Achtung, baby.

One of the most important topics for any artist that creates and sells their work is sales and marketing, and more pointedly, how to gain the attention of the buying public in a market that is very much oversaturated.  Speaking from experience, the music industry is highly competitive and the advance of technology over the last 10 years has made it increasingly easier and more affordable for musicians to record, produce, manufacture and distribute their own original music.  No longer is it necessary for musicians to have to spend upwards of $3,000 a weekend to record in a high end studio.  With some research, experimentation, technical know-how and decent, affordable recoding equipment, DIY musicians can create a home recording that sounds good enough for commercial release. 

That’s not to say that highly experienced recording engineers and high quality studios are a thing of the past.  Sonically, nothing will ever replace the expertise and knowledge of a seasoned, educated recording engineer using top of the line equipment.  My point is that musicians in the early stages of their careers, or those who can’t afford the services of top-end recording studios now have a viable alternative that will allow them to develop their audience base and release recordings.

As far as music distribution, if you take the physical manufacturing of compact discs out of the equation in favor of MP3 files, then the process becomes even more truncated and almost instantaneous.  It has never before been easier to reach the audience in such an immediate manner.  So, with this glut of new music being created and sold both retail and over the internet, how does one stand out?  Although technology can play a role as a tool with which the artist can make an impression on the listener, in the end it is the musician’s story, personality and musical voice that needs to be communicated, and some old fashioned best practices and techniques often times still produce the best results.

Derek Sivers, a seasoned longtime professional musician, founded CD Baby, the largest online distributor of music.  He has been called a music business folk hero by Esquire Magazine, and largely built up CD Baby with a grass roots and endearing approach.  Although the volume of the company’s business is large, there is little “corporate” about it and in many ways the site levels the playing field for independent musicians.  Derek is also a champion of the independent musician, and does not hesitate to offer his wisdom and experience to help out bands or musicians trying to make a name for themselves.  An example is this 70 page guide written by Derek that covers various approaches to marketing, networking and how to gain attention for your work.