Electronic mainly.
For users of Acid & SoundForge software mainly, but open to all. Heavy trance/techno bent, as one might imagine. It's really a community site where you upload your music and get feedback.
The good: Nice site. Charts, message boards, the works. Allows deep linking.
The bad: Songs must be uploaded first in WMA format, not MP3 - an extra step. Those who don't use Acid products can't participate in forums. If you don't provide others with feedback, you may not get heard.
One-time $25 fee per CD. 3 60-second sound clips.
The good: Your own band page. They're eager for new independent artists. Not hugely popular yet, but do a Google on 'independent music artists' and AmazingCDs comes up right behind IUMA & CD Baby. Good search facility.
The bad: You create CD (no packaging requirements listed) and ship it.
Two ways to sell:
The Advantage Program is $29.95/year. (10/04 no longer free.) Amazon ships & provides customer service, and you get 45% of sales.
The Marketplace charges $0.99/sale (or a $39.99 monthly subscription fee for volume sellers), you ship & provide customer service, you get 85% of sales.
Yes.
No.
Note, however, that there is a Digital Music Network program where you may offer free downloads of your music as a promo tool. Upload FAQ.
The good: International, the most popular with MP3.com's demise. Easily searchable genres for buyers. Can feature your CD. 30-second streaming clips of a limited number of tracks available. Touring bands will be happy to know that Amazon can handle shipping -- you just replenish inventory. You may upload free full-length MP3s for publicity in the Digital Music Network, listing your music alongside major artists.
The bad: You may not be accepted into the Advantage program. Signing up takes 1-2 weeks. Cds must be professionally made, shrink-wrapped, bar-coded, the works. NO COVERS.
The good: Upload unlimited songs. No ads. Reasonable fees. They manufacture your CD. Word has it that you can optionally charge for downloads, up to 256kbps!
The bad: Well, it ain't free. But compare $94.99 one-time fee (and they give a discount if you pay all up front) to MP3.com's old $19.95/mo.!
Free artist page - 2 songs.
Subscription: $39.95 for 6 months/$59.95 for 1 year. Up to 30 songs.
Details about entire network that includes ArtistLaunch.
a) Consignment sales (for artists who already have the CD's): artist keeps 80%;
b) New CD's: free CD design, free mastering / EQ and even voice over services. AL keeps first $5.50 of CD sale. AL artists' CD's are sold at a variety of sites, not just AL. Price breaks on volume over 100.
Yes, for Premium Stationmasters (see column at right) -- $3/signup (recurring per year too), and you may offer a discount for signups through your station.
Coming soon may be an affiliate program for CD sales; webmasters promoting a band or genre of bands may be able to get a commission on sales of those CDs.
Highly recommended.
The
good: $59.95 is pretty cheap for a year! Charts, genres. Search
facility isn't as narrow as I'd like to see it, but it's quite navigable
for buyers. Allows deep linking for
all artists. Submitting your content to ArtistLaunch also simultaneously
submits the same content to other network members, currently including
FreeWorldRadio.com and YourPlayListClub.com; more members are coming.
FreeWorldRadio
and YourPlayListClub
can be played from anywhere on the Web; opens in its own window. With
YPLC you can create a "station" including your own music and
that of other AL artists and stream it from your own web page! VERY cool.
Coming soon: individual download sales;
artists keeps 80%--good deal. Though administration may be stretched thin,
they have responded quickly to requests. AL updated servers, so plays
are now fast and smooth.
May 2004:
Stations available, similar
to old MP3.com's. Stationmasters may choose a free or premium ($20/yr)
option. Premium stationmasters may earn royalties when new artists
sign up. Details.
December
2004: AL's own professionally produced radio
show featuring its artists will be broadcast weekly on FM radio.
Syndicated on 45 FM stations so far, expecting 100+ AM & FM by end
of 2005. Not limited to the Internet. iPod users may utilize "Podcasting"
(download shows to play).
The bad: Charting only available to subscribing artists. One person has accused AL of chart manipulation in the past, but the issue may be in semantics -- AL used to bump newer artists up in charting over older artists to keep charts "fresh" but stopped after some complaints from older artists.
