Taking 3 factors out of the traditional music business model....

Having a great composition is the beginning.  The rest could simply be put into 4 extra steps that a singer-songwriter must follow in order to get their composition and performance out of their tape deck, or laptop.  The traditional music business model called for:  Production, Promotion, Pressing, and Distribution.

Thanks to the world of instant communication and the world wide web, aggregate distributors such as CD Baby, Ingrooves, Tunecore, etc. are making it really affordable to distribute one’s art form.  The basic differences here in the world of distribution are financially in nature.  Some distributors charge up front, while others do not.  Some let you hold all of the royalties earned, while other take a cut.  However, keeping all things equal in this respect, the outcome is pretty much comparable depending on the songwriter’s situation. 

That summary took care of the distribution side of things.  So, iTunes here we go!  Now, the production could be done inexpensively by purchasing a DAW and using a dedicated piece of equipment such a as a laptop or PC (Mac vs. PC is a different question).  The rest of the equation mentioned in the beginning still leaves us with the duplication of the product or the “pressing” of it.  Digitally, this done automatically by your distributor.  If one wishes to sell through for example, CD Baby, physical copies of the product, then it is just a matter of increasing the budget a bit, but nothing that will break your pocket.

So, what about the last part of the 4 part system?  The “Promotion” of everything is still the most expensive part of developing a successful product in the end.  It is advisable then, that one’s budget go toward promotional services.  The promotion should take on a life of its own.   Although there is a lot one could do such as:  performances, independent promotion, PR company engagement, etc.  The fact is that this could turn out expensive.  Therefore, before one spends all of the resources in hiring a great local studio and engineer to go with it, one must make some executive decisions as far as how will it all get to the ear and eye of public.   

Here is a great company to follow and dive into when optimizing your music marketing:

The True Indie way of Selling your Music!!!

POS or "point of sale" is a term that has been coined in the retail business for ages.  How about transferring that same concept to the music business?  Even better:  How about transferring the same concept to the music business as a songwriter/artist?!!!

Well, the wheels have been (and are) in motion.  Everything meets at that "POS" for a band or artist.  Selling your musical product in one way or another is the ONLY thing that will produce income.  Without a sale, there is no $$$.  How do you get to this level? 

The 2 main ways to go about it:

1.  Buying yourself into the industry of independent distribution...this has become the most popular way in which an artist can obtain notoriety and great distribution service worldwide.  Some of the organizations that will actually do this for a pretty affordable fee are: CD Baby, and Tune Core.  The latter charges continuously instead of a one time fee.

2.  The second way (and most exciting in my opinion) is the true indie manner to go about the POS regarding your music.  Sites such as Bandcamp.com have taken the concept of personal branding and have expanded it via their platform.  Unlike option 1 above, where a fan would purchase the distributed music from iTunes or Amazon, or your own band's website...Bandcamp.com has made the process easier.  They will take care of all of your personal marketing by letting you name your price, keep the revenue, promote, and share.  A great concept to building a fan-base without the high costs.

The downside to Bandcamp?  They are not a distributor affiliated to all of the platforms where you want to be.

The upside to Bandcamp?  Fans are streaming to their site by the millions, therefore a fertile ground!!! And by selling directly to fans, there are no distribution costs, and you truly control your POS (point of sale).

By the way, you could actually run option 1 and 2 side by side.  Just make sure you do not have conflicting pricing for your fans.

Have fun promoting your ARTISTIC CREATIONS...

Additionally...get a glimpse on one of the leading band website platforms in the video above...

CD Baby...use ti for physical distribution...1st post

CD Baby is in my opinion one of the best places for independent musicians to start distributing their physical product (CD's, Vinyls, etc).  Any retailer on earth could order YOUR music  in order to sell it on the shelves. 

If you are interested in distributing physical product at retail start with CD Baby in order to build your virtual warehouse.  It is really anything but virtual.  But it is virtual in the way that you do not see it, nor does it take space in your garage or band practice room.

They do take a piece of the sale...in other words...their piece comes at the time that the record store purchases your product for resale...but you name the price, the discount rate, etc, etc, etc...

You truly hold the deal together!  Click on the link above and go through their options.  They have the most  affordable way to keep your cost down and reach the world at the same time.  Did somebody say "legwork"?  Yeah!  That's the next logical step!