This is completely on point and the blueprint for all artists to follow. Thank you for sticking with this subject and promoting artists to take more control over their careers. People aren't buying music, and that's OK. This doesn't devalue the musician or their music, it just signals a change in the philosophy of how artists will need to compete financially with everyone else out there who is trying to build an audience including influencers, gamers, youtubers etc. Thanks again Damo!
Bullshit. Blueprint for all artists? Any time any of you hear that something is for everyone, it's bullshit, or in other words, a scam. Why would this jerk off agree by thanking him for being steadfast in his malarkey? Commies I tell ya.
The only thing this pushes is self gratifying bullshit. Your art won't live if you are pathetic. Whores are pathetic. People who have dignity don't whore themselves out as being described in your convictions here. It's not a new philosophy. I'd be surprised if you knew the meaning of the word.
I've been saying this for more than a decade. Thanks for being the voice of reason. The biggest argument my band used to have was "CD pricing", they wanted to price as a CD, I wanted to "treat it and price it like a merch item". I lost that argument, sadly. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the support dude! Unfortunately it's just the world we are living in now and we need to adapt with the times! Good to see some people understand where I was coming from!
This is actually the most uplifting thing I've heard in a very long time! Many of the things you mention sound like so much more fun than trying to sell songs and albums, and I love talking about music that I love, whether it's with friends or strangers, so if that can be a part of my job instead of a 'waste' of time, I'm all for it. Also, I love drawing, design and painting, and the thought of designing merchandise for me instead of someone else sounds like a dream
Herfinnur Árnafjall Completely agree! You said everything I was thinking! It feels like the info he gave took a weight of my shoulders. Instead of fighting the change, just roll with it and enjoy!
A great example of this is Periphery - one of the biggest metal acts around today. They don't make the most of their income from music sales, they make it from the audio software they sell - GetGood Drums, Misha's cab packs, other software collaborations. Then they make income from teaching, and merch, and touring. They've said it on social media that their business is the biggest money maker for them, not the music. If you look at other artists you'll see them selling sample packs, licensing music to stock libraries or sync libraries, selling online courses, etc. In the case of those artists the music is their brand, and the proof that their products are worthwhile to pay for.
The consistency between what you preach and what you practice with your channel drives every point you make home. It makes me want to implement everything you say into my marketing approach because I can feel how powerful it is as your audience member. Quality as always, Damian!
I love this idea, use the music, use the content to bring ppl in, and sell them something else, ppl will eventually appreciate u for giving them so much for free that they'll buy ur merch or a ticket to a show when the pandemic is over
@@billbradleymusic Don't be naive.. everything has changed.. the whole landscape has changed. There are now 1000x the amount of bands since the 1970's right. This is NOW about the merits of your self promotion, your branding and ID, your live and pre-recorded video interaction with people! If you want to save your dignity then fine.. but no one outside your bedroom or studio will hear you anymore.. unless you're out there promoting.. hard!
@@rhythmdroid Yep.. I'm was thinking of doing something with Producer.net .. I think if listeners and fans were encouraged to tip/donate to musicians more that would be a big change. Plus more tip bot, bitpay facilities incl crypto as we progress deeper into digital currency. Still thinking of a plan..
Yup, the 14 year old in me would still love to see killswitch engage in their practice room writing their first couple albums! Once Mey a guy who owned a management firm, coincidently from Brighton, who said 7 years ago, imagine of you had footage of U2's first practice! So glad to see you follow this way of thinking too, loving the tribe talk, exactly why I started purple people, music is free, always has been, just now there's a free market to create your own brand rather than pitching to the few that have dominated publishing for years! This also means you can have fun with your writing, half finished ideas can become great "adverts" or content and if you've got a special gig or announcement, write a song for it 🙌💜💜
Bro, you're a bloody genius... This is brilliant, as an ex musician and current film maker who is looking at ways to monetize short films, this is incredible. Love your thought process and I'm taking notes. Literally. Thanks for sharing your ideas 💡
You were nowhere near an idiot sir. The music industry needs revolutionary thinking. This video is perfect for up-and-coming artists. I am a manager of a kids group and it is definitely difficult to get anybody to even remotely care about music. We need new thinking in terms of this industry. Well done.
Your right, this is the new music business, thankx to technology. People are buying into you or your brand. Music is being consumed in a different way now. YOU WANT CUSTOMERS, YOU NEED THERE LOYALITY.
Thank You for your videos and all your hard work. Everything you are saying makes perfect sense, especially for those who are open to a brand-based, ad-supported consumer economy. I fear that we are veering further from the value and essence of music itself. The analogy of the cliff you mentioned, its like the masses are jumping off that cliff into a void of collective narcissism and saying "cmon jump or you'll get left behind." Sure thats dramatic, but why are we fighting? Because its worth fighting for traditions we believe in. Music is food, I can decide when it's good for me and it has nothing to do with how it's branded. Its about how it was made and what ingredients were used and how it makes me feel. Call me old school but I buy records and I listen to them front-to-back because it makes me feel damn good when the music hits me the right way and I know that my money went directly towards someones hard-earned lunch. Simple exchange. That said, I could care less what that band is actually eating for lunch today and I have enough shirts already. I will practice what I preach and continue teaching people to support artists by buying their music - it works! Best of luck to all of you and please stay true to yourself!!! Side note - I would pay a small fee to subscribe to your channel in exchange for no ads or you trying to sell me a shirt with your face on it. Just sayin
you're not an idiot at all. I see this is an old video (in regarding to the speed everything is going these days), but that's something I've been talking around a lot for years now - about what's the point of making physical records of any kind, and where and how can we live from being musicians, cause Spotify etc are here to stay, and if you're not there, you simply "don't exist". What you say makes perfect sense, and all the stuff you say and suggest on the rest of your content is very accurate and from where struggling musicians have so much to learn. It all comes down to change the mindset as quick as we can and se the opportunities, and get our money differently. There's another kind of work we must be doing, that's for sure. Thanks for your content.
One of the biggest realisations I've had of late is that as an artist/creator, it's imperative to talk to the audience or even potential audience. I'm surprised at how many people actually do respond and take notice of what I'm doing simply by reaching out to them personally. It's amazing. This is awesome advice, thanks again man!
Damian, point made. Tanx for taking the time & effort to put out these videos. The sooner people adapt to how things have changed & start thinking out of the box, the better it'll get for themselves. Tanx again 🤘
Very good video DK ive been telling my students for some time now that your music is just a loss leader to your real money. My top 4 ways to monetize is #1 merch #2 shows #3 Patreon (subscription) and coming in dead last is #4 streaming. Thanks for all the good advice you have also inspired me to start making tutorial videos about the music business on my facebook page. Keep the videos coming I truly appreciate you.
I enjoy your channel. I like the way you think. I’ve been working hard the last few years to let go of all my old school ideas and lessons about music and I have come to embrace where we are today with our ability to become our own record label. Keep up the great work!
In my heart I knew that selling music had changed. But it really hit me when I asked my 13 year old, where besides iTunes do the "kids" by music now? He said "Dad nobody buys music anymore, we just stream it".
You've opened my mind to so many things and I now understand how things work since the music industry flipped on its head. I would be honored to be able to work with you in some way one day if it were ever at all possible. Thank you so much for everything you do.
Great video man! Fellow welshman here in a band with a decent following. Merch seems to be the next logical step, however we’re not gigging a lot and we haven’t yet released a lot of music. These videos are really helping us find ideas on promoting and strategising for the future. Would love to pick your brains dude, keep it up!❤️
Oinkba Studios Hi, we have a youtube channel and have one good video released for a recent single. We are currently in the process of changing some of our logo/branding designs
I'm happy I came across your channel and the video that triggered everyone. There's so many people on youtube that pretend to give advice but really just talk bullshit for an hour with empty but fancy sounding bs to get people to follow them so that THEY can monetize off of things. You are NOT that kind of person. So thanks for sharing actual useful information. A lot of those tips I actually already use which is why I also believe you're speaking truths. You got my likes and a subscribe. Keep on keeping on!
I'm a new singer/songwriter and I'm busking for about a year now and I got these things in my head when I first started. My passion is to write and write and write and produce and play in front of people and busking was a way of making some money for me everyday to make a living even that you can't make a lot of money with busking but at leastI though that this is a way of getting my music out there, improving my skills and gaining experience and finding people that could love my music. I got this idea in my head a month ago that I have to write a song everyday cause I love it and post them starting this month a song a week and you have made me happy cause now I'm confident about my idea of getting out there value to the people and creating content. It's hard, it's difficult when you do all by yourself from writing to recording and mixing and mastering and do the lyric videos or music videos but everything that you said in this video is real! Thank you for your advice and keep up the good work! 🙌🏼 PS: If you guys are curious, check out my TH-cam channel, maybe you can find some music that you'll like! If you do, let me know! 😌 Peace!
Really loving the amount of wisdom I'm getting from this channel. Started writing for a new project a couple weeks ago so it's good for me to be soaking in this information now so I can form the right strategy as I go. Will binge your videos on my next day off.
This is amazing man. My friends are adamant to press and sell cds at a few occasional gigs, but it would be financial suicide. Trying to make them see this!
Hi Damian, I agree with pretty much everything your saying. One strategy I've often seen recommended is that for someone who is trying to begin building an audience, if we set up a mailing list or something of the sort, and give people a song or short EP (for example) when they sign up for this, it can be a good way of securing an audience. Just wondering about your thoughts on this because although money isn't envolved in this situation, you are still creating somewhat of an obstacle for people to listen to your music (just thought I'd bring that up in regards to your point that music really is priceless in this day and age).
Bro, you are SPOT ON. I teach music business at a university, as well as serve artists as a producer, and your theories actually give me hope for these artists and students I serve. Thanks for your straight talk!!
I think all of this is fucking brilliant and it's about time somebody thought outside the box. And now that people have pressed you, and maybe even beforehand I don't know, you've even offered up Alternatives and ideas for how to deal with this problem that is a certain truth that you have simply brought to the Forefront. I think it's so genius that I wish I had thought of it! Good for you for putting yourself out there with a bold idea that was well thought through and meets the needs of so many people. And it goes to show how solid of an idea it is because this content that you've provided to me and everyone else is worth so much to me I'm a dedicated fan and I would be happy to support you just as I would hope fans would support my band if and when we adopt this model ... getting resistance from the other guys though haha
Loved the vid. I agree with you. Perhaps, folks had trouble hearing your message because a "mindset shift" is a scary business. People love familiarity. People are familiar with the model of selling their music versus realizing what their audiences really want - a connection to them. This vid reminds me of a couple of things...1) a TedTalk by Jacob Barnett (become the industry); 2) Jab, Jab, Jab, Punch by GaryVee; and 3) The Long Tail theory. Your concepts are spot on. You are obviously an Innovator. There will probably be Early Adopters coming along before you get to that Early Majority - and of course, some will never get it (Laggards). This was great stuff - thank you!