Charitable
Indie Plan: Free.
Professional Indie Plan: $99.95 one-time fee.
Artistopia believes in aiding an artist with getting signed by a label and connecting with the music industry.
The good: Artistopia provides a professional presentation of the music artist to the music industry along with real-life artist development resources and tools to maximize an artist’s exposure. Artists not only display their talent via their profile, music, and experience listings, but can manage their careers and business relationships through their member console. Some of the productivity tools provided include personal member message boards, newsletter editor, press kit builder, fan base builder, online tutorials and lessons, and class ad postings. Plans to add radio (webcast) in 2005. Extensive promotion of site on part of OMD. Deep linking allowed.
The bad: An affiliate program for webmasters would be nice. :)
Downloads can also be free – artist's choice.
Write music@audiogalaxy.com to see about getting your band added.
The good: Music is distributed over networks including Rhapsody, which customers pay to use and pays the artist royalties. Ranks high in traffic on Google.
The bad: Not the most attractive site. You might easily be eclipsed by the big band names, I dunno.
AudioPyro$0.10 US minimum Artist keeps 80% of sale price.
- Artist messaging: Fan to artist, artist to artist, artist
to producer, etc.
- Artists can post their show schedule on the site.
- Very fast account set up. Artists can be selling music in 10 minutes.
- Automatic sample cutting. The website will automatically generate a
20-second sample from your track which users can download for free.
- Music lovers can sign up for a free account and browse music and purchase
music from independent artists.
- Website is designed for global scope (2.7 million cities world-wide)
Free: 3
songs.
$9.99/mo:
10 songs + features.
$14.99/mo: 50 songs + features.
$19.99/mo: 100 songs + features.
New indie music portal OMD as of Dec. 2003.
The good: Exposure, pretty complete artist page. Charts, gigs, etc. Lots of artists, seems to be a thriving community.
The bad: Some gaming apparent; 6/10 top artists on front page at time I reviewed it were DJ-Something-Or-Other. However, genres are quite full and I found some good music. As of March 2005 you can allow free previews and downloads but cannot sell anything (ie., services cannot yet pay for themselves). You can't get pricing on services till you sign up (a pain).
The good: Sell CDs from your web page using this service. They provide HTML; you paste it on your site (HTML knowledge is handy though), and voila! instant cart. Sell thru their General Store as well. IF THIS WORKS, it could be worth it for getting your less professional CD to your buyer.
The bad: General Store offers no charts or search options for genres -- buyers will have trouble finding you through that source alone. And, well, there are bugs. The sample band that they used that supposedly sells CDs using AudioSurge had a sad site with no buy links anyway--URGH! HOWEVER, the site says: "Coming Soon: Separate artist pages, sound sample (mp3) hosting, and private labeled store hosting and design."
AustinTXMusic.com
have paypal account, artists keep 100% $$$ minus PayPal fees, artists
ship merchandise themselves. Good deal.
AUSTINTXMUSIC.COM also provides a database for Austin, Texas music-related businesses organized by the type of products or services provided.
The good: NO ADS ON ARTIST PAGES, EVER! Will help w/ ripping, uploading, and image adjustments if asked.
The bad: Well, it's for Austin, TX musicians only.
The good: Well, if you pay, you might get some exposure. Not sure on this one.
The bad: Charts. Only top 25 will list on search. You're basically persona non grata if you can't chart. Free accounts can't even get a link back to their own website even if they DO chart and are found.
Free!
CDs! Upload your music/art and they manufacture/sell the CDs.
You can also sell swag here - details.
One-time $35 setup fee per album. Four
2-minute clips are included in package. For
an extra $20 per CD they'll digitize the entire CD for streams.
CD Baby is now allowing full streams of your music files.
Yes.They keep $4/sale; you set sell price. You create & ship CDs (this is consignment, as opposed to CDs-on-demand where an OMD creates your CDs for sale).
No.
