So you want to sell your music on-line? and it begs the question..
What's The Best Way To Sell My Own Music On The Internet?
For many people fed up with Reverbnation and its lack of artist support, the only other real viable way was iTunes, and now google play. But as many know, iTunes not only limits it to semi savi people with iTunes or an iDevice with the App Store, but they also charge a fee for adding an album OR a track and then you also have to pay to keep it their. (because you get 100% of sales) but you MUST be selling otherwise why pay to keep them in-store?.
Many opt for reverb because they take a cut of a sale, so its actually costing you nothing to have it online in a store. Downside? well you can't touch any profits until it reaches $20 (if you live in the uk, you'll find it takes either 2/3 album sales to reach that payout threshold) a harsh reality that you'd have to sell maybe 4 cd's or 40 singles just to make about £16
I recently signed up with "
Google Play" AKA The All new "Android Market" and i thought ide share my experience of that so far.
The Google Play "Artist Hub" requires a one off $25 set up fee, i gather this is to put people off uploading any old crap
(well some of them lmfao) in pounds it worked out about £16 on the fee then £0.46 exchange and a £1.00 NON-STG PURCH Fee.
So your talking roughly £18 to get your self a "Store Page" on Google Play
(once you have this you can upload singles, or albums with no additional fees)
Because they also take a cut like reverb and audio life did (only this is 30% per sale)
(but you start to TIE IN with a Google Wallet account for additional media, and google wallet only take 1% of a sale, so hard copies & T-Shirts could be done easier for merch via google wallet, kinda like an Amazon but for you not them)
Remember though this is Google,
Reverb/Audiolife don't care if your tracks relined and are hissy as hell. Google have a Piracy AND Quality Policy, but don't let that put you off, NONE of my uploads have been mastered in a Studio NONE.. I work in a spare room, with substandard equipment, i generally just depend on a "Noise Reduction Filter" that i scan my recordings with, it removes most back ground noise. and my tracks are accepted.
The minimum pay out is £1 a month, you can higher that your self if you want
and you also have to remember Google Play
can be accessed via a web browser (meaning) like iTunes (for pc) you can access music in Google play with NO NEED for an Android Device.
The payout also goes Directly to a Bank Account Number (not paypal)
With all this in mind Clearly then you could optionally disable MP3 sales from Reverb and just use it for people who want your music on CD's with covers... but now the interesting part..
You could open a blog on google
(like mine your on now) and link to the google play profile for mp3's using your blog as a FREE SITE.. and bypass Reverbnation (removing their $1.00 fee per cd sale) and have your Cd's done directly by Audio Life (because Audiolife and Reverb both take a cut) The reason ide suggest this is simply because reverb dont deserve the $1. They have been kicking artists out the charts for months now for simply promoting them selves rather than paying for reverb promotion and ALL THREE of their support forums all do the same thing
PLEASE REFER TO EMAIL TICKET... and then the topics locked...
So if you wana get your self into another shop window
(a shop window you can promote without ended up MISSING from the pages you SHOULD be shown on..) then ide give google play a whirl
Im not saying its the Ultimate site, but neither is reverb or iTunes.. It all depends what your doing.
I am still unemployed and as you no in the UK the benefits system is going mental, so it wasn't easy for me to find the extra money to do this.. but i did because i think its a better chance of sales and exposure.
Sadly INGEUS who are meant to HELP ME have essentially done nothing besides cost the government money on my name for the past 2 years and i have NOTHING to show for it..
NO WERE in Liverpool has helped me TO THIS DATE!!
and Reverbnation are clearly more concerned about PROMOTION FEES
EVEN IF you Click "Don't Show Me This Again"
Ive even had spam off them, in my reverb inbox off reverb them selves..
Ber in mind i was number 1 composer in the whole world.. and its only TWO days ago i SPENT Anything at all online to get anywhere... Google Play has been
my first outlay of money since i began putting my music out their, so all my blog hits, my time at number one, it all cost nothing, not even a domain name...
So Clearly... i no when to spend, and when not to... Defo Recommend Google Play
If they later change their policys about uploading, i wont be happy, but as it stands TODAY
Its worth the risk if you have £20/$25 laying round
(note theirs a tax form to fill in online to, along with the google play form) you CAN delete tracks your self to, ive noticed some places don't allow that and it has to be in writing, you can UN-publish any time you want on gplay.
Here's how my page looks so far
Here
I have also opted in my music (so people who pay a
monthly fee to access "music in the All Access" system) can listen to it
under that contract they have as long as their paying google for it
(and for that)
I get the same kinda kick back concept for each play, as a youtube
video does under adsense
So even if your not selling you can be getting a little something back
When you realize if you spent £18/$25 on the
likes of Google Play Artists Hub...
you could have the same deal you have no (mp3 wise).. and with Support, AND A Company that people have actually heard of with a reputation a lot less fkd than who ya with.. LMFAO
Only wish ide done this sooner tbh....
I also Highly recommend Distrokid.