Hey Damo. Another great video. The VIP fan subscription to a bands' TH-cam and other social media is an excellent idea. It's already something I'm seeing other content creators advertising on TH-cam. So musicians need to get in on this pronto! I was thinking about your last two videos regarding and how music should really be deemed as merch. Then I started thinking about merchant further. What should we be promoting? Off the top off my head the following merch ideas came to mind: 1. The good ol' faithful band t-shirt. 2. Button badges. 3. Key/wallet chains with the band logo on the end. 4. Stickers 5. Embroidered patches with the band logo. Then I thought about, I'm proud of this one. 6. SMARTPHONE CASES with the band artwork printed on it. Or just the logo. The fact you're daring to highlight the failing economy of music sales is very important. Every artist needs to wake up. Thanks again. Marco
Yes Marco! Love this and I think people love personalised stuff to make them feel closer to an artist which is why content will work. I have noticed that country stars like Kieth Urban even sells custom guitars at his gigs... crazy to see people walking through the crowd with a guitar they just bought lol
@@DamianKeyes Thanks Damian! Glad you liked the input. Selling custom guitars at a gig?! Hahaha. Wow! Now that's another level. The god of merch right there. ☺
Every time I watch one of your videos I get super motivated. Crafted a few messages for IG and have dm’ed about 50 people that I found on relevant #’s to let them know about my new music coming and to hear what’s already out there. Thanks for tips!
Quite possibly one of the most important videos in your library. Most particularly because it touches on mindset and perspective. A lot of it hits home and amplifies many traits I've clung on to instead of adjusting and adapting. Lots of food for thought and clearly lots of discussion points from the comments. Its all good stuff and I like how you welcome being proven wrong or challenged but also offer up thoughts and ideas in this way. For free. Much appreciated. Keep going. Thanks
Thank you so much Paul.. Wow I have had 3 days of hate though lol but I don't mind being disagreeing as long as they think about their next release and don't blindly follow the tradition and get caught short and not be valued. What a week lol Thanks dude, appreciated!
Those types of comments seem more about the giver and their issues. And their choice to air them is also more about them too. And you also welcome being proved wrong and adapt to new thought processes. I think you've got it covered well.
Hi Damien, just subscribed. Totally agree with your recent points that the old business model is now dead & should be considered buried & that we ( the creative musicians etc) should move forward & accept that is the world we now live in. We do not have to LIKE it... but there is no way of forcing the modern music consumer to BUY the physical article ( CDs etc). Many of us (myself included) have invested tens of thousands of pounds (or whatever currency we use) & hours in our art over the years, but that has NO RELEVANE to the vast majority of today's punters. So... we can either sit here snivelling into our coco about "how the world used to be, this isn't fair, blah blah blah..." or we can man-up, face it, put what we spent etc into the "no-one other than ourselves gives a toss" folder & get on with the new way. I applaud your matter-of-fact honesty & courage for saying it. This is the new world order, wake up or get left behind! And before people start hurling hard-man insults from behind the keyboard because they don't agree, I've seen it from the "signed" side of the table (which when you see the facts for the small time signed artist as I was, means bugger all in the scheme of things, would have been better off, FAR better off being unsigned...). This is a revolution, as with manufacturing becoming automated, online shopping killing the high street etc. The world is digital & will not go back. Bitter pill but its a fact. Cheers!
You are right in some points. In other words: It is a good time for showmen. The people that talk shit the hole day. Not the time for great, but shy masterminds. For music nerds. For those who create the most amazing music. For those with the knowledge. Only the musicians who sell themselfes will survive. We thought the internet brings a new chance to music, but that comes for a hight cost. But that is the way it is and we have to deal with it. I work with some musicians as booker/manager and we also did cooperations with companys. But it is hard to make it work without losing your "realness". Maybe in the US or UK it is different but here in Germany even Football(Soccer) Stars that do adverts for companys lose popularity and they get a lot of hate. I only works when it totally fits. I did this 10-15 years ago. We where early starters. Nowadays a lot of bands do this and it is harder to find cooperations for Newcomers, because why take a newcomer when you can also cooperate with a star? And no one will subscribe for monthly 10 dollars. At least no one I now and not the audience I now. That works for TH-cam channels that teach something. Where you get something in return (knowledge). Not for some background videos. Maybe for 0,0001% of the musicians some people (aka superfans) will subscribe. Because people over here have no problem with giving 150 Euro p.P. for a Foo Fighters gig, but if a newcomer concert costs more then 5 Euro they will not come. We organize concerts all the time. That is the sad truth. And because of this I think subscriptions are not the solution for small bands. There are new chances, but you have to find them and there are very individual. Your attempts sound very theoreticly. I would recommend another video in addition for more insights: th-cam.com/video/ZgTVioPPIN0/w-d-xo.html
Lots of good stuff here. You are right nobody will subscribe to a new band for $10 a month but might for the Foo's. To me that shows leverage. What is the band doing/giving for their $10 a month or maybe just $10 for a year the same price as an album. It's up to the band to decide what the value is and price it right. My point is that content is now a huge important part and done right can be a money maker. Casey Neistat doesnt give away knowledge but I would happily give him $10 if he took away the videos he was making. My video sounds theoretical as it is theoretical. My channel is here to help bands and musicians they get to choose the information they think would work for their band
Really interesting video. I am working with a band from the 80s that has recently reformed and I'm trying to get them to understand how we can use social media, especially videos as a big push. Thank you.
You are a very switched on dude, I always enjoy your enthusiasm and passion for what you do! If fact, I don't really know what you do do...but whatever it is, you have a very interesting and intriguing way of captivating your listeners.
You hit the nail on the head. Bands and artists have to now focus on marketing themselves which can get in the way of the creative process. Now if a band has 4 or 5 members, and each member can be responsible for booking, social media posts, networking, graphic art, video and audio production, then yes it can work. But most bands have one or two people who do everything. So it can be extremely overwhelming, especially if you work or go to school full time. The reality is bands have no choice these days. Its almost worse than signing to a label.
@@raulgarza2517 Yes agree.. but if you're ALL hungry for success and work hard with all the tools that the internet has for self promotion.. then you will have more chance of succeeding. Does that sound about right?
@Tanner Rice Thanks for sharing your experience, it seems nowadays there is an incredibly diversity of skills a band leader needs, and #1 they need to hustle
Strongly agree with you sir, almost everything you describe in this video has been implemented in the k-pop industry since the late '90s. Known as Hallyu (한류) or Korean Wave, maybe you've also heard about this. And yes, I bought k-pop cd for collectibles, in addition to an audio cd, I will also get photobooks, random photocards with signatures, stickers, posters, and lottery numbers for fansign events and much more. Great video sir 👍
Lefthand. Thanks, so real, am gonna share my friends/musicians. Lifelong Musso since '64. Doing business degree in 74 my IT tutor said, forget all other parts, macro/micro economics etc...This will change the world. Musicians and industry related professions have never had it so good. The golden era of yore pales into insignificance in the here and now. Thanks again for your valuable incite into what might be percieved as a complicated matter. Well done man.
Your correct in that we Artist need to take control of our own future. There is so much more we could do to help ourselves. Good work on bring it out and all your help.
Use free multimedia to attract audience and build attention. It can even be a "loss leader," e.g. paying to get your music video out with Facebook, TH-cam ads to attract attention, losing money up front in return for people's attention. Use that attention while you have it and build a system to capture "real fans" with additional freemium content ("3 new tracks exclusively for subscribers" or "discount on merch" etc) in return for joining your email list. Now you've converted free attention into an interested human being and you have their contact info. Now continue to market by email whatever you possibly can - your deep cuts of multimedia content (e.g. unreleased or rare 'B-side' tracks, physical vinyls, subscription to your "making of" videos, for example) and physical merch / apparel to the true fans whose emails you've captured. Live touring is the way the big pros make their fortunes, so take a lesson and sell concert tickets once you've got enough of a tribe to tour a few nearby cities and fill a few venues. Only need 1,000 true fans spending $100 per year on your stuff to support a decent lifestyle. Treat it like a business. Your music is not your product anymore, your music is part of your branding along with your photos, videos, and social media. The product people pay for is your merch, apparel, and live shows. *Music is free now people, get used to it and adapt.*
I understood your message completely. I agree with you. I’ve been playing Music since 1971. The industry has changed. Niche markets won’t keep music alive. Musicians need a different strategy.
Yes selling your music is good and if you can make a living off selling your music then dont stop what your doin but the reality is giving it away to get make new fans 100% make you more money if you sell tickets and merch on your website instead. Selling your music is good but the time you spent on selling could of went building your fan base. Its just a waste of time nowadays to think thats gonna help you make a living off music. Spend your time and money wisely.
Aaron, would you still put your music up on 'paid' download sites like Google Play & iTunes? Then just not promote those options as heavily / not make them your focus. We're thinking of doing that, coz we have some requests for it. Then targeting 1 or 2 streaming services & TH-cam and promoting / channeling people to those. We'd focus on building a following on those platforms instead of getting sales. Would love to hear how you'd go about it. Cheers
@@dustinmccrindle343 Absolutely but focus time and money on getting your band heard by as many people as possible . either way your helping your brand but why not try and maximize your brands audience with free music. its 60% marketing 40% music anyways right?
Mark Zaffin so I started a band 7 years ago. We have 30,000 fans and in 7 years ive sold around 100ish cds at shows but yet i still have 30.000 fans how are 99% of them hearing my music? Ive sold around 10,0000 tickets and thousands of t-shirts. This was 7 years ago. This year im release all my music for free with a e-mail sign up. yes i did make cds but my main sales were in tickets and merch. And this was before trying this. What about you? If your main sales are cds then don’t fix what isn’t broke.
You sir are spot on. Thank you. The research I’ve done has lead me to the exact same conclusion and I’m frustrated by those around me who don’t see it. And continue to dottle like there’s some kind of spirit that will magically select a person to stardom. I’m not looking for stardom I’m looking for a living. A living. Not rock stardom or fame but the ability to feed my family with what I know how to do. And you sir have outlined it perfectly.
