i'm releasing a new instrumental comp/project on Bandcamp tomorrow.

it was originally just gonna be a beat tape... but it's taken on dimensions i hadn't intended and a lot of the music was constructed especially for this project.

i wish i had snippets for you to check out right now but i've been working feverishly to have everything ready by tomorrow (i know, weird release day, but it's my birthday so i figured, line 'em up and shut 'em down © freeway) so you'll have to taste test it on Bandcamp when it's finally up.

this one's got a fee for entry, $3. it's a full project though. songs will also be available for purchase separately.

oh, fyi, Bandcamp says they're gonna be down for a few hours tomorrow, great timing, so if you're interested and you can't check it til after 9, i'll try to get previews up on my soundcloud page by then so you can hear.

i'm anxious/nervous mostly 'cause i'm asking for a little greenback support this time around, but hey. if you don't wanna buy it you can always just listen there when ever you're in the mood for your boy.

here's the cover art and a little more about the project: http://blog.12rnd.com/?p=145

if you read this far, thanks yo!

is three dollars really that much of a turn off?

you seem a reasonable man, what your reasoning on putting a price tag on one's work?

than 15.

You've been away for a while. I would still charge but not for the first project you've got out since forever.

There are some folks that do one of a few things though:

- Name your price, with a suggested price
- Only give away for free with an exchange of email/etc
- Make it free during that intial viral period and then charge after a specified date.


There are a lot of ways to go about it. I mean, with bandcamp they can listen to the entire track first. I know, for instance, I like that Skip Coon nigga's shit but he was charging so I didn't buy.

That's just lost buzz.

Let it go viral.

OR if you have other jawns you think are tight, get those out to outlets that will give you burn and then let that drive traffic before charging for a new jawn.

Don't put 3$ either.

Call it 2.99 or 2.89 or some shit.

Remember ONE thing: You know people. Get. It. Viral. Every nigga you know witha blog with any traffic from Lessondary niggas, to Woe, to whomever--make sure they all blog it and blog it in the same 48 hour period.

That kind of inertia can't be downplayed and it can't be re-done either. Either you get it or you don't.

IMO, the Name Your Price one may be better for a second project, though, or one freshly released amidst some buzz (like a series of local tour dates, alongside a commercial placement, etc).

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RIPL - http://www.rhythm-incursions.com/category/podcast/presented-by-primus-luta/
Read me write - http://themoshi.tumblr.com/

Happy pre-birthday brother...

I look forward to hearing the newness...

and thanks man!

I dig a lot of your beats (still got "2 my booz" on the old hard drive), but isn't $3 a little too close to being, you know.....free?

The difference between free, $3, and $5 is worth talking about, in my opinion.

Lots of people won't listen to the project at all because they can't download it for free. $5 seems to be the going rate for lots of digital albums on Bandcamp, so that seems like a decent price point if you're gonna charge folks. But $3 is just...I don't know. It almost seems like it cheapens the actual product. Kinda like producers saying that you can "lease" their beats for $10.

I *definitely* understand where you're coming from though (as far as charging a super low price). My J Dilla Rock Samples mixes have clocked over 6,000 downloads in the past 9 months. Makes me wonder what would've happened if I charged just $1 for both volumes. My guess is that I would've made a few hundred bucks, but they wouldn't have gotten anywhere NEAR the publicity they received as a free download. Guess I'll never know.

Anyway, good luck with the project, and I'll definitely check it out.

i aint talking about leasing the project.

the reality is, if you put a price tag on it, there's a large group of people that won't buy it, regardless of what number follows the dollar sign.

there's no science to charging for art, beyond spending the large amounts of time it takes to create the kind of demand that pays.

ultimately, i expect to not sell many downloads. however, i would hope that people who are genuine believers in supporting the music would at least consider purchasing. bandcamp's model is really cool and gives artists the best shot of promoting and selling their music without compromising one for the other.

i'm not undervaluing my music either. the goal here is to get people to listen. people can listen on the page all day if they like, and there are even ways to jack the streams if they're that determined to hold on to 3 bucks. but at the end of the day the people who really appreciate the music and have the money to spare will buy it. i'm a firm believer in that.

*shrug*

It just seems that nobody wants to pay for a damn thing these days, no matter how good (AND cheap) it is.

We've come to the point that producers are on MySpace or whatever with dirt-cheap "lease rates"....and guys like you are putting out a quality product for THREE FREAKING DOLLARS, knowing that you'll sacrifice a ton of potential listeners just because there's $$$ involved.

