...for about 500 downloads/streams, was $Aus10.00, we were getting on average $US0.0001 per stream...
Yeah...that sounds about right. It's a total rip-off IMO.
Their website service is just as bad...Hostbaby.
They charge like 5 times as much per month as other typical website hosting services do...they just cater to music artists, so people think they're getting something special.
To have an album that is featured on every top streaming/download music site lets you have an established product that can be heard by many and and passed around.
......
I'm not worried about recouping my production costs - I'm worried about having a finished product that customers and those with the "power" can judge and evaluate.
Not sure what you mean by "featured on every site"...'cuz your music will drop off their main pages in the first day. I don't mean YOUR music specifically, I mean anyone who puts stuff up on CD Baby. There is such a constant upload of new artist/music...that nothing stays featured for long, unless you're selling thousands and then they may promote you more.
Also...music execs are not scouring CD Baby or streaming sites for new artists or new material....because the execs are inundated with both already. You have to get your music in their hands, and that's usually through someone that they already talk to...and industry producer, publisher, manager, etc...or you have to be an artist that is already generating a lot of buzz through local/regional performance and promotion for them to come looking for you, and even then, word has to reach their ears.
I'm not trying to be negative...but putting music up on streaming services may get you some play, but that's mostly from the general public who might stumble across it. I've not heard of too many people who were discovered just from uploading some of their music. It's really hard to generate buzz just with that.
You have to have a fan base...and that usually means performance.
Now...if you're just looking to sell your music...there are other ways to do that, but the best is to pitch to a publisher that has the connections...if you just want to sell the songs for whatever...or you have things like TAXI, etc...but it's a tough road even there.
IMO...if you want to sell downloads of your songs, a simple website with a PayPal link will put all the money in your pocket, but you still need to promote it to build a fan/buyer base...something CD Baby and streaming doesn't do. So then the real key is the fan base...how do you get them, and then direct them to your music.
I'm not saying don't do what you're planning to...I mean, many of us have done the "vanity" album/CD thing. It can be fun, and you learn some stuff doing it...but don't expect much from it. It still takes a more direct connection to someone in the industry to get things going in any bigger way.