So, I'm preparing my very first album and it's gonna be finished probably in summertime. But it's not EDM, no dance music. Maybe lyrical dance Folk and world songs.

Opinion 1:
I'm gonna publish when the songs are ready and do my presentation then wait for someone to buy the album. I'm not under a big label name, so it doesn't matter which season I publish. Only my friends and a couple of random people will buy it.

Opinion 2:
I must also think about strategic marketing even I don't have a big name. I will wait for Autumn season, hence my songs will fit the moment and feelings of whose listening more. So buying it will be most likely.

I need your experience and suggestions.

 

I would say maybe 2. If you're targeting any special occasions (haloween, xmas, newyear, valentines, etc) you could wait for them also. But Also, autumn in one part of the globe could mean spring in another, you never know where it might be a sleeper hit.

NB: I have not sold any of my OWN albums

 

hmmm, kind of both in my situation.
we release our stuff in the right season, but only a single at a time. because we are not under a big label name.
I don't know a thing about marketing,
but I do know that if we first keep all the songs for ourselfs and later on release it as an album it can't gain enough tracktion.

which is bad for motivation.

ps. who sells albums these days? (I'm counting streams )

 

Now I realized that I'm dreaming big

 

i does matter, i released over 200 ep's and a few albums over the years, beatport by example drops dead around summer holidays in europe and xmass , so best before summer or after

 

Most of the major digital download sites that also enable hard copy CD's for sale, for example CDBABY and Bandcamp to name two of many, have what is called a "pre-release" promotion as part of the whole package with no hidden costs.
This means you can advertise its release with only one song available in full or demonstration form and encourage a "pre-purchase" option (where they buy in advance).

I know of people that have spent a fortune on marketing and did not recoup even half of their investment and in reverse, people that did the minimum and killed it.
The real foundation is isolating your target market. Only you know what that is and I believe there are even people out there now like consultants that reckon they can do that for you. I do not know how good they are, but they are out there.

Look at what you want to spend and if only for friends, then you can find printing/pressing places that do full colour for next to nothing if hard copy.
There is no secret recipe. Before Internet and piracy there almost was. That was when large record labels and independents ruled the music airwaves. In those days you had money machines and contracts and they wanted to recoup their investment. Sometimes they would leave bands and artists on the shelf, but generally, they did not take anyone on that they were not sure they could make money from. Those days are LONG gone. I do know this though. If you know of any radio stations that still get large amounts of people listening to it if selling is your goal, then work out how to get them to play it. Some do it unsolicited, some do not.

The most financially successful artists I know, have all of their marketing and merchandising in place and make most of their money from those by touring. They of course make more from touring but sell their CD's and merchandise while on the road.

If none of that is for you... maybe look at bandcamp which is FREE and you can buy whatever extra features you want, maybe print 50 copies of your CD cheaply and if it sells well and you get a huge following, go hard!!

 

Last edited by a moderator: Apr 9, 2018

My Christmas album was released in the Spring and I never made a nickel.

But seriously...it is super hard to make money without playing out to let people hear and see you, and so what BaSsDuDe said is spot on.

 

Success was never measured by money that is a byproduct of success.
Success is achieving what you set out to do.

 

it matters alot, for example: mungo jerry - in the summertime should not be released in the winter or fall

 

There's Christmas and there isn't.