Hey dude, I'm glad you see the point i was trying to get across & appreciate the support! It's sad but we need to learn to accept the times we are living in and adapt to them! Cheers bro :)
100% agree. People are extremely afraid of change and missing out on revenue. Make the CDs for the shows or your e-commerce website etc but don't pour massive amounts of money into it. Streaming is the way forward. As an artist or band you should be planning each release much like Damian does. Ok, we've got a single to promote. Let's shoot a music video, lyric video and behind the scenes. Take photos whilst doing this. Now, cut all your content down into separate videos and distribute to your social media platforms. Collect emails from your fans and on every release, shoot them an email. Network within your community. Reach out to blogs. Pay for social media advertising. Plenty of websites out there that will print your design onto a tshirt and you make a small profit with no production hassle from yourself.
I love the comments about building your audience, if you are a small label and you have 1,000 fans in your audience and you get each one of that audience to give you £100 a year then you have a great revenue for a label.
"if you do that 500-1000 times a day people will buy it"-you are describing the life that real musicians dont want any part of. Great artists and thinkers are outsiders and not into music to be selling useless merchandise in the name of their original ideas and hard work. It is repulsive when small minded capitalists try to tell musicians that we need to fit our world into theirs in order to survive when all the best aspects of the world they capitalize on were created by artists. This guy represents everything wrong with not only the music business but the values of our current culture. The internet is so full of parasites selling their programs and ideas to songwriters and musicians in the name of making money in your music career. the only people making money are them. (and a small percentage of us who are getting songs placed in media). I'm sorry. This whole precedence is based on an idea that will nullify your creative ideas and sidetrack you from having any real beneficial impact on society as an artist. As well as drain your energy and purpose. Be willing to starve and live within the means of your music or don't do it. Make your own music because you are tired of the disarray of the world that surrounds you and you want to reorder it in a beautiful way that reaches and inspires others. That is a lifelong commitment. Of course you need money in order for your music to pay for it's self but don't fill the world with more t-shirts, hats, sweatershirts, annoying promo and useless shit in the process. Imagine recommending to a home builder to give his houses away for free and just sell tshirts, and sweatshirts with his logo on them instead....I actually do give all my music away and I put in just as many hours as a contractor. (I was one) .
I've been saying one of the biggest ways the Internet will affect music is forcing us to find a way to monetize without selling downloads. I see what you were saying w the one thing, and agree with sentiment, but I've always liked the idea of "merching" cds. Let them listen and download for free, but buy physical albums that have an extra song or two, extra art, lyrics, etc, but all for a limited time after release, increasing collectability. Instead of relying on the cd as a primary means of distribution, treat it as a collectable. In that way, you *could* flash it by having a gorgeous, thick cd case on your shelf in your collection.
I agree with offering merch for those who want it, but I myself and many others don't care what others think about our taste in music or representing our tastes in music and we don't try to showcase that by wearing a shirt or buying a mug. I want to pay for what I am consuming, content, period. There are many people who are proud of their mp3 digital library or audio library and they are proud to be carrying around their phone, audio player, or media player. I am proud to be supporting musical artists even with subscription streaming services where listeners have to pay to listen to music. Even though many of the artists don't get paid very much through streaming services. Music videos originally were an evolution of the music industry and artist to offer a video that went along with their music to offer more of a perspective on their music. More of a story, and experience as part of the song or band. I think musical artists should continue to innovate with their music by adding more ways to experience their music like album covers and music videos did in the past. Now people have smartphones with touch screen displays and other sensors that can be interacted with that play the audio of their music. I think musicians should have interactive aspects to their content, digitally of course. Interactive aspects such as 3D images for visual content such as the album cover art and artwork that can be manipulated with multi touch gestures or taps by showing different angles of the 3D artwork. Or having an interactive story telling where the listener can make different choices for a story for a song that could be accompanied by visual effects, images or videos. Or the album can contain games, like video games that make it fun to interact with what's on the screen while listening to the music. All the while keeping the same theme of the music or whatever you want the listener of the music to experience while listening to your music. We have new technology. So let's use it. Most people have this technology. It only makes sense to incorporate these new ways of showing our art as part of our brand. I don't think musical artists or ANY artists who want to make money, a living, off their music or art should settle with giving away their content for free. Don't put your music or content on free services, make people pay for it, as they should. You can make the purchase of music dirt cheap, like . 05¢ or. 20¢ per song, it doesn't have to be expensive. It's much better than nothing which is what you are getting if you give it away for free. People will bite if they have no other option and if the price is right. To get exposure for your music or art as a brand, make sure the app, site, or service that is selling or streaming your music or art can give a quick preview of the song or album without playing the whole song or album, and make sure that it is behind a pay wall that would force potential listeners to pay for the music. Like 30 seconds or less, that way potential customers can hear what they might purchase. As well as making a few songs free to let people know what your content, music or brand is about, so they can possibly get hooked. And yes message people and let them know about your music. Give them a little sneak peak. Most importantly make sure your music is behind a paywall. Digital costs of media will always be less expensive than physical, but it's still MUCH better than nothing. Make sure your music is found on online stores and streaming services. With different formats and qualities, such as standard quality audio, FLAC, or some other high quality audio format, that increases the price respectively. With some streaming services the ads can be removed if the user pays for a subscription or pays an additional cost to remove them. I don't know if that extra revenue will only help the streaming service, but it's still a good way for at least the streaming service to get money. Accept ad money and then market your music and content and monetize the hell of it.
meadow33 I’ve never bought music that I hadn’t heard all the way through before... The trend across the industry is that recorded music sales is dropping and that content is the loss leader, so why not go with the flow of the trend?
Awesome video again Damo! Im sharing this with the band cos we would love nothing more than to make a living from making music. Some great ideas and youre right, this is the way forward 🤘🏼
I totally agree with you! I have been saying the same thing for YEARS to many people. Getting some people to change their minds is very very tough. I don't understand it. It's as plain as day what artists should be doing to maximized their reach and their income.
I think it's brilliant and appreciate your videos. I've played in a band for 12years with some success and now, as I prepare to launch a solo career, your ideas are super helpful in envisioning how to go about this in a creative way that makes sense in 2019! Just bought the book btw. Thanks, keep em coming!🙏
It’s so true, think about it. Say you want to learn how to play the guitar... are you going to BUY online lessons or are you going to STREAM them for free on TH-cam. The answer is obvious.
It makes sense, especially if you’re not a live-performer, you have to try a different path to making it work for you so you can create your art. I feel that people are ‘stuck’ in wanting to be in ‘the music industry’. Being in that ‘tradition’. Which is interesting, considering the way a lot of artists have been (mis)treated by record companies over the years. Doing it yourself is obviously harder but in the end you have more control. It’s logical to have merchandising because it’s free advertising. It creates curiosity. How many times have you seen a friend wearing a cool band tee-shirt and felt compelled to ask them who it was? It does create a tribe feeling when you see others into the same bands as you, even if it’s a stranger walking past you in the street. ‘Real’ bands do it all the time, buy the album and get a free tee-shirt. It’s funny, just thinking about it, people wouldn’t buy a band’s CD for $80 but they’d pay for a hoodie with a cool design on it. So, you reverse the thinking. A ‘free’ album with a hoody. Which, I suspect people will feel that it ‘cheapens’ their music/art? In reality, that purchaser is STILL a fan. Is still INTERESTED in you as an artist, they’re buying your ‘stuff’. I’m sure The guys from Iron Maiden aren’t turning their noses up at their merchandising cheques?
Damian, I would like to first say that I am enjoying your video here, and I believe in what you're saying. I just thought I would throw in my 2 cents on an interesting situation that continues to come up with my band. I am just beginning to produce really anything in the way of a living at singing and writing my songs. But even now, with a brand new TH-cam page, and very few social media followers, I have learned that I tend to make the sort of "fans" that really take care of me when I need them, and I think that it's because I have always been genuine and I never ask for them to "buy" anything I have. :) All I mean to say really is that, for example, when I first produced a C.D. for purchase, I was trying to make 5 or so bucks off them and wasn't selling much. But I noticed last year, when I started giving them away to people that said they really liked my songs, I gained so much more out of that gift. I found new fans, gain more exposure with every CD I hand out at shows, as well as the Average Tips Given, and Music Purchased Online, all of it went up. People with a Free CD, would then purchase a t-shirt, look me up online, listen with friends and wind up booking me for private shows (more$) :) and the silliest thing to me about it all, is that I had priced the CD at $5, and could hardly sale more than a few, but when I started to just give them away, I also kept track of how many I gave out to look at the "Donation Cup" next to the CDs, and I now average about 10-12 bucks for every CD that I "Give Away".... So, thanks for pointing out some great things in your video here, and I definitely have found that making friends, or fans, of my music, even such low numbers :) is much more rewarding that just trying to make their money come to me. I am interested in learning a lot more from you about using these Social Media Platforms, I don't really use much for other than recent show ads..
I think from 15:00 it encapsulates the idea. I don't doubt people are making money from traditional sales... but each person has to identify his or her market and cater or it. I think the future is where you are aiming at, DK. There will always be dudes buying CD's and God bless'em, I am one, but I realise that I will never be selling enough CD's with what I do to cover costs. However, I find myself wanting to buy Leo (Frog Leap Studios) gear all the time, cuz I like him, and he puts a smile on my face every Friday (ok, that sounded weird.) I bought Dystopia through Pledgemusic (RIP). When I see a show, I almost always end up buying stuff from the artist, because I want to remember that experience. I love behind the scenes stuff and actually do pay to see it... and for the record. I'm not a millenial totally immersed in the digital world. I'm 40.
Or you could work hard and learn to make good music instead of being loud. We rehearse next to a band that love to crank it up. Turns out the loudest is the most annoying in the group. If you wanna go the Kanye West route go for it but loud doesn’t translate to good. There are a ton of marketing books and motivational speakers like this. Take it all in and make your own conclusion.
Damian, you are a real professional i like your videos on music tips. I'm actually about to enter the recording studio to work on songs i have kept for years working on it and i decided to launch my music. And i was actually confuse with the process of releasing a music product. Then had the question in my mind. " Damn, iam most likely to become an independent artist and so how am i gonna manage this release my music. build fan base ect..." Suddenly fell on your videos. I listened to it and pay attention just to realize you were sorting out with the questions i had and definitely solved them by providing information. I'm so grateful i found your videos. thanks. I will subscribe now to your videos.
