It sort of reminds me of all those E books I have bought over the last year in reference to the new age of music and marketing a digital product, generally telling me what I already know, and being just vague enough to make me wonder where it's all headed to, and about those entrepreneurial aspects everyone keeps talking about without really saying exactly what they are, and even if they get into that subject, what they talk about isn't anything new or astounding.

I have learned to save my money, and quit wasting time reading E books that tell me what I can find online all by myself if I just take the time to do some research, read a few articles.

The one thing I have learned is No one knows for sure what the answers are about doing business in this time of turmoil within the music industry, there is no set pattern for immediate success. So called experts point to the success of a few individuals and what they feel they did that helped them achieve it, what they fail to point out is depending on your particular circumstances, factors like money, knowledge, ability, and genre, the same approach may not be right for you, and the fact that for every group or person that managed to find some success their are at the very least a hundred thousand other very talented people that are wandering aimlessly around the internet still looking for answers.

I have spent the past two years, trying to learn how to use the internet for marketing and promoting my songs. So far, after many different approaches, I have learned a few concrete things.

Keep in mind that success is different things to different people, some search for fortune, some desire fame, others just want to make a living making the music they love, and get a little recognition for the fruits of their labors. I fall into
the last category.

What have I learned that seems to be a constant?

First the more things change the more they remain the same.

You still have to get out and play.Touring is essential to building a fan base, and it is one of the few ways you will actually make any real money today, either through paying gigs, or the sales of CD's and merchandise.

Secondly, there is no one single thing that will propel you onto the world wide market. The labels had a small army, armed with $500,000, to get the job done. They knew the massive effort it took to launch an artist. Most of us have neither a small army, or the half million. The alternative is a plan that includes many streams of influence. Like touring, getting involved in social networking sites, and I am not talking about the big 3 (Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube). What I am talking about is the hundreds of sites that will allow you to upload your music for free, and offer it for sale to their members (they don't produce much in the way of sales, but the exposure to an additional 10,000 people cant hurt), learning to write a good press release and how to get it to the media that makes a difference, building a website that draws your fan base and helps you to market your music, blogging, becoming active in RSS feeds, learning how to get your music to the leading digital distribution sites, such as itunes, rhapsody, amazon, and all the others.Creating linkable banners for your fans to post on their websites and social networks, and if possible paid advertisement on relevant websites, and maybe most important of all is building an email list of 4 or 5 hundred Dj's that will accept an Mp3 file, or are willing to download an EP, and are willing to play it on the air. All while you continue to write your music, and practice for your concerts. A lot to do isn't it?

Which leads me to the next reality.

The stand alone "Do it yourself" Artist, can not do it all by themselves. There are just too many hats to wear, even if one person had the expertise, and the ability to do all those things well, he could work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and not be able to keep up with it. All those things mentioned above take constant maintenance, and most have to done on an on going basis.

The last reality is there is no substitute for money. In order to do most of the things in promotion, you need software, you need to be able to pay people to do the things you don't have the expertise , or the time to do. Without a little working capital your dead in the water.

So here we are in the new age, and the factors that were important in the old business model are just as important today, promotion, an organized work force, and money. Like I said, funny how the more things change the more they remain the same.

I was at a meeting recently where the speaker pointed out, if you could find a 1000 hard core fans, that were willing to spend just a $100 a year buying your CD's, and other merchandise, you could make $100,000 a year, that's no shabby income, relatively simple right? The problem seems to be if you can find those 1000 fans, you still have the expenses it took to get them, and by the time you subtract those, a $100,000 isn't what it used to be. : )

it's still about finding a niche, investing a lot of time and money, being in it for the long run, and persistence.

That's just my experience and I thought I would share what it has cost me a lot of money to learn.


http://www.billydarnell.com

http://www.songwriterservices.biz