This post will be a lot like my last post, where I went into depth about potential revenue streams that artists could utilize to supplement piracy. Even though I am still a very strong believer in artists giving their records away for free.
People that "steal" music DO really want to listen to the album and support the artist, however with the way of the economy and the endless options for entertainment, paying $18 for an album you might only enjoy 2-3 songs on simply is a ridiculous thing to ask of a person, let alone a young person with minimal to no income.
However artists need to make money some how, I believe the concept of "connection" is the way to do so.
On one hand we have the cost put into creating and distributing an album, and on the other hand we have the people that are actually going to buy it... With out adding and numbers or considering and statistics we all know these two hands will be extremely out weighed. Because of this rather than attack the people "stealing" the music, since lets be honest they DO want to hear your music they just can't afford too, why not figure out how they CAN support you.
First step, give it all away! You are never really going to make that much off of album sales unless you own all your copy rights and have next to no debt that needs to be recouped, and even at that point you will also have to be self distributing the release to see a major amount of income. So why not just forget about making money that way, rather give the music out for free, this creates an instant bond with your audience and potential audience, making them more likely to keep up with the goings on in your life.
After a month of free music you can judge your popularity and see if releasing a "Limited Edition" version of the album would be worth it. This should include multiple bonus tracks, acoustic versions, studio/tour footage, and cool packaging or extras. The bonus to this is it can be sold at a very high price and since you gave everything else away people will buy it, since it's limited edition! The same thing can be done with a "Live DVD" or basically anything else, the point I am trying to make is that people want to support people they feel care about their fans.
One major source of revenue has always been live shows, yet once again, they are getting expensive and people are picking a choosing where/when/who they will pay to go see. Because of this artists need to stay on top of their Social Networks and reach out to fans in the areas they are touring to ensure attendance. But just reaching out isn't enough to make people want to spend $20 for a night of music, so once again rather than take it for what it is, artists need to think outside of the box, but how?
There are literally apps for everything now days, apps that let you tell people what you are doing and share it with the world. I feel the next big step for the entertainment industry is to develop and implement a new social network for bands and fans. One that would give the artist the ability to set up contests and prizes for each event they were having which would give fans a chance for free merch or a shot at back stage passes. Something along the line of...
"HEY-- We are playing the House of Blues in Orlando this weekend, the first 25 people that check in @HoB and send us a picture of our merch girl @Jessic1221 will be entered to win one of 5 BSP's and 1 of 10 free tshirts! Get First!"
This, although seemingly simplistic may be enough to add 10-30 more people at your show due to the mind set of, "Well I wasn't going to go out tonight but $20 for a shot at back stage passes??!!!?! I have to go now!" In addition to the obvious increase of ticket sales, artists can also start booking larger venues and asking for more money due to higher attendance.
This is just one of many things artists can do, however a new app doesn't need to be implemented just for this to happen with things like Twitter and Foursquare out there already it is something they can implement now for more money.
The Music Industry is one based on selling and then reselling the same collections on a different format, now that new formats aren't requiring people go re buy their entire collection, the income seems to have dropped immensely, when really it is the same based on new music. Rather than attack consumers for getting music the way they should, the Industry needs to evolve to a point where they can keep up with the way we are consuming music in this day and age.
These are my opinions and should be taken as just that! Thanks for stopping by!
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