Yes. CD Baby now has a Digital Distribution Program that can pay you 91% of the sale of your download. Sweeet. Details. (Take care -- it is an exclusive contract, meaning you must take care with how you sell it. Don't go sign ANOTHER digital distribution deal with ANOTHER company that will ALSO send your music to iTunes, Rhapsody, Sony Connect, Napster, etc. See partner companies.)
Highly recommended.
The good: International. Sell your own self-made CDs. Mail CdBaby 5 CDs to start. CdBaby creates your home page for their storefront. No pop-up advertising to bug the visitor. Can feature your CD. Articles for promotion. CdBaby offers a storefront with search capabilities and charts. Allows deep linking.
Also good: They have an affiliate program if you have a genre website promoting other artists like yourself. Good popularity -- CD Baby was once promoted by MP3.com.
The bad: You must create your own CDs for sale; homemade CDs acceptable if they look ok (ie, professional). CdBaby offers links to merchants who can do this for you. You do all promoting independent of site.
Starts at $29.99 per-product one-time fee for artist page, based on plans for 3 product sales. Up to 15MB of song storage (upgrade available) - use clips!
$34.95 one-time setup fee for co-branded shopping cart for your own website's basic e-commerce. Full e-commerce package available for $149.95.
Yes. You: 65%, them: 35%. Sliding scale varies with upgrade purchases. You choose whether CDStreet will ship or you will (they do it for free).
The good: After one-time setup fee, basically free (no sales, no cost). Sales generation is really up to your own site though! This is not meant to be a stand-alone storefront -- you should have your own website and some design skills (or a webmaster) so the cart system can be integrated.
The bad: No charts. You do all promotion on your own website. If you self-ship and tour, your shipments will obviously be delayed. CDStreet apparently hasn't had the best record of paying artists - see here for one musician's opinion. (At that link you will also find other resources for music distribution. Check it out.)
CD UnsignedAlthough it is a UK (British) online CD store, CD Unsigned are international. It is the leading UK retailer of new and emerging bands.
No uploading or editing required. CD Unsigned create a CD page for you and handle all transactions and shipping. CD Unsigned was formerly Get Me Music.com.
The Bad:
No charts or pay-per-download.
Free. #songs?
Free, or upgrade to paid subscription for $3.95/mo. Details.
Not sure how many songs you can upload (appears unlimited).
Highly recommended for exposure...
I rather like this site, though I'd like to see it revamped to be more friendly to the buyer and put less stress on just artists (and fix some bugs). It could experience a surge in popularity, but I predict higher costs to artists if it is to remain profitable. Though not the most easily navigable site, it has a nice search facility, MP3 streams & downloads. In thumbing through the site, I actually found some really good music!
The good: You can technically direct fans to the site to hear streams of your music and buy your CDs. It's organized well enough that I think users new to the site can find your music. Site users and artists can interact with each other, send messages, post to "blogs", etc. High Google ranking. Covers allowed. Allows deep linking, but deep linking is not recommended.
The
bad: If a buyer happens to find your music here, he may have
some trouble finding your official site or how to buy your music through
the site. Well, at least I did -- the home site link is not well placed.
There is a badly organized "Store" which features CDs &
swag, but the CDs aren't categorized. I think this will change as more
artists compile CDs for sale through the site. Easy Listening fans don't
want to slog thru hip-hop (well, I assume).
The good: Free to artist, will sell your MP3 tracks and charge only 50% commission on sales, and NON-EXCLUSIVE. (October 2004) This is a brand new service run by musicians for musicians and they know how fellow musicians tick and are keen to help. Currently looking for as much new material to add to their music catalogue as possible (after passing a stringent quality check). The music hosting service is free for musicians with a 50% commission fee charged on sales. A bilingual site (Spanish/ English) reaching a market that spans most of the globe.
The not-so-good: easy-listen.com is currently working on improving their moderate web traffic and promoting their internet visibility.
$50, period. Upload as many songs & albums as you like.
For artists specializing in folk music, including Celtic, Country, Blues, etc.
The good: Targeted. Individual download sales permitted.
The bad: Though committed to their genre, they seem to have suffered financially, relying on memberships and donations. Not all bands will be accepted.
