Outside of my office here at the Recording Institute of Detroit, a quotation is posted:

For a great deal of the musicians I have met over the years, this statement more than applies.

In my job, I have counseled many musicians who have opted to put their own CDs out, but an astonishing number of them either do not know the fundamentals of business and marketing, or are simply ignoring them with devastating results.

To give an example, one artist I met was very determined to get the rap single he had painstakingly recorded played on a radio station here in Detroit. This station, by the way, was featured prominently in Eminem’s movie “8 Mile”, a movie which showed the frustration Eminem’s character of Rabbit had to endure to get his own song played.

The brotha I was counseling was totally convinced that all he needed was the “big break” of having his song played on this superstation and success would then be his. I burst his bubble with one simple question:

“What if you get your song played and, as you expect, people burn up the phone lines requesting it. What are you going to do then?”, I asked.

He was perplexed by the question, so I continued.

“If people call about the song, where do you have it for sale? Which stores have you consigned your merchandise to? Have you pre-ordered enough copies to ensure that supply would meet demand? Can people come to a particular club and hear you perform the song live? WHAT, EXACTLY, IS YOUR MARKETING PLAN?”, I asked.

It seems he had never considered past the one element of getting his song played; he viewed airplay as the logical conclusion to his production and recording goals—a very common and foolhardy mistake.

My advice to anyone doing their own CD release is to handle the fundamentals of the business BEFORE recording one note.

After you have taken care of all the necessary legal paperwork—mechanical licenses, sample clearances, songwriting and publishing contracts, etc.--act as if the record is already recorded, pressed, and packaged and plan a marketing strategy/campaign that will alert the public of your masterpiece.

Marketing in this fashion should consist of identifying merchants who may be receptive to accepting your work on a consignment basis. It also consists of establishing a rapport with local music journalists who you may want to review your product and/or interview you about it.

Artists should also seek to increase their public appearances so as to have a means for potential consumers to associate the live playing style with the recorded project. Collecting names, numbers, and e-mail addresses at these live events will give you an idea of those people receptive to your playing and music. This would further your marketing strategy in that these people could serve as a base of fan support when your project is released.

Another facet to consider is the actual ad promotion and its budget. Will it be, for instance, more cost effective to take out ads in the local trade magazines or in the newspapers? Should you hire a “street promotions” team to plaster buildings or walls with your ads? Can you time the release of the record with a concert or club date you are doing? How much emphasis should be placed on CD artwork? (Note: In order for your project to stand out and attract the consumer’s attention, your budget for promotion should be just as much if not MORE than the cost you put into the recording project itself. If you are running short on funds, promotions should NOT be the area you try and minimize expenses on!)

Once these elements have been decided on, plan on releasing approximately two thousand copies, or a number in which you can readily gauge how well they are selling. Don’t expect to go “Gold”—selling 500,000 units—with your first release. Instead, remember the old adage about the best way to eat an elephant—you do it one bite at a time. Some artists have set themselves up for failure by pushing an unrealistic goal of selling millions with their first project. If you want to be able to sell millions, you need to be able to first sell a percentage of that number, and then build upon that with every subsequent release.

And on the subject of radio airplay: don’t count on it! Radio does not have the prominence it once had in determining what is or is not “hot”. Many artists have gone on to great success with little to no airplay. “Gangsta” rap, as repugnant and offensive as it is, serves as the best example of this. Many radio stations had refused to air this music because of its porno-laced lyrics, yet the companies who put the music out still rang up phenomenal sales due to their taking the music directly to the consumer—through concerts, street sales, underground clubs, word of mouth, and of course, the internet.

Due to corporate pressure brought on by the constant mergers and consolidations of the various media, most radio stations have consolidated their playlists whereby only the most popular of the nationally known groups are aired. It is an uphill battle in trying to get new or local talent aired. Do not put too much emphasis on gaining radio airplay. You could focus that energy more effectively in establishing a web presence through one of the many internet radio stations.

And speaking of the web, every artist today should have a web site which highlights all the activities the artist is doing or planning to do. This web site should feature your biography, favorable reviews, any music videos, and snippets of music you have recorded with links which would allow the public to buy it with one mouse-click. The internet has leveled the playing field and allowed every artist today to compete as if they had a major label behind them (for an example of a truly effective website by an independent artist, visit www.jkeys.com).

As I leave you this week, remember this: if you fail to plan, YOU PLAN TO FAIL!

Need I say more?