I’m So Bored Of Hearing About How Nobody Buys Music Anymore…
As a guy who’s built a substantial business around the basic claim that I can teach you how to ACTUALLY sell music, it’s a rare day in which I don’t receive at least one snarky email/blog/Facebook comment from someone claiming that my entire premise is baseless because… wait for it… NO ONE BUYS MUSIC ANYMORE!
Insert me pulling my hair out of my head in frustration…
Don’t get me wrong… As industries go, the music business is real mother f@#ker. The vast majority of musicians out there are putting their hearts and souls on the line, but struggling to even see triple digit album sales, let alone make a living. I’ve been there, and I know what that’s like.
However, if I might just call a spade a spade for a moment, I fear that there are many who protest purely because the alternative is to admit that their situation is a result of their own actions, or worse, the lack there of. For many, it would seem that having a problem is easier than having a solution. (Click to go directly to the comment section to tell me what an asshole I am for suggesting such a thing)
While I do feel the sentiment “nobody buys music anymore” is largely being thrown around as a way for many musicians to feel better about their lack of sales, there are some truths wrapped up in the claims.
It is a fact that as a whole, album sales are down. They are way down. In fact 2014 was the first year in history with ZERO platinum-certified records by the RIAA. And album sales have been in steady decline for a number of years now.
However, there is another side to these statistics…
First, while the recording industry has been on the decline, the music industry as a whole has been experiencing considerable growth in many areas.
According to Forbes.com, “While the ‘big four’ record labels have seen their revenue plummet during the last decade, the music industry more broadly—encompassing independent labels, live performances, merchandise, music lessons, and the like—did extremely well. “
Statistics from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry indicates that the “broader music industry,” has grown by billions of dollars, with live music seeing particularly dramatic growth. PWC.com predicts that between 2015 and 2019 the decline in album sales will continue to converge with the growth rate of live music revenue. The result being a total industry “growth of 0.8% compounded annual growth over the forecast period”. So while album sales may be down, revenue has not necessarily been as dramatically affected.
But the real takeaway here is not that “people don’t buy music anymore”, it’s that the way music is consumed has changed.
We used to live in a world in which music distribution channels were extremely clogged. The primary ways that music made it’s way into our lives was through radio and music videos (remember those?). The major labels spent millions of dollars fighting for those few coveted spots, and when an artist finally broke through and reached that “tipping point” of awareness, it wasn’t uncommon that millions of albums were soon sold. This failed more than it succeeded, but when it worked, it made so much money as to cover the losses of the failures and still leave many millions of dollars of profit in the record labels hands.
If we heard a song, liked it, and wanted to hear it on demand, we had to go down to the record store and buy the album. That is how main stream music was consumed. There were many things both good and bad about those times, but needless to say, those days are gone.
Digital distribution, piracy, and now streaming services have created a world in which listening to a song on demand is as simple as clicking a button on our phone. For the price of one album a month (or less), we can have access to what would have been an unthinkably vast record collection just a decade ago. I have my opinions about the negative impact on music as a craft, but like it or not, the way we consume mainstream music has changed, and there is no turning back.
But there is an important distinction to be made here…
People have always purchased mainstream music and independent music for very different reasons. In the past, mainstream music was purchased as a result of market saturation (for the reasons stated above). However, independent music was generally purchased as more of a “logical conclusion” to an interaction between artist and fan.
For example we might hang out at the local rock club because we are a fan of rock music and the associated lifestyle. We see a band that we like and notice that the band has a pretty decent following. We start going to more performances and telling our friends to do the same. Early supporters of the band would likely have personal interactions with it’s members, and truly feel as if they were a part of the bands success. In one form or another, the artist would directly ask fans to show their support by buying an album. For fans of the band, this is a no brainer; they would.
In this scenario the artist is the distributor and the sale is a result of the artist building a bond, social proof, and a certain amount of reciprocity with each new fan. More importantly, it’s a result of the band ASKING their hard-won fans for support. The connection is made on an individual level and is not the result of some broad and expensive branding strategy.
