JCFM Radio

In the world of online, undiscovered music it is becoming increasingly difficult for an act to get noticed. If you or your band are searching for a big break then you’ll need to learn about selling music online. Here are some tips to help you either sell your very first CD/download or increase the amount that you are already selling.

1. Register with a performing rights society, a digital licensor, and start researching lawyers that specialise in the music business. Unless there is already a strong demand for your music this should all be cost-free however if you do start generating such demand quickly then you would be wise to hire one of the music business lawyers that you have previously researched.
2. Approach an online retailer. There are hundreds of different options on the internet for an unsigned artist. There are many established and respected online retail and digital distribution agencies as well as new and exciting options. Don’t just find one online retailer, find as many as you feel comfortable with, and ensure that they don’t take away any of the rights to your music.
3. No one should be taking away any rights to your music except for a publisher. This is quite a  complex process and you will need the lawyer familiar with the music business that you should have already hired. No website you upload your songs to should have rights to them. For example, if you have a song on your MySpace page then you own that song, not MySpace. You don’t want to get caught out at the earliest stages of your career so it is always important to read the fine print when you are selling your music online.
4. If you can do something yourself then don’t pay someone else to do it for you. Unless there is an increasingly strong demand for your music there is no need to hire a publicist to promote you online.
5. Utilize social networks. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube are all great ways of promoting your music to an audience you might not otherwise reach. Linking back to your other social networks is also a good way to build a following. Be sure to tell you Twitter followers about your Facebook page, your Facebook fans about your MySpace page, and so on. With all of these you can promote any video content you produce on your YouTube channel.