Selling Your Music Online: How To Make an Online Business With Music
If you are a musician of any type, you know that distribution of your music is the key to creating a following and making an online business with music. In the past, this meant getting your album into the hands of radio station executives in an attempt to get airtime devoted to you. Today, however, there are online tools that can assist you in spreading the word about your musical expertise and create a devoted following with minimal financial investment on your part.
The first thing you need to do is create an online presence through a web site. Web sites have become cheaper and easier to create in recent years. Purchase a domain name – preferably your name or your group’s name, if applicable – and a web hosting plan. Many mainstream hosting services offer hosting for one year for around $100 or less. After this is done, you can install WordPress or Tumblr onto your site for easy content creation. Both include a number of “skins”, or designs, that you can install quickly and easily. Contact your hosting provider for instructions on how to install WordPress or Tumblr onto your site. Often, this is done in only a few clicks.
Once you have your web presence established, you can flesh it out with blog posts, tour dates (if you have one), pictures, and other details about your music. This will be where you want to drive your following.
Sharing Your Way To Making An Online Business With Music
After this is done, you need to share your music. Create videos of you performing your music on YouTube, and create a presence on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Integrate these profiles with your site. Encourage involvement with your following, so that conversations can be conducted. You may even consider live video chats or performances on sites such as Ustream. All of these are ways that your music can be distributed and shared among your fans to create a deeper connection.
Finally, all of these distribution channels should lead back to your online store, where your music is sold. Sell your albums as MP3 albums, but you also can offer CD distribution if needed. When all of these different forms of social media are integrated together, it facilitates sharing and a form of grassroots distribution that can ensure your success.
Let Your Goals Define Your Music Business
If your goal is to make it big with a traditional record label, then you need to push to grow your following as large as possible. Once you have a large enough following, executives will notice. For example, Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube and is now one of the leading artists in current pop music. There are many opportunities available for someone looking to build an online business with their music. Consider some of these options and be willing to work hard to achieve your goals.