I think it makes sense for the major labels because they've proven that they have no idea what
the word "efficiency" means.  They have cost over cost on producing these things and their
"shotgun" approach to distribution and marketing costs them dearly as well.  I sincerely think
that the majors don't hire anyone to see how they could do things more effectively and or
reduce overhead.  A smart and savvy smaller label can do limited runs as efficiently as possible
if they know who they are selling their product to and their distribution is the post office.

On live shows:
I thought the live show would be the key in my act because you can't copy the magic of that
live artist/fan connection, but what I'm finding is that people aren't bothering to come to a show
that hasn't already been certified "good" by whatever they consider their authoritative source.

Even when I make an impression on a new audience, word doesn't seem to spread, or people
have some other activity they have to do the next time I come to their town and can hear my
mp3's online (I guess?)  So I only get part of my last audience, or a new audience on my return
show.  It's like I have to meet each fan individually like I'm running for political office or something.

One point I was pondering the other day about the music industry "before" was that there was a
"hunger" (and thus demand) to find new music or to see a band live.  It seems like that "hunger"
has been sated and now we're dealing with a crowd that can get any music they want at anytime and
that spends so much time with gadgetry that the "pull" needed to drag them out to a venue has
increased exponentially.

Back to the CD point:
I wonder if the cable TV industry has gone through something like this though because they never had
a physical "thing" to sell; just their programming that you got by paying the cable company to run it
to your house.  The subscriber sort of paid for "all of it" even if they never watched Discovery Channel,
Discovery Channel still got paid.

Marc Miner said:

well, i used to buy about 60 cds a year... even when iTunes showed up i thought... "gee, i wanna hold that thing in my hand and enjoy pressing the play button, that digital stuff really sucks!"

this year is almost over and i bought i think 2 cds... now i mostly listen to the new and old songs on streaming-platforms like simfy (kind of a spotify thing), last.fm and so on... sometimes i feel bad about that and sometimes i miss the extra info that you can get out from a booklet...

but than again some of my friends have teenage kids and some of them have never held a cd in their hands... they know that there's such a thing, but they just can laugh about it... so welcome to the future!

from a consumer point of view that streaming models are a great thing, but than again, I'd also would love to make a full time job from my music, but it looks like there are no big chances to pay the rent just from "streaming" - maybe the "streaming royalties" will go up, but I see that on the horizon... . I guess even with a perfectly tailored online-music-marketing in some years it will be hard for musicians to make a living.

So, any thoughts on that? What if nobody feels the "need" to sign up to our mailing list, just because they can get the "free song" on their favorit streaming platform? why should they buy a cd or a download-bundle (which needs space on your hard drive)  - even with a phantastic one time offer? what can a musician offer that brings in the production costs of an "album" (or even one track) that is "free for all - anytime and anywhere" (somewhere in the "cloud") AND can make a substantial PLUS! Live shows? Posters? Videos (actually there are some platforms that offer the "official" videos just because of user generated uploads as we know)? Or should I sell my sweaty shirt after a show?  😉

I know that this posting sounds very negative but I just would love to hear some of your comments on the fact, that our kids won't spend a single cent on music itself. I'm sure that the next lady gaga will make her money with clothings, perfumes and stuff like that and they will use music to promote that stuff in a more sophisticated way... but what can we indie-artist offer that will attract those fans that can get all the stuff we offer for free somewhere on the net? are we doomed to be shoe designers just to get our music out there? 😉 Or does John have a MMM 3.0 in his drawer? 😀 I realy hope you do! We don't need it right now... but man we will... we really will! 😉

love to hear from you!

 

have a nice day!

Hey Marc,

Great question and a very realistic one in the face of what appears to be bleak news about the music industry. The answer is that you have to offer something that your particular audience can't get anywhere else.

Don't think of it as a 'one time off'. Think of it as 'you'.

You have something unique to offer, there is nobody else like you on the face of the planet and believe it or not - people will be drawn to you and your music.

If all you do is offer the exact same thing as what the online streaming companies are offering - you are going to be in for a tougher fight - agreed. However, I was listening to Bob Baker interview Pomplamoose band and they mentioned that they get mail where fans are asking the band where to buy their music so that the band gets paid the most. In this case, the band kindly directs them to their ejunkie account and pockets probably 30 or 40% more.

What does that tell you?

Pomplamoose are doing something right - they're building up a relationship with their fans to the point where the fans are going out of their way to pay more because they want their artists to be able to earn money and continue making more of the music they love.

This is a band that doesn't even sell CDs and has only performed a handful of times live.

Seth Godin pointed out a few years back that people won't buy "CDs", but they'll gladly pay for "Souvenirs" of performances that they've identified with (a.k.a. CDs) same thing, just a different way of framing it. None of it works if you aren't making music that people enjoy and that people knows it in fact exists.

The artist today needs to be creative, not only with their music but with their marketing. They also have to give a damn about their audience and believe that their music deserves to be heard - otherwise they will blend in and become a commodity lost in obscurity.

Whoa, that's heavy...

There you go John! I have been checking out some music websites  of what I consider some sucessful musicians lately, and one common thread seems to be that they are selling much more that just a CD, or a download. They are selling themselves, an image and a lifestyle, to go along with the music. They are creating and nurturing something that their fans want to be a part of and help support. I don't know personally any one from Collective Soul, but I like their music, and I have one CD by them. But if a friend of mine joined the band, I would have much more of an interest, would probably buy more CD's, attend shows, and maybe even donate some cash, especially if they were still an indie band trying to establish themselves. I think that is where the secret lies now, make your fans more like a musical family, and make them want to take care of you!

I heard an interesting statistic the other day from Tony VanDeen, the CEO of Disc Makers. I think the figure he mentioned was 63% of all cd sales currently are made by people over 30, and that is a segment of the market that the major labels pretty much completly ignore. Supposedly the bulk of these sales is coming from indie musicians! Since he is in the CD duplication biz, his figures may be a bit slanted, but I still find it interesting!