Looks like a few outdoor gigs are popping up. Maybe I'll actually sell a few CD's. Whoopee!
Thinking about creating a musical empire. Trying to consider the marketing approach beyond gigging and selling CD's at the gig.
Many Topics Web Page FaceBook Instagram YouTube Patreon/VenMo/Tip Jars SoundCloud Amazon CD Baby. etc
It looks like it would be easy to get quite a few irons in the fire, spend a fair amount of time and $$$ and end up with a bunch of hot pokers... metaphorically anyway.
Wondering if there are any folks out there willing to share music marketing roadmaps they have found successful in the marketing area. I guess things people have found not successful would also be useful
I would like to put together a marketing playbook I can work for the next year or so as we return to live music.
An incremental approach is what I'm after. Anyone willing to share a little to keep me from touching the stove too many times, I thank you in advance. Will be happy to publish plan and report back on progress if any interest on forum.
Admin: if this belongs off topic, please move as necessary. thanks.
biab2024(Mac) Latest Build Mac OS Sequoia 15.0.1 Apple M2 pro 32GB Ram Logic Pro 11
CD Baby did very well for me for years, but they no longer (as of January 2020) sell CDs. They did however keep their accounting business, and keep track of royalties for you.
For a retail CD storefront, I moved to Bandcamp. You can see mine on mattfinley.com
I consider YouTube the biggest problem out there, as they will make their own free versions of your songs.
Facebook does nothing for sales for me, but it's great for publicizing concerts.
BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors
FWIW some of our music that we found on YouTube was actually put there saying CDBaby was the source, which was a little disappointing. However, we also found out that it led to sales in Russia that we would never have gotten. Always a caveat. That said, all they got on Youtube was mp4 files, not the full CD product. Apparently it enticed some to actually pony up and buy the product.
My first question for you would be, if you plan to sell CDs can I assume you're working with original songs? Or are these covers?
Our biggest boost in sales and attendance came from radio and social media (and having a few thousand strong email list). But we were marketing originals, hence the above question.
Getting your stuff played on a radio station that serves your target audience was huge for us, and we learned a few tricks to it, but I've posted those here before.
Not knowing your target demographic, or target market makes it a little harder to offer advice. We also made 'almost' as much $$ off T-shirts as CDs at shows. For an extra CD sales boost at shows, offering a signing session for any CDs bought at the show sometimes helped too. Seemed silly to us at first (who would want my autograph), but it did increase the sales so we kept doing it for a while <grin>.
Our latest CD, which we've yet to market, has a typo on the back of it .. in our minds we will correct that, making this a first run collector issue <grin>. If you buy this one it proves you were in early. Be creative; figure out how to turn everything into a sale!
Last edited by rharv; 04/20/2110:34 AM.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
There is a ton of misinformation out there about CD Baby and its relation to YouTube, especially where copyrights are involved. Nearly all of it is from CD Baby account holders who do not understand what goes on because they have never read—and therefore do not understand—the User Agreements. This often leads to, among other things, people having their own songs taken down because of something they did.
Weird? Yes. Avoidable? Absolutely. You have to do the work: read and understand what you're doing. Using CD Baby as an example: Start with their EUA (end user agreements) and read them—if you don't understand something, ask for clarification.
The music business is a business. Unfortunately, there are no easy pathways to success. Internet threads are terrible places to get good advice—unless you know enough about a subject to ask pointed questions. How else will you know if you are getting good advice?
This is one area where Knowledge is Power. Ignorance is grief. Talent can only go so far. Hard work involves getting an education on the business itself.
I just said it was a little disappointing .. as you mentioned, you need to read everything and then consider their position. I didn't fight it, or even suggest I should. Certainly didn't mean any misinformation, just saying Youtube had/has use of our content and the source was CDBaby. Guess we're kinda saying the same thing.
/Matt mentioned Youtube being a problem, I was just pointing out it may have been self-inflicted. Yet it still nudged sales for us! //Still, was disappointing to me to discover that without notice
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
My longtime band last performed in 2019. For 2020, we planned one final hurrah with a few dates to say goodbye to our fans.
I was looking at custom USB sticks and had been re-mastering, unearthing never released live performances etc. Although I have been compiling and mastering CD box sets, no way I was going to do that for us—way too expensive for the number of sets I expect to sell. The quarantine happened just before I was to put down a deposit on the merch. Dodged that bullet, sadly. A couple of us are getting too old for this and it’s quite possible that 2019 was it.
I prefer to get the full CD product. I prefer to have the full CD
As a consumer, most understandable.
Content creators need to justify the costs, however. In my earlier post, I explained why new CDs for my old band are out of the question. I didn't mention that I have a CD printer and can make new copies of the old ones for a few bucks apiece—and I do when an order comes in. But new ones? box set? Ain't gonna happen unless it's on someone else's dime.
To quote Mick & Keith:
You can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want But if you try sometimes, well, you just might find You get what you need.
I prefer to get the full CD product. I prefer to have the full CD
I prefer to the have a CD as well, as a consumer.
As Mike said, as the person creating and marketing the music, it's different. I can't justify the expense & hassle of having CDs made for the handful of people who might want them - I make them myself as I go. The industry has transitioned (unfortunately) into the streaming world and probably isn't coming back to physical product (at least in the sense of it being the primary unit of sale).
Maybe I should really be a rebel and release my next album on 8-track tape.
I prefer to get the full CD product. I prefer to have the full CD
You and a tiny handful of other people! Everyone I know under 60 gave up CDs years ago. They don't even have a CD player. Most PCs don't even come standard with a CD player. Gaming consoles are starting to drop CD/DYD drives.
For sales of your music at gigs you would have better luck with usb/thumb drives or maybe even a download card. Something to physically hand them that costs less than $2 each (usb drive) or next to nothing for cards.
From my experience, engaging with other users and actively promoting your tracks on social media can really make a difference. I've noticed that posting new tracks during peak times, like evenings or weekends, tends to attract more listeners. Also, using relevant tags and descriptions helps improve visibility in searches. As for paid promotions, I haven't delved into that yet, but I've heard mixed feedback. If you're looking to give your tracks an initial boost, I've come across https://growmyprofile.com/free-soundcloud-plays/ which seems promising.
Generate Lyrics for your Band-in-a-Box songs with LyricLab!
Need some lyrics to complete your Band-in-a-Box song? LyricLab is here to help!
LyricLab (by Joanne Cooper) is an AI-powered tool designed to quickly create lyrics and chords to fit your music. Just enter a rough idea of your lyrics, and let the AI bring them to life. Once you're happy with the results, simply import the LyricLab file into Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or newer. From there, you can pick your style and generate melodies to match your song’s chords!
Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!
Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK & 7, Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, und mehr!
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6 & 7, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, et bien plus encore!
New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!
With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!
Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!
Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!
Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!
In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!
Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!
Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!
In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!
Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean