Create 411 Article:
Independent Musicians Discover the Secret to Success
Seattle, WA – There are over 203,000 independent musicians in the US alone, according to the most recent census. And these are just the ones who officially claim to make a living at it.
There are millions more trying to make their way into the music business. Yet only a few dozen of them will ever achieve any level of financial success. The chances of any of them “making it big” are miniscule at best. Those are pretty discouraging numbers. So why do the “indies” keep singing? And what can they do to improve their odds?
Derek Sivers is president of CDBaby.com, an online “store” that sells CD’s from independent artists. Sivers says that 95% of the artists who have a CD on the site sell at least something, but that 90% of the sales are made by only 12% of the artists. “It used to be for musicians only 10% of your career was up to you. ‘Getting discovered’ by impressing one of these magic few gatekeepers who would present your music to the world, was about all you could do. Now, 90% of your career is up to you. You have to come up with a plan and make it happen, too. Make the kind of business plan that will get you to a good sustainable level of success, even without a big record deal. That way you’ll win no matter what happens.” Sivers tells artists they must learn the business side of the music business.
“I love music, it’s what I was born for,” says independent artist Aneel. “The problem is that so many indies pursue getting a contract with a label. What they don’t realize is that they’ll spend a ton of money trying to win that contract, and even if they land one, they’ll spend their own money producing an album. By the time it’s all said and done, if they break even, that’s doing pretty good.”
Aneel’s example is all too common. While trying to break into the big leagues, Aneel co-hosts an online music show called “The Juice”, which originates from the UK. In his role as internet DJ, he’s heard similar stories of struggle from musicians around the world. That gave him an idea.
“I decided to pull together experts from a variety of fields who could help independent musicians improve their business skills,” says Aneel. He realized that the issue wasn’t a lack of musical talent, but rather that most indies don’t look at themselves as a business. Aneel found 20 “coaches” on topics ranging from international distribution to royalties and taxes to website marketing to entertainment law.
He produced a video called “411 on the Independent Music Movement”. (See www.411onmusic.com.) The 3 DVD set teaches independent artists exactly how to turn their low-paying hobby into a lucrative business. It even includes a database of over 9,000 important industry contacts.
“I learned how to promote and distribute my own music, how to book live performances online, and most importantly, how and who to contact about my music,” says Dan Thomasson of the group Nature’s Calm. “Aneel’s DVD was just what I needed to help me be more successful in the music business. This is a great resource for all independent music artists.”
Especially with internet distribution growing at a staggering pace, increasing to over $10 billion in 2007 (according to New Media Music Informa), the market for independent music presents an expanding opportunity for independent artists. But will they understand the need to run their bands like businesses?
From the group Downriver Zero, artist Phil Mooney says “The 411 DVD is quite a ‘must have’ asset for myself and my band or for any artist, either just starting out or well established. The flow of the material is excellent. From business planning, to overseas promotion, and tax law. This DVD is the seed for success! I cannot wait to tell you what it has helped me and my
band accomplish.”
So, despite the long-shot odds, an increasing number of independent artists are beginning to discover the secrets to getting out of the garage and building a successful music business.
* * *
Contact:Music 4 Da Soul Records
PO Box 6213, Kent, WA 98064
253-831-8834aneel@411onmusic.com or http://www.create411.com/admin/javascripts/tiny_mce/aneelsmusic@yahoo.com
http://www.411onmusic.com/
Related News and Articles From For-Immediate-release
Welcome guest co-host Lee Aase; vote for FIR on Podcast Alley; discussion on social media in health care; Media Monitoring Minute; Dan York reports; News That Fits: Maclolm Gladwell vs. Chris Anderson, Johns Hopkins exec blogs and tweets a kidney donation, monitor your URLs on Twitter, Blog Council becomes Social Media Business Council, half of intranets have adopted Enterprise 2.0; David PHillips reports; listener comments; music from Chester Bay; and more.
Welcome guest co-host Steve Crescenzo; Lee Aase to guest co-host on Thursday; FIR Live is up; follow-up on the value of paid conferences; Michael Netzley's Asia report; Media Monitoring Minute; discussion on getting organizations to do social media well; News that Fits: the cost and payoff of investing in social media, how to get your company to pay you to blog; listeners' comments; the music from Uncle Seth; and more.
FIR Live call-in show on BlogTalk Radio features a fast-and-furious discussion on influencer outreach with special guests Gary Vaynerchuk, John Cass, Kaitlyn Wilkins, Connie Bensen and Connie Reece.
FIR Live tomorrow; sign up for FIR mailing list; interview-book review coming; Habitat Twitter controversy follow-up; Dan York interviews Eric Schwartzman; Media Monitoring Minute; News That Fits: Steve Jobs rumored liver transplant fuels SEC violation speculation, FTC to become blogging Big Brother, email patterns can offer early warnings of company crises, DC Metro crashes exposes state of emergency communications, King of Shaves asks customers to fund marketing, study reveals how Fortune 100 CEOs use social media; the music; and more.
FIR Live set for June 26; sign up for FIR mailing list; NMRCast on social media release is up; discussion on value of paid conferences; Michael Netzley's report; Media Monitoring Minute; News That Fits: how to be a Twitter spammer like Habitat UK, Zicam integrates social media into recall notification; listeners' comments; music from Zoolab; and more.
FIR Live set for June 26 with guests including Gary Vaynerchuk; Dan York's report; Media Monitoring Minute; News That Fits: top PR firms fail to make the online grade, British Airways asks employees to work for free, Deloitte recommends crowdsourcing and blogs for stimulus oversight, leveraging an oportunity to make news; listener comments; the music; and more.
