March 13, 2010 Experimenting with new business models
I’ve spent the last few months desperately trying to figure out new ways to make money through releasing my music online. As part of an experiment, I am trying out a new business model based on the Street Performer Protocol.
The following is taken from my band’s Myspace blog at www.myspace.com/theawkwardturtleband
………………………………….
Recently, I’ve come into contact with two issues:
1) In order to fully promote my music in the modern music industry, I need to give away a certain amount of music for free.
2) In order to survive in modern society, I need money.
We are currently in the process of recording our debut album, The Year Of The Awkward Turtle, for release in June of this year. We would love to be able to give this album out for free, but in order to continue to produce and perform our music, we need to make a little bit of money from it to cover expenses for travel, recording, and promotion, as well as our general living expenses, like rent and other bills.
So I have devised a little experiment in order to fill both of these needs.
In order to continue to live in the style I am accustomed to (which is a fairly cheap life at best), I need to make £10 grand a year at the very least. This money will allow me to continue to live and work without having to find a day job, allowing me to continue to make music my priority. So, I am asking you, our fans, to help me reach this by donating to the band by way of our “Donate” button, which now adorns the side of our profile page.
Of course, you’ll probably want to know what your donations are being used on. It’s only natural to want to know where your money’s going, right? Well, to that end, I am promising to post a breakdown of my expenses on this very blog for as long as that money lasts, to show I’m not wasting your hard earned cash on wine and women (I’m more of a beer man, for a start).
So, what’s in it for you? Well, currently, the price of our debut album is £10. For every £1000 we are able to make through donations, we will knock a pound off that price. It’s that simple.
Think of it this way. If 200 people donate £5, that’s £1000. If 2000 people donate £5, that’s us reached our target. We’re not asking for huge donations, just whatever you feel you can afford, and what you feel our music to be worth.
Of course, I’m willing to repay you for your kindness. Anyone who donates even a little to the cause will not only recieve a free download of the album, but will also recieve a collection of acoustic versions from that album, free of charge.
So what do you say, loves? Will you help us put out this album for free?
Tell me what you think about this little plan in the comments section below!
Much love,
Jimmy Richards
The Awkward Turtle
xxx
…………………
So that’s the plan. I’d love to hear any comments that MTT members have on the subject. If you intend to comment, please cross post your comments to the blog post on our myspace page.
Jimmy Richards is a musician, songwriter, journalist and part time revolutionary. He is the frontman of the Scottish alt rock band The Awkward Turtle, and also performs occasionally as a solo folk musician.
Reader Comments (4)
Good luck. With this unusual project. Count me in!
A bit naive isn't it ? I mean, can you really leverage 2000 fans even before releasing a debut album ? when your myspace is under 1000 visits ??
Naive possibly, but no matter the financial outcome of it all, it can still create a fair ammount of press buzz, especially locally.
Normally I'd make some snarky comments about logistics, but I like your approach. Rather than assess what you've got, just start talking about what you want. "Boldness has genius, power and magic in it"...or something. Good luck in 2010!