Very true and great advice. Lots of us are really insane, seeing their way doesn't work and continue to do it. You have to shift with the times in some aspects or be left behind.
Thank you so much! I am getting a lot of stick for these last few videos but it's all coming from a place to help musicians recognise the old traditions aren't necessarily the best way in todays society
Accepting as it is: real talented writers, painters sell their work cause it’s one consistent object for sale...else is music cause its volatile. You’re right, times have changed to this digital platform of the net...although music as a artform has completely lost its value starting from ambient music in shopping malls, airplanes, bars to the free web. Plus the avalanche of just sound (DJ sound, rap, electronic robotic sound...whatever i dont call this music) all that massively contributed to push quality aside. Plus the fact that the web is financed by advertising; hence no sound passes that might not please the firms that advertise their products on the web. For the same reason no more chance for talented Musicians or Musical Authors to be discovered... cause its not in demand anymore. The web-industry has this all streamlined to its own standards (e.g. has to be: optically attractive, sexy, so called „revolutionary“ foul language you name it). It’s all quite going in circles and loosing more and more substance. To end with ... have a taste of something more substantial. th-cam.com/video/eozf16F_3cA/w-d-xo.html
Spot on, as always. The Awesomes are on the case; I've always seen this as a way forward - and subscriptions provide the opportunity to give the fans so much more than just the album you can produce on an annual basis..if you're even that prolific!
The shitty thing about this whole premise, is that we as musicians and artists are letting other people determine the fate of our art. These scumbags that run the streaming services are making tons of money without an actual product of their own. They are cashing in on other people's hard work and talent, while paying them fractions of a penny. And that only feeds the mindset of "everything should be free". It's fucking surreal. Having said that...you do have some very solid, valid ideas for replacing the buy the CD paradigm. I'm just tired of musicians getting screwed. It's literally been happening since the days of the great classical composers.
We’re a band that lives together and we’ve been setting up a similar idea (from the end) since the start of 2019. 😂 Can’t believe you just told everyone, our idea is a bit different but yours is so close. We have so many cool tools in our day we are just starting to understand how we the artists can have the power. Love the channel thank you!
Honestly, I don't know why TH-cam recommended me this video since I am only a photographer on Instagram and don't have a band, but the info you share in this video is absolutely gold! Similar to music, also photography is going through the same changes and after watching this video, I say it is time for us (photographers) to do exactly what you suggest: use new ways to monetize our art. Thank you Damian!
People are making a living selling vinyl and unique and packages so if you are an artist and can do something unique like that or have a patron or some sort of music sales campaign that works KEEP doing it but also build a brand and you can sell anything Clothing, Concerts, intimate house concert experiences, make up etc.💯💯💯
i'm totally agree !! that what i tell to my bandmates since a few years but they absolutely do'nt listen ... we have a label/booking agency/radio/PR for the new album but it's nothing agains making daily content on the internet !! that's my idea for a new project : instead of touring non stop to play in front of few people that don't know me, i want to spend the same amount of time using internet to get known ... that means : content, content and some more content !! it's gonna be a long road but i'm sure it's the new one !! i'm really happy that i discovered someone who thinks the same way than i do !! thanks !!!
It would be great to see the art with the music take a more involved approach when it comes to merch in my opinion. If u were one place & one click away from all the merch & art maybe something a little more attainable that you can personalise on different levels. Idk. People complain when the price is too high even when the quality is great. Needs range. Sure is a puzzler but thankyou this is great! Very true & just saying it definitely holds interest. Good one.
I think you're totally right about TH-cam being the most undervalued and underused platform in the music industry. Vevo doesn't count for anything. This isn't the MTV era, and music videos alone are not engaging or exciting. I'm working on making the most of my TH-cam channel this year, and nearing that first 100 subs. As I've leaned into the platform and begun to discover the artists with millions of subscribers and no traction in the traditional music industry, I've scratched my head at the disparity between the TH-cam Music industry and the comparatively conservative and outdated model of the rest of the music industry. Excited to learn more from you and engage with this community. Thanks for the great ideas.
Thanks for this dude! Glad you agree and can take something away from this. Great that you have set yourself a target to grow your TH-cam man, really hope you reach it!!
Some interesting points and ideas for Bands to follow, have you thought about doing a real world example, take a Band from your audience and go through the process you're outlining? If positive results happen and be able to see the journey from a new, yet inexperienced Band at Marketing using your process, it would be great...Proof of concept if you know what I mean.
We know the time is changing , but still we love to print ,buy and sell CDs !!! Hopefully the times will go back that people will buy more fysical product!!!
I have also thought a lot about letting people see 'behind the curtain'. I think the creative industries do themselves a disservice by trying to create 'mystique' . I worked in the accounts department of a film production and I believe if everyone saw the amount of work going on behind the scenes by so many regular Janes and Joes, then some might think twice about grabbing it for free. I also think the audience generally would feel a greater connection to the process craft. But that's just a hypothesis based on my own feelings. I have often been confused by some artists who want people to appreciate the work that goes into creating and recording songs, and then post 10 minute studio or gig vlogs of them dicking about in the studio, pulling pranks, etc. To me that doesn't make sense, as I feel you should be showing the work too. And don't get me wrong I like to have fun at gigs and in the studio, perhaps more than I should... :P I'm just saying that you can't expect an audience, which mostly consists of people who aren't in the music industry, to have an understanding of what's involved without showing them. I have enjoyed your videos lately, Damian. I appreciate that you're telling people what they don't want to hear - but I can see that your intentions are true. Keep up the good word!
I have been following you for a couple of months, really liking your content! This and burstimo's my go to. I am realizing stuff about myself and try to take in and sorts of force my thinking in another mindset. I am gonna try out YT as i think a longer format is more my thing. To slow for Tiktok haha I am thinking over this brand thing and as a "soloartist" (having two different projects and playing bassguitar in a band with roots in the 90's Melodic deathmetal scene, yeah braging like a mf) I am still concentrating my energy to one of the projects (Huggorm) and i am thinking, what if i were to branch it in other directions relating to sound. What if i were ,as an ex, to tell horror stories or something. Besides showing off how good or poorly i create everything round "huggorm". It's very much trial and error in this! Thank you for trying to make us think outside of the box! Also wondering what you think one can do with touring as a nobody and in these times, and after. I am unsure if it will be a easy and worth thing after these shitty years. Best// Niklas
Im with you Damian! Thank you for your insight. I’ve noted down your strategies and will apply it to my own plan. I appreciate your creative outside the box thinking. Please keep up the good work!
Brilliant Video mate, we have shared it with our friends in Bands as we feel it will help them and we have also subbed to the channel and have binged watch a few vids, keep up the fab work :-)
@@DamianKeyes I love this. This is our industry! I love you're perspective here and I agree 100%. Giving value so we can be truly authentic with our audience. Instead of selling we can just connect with our audience and find other means to monetize, with a sponsorship/partnership for example. It provides the audience value because these companies fund our journey and we get the opportunity to share there valuable products or services with our community, which in turn can be valuable to them as well. I feel like in this way we can develop a deeper relationship than by focusing on selling music to get by. Appreciate you for sharing this! Our band is just getting started and we have learned a lot from you.
Brilliant, just brilliant. Your argument for merch is exactly what my band has been plotting. And since most bands t-shirts are of quite a low quality, I'd say that it's a worth while investment to get your shirts to be of a higher quality. People would be more likely to wear them in public. And in my opinion, people walking around with your tshirt on is just free advertisement.
This is fantastic info! I do also think that Rick Barker's advice is still good... get an online following of 1,000 people who will follow you on social media, then when you release your album you recorded in your home studio, let them know on social media/ email list and they'll each pay $10 directly to you for your digital download album. That's $10,000. And if you only get 500 people that's $5,000. But you have to do the work to interact with them on social media, which sounds like a lot of work/distraction. I'm used to my synchronicity going crazy as soon as I focus on music making, but you have really raised my synchronicity to a new level of statistical improbability by saying "People would buy a dead rabbit Ed Sheeran shit out " while I was literally pushing out a shit (which nobody has bid on so far on ebay!). Also, sorry for this comment! :P
5:35 Social media and reaching out
7:25 Merch
9:02 Collab with companies
12:01 Subscription
the lord's work
This is completely on point and the blueprint for all artists to follow. Thank you for sticking with this subject and promoting artists to take more control over their careers. People aren't buying music, and that's OK. This doesn't devalue the musician or their music, it just signals a change in the philosophy of how artists will need to compete financially with everyone else out there who is trying to build an audience including influencers, gamers, youtubers etc. Thanks again Damo!
Bullshit. Blueprint for all artists? Any time any of you hear that something is for everyone, it's bullshit, or in other words, a scam. Why would this jerk off agree by thanking him for being steadfast in his malarkey? Commies I tell ya.
The only thing this pushes is self gratifying bullshit. Your art won't live if you are pathetic. Whores are pathetic. People who have dignity don't whore themselves out as being described in your convictions here. It's not a new philosophy. I'd be surprised if you knew the meaning of the word.
People are buying music. Theyre just not buying YOUR music.
Keen to checkout your channel
@@heinrichsmit2 thank you!!
I've been saying this for more than a decade. Thanks for being the voice of reason. The biggest argument my band used to have was "CD pricing", they wanted to price as a CD, I wanted to "treat it and price it like a merch item". I lost that argument, sadly.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the support dude! Unfortunately it's just the world we are living in now and we need to adapt with the times! Good to see some people understand where I was coming from!
I just want to say THANK YOU for what you do. You have got my gears turning. I’m ready to start thinking outside of the box!
Definitely one of the best videos on your channel. Saved, watched 2 times and took notes, this is value!
This is actually the most uplifting thing I've heard in a very long time! Many of the things you mention sound like so much more fun than trying to sell songs and albums, and I love talking about music that I love, whether it's with friends or strangers, so if that can be a part of my job instead of a 'waste' of time, I'm all for it. Also, I love drawing, design and painting, and the thought of designing merchandise for me instead of someone else sounds like a dream
Herfinnur Árnafjall Completely agree! You said everything I was thinking! It feels like the info he gave took a weight of my shoulders. Instead of fighting the change, just roll with it and enjoy!