Free: 2MB storage - 0 tracks but images/media ok.
Several packages up to $25/mo. Details.
ELECTRONIC only.
The good: Nice, full electronic genres.
The bad: Well, electronic only.
Free - 15MB.
Platinum Acct. - 500MB storage for MP3s for $4.95/mo.
Rather new artist interaction site. Open to all styles but has heavy techno/trance bent. It started out as an MP3.com artist chat board but has come a long way, very nicely done. Not hugely popular yet for hosting, but that could change, dunno. Allows deep linking.
This is an odd one.
Free, if you review other artists' music (15 to start), just for one upload. You can pay $19.99 per song and waive the need to review.
The good: Charts, though subgenres are weak. For every song you upload you must rate other artists' songs (15 to start), or you alternately can pay $19.99 per song (less if you've done some reviews). Promotes your music based on its merits only. Chance to be heard over Garage Band's partner networks.
The bad: Peer rating system seems to leave room for cheaters, might obscure some good music, though Garage Band assures us there are safety measures in place. Seems to be promoting peer review to get plays instead of seeking buying public. No covers.
Music
hosting and CD sales: a one-time fee of £29.99.
Can also release your CD (design cover, set up storefront) for £79.99.
Yes.
Webmasters
may refer bands and customers and earn 5% commission.
Mainly
a UK music store; however, they have a currency converter and ship worldwide.
The
good: Similar to CDBaby, you pay a one-time fee for hosting and
CD sales. They set up the storefront and can take care of all details
related to creating and selling your CD. Some quality music. Detailed
charts. Ringtones. Message boards. The affiliate program is great for
webmasters.
The
bad: No download sales.
Free: 10 songs.
Other packages up to €19.95/mo.
European site.
The good: Allows video uploads. 192kbps streams. Allows deep linking. Your own domain with paid package.
The bad: Charts are very broad.
Free:
2 mp3s.
$7.99/mo: 25 mp3s.
Update May 20, 2005: Site appears to be down.
Brand
new site, open but still in beta stage.
The good: Exposure. Genre charts. Band reviews. Artist receives
play on station. Allows deep linking for
paid accounts. Mailing list, email account, custom webpage design, "Hire
a Band," merchandising, music videos, forums.
The
bad: Still in beta! Will update this as site progresses. Has
great promise though!
IndieJukebox pays artists for song plays from splits on advertising revenues. Artists simply point their fan base to IndieJukebox for plays. No deep linking; songs play in IndieJukebox's own player, and listeners must be signed in to listen.
The good: Pay-for-play! Charts. Link back to site that sells your CDs.
The bad: Genres are pretty general. I didn't see "World" at all, but I suppose that could change if there was demand for it. No individual download sales.
The good: One of the oldest, most respected artist services on the Web. Sister site to Vitaminic.com.
The bad: They don't accept everybody who attempts to sign up. Streams on IUMA have been quite slow for me, although I am on DSL. Support is reportedly not currently good (Oct '04).
The good: Exposure is via Liquid.com and others (including Amazon.com, BestBuy, CDNOW, Sam Goody/Musicland and Yahoo!). Haven't researched this one too well...
The bad: Exposure via Liquid.com has a limited selection and is lacking in search capability (try and locate Celtic music).
NONE. Lulu charges 20% when your work sells. NON-EXCLUSIVE. Details.
Highly recommended for individual download sales.
Lulu.com is an on-demand publisher of books, music, and images.
The good: An inexpensive way to sell your tracks and CDs. Listeners may preview your work via streaming audio. Listeners may rate the quality of your work. You set the price for your download, all the way down to FREE. You may choose to allow other artists to include your work along with their own projects and receive full royalties. NON-EXCLUSIVE. No wait -- your content is available instantly.
The bad: Uploading custom album covers and art is a bit of a pain. You must use 'customize your storefront' in order to change song order -- another pain. Not good for CD sales that I can see, but you can sell individual downloads. Promotion must be done off-site, with your own website or other. Site is NOT a pure music portal, so its popularity among music seekers may be limited.
