Concerning Music On The Internet..

[musicmad]

Hi

concerning music on the internet. Am i right to say that its not necessary for one to have a music agent, music publisher, A&R pepole, or even a record label, if you intend to produce, manufacture, and distribute your music on the internet, all by yourself???

Mm

[john]

Hey

Effectively you are your own pulishing house/label etc. but you should still set yourself up in those roles so you can recoup monies from airplay etc.

There are several members who run internet labels and publishing companies, for their own music or multiple artists. Perhaps they can advise you on details of doing this.

Cheers

John

[Lazz]

Am i right to say that its not necessary for one to have a music agent, music publisher, A&R pepole, or even a record label, if you intend to produce, manufacture, and distribute your music on the internet, all by yourself???

Yes.

You're right.

But they can still offer benefit.

Even if you're doing it all yourself, the channels of communication and distribution are still controlled by others

All you really need is blind ignorance and huge determination.

If you knew too much before you started you would probably just give up.

Which island are you on ?

Which town ?

[musicmad]

Hey

Effectively you are your own pulishing house/label etc. but you should still set yourself up in those roles so you can recoup monies from airplay etc.

There are several members who run internet labels and publishing companies, for their own music or multiple artists. Perhaps they can advise you on details of doing this.

Cheers

John

Hi john, thanks again,

how would i find these members on the forum to chat with, any links???

Mm

[musicmad]

Yes.

You're right.

But they can still offer benefit.

Even if you're doing it all yourself, the channels of communication and distribution are still controlled by others

All you really need is blind ignorance and huge determination.

If you knew too much before you started you would probably just give up.

Which island are you on ?

Which town ?

Hi Lazz, thanks for your reply,

i live in the Canary islands, on the island of tenerife, near the city of santa cruz, but i live in the hills..

Mm

[tgrover]

Hi Lazz, thanks for your reply,

i live in the Canary islands, on the island of tenerife, near the city of santa cruz, but i live in the hills..

Mm

as an example. Get your songs copyrighted. Get registerd to be on itunes sell through them. Thats the simplest way. The money will be paid directly from itunes to your own company or if you want, use cd baby to sell as a 'real' product.

Publishing is required if you are actually making money through air play etc, Are you at that stage yet? As they will make sure if you music is played you get paid. I did this myself and i still am owed money from HMV. It can difficult to do so best left to someone else.

I am a bedroom producer. So i create the music. I pay for the cds to be burnt. I sell them via itunes and cd baby. Do we sell many? No.

At this point you might then need a label, some A and R guys and publishing house to push the music out. But thats only if they want you.

[musicmad]

as an example. Get your songs copyrighted. Get registerd to be on itunes sell through them. Thats the simplest way. The money will be paid directly from itunes to your own company or if you want, use cd baby to sell as a 'real' product.

Publishing is required if you are actually making money through air play etc, Are you at that stage yet? As they will make sure if you music is played you get paid. I did this myself and i still am owed money from HMV. It can difficult to do so best left to someone else.

I am a bedroom producer. So i create the music. I pay for the cds to be burnt. I sell them via itunes and cd baby. Do we sell many? No.

At this point you might then need a label, some A and R guys and publishing house to push the music out. But thats only if they want you.

Hi tgrover, thanks for your feedback,

1: when you mention about registering with itunes / or if i wanted, i could sell my album as a real product, do you mean that itunes only distribute digital downloads of artists music??, whereas cd baby offers a real product such as a physical cd??. 2: On needing a record label to sell my music on publishing sites like cd baby, itunes, Rhapsody etc, is it absolutely necessary for me to have my own record label??? what does a record label stand for anyway!, is it just a business name??? why do i need one???

Thanks

Musicmad

Edited April 16, 2008 by musicmad

[Lazz]

near the city of santa cruz, but i live in the hills..

As long as it's away from the terrible south and those training camps for the english lager drinking team.

I used to waste time pleasantly around Santa Ursula.

Visits are very rare now, but our new locus is close to you, in La Orotava.

Verry beautiful.

[tgrover]

Hi tgrover, thanks for your feedback,

1: when you mention about registering with itunes / or if i wanted, i could sell my album as a real product, do you mean that itunes only distribute digital downloads of artists music??, whereas cd baby offers a real product such as a physical cd??. 2: On needing a record label to sell my music on publishing sites like cd baby, itunes, Rhapsody etc, is it absolutely necessary for me to have my own record label??? what does a record label stand for anyway!, is it just a business name??? why do i need one???

Thanks

Musicmad

looking at the site. Just use cd baby. Looks like they get it on itunes etc as well for you.

http://cdbaby.net/submit

They take a cut of 9% for digitial download or 4 bucks per cd sold and its cost 35 bucks to setup. So ideally you dont want to do anything other than an album as you might only break even.