A great example of this is Periphery - one of the biggest metal acts around today. They don't make the most of their income from music sales, they make it from the audio software they sell - GetGood Drums, Misha's cab packs, other software collaborations. Then they make income from teaching, and merch, and touring. They've said it on social media that their business is the biggest money maker for them, not the music.
If you look at other artists you'll see them selling sample packs, licensing music to stock libraries or sync libraries, selling online courses, etc. In the case of those artists the music is their brand, and the proof that their products are worthwhile to pay for.
The consistency between what you preach and what you practice with your channel drives every point you make home. It makes me want to implement everything you say into my marketing approach because I can feel how powerful it is as your audience member.
Quality as always, Damian!
This is how it’s supposed to be. Now i need a band
Can you sing?
I love this idea, use the music, use the content to bring ppl in, and sell them something else, ppl will eventually appreciate u for giving them so much for free that they'll buy ur merch or a ticket to a show when the pandemic is over
Around 12 and a half minutes in, you're describing Patreon.
My thoughts too! :)
He described nothing new.
@@billbradleymusic Don't be naive.. everything has changed.. the whole landscape has changed. There are now 1000x the amount of bands since the 1970's right. This is NOW about the merits of your self promotion, your branding and ID, your live and pre-recorded video interaction with people! If you want to save your dignity then fine.. but no one outside your bedroom or studio will hear you anymore.. unless you're out there promoting.. hard!
It'd be cool if they had a Patreon for just musicians. Plus Patreon is rumored to be under some financial difficulties.
@@rhythmdroid Yep.. I'm was thinking of doing something with Producer.net .. I think if listeners and fans were encouraged to tip/donate to musicians more that would be a big change. Plus more tip bot, bitpay facilities incl crypto as we progress deeper into digital currency. Still thinking of a plan..
Artists don’t sell music. They sell themselves, and they always have done.
Yup, the 14 year old in me would still love to see killswitch engage in their practice room writing their first couple albums!
Once Mey a guy who owned a management firm, coincidently from Brighton, who said 7 years ago, imagine of you had footage of U2's first practice!
So glad to see you follow this way of thinking too, loving the tribe talk, exactly why I started purple people, music is free, always has been, just now there's a free market to create your own brand rather than pitching to the few that have dominated publishing for years! This also means you can have fun with your writing, half finished ideas can become great "adverts" or content and if you've got a special gig or announcement, write a song for it 🙌💜💜
Bro, you're a bloody genius... This is brilliant, as an ex musician and current film maker who is looking at ways to monetize short films, this is incredible. Love your thought process and I'm taking notes. Literally. Thanks for sharing your ideas 💡
Thank you so much Mark
You were nowhere near an idiot sir. The music industry needs revolutionary thinking. This video is perfect for up-and-coming artists. I am a manager of a kids group and it is definitely difficult to get anybody to even remotely care about music. We need new thinking in terms of this industry. Well done.
Your right, this is the new music business, thankx to technology. People are buying into you or your brand. Music is being consumed in a different way now. YOU WANT CUSTOMERS, YOU NEED THERE LOYALITY.
Thank You for your videos and all your hard work. Everything you are saying makes perfect sense, especially for those who are open to a brand-based, ad-supported consumer economy. I fear that we are veering further from the value and essence of music itself. The analogy of the cliff you mentioned, its like the masses are jumping off that cliff into a void of collective narcissism and saying "cmon jump or you'll get left behind." Sure thats dramatic, but why are we fighting? Because its worth fighting for traditions we believe in. Music is food, I can decide when it's good for me and it has nothing to do with how it's branded. Its about how it was made and what ingredients were used and how it makes me feel. Call me old school but I buy records and I listen to them front-to-back because it makes me feel damn good when the music hits me the right way and I know that my money went directly towards someones hard-earned lunch. Simple exchange. That said, I could care less what that band is actually eating for lunch today and I have enough shirts already. I will practice what I preach and continue teaching people to support artists by buying their music - it works! Best of luck to all of you and please stay true to yourself!!! Side note - I would pay a small fee to subscribe to your channel in exchange for no ads or you trying to sell me a shirt with your face on it. Just sayin
"It's a mindset" --YEP!
you're not an idiot at all. I see this is an old video (in regarding to the speed everything is going these days), but that's something I've been talking around a lot for years now - about what's the point of making physical records of any kind, and where and how can we live from being musicians, cause Spotify etc are here to stay, and if you're not there, you simply "don't exist".
What you say makes perfect sense, and all the stuff you say and suggest on the rest of your content is very accurate and from where struggling musicians have so much to learn. It all comes down to change the mindset as quick as we can and se the opportunities, and get our money differently. There's another kind of work we must be doing, that's for sure. Thanks for your content.
One of the biggest realisations I've had of late is that as an artist/creator, it's imperative to talk to the audience or even potential audience. I'm surprised at how many people actually do respond and take notice of what I'm doing simply by reaching out to them personally. It's amazing. This is awesome advice, thanks again man!
Damian, point made. Tanx for taking the time & effort to put out these videos. The sooner people adapt to how things have changed & start thinking out of the box, the better it'll get for themselves.
Tanx again 🤘
Very good video DK ive been telling my students for some time now that your music is just a loss leader to your real money. My top 4 ways to monetize is #1 merch #2 shows #3 Patreon (subscription) and coming in dead last is #4 streaming. Thanks for all the good advice you have also inspired me to start making tutorial videos about the music business on my facebook page. Keep the videos coming I truly appreciate you.
I enjoy your channel. I like the way you think. I’ve been working hard the last few years to let go of all my old school ideas and lessons about music and I have come to embrace where we are today with our ability to become our own record label. Keep up the great work!
In my heart I knew that selling music had changed. But it really hit me when I asked my 13 year old, where besides iTunes do the "kids" by music now? He said "Dad nobody buys music anymore, we just stream it".
You've opened my mind to so many things and I now understand how things work since the music industry flipped on its head. I would be honored to be able to work with you in some way one day if it were ever at all possible. Thank you so much for everything you do.
Great video man! Fellow welshman here in a band with a decent following. Merch seems to be the next logical step, however we’re not gigging a lot and we haven’t yet released a lot of music. These videos are really helping us find ideas on promoting and strategising for the future. Would love to pick your brains dude, keep it up!❤️
Sutmai Dafydd. How about starting a TH-cam channel.. get used to some filming, maybe sessions. Do you have artwork/branding done yet?
Oinkba Studios Hi, we have a youtube channel and have one good video released for a recent single. We are currently in the process of changing some of our logo/branding designs
@@dafyddfuller5171 Sounds great! Keep at it..good luck.
I'm happy I came across your channel and the video that triggered everyone. There's so many people on youtube that pretend to give advice but really just talk bullshit for an hour with empty but fancy sounding bs to get people to follow them so that THEY can monetize off of things. You are NOT that kind of person. So thanks for sharing actual useful information. A lot of those tips I actually already use which is why I also believe you're speaking truths. You got my likes and a subscribe. Keep on keeping on!
Thank you so much! That really made me smile!
I'm a new singer/songwriter and I'm busking for about a year now and I got these things in my head when I first started. My passion is to write and write and write and produce and play in front of people and busking was a way of making some money for me everyday to make a living even that you can't make a lot of money with busking but at leastI though that this is a way of getting my music out there, improving my skills and gaining experience and finding people that could love my music. I got this idea in my head a month ago that I have to write a song everyday cause I love it and post them starting this month a song a week and you have made me happy cause now I'm confident about my idea of getting out there value to the people and creating content. It's hard, it's difficult when you do all by yourself from writing to recording and mixing and mastering and do the lyric videos or music videos but everything that you said in this video is real! Thank you for your advice and keep up the good work! 🙌🏼
PS: If you guys are curious, check out my TH-cam channel, maybe you can find some music that you'll like! If you do, let me know! 😌
Peace!
Really loving the amount of wisdom I'm getting from this channel. Started writing for a new project a couple weeks ago so it's good for me to be soaking in this information now so I can form the right strategy as I go. Will binge your videos on my next day off.
This is amazing man. My friends are adamant to press and sell cds at a few occasional gigs, but it would be financial suicide. Trying to make them see this!
Hi Damian,
I agree with pretty much everything your saying. One strategy I've often seen recommended is that for someone who is trying to begin building an audience, if we set up a mailing list or something of the sort, and give people a song or short EP (for example) when they sign up for this, it can be a good way of securing an audience. Just wondering about your thoughts on this because although money isn't envolved in this situation, you are still creating somewhat of an obstacle for people to listen to your music (just thought I'd bring that up in regards to your point that music really is priceless in this day and age).
Bro, you are SPOT ON. I teach music business at a university, as well as serve artists as a producer, and your theories actually give me hope for these artists and students I serve. Thanks for your straight talk!!
Thank you so much dude. By the way that video on your TH-cam channel Fail Us Not is superb!! 🙂
PS anything I can do to help them I'm only a click away 🙂🙂
I think all of this is fucking brilliant and it's about time somebody thought outside the box. And now that people have pressed you, and maybe even beforehand I don't know, you've even offered up Alternatives and ideas for how to deal with this problem that is a certain truth that you have simply brought to the Forefront. I think it's so genius that I wish I had thought of it! Good for you for putting yourself out there with a bold idea that was well thought through and meets the needs of so many people. And it goes to show how solid of an idea it is because this content that you've provided to me and everyone else is worth so much to me I'm a dedicated fan and I would be happy to support you just as I would hope fans would support my band if and when we adopt this model ... getting resistance from the other guys though haha
Loved the vid. I agree with you. Perhaps, folks had trouble hearing your message because a "mindset shift" is a scary business. People love familiarity. People are familiar with the model of selling their music versus realizing what their audiences really want - a connection to them. This vid reminds me of a couple of things...1) a TedTalk by Jacob Barnett (become the industry); 2) Jab, Jab, Jab, Punch by GaryVee; and 3) The Long Tail theory. Your concepts are spot on. You are obviously an Innovator. There will probably be Early Adopters coming along before you get to that Early Majority - and of course, some will never get it (Laggards). This was great stuff - thank you!
Hey Damo. Another great video.
The VIP fan subscription to a bands' TH-cam and other social media is an excellent idea. It's already something I'm seeing other content creators advertising on TH-cam. So musicians need to get in on this pronto!
I was thinking about your last two videos regarding and how music should really be deemed as merch. Then I started thinking about merchant further. What should we be promoting?
