Congratulations ...

It's a great way to start ... and before you know it you don't have time to do it and someone will be knocking on your door for the rights of distribution ... make sure you spend a wee bit of that cash on some legal representation ...  ... and make sure it is only distribution rights, and not touch anything else you do ... that's what I would do anyway ... so that you can keep/maintain your own rights ... which is something that a lot of music companies tend to steal away ...

In the end, this will probably get your name around even faster ... one day there is a concert somewhere and everyone shows up ... just like a movie!

Sometimes it's funny ... things are really simple, aren't they?

Good for your dad, James!  Yeah, I'm 50 and I think my dad still thinks of me as his little girl.  I imagine that never changes. :-)   (his name is James, too, btw)  :-)

You discovered the secret to success....hard work!  Keep it up and don't look back..... until maybe 10 years have gone by..... you'll be amazed at the progress you have made.

I started a business about 18 years ago..... with some seed money (under$3k) from a cashed out retirement fund. Went door to door handing out my biz cards talking to people, introducing myself and asking for them to call me when they needed my services. I made twice what I was making from the job I was just fired from in the first week...... second week...same story. It was hand to mouh for a few months, but within the first year I had almost matched my salary at the "salt mine"...as I called it.  I did the jobs no body else wanted and did them right...word spread, and now..... it's on autopilot. Now...I can pick & choose the jobs I want and turn down those I don't want.

You gotta go out and get it...nobody will beat a path to your door. Make your own success.

there is a BIG sign on the door saying for people NOT to knock if they are selling anything.. wether it be real items or religion etc.

if they are stupid enough to ring the bell, they get an earful...

esp. chuggers

In regards to your door knocking sales around Perth. I am the original person to do door knocking of music. I started door knocking my album Twisted in Sydney and sold a total of 5500 copies of my cd there from 2010-2011. I moved back to Perth March 2011 and sold 4500 copies of that same album from from March 2011 to Dec 2011. I started door knocking my music around to prove a point to the music industry people that continued to shun me. I proved that my music was marketable and that people liked my music. It also created a good story in which I've been able to tell in interviews with 96FM Perth and interviews with 100% Rock Magazine. At the time my hubby and I started door knocking, I was ready to give up on music. My hubby was the one who suggested door knocking it. We stared in the inner west of Sydney area called Annandale. We gave it a go twice before quitting our jobs to door knock my music full time. We had no prior experience and will say it is very difficult to do. You have to be able to face rejection and not take it personal. Be able to withstand constant walking, weather conditions, the mental was of it all and continue to have drive. It's not easy. It is hard and difficult to continue to motivate yourself to do the job. However, if you can do it, then it's worth it only if you have a full time band and not just sell your CDs, but also sell tickets to upcoming shows as well. My hubby and I have proven that selling tickets with CDs works! It can be done. My status with it all is that we no longer do it full time as it is very emotionally draining. I also had a foot injury due to too many hours walking for two years of selling. I also do not have a band to back up with gigs, but I also started selling CDs when I didn't have a band. So not gigging it having a band should stop people from buying. People will buy as long as you are sincere, upfront and don't give them any BS. Keep your sakes pitch short and sweet. Also keep the price of your cd open. I made more sakes saying "whatever you can afford" or "whatever you think is fair" I found out early in selling it in the beginning that keeping a set price people may not have $10 on them. They may only have $8 and $8 is better than no sale. I always say anything over the cost of printing. I've had some amazing sales where people have given me over $100 just for one cd because they loved my story and wanted to help me out. I've also have stories of people telling me off, being rude, calling me names and telling me to get a real job. It's a mental and physical thing door knocking. Ya gotta have the drive and the guts! Do it and I promise you, you will make sales. Look me up on facebook under Sophia Marie's Music and Wicked Wench Band :-)

I have sold 10,000 copies of my Twisted album via door knocking around Sydney and Perth! Door knocking isn't for everyone as its a very hard job mentally and physically, but I promise you it does work! If you are going to try it out please abide by the door knocking laws. The hours for door knocking are weekdays 9am-6pm Sat 9am-5pm. No Sundays or public holidays. Those hours are national across Australia!

Replying about cover albums verses specific genre of original music. I have that selling my original songs are just as profitable as you selling your covers. I think people care more about the fact we are getting off our butts than what type of music you are selling. Now I have done my research along the way when selling my music and have found the majority if the public do not like a nothing heavier than AC/DC and Metallica. If it falls within the board spectrum of popluar music, then it will sell better, but hard enthusiast of say extreme metal or rap may be harder to find, but are more likely to become a loyal fan after the cd is sold.

jamescollins
Wow thanks a lot guys, I'm thrilled that you are down with what I'm doing on that CD - I always thought I wouldn't get much respect here because I was playing works by other composers, so it's fantastic that some of you like it! Craig - in answer to your question, it'll take a very long time to do the whole of Perth! I've been doing it a week and haven't even done a quarter of my suburb. Besides, when I do my next CD, I can just start again. In fact, maybe I should keep a record of who buys a CD now, then next time my success rate will be near 100% and my hourly rate would be ridiculously high?!! Hmmm might start doing that. And Janet, doing a CD of covers is only a problem if you don't pay royalties :) I got permission and bought the necessary licenses for each piece on my CD - I think it worked out to be about $1200 for the first 1000 CDs I pressed, including admin fees.

I think you're right in saying Andy, that much of my success with this is due to the very broad appeal of the music on the CD. I very much doubt that if I took my more genre specific pop tunes I've written and went door knocking that I'd do half as well. Thanks again for the kind words guys, really appreciate it. I'll definitely report back in a month or so and let you all know if this trend continues...

I still continue to door knock my cd, but have taken a much needed break by only doing it once every two weeks as a posed to 5 days a week. My hubby has had a job since I hurt my foot and will keep his job. I however will be continuing to sell my music door to door and have now two albums to go out with. I do hope to hear more of your story James Collins so add me on FB :-) sophiamariesmusic and wickedwenchband

Hi,
 
It's always good to see this ... sometimes the idea of waiting for Godot is crazy, and silly at the same time, and then you catch one of these ... and you wonder why some can get results and some don't.
 
Good luck ... and may things work out well for you, as time goes by. I'm betting a few bob that you will have folks knocking at your door by the time you sell 1000 of those babies!

+ Awesome.
 
I sure wish one of my DAWs had a door to door instant ex-pload feature like that.