I was reading an interview with Music business owner Terry McBride who runs Nettwerk Group talked about downloading, music business on the internet, and big business running record labels. Terry is all about business and how he can prosper in the coming decades. He deals with mainly big name artists.
Well, I don't care about downloading because it will continue regardless. I get a good laugh out of some labels actually taking regular citizens to court and literally fining them huge amounts of money.
No balls man! That's cowardice!
The labels should have realized they can't stop it and to figure out street ways of selling music instead of worrying about money that doesn't come in from the internet.
First of all I hope that music is sold through conventional means, meaning stores and at club gigs and concerts. The real experience of music will be lost if all music ends up on servers and totally sold through the internet.
As well, big companies becoming record labels scares the shit out of me. Just the name of a record label being General Motors Records? or Bank Of America Records? come on! I think major labels are gullible enough to take a huge check from huge companies to change the name of their record company.
But labels will have to keep on pumping out music,products and services customers want.
More musicians will start their own labels and have to sell at gigs and press conferences and fan events.Forget record stores or selling online.Most don't have a big enough following to make it worth it to
sell their wares online.
Musicians can have a website and offer their tracks online for free, and have interviews online and interviews they do with other bands to create interest. Help other musicians, and interview successful bands in your genre, or ones who are successful and fly under the radar of major labels and media.
Think differently. Don't sell online. Only do it if you have boatloads of traffic online.
Terry also talked about having causes you believe in be a way of marketing. Like Diseases that decimate people. But don't just have people give money to cancer, blood disorders, physically challenged organizations and such.
Giving money doesn't do shit! Actually taking that money and helping an individual or a family shows to fans you care. And I hope you do.This will help a lot more than money just disappearing into a cause's coffers.
All this can help people, generate CD sales and more people at your gigs.
Musicians Saving Money:
Interview recording studio owners, musicians who have a home studio, and promote their biz on your site or at your gigs. This may help get you free or reduced studio time. Or buy a cheap Tascam cassette tape 4 track and do a bottom feeder CD.
Or crowd source as Terry Mcbride says. Terry says to remix into dance tracks. I say you could collaborate with a hip hop or rap singer and stay true to your genre, and have an element of your music that's part of what today's music fans want.
That may also get more fans out of your blues or rock. Its up to you. But Terry is right, you have to make money to stay in the music business. Even on your site, if you have one you could sell advertising that acts as part of your content, could make you extra money. As long as it looks like part of your site and not just blatant selling.
So there are lots of ways to make money and be creative as a musician. Lets hope the major labels and the big guns on the internet don't screw it up for everybody else. There are a few golden nuggets you can use to help your music business.
Email me with your results guys.
Peace and success to all musicians
Mark G
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