Give Your Music Away for Free?

Here’s an interesting post at the Music Think Tank about giving away all of your music for free. While on the surface this seems like an insult to artists everywhere, the point is that most artists (me included), stress out over selling a few dollars worth of CDs, and that the reward of actually making a few bucks here and there isn’t worth the mental energy.

Some bands will hit the magical ride to popularity, but for the rest of us, most music just won’t be bought. This is my experience. With my first EP, I ended up just giving them away because I had no use for boxes of them in the basement.

Here’s the lovely conclusion: “…you’re almost more likely to get a blowjob after a gig than sell an MP3.” Which is clearly evident from one of ZRock’s recent episodes. Give it a read and check out the massive discussion in the comments.

You just might find yourself liberated…

Down the Rabbit Hole

The web seems host to an unending world of content, and each day I’m discovering more and more great resources for musicians. Articles on just about anything related to music marketing. Dialogue is happening on all levels, from high up at the corporate and start-up biz side, down to the nuts and bolts of engaging with one listener at a time.

Here are some sites I’ve come across that seem to be part of the solution:

Music Business 101

Bob Baker’s Music Promotion Blog

Music Marketing dot com

Music Think Tank

New Music Strategies


Unsprung Media

The Lefsetz Letter

Derek Siver’s Blog (Founder of CD Baby)

Indie HQ