Sell music on your terms

“No one gives it to you… you have to take it!”

Selling your own music is all part of the evolution of the music industry and the control has been steadily transferring hands from the studios and big businesses to the musicians and producers. Finally, technology is making it possible to control music from beginning to end.

As mentioned in the TuneCube blog with Bomb Squad’s Hank Shocklee, back in the day you needed the studios to record, produce, mass produce and promote to be successful and reach the masses. Now all you need is a computer and the Internet.

Think about it: Do we as Musicians and Producers say to ourselves these days, “Gee i need a music label so I can record an album?” No. These days we can buy our own computer and recording equipment and record it ourselves or we go to a privately owned studio and produce it ourselves and own it. So why are we still listening to the ghosts of record label’s past chanting a dead mantra in our ears?  “You need a demo in ordered to be “discovered” and get “SIGNED to sell your music online or off.”

This has to stop. Musicians may not be leaning on labels and studios anymore but there is still that falsehood of “I need someone else to be successful!” This is why all the digital distribution platforms are now assuming the role of gate keeping and charging Musicians and Producers a toll to sell their music.  With a tool like TuneCube and all the free social networking sites and email capabilities is there any reason you absolutely need an iTunes or Amazon? As a DJ, I make 100% commission with TuneCube and know who is purchasing my tracks. Do I really need anything else?

I understand joining one of these other middle-man services, might be a little less legwork on your part, but by being lazy you are parting ways with a portion of your profits.  Are you really saving in the long run?  Sure it may lead to more sales since the stores have a large presence and customer base and my response to that is to go ahead and keep using them… but why not open your own store?

TuneCube gives you the power to open your own store and:

1. Leverage your social popularity.
2. Play some shows,
3. Start an email list,
4. Make a Facebook Fan page w/ REAL FANS who BUY YOUR MUSIC.
5. Be the master of your own destiny.

Best of all you’re selling music on Your Terms, not Theirs.

Contributing article written by Johnny Feliciano – DJ/Producer/Engineer/Member of TuneCube http://www.tunecube.com/profile/jonja_productions