Use the internet to Sell 2,000 CDs in two short years transform yourself from being a frustrated veteran musician to being a success story in the wired world. The do-it-yourself route: write and record a solo CD, release the CD, Sell 2,000 units, tour, perform at music conferences, land two major sponsors and sign with an indie label. Have investors paying for your next album and upcoming tour. Take out ads in the local papers, get the CD in all the major local stores on consignment and promote it, land an appearance on one of the biggest morning radio shows. Have sales go through the roof that week, have stores sell out their stock. Sales fade as the memory fades. acquire a computer and learn what the internet is all about. realize the potential at your fingertips. The internet has created a whole new world out there for singer/songwriters, bands and musicians in general. Learn how valuable the internet can be.Search the web for any sites that catere to your type of music. Get listed on generic music websites.
Genre-specific sites give you more of a chance at exposure and better chance to get good reviews. Focus on sites that cater to your style of music.Spend your limited time concentrating on sites where you have the best chance of connecting with the audience.
Find one web page for your type of music and contact them about the possibilities of reviews and promotion, then go to their links page and go to every site on that page. Keep this routine up for every web page you go to, he says. For every one you visit, you'll find 25 more, which lead you to 75 more. You'll make contact with many webmasters who are willing to mention you or do a review. Progress is slow at first, but things begin to pick up steam. Within a few months, the ball is rolling. The first few reviews come out. This opens the door to other sites that are slow to let you in. Once they see you get good reviews, they'll give it a try.
Spend six to eight hours a day on the Net. Keep working your full-time job. rack up more than 50 reviews in a year. Success come with putting in the time, being pleasantly persistent, having patience, and determination. Use a personal, one-on-one approach. This time-honored philosophy still pays off. Start a simple database of web sites human contacts at each one that are dedicated to your style of music. Here are a list of music directories (and directories of music directories) where you can begin your search. 1- http://www.musicsearch.com - 2-http://Music-Sites.net - 3-http://www.music-sites.net/directory/ - 4-http://Thelnfo.com - 5- http://www.theinfo.com/music/ - 6-http://www.rocksource.net --
Yahoo! - Music Web Directories http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/WebJDirectories/
Google - Music Directories http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Music/Directories/
Customer service works. Treat everyone you come in contact with as a customer. TYreat them as you want to be treated. Give them every courtesy you can. Send every webmaster a thank-you e-mail telling them how much you appreciates any reviews you get, good or bad. I can't stress how important it is. Many webmasters will e-mail back saying how much they appreciated it. Don't take them for granted, and once you get the review, don't forget them, don't call just because you need something else. Music promotion on or off the Internet is a two-way street. If all you ever do is ask for something from your music biz connections, eventually they may stop giving. Ask the people who help you what you can do for them and then follow through like they did for you. Perhaps it's giving their 'zine a plug in your newsletter or adding their site to your links page. Maybe you can even pass along a note about a helpful web site or news story you've run across. Make it a point every month or so to send a hello e-mail to everyone who's ever reviewed you, it lets them know you're thinking about them and stopping by their sites, which you should. You can remember everyone who's done things for you by mentioning them in your press kit. It also keeps you in their minds, which can lead to more promotion. Staying connected to people who can help you, even if you're sold on the idea can be hard if you get distracted. if you're a forgetful type, use a free service to send you an e-mail reminder message at certain intervals. Two services to consider are: Memo to Me http://www.memotome.com LifeMinders http:www.lifeminders.com
Also, to keep track of the growing number of contacts in your music biz database, you'll need to store this information somewhere. you recommend using some type of contact management software, which allows you to enter details\hito separate fields such as Web site name, URL, contact name, contact's e-mail, description of the site, etc Here are a few applications to consider: ACT www.act.com FileMaker www.filemaker.com yourSoftware ttp://www.elibrium.com/mysoftware/
After several months of steady web exposure, you'll get more requests for online interviews and feature stories. You might begin winning web site awards and being listed on some sites' best lists. Recognition like that enhances your exposure because now you are front page news on music web sites, instead of just a listing in their databases, What it also did was create a buzz for sales. your web site starts to get a lot more hits and sales pick up.Try a self-booked, 30 city tour. Get press in at least half the cities and sell more than 350 CDs by the time the tour comes to an end. With your name on many web sites and magazines, you will be approached by small indie labels. The Internet is the doorway to the world. Explore sponsorship deals with equipment manufacturers. How bad do you want it and how much are you willing to sacrifice for it? Give up going out, partying, and various things. You'll trade one social life for another. It is far more important to you to be working on making a name for yourself and getting your career off the ground. You can't be lazy with promotion and you can't be afraid of trying. You might even be spared a few hangovers.
Anyone who goes after his or her dreams and let's nothing get in the way can be proud, even if you don't reach the highest pinnacle of success. Awards, accolades, great press, interviews, sponsorships, record deals - it's all out there for the taking, You have to learn how to go after things. Work for it,do it right, it will last, and it will mean so much more.