Q4 sales totaled $998, evenly split between physical and digital. That’s slightly better than Q3, but way below typical holiday numbers. One optimistic explanation is that instead of buying CDs as gifts, people bought iTunes cards, which would shift those “holiday” sales back a month.
The biggest seller was my latest album, The Thought Chapter, which is now $250 shy of breaking even. Next up was Color Theory presents Depeche Mode, which finally sold out physically (though there are a few copies left at CD Baby). The sales-by-album breakdown has remained essentially the same since I started posting figures:
That brings the total of physical CDs I’ve sold or otherwise parted with to 5,965, for a total of $54,296 in sales. That sounds impressive until you realize that 1) it’s over 16 years, and 2) I’m still in the red. But hey, I’m getting closer to breaking even every month. For more details, see my running tally of profit/loss figures for each album.
My chances of selling the remaining 2,735 CDs in my garage before the death of the medium are slim. I’m open to any crazy promotional stunt you might dream up! A few years ago, people would listen to a CD if you handed it to them, if only because a professionally designed package in shrinkwrap had some perceived value. These days most would throw it straight in the trash, so any giveaway needs to be highly targeted. Maybe I should just hold onto them until CDs become “vintage.”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Remix contest for the CDs and/or mastering service like you did with your street team contest? Or some alternate reality game for promoting your next album, but that might be a lot of work.
Thanks for the suggestions Chris, but I’m not sure I understand the first one. Would I be creating a contest where people could win CDs? I’d be happy to give away a box or two to anyone who can put them in the hands of potential fans. Music promotion already is an alternate reality game.
I guess the first one isn’t so much about getting rid of CDs as it is just getting your name out a little more. There are so many remix contests these days, with most offering band merchandise, release or electronics/musical gear. But I haven’t seen one offering what you can offer–professional mastering. That’s something most serious artists would want at one point or another. Giving CDs can be an alternative for those who don’t plan to release any albums or just don’t care to get anything mastered.
I did a remix contest for my Depeche Mode tribute, and it brought in a handful of great remixes and boatload of bad ones. It took countless hours of hand-holding to tutor amateur musicians on basics like exporting files. Maybe the mastering angle would help to filter out rote beginners, who don’t know what it is and why they would need it. It’s definitely “on the list,” but I won’t have the time to orchestrate it until the new album is done.