experiences with selling your music

[guysmy]

does anyone have advice about selling original music (at shows or online). what have your experiences been like? if you care to disclose, how much volume do you sell per month?

 

i'm past the preproduction stage and have been doing studio work with some great session players. hopefully the record will be out around christmas. at this point i'm leaning towards selling the cds myself via shows and bigcartel (cool online store tool). if i get decent sales i'll be looking at using tunecore to get on itunes as well.

 

my music is here if this helps:

http://www.myspace.com/mannequinsbreathe

 

cheers

[Booya Tribe]

I think it depends on the band. If a band's existence relies more around live performance, then selling CDs and vinyl at shows is going to be the best route to go.

 

I don't have much relevant to say about volume, because when I was in a band playing shows and selling recordings, it was before the iPod explosion had totally hit. We would sell probably 5 to 25 recordings and other merch items per night on a tour or show, usually with 3 to 10 different things to chose from.

 

If possible, I think it is best to have as many options of things to sell at shows (or otherwise) as possible, even if it is a single or EP or band member's solo stuff, etc. in addition to a full length (not to mention t-shirts and other merch). This way someone who really likes your music can buy more than one thing, and someone who already has one can buy another... I think it would be worth it to pay a little more per unit for smaller runs of several items than to pay less per unit of just one.

 

Also, if I was playing in an independent live-based band now, I would try to keep my media physical and more exclusive to shows if I wanted to make more money off of it. It is just too easy to find MP3s of almost anything now, and when you make it available in that format, you only speed up the process. You are also more likely to sell things if people know they have to get it at the show. If they can buy it online, there is more between their money and you

 

If you are not a live-based act, then I don't know what to say really, because the only experience I have in that area is providing soundtracks for films and videos, and you license your music per song in that case, which is a whole different situation from selling albums.

[danosongs]

I only sell cds at shows even though they are available on CDBaby - selling them online is really just something to talk about. A CD should be one income stream and is almost more of a promotional item then an big income source for me. Of course, some indie bands are very successful at it, so go for it!

[ZERO HEROES]

Online is pretty much pointless unless you have a following.

[thunderpuppy]

 

Online is pretty much pointless unless you have a following.

 

 

dunno about that...

 

Being able to be found and purchased by someone who didn't have the money or means on the night of the show is fairly important. Sellers like CDBaby.com do a good job of offering online sales to smaller acts, so the next day/next week people (went to the show, wanted to buy, but didn't or couldn't) can pick up the disc from the website on the free sticker they grabbed, or from the mailinglist they signed up for.

 

Internet sales aren't going to be a big financial boon for anyone until they have a following, but availability is more than just sales: it puts music into the hands of people who couldn't otherwise get it from you.

[ZERO HEROES]

 

dunno about that... Being able to be found and purchased by someone who didn't have the money or means on the night of the show is fairly important. Sellers like CDBaby.com do a good job of offering online sales to smaller acts, so the next day/next week people (went to the show, wanted to buy, but didn't or couldn't) can pick up the disc from the website on the free sticker they grabbed, or from the mailinglist they signed up for. Internet sales aren't going to be a big financial boon for anyone until they have a following, but availability is more than just sales: it puts music into the hands of people who couldn't otherwise get it from you.

 

 

 

 

 

As I said, unless you have a following. Focus on the word following ;-). I'm being serious. Unless people know about you, go to your show or pick up interest in your band... you have nothing and selling online is pointless until you do.

 

guysmy... you should start now doing shows and get heard. Get a following so that when the CD is released, you have people buying it.

[Booya Tribe]

I think if you could hypothetically only chose one (internet or physical) - for the live band, physical is better. If a person has to wait until they get home to buy something, they are much less likely to buy it vs. an impulse buy at a show.

 

Agreed though that having things available online can't hurt as long as the overhead isn't too high (which with things like tunecore, it seems affordable for anyone with any following whatsoever).

 

However, the amount of being discovered by other people when your music is strictly online is going to be minimal. There are just too many people with their music out there - too much to chose from. You are just a drop in the ocean unless you are getting yourself out there.