Lefsetz has a gloriously cynical look at this week’s sales. Pay close attention to what he says about the effects of an $18.98 list price, and the fact that publicity does not equal sales. Also note that a Guns &…
Category
Selling CDs
Does my pre-order entitle me to bittorrent a CD? Five Tips for Effective Record Releases
Jason Calacanis opens up a great question for debate. If you pre-order a CD, does your support of an artist entitle you to grab it via bittorrent? If you’re a working musician, this question offers an opportunity to serve your…
SellaBand: Fans Pay for Your Recording Sessions
Over the last few years, I’ve been talking to clients and members about how to get a core group of your fans to fund your recording sessions by selling pre-order copies and letting folks purchase “executive producer” credits on discs.…
Pressing & Distribution: My Favorite Kind of Record Deal
In Grow Your Band’s Audience and Music Management for the Rest of Us, I write about how the best kind of record deal you can land is a “P&D.” That stands for pressing and distribution, and it means you, the…
Keeping Independent Record Stores Alive
Putting the gloom and doom of the Tower Records post behind us, there are still opportunities for indie record stores to stay alive and stake a claim for relevance in their customers’ lives. To survive, a good record store should:…
Three Vital Things to Know Before You Can Succeed in the Music Business
We have a lot of new readers rolling through the site this week, so I thought I’d sum up my philosophy on how to make money making music. I just typed out a quick note to one of the members…
Record labels halt shipments to Tower Records
I think a tipping point for my love of music was the first time I visited the Piccadilly Circus store of Tower Records in 1992. Up until then, my record retail experience was limited to the awful chain stores around…
Piracy vs. Obscurity
Tim Lee’s got an awesome post about eMusic and its lack of DRM. I’m used to folks’ jaws dropping when I tell them at seminars that they should not worry at all about people ripping off their albums. And, in…
Sales Drive Radio Airplay, Not Vice Versa
Yes, back when guys like Cousin Brucie and Dick Clark could open a mic and cause a Sam Goody stampede, radio (and TV) could dictate what records flew off store shelves. Not today. Focus groups and sales forecasts determine what…
CD Baby updates
Thousands of artists use CD Baby’s digitial distribution program to get their music into iTunes, Rhapsody and other digital stores. Today, CD Baby posted a streamlined version of their DD agreement. Among the changes are: improved readability, ringtones and an…
5 Questions with Michael Tarlowe of Virt Records
Michael Tarlowe started his independent label Virt Records in 2001 with a tight focus on the Triple-A and performing songwriter markets. Virt’s modest roster includes critically acclaimed artists Vienna Teng, Shane Nicholson and Brenda Weiler. New releases from husband-wife duo…
American Idol no guarantee of marketplace success
Here’s a report that American Idol finalists typically have poor record sales and that labels are hesitant to offer contracts to former AI contestants. Of course, “poor record sales” can mean different things to different people: Second-season singer, third-place finisher…