2nd March 2011
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#1 | | Kills for gear
Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock
Posts: 4,531
Thread Starter  | A different approach to "selling" my music
First off I want to give a shoutout to gearslutz's RawBeanZen for doing a wonderful job mixing my new album!!!
I know my approach isn't new or necessarily novel, for the world at large anyway, for me it is something new though.
I have decided to not promote my new album "for sale," but to give it away by donation. I never really questioned before why I would sell an album, especially a digital download, for $10. Why not $5, why not $20? In the great experiment of capitalism and the free market you're supposed to let the market determine the price of a product or service, and lately the internet market has been deciding that "free" is a good price.  I mean seriously, free is a really good price, for the consumer anyway. 
So how do I balance people that want my download for less than $10 (for whatever reason they have, I won't judge), yet still put my music in the hands of people who want to share the experience?
Much like that team building exercise where you fall backwards into the arms of your teammates, I have decided to fall backwards into the arms of the internet. I trust. Everything I have done has value and the time I spent has value as well. The strength of my product should be reflected by how people feel about the value I provide to them.
Of course some will steal and cheat and want things for free. I can't control that, nor do I want the responsibility for controlling that behavior. I trust that most of humanity is good and yearns to do the right thing and I am totally okay with someone hitting me up and saying, "Hey, I dig the music, but things are tough right now and I can't afford to give you anything." It would be more satisfying for me to give them a gift than have both of us feel like something is being taken away. 
Maybe this is the beginning of a new barter economy? A place where we can share our skills and abilities and talents and pay based on our circumstances and the value others provide. http://www.olivianeutronbomb.com
There are samples on the listen page, please check it out, and if you want it, let me know. 
__________________  It's just a flesh wound!
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7th March 2011
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#2 | | Registered User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 74
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"i trust that most of humanity is good and yearns to do the right thing"
totally, totally wrong man.
humanity is the worse thing to ever happen to planet earth. humans are selfish, greedy animals who want nothing more than to scam their way around.
of course there are exceptions. maybe a few million people. but for the near 7 billion here, its not a good look.
giving away the album and having people pay what they want was alright for radiohead, because simply doing it gave them promotion on top of the status they already had.
doing it when you don't have a name will probably lead to a select few paying. but i wouldnt hope to break even with such a plan.
not trying to discourage you from following through til the bitter end with a donation system, but you are better off NOT trusting people and figuring a new medium in which ANYBODY can make money off music. tough shit.
**** the human race
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7th March 2011
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#3 | | Registered User
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 74
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OH and that said, i checked your tracks on myspace and i liked em man. i wish you luck.
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8th March 2011
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#4 | | Kills for gear
Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock
Posts: 4,531
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by Junket  "i trust that most of humanity is good and yearns to do the right thing"
totally, totally wrong man.
humanity is the worse thing to ever happen to planet earth. humans are selfish, greedy animals who want nothing more than to scam their way around.
of course there are exceptions. maybe a few million people. but for the near 7 billion here, its not a good look.
giving away the album and having people pay what they want was alright for radiohead, because simply doing it gave them promotion on top of the status they already had.
doing it when you don't have a name will probably lead to a select few paying. but i wouldnt hope to break even with such a plan.
not trying to discourage you from following through til the bitter end with a donation system, but you are better off NOT trusting people and figuring a new medium in which ANYBODY can make money off music. tough shit.
**** the human race | Hahahaha! Thanks for taking the time to listen!
I feel your disappointment in peoples' behavior. I'm not even sure it ever occurred to me to break even, I'm not a big name nor will I ever be even if I stuck to the $12 for a CD $9.99 for a digital download plan.
I figure if nothing else I will present people with the opportunity to be fair, the rest is on them.
PM me if you want a download, my gift to you, no scamming involved.  | |
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31st March 2011
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#5 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Apr 2006 Location: Right here in this chair
Posts: 3,484
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Originally Posted by jeremy.c. First off I want to give a shoutout to gearslutz's RawBeanZen for doing a wonderful job mixing my new album!!! | It was my pleasure, Jeremy....I love your music!  | |
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1st April 2011
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#6 | | Kills for gear
Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock
Posts: 4,531
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by RawBeanZen It was my pleasure, Jeremy....I love your music! | Thanks man. I encourage anyone to listen to the music just to hear the dimensions that RawBe brought to it. I strongly encourage any musician who "engineers" to turn their music over to another artist and let them bring out things you didn't hear yourself. | |
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1st April 2011
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#7 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jun 2009 Location: Central, IL
Posts: 1,134
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Junket nailed it. Humans suck. Giving music away for "free" still isn't free for people that actually get it. Kids/people basically have every song on the planet for free if they want it, they just have to download it. That takes time, and an attention span of more than a few seconds. Which most people don't have.
