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How to Sell Music for Free

For songwriters looking to get their material noticed and make a little cash in the process, there are more outlets than ever. Recording costs have been all but eliminated with the advent and constant improvements of home recording technologies. And if you're willing to design and print your own packaging, the cost of blank CDs and jewel cases is negligible. Even the approval of record labels is becoming a thing of the past as more and more musicians are making better headway by self-publishing on the Internet. Many sites are cheap or free and reach a wider audience than a local label might be able.

Things You'll Need

  • Home recording equipment
  • a computer
  • information about 'open mic' nights in your area
  • blank CDs or flash drives
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Instructions

  1. Make Your Own Recordings

    • 1

      Record your original music using home recording machines or software. Many computers now offer free recording software.

    • 2

      Decide if you're satisfied selling CD-Rs or if you prefer to pay a company to press your music onto professional discs. Alternatively, you may consider uploading your music to flash drive and selling that as many listeners are now storing music digitally.

    • 3

      Design your disc or drive's packaging.

    Third Party Platforms for Social Networking Sites

    • 4

      Create a social networking account exclusively for your music project. Try to pick the current most popular social networking site.

    • 5

      Research the available third party applications that allow you to sell music. There is a variety out there and they're designed to be compatible with the most popular social networking sites. Just be sure they don't charge a registration fee.

    • 6

      Connect the application of your choice to your social networking site and make an effort to spread the word about your project.

    Bandcamp

    • 7

      Register an account with Bandcamp.com for your music project. It's free.

    • 8

      Upload your original music. This site allows you to set your own price so you can charge nothing, charge a 'per-track' fee, or even allow listeners to set their own price.

    • 9

      Promote you Bandcamp account by publishing links to any other social networking accounts or websites you administer. Be sure to also connect with other artists through Bandcamp itself.

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