Now, I am sure most if not all of you know that I am a musician.. If not, how in the hell did you get here?! But hey, welcome nonetheless.. 9th Evolution is my baby.. It is all me,has been,always will be(for good or bad). In the beginning it was nothing but about getting the name and music out there, at any cost.. Making money was not only difficult, it was impossible.. Nor did I even try.. As years went by having never even tried to get signed or talk to a label. Not to say they would've been interested but still,didn't try. The idea of losing control was more than my little mind could take. Now X amount of years later,songs,albums,shows and videos later, it is more of a business.. Not a lucrative one, but a self sustaining one,which in this day and age is ahead of the game. So in the last few years I had some opportunities to get signed by some decent sized labels.. But no matter what, it always came back to me losing control.. After doing this for as long as I have and putting out the best product I can time and time again,I've been lucky enough to get a nice very loyal,thoughtful,supportive fanbase(btw I hate the term fan, it has an arrogance to it to say my fans) and I cannot stand the thought of not being able to share what I want or when I want w/ them.. Under contract that is not an option..So the ever persistent question is since I self release(as do many,many bands these days) every album, do I just give it away or hold firm on a price and say that's it.. It's X dollars or you don't get it.. That last one seems not only stupid but a very dated and counter productive attitude.. Sadly,I see a lot of bands holding firm to that,and suffer to boot because of it. On the other hand, losing money is not a good feeling and or a viable way to go about things.. So the idea of selling physical cds is a good way to exchange money for music,which 9E does through the website. The downside is the cost on short run prints is about $7 each for a good looking press and w/ $3 shipping and envelopes, my price tag of $10 last time around was %100 a push. This time it is $12, so a whopping $2!! It's obviously not about the money. Getting your music on iTunes,Amazon etc etc costs some money down but not much and some of the places let you set prices, in which case I put it as low as possible,but they take a cut of that too..iTunes does not let you set a price and takes a lot. You've got Bandcamp which allows the setting of any price ,but they do take a cut.. Every 7th sale goes directly to them as long as the price hasn't changed or it could be more.. So w/ all the options out there, what is the best? I haven't a clue.. What I do know is this.. If you price yourself out of the market, you will NEVER be heard and have ZERO chance of growth.Then again.if you go broke in the process, music ultimately becomes just another very costly hobby.. So the to free or not to free question is tough.. Here is what I've done and will continue to do. Sell physical cds to those who want them for almost zero profit,pay to have it put up on every major digital retailer just in case that is where someone wants it to be. 9E sold many cds on iTunes simply because they had a gift card. Nothing odd or different so far here.. This is the different part, for the pre order and maybe a week or two after it's release, I will have the cd up on Bandcamp for $5.99 , that is just for those who really want it and are in a position to spend the money.. Which is greatly appreciated and helps cover costs.. After that time it will go to a completely choose your own price cost, which allows $0 to $10,000(I can dream right?!) and I offer this w/ absolutely no puppy dog eyes trying to guilt people into donating.. Not one bit.. It is a legit option and if someone puts $1 or $10 I greatly appreciate it.. In turn , if someone puts $0.00 and just downloads it, I am not offended in the slightest and appreciate the person simply for caring enough to listen.. Last time around w/ the release of 'Retro Americana', this was a successful option,there were things I should've done differently and am this time around, but was a great stepping stone. and learning experience.. So to all the bands that have asked,"what should I do"?.. My answer is don't ask me because I am just as clueless.. That being said,I live my musical life around this philosophy. #1 priority:,Being heard, #2 being heard ,#3 see the first two answers.
Right or wrong that is what I will continue to do..Period.
This all being said, allow me to direct anyone interested to
9E INC physical cd
9E INC digital preorder
We have 4 cats who are always hungry,please help! Just kidding, not about the cats or their insane appetites but about the pity sales pitch :)
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