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Looper's Delight
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After reading the thread about how to increase CD sales for one's artistic recordings I wanted to share my experience about the whole phenomenon of making money with CD sales. After gigging in 12 countries in the last 3 years and playing with literally dozens of different and very diverse artists, I have definitely seen a very strong trend away from CD sales in general by independent artists. I don't have statistical proof, but I have informally queeried as many artists as I can about this observation of mine. I'm active in the world music field, the live looping movement, the dark ambient field, the goth/industrial scene, the abstract electronica scene and the jazz scene and everyone I've asked has noticed the same trend: People seem not to be buying CDs in the numbers they used to even four or five years ago............... either at concerts, online or through websites. Whether it is the incredible proliferation of free mp3s that now abound online or perhaps the incredible proliferation of self produced CDs by artists (which comes with the attendant plethora of half baked and unprofessional recordings that come with inexpensive media) , it seems like selling CDs as a really viable way of creating income may be a thing of the past (without very heavy exposure afforded either by incessant (and costly touring) or the backing of major or major independent labels). I've even noticed a very strong tendency on this very list away from people actually paying money for looper CDs from about four or five years ago. Because I have produced so many looping festivals I, myself , recieve a constant source of brand new looping CDs. What I've noticed is a decided rise in the sophistication and excellence of the CDs being produced by our community, notably in the last year. This year we've seen really excellent recordings come out by Andy Butler, Bernhard Wagner, Michael Bearpark, Sunao Inami, Per Boysen and many, many others yet actual sales by the artists have been very, very minimal. I wonder why that is. Do you folks have other information that refutes what I've noticed? Like I said, I don't have stats to back it up just I've heard a lot of musicians talking about it. What's your experience? Why do you think that this list in general is not more supportive of the artists who are releasing commercial CDs? Is this even your experience? I'm really curious to hear what everyone has to say. respectfully, Rick