sharke
 
Currently, a global hit album will earn around $425,000 per month from Spotify. A niche indie album will earn on average $3,300 per month, a classic rock album around $17,000 per month. I guess those figures would have more context if we knew what kind of effect Spotify is having on sales of CD's and downloads. 
 

I do not doubt that serious money can be had for fantastically successful music distributed digitally. I will even stipulate that there should be enough savings using that route to reward artists more generously than the old plastic and vinyl system used to do per copy distributed. The problem for the average artist just uploading his stuff to one of these services, is that he is unlikely to be uploading a global hit. In fact, unless he is famous for his music or some other reason and users of the service are actually looking for his latest recording, he will be lucky to get hit at all.
 
One value added that the old record company system provided to the listener was a filter that limited choice to mostly the  best. Not necessarily the best of the best, but better than the best of the worst anyway. Without some assistance from professional hit pickers, the listener is left with a deafening cacophony of more or less proficient artists and very little help in finding something worth listening to.
 
The preeminent value added by record companies to the artist was immense resources to promote them. That often resulted in less than the best artists becoming rich and famous, but it was largely responsible for raising the income of the chosen ones to stratospheric heights. A digital service that would select and promote artists the way the old record companies did would better serve listeners, and the few artists it served up. But that kind of talent picking talent and expense seems to be in pretty short supply on the internet.

One thing's for sure, consumers are definitely getting the smooth end of the stick with Spotify. I pay $9.99 a month for unlimited streaming of millions of songs at high quality (320kbps), not only on my desktop but on my phone as well. It's the kind of thing I fantasized about when I was a teenager saving up to buy maybe 2 or 3 CD's a month. I haven't bought a CD or paid for an MP3 download in years. It doesn't bother me at all that I don't "possess" any of these songs, and I'm not worried about them not being available to stream 10-20 years down the road. They'll be available. We've entered a whole new era of music consumption and I have to say I'm pretty comfortable with it. 

spacey
Beep if you focus on singles you can always put together an album later. If I were to focus on music again that's how I'd work.
 
There will always be those talking about the end of the world but I have no problem finding albums (CD or vinyl) to buy or 3d video for that matter which they say is dead too.
Maybe the gold rush is over along with Rock and Roll guitar Gods but there is still a big market and a lot of folks making a lot of money with music. Fortunately more artist have a chance now.
 
Focus, think positive and make it happen Beep.
 

Hi, Spacey (sorry for the late reply... totally entrenched in some very annoying and boring life problems at the moment). I definitely think the current route to go is exactly that. Just get some stuff together and up for sale as I learn both production and navigating the "new" way of distro then put together a compilation once there is enough stuff in my catalog. I could even go back remix and remaster everything (or get it professionally mastered) for a little more album cohesion.
 
As far as positivity and making it happen... well I'm absolutely hell bent on all that and keeping my happy face on. The tunes must flow. Currently though it looks like I may, yet again, have some very serious (non music related) battles to fight but I'm trying to look at that as a blessing in disguise as well. Basically stupid legal matters (civil... not criminal) but I've been pondering educating myself on the law for a while anyway. I am not particularly a fan of litigious nonsense but it seems the only way to actually get anything significant done in this world these days and there are multiple aspects of my existence that knowing what the heck I'm doing in a courtroom would be massively advantageous. Specifically copyright law for my music/writing ambitions and patent law for my wacky inventions/ideas. I hate to finally put together the million dollar idea or tune and get burned for it or even worse not know what the heck to do with it in the first place. I've also always kind of envisioned myself being a crusader for effective social change at some point in my life and again as I age I'm realizing the only way to get anything done on that level is knowing the law (which is why so many damned politicians are lawyers or have law degrees except they generally use those skills to screw people over).
 
So ya... not a big fan of lawyers but I may just have to become one... or at least a reasonably hand drawn facsimile of one.
 
Hope you've been well.
 
Oh... and really my main musical goal is just leaving something behind after I'm dead to mark my existence. In the meantime though any little bit of money coming in is a bonus. I don't care if it's only a couple dollars. It was earned.

I did indeed, Clint and congratulations. I had looked at the CDbaby rates and services and though I forget now what it all came to I do recall thinking it was certainly doable. I'd probably be starving or going into hock at first but I certainly like the idea of things just getting shotgunned across all relevant media platforms in one go. Not really looking at hard copy stuff yet (will wait until I have a full album together) but it's pretty cool what those guys manage to do for the price.
 
Best of luck with the release!

Wait... you filled out the forms before pushing the purchase through and they sent you the discount offer? Heh. If so I gotta remember that.
 
And yeah... I paid for a pressing once. Sold out now so I'm not sure what to do about that. I certainly don't have the cash for another printing and there are label issues.
 
 

Hey Clint, 
 
Interesting stuff.  There never seems to be much talk on the forums of the distribution side of things and it is something that I am starting to get real interested in as my material is getting closer to the quality that I would want to put out.
 
So, on CD Baby, do you have to put out an actual CD, or can you just do digital distribution?  CD Baby automatically gets you onto iTunes, Amazon and Spotify?  I am assuming that the first step, before going there, would be to join BMI and to get copyrighted.  A goal of mine, per the other thread, is to get some songs on a few music libraries, similar to yourself.  I am close to getting one solid CD of work in my Genre, just a couple of more song writes that I really like and I might be there.

Beepster
 
Hi, Spacey (sorry for the late reply... totally entrenched in some very annoying and boring life problems at the moment). I definitely think the current route to go is exactly that. Just get some stuff together and up for sale as I learn both production and navigating the "new" way of distro then put together a compilation once there is enough stuff in my catalog. I could even go back remix and remaster everything (or get it professionally mastered) for a little more album cohesion. 
  
Hope you've been well. 

I've been doing great, thanks Beep.
I know you've been dealing with many issues and I do wish you well with them all.
 
I would imagine getting priorities in order is paramount.
I know for many projects I've taken on I found out that taking the time to gather information and getting a good mental picture of the project helped make it better and successful.
 
We all have our ideas of how the project should be. I know that I've spent twice as much for a CD by an unknown artist (in support of) to receive a cheaply made package. For instance; if it had a case label it was obviously designed and printed by the "artist". BAD move IMO but each to their own. Personally if I realize there are areas of the project that I can't do to a professional level and with something so very important to me I would get a pro to handle it. I wouldn't limit that thought to labels (for example) either. If I couldn't swing the drum part I'd get a drummer that could. 
Just an example of how I think one can make "little" bad calls that another may not think is "little" or "bad" at all.
 
Maybe we'd like to think it's all about the music and maybe it is if one is after a few .99¢ downloads but I'm not in that group. I'd rather purchase something tangible that impresses me with more than just the music...and I don't mind paying for it. ( side effect from growing up appreciating album covers I guess)
 
Should I decide to market my skills I do know that creating MP3 penny downloads would be a very small unimportant part of my project although I know it would be supplied for those with less desires of their music and hopefully a "bread crumb" to lead them to my album. Cover all the bases IMO.

Very cool Clint, the site looks great. Did you do your own CD artwork? I just quickly listened to a couple of sound bit, I am at work so I didn't have a lot of time, but they sounded great. I will have to study up some more on CD Baby.

Put a band together and sell your CD's for $15 each at the gigs. That way you can actually make some money for the music.