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Musicians with albums out:


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You know, when you offer your album up for free, but ask for a donation from the ones obtaining the disc; ask the listener to donate to the band whatever they think the album is worth? Even as little as 1¢.

 

I was thinking about trying to set something like that up for downloads... although CDs would still be set at a firm price.

However, CDs will be on the donation system at my live shows... since your presence there is support in and of itself.

 

If you've tried it, how has it worked out for you? Have you gotten more listeners since then? Was the feedback good?

 

I'm curious to know, as I'm sure a lot of musicians here are.

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I've never done this with my music but have purchased music this way. Radio Head - In Rainbows. I approached it as "eh, I'll just give them a dollar, no matter how much I like it"... But I loved it and just didn't feel right about low-balling them, so I think I gave them $10... So if there are other folks out there like me, I think it's a great idea if you set something up like this. I would definitely participate, contribute my own music.

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I've never done this with my music but have purchased music this way. Radio Head - In Rainbows. I approached it as "eh, I'll just give them a dollar, no matter how much I like it"... But I loved it and just didn't feel right about low-balling them, so I think I gave them $10... So if there are other folks out there like me, I think it's a great idea if you set something up like this. I would definitely participate, contribute my own music.

 

I'll donate $1 to you if you promise to keep the same avatar forever. I could watch that all day. :yay

 

I've never tried the donate money for music thing. In my experience (which includes tapes and cds but not downloads), one way or another the majority of the copies wind up being given away for free no matter how much you try to charge. Usually after the band breaks up.

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My wife just got me a year subscription to this which is kind of an interesting approach.

 

Learning music monthly

 

It's basically a guy that puts out an album a month. I think she paid $60 for the years worth of CD's.

 

I just got the first one and it's not horrible. Kind of sounds like Gerry Rafferty. She thought it was cool to support an artist in this way but it's probalby not something I would have done. I'm already overwhelmed with music as it is. Plus, I can't imagine someone able to put out anything of real quality every month.

 

But I'm more than willing to pay for new music. I still listen to "So called star" now and again and would pay something for the next one!

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I still listen to "So called star" now and again and would pay something for the next one!

 

:thumbup

 

Very soon my friend. Just a couple more tunes to finish mixing etc... You'll be one of the first to know when it's complete. :)

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Interesting thought. We just did a rough EP and have it up on reverbnation.com just to see how that went - but no bites yet. Reverbnation is a great little site for musicians and bands!

 

Good idea though - will have to do some more research about it. Off to do some more work on the recordings with the boys...thumbup.gif

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I have seen it work...as well as the 'pay what you want' model...but I am a firm believer in that idea of assigning a value to your work. Psychologically, the purchaser is less likely to discard or ignore the download after obtaining it...you deserve that for your labors, if not the money, then at least their respectful mind-set...

 

I live in a town where there are musicians in every car on the road, and the idea of 'donating' to the artist unfortunately has negative connotations (musicians are treated like beggars all too often)...

 

while on the subject, and example...

 

record review

 

a stellar review of our last record from a notoriously snobby music-town newspaper...we decided $5 was a fair (even significantly discounted) download price, and have sold quite a few without gouging our prospective fans, or giving away the work to folks who would likely listen once and forget...not bad for 3 geeks recording in a remodeled bedroom...

 

Incidentally, I cant recommend bandcamp.com enough to those who dont know about it...

 

let us know how it works for you...

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, we did it!

Until June 18, my new album is being sold for... whatever you want to pay: from $1 to $10.

 

Email or PM me for the link.

Hope you check it out. And let me know if this model was what finally pushed you over the top to check it out.

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  • 2 months later...

I don't have a large enough audience to charge anything...too much cash to press anything other than online dispersal.

 

I listened to your new album online, and downloaded it. It sounds great.

I guess that the only reason that I am charging anything at all it to try to recoup my production costs, as the value of recorded music, in the eyes of the listening public, has sunk to pretty much nil.

Maybe I'll make the record available for free download at some point. (Hell, it's already available at the torrent sites... which I consider a compliment.)

 

I do just want to be heard.

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  • 4 weeks later...

So after nearly a year or recording and writing, my bands album is finally finished. Were considering using bandcamp.com

 

We thinking about using the "set your price" model, or maybe even free.. We just want to get the music out there.. We will of course press CD's later, and that's when we'll try to make a little money.. But again for now we want to just get our music heard.

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  • 1 month later...

my band - after a year of recording a bit here or there when we have money come in from a gig ($20-40 a pop) are just about finished tracking our new record - and after thinking and researching and debating, we've decided to try to save ourselves another year before we can mix/master/dupe and try goin with Kickstarter

 

if you don't know about it - its a pretty cool model, powered by amazon the band sets the goal they need to raise (say $5k) and then you set up price points where you give various rewards ($5 for a download single, $50 for a signed record, plus merch and tix, $300 for a house show, etc etc.) and you basically presell the CD or other prize packs hoping to raise the full amount by the deadline you set. if you dont reach the goal you get nothing.

 

so far we're off to a great start but still have a LONG way to go - its exciting and a lot of work to find ways of promoting it without seeming to be begging peoples help.

 

i'll certainly keep you all posted on how it goes. if you wat to see the page we set up or chexk out kickstarter in general its here: Rationales Kickstarter

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