Jump to content

Why is cdbaby not more popular?


Recommended Posts

  • Members

 

Originally posted by Gregg Hall

The riaa is doomed because of the internet! The internet allows any artist to instantly be heard! They have lost control!

 

 

I agree. Unless they change their business model in some new direction their days could be limited.

 

It is interesting to watch and forecast possibilities. I think what is going on can open the door for more little companies and unknown bands to flourish.

 

The money right now appears to be in concerts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

CD Baby is already popular, and already sells digital downloads. http://cdbaby.net/ They also have some national acts using it.

 

And $4 per is a pretty good deal when the set up your website, track your sales, send you email notices when you sell one and to whom, etc. All you have to do is fill out their form, pay a 35 dollar set-up fee, and they do everything else. My other hard copy distibutors take that much and do far less. I'm not getting rich, but I've made a couple hundred dollars in the last few months without even trying.

 

The main reason they aren't as popular as say myspace or purevolume is thay don't allow interactive webpages and this "put me up as a friend and I'll put you up" stuff.

 

As far as the riaa goes, it's a double edged sword. Yes, they are restrictive and protective of their turf, but see what happens when YOUR music starts being stolen and you can't get paid for it. When musicians lose the abiltiy to be paid for their work, it will entirely be produced by hobbyists and amatures. Pretty much is already. I don't know what the answer is. Sites like CD Baby that allow self-produced guys like us to be heard are great, but at the same time by allowing anyone and everyone to make CDs, it virtually insures that only a handful of people are going to make any real money at it, which is really no different that the way the RIAA system works in it's outcome.

 

I disagree that the money is in concerts. No one but the top-grossing acts are making any money . ( http://www.wjla.com/headlines/0705/241250.html) It costs the same for a lesser known act to go down the road as it does for a big name , but ticket sales are down for live shows. If you can't crack a certain nut every night on a concert tour, you're going to lose money. Some tours operate on such a tight budget that one bad night can put them at the break even point, two can break them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Take down the RIAA???? Uhh, No.

 

CD Baby is great for what it is. There are two types of consumers active and passive. To reach the passive consumer (the majority of the marketplace) you must use massive ($$$) marketing campaigns. The active consumer is someone who is specifically looking for a particular band or genre of music that is not in the mainstream. You don't need massive marketing to develop interest. It's also a smaller number of people who are that passionate about searching for and choosing their music.

 

CD Baby serves the active consumer. The person who shops at Best Buy or downloads from iTunes probably doesn't go to the CD Baby website to simply browse for music. The people who do go there and buy CD's were driven there from some other source that provided awareness of a specific artist. CD Baby doesn't have the funding to to effectively market CD titles the way Best Buy does for example. Nor would it be a wise business model. CD Baby works as a portal for indie artists who lack the funding to effectively market to the passive consumer. It is sustained by the fees artists pay to set up an account. According to their website, they have sold roughly 2.5 million units total since it's inception. Just the top 32 biggest selling releases in 2005 account for 24x the number of units CD Baby has sold...ever.

 

The total number of CD titles released in the US in 2005 is a whopping 60,331 according to Soundscan data. Of those 60,331 titles 11,070 (18.4%) were from the 4 majors and 49,261 (81.6%) from independents. The major label releases issued in 2005 averaged 18,454 units per release, while the 49,261 new releases issued by independents averaged 787 units per release. This number encompasses any title which qualified for a soundscan database record. That means that 18% of the titles account for the vast majority of the sales volume.

 

Big business is the way it is for a reason. The RIAA is a well funded lobby for advancing their interests. CD Baby or any other indie business model does not have the juice to compete with Titans like Sony/BMG, UMG, etc. That is reality. Does the average consumer care? No, they really don't.

 

Can you argue that major label practices stifle creativity? No you can't, particularly when 81% of the product "available" to the consumer is developed and commercialized outside their grasp. Can you argue that they have an unfair advantage to market their products? Maybe, but that's capitalism. Business is war.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

They're pretty popular with me, since two projects I produced are selling there. (Here's the shameless promotion)

 

http://cdbaby.com/cd/carolynmartin

http://cdbaby.com/cd/jeffskorik

 

Admittedly, I don't shop on CD baby as often as I should, but that's mostly because the computer I'm typing on right now has no speakers attached - kinda makes it hard to audition material :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Can you argue that major label practices stifle creativity? No you can't, particularly when 81% of the product "available" to the consumer is developed and commercialized outside their grasp.

 

You believe most of those artists have total creative control?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Originally posted by Dave Martin

They're pretty popular with me, since two projects I produced are selling there. (Here's the shameless promotion)


http://cdbaby.com/cd/carolynmartin

http://cdbaby.com/cd/jeffskorik


Admittedly, I don't shop on CD baby as often as I should, but that's mostly because the computer I'm typing on right now has no speakers attached - kinda makes it hard to audition material
:)

 

You have good song titles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by Gregg Hall

Can you argue that major label practices stifle creativity? No you can't, particularly when 81% of the product "available" to the consumer is developed and commercialized outside their grasp.


You believe most of those artists have total creative control?

 

 

The 81% of product I'm referring to are indie titles. I think its fair to say that most of those titles are self produced, so yes, the artists do have control.

