Distribution of Music

Music Distribution
Advertising is probably the most vital resource that bands and artists' rely on (as well as having the talent) to gain and broaden their success. Without advertising artists wouldn't be able to promote or sell their music. It is important to take the product to the consumer as the chances of a respectable number of 'could be fans' searching for the products are unlikely. This is why the music industry must use the correct advertising to market their products and increase sales revenue. The Internet has made it possible for artists to boom in the music industry and has rocketed over the past 10 years, enabling artists' to reach their desired audience and further than that. Here are just some of the online programmes which enable the public (anyone) to browse, listen to and buy music and how it boosts the success of the artists.

Website 
Websites are a great promotional tool for musicians, however this online approach only has a large impact when for the use of the bands existing fans, or people who know how to find the website. Websites allow fans to buy merchandise such as T-Shirts, mugs, gig tickets etc. This of course allows the band brand to branch out, meaning everyone who wears the merchandise is endorsing the artists. Websites also allow for music to be bought and many independent musicians offer their music for an optional payable fee, where fans pay whatever they want for the products. This ensures fans are happy, and the independent musicians receive some funding to keep their careers going and enables them to expand in bigger and better ways reaching more people.

iTunes
iTunes of course is a huge advertising opportunity for musicians. The updates main page on the programme shows new albums releases by bands and any new singles that are released. This platform however does have its boundaries. The limited advertising space more than likely means that the cost will be high. This would indefinitely limit the usage by smaller less established bands and be dominated by the better known musicians.


Amazon/Ebay
When customers buy from Amazon or Ebay, there is a page displayed which has already analysed past purchases and recommends products which are tailored to the individual shopper. This is fantastic for musicians as it means they can rely partly on similar bands from their genre to advertise, and then be displayed in the 'products you may enjoy' section and intrigue consumers to try their products. This kind of sale will more than likely lead to website hits and further merchandise purchases meaning the band/group will receive increased cash flow.


Spotify
Spotify is a relatively new music streaming download which offers customers free music to enjoy with restrictions of use, as they can only listen to the songs on the programme and can not copy. Spotify like iTunes has advertisement slots which updates and is a good platform for consumers to get a taste of various genres and artists through suggestions and ads.