As a band today, one thing is for sure, to succeed as a musician, you must have a record. But today we can no longer depend on sales of records, or indeed on securing a record contract, as our way to earn our living. So we must think outside the record sales box and look at the other ways to generate sustainable incomes with our music:
- Touring, and the live experience – this is the most obvious and common thing to mention, but it must be said, in order for you to maximise your potential profits and exposure to new fans and media, you must play live shows. And while playing live shows in your area is a great way to start and build up the beginnings of a fanbase, you must always be looking to expand. And this means touring. You have to leave your home-state eventually, even if you’re based in California or New York. While it’s true that just solidly touring these two main hubs can do a lot for you, there’s 50 more states left in the country, not to mention Canada, and when you are feeling more adventurous – South America and the world. While you may not be able to get large guarantees to start with, and may have to play for free often – you have to do it. Touring begets more touring, which begets more exposure, more money, more fans and ultimately there are very few musicians who can have a successful career without it.
- Merch. Merchandising is a big deal. You don’t have to get too fancy with it, even just a T-shirt with your logo is a good way to begin. As you build up a fan base and tour more often, you will find fans already own the shirt you have, this is why it’s a good idea to bring out a new shirt at the start of each tour run or s, as then you will have a new product to sell to them. You can even make limited edition shirts for memorable shows or tours etc that fans will buy for their collectability. Don’t forget to carry a range of sizes in shirts, and if you feel you have at least a small percentage of female fans it’s a good idea to have a shirt in women’s sizes and curs. Other good merch options to look into include hoodies, hats, all manner of clothing and apparel including socks, patches, stickers, shot glasses and anything you think might tie in with your band if you have a theme or gimmick going for you, or a unique style. Try small runs of things first to see how they sell and go from there. With the right merch, you can really make a few dollars for your band.
- TV and film placement and scoring. If you can get your music into a commercial, for example, generally you will get paid a royalty every time it airs; the same is often true of TV placements. Film placements, and getting hired to score an actual movie yourself can work a little differently, but any time you can get a paid placement or scoring type job it can not only be profitable – but it can also provide your band with a lot more exposure – and often to many different types of audiences.
- Self-releasing your record online and/or offline. While you’re waiting for a ‘deal’ you’re wasting time. Another band in your genre is already releasing their album on their own and selling to your fans. If you have an album ready, and no record contract in the near future in sight, self-releasing your record is one of the best things you can do for yourself. While it can be a lot of work, with having to do all the promotion and sales yourself there are tools you can use to help with this, and with more risk and more work comes more reward – you get to keep 100% of the profits with no label taking a cut. Just remember with the way the industry is today, labels don’t want to take chances on bands with an unproven track record. A self-released album (click here for cd ordering info) is a step in proving just how much you back your own product. There is always your next album to get the big ‘deal.’ But don’t starve any longer waiting for a record deal than you have to, when you could be selling your own music yourself.