That hasn’t changed very much over the last few decades. If anything those same technological developments that have decimated the mainstream recording industry, have given independent artists more opportunities to connect with fans and sell albums.
This is evident in the fact that while major label sales continue to plummet, independent sales are on the rise. According to Billboard Magazine, 2014’s year-end Nielsen Music statistics reveal that Independent labels were 35.1% of the overall U.S. recorded music industry. This marks yet another increase in what has been a steady rise in independent album sales.
And let’s not forget about the resurgence of vinyl, which recently hit an 18 year high. Yet another sign that there is still a healthy sub-set of the market that is not only willing to spend money on albums, but which would prefer to, especially if doing so promises a richer, deeper, experience.
The point to all of this is simply to say that mainstream music sales have plummeted because the way we consume mainstream music has changed. But the way we consume independent music has not. We often get exposed to independent music differently (through the internet), but the reason’s we buy music are largely the same; because we have an authentic relationship with that artist and as a result of that relationship we are happy to show financial support when asked to by the artist.
Because of this, and because of the many new tools the internet offers, independent album sales and related revenue streams are growing, and we have no excuse for hiding behind the many doomsday headlines which state that “no one is buying music anymore”. Those statistics simply don’t apply to us.
In short: Metallica may have something to bitch about, but we (as independent musicians) do not.
Don’t get me wrong, no matter how you slice it, it’s not easy. We’ve picked an incredibly hard industry to try and thrive in. But if we fail it’s because we sell an inexpensive product in an incredibly competitive market, and because more-often-than-not we fail to create significant demand for our music. But I feel like it’s important to avoid taking part in the “music industry is dead” pity-parties that so many musicians engage in.
The days of being discovered by an A&R rep and then elevated to stardom overnight may be gone. But the opportunities to live a life as a professional musician are still all around us, as are our opportunities to sell albums.
In other news…
Remember that artist (Janiva Magness) that I did an interview with on the MMM Podcast a while back? As the marketing director for her album “Original” I helped the album debut at #5 on Billboard’s Blues Chart and climb to #1 at blues radio for much of last summer.
Well, here’s what’s going on with that…
I don’t take on many individual clients. One-on-one campaigns like that are very time consuming, and I’m not very comfortable charging independent musicians thousands of dollars for my services when I know in my heart they would be better served applying that already limited budget to something like advertising.
The main reason I do campaigns like this is because from time to time I think it’s important to apply all my “marketing theory” to the real world. In fact when I did Janiva’s campaign I didn’t charge a dime. I did everything “gratis” because I liked Janiva, the team she had in place, and because I believed in her as an artist. The only caveat was that I asked that she let me share the experience we had working on the album in a workshop or course somewhere down the line.
Well, that time has come. Over the last few months I have been taking everything that we did on that campaign and distilling it down into a step-by-step blueprint for releasing an independent album. On November 17th I will be opening the doors on a workshop called “The Record Release Formula”.
In the workshop you’ll hear from all of the major players involved with the release. That includes the minds behind production, marketing, radio, press, and management of the project; not to mention the artist herself.
My goal is to walk you through each and every step of releasing an album using a proven direct-to-fan marketing strategy, like the one we used with Janiva. I’ll be covering everything from branding to radio and press, and all of the many steps in between. You’ll also get an itemized time-line so that you have a real plan in place before you start spending time, money, and resources on the release of your album.
Much of the workshop will be taught via LIVE webinars, so that you can ask questions along the way. But everything will also be pre-recorded and hosted in a private members area for those of you who can’t make the live sessions or would like to ask questions after the fact. I’ve never done a workshop as involved as this. The workload is fairly exceptional and it’s a small miracle that it’s all actually coming together. But I’m really excited about it and wanted to give everyone a heads up.
Because so much of it will be live, it will be limited to only a certain number of participants. So if this is something you want to take part in, be sure to keep an eye on your inbox. The registration form is currently scheduled to go live on Novemeber 17th, so keep an eye on your inbox for more information.
