It Starts With Bandcamp

     I really hate to call myself a "musician" in real life (and by "real life" I really mean "offline") because I don't make a living as a musician. I'm very far from it, in fact. I've made pretty good money from playing big shows with substantial crowds, but it isn't something I can ever rely on. I have a day job, and that's what pays the bills. 

    The problem here is that I would love to be able to tell someone who asked what I do that I'm a musician and then afterwards not feel like a delusional loser. How do you sell your music for a profit? Well, start with Bandcamp. 

     Bandcamp is an incredibly powerful first step for anyone who wants to start taking their musical career seriously, and it has gained enough popularity at this point that almost any local band you can think of has one. Like most websites that house user generated content, there is a lot to sift through before you find anything good if you're just searching for new music, but the beauty of Bandcamp really isn't in its capability to show you new music. The great thing about Bandcamp is that it gives the artist a homebase, and allows you to share your music in a very clean format and then check on the stats, like number of plays or downloads. Not only that, it also allows you to sell your music through the site, and Bandcamp's cut is substantially lower than a lot of other sites. Making physical copies of your first album is going to be costly and won't have the same amount of reach as an easy to access digital copy. The tagging function is another useful tool for the artist, as it allows you to see your ranking within any specific tag. For example, I always include the tag "Chico" and if you click on that tag, Bandcamp will show you where you stand in terms of popularity within the city.

I also use several other sites to upload music to, but they serve different functions for me. Bandcamp works well for uploading albums or EPs, while Soundcloud might be a great place to share your individual singles or that cover you made but aren't going to include in any collection of work. I'd suggest paying very close attention to visuals on any site like these. The way your site, banner and album art look is more important than a lot of musicians realize. You have to remember that no one ever hears the music before they see the artwork, and if you choose not upload any track art or if what you do upload looks unprofessional, you're going to lose plays. If people see a polished package, they're going to assume that what is inside is worth listening to. Often times these sites will suggest your music to strangers who listen to similar music, and you want to make a good first impression.

The internet has blessed us with many, many opportunities to garner plays and make new fans for our work. One of the few drawbacks to this is that there are millions of other people trying to achieve the same goals as we are. The good news is that because of the nature of the internet, where anyone can post anything they want, a well manicured, tasteful, and professional presence on the sites you use will put you above a massive number users in terms of accessibility. That means more money, more recognition, and more opportunities if you're willing to push your product hard enough. While Bandcamp and other sites are incredibly helpful tools, we still need to make sure we optimize our use of those tools.