Want to sell CDs by the case instead of one by one?
April 2005
Do you think how many CDs you can sell at a show or how many boxes of CDs you can sell? According to Tim Sweeney of TSA Associates, 95% of independent band CD sales are done at the band’s show.
"Most of the independent artists I talk to complain they don’t have any money", said Sweeney who has helped develop the careers of over 2,500 bands and consulted with nearly every major label. "The reason they don’t have any money is because it’s tied up in the boxes of their CDs that they have on their floor." |
Being in a band is just like any other career, despite the fact most musicians think there is something wrong with calling what they do a “career”. But if you play music and get paid for it, there are only two ways to describe what you do; it’s a job, or a it’s a career.
There are thousands of independent bands that perform locally and record CDs, but that’s about all they do. Most bands do more than that; throwing out some flyers for shows, getting their CD available at the local CD stores and hassling the local station for some airplay. Fewer still get on the road and tour - not once a year, but regularly. A very small segment of bands, usually the more successful ones, do all of the above as well as sell CDs by the thousands.
Tragically, many artists mistakenly believe that some “big break” will present itself simply based upon their songs and that alone will launch them into super-stardom. While that could possibly happen, the odds are roughly about the same as a refrigerator falling out of the sky and landing on your head.
The average major label band spends six years working as an indie before they get signed. The "big break" these bands reach is a result of all the little things they have done over the years that put them in a position to get to that "big break" in the first place.
The problem is there isn’t a school that teaches you how to be a successful and profitable artist. If you want to be successful you have to educate yourself on how the business works. Developing your career is just like playing an instrument, you need to learn what your doing before you are any good at it.
While there is no "school" to learn how to be successful as a band, there are places to find information that can make a difference. Most of you are already familiar with music guides like the Music Phone Book and how to get in touch with music industry contacts that can help. But knowing who to talk to is only the first step. Knowing how to use that information makes all the difference in the world.
To properly use this information and get the greatest benefit from it, we will be providing as monthly newsletter with helpful advice from Tim Sweeney. (The music industry’s leading expert and consultant who has helped developed the careers of more than 2,500 artists in the last 23 years). Another place to learn about the music business are his music seminars called, Music Strategies. Not to be confused with music conferences that are designed for exposure, Sweeney’s seminar provides independent musicians like yourself with an actual road map to success. Sweeney’s music seminars are specifically designed to teach you how to take full advantage of this information as well as provide you with new strategies that will help get more CD sales, new fans and the attention of the media.
His special four day seminar in June is limited to 200 musicians allowing personal interaction with Sweeney and one on one consulting. Giving independent musicians an opportunity to get the same information the major labels and other successful artists pay him big bucks for. Music Strategies is also unique in that Sweeney hand picks the artists he admits to his seminars. "Not every artist is serious about their career in the music business and that's ok. I don't judge them, but those aren't the artists I make time to meet with. If an artist believes in themselves and their music, in what they have created and recorded, that is the first step to being successful. Those are the kinds of artists and bands, regardless of genre - that I want to work with."
Sweeney's upcoming seminar doesn't simply provide information, it shows independent artists how to put that information to immediate use.
The first day focuses on booking and promotion: showing artists how to create the "right" promotional material that will replace their press kits and get them more shows and attention from the media. He will show you how to promote your future shows more effectively to your mailing list and how to get new fans. The second day focuses on CD sales at your shows: specifically how to properly set things up in your favor before the gig, how your performance impacts your sales, and how to read and react to the audience so you can immediately sell more CDs. At the end of the day there are music performances by every artist that wants to perform.
The third day focuses on building the relationships that will help you improve your CD sales as well as developing unique sponsorships to further help get your music out there. The day finishes with live performances attended by the public and a great opportunity to try those new techniques just learned to sell CDs to the hundreds of people in attendance. The last day focuses on how to apply the principles from the seminar to increasing your tour and fan base development. Finally Sweeney helps attendees design a plan to incorporate what they have learned as he sits down with them one on one. A complete list of workshops can be found in the schedule section of the site, www.musicstrategies.com.
Right now Music Strategies is only $99 until April 30 th. If you're not happy with where your career is and how many CDs you’re selling, you have the opportunity to change that. Instead of looking at or stepping over your CDs on the floor, make a trip to the bank and deposit all the money you made from selling them. Then you can do what your musical influences did, quit your day job!
Register for Music Strategies now at www.musicstrategies.com |
