to be 'art' or whatever then you should actually think of creative ways for people to hear it. Packaging, distributing and selling cd's is an old model. Internet? That whole thing is a fad and will probably be replaced by some new fancier facepad application.

 

If you really want people to perceive your work as art with some intrinsic value then you should become an artist.

 

Live in a commune, fight against the Fascists in Spain, put the lyrics to your music on Campbell's soup cans, murder someone and then write a song about it. The possibilities are endless.

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