COUNTRY MUSIC BIZ..THE AWFUL TRUTH..PT2
Part 1 is dismal..I know. I still think that people need to absorb it to save heartache and money. It sucks but I really think that there are ways to gain exposure without radio play. Below are a few ideas and techniques that some of my friends in the music business are employing. These may seem obvious but again, if you are not trying this..you are spinning your wheels.
1.)Cut your own album
With the advent of digiboards and pro tools, it is easy these days to have studio quality sound from a basement. I suggest finding a student or new grad from a music engineering program who is dying to cut their teeth on a project for cheap. I would start by contacting the schools and asking them to work with an up and coming student for some experience. Without your own voice on a project, it is impossible to sell yourself.
2.)Website
You would be surprised how easy it is to have a website these days. You can even get a free one at officelive.com . At least have a redirect to your Myspace page or your Youtube account.
3.)Youtube
It's no secret, people LOVE to watch videos. There are a ton of folks doing music videos on youtube. If you don't have a presence then you are losing exposure. There are many cheap cameras that do a great job capturing live gigs or simply barstool singing. With a few simple editing programs (Windows Movie Maker is Cool and ships with Windows) you can add website information and transitions to a video with ease.
2.)Myspace
With myspace, you can upload and sell your own music. To do this, make sure that you are only selling original music or ASCAP will come calling with a vengence.
4.)Your own download store the YOU control
There are several PVP stores that allow you to sell your own digital content directly from YOUR servers without having iTunes involved. This means a higher commission on your end. If you like, CD Baby can handle all of the legwork for you for a fee. You can also sign up for a Kunaki account and they will create and ship CD's for you on the fly as they are ordered. They handle EVERYTHING and send you a check to your paypal account for everything that you sell. You set your own price and they take their commission. The customer pays shipping and handling. This is a pretty cool business model.
5.)Songwriters Nights
Get involved in your local music scene. Coffee houses, Karoke Contest, Songwriter Associations. You would be surprised how many music connections that you can make being involved in your own backyard.
If you are looking to solely make music to make money then you should hang it up. Happiness should be the primary reason for doing it and if that shines through hopefully profit will come with it. Good Luck and smile when you sing.
Jason
1.)Cut your own album
With the advent of digiboards and pro tools, it is easy these days to have studio quality sound from a basement. I suggest finding a student or new grad from a music engineering program who is dying to cut their teeth on a project for cheap. I would start by contacting the schools and asking them to work with an up and coming student for some experience. Without your own voice on a project, it is impossible to sell yourself.
2.)Website
You would be surprised how easy it is to have a website these days. You can even get a free one at officelive.com . At least have a redirect to your Myspace page or your Youtube account.
3.)Youtube
It's no secret, people LOVE to watch videos. There are a ton of folks doing music videos on youtube. If you don't have a presence then you are losing exposure. There are many cheap cameras that do a great job capturing live gigs or simply barstool singing. With a few simple editing programs (Windows Movie Maker is Cool and ships with Windows) you can add website information and transitions to a video with ease.
2.)Myspace
With myspace, you can upload and sell your own music. To do this, make sure that you are only selling original music or ASCAP will come calling with a vengence.
4.)Your own download store the YOU control
There are several PVP stores that allow you to sell your own digital content directly from YOUR servers without having iTunes involved. This means a higher commission on your end. If you like, CD Baby can handle all of the legwork for you for a fee. You can also sign up for a Kunaki account and they will create and ship CD's for you on the fly as they are ordered. They handle EVERYTHING and send you a check to your paypal account for everything that you sell. You set your own price and they take their commission. The customer pays shipping and handling. This is a pretty cool business model.
5.)Songwriters Nights
Get involved in your local music scene. Coffee houses, Karoke Contest, Songwriter Associations. You would be surprised how many music connections that you can make being involved in your own backyard.
If you are looking to solely make music to make money then you should hang it up. Happiness should be the primary reason for doing it and if that shines through hopefully profit will come with it. Good Luck and smile when you sing.
Jason
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