How do we market our new album? Part 9
Well, here’s the final post on how we’ve marketed the Barbary Lion album. We’re not stopping, of course, but all the obvious main activity has happened and I’ve written about it.
We’ve gone past 300 downloads from Bandcamp and about 10% of downloaders have chosen to pay. The interest raised by this release has also led to a significant number of additional downloads of our back catalogue – there’s always a trickle but it ramped right up recently. We’ve also had a pleasing amount of plays of tracks from Barbary Lion in podcasts around the world. There seems to be no let up in Russian download sites bootlegging us but I don’t think that will really have made any difference to our own downloads.
I’ve sent marketing blurb and direct download links with friendly covering emails to lots of bass music and electronic music blogs over the last month but we’ve seen little response. I admit to being a little at a loss to explain this. They seem to be writing about, and reviewing, a wide range of related music and should, therefore, be interested in covering ours. I know it’s nothing to do with the quality of the release – we know it’s damned good. In some cases, the blogs are connected with people we know so it’s a little sad that there hasn’t been much interest. However, I’m a firm believer that it’s their call, not ours. We have to respect their decisions. I guess I don’t write about everything they do either.
We’ve learned a lot from this release. I believe the name-your-own-price model works well for us. It might work even better for those working in more mainstream musical genres. We’ve developed several of our musical ideas too and have already started planning the next couple of releases.
How do we market our new album? Part 8
How do we market our new album? Part 7
How do we market our new album? Part 6
How do we market our new album? Part 5
How do we market our new album? Part 4
How do we market our new album? Part 3
How do we market our new album? Part 2
How do we market our new album? Part 1
Very glad it’s been a good release for you guys. I think the idea of “pay what you want” is a good model because those that can pay, will and those that are just getting to know you, may go “free” this time and pay a little later. Have you considered changing the older releases on bandcamp to “pay what you want” as well. May be worth considering.
I’m also intrigued by the http://www.paywithatweet.com service I’ve seen some people put up as an alternative for some albums. I’m not sure how successful it is, but it’s another spin on the promotional model.
I’m a little saddened that some of your connections have not been as forthcoming with publicity as you’d liked. I’ve been very lucky with some of the mentions I’ve had for http://angeldustrecords.com over the last month. I guess it’s just down to who those connections are. Some people are very kind and go the extra mile.
Keep producing the great music, and I’ll keep publicising it through the podcasts. It’s a whole lot better that the crap out there on mainstream radio right now!
I had been thinking just that about the back catalogue this very day!
You loose nothing by making that change mate…
i made the change that very day!
We’ve just reached 350 downloads from Bandcamp. Still a little disappointing, considering how many people claim to ‘like’ us on Facebook and how much effort has gone into our marketing.
I paid for it. Can’t remember how much but more than £2. or maybe £2. I like it a lot. I’d only listened to a few of your tunes on bandcamp previously, but listening in low bit-rate doesn’t do justice as i’m a FLAC head.
I don’t visit this blog as much as i would like to. Being very forgetful is one thing. I rarely look at many blog these days whereas i had so many bookmarked that it became messy. But i have discovered some great music when i did come here. Muslimgaze and that Maduro album ‘Reveries’ are 2 that instantly spring to mind.
I just added your blog to my blogroll, on my private. So if you read traffic coming from a private source. Thats me mate. All 8 active readers lol. Thats it see, i’m shocked that many do not leave comments, for all the effort you put in. The buggers. Can’t change lazy people.
btw hit us up if u wanna join my private and become active reader no.9. I got the lazies too. Damn you all!! But the actives make it worthwhile.
Cheers and thanks for the good album
USTS
ifhrnb@gmail.com
360 downloads as of today…..and the back catalogue seems to have been generally revitalised too. Our 2008 release, Babylon Halt, has even had some cash sales in the last couple of weeks plus several downloads.
450 downloads from Bandcamp as of today. 40 of thiose were paid downloads.
We’ve reached 500 downloads from Bandcamp!
http://secretarchivesofthevatican.bandcamp.com/album/barbary-lion
We’ve reached 550 downloads from the Bandcamp site. Veiled Beauty, Dark Magic was playlisted for a few days on the Bobby Friction show on the BBC Asian network in May 2012, which led to a few extra downloads.
6ooth download today!