Your Music Website

Let's have a look of your situation then... maybe you are a great singer or you have a small band or even your own label. You have big ideas but only a tiny budget. Your father doesn't own a record company and your mother isn't a Hollywood actress so your network is confined to the local press writers and groupies.

Maybe you already have your own CD's and have made a few sales but you can't seem to find the time for promotion. The gigs you play bring in a little money but things don't seem to be getting anywhere. So how to progress?

One very realistic option is to exploit the potential of the internet. Of course, the internet has often been cited as the answer to everything, but in this case, it really can provide impressive results. And this is the key: it's a cheap and it's quick.

The music industry is changing, has changed. We are in serious transition now. The discontent amongst music buyers has created a gap which the internet can adequately fill.

The internet music market is real. A survey by Georgia Tech found 41% of all internet users have purchased music from the web. Forrester predicted a market volume of $76 million USD for digital music downloads in 2003, rising to $541 million USD in 2005 and continuing to reach $2 billion USD in 2007.

The statistics suggest there is a genuine market for legal, modestly priced music.

The internet is a perfect platform for marketing your music. Promotions, press releases and
positioning are cheaper here than in the real world. Your audience is already here. The web
(along with sites like pitchforkmedia) has become the first point of reference for music news and as we all know, it is a popular resource for downloading music.

The internet's function as a communication medium gives you a direct line to your listeners, peers and even your critics. Email is the perfect mechanism for keeping in touch with fanclubs and sending newsletters and it's cheap.

That doesn't mean if you start a music website today and get busy selling music downloads online that you'll be able to give up the day job immediately! However, the internet can provide a lot of things you need to promote yourself as a musical artist.

This is what a music website could do for you:

1. Provide news to your fans when your latest CD is ready, read it here!

2. List gigs or concert dates (and any changes)

3. Sell your songs as music downloads to fans all over the world

4. Provide press information

5. Publish interviews, photos and biographies

6. Provide a communication center for dialogue with fans and other bands

7. Act as a "calling card" for getting new bookings or attracting the attention of major labels, getting contracts for incidental music etc.

A website can represent your music in multimedia much better than print or radio, and it is much cheaper than TV. And you can sell your songs as music downloads anywhere in the world! Consider the comparatively low start up costs (for example, the 1-2-3 Music Store script lets you set up a complete "shop" and costs only $168 for a label license and only $68 for an individual or band).

Music downloads are emerging as a serious alternative to the CD. In an age where most modern
kids burn their own CDs, it makes sense to adjust your strategy accordingly. Selling songs as moderately priced downloads means you have no production costs. It means you don't need a record deal and you are free to do what you want with your music. Package a CD cover along with the songs and your fans can burn the CDs themselves.

Buying music downloads is potentially a more satisfying buying experience than traditional music shops. It provides instant satisfaction for consumers when they discover, download and play your songs immediately.

The internet is an amazingly flexible format. Theoretically, you could record a live show, encode and upload it later that evening so that the entire show would be available for sale the next day. Fans would love to have this as a reminder of a great concert. Better than a T-shirt!

Seriously consider setting up your own music website and selling your music online. A music website is often the first port of call for people - fans, label managers and A&R to check you out. It makes good sense for you, as an unsigned artist to have one.

Digital Music Distribution Tips

The main goal of an independent musician is getting the music out there. There is nothing more lethal to an artist of any sort than obscurity. It does not matter if you are the best thing to happen to music since Wolfgang Amadeus, Beethoven or Jimi Hendrix if there is nobody out there listening to you. Fortunately, the Internet has made it a lot easier for independent musicians. It is entirely possible for an indie musician to not only get their music heard, but to actually make a living from it, something that artists like Jonathan Coulton have proved. But in order to do so, you have to get your music distributed.

This is where you hit the downside of the Internet. Because it has made everything so much easier, you now have to work even harder to get your voice heard above the crowd, since everybody and their brother thinks they have got the new sound that will rock the world. You can rise above the crowd. All it takes is some canny marketing and making the best use of your time and energy. Every musician has an audience, you just have to go out there and find it

First and foremost, you need to remember that all the people out there downloading music are not your enemy. They are, in fact, your potential audience and, if you use the download sites correctly, your best friend. This is one of the most efficient ways of getting your music distributed.

So the very first thing you should do is to make sure that your music gets on the download sites and social media networks such as Facebook and MySpace. You then need to make sure your music is available on paid download sites, of which iTunes is the big one. This way, if people like your music and want to get more of it, it will be easy for them to do so.

The next step should be to try and get your music available on Internet radio services like Spotify. Again, this will not make you much, if any, money but it will get your music out there. Likewise, put up some performance videos on YouTube and then link to your other online sites so viewers can buy your music.

All of this should be done in conjunction with aggressive offline tactics including distribution of CDs and download cards at your gigs and through your website. The best way to take advantage of CD sales is to make sure that you are offering them something that they cannot easily get in digital form. Consider adding bonus live versions of songs or maybe some nifty stickers with the CD.

Personally, I always carry fours stock-standard articles that I carry with me as a matter of course. The first is an XLR Male Jack 3 Pin Plug for Microphone Cable. Even though vocalists have the least to maintain as far as equipment, they are predominantly 'ordinary when it comes to actually doing it. These XLR connectors are suitable for audio connections and for connecting microphones and other recording equipment. Features: Brand new and high quality Nickel housing and nickel contacts signed Die-cast assembly with rubber insulation Offering improved protection and shielding suitable for audio connections and connecting microphones and other recording equipment Package Include: 1 x 3 Pin microphone cable plug.

