Heylo
I've at mp3 a while, it is a very useful part of my plan. Though I don't use it for CD sales really, Most of my sales are from Europe and other international locations where it is cheaper to order a CD than to download at high internet access rates.
My purpose at mp3 is two fold. It is part of my on-line promo package, in conjunction with my homesite, where potential venues can audition my recordings rather than me submitting CDs on spec, and expensive idea I'm not into. I can e-mail potential venues, and they can listen to me on MP3, check out all the other promo material at my homesite, and then contact me if they want me to perform.
Secondarily, I just want to get my music out to as many people as possible. My philosophy of music is that I play for everyone, and make the music available without requiring compensation, and actually, I make enough every year to keep going, and I don't really worry who excactly is paying or not paying me. Its true,also, that mp3 could potentially generate almost anything in terms of contacts. But I'm more satisfied that even if I'm not performing, I'm still playing for 1000+ people a month who download one of my songs, and the first month I had 6000+ downloads. There are 10 or 20 THOUSAND people out there somewhere who are listening to my music who might otherwise never have heard it, that is enough for me.
As for technicalities. There are alot of artists at Mp3. If you want to be niticed there are two basic strategys. One: tell people about your site via e-mail so they go ddirectly there, focus on people who will want to hear your music and tell them it is available. Two: keep uploading new songs, every time you upload a song, it gets front page billing as a new upload untill it gets bumped off the bottom of the list by newer uploads. A constant stream of new uploads keeps you up on the front page, which brings people to your website where they can see what else you have if they like the first.
Another tack is to have multiple pages in multiple genres so that surfers find you in several places. I haven't done this much, but it is an option.
well, there is a start, I definitely recommend posting to mp3.com. Though I can't say its generated any sales for me of either DAM CDs or my own off my website. Most all my sales still come from liove performances. But I still feel mp3 is an integral part of my web promotion, and really allows me to post much more music than I could ever afford to have room for on my own homesite.
Peace
Brian / Folksinger
http://www.mp3.com/folksinger http://www.pan.com/folksinger