Album Sales?

[Juice]

I just had a couple of questions for those who have or have had an album out. Where do you get most of your sales from? Trunk? Shows? Stores? Clubs? Online? I would imagine that most of it comes from the street hustle, but I just want to see if it differs from artist to artist. For myself at this point most of my sales have come from being out on the street, doin shows, and being at clubs. My album online and in the stores has done pretty well, but of course at times it's a little slower than I would like it to be. Also, what do you feel would make online sales go better? I sat and thought about this for a while and I came to the conclusion that postin that your album is available in a bunch of threads doesn't make things go smoother. Instead some might call that SPAM. So, what do you do? When do you finally say my time is up on postin about my album and it's time to move on to the next step? I don't feel that I've overposted about my album on here, but at the same time I wonder if I've done enough to get the word out. In stores I wonder the same thing. Is it better to get your album in as many stores as possible or should you hit the spots where you know you have a better chance of gettin them sales? For me I think it's important to get your album in as many stores as possible to let people know that it's out, but I also think it's important to hit the spots that you feel you'll be more succesful in. One last thing...do you feel comfortable with the price you set for you album out on the streets? Everybody knows that when you're out on the streets they will be able to pick up your album at a cheaper price. So to you is more important to get more albums out at a cheaper price or would you rather make your money quicker? For me in the beginnin I thought about makin my money back quicker, but then I decided that gettin my album in as many peoples hands and at the same time makin my money back a little slower would be more benificial.

So, anyway I just thought I would ask for y'alls opinion on this subject. I know there's a lot of questions, but you don't have to answer them all. I'm just lookin to learn from what everyone else is doin. Also, if you don't have an album out and you're a fan of music feel free to post your thoughts as well. Let me know what makes you wanna go out and pick up an album.

Thanx for your time y'all!

Juice a.k.a.

The Sun God

 

[tadou]

I guess ill give this a shot, before Hustle and S.W.I. come along and tell [/remind] me why i'm [always] wrong :cheeky:

Right now, i would have to say, on a first or second album...if you're 100% satisfied that your material represents your best efforts, then $1 is a good profit to make on each. If you're COUNTING ON rap money to pay bills, the indie game isn't it. (Not to say you can't use rap money to beef up credit card or house payments, but dont MAKE IT your payments, ya know?)

That being said.....get your shit in as many stores as possible, and don't stop until you've gotten at LEAST one no from everyone. Like right now, i could probably drive down to the OLYMPIA FYE, or the ABERDEEN FYE, or even the indie-style OLYMPIA RAINY DAY RECORDS, and i would be VERY suprised if i saw North Coast Rain, Juice, Street Level, and so on--and i've looked before. And i mean, its not like Olympia or Aberdeen are 12 or 15 hour drives away from a Seattle or Yakima...

Basically, if you're gonna hustle, do that. But know when to turn it off. If FYE charged you, say, $8/unit for floor space, and you want them to price your shit at $10, then take that $2 profit; dont say no and don't raise the price to $15. Out of those 3 options, only the latter 2 are harmful to your [potential] fan base.

Ah, but enough rhetoric...a large amount of my groups sales came/come from friends and friends of friends. Its one of the positives of growing up in a smaller community--you spend in upwards of 12 years with your elementary folks, 6 with your Jr High folks, and so on. Small city, yes...but 400 album sales in 3 months with NO shows and NO promotional items (posters, flyers, etc.) doesn't lie. Not to mention we have a 100% market share, which can't hurt

So in conclusion, I say....find yourself some untapped markets and make that your mission. Throw out the words "solo" and "debut" a whole bunch to make yourself seem humble. Use a lot of buzzwords like "lucky", "blessed" and "hard work" too. That way you won't just sound like some random shithead rolling through a random town to hustle the local folk and skip off, never to come back again.

Hopefully that helps, even though i forgot wtf i was talking about!

 

[BaneTheTerrible]

"If you're COUNTING ON rap money to pay bills, the indie game isn't it"

That statement is retarded at the highest level of retardation......please quit trying to sound like you really have in depth knowledge of things, you are cool when you are being YOURSELF!

 

[Juice]

Very good points tadou. Now this is the kind of advice I'm lookin for to help me grow as an artist today and as an artist for the future. I do feel that we're in a business in where we have to take what is given. Wether that means $1 or $5 per unit sold.

Now as far as stores go, I do feel that it is important to get in as many stores as possible. Maybe people won't even pick a copy, but at least they will see you're out there.

I do believe that most sales will come from people from your own community and then expand from there. If you come from a small town and people ain't supportin you then there's somethin wrong. Either they just ain't down to support you or you just might be really wack. I've had people that haven't even heard my music that are from around my way pick up a copy just because I'm from their hometown. And on the other side I've had people expect a free copy just because they know me. So, there's been goods and bads. I think the good is just makin sure that your music is gettin in as many peoples hands and at the same time they continue to spread the word for you as well. The bad would be for people to not even give you the time of day.

In the end I think the main thing like you said is to find a place where people are gonna grasp onto you like a fat girl to a bucket of chicken and run with it. I have found that in my area, but am still lookin for the next fat girl and the bucket of chicken. LOL. I know for a fact that those places are out there it's just a matter of gettin out there and findin em.

Thanx for your input tadou!

