About this course
I've gotten my music on iTunes -- now what? Or how do I even get my music there? Should I worry about Facebook? Tumblr? Twitter? How do I have time for this? How do I make more than 67 cents a download, or less than 1 cent for streaming?
Welcome to Updating Your Digital Music Distribution, where we will work to help you answer these and many other questions.
The digital world for musicians continues to change dramatically. We not only have the ability to self-market and create communities directly with listeners, but also can thrive in online communities with influencers and other musicians around the world. Digital has transformed not just the way we get the word out, but also how we create and how we understand the vast data around the consumption of our music. Internet marketing has morphed into internet community crowdsourcing of opinions and tastes”a very different world for musicians and musical organizations.
You will engage in rethinking your own brand, finding your target audience online, and engaging directly with core influencers and Super Fans.
- Who are you really trying to reach to thrive as a musician?
- How do you really plan to earn money in this digitally connected, streaming music, age? How can you make different money from different relationships with fans?
- What do you need to do beyond getting your tracks out on the right digital distribution services? Where IS the right place or places for your music to be available?
- What have other musicians and musical organizations done that youd like to learn from in your own marketing and branding? How do your fandoms overlap? What can you do with that information?
- What is worth your time to engage in and what is a total waste of time?
What are the requirements?
- Ability to use a computer and have Internet access
- No specific Internet or programming skills are required; the course will provide ideas on how to learn some tools further and will be easier if you can tinker with online tools.
What am I going to get from this course?
- Over 13 lectures and 2 hours of content!
- Students will finish the course understanding:
- "Why?" -- Why should I do anything other than getting my music on iTunes? Why do my fans engage in what they do online “ and not my website? Why do other groups spend time where they do?
- "Who?" -- Who loves my work? Who do they hang out with digitally and who can they influence for me? Who will help pay for a full and robust living for my music?
- "What?" -- What are the individual elements that we can use, including technology, tools, communities, resources, etc.? What do I need to do next?
- "How?" -- How do I spend my time, in addition to creating great music? What type of skills do I need to grow or hire to thrive in this digital music age? How can I find places for my music and relationships to grow? How do I make a full and robust living if I only get less than a penny a play from Spotify?
What is the target audience?
- Musicians who would like to begin distributing music online
- Musicians who have been distributing online and would like to beef up their online communities and marketing
- Supporters and teams around musicians trying to expand their fan bases and make more money doing what they love.
