JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Industry Message Forum Why post to cdbaby.com, mp3.com etc?

Who posts their music to cdbaby, mp3 or other music sites? Why? Do folks in the music bussines really cruise these areas in search of new talent? (I don't think so) Has anyone made $100.00 or more from sales at such sites? Just curious, really want to hear some opinions on this. Thanks,
Robert

No, I doubt that industry pros go through mp3.com looking for talent. But it's a great convenience-- you can post mp3s there if you don't have your own website, or use it if you have limits on how much data you can put there. Mp3s are large files and can eat up a 5MB limit pretty quick.

You've probably seen others on this site who use it to refer someone to where they can hear their music, to get an idea of style, etc.,.. it's actually very useful if you want to refer someone to a specific song of yours.

And yes, there are artists there who have accumulated quite a bit of money through payback earnings.

CDBaby isn't an mp3 site, though. It's a great site to market and sell your CDs, and I've bought a few of them there. For $35 you can set up your own page and sell your discs. They take care of stocking, shipping and payment for you.

Thanks Shandy,
I appreciate your taking time for me. I guess as a place to store mp3 files it might make sense. Maybe I'll have to think on it some more. Later,
Robert

hey robert

I've learned your name at this point!

my reasons:
I use the sites because I don't have space for all those mp3 files on my website.
My website was 10MB, 9 MB for just 10 second or less soundbites and 1 MB for text. Then the archives came along and why have more than a few soundbites, they can listen to the song, as RA or mp3. Not only that, a sound bite ends, while the whole song might entrance them to listen to the whole thing. I made my website partially as an online promo package so I want the mp3's there rather than ship people CDs, or at least, only when they are serious enough to be setting things up, same with a radio programmer, they can hear my music before i send a CD to them, so I send them by request. I don't make them to send away to people who aren't going to listen to them or use them. And on the other hand, if i want to contact fairs or radio shows, I send them an e-mail with my website link, much more cost effective than the postal route.

The music can also illustrate the rest of the site, for people interested in any of the info there, and I can focus the homesite on that info. The beauty of the internet is that by linking, my homesite can extend far beyond itself. At the same time, the outside archive sites may funnel people back to the homesite where I can provide way more info than the srchive pages give room for.

As with CDbaby, (I use other sites) I don't have to sell CDs from my site, I have links to other sites that sell my CDs.

And you know, I've sold very little over the internet, and must admit I haven't tried.

I made the site more to help me with my touring/performing...both as a service to my fans (they can see me at a fair, take a card, and find out all about me and follow my travels even if they never see me again, hear my music, etc.) and as a promopackage I can send as a link in an e-mail to a hundred festivals or a specific venue I want to play.

I also was glad to be able to reach more people with my music, people I might never play for live, people in other countries I'll never visit. When I was #1 on the folk charts I had 500 downloads a day of just one of my songs, and I had the top 4 off and on. That was in the early days when that was considered phenomenal traffic. But maybe I didn't follow up on it, but it really never resulted in much, though I got several nice e-mails from folks who liked the music. And the satisfaction of knowing that there are tens of thousands of people who liked my music enough to download it and who may still be listening to it; who may never hear me in person. That is to me just a great side benefit of me having the music on-line for venues etc to reference.

I must admit, I haven't pushed the site or the on-line archives at all to the general public. Its actually sort of suprising to me I get so much traffic. I posted to many sites because they asked me to, since I'd hit #1 at mp3. My philosophy is I'm here to play for anyone, so I posted to those who asked, and I must admit, I've never bothered keeping track of the sites I've posted to, never check my "stats". In fact, I just had to go and do something at mp3 because they wanted to pay me a few hundred dollars that piled up last year I guess.

But there is potential in the internet, great potential. I'm more interested in playing for people than marketing, and I don't have time to spend on a computer very much over a year; too busy touring, recording, and being away from computers. Back in the "old days" I posted to mp3.com and in a year sold maybe 5-10 CDs, while I sold 400 in a couple fairs over a month. The comparison was pretty harsh reflection on the internet. People just want things for free, at the time, and e-commerce was a cloud on the horizon, and no one took music on the net seriously. But the internet has the potential o reach more people, and especially, stay connected with more people, than live performing does, so I keep at it when I have the time. I'll be trying it again probably this year: posting some new songs and video to get attention, trying to funnel that attention into a mailinglist/fan-club and CD/video sales, or as much, into more tours, especially overseas.

There are too many artists on the net to expect a break there, unless you use it as an adjunct to getting attention other ways, as an instantly avaialable promo package. The industry, and even the fair people and venues, have well trodden status quo methods, they aren't going to change them any time soon. Many of them don't even use the internet still, and they don't need to, they can fill their slots without it using the established channels. They might use e-mail, or use it to promote themselves, but the rest is slow to change. I have problems even getting DJs and venues to listen to my music on-line before I send them a CD to see if it matches their programming. I talked to a DJ once about it, and he said that a lot of the Djs (then) didn't have computers, couldn't burn CDs, and there wasn't a computer at the radio station.

all this is changing fast, but its hard to replace a system that is good enough for the established people, though the new ones get into it more. just a few years ago the internet didn't exist as we know it. I remember when mpeg format itself was created.
Not so long ago. So who knows. If you have time to spend marketing with your computer, it can work. For CDs or whatever, pet rocks I guess.

peace
Brian

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Brian
Folksinger
PAN,CMC,IUMA,JPF,52TV
http://www.pan.com/folksinger

Great Topics and feedback from everyone!

I think Brian uses the net in a way most people don't. He actively uses it to support his touring and more people should do it. Think of your website as your press package for the masses. With pictures, bios, updates on what you are doing and hopefully, a personal touch that allows you to connect with those motivated by you and your music to want to know more. Most people terribly underutilize the potential of a personal website.

On the other topics: MP3 is a great storage place as mentioned and a place a lot of folks first turn to look for an artist they want to know more about. I myself will look on MP3 when I meet someone and want more info. I never listen to files there, but I do look at bios, web links and for contact info.

If I am looking for a CD by an Indie artist, there are 2 places I check. Amazon.com and CDBaby.com. Amazon because it is sort of the standard bearer for all artists, major label and indie. CDBaby because they are the best Indie sales site in the world on all counts. (They sell the second most indie CD's behind only Amazon for one thing), and they have a community vibe, even though they are a CD Store. To date, CDBaby is the only business (in our out the music industry) that I have never heard a single bad word about (even from a crackpot!). That is an amazing testament to the folks involved there. If you have questions about them, email them directly. Derek Sivers runs it and his address is Derek@cdbaby.com. (Try reaching the head of Amazon or MP3 directly!).

Thanks for the great discussion!

Brian

Yes, I have a friend who has made over $2000 on MP3 and is considered one of its most requested artists. While this sum of money would not pay for major celebrity artist's proverbial whatever budget, it is a major deal to this friend of mine.

I joined mp3.com in the beginning of December. I've made about $350 so far, and it gives you alot of good exposure. I've gotten many contacts soley because of mp3.com. It is a worthwhile investment.

88 Keys,

What investment is there to make on MP3? It is all free isn't it? 350 in pay for play is one of the higher amounts I have heard. The last top 10 listing for ALL of mp3 I saw ended with about $1800 for number 10. (And that is out of 80,000 artists according to MP3.com) It drops way down from there and most people get zero. Still, I agree, there really isn't anything to lose, unless there is a new charge I am unaware of?

Brian