Off the top off my head the following merch ideas came to mind:
1. The good ol' faithful band t-shirt.
2. Button badges.
3. Key/wallet chains with the band logo on the end.
4. Stickers
5. Embroidered patches with the band logo.
Then I thought about, I'm proud of this one.
6. SMARTPHONE CASES with the band artwork printed on it. Or just the logo.
The fact you're daring to highlight the failing economy of music sales is very important. Every artist needs to wake up. Thanks again.
Marco
Yes Marco! Love this and I think people love personalised stuff to make them feel closer to an artist which is why content will work. I have noticed that country stars like Kieth Urban even sells custom guitars at his gigs... crazy to see people walking through the crowd with a guitar they just bought lol
@@DamianKeyes Thanks Damian! Glad you liked the input.
Selling custom guitars at a gig?! Hahaha. Wow! Now that's another level. The god of merch right there. ☺
Every time I watch one of your videos I get super motivated. Crafted a few messages for IG and have dm’ed about 50 people that I found on relevant #’s to let them know about my new music coming and to hear what’s already out there. Thanks for tips!
+Carlin Tripp thank you so much Carlin 😊😊😊
Quite possibly one of the most important videos in your library. Most particularly because it touches on mindset and perspective. A lot of it hits home and amplifies many traits I've clung on to instead of adjusting and adapting. Lots of food for thought and clearly lots of discussion points from the comments. Its all good stuff and I like how you welcome being proven wrong or challenged but also offer up thoughts and ideas in this way. For free. Much appreciated. Keep going. Thanks
Thank you so much Paul.. Wow I have had 3 days of hate though lol but I don't mind being disagreeing as long as they think about their next release and don't blindly follow the tradition and get caught short and not be valued. What a week lol
Thanks dude, appreciated!
Those types of comments seem more about the giver and their issues. And their choice to air them is also more about them too. And you also welcome being proved wrong and adapt to new thought processes. I think you've got it covered well.
Hi Damien, just subscribed. Totally agree with your recent points that the old business model is now dead & should be considered buried & that we ( the creative musicians etc) should move forward & accept that is the world we now live in. We do not have to LIKE it... but there is no way of forcing the modern music consumer to BUY the physical article ( CDs etc). Many of us (myself included) have invested tens of thousands of pounds (or whatever currency we use) & hours in our art over the years, but that has NO RELEVANE to the vast majority of today's punters. So... we can either sit here snivelling into our coco about "how the world used to be, this isn't fair, blah blah blah..." or we can man-up, face it, put what we spent etc into the "no-one other than ourselves gives a toss" folder & get on with the new way. I applaud your matter-of-fact honesty & courage for saying it. This is the new world order, wake up or get left behind! And before people start hurling hard-man insults from behind the keyboard because they don't agree, I've seen it from the "signed" side of the table (which when you see the facts for the small time signed artist as I was, means bugger all in the scheme of things, would have been better off, FAR better off being unsigned...). This is a revolution, as with manufacturing becoming automated, online shopping killing the high street etc. The world is digital & will not go back. Bitter pill but its a fact. Cheers!
You are right in some points. In other words: It is a good time for showmen. The people that talk shit the hole day. Not the time for great, but shy masterminds. For music nerds. For those who create the most amazing music. For those with the knowledge. Only the musicians who sell themselfes will survive. We thought the internet brings a new chance to music, but that comes for a hight cost. But that is the way it is and we have to deal with it.
I work with some musicians as booker/manager and we also did cooperations with companys. But it is hard to make it work without losing your "realness". Maybe in the US or UK it is different but here in Germany even Football(Soccer) Stars that do adverts for companys lose popularity and they get a lot of hate. I only works when it totally fits. I did this 10-15 years ago. We where early starters. Nowadays a lot of bands do this and it is harder to find cooperations for Newcomers, because why take a newcomer when you can also cooperate with a star?
And no one will subscribe for monthly 10 dollars. At least no one I now and not the audience I now. That works for TH-cam channels that teach something. Where you get something in return (knowledge). Not for some background videos. Maybe for 0,0001% of the musicians some people (aka superfans) will subscribe. Because people over here have no problem with giving 150 Euro p.P. for a Foo Fighters gig, but if a newcomer concert costs more then 5 Euro they will not come. We organize concerts all the time. That is the sad truth. And because of this I think subscriptions are not the solution for small bands.
There are new chances, but you have to find them and there are very individual. Your attempts sound very theoreticly. I would recommend another video in addition for more insights: th-cam.com/video/ZgTVioPPIN0/w-d-xo.html
Lots of good stuff here. You are right nobody will subscribe to a new band for $10 a month but might for the Foo's. To me that shows leverage. What is the band doing/giving for their $10 a month or maybe just $10 for a year the same price as an album. It's up to the band to decide what the value is and price it right. My point is that content is now a huge important part and done right can be a money maker. Casey Neistat doesnt give away knowledge but I would happily give him $10 if he took away the videos he was making.
My video sounds theoretical as it is theoretical. My channel is here to help bands and musicians they get to choose the information they think would work for their band
Really interesting video. I am working with a band from the 80s that has recently reformed and I'm trying to get them to understand how we can use social media, especially videos as a big push. Thank you.
You are a very switched on dude, I always enjoy your enthusiasm and passion for what you do!
If fact, I don't really know what you do do...but whatever it is, you have a very interesting and intriguing way of captivating your listeners.
The subscription thing has been something I have been considering for a long while now. Glad to be able to have a second opinion from you sir!
You hit the nail on the head. Bands and artists have to now focus on marketing themselves which can get in the way of the creative process. Now if a band has 4 or 5 members, and each member can be responsible for booking, social media posts, networking, graphic art, video and audio production, then yes it can work. But most bands have one or two people who do everything. So it can be extremely overwhelming, especially if you work or go to school full time. The reality is bands have no choice these days. Its almost worse than signing to a label.
Its an option...just enjoy creating playin music..that is acheivable anything else is a bonus
@@thesuncollective1475 its all we can do really. Enjoy the music.
@Tanner Rice Yes that is my recollection as band leader..I did it all!
@@raulgarza2517 Yes agree.. but if you're ALL hungry for success and work hard with all the tools that the internet has for self promotion.. then you will have more chance of succeeding. Does that sound about right?
@Tanner Rice Thanks for sharing your experience, it seems nowadays there is an incredibly diversity of skills a band leader needs, and #1 they need to hustle
Strongly agree with you sir, almost everything you describe in this video has been implemented in the k-pop industry since the late '90s. Known as Hallyu (한류) or Korean Wave, maybe you've also heard about this.
And yes, I bought k-pop cd for collectibles, in addition to an audio cd, I will also get photobooks, random photocards with signatures, stickers, posters, and lottery numbers for fansign events and much more.
Great video sir 👍
Lefthand. Thanks, so real, am gonna share my friends/musicians. Lifelong Musso since '64. Doing business degree in 74 my IT tutor said, forget all other parts, macro/micro economics etc...This will change the world. Musicians and industry related professions have never had it so good. The golden era of yore pales into insignificance in the here and now. Thanks again for your valuable incite into what might be percieved as a complicated matter. Well done man.
Your correct in that we Artist need to take control of our own future. There is so much more we could do to help ourselves. Good work on bring it out and all your help.
Use free multimedia to attract audience and build attention. It can even be a "loss leader," e.g. paying to get your music video out with Facebook, TH-cam ads to attract attention, losing money up front in return for people's attention. Use that attention while you have it and build a system to capture "real fans" with additional freemium content ("3 new tracks exclusively for subscribers" or "discount on merch" etc) in return for joining your email list.
Now you've converted free attention into an interested human being and you have their contact info. Now continue to market by email whatever you possibly can - your deep cuts of multimedia content (e.g. unreleased or rare 'B-side' tracks, physical vinyls, subscription to your "making of" videos, for example) and physical merch / apparel to the true fans whose emails you've captured.
Live touring is the way the big pros make their fortunes, so take a lesson and sell concert tickets once you've got enough of a tribe to tour a few nearby cities and fill a few venues.
Only need 1,000 true fans spending $100 per year on your stuff to support a decent lifestyle. Treat it like a business. Your music is not your product anymore, your music is part of your branding along with your photos, videos, and social media. The product people pay for is your merch, apparel, and live shows. *Music is free now people, get used to it and adapt.*
I'm not gonna all you an idiot, but a genius, I'm been working on the music business all my life and you put me to think in a different way, thanks
I understood your message completely. I agree with you. I’ve been playing Music since 1971. The industry has changed. Niche markets won’t keep music alive. Musicians need a different strategy.
Amazing, thanks John!
Yes selling your music is good and if you can make a living off selling your music then dont stop what your doin but the reality is giving it away to get make new fans 100% make you more money if you sell tickets and merch on your website instead. Selling your music is good but the time you spent on selling could of went building your fan base. Its just a waste of time nowadays to think thats gonna help you make a living off music. Spend your time and money wisely.
Aaron, would you still put your music up on 'paid' download sites like Google Play & iTunes? Then just not promote those options as heavily / not make them your focus.
We're thinking of doing that, coz we have some requests for it.
Then targeting 1 or 2 streaming services & TH-cam and promoting / channeling people to those. We'd focus on building a following on those platforms instead of getting sales.
Would love to hear how you'd go about it.
Cheers
@@dustinmccrindle343 Absolutely but focus time and money on getting your band heard by as many people as possible . either way your helping your brand but why not try and maximize your brands audience with free music. its 60% marketing 40% music anyways right?
Mark Zaffin so I started a band 7 years ago. We have 30,000 fans and in 7 years ive sold around 100ish cds at shows but yet i still have 30.000 fans how are 99% of them hearing my music? Ive sold around 10,0000 tickets and thousands of t-shirts. This was 7 years ago. This year im release all my music for free with a e-mail sign up. yes i did make cds but my main sales were in tickets and merch. And this was before trying this. What about you? If your main sales are cds then don’t fix what isn’t broke.
You sir are spot on. Thank you. The research I’ve done has lead me to the exact same conclusion and I’m frustrated by those around me who don’t see it. And continue to dottle like there’s some kind of spirit that will magically select a person to stardom. I’m not looking for stardom I’m looking for a living. A living. Not rock stardom or fame but the ability to feed my family with what I know how to do. And you sir have outlined it perfectly.
Hey dude, I'm glad you see the point i was trying to get across & appreciate the support! It's sad but we need to learn to accept the times we are living in and adapt to them! Cheers bro :)
You couldn’t be clearer neither could be more right,
Completely agree, there’s a lot of blind people, they would never get this. Great Job!
