Free, free, set them free?

So, it's funny how, after all I've said about 'unestablished' bands (for want of a better term, which is probably, 'unknown' bands) making their music free for download, that as I was uploading the new Pocket Rocket EP to ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP-RECORDS, I chose to make it: 65p your individual download, two quid your whole EP.

Apart from the one site, for which Give The Boy A Chance had to remain free to qualify to appear in an unsigned bands chart, I couldn't bring myself to give any of the new EP away. Not after all that time and love and money that went into producing it.

Don't worry though, I'll get over it. As I mentioned in the last blog, one person has spent £2 so far. He knows who he is. I know who he is. Hopefully, he's playing it in his office (there's your first clue - he has his own office) as I write, hopefully with the windows open - it is a warm and bright autumnal day - and the whole of Clerkenwell (there's your second clue) is getting an earful of it too. Maybe... no... no more clues.

Now, I'm sure, when I get round to the giant email-out promoting Pocket Rocket's new EP, that we'll sell at least another couple of downloads. Now, at this point I'll probably give in to me old modus operandi, and make them all free to download.

The CD-EP, when we produce it, will of course be two quid as well. But free to mates, and people who come to gigs. Somewhere between free and two quid, then. I wonder if there's a bar code for that?

So, should I just get on with it and make the downloads free? Because, what's the point in a few quid anyway? It's not worth worrying about, is it?

Give it away, give it away, give it away now?

I've recently added an on-line music store to ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP at www.rock-til-you-drop-records.com. As well as providing another outlet for bands to sell their CDs and downloads, it provides audiences and fans with an address that they can visit to shop for music by their favourite overgrown kids.

I've sent the link to a few bands I like, that I think probably have a bunch of great CD albums in a box somewhere that are not seeing the light of day. They are all currently having a look.

But I've just finished reading the Observer article The end of the age of free! by Vanessa Thorpe and it left me feeling slightly depressed about both trying to sell music on-line, and being in a band, other than an established or young up-and-coming one.

The gist of the article is that news and music on the internet is free (in the case of music, only illegally) and this is not good for business. Apparently 95% of all downloaded music in 2008 was illegal. This is quite incredible.

The article points out that both music given away with newspapers and streaming music services such as Spotify only serves to make music appear even more free.
I know when I discovered Spotify, I couldn't believe it. All this music, for free?! So I spent the next few days greedily plundering the collection. And I can tell you it took at least a week to feel sated. I filled my boots alright. A bit like when I have one of those all-you-can-eat breakfasts that they offer at some hotels.

Because most music, right or wrong, is available somewhere for free, established bands are now making most of their money from live performance. This is not good for bands of our age who make original music, who (mostly) can't even get paid to play.

So is it worth attempting to sell our music on-line? Will anybody buy it? Should we be giving our music away too? And if we give our music away, will this help get people to our gigs and us paid for playing? I doubt it. Or do we just get over the whole business. Stick to playing once in a blue moon for the fun of it and making a CD when we can afford to, simply for posterity?

Which begs the question, am I a hobbyist or a wannabe professional musician? I thought I was over the ambitions. Maybe not?

Issues, Dude.