Internet Audio for Musicians

Promotion-01 How to Make Money By Giving It Away!

One of the first things I'm going to tell you is probably the thing you'll object the most to: If you want to sell songs, you're gonna have to give songs away.

"Say what??!!"

"I worked hard on those songs and I'll be damned if I'm gonna give anything away!"

Well, if you already have millions of fans willing to shell out their hard-earned cash, then no problem. Read no further!

Have you ever been in a grocery store and seen a little table where they were giving away free samples of a new food item? I sure have ... and these tables were sponsored by some of the biggest names in the food industry.

Likewise, I can find hundreds, if not thousands, of songs GIVEN AWAY as free downloads by major labels - for major artists.

Now why in God's name would they want to do that?

Because it's a basic lesson in marketing a new product ... and if you can't think of yourself and your music as "a product" you'd better find another line of work ... because if you ever sign with a record label that's exactly what you are to them - a product!

Like a deoderant or a bar of soap or a box of cereal.

That's not to demean you as an artist, but to give you an idea of the realities of the music business.

In fact, it's the core foundation of EVERY business.

You've probably done it yourself - at least if you've ever applied for a job.

You spit polish your shows, put on the right clothes, brush your teeth and comb your hair. Heck, you might even wash your face. Then you go for the job interview and what are you trying to do? You are SELLING yourself, almost like a whore on the corner of 12th and Vine. You are a product, a potential employee. You're sitting on a shelf with a hundred or a thousand others, trying to make yourself noticed and trying to get the shopper (the employer) to pick you up and put you in their shopping cart and take you to the cash register and buy you.

Sounds pretty crass, I know!

If you're with a record label, they've got a dozen more or a hundred more or three hundred more.

Visit our site at www.muzik-zone.com - whether you're a music fan or an independent songwriter, performer or publisher. Music fans can legally listen to thousands of songs from all genres. Artists can find a ton of advice on how to prepare, distribute and sell their music.