Selling Music (Part 1)

If you are reading this right now, you are a part of a very small community that checks into my thoughts and goings on from time to time. Thanks for that. It ebbs and flows. I have had as many as 600-700 in a week, and as few as 300. Generally, I think it is probably the same people that make up the 400 hundred on my email list. I also assume that the majority of you own something I have produced. I have no way of knowing, I am just guessing.

I have been reading and have been challenged a lot lately about what "business" model or delivery method would be best used to sell my music. I don't have a big fan base, but ultimately it is my sales that let's me produce more and different music, something I love doing. My expensive hobby. A hobby that is a micro business and palatable for my family because it basically pays for itself. Although it is a hobby, in a way, it is also a life's passion, so I am constantly trying to figure out ways to make it less of a stress and make the producing and releasing side financially easier, and I guess in the end cheaper for my "clients" and maybe even more profitable for me.

I have outfitted myself with "a studio" in my basement, and the first release from that is my current Christmas single. It represents an electronic production (e.g. no real instruments, except some guitar) and also an electronic release (download only). I have sold some, and I am very happy with the quality. I consider it good quality independent material that lets the song and the singer show. What more can I do.

My next release is more ambitious and will be a full CD with live production (all instruments live, drums, bass, piano, guitar if any etc.) It will also be released both digitally and in CD format.

I think it is both a liberating and hard time to be a musician right now. On the one hand, I have the ability to create some very interesting and high quality material from my own studio. On the other hand, selling music has become more difficult because price points are so compressed, and the duplication of music is uncontrollable. Ah well. All you can do is try to be open, creative and hope that you will be able to create some income from the art that you create so you can keep doing more and better.