For example, Crown Nation is the shit, but they started out charging $5 for their Bandcamp releases...to doing a two-week run of fucking TWO DOLLAR price tags....to finally offering Slut Bag Edition for free (for "a limited time," of course).

Artists are living in desperate times. I'm pulling for you.

making music isn't really a profitable venture if you're just cutting tracks out of your bedroom and seeing what happens when you throw it at the internet. not initially.

believe me i gnashed my teeth from the time i thought up the project til right now about the price, and if there should even be one. but the fact that my last project had close to 1000 DLs with no real promotion on my end, i'm hoping that at least my bandcamp hit stats show me that people are at least interested.

this is equally experimental as it ostensibly is gainful. we shall see.

seems win/win to me.

Looking forward to it. You do good work man. Keep it up.

i was glad to see somebody used that...uhh...well, one of those beats. i think von had a track on it.

either way, looking forward to your work, fam.

peace.

seems kind of premature to start charging for music so soon... maybe get a few established emcee's to work with you so that you can bring some notoriety to your name... ?

They are really creative and that puts them well ahead of a lot of acts out today if you ask me. Also, they have made a shit load more noise than Aeon, no?

I would offer some feedback on Aeon but it's his bday post and I don't want to seem like a hater in here even though I wasn't going to hate. I really just try to be honest.

http://12rnd.bandcamp.com/album/beta-max

I'm not a big fan of 2 notes-based super simplistic keyboard/synth melodies with 0 chord progression - not the best way to stand out but Da' Waylay has a cool vibe (you could have toned down the shakers on it a good notch though)
Skyscrapers/Flippin' you know Madlib already did justice to that tune right ?
One for Rob is cool too

your drums knock right even though the patterns are very common.

just my opinion

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++last man standing takes a seat+++
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http://www.last.fm/user/chillhood

and "One for Rob" too!
ooooh!

*scrunchface*

i will be checkin

make sure u check my latest too! 3.21.2011

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twitter.com/mpmakesmusic

way to go fam!

it sounds good

time for minions' shit. ew.

When I get in front of a cpu.

you can sell yo shit for $3 on bandcamp.

sounds nice man, I think the sound is very cohesive throughout. Planning on copping it soon.

I like the $3 price point; like others were saying, the $5 price point is pretty common around bandcamp and such sites, so you might be differentiating yourself with a somewhat lower price if people are used to choosing between Free vs. $5-$10.

And the 5th track on there, Heavyweights, has some instrument that really reminds me of one of my beats, I can't listen to it without hearing mine mixed in... here's the track if your curious:

http://jamesdoernberg.bandcamp.com/track/sunbeam

Peace!

Congrats on the new project. My bad on not touching base in a minute..y'know I got this Ep first and then the album to come later so we're still in business either way.

I'll check out the stream and def show support..

i really appreciate the support.

you should come around even when you don't have anything to promote too! *nudge, nudge*

thanks man. i know. i still peek my head in the lesson (pause) but i cant get busy on GD like that any more man. that cesspool knows no depths! LOL

no worries, tho...i need to be in MTM more often.

oh yeah, i'mma check this project out too...lol. good luck with it, my dude.

I always liked your beats so i think its worth 3 bucks to me...
I feel you on the charging for downloads thing...my last album I tried selling for 5 bucks @ first with 1 dollar downloads and folks just weren't really buying much...but I hadn't "officially" released it yet...I started to worry about sample clearance and all that type of stuff and just said "fuck it" and made it free, put up a post on okp and in a 1-month period I got almost 2,000 plays...
if it is free, folks that don't even know anything about you will bother to peep your shit...
its kind of degrading as an artist simply because I do get royalty checks (for very small amounts) from BMI and CDbaby for old shit i've done but i feel like my music is better than ever and i keep giving it away for free???
my next full-length i am going to have to charge for because I am using a lot of my original tunes with no samples and outside production (that i paid for) so i gots to make some dough on that...but for now i am happy to give out shit for free to get a buzz

Solid tracks sir. I wish you the best of success with all your work.


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tREBLEFREE & DVS Jackson are:
The Waldorf And Statler Experience
Balcony Music

Volumes 1, 2 & 3 available now at http://waldorfandstatler.bandcamp.com

congrats fammo... will peep this evening.

i get that music is free now. but $3 is how much it costs me to take one miserable subway trip in toronto. if i can sample the music and if it is good, paying a token fee is a no-brainer.

thanks for sharing

*fires up le paypal*