The workshop will give you a real bird’s eye view, of a REAL WORLD campaign that ACTUALLY TURNED A PROFIT. Something you don’t hear often these days 🙂
If you have any questions about The Record Release Formula, or if you just want to tell me what a tool I am for suggesting that independent musicians still have a shot at selling music, leave a comment below 🙂
Talk soon,
John can you share a more current update how this facebook feature has been working? As it was Oct 2015 you first posted. Thanks! I really appreciate MMM and the fact that you keep updating with new stuff.
Hi Steve,
My apologies, but which feature are you referring to. I don’t believe I referenced any FB features in this particular post.
Try to clarify and I’m happy to help.
John can you share a more current update how this facebook feature has been working? As it’s been a year since you first posted. Thanks! I really appreciate MMM and the fact that you keep updating with new stuff.
Hi John,
I totally agree with you!
I am really interested in this course of yours but I am not sure that I will be able to join the live webinars. Is it worth my while? How do I enroll?
All the best, Kat.
Hi Katrin,
Thanks for your interest in the upcoming Record Release Formula workshop. No worries if you can’t make the live calls, as they will be recorded and uploaded to the members area, shortly after each call concludes.
As far as getting registered, registration doesn’t officially open until Tuesday, November 17th, at noon Pacific time. However you can get on the early-bird list ahead of the opening, at the following link:
http://www.recordreleaseformula.com/coming-soon/
Thanks again and let me know if I can ever help with anything else.
In my opinion the music industry is gasping for air because production of songs are over saturated with effects and lyrics that are not impacting the heart of their audience. Everything seems so dark about music, filthy lyrics, class-less performances, promotion of violence. If the music industry is going to come back to being prominent, we have to get back to professional production. Less auto-tune, better song arrangements and finally, we must figure out this social media move and maximize our sales.
Cheers Ken! That is, in a nutshell, why I ‘threw my hat into the ring.’ I’m in my 40s, a schooled musician and composer, songwriter, etc. I saw the sad sad shape the industry is in and I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. It sucks, bro! There is hope though, because you and me aren’t the only ones that see and feel the same way. Anytime you turn art into a “monetized product” just for the sake of the latter to increase the bottom line only, the art suffers. I realize I’m “preaching to the choir” but to letcha know, keep forging on, folks that truly love music really appreciate it and Kudos to you, sir! -Stan H.
Hi John, I noticed my two CDs are now available on YouTube.
Nobody from cdbaby asked me if that was OK. My question is why would people buy my CDs when they can hear the music for free? I really don’t know if there is any benefit to leaving it up there or taking it down. I feel very fortunate to have written a #1 hit in 1988 because it feels like the days of making money in music is over. I imagine there are new ways-guess I should’ve attended your DIY conference-Next time! Thanks 4 asking. Lois
Lois,
Hi! I’ve seen the same thing with my associates in thr UK. It seems Google has some sort of “get all content” no matter what thing goin on. They try to do it with my friend Walter Beasley but he makes them take it down because if you didn’t expressly give permission for it to go on there you have the legal right to make them take it down. Period. They play on folks’ ignorance and impatience to look for their own stuff to make them take it down. It takes time, yes but the law is on your side. Without your permission, posting your content on there is illegal as pirating. So, whatcha gonna do about it? (that’s their stance.. they don’t care about you or your content. They wanna make money off your stuff whether you like it or not and its up to you to make them stop. That’s “neo-liberal capitalism” at play. Just like all the other unethical crap corporations do today)
John, is their any part of the workshop that deals with copyright stuff, such as infringement and how to deal with such unrighteous stuff like that?
John,
I believe music takes care of it’s TRUE soldiers! So I am looking forward to your strategic or even magic ways to open up the revenue streams that are due the the above average, lifetimers and diligent mfer’s! that haven’t yet, got what is coming for there excellent work! folks that refused either by pride or ignorance, nbot to sell their publishing off at a ridiculous sum to the rip off record companies! We are sitting in hibernation waiting for folks like you, to emerge with an executable solution to our self made problems in the industry! and since they are self made, their solution too, can be self made! waiting and willing jimbo
The bad news is it is nothing but play to play at about $200 for 20 minutes of stage time in my town. The bands are barely even warmed up and they have to get off stage.
