Do We Really Know

I've been talking a lot about self empowerment in this industry and I think as we try to educate each other and share ideas we forget that not all of us are aware of certain things. A large segment of musicians still feel as if they need to be handled by a manager or agent. Now there is a point in our career that we need these people but most of those people are not interested in helping us build anything from the ground. They usually only want to deal with you when you are worth something and that is just good business, I guess. We spend a lot of time dealing with the new digital age but I wonder if we REALLY know how to take control. Let me give you some simple info. Most people are aware of this already but I keep finding that there are tons of musicians that are not. What I'm speaking of is getting your music set up to sell on the Internet via itunes and many other download sites. I've found that CD Baby offers the best deal all around. You can release a digital single or album with a bar code and your own Cd Baby page for less than $50. They also service ALL of the major and minor download sites and they only take a 9% commission. Every musician making music and playing shows should be aware of this site and be able to set up and operate YOUR OWN SITE. We no longer have to spend tons of money on pressing or trying to get a distribution deal. Now once the page is up you have to spend your time letting people know that it is there. You can make sure to have email lists at all of your shows to help build your fan data base to increase your market as well as using social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. Cd Baby also offers download cards at great prices and a full accounting page which gives your info on who bought your music, there email, where they are from and how they found you. This is priceless marketing data and all it takes is some time spent to process it and follow up. I advise that even if you have someone helping with this piece, you should be able to set it up and run it yourself if need be. Knowledge is power and it is the only way we will empower ourselves moving forward in this new industry. It has never been more attainable than it is now. It just requires a bit of dedication and time. This is just an overview of the Cd Baby deal. I invite you to visit their site at www.cdbaby.com and check it out for yourself. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

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