What you need to know to sell your music online

If you are dedicated to music and you are looking for a way to sell it online to reach a greater number of followers and customers, today we are going to give you some options of platforms through which you can upload your music and earn money.

There are many alternatives for musicians and singers ranging from doing it directly through your own website to very popular platforms such as Amazon and also iTunes.

But we invite you to know others that can be alternatives that fit your needs and increase your profits, in addition to obtaining advertising.

How to sell music online?

Have your own platform or website

As a musician, it is important that you have your own website, since you control the information and of course the profits. You can also generate your own database to achieve a greater number of sales.

A platform that can work very well for you to have your site, is Bandzoogle, which does not charge commissions.

Another advantage offered by this site is to help you collect information from your followers, such as email addresses so you can send them in a newsletter your latest news.

Platforms to sell music online

• BANDCAMP

Another free platform is Bandcamp. Here you can upload your music and sell it directly to your audience. On this site, a commission of 15% is charged, but it also helps you in the collection of data.

Bandcamp has advertising campaigns through blogs and its podcast, making your music reach a larger audience.

• CD BABY

CD BABY is one of the largest stores to sell music online and has different alternatives to do so. Like Bandcamp, this site will charge you 9% to 15% commission on the sales you generate.

The big platforms to sell music online

We all know the big platforms for selling music online: Amazon, iTunes, and also Google Play.

These sites do not allow you to collect data from users, being perhaps one of their disadvantages, but there is no denying that they are the most popular and will allow you to reach a larger audience.

Some platforms as we already mentioned, charge commissions for sales, and others charge a fixed fee so you can keep your music online.

You should keep in mind that most people buy music and other products on platforms that have shown seriousness as far as security is concerned since bank details must be provided to make these purchases.

When entering platforms such as iTunes or Amazon, you should know that the commissions are high, around 30%. Not being able to collect information about your fans or audience, they become customers of the platform, not yours, so you will not be able to keep them informed about your news.

But there is no denying that the reach that these platforms have is very large and they can make you very popular.

• SOUNDCLOUD

Another option is SoundCloud, which has a very large user base, in addition to music curation. Entering your music on this platform is a good option that allows you a good promotion. The possible disadvantage here is that you won’t be able to make sales.

• PLEDGE MUSIC

With Pledge Music you can get involved with your fans from the creative process of your music, as it is a crowdfunding platform. Here you will be charged a 15% commission, but the process of recording your music involves your followers; both for the creation of the lyrics and music, as well as the fundraising for its production. It is very effective, as they have proven to be successful with almost 90% of their artists.

• Spotify

You can not rule out the option of uploading your music to Spotify, since it has many advantages, being one of the platforms with the greatest reach. As a new artist, you have the option to appear in their News Radar or in Discover.

Turn to social networks such as Twitter and Instagram

Social media is a great promotional point to sell your music online. Using the right hashtags will give you great results. If you give concerts, record them and upload fragments to these applications, so those who follow you can tag and share the video or other types of publications you make, being a free and extremely effective promotion.

What do you need to know to upload your music and sell it online?

To make your launch there are 3 elementary steps that you must follow:

• Have the audio files. These should sound as good as possible so that they can be released on any platform. These files must be uploaded. 16-bit or 24-bit WAV.
• Have a cover. Your image is essential, so you’ll need to create a cover for your album or song. Whether photographs or some graphic design. The recommended files are in JPEG in a resolution of not less than 3000 pixels. Here yes or yes you must include your name or that of your band and the title you are going to promote.
• Metadata information. The songs should include the metadata information, not excluding the name of the group, the collaborators and the ISRC codes (they are the unique international barcodes) this is so that you can sell your music online, as well as the barcode.

To sell your music you will also need to have a strategy

What are you looking to do? The release of a full album? A song? When you are clear about what you want to do, you should choose a date for your online release. The best days to upload music online are Tuesdays and Fridays. It is recommended to schedule this 4 weeks in advance. In iTunes you can choose the pre-order tool as a marketing strategy, with this you can place your song or album on the network before its official release. It can be a 90-second pre-listen. There is also the option of advance sales, this way your fans can buy your music and in this way help you climb the playlists in the application.

Are you ready to embark on this adventure? Leave us a comment and share your story with us.