Reports|

Y’all, it’s simple to make it in today’s music business: Just follow these simple 10 steps.
1. Write, produce, distribute 10-12 original songs per year. Release 1 every 4-6wks. Create album cover, upload lyrics.
a) create 3 videos for each, lyric, album cover, artistic – about 10 hrs per wk
ai.) spend $50 on each video in google ads to drive subs and views. about 3 hrs per week
b) spend $150 per each on fan acquisition FB/IG ads split across 3 ad sets creating 10 pieces of ad creatives and audience retargeting. about 5 hrs per wk
c) create 3 tiktoks per week around the song content using the sound once it’s in distro – about 3 hrs per week
d) create 10 pieces of sharable content around each release (artwork posts, BTS, lyrics, video interviews, drink recipes, tutorials and tabs, pictures from recording, journal entries, memes, gifs, video grabs, etc. ) about 5 hrs per week
e) create 2 playlists on Spotify per week including your latest 2 singles other favorite new releases less than 6 months old. Spend 3 hours per week promoting and reaching out to other independent bands who you included. about 3 hrs per week
f) create 1 new playlist on Youtube every week with he same parameters as “d”about 1 hr per week

2. Produce, distribute 12 cover songs (8-10 catalog cuts, 2-4 Christmas songs 2 original if possible.
a) create 3 videos for each, lyric, album cover, artistic about 10 hrs per week
ai.) spend $50 on each video in google ads to drive subs and views. about 3 hours per week
b) spend $150 per each on fan acquisition FB/IG ads- split across 3 Ad sets, using audience retargeting – about 5 hrs per week
c) create 3 tiktoks per week around the song content using the sound once it’s in distro
d) create 2 playlists on Spotify per week that include your latest 2 cover songs and other favorites. Spend 3 hours per week promoting and reaching out to other independent bands who you included. about 3 hrs per week
e) create 1 new playlist on Youtube every week with he same parameters as “d” about 1 hr per week

3. Create 4 pieces of merch – sweatshirts, hats, hoodies, panties, coffee cups, books, comics, around lyrics or visuals. Maintain an on-demand store. about 5 hrs per week
a) create a vinyl or physical copy for fans to buy direct or on-demand. about 2 hours per week.
b) Run all downloads through bandcamp.
c) spend 5 hours per week interact with other bandcamp bands and identify the fans who engage with Discovery.

4. Do at least 2 collabs (Ft.) with other artists with a same or slightly larger following than you. Both throw in $100 for promo, please see #1

5. Touch every social media platform once a day
a) choose 2 platforms, tiktok and IG, or twitter and FB, or FB and tiktok, and upload 3 posts a day NOT about your music, but using your music as background sound.
b) engage 10 times with 10 accounts each week.
c) spend at least 3 hours per day – morning, afternoon, night to live on your chosen platforms, liking, engaging, posting.
about 21 hours per week

6. Get 4 syncs per year for $2,000 upfront or the equivalent of library placements.
a) spend 5 hrs a week reaching out to/interacting with/researching sync agents and licensing houses with specific new releases.
b) spend 3 hours updating your own sync portal catalog with Wavs and Aiff metadata and genre/mood tagged.

7. Spend 5 hours per week updating MLC, SX, HFA, PROs and your own music catalog spreadsheets with Splits and lyric, metadata workup.

8. Spend 10 hrs a week identifying “like” artists in your genre, and interacting / promoting them, engaging with their fans. Create this list which you will use with #5

9. Play 50 shows per year or how every many per month that nets $1,000/ per band member. If you net $250 show per, that’s 4.
a) book all calendar months 6 months out
b) contact your venues and bookers every 2 weeks to thank them and let them know of holes in your schedule if they need an opener.
c) spend 6 hours per week promoting other shows at venues you play

10. Rehearsing, writing, re-writing, learning songs, recording, pre-production, mixing, editing, mastering, co-writing, interviews, live shows, travel, eating, having a beer, group chats, texting, volunteering, children, relationships, family, activism, random sex, Netflix, and I guess a job? (whatever time is left over per week)

So, if you only sleep for 5 hrs, you have at least 4 hours PER DAY to do all of this.

Choose wisely.

Simple! Minus actually playing music, recording, writing, rehearsing, mixing, etc. that’s only 107 hrs per week. Barely 15 hrs a day.

However…
even if you don’t get big syncs, or a playlist inclusion, by next year’s release cycle you will:
– have spent $5,000/yr on ads.
– increased your catalog by 25 masters (at least)
– grown by 40,000 monthly listeners/subs per release
– gained 2000 fans who purchase $25 per year (probably at Christmas or birthdays)

You will have gained:
– around 1 million listeners = $5000 overall combined streams Spot/Apple/Amazon for next singles (let’s call it $3500 per or $7k per month for 2 releases)
– About $1500 on your next YouTube videos (2 per month = $3,000)
– 2000 fans, sold ( $25 avg/ $10 net) $20,000 in merch/downloads – let’s call it half – $10,000.
$12,000 per yr in live fees
$12,000 – $24,000 in syncs
$2000/quarterly in performance royalties ($8k/year)

That’s
$7k streaming per month – $84k/yr
$3k video ad rev – $34k/yr
$10k merch/yr
$12k live fees /yr
$8k royalties/yr
$148,000 before splits, and taxes and splits

See? It’s simple!

Now, let’s add in NFTs!

https://www.facebook.com/michaelstjames

(BTW, Michael will be speaking on NFTs at the next COMBO General Meeting on March 28th!)

Leave a Reply

Close Search Window