[musicmad]

looking at the site. Just use cd baby. Looks like they get it on itunes etc as well for you.

http://cdbaby.net/submit

They take a cut of 9% for digitial download or 4 bucks per cd sold and its cost 35 bucks to setup. So ideally you dont want to do anything other than an album as you might only break even.

Thanks! for your reply, but nothing was said about the record label, again! what is one?? do i need one?? what are thay for?

Musicmad

Edited April 17, 2008 by musicmad

[tgrover]

Thanks! for your reply, but nothing was said about the record label, again! what is one?? do i need one?? what are thay for?

Musicmad

a record label is just a company name that has been registed. It costs about 20 quid i think to set one up if you are to go DIY.

Or you could try and get yourself a record deal. If you get a record deal then they generally look after everything for you. But you cant choose this... the company will have to choose you.

So do you need one - everyone wants one but most dont get one.

You need to tell us your aims to determine if you require one. I sold about 1000' cd's. I am not part of any label.

[musicmad]

a record label is just a company name that has been registed. It costs about 20 quid i think to set one up if you are to go DIY.

Or you could try and get yourself a record deal. If you get a record deal then they generally look after everything for you. But you cant choose this... the company will have to choose you.

So do you need one - everyone wants one but most dont get one.

You need to tell us your aims to determine if you require one. I sold about 1000' cd's. I am not part of any label.

So what your saying is, if i was selling my own cds from itunes, cd baby, or even my own website, i don't need to have a record label??? if i did have one, what would be the benefit

Mm

[thelevellers]

I believe the record company would deal with things like PR, advertising, getting gigs (worldwide eventually ) and will stump up cash up front for recording and pressing purposes.

However that does mean that from the start you're in their debt, there's a cautionary tale on this site somewhere describing what can happen if you're not careful...

Personally I would suggest you go for it on your own, at least to begin with, providing you can afford it. If you get big enough to need a ecord deal then they will probably come looking for you, and if you're already set-up and running then you would be able to be choosey about the contract you sign...

Lol, that almost makes it sound like I know what I'm on about! Have to mention I don't... just using my commonsense

Rohan

[musicmad]

I believe the record company would deal with things like PR, advertising, getting gigs (worldwide eventually ) and will stump up cash up front for recording and pressing purposes.

However that does mean that from the start you're in their debt, there's a cautionary tale on this site somewhere describing what can happen if you're not careful...

Personally I would suggest you go for it on your own, at least to begin with, providing you can afford it. If you get big enough to need a ecord deal then they will probably come looking for you, and if you're already set-up and running then you would be able to be choosey about the contract you sign...

Lol, that almost makes it sound like I know what I'm on about! Have to mention I don't... just using my commonsense

Rohan

Hi thelevellers,

Thanks for your reply. but once again, if i where to be selling my own cds on places like itunes, cd baby, or even my own website, i dont need a record label to make this happen, am i right???

Edited April 18, 2008 by musicmad

[Lazz]

i dont need a record label to make this happen, am i right???

Maybe none of the regular practical benefits of being a corporate entity have any relevance to any of us little guys.

In terms of branding or identity there are other benefits to having a label/name that may be useful to consider.

Primarily to do with the perceptions of others.

I think as a sole operator you might also be able to get away with 'trading as", and not have to do any special registration, while still being able to receive money under the name you pick - talk to your bank-manager to discover how and what's possible in Tenerife.

For dealing with those other companies who you want to be able to flog your stuff, they all require a UPC - a bar-code.

CD Baby can sell you one.

For digital downloading, each track also needs to have an ISRC number.

ISRCs are supposed to be embedded at the mastering stage - but that may not be absolutely crucial.

But you definitely need to have 'em to fill in all the boring paperwork.

I'll bet CD Baby has a solution for that also.

CD Baby is a great aggregator and might be all you need for making your stuff available where you want it to be.

Good luck.

[john]

yep CD Baby are pretty cool

[Chokai]

Just out curiosity, does anyone here know what percentage per-sale you get through selling as an independent aritst on iTunes? Are you in control of your pricing?

[Roflcopter]

Hope this is useful:

http://www.futureofmusic.org/itunes2.cfm

[Chokai]

Interesting article.. thanks for that. Its certainly made things clearer to me.

[MusicKing]

Getting your CD on iTunes and CD Baby is one thing. Selling copies is another.

Getting a team of people who know what they are doing will make life easier for you.

However, it will be very difficult to get them if you don't already have any significant achievements.

And I'm not talking about how good your music is. I'm talking about how much you can prove that money can be made from your music.

You need to seriously educate yourself on the music business. You should also learn how to promote your music on the internet.

Many artists do it and make profit but you need to put in time and effort.