9 New Rules For Making Music In Today’s Online World

The music industry was based around physical sales, but things are different today.  It’s more about bringing multiple revenue streams together for artists and record labels.

Bob Owsinski is the author of 24 books on music, recording, the music business and social media.

Check out his 9 New Rules for Making Music in Today’s Online World

1) It’s all about scale– It’s the number of YouTube views you have, it’s not the sales.  A hit that sells 50,000 physical and digital units may have 50 million YouTube views.  That’s a success in today’s world, but know that views don’t equal sales sales and vice-versa

2)  There will be fewer digital distributors in the future– There will be far fewer digital competitors, and fewer places to distribute your music because it’s an expensive business to start and maintain.  Don’t be surprised to find online music consolidated in a way similar to what happened with the major record labels in the not so distant future.

3) It’s all about what you can do for other people– Everyone (e.g. promoters, club owners, agents etc.) wants to make  money, and if you can make them money and have a large fanbase, they want to book you.

4)  Money often comes late– Long term success takes time.  The longer it takes, the more likely you’ll have a longer career. An overnight sensation often means you’ll also be forgotten overnight.

5) Major labels want radio hits– A major label will likely not be interested if the music you create can’t get immediate radio play. They want radio hits, and easy sells.

6) You must create on a regular basis– You need to keep giving your fans new material constantly to stay in the forefront of their minds. Whether that’s new original songs, cover songs, remixes etc. make sure you keep your fans attention.

7)  YouTube is the new radio– Take care of your followers and keep providing them good content.  YouTube is the place where many are discovering new music now.

8)  Growing your audience organically is best– Find a loyal audience.  If you have problems finding this audience, fix any problems you’re having with your music or your presentation and try again.

9)  First and foremost, it all starts with the song– You must be able to write a great song that appeals to people, even a small audience.  If you are unable to do this, work on it.  None of the other rules will matter much otherwise.