Artists want to move to direct-to-consumer selling but can’t understand how to make money from it. So they push themselves back to streaming. I know this is how you feel but if you want to understand how to maximize D2C tune in!
Stop discriminating and aggregate!
The biggest lie about direct-to-consumer platforms is that you have to choose one. If you’re using Tunecore, Distrokid, or Symphonic you're not distributing to one platform you're sending your music to multiple which makes the distributor the aggregate! This means you can do the same with Direct-to-consumer. Whether it be EVEN, Bandcamp, or your own website. There are users on all outlets. Even though you could use one platform, Distributing to multiple covers a larger user base allowing you to satisfy the customer’s needs better. Using one platform prevents potential consumers from buying because it isn’t readily available for how they want to consume.
Make your money back by selling digital experiences!
The hidden gem no one will tell you about in direct-to-consumer marketing is that nearly all of the money spent on your album can be made back with digital listening experiences. Fans pay to get into the experience and you upsell them multiple times within the listening experience multiple times causing them to spend more money. It’s like a theme park where you can only get the exclusive souvenirs and merch there! The future of releasing albums this way to make your money back will be crucial in 2025. Leaving this money on the table is crazy especially if you have fans that will show up!
Casual Listeners are robbing your BANK every hour on the hour!
Here’s why your bank account isn’t receiving money from your fans, it’s because you’re not serving them. You serving the casual listener. Direct to consumer is all about supporters and fanatics. They have money and want to be served. Supporters want products and fans want experiences and they are ready to pay a premium for it. SO. give it to them. Even though it does take a bit more work the reward is worth it one Supporter can make you 10,000 x’s more money than a casual listener and a Fan can make you 100,000 x’s more. I think it would be best to target these people. Not meeting their needs is suicidal, however, if you meet their needs it will be changing!
Using multiple platforms means I have more work to do for release day!
If you don’t want to do the work because it’s hard then wait for the record label that’s never coming to save you. Stop worrying about the unknown because you didn’t worry about when you started making music. Streaming is moving to a new brighter day and this is phase one for the casual listeners. If you miss it you will be caught in the sauce but if you catch the wave now you will be considered an innovator.
Do you really think people will come to a digital listening party?
Yes, and I know because I’ve been to my client's parties. Watching them make over $1000 an hour was pretty exciting to me. If they could do it with half-working technology and sound cutting out playing in one ear what’s stopping you? Think about the DJs of TikTok and Twitch streamers.
Will I need a team to sell to supporters?
You going to need a team period. Put together some people to make it happen. You not going to earn the money you want to earn by thinking you can do it all yourself. It doesn’t work that way! Avoiding the team is like Robbing yourself of the money let alone the casual listners robbing your bank. Let’s get to work!
Here’s what you can do!
Get an account on Even and Bandcamp and buy an album so you have the experience yourself
Develop a virtual listening party or experience on paper including merchandise upsells so you can visualize it
Find team members and moderators who can help you build the site as well as moderate the event.
Grab my 60-Day Record label course to help you build the company foundation to handle all of the cash flow you’re about to make!
Powerful Payoff
Fans will start coming on board taking your career to new heights
The extra lift will allow you to become more noticeable.
More notoriety means more FOMO, which means more money!
What’s it going to cost in failure
You will continue to exert a lot of effort selling to the casual listener, which can make you feel underappreciated, causing you to second guess yourself and ultimately you’ll sign with a label that will take advantage of your missed capitalizations.
At the End of The Day
If you were struggling to understand how to :
Use D2C to distribute your music
Craft an experience for your fans
Make more money from your fans
You now have more means to build the fan culture every artist needs to succeed.
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