Monetizing Your Music - How Do You Do It?

frankie123 · Post by **frankie123** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:03 pm

Sales Dude McBoob wrote:I make about -10k a year

There is absolutely no way that you could live in new york on 10k a year. Whats your story.

Voodu · Post by **Voodu** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 1:24 pm

I beleive he was saying he is 10k in the hole every year. I also beleive it was joke. I think he means his day job pays the bills.

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:25 am

here is what I've learned: to get any money in exchange for original music, you have to be good enough that people like to listen to you, and you have to have some people who are willing to help you solely for the fun of being involved in it. Then, if you really want to make money, be willing to invest money, or get others to be willing to invest money, in more pro-level people to help you more with promotion, etc..

The most money that I have gotten from comes from selling CDs when I play out. Try to get them professionally duplicated if you can afford, or at least get nicely done CDRs and artwork. You might have friends to help you with art and promotion, and/or to sell them. Sell them inexpensively to people who are nice enough to come out to see you. I am severely limited in the fact that I am older and somewhat unpleasant to look at, no fashion sense, make 'weird electronic music', have horrific self esteem and really no friends. And yet, unnervingly, I can summon the will to go to strange places and play this weird music. I'm guessing that people pity me sufficiently to buy CDs when I say I have them, or in hopes that I will go away. But certainly you have none of these deficits, so you are miles ahead.

The other thing, more seriously, is to get paid digital download and streaming stuff to happen. A penny or two or nine per stream and some several dimes per download doesn't seem like a lot, but it can add up.

To actually bring it above the minus mark

you do the above and do it as much as you possibly can, and actually try to, like, network and get people to say nice things about you.

forge · Post by **forge** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:54 am

mikemc wrote: I am severely limited in the fact that I am older and somewhat unpleasant to look at, no fashion sense, make 'weird electronic music', have horrific self esteem and really no friends. And yet, unnervingly, I can summon the will to go to strange places and play this weird music. I'm guessing that people pity me sufficiently to buy CDs when I say I have them, or in hopes that I will go away. But certainly you have none of these deficits, so you are miles ahead.

oh dude! that's terrible shit to say

you know what I've discovered on this topic - I doesnt matter how you look if you have the confidence and can be fun to be around

it's when you're gloomy that you're most ignored or repulse people

work on the self esteem bit so you dont give a crap so that you're fun to be around! You cant say people buy your CD because they feel sorry for you, they must like the music!

All that shit matters far less for guys anyway - you can leave you're mark regardless of all that shit - look at Drexciya - nobody knew what the dude looked like, he was like some reclusive - there's been heaps of musos like that

Daft Punk - you can gurantee they're not really robots!

johanze · Post by **johanze** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 6:21 am

Yo,

I use ableton daily making music for tv. Good money and good work if you can get it. Lots of people get down on doing this kind of work as if its somekind of 'selling out'. I don't see it that way...some jobs are craft (meeting a brief and being creative) and other jobs are art ('ok, do whatever you want, you're the musician). Also, there's the instant gratification aspect. Finish a job, its on tv the next week.

friend_kami · Post by **friend_kami** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 7:57 am

mate. i suggest you start making tunes first and getting to know your style and your hardware/software, and THEN start to think about money.

really.

forge · Post by **forge** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:21 am

yeah I should add - I've been getting quite a few jobs sound designing for company logo animations and video intros for a web design company that also does videos

tthat really camr through networking - I've known them for a while and now I'm always the first person they ask

And they keep talking like these kind of "audio branding" web animation type things are becoming more the thing now and they're getting more and more

so that's another area - can be fun too

mikemc · Post by **mikemc** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:32 pm

forge wrote:
oh dude! that's terrible shit to say

you know what I've discovered on this topic - I doesnt matter how you look if you have the confidence and can be fun to be around

it's when you're gloomy that you're most ignored or repulse people

How do you explain The Cure then?

it was rainy and dreary here in MD last night (deathplace of Edgar Allen Poe a month ago tomorrow, btw), so I was being darkly-humorous self deprecating

But all that stuff actually works, it really does: you will generate revenue. Generating profit is another thing

.

