| A year ago, I wrote a passionate article on the | | | | right? |
| merits of charging $15 when you sell your CDs. Some | | | | Well, we've followed the footsteps of many of the |
| of my reasonings included: It's tough for indie | | | | top artists and have about 40-50 tracks available on |
| musicians and you have a good music, so don't | | | | our site and more are coming every week. In doing |
| short-change yourself; you can always discount the | | | | so, we make a solid $20 a day from our site. |
| CD for special reasons (2-for-1 special); and, the | | | | Now with each listen, the songs are tracked on on |
| "high" sales prices also includes your various expenses. | | | | their music charts. You sell a CD, the songs on that |
| I made a few addendums, but that's the gist of it. | | | | CD will rocket up the charts. So you want the CDs |
| But now, if you head over to and check out the | | | | to sell, because higher charting equals higher payback. |
| Brobdingnagian Bards page at MP3.com, you'll notice | | | | Thus, our low price on |
| something kinda hypocritical...none of our CDs are | | | | Now think for a second. If you have 40 songs on |
| priced at $15! What gives?? | | | | your site like the Hillbilly Hellcats, you're most likely |
| Well first let me say, yes, I do still believe in a $15.00 | | | | going to make your 15 unique listens because your |
| sales price for many artists. Certainly, it works best | | | | songs are located all over the charts. There are |
| for folk artists, and singer/songwriter types. But my | | | | plenty of songs to choose from. Thus the new |
| reason is not hypocrisy it is a dramatic change in our | | | | marketing model no longer relies on CD sales of |
| marketing plan. | | | | $15.00, but listens. When you realize that you open |
| You see, when we started out, I knew that the only | | | | yourself up to a whole slew of, in my opinion, simple |
| "real" income available to indie musicians comes from | | | | marketing tactics that will make you more money |
| CD sales and merchandising since royalties from | | | | from listens than selling CDs from your website. |
| ASCAP and BMI are a joke. So our plan was to | | | | I know this all seems simplistic, but the vast reality is |
| record every 6 months or less and put out new | | | | most artists on are still running their band with an |
| material. By then end of last summer the indie | | | | older marketing model that does not yield the highest |
| process was leaving us drained, and we were thinking | | | | payback. So think about that for a bit, and next |
| we overextended. Then along comes | | | | week, I have a guest writer who will give you an |
| One of the things I've been raving about for the | | | | exciting promotional idea that could send your listens |
| past few months is that offers a new marketing | | | | over the top. Then the week following that, I'm |
| model by offering "royalties" for listens to your music. | | | | going to betray my secret that has my song |
| And if you're getting paid from people listening to | | | | "Tolkien" at #35 on all .. |
| your music. Then it needs to be readily available | | | | Stay tuned. Same bard time. Same bard channel! |