Cheers dude! Good to know some people agree!
thats a great point, people cant show off a cd like they can show off clothes from an artist
100% agree. People are extremely afraid of change and missing out on revenue. Make the CDs for the shows or your e-commerce website etc but don't pour massive amounts of money into it. Streaming is the way forward. As an artist or band you should be planning each release much like Damian does. Ok, we've got a single to promote. Let's shoot a music video, lyric video and behind the scenes. Take photos whilst doing this. Now, cut all your content down into separate videos and distribute to your social media platforms. Collect emails from your fans and on every release, shoot them an email. Network within your community. Reach out to blogs. Pay for social media advertising. Plenty of websites out there that will print your design onto a tshirt and you make a small profit with no production hassle from yourself.
Thanks for sharing your insights, great ideas!
I love the comments about building your audience, if you are a small label and you have 1,000 fans in your audience and you get each one of that audience to give you £100 a year then you have a great revenue for a label.
I agree! 100% Make great music and put your hat out for people to have the opportunity to support you.
you have the proper information and people should listen. musicians don't know the music business. They should call it the business of music.
"if you do that 500-1000 times a day people will buy it"-you are describing the life that real musicians dont want any part of. Great artists and thinkers are outsiders and not into music to be selling useless merchandise in the name of their original ideas and hard work. It is repulsive when small minded capitalists try to tell musicians that we need to fit our world into theirs in order to survive when all the best aspects of the world they capitalize on were created by artists. This guy represents everything wrong with not only the music business but the values of our current culture. The internet is so full of parasites selling their programs and ideas to songwriters and musicians in the name of making money in your music career. the only people making money are them. (and a small percentage of us who are getting songs placed in media). I'm sorry. This whole precedence is based on an idea that will nullify your creative ideas and sidetrack you from having any real beneficial impact on society as an artist. As well as drain your energy and purpose. Be willing to starve and live within the means of your music or don't do it. Make your own music because you are tired of the disarray of the world that surrounds you and you want to reorder it in a beautiful way that reaches and inspires others. That is a lifelong commitment. Of course you need money in order for your music to pay for it's self but don't fill the world with more t-shirts, hats, sweatershirts, annoying promo and useless shit in the process. Imagine recommending to a home builder to give his houses away for free and just sell tshirts, and sweatshirts with his logo on them instead....I actually do give all my music away and I put in just as many hours as a contractor. (I was one) .
I've been saying one of the biggest ways the Internet will affect music is forcing us to find a way to monetize without selling downloads.
I see what you were saying w the one thing, and agree with sentiment, but I've always liked the idea of "merching" cds.
Let them listen and download for free, but buy physical albums that have an extra song or two, extra art, lyrics, etc, but all for a limited time after release, increasing collectability.
Instead of relying on the cd as a primary means of distribution, treat it as a collectable. In that way, you *could* flash it by having a gorgeous, thick cd case on your shelf in your collection.
Yeah an alternative is needed question is what? Tough cookie to crack.
I agree with offering merch for those who want it, but I myself and many others don't care what others think about our taste in music or representing our tastes in music and we don't try to showcase that by wearing a shirt or buying a mug. I want to pay for what I am consuming, content, period. There are many people who are proud of their mp3 digital library or audio library and they are proud to be carrying around their phone, audio player, or media player. I am proud to be supporting musical artists even with subscription streaming services where listeners have to pay to listen to music. Even though many of the artists don't get paid very much through streaming services.
Music videos originally were an evolution of the music industry and artist to offer a video that went along with their music to offer more of a perspective on their music. More of a story, and experience as part of the song or band.
I think musical artists should continue to innovate with their music by adding more ways to experience their music like album covers and music videos did in the past.
Now people have smartphones with touch screen displays and other sensors that can be interacted with that play the audio of their music. I think musicians should have interactive aspects to their content, digitally of course. Interactive aspects such as 3D images for visual content such as the album cover art and artwork that can be manipulated with multi touch gestures or taps by showing different angles of the 3D artwork. Or having an interactive story telling where the listener can make different choices for a story for a song that could be accompanied by visual effects, images or videos. Or the album can contain games, like video games that make it fun to interact with what's on the screen while listening to the music. All the while keeping the same theme of the music or whatever you want the listener of the music to experience while listening to your music.
We have new technology. So let's use it.
Most people have this technology. It only makes sense to incorporate these new ways of showing our art as part of our brand.
I don't think musical artists or ANY artists who want to make money, a living, off their music or art should settle with giving away their content for free.
Don't put your music or content on free services, make people pay for it, as they should. You can make the purchase of music dirt cheap, like . 05¢ or. 20¢ per song, it doesn't have to be expensive. It's much better than nothing which is what you are getting if you give it away for free. People will bite if they have no other option and if the price is right.
To get exposure for your music or art as a brand, make sure the app, site, or service that is selling or streaming your music or art can give a quick preview of the song or album without playing the whole song or album, and make sure that it is behind a pay wall that would force potential listeners to pay for the music. Like 30 seconds or less, that way potential customers can hear what they might purchase. As well as making a few songs free to let people know what your content, music or brand is about, so they can possibly get hooked. And yes message people and let them know about your music. Give them a little sneak peak.
Most importantly make sure your music is behind a paywall. Digital costs of media will always be less expensive than physical, but it's still MUCH better than nothing.
Make sure your music is found on online stores and streaming services.
With different formats and qualities, such as standard quality audio, FLAC, or some other high quality audio format, that increases the price respectively.
With some streaming services the ads can be removed if the user pays for a subscription or pays an additional cost to remove them. I don't know if that extra revenue will only help the streaming service, but it's still a good way for at least the streaming service to get money.
Accept ad money and then market your music and content and monetize the hell of it.
meadow33 I’ve never bought music that I hadn’t heard all the way through before...
The trend across the industry is that recorded music sales is dropping and that content is the loss leader, so why not go with the flow of the trend?
Awesome video again Damo! Im sharing this with the band cos we would love nothing more than to make a living from making music. Some great ideas and youre right, this is the way forward 🤘🏼
I totally agree with you! I have been saying the same thing for YEARS to many people. Getting some people to change their minds is very very tough. I don't understand it. It's as plain as day what artists should be doing to maximized their reach and their income.
Thanks for this dude! Appreciate the support!
I think it's brilliant and appreciate your videos. I've played in a band for 12years with some success and now, as I prepare to launch a solo career, your ideas are super helpful in envisioning how to go about this in a creative way that makes sense in 2019! Just bought the book btw. Thanks, keep em coming!🙏
You’re encouraging radical thinking. Thanks for sharing
It’s so true, think about it. Say you want to learn how to play the guitar... are you going to BUY online lessons or are you going to STREAM them for free on TH-cam. The answer is obvious.
It makes sense, especially if you’re not a live-performer, you have to try a different path to making it work for you so you can create your art.
I feel that people are ‘stuck’ in wanting to be in ‘the music industry’. Being in that ‘tradition’.
Which is interesting, considering the way a lot of artists have been (mis)treated by record companies over the years.
Doing it yourself is obviously harder but in the end you have more control.
It’s logical to have merchandising because it’s free advertising. It creates curiosity.
How many times have you seen a friend wearing a cool band tee-shirt and felt compelled to ask them who it was?
It does create a tribe feeling when you see others into the same bands as you, even if it’s a stranger walking past you in the street.
‘Real’ bands do it all the time, buy the album and get a free tee-shirt. It’s funny, just thinking about it, people wouldn’t buy a band’s
CD for $80 but they’d pay for a hoodie with a cool design on it. So, you reverse the thinking. A ‘free’ album with a hoody.
Which, I suspect people will feel that it ‘cheapens’ their music/art? In reality, that purchaser is STILL a fan. Is still INTERESTED in you as an artist, they’re buying your ‘stuff’.
I’m sure The guys from Iron Maiden aren’t turning their noses up at their merchandising cheques?
Damian, I would like to first say that I am enjoying your video here, and I believe in what you're saying. I just thought I would throw in my 2 cents on an interesting situation that continues to come up with my band. I am just beginning to produce really anything in the way of a living at singing and writing my songs. But even now, with a brand new TH-cam page, and very few social media followers, I have learned that I tend to make the sort of "fans" that really take care of me when I need them, and I think that it's because I have always been genuine and I never ask for them to "buy" anything I have. :) All I mean to say really is that, for example, when I first produced a C.D. for purchase, I was trying to make 5 or so bucks off them and wasn't selling much. But I noticed last year, when I started giving them away to people that said they really liked my songs, I gained so much more out of that gift. I found new fans, gain more exposure with every CD I hand out at shows, as well as the Average Tips Given, and Music Purchased Online, all of it went up. People with a Free CD, would then purchase a t-shirt, look me up online, listen with friends and wind up booking me for private shows (more$) :) and the silliest thing to me about it all, is that I had priced the CD at $5, and could hardly sale more than a few, but when I started to just give them away, I also kept track of how many I gave out to look at the "Donation Cup" next to the CDs, and I now average about 10-12 bucks for every CD that I "Give Away".... So, thanks for pointing out some great things in your video here, and I definitely have found that making friends, or fans, of my music, even such low numbers :) is much more rewarding that just trying to make their money come to me.
I am interested in learning a lot more from you about using these Social Media Platforms, I don't really use much for other than recent show ads..
Clever way to sell those CDs! Good work! You are such a brat, HAHAHA!!!
Wow I am new in this game but I love everything about what you are saying and am diving in it as I haven't seen or heard about it in South Africa.
"I will look after you like you were never been looked after before " Scary ... :)) Thank you for the video and opinion. I agree very nice ideas.
I think from 15:00 it encapsulates the idea. I don't doubt people are making money from traditional sales... but each person has to identify his or her market and cater or it. I think the future is where you are aiming at, DK. There will always be dudes buying CD's and God bless'em, I am one, but I realise that I will never be selling enough CD's with what I do to cover costs. However, I find myself wanting to buy Leo (Frog Leap Studios) gear all the time, cuz I like him, and he puts a smile on my face every Friday (ok, that sounded weird.) I bought Dystopia through Pledgemusic (RIP). When I see a show, I almost always end up buying stuff from the artist, because I want to remember that experience. I love behind the scenes stuff and actually do pay to see it... and for the record. I'm not a millenial totally immersed in the digital world. I'm 40.
Love this message! Thanks dude! Also I love Leo's channel it makes me happy!