50 MB, all free. No paid accounts.
The good: Intended for users of Apple Computer's GarageBand software only, but it's really open to anyone, on Mac or PC. Paypal-based music store where you may sell your CDs. Might as well put your music here, it's more exposure.
The bad: NO COVERS, no obscene material.
Tiered hosting plans, including free.
New site doesn't really
resemble old one for independent artists.
-
Dec.
2, 2003 
See music.download.com.
The good: Link back to your website.
The bad: Search engine is weak, genres are too broad. Geared to dance, metal, rock, pop.
Mperia is an online outlet for CDBaby. Uploading an album to CDBaby and accepting their exclusive digital distribution deal gets your tracks added to Mperia, where the individual digital tracks can be sold.
The good: Easily sell your tracks online. Promotion tools.
The bad: This is the exclusive CDBaby contract mentioned above; if you sell it using this channel, you must exercise caution in utilizing other sellers! However, you may sign up directly through Mperia and avoid that. You do all promotion off-site. CDBaby itself is not yet (IF it will) promoting Mperia on its well-known home-site. Site not yet well-known. Consumer needs Bit-Pass to buy tracks, a slight hassle. No charts, but browsable music database.
?
You keep $0.40/download, downloads sell for $0.99.
This new site shows promise in that it offers individual downloads for sale for $0.99. It proposes to be a complete service, offering multiple music file formats (MP3 or the secure WMA & RA formats), message boards, classifieds, webcasts, and more. I'll review it further when it becomes active.
The good: Sounds like a pretty complete service.
The bad: If it's designed to be more of a musician site and not a music-on-demand store, its listenership -- and your exposure -- could be very limited. But that's only speculation, as the site isn't up yet.
More information may be gotten by writing here.
Free for 5MB. Paid accounts get more storage on a sliding scale.
Yes.
Free at 5MB, reasonably priced up to label-sized accounts.
New service based in the UK enables digital distribution from your own
website.
The good: Facilitates easy distribution of royalties under a shared online license to labels, band members and royalty collection societies.
The bad: ? More will be available soon.
The good: German site servicing 239 countries is not a music portal but offers distribution technology for digital content -- you integrate their service into your own site to sell your music and pay only a commission per sale. Your MusicDock shop appears in the language and currency of your visitor's choice -- GREAT for international sales, and an advantage over Lulu.com. Non-exclusive.
The bad: You do all promotion off-site. If you don't have a strong web presence, listeners may not find you. No CD sales, only individual digital track sales. NOT a music portal (no charts, stations, artist pages, etc.), so consumers can't accidentally stumble upon you while browsing for other popular music.
(Note there's no www. in the url!)
Free 50 MB.
Possibly a tiered paid program in the future.
FAQ.
This is old MP3.com after CNET bought it and closed it. The download version of the site is now open with a streaming version coming soon. (If you want your music to stream only without offering downloads, wait.)
The good: MP3.com, though technically dead since Dec. 2003, still comes up first in searches on music and forwards to music.download.com -- it's popular before it ever got going! This may still be THE place to put your music on the Internet because of sheer exposure; however, it's not fully functional yet, and there may be severe limitations in actually SELLING your music there ultimately. Possible "radio station" playlists available after streaming site becomes available (no date set yet). Non-exclusive.
The bad: Unlike old MP3.com, no CDs-on-demand. You may
not sell your consignment CD directly on the service, but you may provide
an off-site link to the site that does sell it. Like old MP3.com, there
is an approval process you must go through that will delay your updating
your artist page. Your songs must be encoded at 192 kbps
and not the more usual 128 kbps -- better quality, but you do need to
re-encode them.
$24.95 / 2 months
#1
Ranked MP3.com Promoter David Blumberg's (of Primetones.com) search
engine submission service.
$24.95 gets you 2 months of weekly search engine placement submissions
to over 70,000 Search Engines. Guaranteed improvement for the Search Engine
visibility for a proven track star of Artist Promotion. He will also personally
look over your site and make some search meta suggestions to help you
too. Accepts
Paypal. [My
note: David's doing something right. Search for "MP3 ringtones"
and Primetones.com is #1.]