Making A Living In Music Is The Same Everywhere

We have one of the most sophisticated networks for making money from all aspects from music in the United States, but when it comes down to it, it's not that different from some of the less developed entertainment areas of the world.

Take Nigeria, for instance. The music business is primitive in so many ways, but when you dig deep into it, it's exactly the same as the US if you're a DIY artist and not a huge corporation. Here's an interesting video interview of Rapper LD on SmartMonkey TV that illustrates the point. LD is smart and hip, and has been at it long enough that he knows just what to do in Nigeria. My guess is that he'd make it in the States in a minute.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Who Buys The Most Music? Top 40 Listeners

There's a new study conducted by The Media Audit that reveals what most of us already thought to be true; Top 40 radio listeners purchase the most music. The study looked at the habits of 41 million users across 81 markets and found the following:

• 42.8% of Top 40 listeners frequently purchase CDs or downloads
• 27.7% of all US consumers frequently purchase music (who would've thought it would be that high?)
• 39.2% - Urban listeners
• 38.3% - Hot AC (adult contemporary)
• 36.4% - Rock
• 34.1% - Urban AC
• 33.2% - Sports
• 32.7% - Public Radio
• 31.5% - Classic Rock
• 30.4% - AC

Frequent purchases are defined as having purchased a CD or download within the last four weeks.

To break it down even further:

• 49% are female
• 46.6% are between the ages of 25 to 44
• 67% are between the ages of 18 to 44

And finally, in a figure that should be no surprise at all, frequent music buyers are more likely to have a college degree and have a higher income, with the average household income being $76,739.

The bottom line, there's still a lot of music being purchased, it's just not making its way back to the artists and songwriters.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Twitter Commerce With Chirpify

For many artists, Twitter is a great tool for promotion, but the problem until now was that you couldn't directly use it for commerce. Now a new platform called Chirpify provides that ability.

The way it works is that the artist uploads digital content to a Chirpify dashboard, then click's to tweet. The consumer connects their Twitter and PayPal accounts via Chirpify and simply replies to the tweet by the artist. Chirpify then sends a secure download link via a direct message or an email to download the digital content, merch or even a ticket.

Chirpify takes a reasonable 4% commission along with any PayPal fees, although the company has flat monthly pricing for labels or major users.

One of the big early users has been Amanda Palmer (there's that name again), who recently about $19k worth of T-shirts in 10 hours using the service. I don't know anything about her music, but she sure knows how to make money.

If you're a big Twitter user, take a look at Chirpify. It just might be another revenue source.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

Can Live Concert Streaming Become A New Revenue Source?

Here's an idea who's time might have finally come. You can't get enough of your favorite artist or band but you just don't have the ability to follow them on tour. Wouldn't it be great if you could watch their show at home? Now maybe you can, thanks to Concert Window, a new service that provides live streams of concerts for just $3 per show.

Concert Window splits the proceeds with both the artists and the venues, giving both not only a new revenue stream but also a new avenue for exposure. Of course, this has been tried by venues before over the last ten years or so, but what stopped it in its tracks with larger artists was the issue of rights ownership. If you shoot the show, who owns the video?

This issue is circumvented by the fact that the show is streamed only and not archived. Everyone gets paid fairly (a third each) for that show only, so there's no worry as to what happens to the file afterwards. As far as the technical end, Concert Window has a simple turnkey solution that their team will install in a new venue, and requires no tech skills as far as the production is concerned except for a wi-fi connection.

Right now it looks like there are only 10 venues signed on from all over the country, and the majority of artists aren't what you'd call household names, but there does seem to be a need for this service if it can grow on a larger scale. Hopefully it will survive and prosper.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

7 Steps To Make Your Merch Table Magnetic

I'm a huge fan of CD Baby's DIY Musician blog, and almost every week they have at least one post that's full of killer info. Here's a post called "7 Easy Ways To Attract Fans To Your Merch Table" that I thought was fantastic. You can read the entire post here (the tips at the end about LEDs is worth it), but here are the 7 steps that cut right to the heart of the matter.

1. Make it intriguing. Capture the attention of concert attendees before they hear a single note. 

2. Avoid clutter. Clearly display the products for sale and their prices.

3. Quickly convey your artist aesthetic. It is an extension of you and should “jive with your vibe.”

4. Make it accessible. The merch booth has got to be easy to get to, unobstructed, and clearly visible to many people at once so long lines don’t hinder sales opportunities.

5. Diversify. Offer a few different items (CDs, t-shirts, stickers, mugs, etc.) and bundle them together for a reduced price to entice fans who might be on the fence.

6. Get your email list up there front and center. The merch booth is your opportunity to attract new fans even if they don’t buy anything. This may be the only chance you have to turn a stranger into a lifelong fan, so on’t miss it!

7. Be visible at the booth following your performance. If you’ve created a moment on stage that made a fan say to themselves “I need to take some memory of this home with me” then what better way to ensure a lasting connection than to have a conversation with your audience after the show.

Merch should be one of your main sources of income, but it can only happen if you present it well. 

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.