image via constructionphotography.com
Record labels’ marketing strategies used to make sense. Specifically, sending “promo” records to influential radio DJs. It made sense to give away the product to these taste-makers: they gave the record some air time, listeners bought the records, went to the shows, and bought the merch.
What the labels missed when Napster (then Bittorrent) happened was that everyone can be as influential as a major DJ now.
So, here’s 1 simple thing to fix the music industry: give the digital music away. Give it away so listeners will go to the shows, buy the merch. Hell, if you make it special enough, people will still buy a physical album.
Give away the downloads. It’s the best marketing they could ever ask for.