Pros and Cons about bands offering their albums???

[Tesionman]

What do you guys think about this?

cheers

[mikehalloran]

OK - I'll bite:

It depends.

Your question is so general that there is nothing to discuss.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Actually, Mike, it's not even a question. Offer it to whom? But I think he is asking about offering it for free as so many people are so willing to do in order to get their big break. If so, the answer is NO!

Next!

[i7user]

dpends...
If your a film score guy... no, if your a performing artist then in some cases it's good to promote the material because you make your real $$ off live performance... unless of course it's a major label release and goes platinum in a few days.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

dpends...
If your a film score guy... no, if your a performing artist then in some cases it's good to promote the material because you make your real $$ off live performance... unless of course it's a major label release and goes platinum in a few days.

Then there is the elitist saying that a true artist never sells his wares on the street, so to speak. Look at it another way (film composer or not) getting paid for your hard (or easy) work takes a lot of hard work. It is, in fact, a full time job, IMO. If or when you do get paid for your work, maintaining rights, checking collections & licensing agencies, and keeping the work flowing is even harder. Of course at that point the managers and agents would be beating down your door since there's money to be made.

If people pay nothing for something they tend to place the value of that item at nothing. Simple human nature. If your work is extraordinary and is noticed for some reason or another, you might get lucky. Otherwise, it is better to have 10 paying customers than 100 people who just like you and hope someone, someday will discover just how great you really are by feeding the masses your CDs or MP3s. Essentially you are trying to buy the election.

Another course is to actually work out the ins and outs of the music business as it relates to your particular genre. For myself, I am essentially a theater composer with a lot of experience in the collaborative arts (theater, dance, mime, clowning, magic, etc.). Easily 99.9% of my work in the past has been collaborative.

So what? So every time I collaborate, I expand an actual network of people. Most often it is about as effective as giving CDs away on the street. But it often leads to other connections. It is ultimately about connections. Who knows who. The more people you know in your industry the better off you are in terms of your work and 'being discovered' (whatever that means).

So do I give CDs and MP3s away? You betcha! Every potential client will be able to hear my stuff online and by request. But it is not being given away just to make nice to a demographic. It is being delivered in a considered manner with an intended result - not just a blanket of hopes and dreams.

I don't how else to put it. I realize the whole free flow of info thing and how music is supposed to be free for everyone. And if I can be permitted to tell a family secret (no, my grandmother wasn't Dutch) for every person who believes that their music should be free, I say BRAVO! More money for me. Thank you!

To those who give it away for free in the hopes they'll be discovered, all I can say is good luck with that. I hope it happens for you but don't quit your day job.

And for those who quit their "day jobs" and spent 100% of the time on music as THE job, I say good for you! I personally know no other way to make it all work and have no real secrets. Be as good as you can and make connections. Oh yeah, and then there's the practice thing...

[James Steele]

If people pay nothing for something they tend to place the value of that item at nothing.

To me that is the whole crux of the matter. Bands actually devalue the "perception" of value of their work and their band by doing so. Also, once you've let a particular song "fly the coop" into the digital realm without ANY DRM like iTunes has, kiss off any hope of significant revenue from that material. You'd best do a remix or improved arrangment because nobody's going to part with their cash for something they already had for free.

In one sense bands giving away their music should be thanked by bands that don't. You've elevated US (those who don't) and subordinating yourselves in the eyes of the consumer.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

...once you've let a particular song "fly the coop" into the digital realm without ANY DRM like iTunes has, kiss off any hope of significant revenue from that material.

Well, sort of. If your goal is to get distribution in the online sales arena that is certainly true. These days TV and radio airplay is where the money is. That's because it is a controlled, licensed environment, not like the internet free for all/free fall. Another crux (can you have more than one crux? cruxi? cruet?) IMO is smart licensing. Sure, let there be mass distribution, the 'masser' the better, but do every damn thing you can to make every public distribution a licensed one. And be sure every last thing you release is copyright before you let it out of your studio. PERIOD!

By all means, your bread and butter is playing live. It's is your connection to your audience. It need not disconnect you from your wallet. And if your audience is so greedy that they demand you provide them with free music, well again, good luck with that demographic. I prefer a more discerning demographic.

Reverend!

[James Steele]

...once you've let a particular song "fly the coop" into the digital realm without ANY DRM like iTunes has, kiss off any hope of significant revenue from that material.

Well, sort of. If your goal is to get distribution in the online sales arena that is certainly true. These days TV and radio airplay is where the money is. That's because it is a controlled, licensed environment, not like the internet free for all/free fall.

Good point, I hadn't thought of that. So even if your song is passed around and shared and very few actually purchase a download, your hope is that if a snippet of it makes it onto a television show or movie, then you're making some money.