The other 'minor' thing that I carry is a 3.5mm Stereo Jack Plug to 2 RCA Phono Socket. This connects the speaker output of your PC to an amp/HiFi system. Also can be used to connect the headphone socket of MP3 players. Features: Brand new and high quality Gold plated to cut down on interference and enhance the sound Left and right stereo phono sockets Connectors: 2 x RCA plugs to a 3.5mm stereo jack plug Suitable for audio connections and connecting microphones and other recording equipment Package Include: 1 x 3.5mm stereo jack plug. Both of these products are inexpensive but can (and will) save you from more than one embarrassing evening.

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Music Promotion

Every musician starts off as an independent artist whether they care to admit this or not. Unless they have a truckload of cash behind them, independent musicians have had very limited control over the release of their material and any balanced financial playing field.

Keen to have their music made available to the widest possible audience they 'climb aboard' the major distributors without giving much thought to alternative options.

Before we knew it & without realising it, independent musicians were (& still are) giving away of unfathomable amounts of music at the request of various parties who would profit from this. As if this wasn't enough, the very same musicians were (& again, still are) having to pay outrageous amounts to have their music distributed.

To go even one step further, the independent artist has virtually NO say in the way their material is promoted. Why is this? Because an independent artist won't make the large corporations money. You pay your subscription & your latest work virtually vanishes.

When the internet began, the floodgates were open to all and sundry as people have access to so much music and are willing to pay through the teeth for it in droves. Music marketing became so 'in your face' and one-sided that it made me feel ill. It still does.Seeing the same names, images and song titles at every turn has, to a large extent, numbed people to it all.

As you read on you will slowly piece together your very own formula to making your music a more than viable financial commodity.

You have all the equipment, you have the ability, so name me one thing that can stop you? Nothing.

Many independent musicians, particularly newcomers, feel that they're not up to the challenge. Perhaps it's because they don't feel that their singing voice is so good or that they could be better on a particular instrument. Okay, let's say they're right! Bet you haven't heard that before.

Let's say you're singing voice doesn't have a wide range. It doesn't HAVE to. Find the range that suits your voice & stick to it. THAT is you brand. You're not as competent as you'd like to be on a particular instrument. Okay, play what you are comfortable with & what sounds good....that is your brand. Get the picture? If you apply this philosophy to your music in general you will soon find people commenting that they 'recognise' your music. Take this as a HUGE compliment.

The thought of having your music listened to by all & sundry has been known to overwhelm some musicians, sometimes to the point of inaction. Whilst this is a perfectly normal & understandable response, it is at EXACTLY this time when your best work can come to the fore. It's such a basic mindset that you'll kick yourself when I tell you. ALL that you read on the internet is how daunting it is. With no-one saying otherwise, why should you think any different?

• They don't WANT you to be confident from the outset! What various organisations want is a pliable & submissive musician. A musician who will pay for upgrades on their site when they are 'kindly offered.' If a musician appears to be confident enough in themselves to go it alone, they are of no use to the organisation.

• Sick of being told how better you 'could' sound? When you first enter the realm of online music, even the most competent musicians can be somewhat awestruck by what's on offer. I know I was. The key element here is the "what's on offer" part. There are CD duplication services, cover design services, CD cases, mastering services, new software, songwriting competitions, song competitions and so forth. ALL of these items, which are plugged as being necessary come at grossly overinflated prices & with the exception of mastering services, NOT ONE of them improve your music. The only thing that will improve your music is YOU. Whether it be in the form of a new set of guitar strings, singing lessons, being more patient at the mixing desk.

• Do your thing! Be ever vigilant not to fall into the trap of being over critical of your work. By doing this, you are falling into the traps laid by the online music organisations who want to make money from you & WANT you to think that you need their paid services. When you're in the studio or wherever it is you record always bare in mind that this is YOUR domain. If you make a mistake (& you WILL make countless), you are the only one to know. You now have the ULTIMATE OPPORTUNITY to experiment & be creative, discovering sounds, combinations & techniques that you never thought possible.

• THIS IS ALL FREE!!! I haven't told you anything in this chapter that you isn't already taking place with regard to the relaxed intimacy & creative freedom involved in the creation of music for online distribution. Stage-fright doesn't exist in the studio. Neither does cost. Of the online music sites that you have dealt with, how many have said what I have just said WITHOUT mentioning the cost that THEY seek from you time after time?

• You don't need them! With careful & ENJOYABLE planning at YOUR OWN PACE it is possible to create a highly marketable online presence with your music. I deliberately capitalised 'ENJOYABLE' & 'YOUR OWN PACE' as you rarely see these words on the pages of major sites. They tend to focus on 'buy now' & 'hard work,' etc. I don't care what anyone says, but NOTHING has to be 'bought now,' in fact this book will show you that nothing has to be bought AT ALL. If you are ever feeling that creating & promoting your music is 'hard work,' you can take a break at ANY TIME. The big-guns don't tell you that either. It's no crime to take a break, in fact I think it's an art-form in itself knowing WHEN to. It's natural that you will be keen to 'socialise' when you first enter the online music industry....& you should. It is important, however, to bare in mind that you are only going to get BUSIER. Make the most of this time. It is an EXCELLENT opportunity to set your own benchmark.

• Create your own stamp. They say first impressions go along way. This is never more true than in the online music industry. Generally speaking the first image, song & bio. line of an artist will remain with you for years. Following on from this mail will soon be coming & going between you & fellow musicians. This initial flurry of activity WILL stay with you for many years. The impression that you leave on THEM as a newcomer will last likewise.

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