Did that get your attention? OK, so after almost 5 years in the making and many, MANY thousands of dollars spent on my latest CD "Aurea" (like the subtle link there?), with a handful of those K's from very kind and generous people who believe in and support me (thank you!!!), it's become painfully evident that it's hard as fuck (and that's a very hard substance, right up there with diamond, rhenium diboride and carbon nanotubes) to get people to actually buy my music. I'm tweeting, tribing, facebooking, youtubing, myspacing, iMixing, offering CDs for sale at my gigs, handing out business cards with the Aurea logo to inquisitive strangers, even velcroing them to passing animals, and it's resulting in just a handful of sales and a wristful of carpal tunnel issues! Double-you tee eff. I sincerely enjoy connecting with friends and fans on social networking sites... I'm not doing it only to sell records... but it would be nice if more of them would support the artist they're joking with, arguing with, showering with praise or reprimands. It's all good... just show me some love so I can put groceries on the table!The music business is changed forever, and I can honestly say I have no idea how to convince someone that it's worth spending $15 (or less) for a valuable, rich, emotionally engaging and rewarding musical experience that can potentially grow and unfold subtler layers with repeated listening. Without an extra $20,000 to spend on a publicist, I can only really count on word-of-mouth. And then the word-of-mouthee still has to make the leap of faith and click the button, and not just wait for their friend to burn them a copy or email them a neatly packaged, gift-wrapped zip folder. People these days want something for nothing - the Paris Hilton phenomenon. They'll pay $4.50 for a grande nonfat soy mochaccino latte that comes out in the toilet 2 hours later, but can't see spending a few dollars more to own some great music that will last a lifetime.
Geoff, the music business IS changed forever (read Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age by Steve Knopper) but that doesn't mean there aren't marketing opportunities out there waiting for you. You have to think outside the box which might indeed include velcro! (very clever, you are)
ReplyDeleteGeoff, I feel your pain. . .I've spent thousands making and promoting my CDs and I even set up a fancy website with downloads, etc. Result? A few sales and not one damn download! To be fair, I have done very well with CDBABY (most sales to Japan) and itunes, although it helped getting a couple of my songs on a tv show popular with teens--it opens jazz up to a whole different demographic, as they tend to download entire imixes without any thought. But it's definitely been a money pit lately. . .man, if someone of your caliber is having these problems too, there's not much hope for the rest of us!
ReplyDeleteSometimes people have the mindset of, "I'll burn a copy and then listen to it. If i like it, I'll buy it." But, then what happens is they don't really listen to it like they would if they owned it, and then they never buy it. I think buying the music allows you to invest yourself in it more than if you just receive it. The purchase is more than just a means to get music; it can be a symbol of my desire to invest myself in it and take it seriously. After all, you own the CD if you make a decision with your money to pay for it. Otherwise, I'd just kinda have it around on my desk somewhere next to that Pizza Hut coupon some guy handed me on the street...
ReplyDeleteMaybe if I did a deal with Pizza Hut? Buy a pizza, get my CD attached to the little plastic "pizza stand" thing in the middle of the box?
ReplyDeleteYou mean this idea is just NOW occurring to you? I just assumed you tried but the deal was on hold until their Peruvian-style pizza concept had come to fruition...
ReplyDeleteGeoff, just put in my two cents of love. The shipping to Japan cost two cups of latte, but I'd rather own the CD than just files that may someday disappear with my hard disk crash. Looking forward to your new creation!
ReplyDeleteGeoff,
ReplyDeleteA mutual friend of ours turned me on to your blog after we were talking about artist development, (i.e. how to go from obscurity to ubiquity, etc...), and I mentioned that the industry of selling recorded music is forever changed. Since I've been promoting concerts over the last 25 years, I've seen the recorded product go from vinyl to cd to digital, and the extinction of the business that used to work with the physical product.
If you don't already read him, I'd like to turn you, and all your friends on to my friend Bob Lefset'z letter to keep abreast with developments and analysis of the recorded music biz. Bob served years as a manager, and lately he speaks at just about every music industry assembly there is, as the gadfly of the recorded music industry.
Be forewarned, there is strong language -but I've seen four letter words here too:
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
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If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
It does look like your touring is cool. Sw