I hadn't even really thought about radio airplay figuring that most of that is so locked up by Clear Channel and rotation so hard to come by. But seems that unless *bands* get a placement in TV or a movie, ticket sales and hawking t-shirts and other merch is what they have to look forward to. Seems rather bleak in a way.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Bleak indeed. I don't know that people can really support themselves let alone an entire band that way.

No question about it. Music is not as easy a business as it seems. On top of all the questions about CDs, online presence, distribution, licensing, t-shirts, fans, placement, management, yadda yadda yadda, you gotta be good at it (most of the time) to get anywhere at all. Being good at music and being smart at business is a rare combination. I wish I was better at it, but that doesn't stop me from tryin.

Pancakes anyone?

[James Steele]

Bleak indeed. I don't know that people can really support themselves let alone an entire band that way.

I think that's why you see so many musicians know for their well known bands trying to crowd the television and film music field. I was with a friend at a NAMM show a couple of years back and he had been childhood friends with a well known musician and was chatting with him. He asked his friend something to the effect of whether he was planning on touring or getting a new band together and he said "There's no money in bands." He was trying to get music placed in TV and working with someone else on a movie score.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Music Supervision ain't what it used to be either and was never all that easy looking at the whole job done properly, not just placing music. But even self-defeating filmmakers are giving it away these days so it's not just placement, it's placement in a picture that will be licensed for broadcast if you are going to be able to collect. Don't count on a cut of the home video or online market and sometimes you'll have to fight for your broadcast and writers shares. My rule, they are non-negotiable unless we're talking 6 figures or greater.

I still maintain if you have talent and work hard you can squeek out a living but you will never earm a living if you just give your tuff away. NEVER.

[Tesionman]

Thanks for you input guys(finally)

I've been seeing bands(mainly Metal bands) offering their albums digitally lately and just wanted to know your thoughts.
In a way I understand what they're going for.. there's hardly any "real" money to be made in metal anymore(except for the older "BIG" bands).
There are just too many bands nowadays.. its just too damn saturated and they give their music away because I think they rather be heard than paid.

The internet is a great tool for getting exposure but its just tooooo many damn bands even though most/many are crap with no way to compete with international standards!!!

cheers

PS- Oh.. and to top it all off... the economy these days is going to ••••!!! Few people buy records. Many just can't afford to buy everything they like.

[James Steele]

Hard to say. Depends on style of metal I think. Metal actually has a lot of staying power and it may not be trendy this week, depending on where you are, but it's steady. I think itbdepends on what you call "real" money. If a band or musician is willing to work at it and engage in fan outreach and intelligently managing fan contacts and steer them into willing partners and/or customers, you can likely pay the bills some day, but don't *plan* to be wealthy. Not saying it can't happen, but if you get to the point that you don't have any side job, you've already reached a level few will achieve.

[Tesionman]

Hard to say. Depends on style of metal I think. Metal actually has a lot of staying power and it may not be trendy this week, depending on where you are, but it's steady.

Well yeah James, but.... for example: every time I log on to myspace there's like 10 bands adding me with messages like: "listen to our music.... buy our album.... album out now.... blah blah blah..".

I don't even try to listen anymore or even bother.. its just too much!!! And many people don't care anymore until they find something they really like probably by accident or a friend, etc...

Thats why I think some bands just risk it and give their albums away with hope people will bother downloading and spread the word.

cheers

PS- By "real" money I mean, living comfortably without having to worry if you can get enough to get by for the next few months.

[James Steele]

Well yeah James, but.... for example: every time I log on to myspace there's like 10 bands adding me with messages like: "listen to our music.... buy our album.... album out now.... blah blah blah..".

MySpace has become something of a wasteland. I was fortunate to get on it early before it had just become swamped with bands constantly friend requesting everybody in sight. People ended up just blocking friend requests from bands which is one of the options.

The bands that are just giving their music away... well, I don't know. I don't think they're really, ultimately helping themselves much. It's one thing to give promo copies to college radio, *certain* internet radio, or other people who can help you get some publicity, but just having anybody and everybody download-- viscerally it doesn't seem like a good idea. The whole time I have been on MySpace, none of my music in my player was downloadable... ever. I gave away one tune one year, a song that's now on iTunes, and I have to appeal to my fans/friends to help me out and buy it even though many of them already got it for free. Many of them have been great and they have. Some of them know that I'll never know if they did or didn't.

PS- By "real" money I mean, living comfortably without having to worry if you can get enough to get by for the next few months.

Since I've been self-employed I don't think I've ever know that for certainty for the last 20 years or so.