Do not rely solely on digital

You still need to produce and sell physical CDs. There are many ways you can do this and, considering how cheaply you can make copies of your demo recording, there is no excuse not to exploit as many of them as possible.

 

Sales at gigs

 

The obvious one is gigs. Once you have your recording complete, you MUST have a person selling discs at every show. It is no good trying to sell them once your performance is over. You need someone to stand, either with the doorperson selling as people enter and leave, or at a dedicated merchandise table in full view of all the patrons. If you can sell a five-track demo CD with a decent cover for around R40, it’s R40 extra that you have earned for the gig, it’s R40 back towards the cost of recording and a contribution towards the next tour or purchase the band needs to make.

 

Make sure you have someone selling the disc who is outgoing and charming. Your stoner friend who is so shy he can’t talk to strangers just won’t do. You need someone who is able to grab the attention of the crowd and talk to them, even persuade them to buy. If the seller creates a good impression, that is how the buyer will remember the band.

 

Don't get caught empty handed

 

The next golden rule is for no band member to ever be caught without CDs. Keep five in your backpack or bag; keep a box in the boot of your car, a few in your bedroom. If someone says they have heard of the band, but they don’t have the CD yet, you MUST be able to sell them one immediately. Make sure you all get into the habit of having discs with you at all times. Besides the fact that you can pick up sales this way, you never know when you are going to bump into someone influential or important. You could suddenly be introduced to someone from a big band who would like to hear your stuff, a journalist or TV producer, a nightclub owner or a big promoter. If you can quickly produce a disc on demand in these situations, you look more professional, you look keen and you let them know that you mean business and that you mean to succeed.

 

Once you have this organised, try and find out if there are other places you can leave the CD to be sold. Check out your local CD store and ask if they will take five and give you the cash once they have been sold, or even ask your local bookshop, hairdresser or corner café. A single sale means the money from that sale, but more importantly it means someone new has heard your stuff and might tell friends and support you at your next gig. Online CD stores are good ones to hit, because then you can also direct your fans from your mailing list to the online store and even link from your website to somewhere that international website visitors can buy the disc. You could do this yourself on your own website, but it’s pretty tricky to accomplish without some serious back-end support.

 

Next week: Video

 

Originally published in David Chislett's One, Two, One, Two: A Step By Step Guide To The South African Music Industry. Download a free copy of the book at www.davidchislett.co.za.