You need to sell merch — here’s why
Why pass up the chance to make additional revenue, build your artist brand, and cement a special connection with your fans?
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Author: Tony van Veen
How Much Does Streaming Pay?
When you analyze the money you can earn from streaming, you’ll find it’s difficult (at best) to earn enough to support yourself as an artist. But streaming is still valuable: it can be a gateway to discovery and other means of monetizing your fan base. Read the post.
The Indie Music Minute’s greatest hits
Here are three of our most popular Indie Music Minute videos so far, tackling the topics of being your own record label, mixing vs. mastering, and getting a mechanical license for YouTube. Read the post.
Are you going basic or premium?
As the music industry evolves, artists are thinking about physical product in new ways: there’s a split between basic and premium CD packaging and which best reflects their brand. Read the post.
CDs just sound better
I listen to a lot of music and listen to a lot of streaming when I drive or while I travel — and I also listen to vinyl. And while I love all of it, when I want the best audio quality, nothing sounds as good as a CD. Read the post.
Become a student of the songwriting craft — Indie Music Minute
Want to know the number one reason why artists fail? I’m gonna be blunt about it: their songs aren’t good enough. Read the post.
Fully independent, and damn proud of it!
Disc Makers’ CEO Tony van Veen shares his history with the company, the changes in the industry, and where things are heading. Read the post.
Are cassette USBs your next merch table hit? Indie Music Minute
Thinking about making cassettes? Why not cassette USBs? You can release something really deluxe with music, video, photos, journals from the road… whatever you want.
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Disc replication vs. disc duplication: The Indie Music Minute
Disc duplication technology has been around for a long time, but clients still ask us what the difference is between disc replication and disc duplication. Let’s go behind the scenes to the Disc Makers replication line to find out. Read the post
The Indie Music Minute with Tony van Veen
The Disc Makers YouTube Channel has a new series of videos, called “The Indie Music Minute,” featuring Tony van Veen (CEO of Disc Makers) distributing bite-sized nuggets of actionable information to help you make the most of your career as an indie music artist. Read the post.
Back in the vinyl records business after 15 years!
There’s a unique pleasure in seeing a vinyl record getting pressed. The glob of vinyl between the stampers, the press closing and squishing the vinyl out the sides, pulling out a beautiful shiny disc. Legendary artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Celia Cruz, Big Black, Salt-N-Pepa, and Wu Tang Clan came off our Hamilton presses. Read More.
Back to Basics: 7 Reasons to Love Offline Marketing
Remember what it was like in 1990 if you needed something? Say you were looking for a printer for your company brochures. In those pre-internet days it took some resourcefulness and time to find and research the right vendor. Today, you open your search engine of choice, type in a few terms, and voilå: more printers than you can shake a stick at. Thank God for Google.
Clearly, a seismic shift has occurred in how people shop, and consequently in how they market themselves. A lot of the action is happening online, but (of course) not all marketing is web-based. Read more…
What Makes a Brand?
I used to own a Lexus. A white GS400 that I bought used – or “pre-owned” as they call it. I loved that car. It was fast, quiet, and the premium Nakamichi audio system was incredible, which for a former musician is essential. A Lexus is supposed to come with all the trimmings of owning a premium brand: top notch, responsive sales reps, white glove service and repair, free loaner cars, the works. Funny thing was, for all the accolades Lexus dealers get, I was regularly disappointed by mine. Read more…
The Importance of Covering Your Back End
Let me start by setting the record straight: This article is not about making excuses, making sure you don’t get caught, or deflecting blame if something you planned goes wrong. In short, it’s not about covering your rear end. What I’m talking about instead is making sure your business is prepared to properly execute the back end of your next marketing campaign – when prospects and customers actually start responding to your marketing efforts. Read more…
What’s Next for Independent Music Retail?
I was talking to the CEO of a well-known music distributor the other day, when the topic of the future of independent music distribution came up. He lamented to me that his business was down 25% in the fourth quarter of 2008, and continues to be down this year. He’s not alone.
Most music retail chains are having problems paying their bills – Q4 saw massive returns from retailers to distributors (for credit) so they could afford to take in new titles. Many record store chains have already gone belly up. Read more…