We all know the story. In 2007, with much criticism, Radiohead put out the record “In Rainbows” on a pay-what-you-like download basis, utterly on the belief “…we believe if your music is great, then people will pay for it.” The album became an instant success as it reached #1 on iTunes and sold around 30,000 copies within the first week alone. There then followed a large surge of concert sales and their cd ultimately sold over 3 million copies, including 100,000 deluxe edition box sets. Stirred by Radiohead’s success with their “pay-what-you-like” model, thousands of bands tried . . . → Read More: Creative Music Marketing]]> by Draven Grey

We all know the story. In 2007, with much criticism, Radiohead put out the record “In Rainbows” on a pay-what-you-like download basis, utterly on the belief “…we believe if your music is great, then people will pay for it.” The album became an instant success as it reached #1 on iTunes and sold around 30,000 copies within the first week alone. There then followed a large surge of concert sales and their cd ultimately sold over 3 million copies, including 100,000 deluxe edition box sets. Stirred by Radiohead’s success with their “pay-what-you-like” model, thousands of bands tried to duplicate exactly what they did, hoping for similar success.

Artists at all levels of their music career have been successful replicating this model, and yet some haven’t. In addition, many criticize this model, saying it won’t work for smaller artists, but only those with an established fan-base. Yes, these smaller bands may not have sold millions, but they have sold thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, which is much more than most other relatively unknown musicians can contend.

If you do what they did, you’ll sell a lot too, correct? It’s the same thing after all, correct?

Have you heard of Adam Singer? He used a completely different release model by using his album purely as a promotional tool through Creative Commons. In just a short time period, it was clear his cd and his approach were attractive with over 5,000 downloads and countless shares. He was featured on various popular music blogs and internet radio stations, drew tens of thousands of visitors to his web page, approached to make music for videos on youtube, and even had remixes start to appear. All this for merely releasing his music for free under Creative Commons. He didn’t have a fan-base, he didn’t market his music to anyone. And yet, he attracted more interest in a short time than most musicians attract over the course of several years.

Turning back to Radiohead. They released their 2011 record under the previous “pay-what-you-like” download model. The skeptics came down hard. They released it on vinyl. The naysayers reproached them. Their album continued to top the charts with their vinyl being the bestselling vinyl album of 2011 with no competition. The critics didn’t get it. But are you seeing what they missed?

Selling their entire catalog on a USB stick for less than $200 was another bold move that Radiohead made, and they sold like crazy. Are you catching the point behind all of this?

What system is best for us?

Pay-what-you-like? Creative Commons? And what about Vinyl? Or USB? There’s a simple answer. Choose “none of the above.” It could be we should not look just at what they did, but at the mindset that fueled their actions. Radiohead tried several different systems and were successful, and not just because of the the number of fans they had waiting. Adam Singer, who had virtually no fans, used a an entirely different method, and still had a huge response to his album. These artists portray extremes in terms of fanbase and implementation strategy, but they share a common mindset towards their music career So let’s change the point from what successful method you should replicate to “What method will engage YOUR audience most perfectly?”

Apple didn’t ask critics and industry experts what they thought of a purely touchscreen cell phone or 10-inch iPad. They didn’t ask critics and industry executives about putting out an all inclusive machine, or about slimming down MP3 players to the size of a cigarette pack and smaller. Napster didn’t question themselves and run to the industry experts for their approval to do digital downloads and streaming music. Netflix also didn’t just follow the industry when they made their mark with mail-order DVD rentals. These artists and businesses were all surrounded by critics and “industry experts” saying it couldn’t be done, yet awhile later they are hurrying to copy their results. But these copycats miss one essential thing–the mindset behind the success and that’s why they fail.

By just copying exactly what they did, you are not promised the same outcome. Don’t count on the same results just because you try to mimic their process. The number one thing is that you discover their mindset.

How to make your next album release rock:

You understand now that you need the correct mindset in order to plan a successful album release. So, let’s break it down exactly what to do now.

1. Define your perfect desired fan-base. Why is this essential? Because the better you understand your perfect fan, the more painless it will be for you to forecast the best cd release plan specifically tailored for your audience. Define your most ideal fan. What do they love? How do they like to browse, consume, and buy music? Where do they hangout both online and locally? Describe them so well that you know almost every aspect about who they are. This will make it easy to release your music in a manner that they would go nuts over.
2.  Now take what you wrote about your perfect fan and plan out an album release model that makes it easy and fun for them to find, buy, and share with friends.
3. Implement it.

It truly is that straightforward. Because Radiohead knew their ideal fan so well, picking successful release methods was easy. Adam Singer also had a fan-base out there without him even aware of it. Singer’s fans were just like him, so he provided them only what he would have looked for…great music that was easy to discover, easy to buy, easy to use, and easy to share,. These artists and the innovative businesses we discussed, looked for methods to interact with their fan base. They did this regardless of skeptics, critics that would turn to shamelessly imitate them.

The question for you is: “Which method will engage YOUR unique fanbase in the most effective way?

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Author Bio Draven Grey is an artist development specialist and accomplished professional musician who has been where you are. He coaches bands across the world in how to be as successful as their favorite bands. Sign up for more great <a href=”http://www.rockstarmindset.com”>tips about the music business</a> and a FREE 6-Day Booster Pack now at www.rockstarmindset.com.