The good news is we don’t even bother with shows anymore due to the P2P climate here and our streaming income has grown quite a bit in the past few years and we don’t have to knock ourselves out playing in overpriced dives.
However our download sales are down too. But we are getting enough streams to make up for it and more
Hi John 🙂 Thanks for the email. 🙂 I read your article, then read through the comments. Lots of good stuff..the one thing I would add is to look at all the ideas presented and find which avenue/plan works best for the individual artist/band. From what I see of the folks commentimg, unless I’m wrong (which is entirely possible), I’m in a whole different musical “bag”..which means maybe some of the concepts that work for others may not work in my case. That’s alright. I believe I’ve found mine. 🙂 I do music for the love of it vs. “get big n rich” (although if it happens I’d be foolish to say no!) ..I just believe everyone has their own road to travel to find what “success” they can achieve is all. 🙂 Forge on!
-Stan H.
I will keep an eye on my inbox. Hope to make it to the webinars.
Great and inspiring article.
Thanks Jawanza!
I’ll make this short and sweet. I sell a lot of records. Digital and Hard Copies. Done
Nice.
Hi John you said in the article that:
“We’ve picked an incredibly hard industry to try and thrive in. But if we fail it’s because we sell an inexpensive product in an incredibly competitive market, and because more-often-than-not we fail to create significant demand for our music”
So in order to succeed in the music biz, is it mainly through live performances and merchansdise as the album generally an “inexpensive product”?
Also, how do you suggest creating demand for our music?
Thanks.
Sunil.
Hi Sunil,
I’m simply trying to point out that success as an indie artist is a game of generating maximum profit from a relatively small fan pool, compared to that of a mainstream artist. You can do that with an album alone, but you will make far more money if you are also performing live and introducing other profit points in your funnel. IE, box sets, continuity programs, merch, etc.
You create demand for your music by being a dynamic musician and person, and by communicating with your fans in a way that encourages engagement – and at the end of the day – is genuinely interesting and entertaining for your audience.
A very interesting blog indeed.
I can’t wait to finish working on my album so that I sign up for your marketing plan John.
Thanks Jamez.
I’m a little late to the party but here are my two cents. I agree that personal connections lead to more sales. Giving people a reason to care sells albums, in return the artist needs to care about their audience too.
I totally agree that consumption has changed too. Downloads, and CD sales are down, and will never come back, unless the internet breaks. People are streaming, which impacts the ability to cash in. Most importantly, people are overwhelmed with product! More bands, more music, more of the same.
I do believe some of your statistics can be a bit misleading.
Yes, independent labels have more of a voice, but it still doesn’t negate the fact that only the top 4-5% of artists are making all of the money. They also account for the large % live shows too.
If in fact there was such an upswing in the music industry, we’d be talking about a middle-class musician. There is no middle-class. There is not even a working class.
I have DIY artist friends who are making a living, but it is a case of multitasking the shit out of their lives to make ends meet. Neither sales, nor live shows pay for everything. Having toured in the US and Europe, I very rarely talk to musicians who can make ends meet through sales.
I believe we do need to learn how to be our own little businesses, but we need to stand together to create a true artisan class. Society still views us as hobbyists.
Hi Ryan,
I really appreciate your perspective. As someone who deals with thousands of independent musicians, and is one myself, and personally do see a lot more musicians making a living with music then I ever did 15 years ago when it was truly feast or famine, and when the only real paths were as a cover band, or to be signed by a large label. And from my perspective this is supported by the stats. That said, I do agree with your point about it being rare that album sales alone are supporting many musicians. It’s rare, even with major label artists. With MMM I teach musicians to create maximum income from a relatively small audience. That involves creating a funnel which has many profit points that often include things like box sets, house concerts, traditional live shows, etc. But from my perspective, things have never really been better for independent artists. However, they certainly have changed. Thanks again for the comment.
