Internet technology has made it possible to make money by selling MP3 and CD downloads. No matter how many CDs you have made, or whether you just recorded a live gig, it is now possible to make money from your music by selling them online.
There are many independent companies that can be called ‘Aggregators’ to the major online music sites. Their job is to collect all the music from independent artists for them and then deliver it each week. They also collect the money from the shops when your tracks are sold and transfer this money to them.
Some aggregators may take a small percentage of each sale, and send you the remainder. This is to pay their service costs like staff costs or time to deliver your music. However, some aggregators may prefer to pay a small upfront payment and let you keep all the money that the artist receives. Remember that while the online store does take a cut on the sale price of your music, you can still make as much as 60 cents per 99 cent download. Additionally, downloads don’t need to be printed at a large upfront cost. Therefore, any money you earn from MP3 sales will help you make a much bigger profit.
If you have CD’s that are pressed and you wish to sell them online, it may be difficult or expensive to establish your own web shop. Many businesses already have the technology so why not make use of them? You can just keep the cash and let them handle the selling.
CDBaby.com is a leading online CD retailer. CDBaby.com has been selling independent music CDs online for over ten years. CDBaby is an independent CD distributor. They require you to sign up and send them at least five CDs. These CDs will be put on the site for sale. They will ask you for general information about the CD as well as your band in order to put up a promotional site in their shop. The information will help increase your sales. CDBaby has a $4 fee per CD. CDBaby will charge $5.99 per CD if you sell a CD that retails for $9.99. That’s a lot more than if it were sold on a major label.
CD baby has introduced a system where they will print the CDs for you in small quantities. All they need is the audio file, artwork, release information, and the pressing plant will take care. You can also stock your CDBaby stores with the CD. It’s amazing to have one stop CD distribution for all your music, without having to leave your home. A distributor site is also available to make it simple for fans to buy your CD.
You can also buy a CDBaby barcode (currently $20) from the distributor. This means that your CD sales will be counted towards your chart position. It’s always worth purchasing this barcode, especially if you sell a lot. This will allow you to get more exposure and shout about your success Fakaza.
Many independent online music distributors will also distribute your music to physical distributor catalogues. CD Baby has their CDs in Chicago’s ‘Super D Phoenix One Stop’, which supplies many large physical retailers including Target, Tower Records, Target, etc. Most online distributors will have a list that shows all of the stores your music will be available worldwide. You can also contact your customers directly to let them know that you can take your CD’s to their local record store and ask them for it. If you wish to maximize your potential earnings with your music, you should always choose to receive the most services from independent distributors (mostly at no charge). This includes ringtone sales, online promotion, synchronisation, (your music in TV or Film) and many others.
