Should beginning bands give music away for free?

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Yes.  Here’s the scenario…

Antonio’s band is just getting off the ground in the Boston, MA area.  They’re about half way finished recording their debut album and are starting to play out around the area.  There seems to be a bit of a debate on whether or not to give some of the music away for free.  One side of the argument is…hey, after all the time, energy, and money we put into recording this it makes no sense to give it away…the other side is, let’s focus long term, give tracks away, and encourage word of mouth with hopes to find more fans.

If you’re an independent band, with no label support, just getting off the ground…you absolutely need to give some of your music away for free..and not the left overs..you need to share the best songs you have!  If you don’t…how are people going to hear your music?  Naturally gravitate towards your myspace page?  Doubt it.

Here’s my advice…make everything you have available for purchase.  Get your tracks on iTunes (and everywhere else), link your sites to it, and let people know they’re available for purchase if you’d like to support the band.  You’ll be surprised how many will purchase to support.  Your current FANS will support, but the new one’s wont..they’re not yet convinced and are testing your water.  You need to convince them with your music.  Give it to them, let them live with it, enjoy it, and guess what…if your songs are good enough…they’ll react!  And if they react, they’ll buy the other songs and maybe even a t-shirt and ticket to the next show…that’s what you want.

And really?  Is $0.99/track really going to make any difference in your career right now?!  No…be real.  It’s not..If you’re working for $0.99 then you’re way too short sighted and wont make it…besides..just a reminder..you’re doing this for the love of music, remember?  And there’s nothing better than sharing your music with new people, right?!  Share your music now, think long term, and the money will come…LATER.  Don’t bottleneck yourself this early.

So what’s the best way to give your music away?  I’m a fan of getting a little something for the free track.  I’ve started working with loudbytes: loudbytes.com.  You can get 1000 band cards for next to nothing that have your artwork on the front and a download code on the back.  Hand them out at shows and to the people you know.  When they go to loudbytes to download your track, loudbytes grabs their e-mail address and sends it back to you.  That’s cool.  Now you can hit everyone up who checked out your tunes and personally invite them to your next show.  These guys can attach your music via download codes to cards, button, hangtags for t-shirts, stickers…whatever.  I’ve even started using them to cut out the cost of CDs.  I put music on hang tags now.  So rather than sell a shirt for $10…I sell it for $15 and you get the album as a digital download for “free”…now you’re thinking like a business..cutting cost of goods sold.

So yes…give it away in one form or another…your fans will appreciate it and like I said…if the music is good enough people will react.

Ben