Thank you for confirming everything I have heard about the difficulty of making it in the music industry. It definitely strikes a chorf. I released my album in 2013 and started well. But then my album sales just stopped. I threw a lot of money into the project – gave away loads of complementary cd’s to radio stations, friends, potential agents; put my music on Radio Play; produced a musical that donated proceeds to two charities. In the end it was all costing me way too much so I made thr decision to pull down my website which took me weeks to create and stopped subscibing to Radio Air Play. I agree with what you said about live performances but even that is proving difficult so it all pretty much sucks at thIs stage especially as I have about 700 cd’s in my cupboard crying out to be sold! It wss a mistake to print so many but there’s no point in crying over spilt milk. You have given me hope though.
Hey Vikki,
Glad to hear the post has given you a bit of hope. Hang in there.
Hey John,
Thanks for sending this out. All great stuff! I’m finishing up my latest CD ‘Sunshine State of Mind’. Tracks are done waiting to see the proofs for the artwork before finalizing the order. I’m looking forward to November 17 when I can learn more about your formula for releasing a project. It seems like I lucked out…who knew that my timing would be so good? LOL.
Would love to get a shot to pitch my project for some individual attention.
Thanks George. Glad you enjoyed the post. I’ll be sending out a lot more info about Record Release Formula over the next couple of weeks. So if by chance you’re not on my mailing list, be sure to sign up. If you are, then just keep an eye on your inbox. Talk soon.
Yes it is an expensive investment. Im sure its worth it but with no way to guarantee a ROI, I just dont know. I plan on releasing a project early next year. Quick question…How long does this “step by step” campaign run???
Hi,
I’m not sure what you’re referring to exactly. Are you asking about MMM or Record Release Formula? RRF is a four week online workshop. Cheers.
Thank you very much John 🙂 Truly
We are working on great product right now 🙂
Have a beautiful evening~
Rachel 🙂
Thanks Rachel. Best of luck with the project.
John,
I am ready to learn and work smart at applying the principles of “The Record Release Formula.” My project (CD) is complete. Show me the way!!! Let’s do this!!! Let’s Go!!!
Thanks, Rick 🙂
There has never been a better time in history to be an independent artist. I have a friend who helped an artist raise over $140,000 with crowd funding then used that money to promote her videos on YouTube.
One of her songs reached #15 on the US Billboard charts largely as a result of this campaign. No part of that process would be possible 15 years ago.
It’s crazy for independent artists to be complaining about the slow decline of major labels when that side of the music industry always excluded them and intentionally made it difficult for them to break through in radio and other media.
I always enjoy reading your blogs – so much sense, plus the credibility of having ‘been there, done that’.
I’ll be interested in your Record Release Formula – we followed your previous advice and got an unknown artist to number 3 on an iTunes chart, so you don’t need to convince me that it works.
Look forward to seeing more about it.
Deb
Thanks Deb, that means a lot. Hope to see you in the IC forum again soon. You’ve been quiet 🙂
Thanks so much for noticing 🙂 I popped in there yesterday, couldn’t believe how long it had been! I enjoyed the last training session – great advice about security – see, I am still paying attention, even if I’m not posting much.
Hi John,
Spot on in so many levels.
And yes my sales suck but there’s no one to blame but myself. Daily I learn more about the BZ and implement all I can with the time available and confident it will pay off.
Anyway; I would watch! and thank you and others for all the great information and sometimes inspiration.
Rock on,
Wade
Thanks Wade. I really appreciate the support, and the time you took to read and comment. Cheers.
Thanks John, I always feel empowered after reading your posts. I’m in the middle of releasing a record in Australia and I’m very interested in your workshop, looking forward to hearing more about it ?
Thanks Trudi. That means a lot. I will have more information coming your way soon. Keep an eye on your inbox.
Weather your music is good or not so good, if you stricke a chord with people your music will sell. Learning to market your music is challenging but it’s just part of the equation. So, write music that strikes a chord with people and market it well and you sell your tunes. I hope that I can put it all together some day.
Thanks for the comment Mike. You;re right, it;s all about striking that chord, and there are a lot of different ways to do that. All the best.
John
Rather than echo the sentiments that are being expressed here already I’d like to say that I’m really excited about the workshop! I too am getting ready to do a release next year and I’d love to have a clear path to final release.
