Direct-to-Fan Sales Strategy

Digital Music Sales Strategy

In today’s world, having a well planned digital sales strategy should not be an afterthought. In fact, understanding what you’re doing and why you’re doing it is ESSENTIAL if you want to grow and succeed as both, an artist and a business.

Simply selling your music on your Myspace page or distributing your music through Tunecore or BandCamp isn’t a strategy. While Tunecore, BandCamp, CD Baby, Topspin and others are all wonderful tools to use (depending on your needs and objectives), simply using them alone won’t do anything to help you succeed. Instead, you need to know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Are you using Tunecore because it’s cheap? That may not be a good enough reason to use it. Are you using BandCamp because it’s free? Remember…nothing is every truly free. Maybe you need to dig a big deeper…

At Pet Marmoset, we have spent significant time, money, and have developed significant real life experience seeking to better understand the hows and whys of distributing and selling music online and in digital formats. We work closely and intimately with companies such as Topspin Media, CD Baby, IODA, BandCamp, Tunecore…and even iTunes. We have also developed alternative methods outside of the bounds of these institutions and work to experiment and pioneer new and innovative means for helping artists distribute and sell their music to the masses…while keeping the artist’s interests and objectives (like making money!) at the forefront.

For an independent artist today to truly be successful, they must take matters into their own hands. Only using CD Baby or TuneCore isn’t enough if making money is one of your objectives. Here is some food for thought:

By the end of 2010, digital music sales will eclipse physical sales in the United States. This shouldn’t be very surprising to anyone.
Some researchers predict that by 2016 (or sooner), digital music sales will pass physical music sales worldwide.
Today, iTunes accounts for approximately 85% of all digital music sales.
Generally speaking, for most independent artists, iTunes takes 30% of gross sales, right off the top of everything you sell.
If you use CD Baby, you’ll pay an additional 9% of your digital sales, after iTunes takes their 30%. TuneCore is another story, but over time, it comes out in the same ballpark. The difference is that TuneCore will nickel and dime you, where CD Baby simply charges a fixed percentage. Pick your poison.
For more info on the comparison, read this: http://www.thebouncedown.com/2009/03/cd-baby-vs-tunecore-which-is-better-for-digital-distribution/

The bottom line here is that if your only digital music sales strategy is to sell through CD Baby, TuneCore or someone similar, ultimately selling most of your music through iTunes, you’ll be lucky to net close to 50% of your total sales – maybe less if you have a label and/or management involved too.

Rather than rely solely on digital music sales through distributors, smart independent artists today are taking matters into their own hands and are selling music direct, through their own websites and webstores – driving sales by offering unique merchandise, packages, bundles, and other exclusive content that fans cannot find on iTunes. Furthermore, please note that setting up a store is not going to create sales and generate revenue all by itself. It has to be part of a comprehensive strategy with multiple components, including quality products (ie: the music!) and a successful campaign to generate awareness and interest.

Here are some examples of what a customized artist webstore may look like:

If you need help better understanding the hows and whys behind music distribution and sales in the digital age, please reach out to us and let us know how we can help. We’d love to better understand your specific needs and help you explore and find the best solutions for you. Please contact us using the contact form below to begin the conversation.