survey: how much have you made by releasing music?

[boudo]

true that!

so whats the maximum you've made so far

honestly, could never put a price on it. making music is amazing.

Such a good point

[dimconcept]

Back in the 90's we used to do one shot deals with various labels per release. At that time, we would take a $1k to $2k advance per track, then make about $10k-$15k quarterly based on 35 cents per sale (12"). Since the whole MP3 music sharing thing really took off in 2000 and on, this dried up and went away. Many of the people I knew from that era pulled out of music and went in to different things (myself included). Some persevered. I look at music sharing today with mixed feelings. Sometimes, I wish we could, as artists, sit back and release tracks from our homes and get paid. But at the same time, I do believe music is meant to be free and enjoyed by the masses....

Back on point.. To answer the poll question, $0. We do not create music anymore for profit, we give it away. Living and equipment costs are subsidized by other revenue generating endeavors.

[gustafsson]

I do believe music is meant to be free and enjoyed by the masses....


well... if that was the case all musicians would have to work 8 hours
a day , being exploited prob doing somethin they did not like so that they can pay the bills , and then make music the in the free time??

or is there something im missing ??

of course music should be done 4 free if thats your will but generally (taking about the whole industry in general ) i think that would be awfull and it simply has no logic

[dimconcept]

I do believe music is meant to be free and enjoyed by the masses....


well... if that was the case all musicians would have to work 8 hours
a day , being exploited prob doing somethin they did not like so that they can pay the bills , and then make music the in the free time??

or is there something im missing ??

of course music should be done 4 free if thats your will but generally (taking about the whole industry in general ) i think that would be awfull and it simply has no logic

Granted, but I don't think it's a choice anymore. People, in general, place no value on an MP3 and think nothing of making copies. In the US, the RIAA has made the situation worse with their heavy handed tactics actually creating widespread loathing of the record industry. In our case, it's even worse since we've been bootlegged many times and have had our old 12"'s sold for $5-$45 on ebay and various e-stores around the net. Mind you, none of that $$ comes back to us.

So, I'd say to new artists coming up now, don't even think about music sales as a significant revenue source. Focus on performance and building your brand so that merchandising can be an option to your fanbase. If you are actually able to make a few dollars from iTunes, Beatport, etc... it's just icing on the cake.

ok... /rant

[gustafsson]

yes

another thing is i have serious doubts all distri play fair

some might keep some sales to themselves i know that happens in vynil

(pd deals mostly)

and i would not be surprised that happened in digital although i think if people receive the statements with country, hour , day of purchase it should be very difficult to "remove" sales

[dubgil]

I assume most of you are single, possibly married, but no children.

I am probably older than some of you (35yo) and have 4children. So music now my hoppy, never really was an income source for me,
but when I DJ'd I'd make anywhere from 100 - 500 a gig. It was kewl, but it was long ago.

best of luck (I like the comment - as long as I have food, records and weed - he he he)

[Shepherd_of_Anu]

I know this guy who has been a musician for thirtysome years and I'll tell you what he does. This works a job but devotes all his free time to his music. So it takes awhile but when he finaly get an album together he gets 2000 CDs professionally pressed with good graphics and then slowly over time sells most of then himself. There will be maybe 10-15 songs on a CD that he will sell for $20.

He sells them to friends, people he meets and more recently he has been using CD baby. But for the ones he sells himself he is making 90% profit.

When you get enough CD pressed it will cost you just $2 or something like that per CD. When he runs out, he presses more. You have to be a good salesman but if you can sell even a few a day then you have extra money coming in. This guy gets around in really snobby artistic social circles though. It may not be a good approach for everyone but it can work for the exact opposite situation too. I know of a old man that plays a erhu on a subway that makes his money selling CDs. The guy is really good though so if you don't have a way to impress people in the streets that approach isn't gonig to work so well for you.

If you are the kind of guy that likes to go to big crazy festivals and stuff that can be a good way to sell your music too. Even if you are putting tracks out online it may be a benifit to get some CDs pressed as well just for your own personal cash thing.

You are not going to become a millionare this way but it works for some.

[::BLM::]

I assume most of you are single, possibly married, but no children.

I am probably older than some of you (35yo) and have 4children. So music now my hoppy, never really was an income source for me,
but when I DJ'd I'd make anywhere from 100 - 500 a gig. It was kewl, but it was long ago.

best of luck (I like the comment - as long as I have food, records and weed - he he he)

I'm 23 and have 1 child. I live off music at the moment, but it is really hard. Unless you're a genius who cant whip out amazing tunes at the drop of a hat a professional attitude is a must.

I know some people who have had 2 releases out and have got a million gigs, others have to work a bit harder to pursue their dream.