 

The only way to legally demonstrate a monopoly is to show that the consumer is hurt because their choices are unfairly limited. You can't prove that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by gtrbass



The 81% of product I'm referring to are indie titles. I think its fair to say that most of those titles are self produced, so yes, the artists do have control.


The only way to legally demonstrate a monopoly is to show that the consumer is hurt because their choices are unfairly limited. You can't prove that.

 

 

I agree. I'm an indie on an indie label, and I had total control of song selection, recording, mixing, artwork, distibution, and so on. Most indies have varying degrees of control over most of those things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by gtrbass



The 81% of product I'm referring to are indie titles. I think its fair to say that most of those titles are self produced, so yes, the artists do have control.


The only way to legally demonstrate a monopoly is to show that the consumer is hurt because their choices are unfairly limited. You can't prove that.

 

 

Do you think most indie labels have no interest signing artists on cdbaby? Or would some artists who sell on cd baby rather sell alone without the indie? The RIAA owns or controls most indie labels correct?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by Gregg Hall



Do you think most indie labels have no interest signing artists on cdbaby? Or would some artists who sell on cd baby rather sell alone without the indie? The RIAA owns or controls most indie labels correct?

 

 

Indie labels would certainly sign artists who sell their stuff on CD baby, if they would sign the artist at all ( not all artists are interesting to a record label). And the RIAA does NOT control or own most indie labels, or anything else - they are essentially a trade/lobbying group. Record labels pay to be members of RIAA.

 

This is from the RIAA website:

"The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members' creative and financial vitality. Its members are the record companies that comprise the most vibrant national music industry in the world. RIAA members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States.

 

In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect intellectual property rights worldwide and the First Amendment rights of artists; conduct consumer industry and technical research; and monitor and review - - state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The RIAA also certifies Gold®, Platinum®, Multi-Platinum™, and Diamond® sales awards, and recently launched Los Premios De Oro y Platino™, a new award celebrating Latin music sales."

 

The RIAA is for record labels what the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) is for music stores.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

So, if digital distribution makes it easy to rip things off, makes it easy to pay for only one or two songs off an album, and dillutes the marketplace because every basement wanker can release their stuff as easily as a popular group, is it in fact true that groups make more of their money through gigging these days? It kind of makes one yearn for the good old days when people actually had to go to a store and buy your album if they liked your music. :( In fact, if I wasn't a basement wanker (which I am), and was actually a popular group, it would really make me yearn for the good old days.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Seems to me that there are two types of musicians now.

 

"Basement wankers" who for better or worse call their own shots.

 

Acts signed to legit labels where the labels make most of the money.

 

I don't know which one is the best choice. I do know that nobody, and I mean nobody, is making the money that they used to. Why? Because there are a million and one people in the market trying to compete for the consumer's attention.

 

In the live scene it gives the talent buyers yet another excuse to pay less up front guarantees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

So is CD baby the best place to market your music online? Stuff like myspace and soundclick just allow people to listen for free while CD baby at least charges a few for music.

 

I think artists that are serious should only put small clips of audio from their songs, instead of the whole song. Then people will get interested or not and possibly want to hear the rest and pursue finding more out about the music. This is where CD baby would be important, actually charging for to hear the whole peice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by stikygum

So is CD baby the best place to market your music online? Stuff like myspace and soundclick just allow people to listen for free while CD baby at least charges a few for music.


I think artists that are serious should only put small clips of audio from their songs, instead of the whole song. Then people will get interested or not and possibly want to hear the rest and pursue finding more out about the music. This is where CD baby would be important, actually charging for to hear the whole peice.

 

 

Good advice!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Originally posted by stikygum



I think artists that are serious should only put small clips of audio from their songs, instead of the whole song. Then people will get interested or not and possibly want to hear the rest and pursue finding more out about the music. This is where CD baby would be important, actually charging for to hear the whole peice.

 

 

That's certainly one way to look at it, and a valid one. But for me, I'd rather have someone have two or three of my complete songs on their ipods and then want to buy the CD than by just offering them snippets. I put whole songs up on Downlaod.com, available for free download, and when I did, I started selling a lot more CDs on cdbaby. Your mileage may vary!

 

Incidentally, I have bought a few CDs from bands whose songs I have downloaded online.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • Members

 

Originally posted by stikygum

So is CD baby the best place to market your music online? Stuff like myspace and soundclick just allow people to listen for free while CD baby at least charges a few for music.


I think artists that are serious should only put small clips of audio from their songs, instead of the whole song. Then people will get interested or not and possibly want to hear the rest and pursue finding more out about the music. This is where CD baby would be important, actually charging for to hear the whole peice.

 

 

I don't think very many people would buy a $10-$15 CD on the basis of a few low-quality 30-second streamed clips. Why risk losing buyers for the sake of a few seconds? It's not like you're giving away the whole album, and the people who would prefer to have the low-quality streams are the same people who back in the days of yore would be happy with a cassette copy or a few songs taped off the radio. Let them hear a few of the whole songs, and decide whether they want to buy the entire CD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Many are also forgetting that CD baby can do digital distribution. They will submit your music to all sorts of digital outlets and charge 9% per download. You can have your albums sold on all major outlets like iTunes, Yahoo Music, MSN music, Rhapsody, Walmart...etc... I think they are great.

 

here's my cdbaby link :p

 

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/noellachoi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...