The loudest isn't the one who survive. Only the fittest stays alive.
Or you could work hard and learn to make good music instead of being loud. We rehearse next to a band that love to crank it up. Turns out the loudest is the most annoying in the group. If you wanna go the Kanye West route go for it but loud doesn’t translate to good. There are a ton of marketing books and motivational speakers like this. Take it all in and make your own conclusion.
Damian, you are a real professional i like your videos on music tips. I'm actually about to enter the recording studio to work on songs i have kept for years working on it and i decided to launch my music. And i was actually confuse with the process of releasing a music product. Then had the question in my mind. " Damn, iam most likely to become an independent artist and so how am i gonna manage this release my music. build fan base ect..." Suddenly fell on your videos. I listened to it and pay attention just to realize you were sorting out with the questions i had and definitely solved them by providing information. I'm so grateful i found your videos. thanks. I will subscribe now to your videos.
Very true and great advice. Lots of us are really insane, seeing their way doesn't work and continue to do it. You have to shift with the times in some aspects or be left behind.
Thank you so much! I am getting a lot of stick for these last few videos but it's all coming from a place to help musicians recognise the old traditions aren't necessarily the best way in todays society
@@DamianKeyes I totally understand. This is a ton if help for me. Thank you.
Accepting as it is: real talented writers, painters sell their work cause it’s one consistent object for sale...else is music cause its volatile. You’re right, times have changed to this digital platform of the net...although music as a artform has completely lost its value starting from ambient music in shopping malls, airplanes, bars to the free web. Plus the avalanche of just sound (DJ sound, rap, electronic robotic sound...whatever i dont call this music) all that massively contributed to push quality aside. Plus the fact that the web is financed by advertising; hence no sound passes that might not please the firms that advertise their products on the web. For the same reason no more chance for talented Musicians or Musical Authors to be discovered... cause its not in demand anymore. The web-industry has this all streamlined to its own standards (e.g. has to be: optically attractive, sexy, so called „revolutionary“ foul language you name it). It’s all quite going in circles and loosing more and more substance. To end with ... have a taste of something more substantial. th-cam.com/video/eozf16F_3cA/w-d-xo.html
Spot on, as always. The Awesomes are on the case; I've always seen this as a way forward - and subscriptions provide the opportunity to give the fans so much more than just the album you can produce on an annual basis..if you're even that prolific!
Thanks dude! It's great to hear you agree and have already put it into practice!!
The shitty thing about this whole premise, is that we as musicians and artists are letting other people determine the fate of our art. These scumbags that run the streaming services are making tons of money without an actual product of their own. They are cashing in on other people's hard work and talent, while paying them fractions of a penny. And that only feeds the mindset of "everything should be free". It's fucking surreal. Having said that...you do have some very solid, valid ideas for replacing the buy the CD paradigm. I'm just tired of musicians getting screwed. It's literally been happening since the days of the great classical composers.
This is perfect. Exactly the kind of thing I’ve been thinking about lately. Much love from Australia!
Thanks a lot! No way! I’d love to visit Australia one day!
Damian Keyes no worries mate. If beaches and wildlife is what you’re looking for then I would definitely recommend a trip to Aus!
We’re a band that lives together and we’ve been setting up a similar idea (from the end) since the start of 2019. 😂 Can’t believe you just told everyone, our idea is a bit different but yours is so close. We have so many cool tools in our day we are just starting to understand how we the artists can have the power. Love the channel thank you!
Thank you so much, Love the video on your youtube channel for Ease into it. Is that a small door or a giant guy?!
Damian Keyes that is a giant man..and a small door. Thanks for listening ❤️
An interesting view on the music industry.
Honestly, I don't know why TH-cam recommended me this video since I am only a photographer on Instagram and don't have a band, but the info you share in this video is absolutely gold! Similar to music, also photography is going through the same changes and after watching this video, I say it is time for us (photographers) to do exactly what you suggest: use new ways to monetize our art. Thank you Damian!
People are making a living selling vinyl and unique and packages so if you are an artist and can do something unique like that or have a patron or some sort of music sales campaign that works KEEP doing it but also build a brand and you can sell anything Clothing, Concerts, intimate house concert experiences, make up etc.💯💯💯
Such great insight Damian. Definitely gonna get your book too. Thanks bro!
i'm totally agree !! that what i tell to my bandmates since a few years but they absolutely do'nt listen ... we have a label/booking agency/radio/PR for the new album but it's nothing agains making daily content on the internet !! that's my idea for a new project : instead of touring non stop to play in front of few people that don't know me, i want to spend the same amount of time using internet to get known ... that means : content, content and some more content !! it's gonna be a long road but i'm sure it's the new one !! i'm really happy that i discovered someone who thinks the same way than i do !! thanks !!!
It would be great to see the art with the music take a more involved approach when it comes to merch in my opinion. If u were one place & one click away from all the merch & art maybe something a little more attainable that you can personalise on different levels. Idk. People complain when the price is too high even when the quality is great. Needs range. Sure is a puzzler but thankyou this is great! Very true & just saying it definitely holds interest. Good one.
I think you're totally right about TH-cam being the most undervalued and underused platform in the music industry. Vevo doesn't count for anything. This isn't the MTV era, and music videos alone are not engaging or exciting. I'm working on making the most of my TH-cam channel this year, and nearing that first 100 subs. As I've leaned into the platform and begun to discover the artists with millions of subscribers and no traction in the traditional music industry, I've scratched my head at the disparity between the TH-cam Music industry and the comparatively conservative and outdated model of the rest of the music industry. Excited to learn more from you and engage with this community. Thanks for the great ideas.
Thanks for this dude! Glad you agree and can take something away from this. Great that you have set yourself a target to grow your TH-cam man, really hope you reach it!!
Yes, yes it does work. Taylor Swift had a collab with ATT a couple of years ago for an "all-access" channel.
Some interesting points and ideas for Bands to follow, have you thought about doing a real world example, take a Band from your audience and go through the process you're outlining? If positive results happen and be able to see the journey from a new, yet inexperienced Band at Marketing using your process, it would be great...Proof of concept if you know what I mean.
We know the time is changing , but still we love to print ,buy and sell CDs !!! Hopefully the times will go back that people will buy more fysical product!!!
phunny
I have also thought a lot about letting people see 'behind the curtain'. I think the creative industries do themselves a disservice by trying to create 'mystique' . I worked in the accounts department of a film production and I believe if everyone saw the amount of work going on behind the scenes by so many regular Janes and Joes, then some might think twice about grabbing it for free. I also think the audience generally would feel a greater connection to the process craft. But that's just a hypothesis based on my own feelings.
I have often been confused by some artists who want people to appreciate the work that goes into creating and recording songs, and then post 10 minute studio or gig vlogs of them dicking about in the studio, pulling pranks, etc. To me that doesn't make sense, as I feel you should be showing the work too. And don't get me wrong I like to have fun at gigs and in the studio, perhaps more than I should... :P I'm just saying that you can't expect an audience, which mostly consists of people who aren't in the music industry, to have an understanding of what's involved without showing them.
I have enjoyed your videos lately, Damian. I appreciate that you're telling people what they don't want to hear - but I can see that your intentions are true. Keep up the good word!
Thank you dude, really cool to know you have watched a few of my video's and enjoyed them! Keep coming back man :)
Genius ideas here, so grateful. Spot on. Thanks.
I have been following you for a couple of months, really liking your content! This and burstimo's my go to.
I am realizing stuff about myself and try to take in and sorts of force my thinking in another mindset. I am gonna try out YT as i think a longer format is more my thing. To slow for Tiktok haha
I am thinking over this brand thing and as a "soloartist" (having two different projects and playing bassguitar in a band with roots in the 90's Melodic deathmetal scene, yeah braging like a mf)
I am still concentrating my energy to one of the projects (Huggorm) and i am thinking, what if i were to branch it in other directions relating to sound. What if i were ,as an ex, to tell horror stories or something. Besides showing off how good or poorly i create everything round "huggorm".
It's very much trial and error in this!
Thank you for trying to make us think outside of the box!
Also wondering what you think one can do with touring as a nobody and in these times, and after. I am unsure if it will be a easy and worth thing after these shitty years.
Best//
Niklas
Im with you Damian! Thank you for your insight. I’ve noted down your strategies and will apply it to my own plan. I appreciate your creative outside the box thinking. Please keep up the good work!
Brilliant Video mate, we have shared it with our friends in Bands as we feel it will help them and we have also subbed to the channel and have binged watch a few vids, keep up the fab work :-)
Great ideas man. Thanks so much for sharing.
It's creepy to pay a band to see behind the scenes into their lives. Which is why so many people would indeed pay for it.
This is absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing this🙏
Thanks so much
@@DamianKeyes I love this. This is our industry! I love you're perspective here and I agree 100%. Giving value so we can be truly authentic with our audience. Instead of selling we can just connect with our audience and find other means to monetize, with a sponsorship/partnership for example. It provides the audience value because these companies fund our journey and we get the opportunity to share there valuable products or services with our community, which in turn can be valuable to them as well. I feel like in this way we can develop a deeper relationship than by focusing on selling music to get by. Appreciate you for sharing this! Our band is just getting started and we have learned a lot from you.
Im just trying to figure out what you think of Taco bells Nacho cheese fries
Brilliant, just brilliant. Your argument for merch is exactly what my band has been plotting. And since most bands t-shirts are of quite a low quality, I'd say that it's a worth while investment to get your shirts to be of a higher quality. People would be more likely to wear them in public. And in my opinion, people walking around with your tshirt on is just free advertisement.
You’re absolutely right! Thanks for reminding me ✌️
Cheers Stephan!
@@DamianKeyes Hi Damian, I really kling to your massage, so now you got yourself one more subscriber.
This is fantastic info! I do also think that Rick Barker's advice is still good... get an online following of 1,000 people who will follow you on social media, then when you release your album you recorded in your home studio, let them know on social media/ email list and they'll each pay $10 directly to you for your digital download album. That's $10,000. And if you only get 500 people that's $5,000.
But you have to do the work to interact with them on social media, which sounds like a lot of work/distraction.
I'm used to my synchronicity going crazy as soon as I focus on music making, but you have really raised my synchronicity to a new level of statistical improbability by saying "People would buy a dead rabbit Ed Sheeran shit out " while I was literally pushing out a shit (which nobody has bid on so far on ebay!).
Also, sorry for this comment! :P