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If you're a new/unknown artist: Trent Reznor's advice...
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| Paradox Lost |
This was something he went ahead and posted on the official nin forums (somewhere amongst all the psychotic drama that involves his presence over there), and I felt it concerned some themes and topics broad enough to warrant posting here (as opposed to the producers forum).
Something of a long read, but interesting insights nonetheless:
http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?30,767183
| quote: | (disclaimer)
This was written on a bumpy Euro-bus ride across the wilderness - may ramble a bit but I think the point gets across.
TR
I posted a message on Twitter yesterday stating I thought The Beastie Boys and TopSpin Media "got it right" regarding how to sell music in this day and age. Here's a link to their store:
illcommunication.beastieboys.com
Shortly thereafter, I got some responses from people stating the usual "yeah, if you're an established artist - what if you're just trying to get heard?" argument. In an interview I did recently this topic came up and I'll reiterate what I said here.
If you are an unknown / lesser-known artist trying to get noticed / established:
* Establish your goals. What are you trying to do / accomplish? If you are looking for mainstream super-success (think Lady GaGa, Coldplay, U2, Justin Timberlake) - your best bet in my opinion is to look at major labels and prepare to share all revenue streams / creative control / music ownership. To reach that kind of critical mass these days your need old-school marketing muscle and that only comes from major labels. Good luck with that one.
If you're forging your own path, read on.
* Forget thinking you are going to make any real money from record sales. Make your record cheaply (but great) and GIVE IT AWAY. As an artist you want as many people as possible to hear your work. Word of mouth is the only true marketing that matters.
To clarify:
Parter with a TopSpin or similar or build your own website, but what you NEED to do is this - give your music away as high-quality DRM-free MP3s. Collect people's email info in exchange (which means having the infrastructure to do so) and start building your database of potential customers. Then, offer a variety of premium packages for sale and make them limited editions / scarce goods. Base the price and amount available on what you think you can sell. Make the packages special - make them by hand, sign them, make them unique, make them something YOU would want to have as a fan. Make a premium download available that includes high-resolution versions (for sale at a reasonable price) and include the download as something immediately available with any physical purchase. Sell T-shirts. Sell buttons, posters... whatever.
Don't have a TopSpin as a partner? Use Amazon for your transactions and fulfillment.
www.amazon.com
Use TuneCore to get your music everywhere tunecore.com
Have a realistic idea of what you can expect to make from these and budget your recording appropriately.
The point is this: music IS free whether you want to believe that or not. Every piece of music you can think of is available free right now a click away. This is a fact - it sucks as the musician BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT IS (for now). So... have the public get what they want FROM YOU instead of a torrent site and garner good will in the process (plus build your database).
The Beastie Boys' site offers everything you could possibly want in the formats you would want it in - available right from them, right now. The prices they are charging are more than you should be charging - they are established and you are not. Think this through.
The database you are amassing should not be abused, but used to inform people that are interested in what you do when you have something going on - like a few shows, or a tour, or a new record, or a webcast, etc.
Have your MySpace page, but get a site outside MySpace - it's dying and reads as cheap / generic. Remove all Flash from your website. Remove all stupid intros and load-times. MAKE IT SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE AND EASY TO FIND AND HEAR MUSIC (but don't autoplay). Constantly update your site with content - pictures, blogs, whatever. Give people a reason to return to your site all the time. Put up a bulletin board and start a community. Engage your fans (with caution!) Make cheap videos. Film yourself talking. Play shows. Make interesting things. Get a Twitter account. Be interesting. Be real. Submit your music to blogs that may be interested. NEVER CHASE TRENDS. Utilize the multitude of tools available to you for very little cost of any - Flickr / YouTube / Vimeo / SoundCloud / Twitter etc.
If you don't know anything about new media or how people communicate these days, none of this will work. The role of an independent musician these days requires a mastery of first hand use of these tools. If you don't get it - find someone who does to do this for you. If you are waiting around for the phone to ring or that A & R guy to show up at your gig - good luck, you're going to be waiting a while.
Hope this helps, and I'll scour responses for intelligent comments I can respond to. TR TopSpin Media info: topspinmedia.com |
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| jupiterone |
| theres a video of him talking about this somewhere |
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| SMC |
| quote: | | Have your MySpace page, but get a site outside MySpace - it's dying and reads as cheap / generic. Remove all Flash from your website. Remove all stupid intros and load-times. MAKE IT SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE AND EASY TO FIND AND HEAR MUSIC (but don't autoplay). |
It amazes me that so many apparently don't understand this.
He speaks the truth. |
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| basilisk |
| Selling music when you're unknown is kinda daft in current market conditions. You have to get your name out there first. |
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| Mr.Mystery |
| quote: | Originally posted by SMC
It amazes me that so many apparently don't understand this.
He speaks the truth. |
I know. These days I automatically ignore anyone who only offers a My link when promoting themselves. |
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| david.michael |
I think this poses some interesting questions if you think about how these suggestions relate to dance music.
If your bread-and-butter is dance/club/festival music, the largest target demographic for you is probably DJs. They are your initial purchaser and, then, promoter.
An EDM DJ will look in different places for music than a typical music consumer (e.g. Beatport over iTunes, decks.de over Best Buy, etc.), so getting your music heard works a little differently in the dance music world. And, with electronic music being such a "DIY" culture (especially these days), I'd be willing to bet that there are a lot of DJs that will hardly give unestablished artists giving away free tracks much of a chance.
I can admit to sometimes being guilty of this myself. You find a good couple of artists or labels, and they act as an initial "quality" or "style" filter for you... providing a base for you to start your search for tunes. I try not to get stuck in this way of thinking, but it's really easy to do.
My thinking is, you almost have to sell tracks to DJs, rather than give them to them.
Thoughts? |
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| denys envy |
i think the biggest promo for any EDM producer is to have DJs that have established themselves in that particular genre play your track. if you got a deep house track being hammered by Ben Watt, Luke Fair @ every gig, it's bound to get noticed and in turn sell. (Armin & Paul in case of trance, but you get my point).
i think the recognition happens before the selling and not vice versa... unless i'm reading your (david.michael's) post wrong. |
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| david.michael |
| quote: | Originally posted by denys envy
i think the biggest promo for any EDM producer is to have DJs that have established themselves in that particular genre play your track. if you got a deep house track being hammered by Ben Watt, Luke Fair @ every gig, it's bound to get noticed and in turn sell. (Armin & Paul in case of trance, but you get my point).
i think the recognition happens before the selling and not vice versa... unless i'm reading you (david.michael's) post wrong. |
Nope, you read it right... and agreed 100%. I was just pointing out that I feel it's a little different in "our" case than a typical singer/songwriter/band. |
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| denys envy |
| quote: | Originally posted by david.michael
Nope, you read it right... and agreed 100%. I was just pointing out that I feel it's a little different in "our" case than a typical singer/songwriter/band. |
at the same time i don't think much, if any money, is made from selling tracks (beatport or otherwise). i think there's more to be made in gigs and festivals, etc. ... which is probably not that much anyway.
i guarantee, apart from the top 2% of DJs - maybe 200 or so (and even that is probably a generous estimate) - most never make a complete living off of it and do some on the side.
i think recently even Max Graham started his own part/accessories and refurbished macbook Apple Store.
so yes, it's way different in "our" case.
edit: the fun comes from being able to travel the world and play music for peeps. hear your tracks being played by other DJs in your genre, creatively collaborate with other producers. meet new people... etc. etc.
those peeps that think they can make a fortune by being a great producer and dj are completely ignorant to the facts. |
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