Giving Away Your Tracks For Free

[john]

Hey

Hugh Cornwall, ex-Stranglers frontman has been quite outspoken about artists giving away their tracks for free, recommending it as the way ahead and saying that the traditional approach of selling tracks is an outmoded business model.

I have always maintained that it is the artist's right to choose whether they give their tracks away for free or not (illegal downloaders remove that right from the artist). However, making all your tracks free as the default business model relies upon artists earning by other means, mainly merchandise and performance royalties (great if you are able bodied but not much use to me just now).

What do you think?

Cheers

John

[ThoughtMonster]

It might be harder than ever to get filthy rich from album sales, but there's still a pretty significant segment out there who want to pay for their music (like me) or buy other media for the better sound quality (like FLAC and vinyl enthusiasts).

I do agree with Hugh's message that musicians need to be creative about their business models. I'd say that's always been the case, but today we are all competing with free digital copies of our own work. All moral beliefs aside, everything is free for those who want it, and at this point nobody gets ahead by trying to fight that. Instead we must find new niches and angles: no freeloader typically experiences the awesome packaging and liner notes you included with your latest album, for example... and the type of person who wants a boxed set probably will not get as much pleasure out of DOWNLOADING said box's CD content.

Edited March 29, 2010 by ThoughtMonster

[Prometheus]

Hey

Hugh Cornwall, ex-Stranglers frontman has been quite outspoken about artists giving away their tracks for free, recommending it as the way ahead and saying that the traditional approach of selling tracks is an outmoded business model.

I have always maintained that it is the artist's right to choose whether they give their tracks away for free or not (illegal downloaders remove that right from the artist). However, making all your tracks free as the default business model relies upon artists earning by other means, mainly merchandise and performance royalties (great if you are able bodied but not much use to me just now).

What do you think?

Cheers

John

I can't think of any other product that anyone would create with this kind of marketing strategy except computer software, another piracy riddled industry. I have a similar issue with this as you John. Anxiety issues stop me from performing live and selling merchandise.

I had thought of trying to establish a niche working with small independent film makers or software developers, but there doesn't seem to be anywhere near enough work in it... I did some work for Man Trucks at one point which was fairly lucrative, but again it was not steady. They roll out a new model of truck maybe once every couple of years and I have to eat every day.

I don't know what to do. I'll never give up being into creating music, but I despair of ever making money out of it...