Selling music online?

[A-NAT]

I am new to the cyber world............ and yes to say that in 2008 is pathetic.

I am also a musician on the side. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to market your talent and music online?

I use myspace as a web page and I do okay with that. I have recently begun setting up a way to sell downloads also. I also have had a CD on the well known online stores. But it's hard to stand out among trillions of others there.

Any other thoughts on this?

[hwang]

Create a website, promote it and let visitors hear clips of your music. Put a button to lead them to the online store to purchase your music if they like it.

[A-NAT]

Do you think that a separate web page can generate any more response than myspace? [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

And I need to get an online store set up which you can do on myspace. I just need to figure out how.

I was looking more for advice on how to market your web page though. How do you get traffic on Google or Yahoo etc? How or can you target a foreign market?

[hwang]

Basically I believe your own myspace page should be good enough. Just promote it... Insert the url link in forum signature like we have here.
Go to music forums, create an account and have your links inserted there as well. Mingle with members and tell them about yourself and lead them to your page.

Basically you have to market yourself.
There are just so many ways to go about doing this.

[A-NAT]

That is probably the bottom line. Even famous artists make more money via CD's by touring and marketing themselves to death.

And as simple as putting up my URL is likely to have more success than I realize. Thanks for giving me more of a focus.

[hwang]

Who knows maybe one of the members that patron the music forum is a talent scout or something. You will never know...
Don't underestimate the use of links.

[A-NAT]

Thank you again for the encouragement.

Once I get the online store up and running I am going to go crazy with the URL exposure!

[hwang]

If you don't want to go through the hassle of buying domain and host it, just use a free platform like wordpress or blogger to help you get started. Eventually when you start to pick up things then go for something bigger, maybe get your own domain name and link it to your blog which you setup earlier.

[A-NAT]

Excellent. I will methodically carry through on that.

[Llamalord]

I would suggest the following:

Sign up to all the big name social sites and create a profile re: The music you are selling, get alot of friends to add you and ask them to put your link in their profiles. This increases your range 10 fold as more and more people may add your link to their profiles.

The link should go to a swish looking blog / site which in a sense has to be simple but pleasing to the eye, you can add samples of your music to both the social sites AND your blog so again boosts your range and allows people to "sample" and then buy.

But then you need to worry about:

1. Delievery medium (CD or mp3)*
2. Payment (would you go with something simple like paypal or buy your own software)


*if mp3 you have the chance to sell on different platforms

[hwang]

Do you participate in music fans forum as well? That is also one of the ways for you to get to know about others and share similar interests. Use the forum signatures to link to your myspace or websites (if you intend to create one) and use it to sell yourself.

[yazinator]

Either Promate a site with music or advertise it.

Good Luck with it though its a tough bussness