Instant Concert Downloads Helps Bands Pay the Bills

By John Huston

http://truefire.com/blog/favorites/making-money-making-music-songwriters/

The long and treacherous road to financial success as band

There are a myriad of different ways that a band can generate income, however, it’s about generating a level of income that makes recording an album, going on tour, and promotion worth the overall stress of being a successful band worth it. But the reality of today is that the music industry has turned into one of the most cut-throat industries around. Unless you are Katy Perry, Beyoncé, or Justin Bieber, there is no guarantee at the end of the year that you can end up profiting off of your hard work. Now, don’t get me wrong, the true passion that motivates most musicians is the love of playing the music and seeing the unwavering admiration of their fans. But ever since I was very young, my educators and parental figures have always told me to follow my dreams and to shoot for the stars. “Do what you love and the money will come”. These are nice sentiments but they are not always true. I’m not saying that every aspiring musician is going to make millions or become famous. But is it too much to ask that a person can follow their dreams and if they have talent, they can make a decent living on doing what they love? That doesn’t seem like I’m asking for a whole lot. I digress. There are some glimmering hopes, however, that some companies have caught on to this aspect of the industry and are trying to make a change.

http://bardc.com/scene/live-music

Capturing the thrill of a live performance proves to be worthwhile

According to Rolling Stone Magazine, there a number of bands that has teamed up with traveling technicians that record every single performance through the soundboards. Most of these bands are improvisational-based music such as Phish, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and The String Cheese Incident, to name a few. These artists typically are very rooted in making each show unique and compelling. It establishes a cult following, if you will, that keep fans seeking out new shows to add to their collection. These recordings are then sold on the band’s websites at a reasonable price in various formats that fit your individual needs. Most of these bigger groups can sell around 1,000 downloads per show, which could add a substantial amount to their general income. Other companies have teamed up with concert venues around the nation such as Set.fm and Live Nation. They provide audio and video recordings at a premium price. These companies seem to understand the struggle that musicians face today, and they don’t exclusively deal with mainstream bands. They allow just about any group to be involved to help generate more money for upcoming bands. “These musicians don’t necessarily want to become famous rock stars, but are looking to simply make a living performing their music”, Stephanie Yang Tech Crunch. There are never-ending challenges that you face being an up and coming musician, but it’s nice to see that there are still ways to put money back into the pockets of bands without compromising their integrity.

My question to you all:

How often do you go see a live concert of any genre in a given year?