Thanks Jason. I really appreciate the interest. I’ll have a lot more info coming out over the next few weeks about Record Release Formula. Stay tuned 🙂
Agreed! Thanks for the insightful words, John.
Thanks Jason.
No one ever gives me ‘gratis’ anythin yo… cept #weed 🙂
Hey John, Thanks for this. I hear all my friends telling me nobody buys music and your right, it is a lame excuse for their own non successful stories.
I will be taking your online release course. thanks.
Thanks Harley. I really appreciate the support!
Hi, John.
“Frustrated” would describe the look on your face (in the photo), much better than “bored”..:-). I’d say singers/bands still have opportunities, performing live, their songs playing on radio, TV & films. As Ethan said “putting the right effort into it” (which includes sound quality, will help push the music. If not CD sales, radio, TV and possibly even movie soundtracks.
Raymond
You are a TOOL….of Success!
Joe Solo
Producer
Yes John, you ARE a tool…. a tool of SUCCESS. People who pass this opportunity up are either afraid, think they know better than someone who’s already been through the process of releasing independent records with profitable results, or just plain not willing to invest in their own music career (go figure.)
Keep up the great work!
Joe Solo
Producer
Thanks Joe!
Hi John,
I remember a math teacher, back in 7th grade, on the first day of class….he said two things I recall to this day, more than 25 years later:
1 – Statistics can and often do lie, always dig deeper for the truth…
2 – If you can’t add, DON’T subtract!
Thanks for adding, it’s awesome stuff!
Love your post, and will be sure to follow this new record release class.
Cheers!
Dan
“If you can’t add, DON’T subtract!” – I dig that. Thanks Dan.
John, you are NOT a fool at all.
You are pretty spot-on with what’s going on with the mainstream music world (major record companies) and the independent/non-mainstream music world. You did your research very well!
It is time for artists (both major and independent) to grow up and learn to deal with the reality of things and to take action responsibly! That is, get into the nitty gritty of online music marketing with the available tools for us to use in many different ways.
We can not rely on such unrealities we make; we can not be pessimistic over the changes of the music industry itself. No matter what we see it, the music industry is NOT dying. It is changing in various ways due to new different methods of consumption and how new different marketing strategies are applied accordingly without doing the old way of the majors (major record companies).
I think you should let that person know straight-to-the-point with seriousness by means of the statistics directly from the websites (Forbes, PWC, Billboard, etcetera) provide him or her with links to see what’s REALLY happening. And, for some calculative reasons, if that person does not want to accept the stone-cold hard core truths about the changes of the music industry and the real methods of consumption of today, he or she is SERIOUSLY missing out the reality of things.
I truly feel you, John. But, you should never let individuals and their pessimistic sniding comments go to your head. You should continue focus on those who truly support you, just like music fans truly support their favorite artists. It is either they’re in it for a ride or they’re out of it. There is NOTHING else in between.
By the way, I really enjoy your blog post; it is truly empowering! 😉
Please keep up the good work no matter what other people think or say about you and your views.
Oh did I just said “can not” a couple of times?
I actually mean to say “cannot”! 😉
Thanks Ozem. Much appreciated.
John, thanks for the insights. I was a teenager in the ’60’s playing music and dreaming of someday, somehow being “discovered” and signed by a record company. You have shown that the communications technology available today has made getting your music heard by and accessible to potential fans is easier than ever (getting it “sold”, as always, is a function of what you create!). It seems like there’s more real opportunity for the independent artists, who now have the best chance yet to get their music “out there” to a potential audience one-on-one without having to pay out most of their earnings to dozens of “record people” who don’t care a damn about you or your work (or worse – who pretend to care). Thanks for your insights into the world of direct music marketing. Looking forward to news about the workshop.
Thanks Philip. I appreciate you taking the time to check out the post and comment. I really appreciate the support.
Great stuff. I bought 4 albums last night. Pete Anderson, Birds above Guitarland, John Hammond, Timeless, John Haitt, Terms of my Surrender and Little Village (for about the 3rd time!).
