So here's the True Indie business model... the absolute cheapest way to go about the business of being a small-fry singer/songwriter or whatever you might prefer to call yourself:
A) MAKE MUSIC: See the other posts on this blog for help doing that as well as all the places that'll help you on the sidebar "Top Ten or so...".
B) UPLOAD IT TO AUDIOLIFE FOR FREE! These crazy monkeys will provide true on-demand one-off manufacturing of 4-panel shrink-wrapped CDs in standard jewel cases (or whatever you want):
C) PUBLISH YOUR STORE IN FREE PLACES: Put your store up in free places like a blog, Facebook, MySpace, etc.
D) AFTER A FEW SALES: Hook up with HostBaby and get yourself one kick-butt web-site or two.
E) GO GLOBAL WITH CDBABY: Hook up with CDBaby (through your already established HostBaby connection) and get yourself a real bonafied CD (complete with Barcode and presence on iTunes, Napster, and a gazillion other places).
F) UPDATE AUDIOLIFE: Upload the new version of your official CD onto Audiolife.
G) NEED MORE SONGS? I have over 600 songs written. There's no way I'll produce them all. If you need one, let me know. I've got all styles and I'll probably let you record, perform and sell your CDs with my songs on them in exchange for radio play (equate to royalties) and exposure (equate to more business):
H) GET EVEN BIGGER IN A VERY SMALL WAY: Now that you've got so many great tunes and you're selling even more CDs, you can start entering that other level of indie and that's when you'll want to get connected with the professionals behind the scenes at Audiolife who can and will take your music (and your look) to new heights.
Seriously... Audiolife is where you need to start and if Brandon Hance (CEO) has anything to do with it, this is where you'll stay because, as he puts it:
"...we can do manufacturing for you as well. Whether you need short run orders or a bulk purchase, Audiolife can facilitate the manufacturing process end-to-end. Our aim is to be the one stop shop for artists."
One stop shop. Revolutionary.
That's it. All your bases are covered. Now you've got all the time to work on that mysterious fourth chord you’ve heard about.
1 comment:
There have been shake-ups in the industry and, to tell you the truth, there's no telling when (and if) the dust will ever settle.
Needless to say, I've held off putting out my band's (www.LoneBrethren.com) CD because of the uncertainty.
If you move forward, the best advice I can give is to:
a) take an Advil or Tylenol,
b) read the fine print,
c) jog around the block to clear your head,
d) re-read the fine print,
e) read the super fine print located in between the lines of the fine print, and
f) don't be afraid to ask questions.
Repeat (a) through (f) once a month particularly if there's the clause where they reserve the right to change the terms of service without notice.
I'm convinced it's all a sinister plot to keep all us insanely talented Indies out of the studios but I've yet to find the smoking gun! ;o)
Please add your comments/experiences.
Thanks for listening...
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