Linking for Fun and Profit

The music industry has been on a decline, and artists are finding it harder to make cash. One easy way for artists to generate revenue is through the use of freemium content on their album releases. It's unclear how many albums are released with free content; however, you can find records that do this from time to time. It seems as if the free release strategy may be diminishing in popularity among top-selling artists, but it's still used by some.

What does this mean for your album?

One option is to include two versions: a free download and a digital purchase version of your album with just the tracks you want individually without all the extras that come along with an album release package.

Here are some tips for creating two versions of your album:

The free version should include all the tracks, but without any extras such as videos, photos, additional bonus tracks or altered versions. Make the audio quality of the free version adequate for listening for those that want to download your album free, but not so good that you would be embarrassed to offer it. If you have a nice studio in your home or studio, record the free version in that location, then bring out the master tape to distribute at shows. Make sure to include the words "free" somewhere on the album cover in case some people don't know or forget that they can get it for free.

The digital purchase version should be the same quality of audio as the paid-for version, even if you have to re-record. Create a new track listing with just the tracks you want rather than including all of them for download purposes. It's a great idea to include options such as when you can email or download your music directly after purchasing it at no extra cost, for free shipping, or even offer an autographed copy of your CD. You could also sell bundles like this: 1 album download and 1 show ticket or 1 show ticket and 1 t-shirt. The artist could even choose which tracks they want to include on this version and which ones they want removed. Also, you can offer an autographed copy of the CD in these bundles. Just be sure to avoid including any bonus tracks that you don't want anyone to hear or downloading song previews or other extras that are only available with a paid-for album release package.

I hope this article highlights some ways you can implement a link-able album release strategy so you can make some cash by pre-selling your free album download and generating income from direct sales through iTunes and Amazon MP3.

Good luck!

Brian James Group Creative Director Brian James Group is a full service music marketing and management company (www.briangjmusic.com) that works with record labels, music media, and artists to help them market their music, merchandise, and live events. Are you sick of being broke as an artist? Get your FREE copy of The Top 5 Most Profitable Online Music Marketing Tips at http://www.brianjamesgroup.com/top5ov8

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Conclusion

The above article will help you understand the importance of album release strategies, as well as give you useful information about how to do it well. The tips and advice will assist you in understanding how to make your album launch profitable. If you feel that this article has been helpful in helping you understand more about releasing your music online, please share it with your friends on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Hopefully some of them will have read the entire article and look forward to purchasing their own copies of your album. This could be the start of a prosperous relationship between yourself and your fans, so these are important things to remember when considering an album release strategy.