Keep the great info coming.
Breck
There you go Breck! Can’t argue with that 🙂
Thanks for checking out the post!
Well, since I’m releasing an album digitally this week, and physical CDs later in November, this one speaks to me.
A lot depends on your audience. Given the music I create – piano/keyboard based, this one lot’s of Christmas music – my audience will skew older.
These are the people who WILL buy CDs because it’s far more convenient than trying to load up their iPads/phones/whatever – and to find something SPECIFIC on the streaming services is too much bother [there’s too much work to get done!]
BTW – music has NEVER been easy. Look at the Bach boys, or Beethoven, or even Copeland. Even the today’s “top dogs” will tell you the same thing – it ain’t easy.
But it sure can be fun!
Thanks Tom. Good point about it never having been easy. If it wasn’t for a couple of rich friends (aka Patrons), we never would have heard of those guys either 🙂
Yeah so not to steal a quote or anything but “There are many who protest purely because the alternative is to admit that their situation is a result of their own actions, or worse, the lack there of. For many, it would seem that having a problem is easier than having a solution.” YUP! Nail on the head. Now quit your bitchin and get to work lazy asses! (myself included) My music is nothing too great and I’ve sold hundreds of CD’s. If I took a little time and put a little effort into it I could probably sell thousands, not because my music is anything great but because IF YOU PUT THE RIGHT EFFORT INTO MARKETING YOUR MUSIC IT WILL SELL IF IT IS ANYTHING EVEN SEMI-DECENT or hell, even if it is garbage. Lots of garbage sells. Just think what I could have accomplished while typing this…but I was busy bitching…
What a jerk! Lol, I love this email, really encouraging stuff here, Thanks John.
P.S. great photo
Thanks for reading Michael 🙂
Hi John, great post.
Well, I do think that people buy LESS music than before, but they still do. It’s not a matter about price (anyone can spend a buck on a song they like) it’s just that for someone to take that step and spend money on music, I think they need to CARE about the artist. There must be a connection. I’m struggling with that all the time.
I’ll be honest: I’ve sold twelve copies of my last EP, released last July. http://lound.bandcamp.com/album/life-is-today
The Record Release Formula sounds awesome… and expensive?
Cheers!
Thanks Esli. You’re right it;s really about that connection. Being a personality, which can be conveyed in blog posts and videos, is now one of the many hats that independent artists need to wear, for good or for bad.
Record Release Formula is going to be a very involved workshop that spans four weeks, and has a lot of live components. So it will be more expensive than my usual products. Access to the workshop will be $497. I’m also considering offering a payment plan, but I’m still working out the details.
Thanks again for the comment, and for the support.
RIGHT ON THE MONEY JOHN. BANDS THINK THE RECORD LABEL IS GOING TO COME TO THEM, WHICH IS NOT THE CASE. THIS INDUSTRY IS NOT 30 YEARS AGO. (WHICH PEOPLE THINK IT IS.) IT REQUIRES A LOT OF HARD WORK, DRIVE, AND MARKETING SKILLS TO GO ANYWHERE IN THIS INDUSTRY. IF YOU ARE LAZY, THEN KEEP PLAYING YOUR LOCAL BAR SCENE.
Thanks Jeremy.
gonzalo, no te lo vas a creer, pero a mà no me habÃa dado por relacionar las obras hasta que no he leÃdo tu comentario. gracias!y a ti, avartist, mira que no gustarte una máscara de gas de dior! desde luego… yo estoy pasando una etapa de interés en el tema de la muerte (desde un punto de vista artÃstico) y me temo que mañana estoy invitado a otra exposición muy re3#niocada&a82l0; intentaré controlarme en las entradas todo lo posible (pero no prometo nada porque ya tengo varias pensadas!). bueno, prometo que no habrá más diamantes…un saludo a los dos,
Yes John! Couldn’t agree more. Your success is determined by the actions you take, not the excuses you try to come up with!
Circumstances are not under our control and they’ll keep on changing, all we can do is to put in consistent action.
Well said Patrick! Thanks for checking out the post.