Basically what I'm saying is that using "free" as a selling point isn't that big of a thing because everyone knows they could get it for free anyway. Whats the answer? I don't know. I know I tried the free thing and it didn't really create anymore interest than before we were giving it away.
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2nd April 2011
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#8 | | Kills for gear
Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock
Posts: 4,531
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by dysenterygary Junket nailed it. Humans suck. Giving music away for "free" still isn't free for people that actually get it. Kids/people basically have every song on the planet for free if they want it, they just have to download it. That takes time, and an attention span of more than a few seconds. Which most people don't have.
Basically what I'm saying is that using "free" as a selling point isn't that big of a thing because everyone knows they could get it for free anyway. Whats the answer? I don't know. I know I tried the free thing and it didn't really create anymore interest than before we were giving it away. | Yeah, I get where you're coming from. I think most people think things have value when they possess cultural currency, obviously mine doesn't have that currency. I'm just hoping that the few people who "want" my music will also want to connect and donate... something. So far it's worked out well. I'm not going to quit my day job...  | |
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8th April 2011
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#9 | | Gear Head
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 46
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Hi jeremy great album!. I love it.
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8th April 2011
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#10 | | Kills for gear
Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock
Posts: 4,531
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by gmarrero50 Hi jeremy great album!. I love it. | Thanks Milton! And thank you for your support! | |
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8th April 2011
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#11 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,742
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I did this with a CD about 10 years ago. People ordered it, had a listen and send whatever money felt like. I do not think i had one cheater. In fact most sent more than I expected, most sent £ 15- 20, some sent even more, like $ 40 or 50. I think I got a couple back, from people who did not like it.
So the idea that humanity is a bunch of greedy bastards is hugely overrated.
At that time I did not have Paypal, so, like my previous CD people had to send cash. I had less than one % problems with the cash method, which means that is a cheapest and most convenient method of payment. Unfortunately we are brainwashed into paranoia, so pay Paypal and credit card charges to institutions who feed this paranoia.
__________________
"You've got to Dig it to Dig it, you Dig?"
Thelonious Monk
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9th April 2011
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#12 | | Kills for gear
Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock
Posts: 4,531
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by faramita I did this with a CD about 10 years ago. People ordered it, had a listen and send whatever money felt like. I do not think i had one cheater. In fact most sent more than I expected, most sent £ 15- 20, some sent even more, like $ 40 or 50. I think I got a couple back, from people who did not like it.
So the idea that humanity is a bunch of greedy bastards is hugely overrated.
At that time I did not have Paypal, so, like my previous CD people had to send cash. I had less than one % problems with the cash method, which means that is a cheapest and most convenient method of payment. Unfortunately we are brainwashed into paranoia, so pay Paypal and credit card charges to institutions who feed this paranoia. | Very cool, I really like your story and the perspective it brings!
I'm mostly interested at this point in sharing my music with the understanding that creating it wasn't "free" for me either. Maybe I should try a cash option as well? I think I'll do that. Trust payments. | |
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19th April 2011
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#13 | | Kills for gear
Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock
Posts: 4,531
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by aalina387 tracks are really good to listen | Thanks!
And thank you for listening.  | |
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29th April 2011
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#14 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Apr 2011 Location: Dublin
Posts: 261
| Quote:
Originally Posted by faramita I did this with a CD about 10 years ago. People ordered it, had a listen and send whatever money felt like. I do not think i had one cheater. In fact most sent more than I expected, most sent £ 15- 20, some sent even more, like $ 40 or 50. I think I got a couple back, from people who did not like it.
So the idea that humanity is a bunch of greedy bastards is hugely overrated.
At that time I did not have Paypal, so, like my previous CD people had to send cash. I had less than one % problems with the cash method, which means that is a cheapest and most convenient method of payment. Unfortunately we are brainwashed into paranoia, so pay Paypal and credit card charges to institutions who feed this paranoia. | Totally agree with your sentence. Also, Paypal thing is a bit complicated. I use it as merchant and as user. I don't like it very much but it helps me to get what I want. Sending cash is slow, if people were able to insert money directly into their PCs... | |
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29th April 2011
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#15 | | Kills for gear
Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock
Posts: 4,531
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by audiothing Totally agree with your sentence. Also, Paypal thing is a bit complicated. I use it as merchant and as user. I don't like it very much but it helps me to get what I want. Sending cash is slow, if people were able to insert money directly into their PCs... | In a sense, I've already dumped a ridiculous amount of money into my computer...  | |
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