Play First, Pay Later.

For the past week or so I've been on tour with my a cappella group, the USC Sirens. We have traveled from college to high school to street corner to parents' living room and back to colleges singing our hearts out and attempting to sell enough CDs to earn our trips (monetarily, at least), and fund future recording endeavors and performance tours. At each show we invariably sell numerous CDs and receive donations from fans, friends, families and passing strangers.

When we hold large concerts and charge admission, we have to struggle to advertise and recruit audience members -- ironically, the same or smaller number of people that we have that stop to listen/donate on the street corner. Many times we end up making as much or more singing on a street corner as we do at a show we charge admission for.

Performance is obviously one of the best ways to market oneself, this is no secret. By giving away our services people tend to show their appreciation by buying a CD or making a donation. Radio had this exact same purpose when the content was new and exciting. By giving music away for free, it inspired listeners to buy the CD. Some want to be able to listen to the music whenever, wherever; some want to support a good artist; but either way, the public rewarded free service with money.

Somehow, record companies and artists need to come to the realization that the industry is shifting away from terrestrial radio to the internet. There needs to be free radio on the internet, free performance on the internet... something free in order to gain fans and inspire listeners to spend money. It's a paradox, but judging by terrestrial radio it works.

Currently, there are free services offered to listeners. Sites like Lastfm.com and Pandora.com allow listeners to find music they like and create personalized playlists of a variety of mainstream and indie music. Sites like betterPropaganda.com (which I discuessed in a post below) offer lots of free content from indie and unsigned bands -- downloads and free streaming.

However, Lastfm.com and Pandora.com have seen varied success because it seems that the younger generation has grown accustomed to owning their music without having to pay. However, in a survey among college students in my Music Industry forum, many agreed they would pay for music if they had a chance to sample it first.

As a result, it's apparent that if the younger generation had access to a service that allowed them to sample a few tracks off an album, no strings attached, they would be more likely to pay for the service. If they had a service provided to them on the internet, where they spend so much time, they would be more likely to pay for the service. CDs were the new cassettes, digital downloads are the new CDs and internet is the new radio. By providing a service free on the internet, it will increase digital download sales -- much the way providing free radio service increased CD sales.

There should be positive incentive for listeners to buy their music. If they feel that the industry is an equal partner and making the content available, they will be more likely to return the favor. Much the way the average passerby is willing to drop $5 in a hat if they see us performing on the street corner as opposed to paying a $5 admission to a show.