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The following question recently appeared on a website discussion forum and I thought it might make a good discussion..
Question:
Is it better to have 1,000 people download your music for free, or to have 10 people buy it? Is it more important to have tons of people playing your tunes on their iPods, or to have a small number of people pay money for them? Is it "giving up" to offer your music up for free? Is it admitting that your music isn't worth paying for?
My response:
Here's my 2 cents worth......................
If you sell your CD's for $15 each, then ten sales would gross $150.00. It's not a ton of money but indie musicians can use all that they can get. If you need the money, then take it and move on. I do it all the time.
On the other hand, if you have 1,000 people walking around with your music on their iPods, sharing it with others isn't that worth a lot more? That's lots of free advertising. If you take the old theory that every person has the ability to reach 10,000 other people, then that equals 10,000,000 potential new fans or customers that could possibly come in contact with your music. People who might even download your songs for a fee or even purchase you CD. Let's say that only .00001% of those people buy your CD, that would equal $1500 (100 sales X $15). Not to mention the potential for hits to your website, single downloads, merchandise sales, new fans at your shows and ringtones. So, does it still seem like 'giving up' to offer up some of your music for free?
I do believe that there should be some limits to what you give away for free. When major label artists offer free downloads from their 'soon to be released' CD, it's usually just a single or two, not the entire CD. They do it to stir up interest in the CD and generate sales. Why shouldn't indie artists use the same techniques? It must work or major labels wouldn't be doing it. Give it a try and see what happens.
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