Selling Music Online : Cutting Through the Static

Trakvan - selling music onlineAs a musician, the heart of the process lies in finding the notes, coaxing the tone and capturing the feeling –those days spent with no audience, hammering out the details, striving ceaselessly to serve the vision of the song. The strain of that process and its fruit – the music – deserves to be heard. Luckily, there are myriad methods available to help sell your music.

Before seeking out commercial distribution, artists should have an accurate view of where they stand professionally, what their market reach is and what their goals are. In today’s chaotic cultural world, playing out at the speed of sound, it is incredibly tough for an unknown act, even with proper use of the best distribution channels, to sell a lot of music. Many unsigned musicians have attained genuine commercial success by first organizing a comprehensive marketing plan that offers free downloads, free videos and strategic placement on music blogs and online radio. Taking advantage of these opportunities will pave the way for success when it comes time to sell music online.

Once the groundwork of promotion is done, there are low cost and highly effective services readily available. Online distribution services generally charge less than $40 to release an album to all major online retailers and streaming sites. The process is intuitive and requires very little by way of computer savvy. The artist simply uploads the tracks, album artwork, and copyright information, and the service takes care of the rest.

One thing to keep an eye on during this process is the fine print for certain retailers concerning the process for being “featured.” Many online music outlets have a process for screening newly distributed music, aimed at selecting the most exciting offerings for strategic placement on their sites. This process can delay the appearance of releases on the site, but can pay enormous dividends in promotion down the road.

Dedicated artists deserve an audience, and with the proper planning and utilization of all tools and outlets, it can be reached! It’s time to show the people what they’re missing!

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