Bring Back The CD, Or Suffer The Consequences.

As much as they make music more accessible (and allow us to also make playlists), it's no secret that music streaming services are ripping off our artists, especially the independent ones. Our boys and girls need to beg us to listen to their music for them to get "recognition" instead of sales, and no one really lives off recognition, making the term "starving artist" literal because none of these indie and upcoming artists make anything from their craft while it's of much better quality than what the big company labels make us listen to.

To cut to the chase, on my Instagram, I follow some of the greatest indie artists. I am talking musically great artists with great personalities incorporated into their music, unlike the ones we see on our TV screens, whose only personality is being rude to the ones who support them. Now, these kids are not getting signed by our UMG, Gallo, and the like, so how do we ensure that we get to see these artists eat when they're not getting stable incomes and a few shows? Physical copies!

Physical copies are much like any other product that can be sold, including clothes, drugs, and books. Physical copies in this case are Compact Discs and it can be a tricky venture since new age artists don’t really know where to start, and what’s worse is that some never really used CDs in their entire lifetime, so where will they start? I don't know, but what I do know is that doing research as an artist is very crucial, especially when you take into consideration the fact that you have to know where to go in order for you to kickstart your career, earn royalties, and all of that other bullshit that artists need to know.

Now, think of this as any business venture where you get to sell products to buy more products (record new music if you don't have a bedroom studio or just build a studio, I don't know), then sell these other products to get a profit (which is when you start eating). Starting to eat will not only relieve you of the stress of not getting booked but will also raise your self-worth because there isn't an event organiser that'll approach you to perform at their gig FOR FREE when they charge people to enter the place. You don't need recognition, you need to make money. Unfortunately, there is always a downside, and what we should be worried about right now, is whether these will sell as much as you want them to but that is what marketing is for.

Idea: Since there is always a network of artists in indie artist circles, CDs are much more likely to sell. Instead of selling your material as one, you can always put heads together to produce these physical copies and then sell them. There can always be that one person that can run the sales and they get a portion for their troubles. When explained, this is just a matter of dealing music like everything else, including cocaine and marijuana.

To conclude, physical copies are a way out for upcoming indie artists, whether they are a short-term or a long-term investment. Bring back the CD, or suffer the consequences!