 

[BaneTheTerrible]

i dont see how any artist dropping their 1st 2nd or even 3rd cd could even come close to worrying about making anymore then their money back, you have to establish yourself first, yea its cool to sell to family and friends and if you are on a small scale then thats how you make your money back, but lets be real, your family and friends aint where its at, you need a fanbase, and there is only one way to get that, and that is to get your name out there, in the streets, and with the record industry the way it is now, its almost pointless to put music in the record stores, especially to a consumer like me, its been YEARS since i have stepped into a "music store" i dont count best buy, cuz they have alot more then cds. so all in all, that is why i dont make music for money, and if you want to make music for money the the best of luck to you, its going to be a long, broke, miserable road......damn im in a bad mood today......oh yea i do enjoy your music JUICE

 

[Juice]

Good points Bane! I think it does take time to establish yourself in this industry. For some it might happen in the 1st or 2nd album, but for some it might take a little longer. I do agree with you about not wantin to put your records in stores because of the way the record industry is. For all we know our albums could be sittin on the shelves for a while. My point was that it might not hurt for people to be able to see that your cd is available. The other ways to get the word out I guess is by gettin flyers, posters, etc...but that could get pretty expensive. And I know that the only way to go is to not just sell to your family and friends, but that's not a bad start. Especially if you have a big family like me. I also have a good number of friends that support me to the fullest. So, I'm just basically sayin that it's a good start, but you're right. You have to create a fanbase and the way to get that is to hit the streets and do as many shows as possible.

Oh, and It's good to know that you enjoy my music. Sometimes comments like that make me feel better then actually puttin $5 in my pocket. So, thanx for that. I appreciate it.

 

[BaneTheTerrible]

yea i hear you man, its a tough game, we dropped a minor cd, pressed 100 copies and sold them in less then 2 weeks, and it was hell, there is very little support on the street's, thats why i just make the music i wanna make and if people dig it then cool, i just wanna make something im happy with, i think thats why i have scrapped my unfinished cd like 3 times already. but yea, its definetly nice to hear some feedback, because its the feedback that lets you know whether you are on the right path or not!

 

[YOUNG KRIME]

Hustle any how any way

But the best way to spread the word is tv commercials,magazine ads and street hustle also getting wax serviced to the record pools will help you this is all the shit i'm paying for as we speak..But it should help in the Long run.Also getting some air play most of the college stations will spin your tracks.Anyway it goes it's work and money involved..

 

[Juice]

I hear ya Young Krime. I guess you gotta spend money to make money. That's just the way it goes in this business. I think in the longrun t.v. commercials, magazine ads, and gettin radio spins will help you get to the top a little quicker. These are all good pointers homie! I guess what you put into is is what you get out of it. That's as real as it gets. Thanx for your input Y.K.!

 

[tadou]

Now that i look at it, I guess i might have missed a few points.....

As far as the "1st or 2nd album" with $1 profit being enough....that should, of course, include a SUBSTANTIAL amount more capital/investment in the second project, flyers, posters, etc--with as much sales as it takes to make the $1 profit.....

As far as: "If you're COUNTING ON rap money to pay bills, the indie game isn't it" -- i'm still not seeing whats wrong with that. What i'm saying is, if you invest money, DONT use your rent & food money and don't expect to get your money "back" ASAP--basically, treat the rap game like the stock market, instead of Las Vegas....because if you don't, you're on a slippery slope. And the ones getting SHANKED are going to be the consumers, because you'll charge more money and any time you don't see dollar signs, you won't give the same attention you might if you were just laid back.

And dont get me wrong...400 copies aint shit. But for testing the waters, we shattered every expectation without even leaving our backyard. We'll gradually spread out...but really dont need to right now, because we're all takin our time.....not to mention the 100% market share that i keep mentioning. And i'm not just talking about a 5 or 10 block radius--i'm talking about a population 50k geographic area.

But, either way.......es solo un sueño, verdad?

 

[Diggz Dime]

itz all about gettin a fanbase...

 

[Juice]

The one thing that I've learned in this business is that I have to try to keep my music bank account and my regular bank account seperate from everything I do. The reason is that the moment I start dippin into my regular bank account is the moment things could start gettin harder for my family. So, as much as I don't want my music to be about the money...at times that's what it has to be. It's no longer about droppin a cd and enjoyin the fuck out of it, it's more about tryin to make that bread back you used to make your dream come true. So, that's why gettin support from as many people as possible is so important. I think the main thing to remember is that no matter what happens the money will come in time. Wether it takes 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, or even a year. If you get your mind right and set out to reach some goals you can get that money. You might not get rich out of it, but you can hopefully make your money back and at the same time get your music heard.

And tadou...si es solo un sueno! Un sueno que yo quiero vivir todo los dias. No lo queiro cambiar para nada! Tu saves?

 

[Juice]

itz all about gettin a fanbase...

Yes it is! I think once you get that fanbase everything from that point on falls into place. It's a fun thing when all of a sudden you're gettin e mails from people from all over lettin you know what your music means to them. And also havin people come up to you on the street or in a club tellin you that a certain song you wrote makes them feel a certain way makes everything well worth it. So, a fanbase is deffinately a must have. I'm with you on that one Diggz!

 

[BaneTheTerrible]

i know how you feel man, im a fulltime father and i dont get any support from my daughters mom, so whenever i spend any money on music its like taking a sledgehammer to my pockets, and considering how much money i have spent on gear, im suprised i havent been beat to death....but music eases my soul so money or no money ill be making it! keep at it JUICE, and hopefully the grass will be greener on the otherside.....