sgx · Post by **sgx** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:48 pm

mikemc, where do you play? I live in Columbia, MD. Maybe I'll bump into you sometime

forge · Post by **forge** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:09 pm

mikemc wrote:
How do you explain The Cure then?

it was rainy and dreary here in MD last night (deathplace of Edgar Allen Poe a month ago tomorrow, btw), so I was being darkly-humorous self deprecating

But all that stuff actually works, it really does: you will generate revenue. Generating profit is another thing .

no one thinks Robert Smith is sexy though do they! And I think that's my point - people liked the music, and the image

I was a big Cure fan as a teen - my theory for what happened to them was they got too successful and he wasnt as angst ridden any more

that and I think they did alot of acid in younger days

but then maybe their career was like their music - not dramatic - just long, haunting, then quietly fade into the distance unnoticed

warpus · Post by **warpus** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:22 pm

psilopsyche wrote:Hey everyone.

How much would you make if you performed at something like Burning Man?

-psilo

No one gets paid to perform at Burning Man. Every does that one free. In the past couple years they've had some of biggest DJs in the world (Tiesto, Oakenfold, etc...) all play there for free. And the irony of that is no one really cares how big they are. Its pretty irrelavent there.

D K · Post by **D K** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:44 pm

it's all who you know.
it's nothing to do with art or quality....
money ain't about that.
the largest grossing bands/dj's really do suck ass.
you want large audiences? sell good drugs
or make sure the good drugs are at your shows
sorry to be such a downer, but 99% of it is like that
in popular culture.
i have been on tour since sept. 4th, btw.....
love it.

mbenigni · Post by **mbenigni** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:26 pm

it's when you're gloomy that you're most ignored or repulse people

Funny - I immediately took to the guy when he started getting down on himself. You see so much swagger and arrogance in the music scene, it's nice to read something with a good mix of realism and humor.

And it's even funnier that folks think someone getting "-10K" out of their music is sad. If you can afford to drop that much money into your music habit then a) you're enjoying a lot of gear, and b) you're making more money at your "other job" than most of us. Not so sad at all, really.

Fizmarble · Post by **Fizmarble** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:54 pm

mbenigni wrote:
it's when you're gloomy that you're most ignored or repulse people
Funny - I immediately took to the guy when he started getting down on himself. You see so much swagger and arrogance in the music scene, it's nice to read something with a good mix of realism and humor.

And it's even funnier that folks think someone getting "-10K" out of their music is sad. If you can afford to drop that much money into your music habit then a) you're enjoying a lot of gear, and b) you're making more money at your "other job" than most of us. Not so sad at all, really.

Wow, you showed us that one negative actually makes a positive. The math on that confuses me, but I would love to hear your outlook on third world countries. Perhaps something like this. "Well, if you are starving to death, at least you aren't likely to die of a car crash, or aids, or a gunshot to the pelvis. Also, you are more prone to actually enjoying every meal you get, for it might be your last. Not so sad really."

I am parodying all in good fun. Enjoy the friday.

forge · Post by **forge** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 2:15 am

Fizmarble wrote:
mbenigni wrote:
it's when you're gloomy that you're most ignored or repulse people
Funny - I immediately took to the guy when he started getting down on himself. You see so much swagger and arrogance in the music scene, it's nice to read something with a good mix of realism and humor.

And it's even funnier that folks think someone getting "-10K" out of their music is sad. If you can afford to drop that much money into your music habit then a) you're enjoying a lot of gear, and b) you're making more money at your "other job" than most of us. Not so sad at all, really.
Wow, you showed us that one negative actually makes a positive. The math on that confuses me, but I would love to hear your outlook on third world countries. Perhaps something like this. "Well, if you are starving to death, at least you aren't likely to die of a car crash, or aids, or a gunshot to the pelvis. Also, you are more prone to actually enjoying every meal you get, for it might be your last. Not so sad really."

I am parodying all in good fun. Enjoy the friday.

he he - funny thing is that's a fair point - it's western overindulgence that leads to greed

if we hadnt all been brought up watching rock stars on TV then we wouldnt have this unconscious idea that because we are musicians we must be aiming for something big like that

Monetizing Your Music - How Do You Do It?

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