In today’s music industry, streaming platforms largely dominate as the primary listening device. Streaming represents the biggest source of income for recorded music and has been for some years. However, physical distribution with formats such as CDs and vinyl records must not be overlooked. Over the last couple of years, sales of physical formats have been on the rise. Today it represents more than a quarter of total music sales.
That number is also supported by the ever-rising popularity of merchandising. From textile, to mugs, posters and even figurines, the music industry is an endless source of derived products. However, selling merch and physical formats is still considered to be exclusively reserved to “big” and established musicians. That misconception is due to the expected material costs of producing CDs and records, and to the large quantities required to have a competing selling price.
Lucky for you, Diggers Factory has a simple solution. Let us explain why you shouldn’t hesitate any longer.
A financial opportunity
Selling your music via physical format is particularly adapted to artists with smaller followings (what?) yes, really! Let’s do the math: streaming services remunerate artists only a fraction of a cent per stream. Therefore, it becomes financially interesting with millions of streams. However, artists with smaller followings will benefit from selling fewer physical copies but at a much larger profit margin on each sale.
To give you an idea, in 2022, 5,4 millions of records were sold worldwide. The market is real, healthy and growing year after year, just like your fanbase.
Records are collectibles
The most important argument in favor of physical formats is this one. After years of digitizing and dematerializing our music, records remain a tangible piece of music. For fans, it represents a little piece of their favorite musician, a way to support their career. It can be played or just exposed as an art piece. More than half of all records sold are not bought to be played. You don’t even have to worry about your fans not owning a record player.
However, for those who do, playing a record allows the listener to play an active role in the music they hear. By physically selecting the record, placing it and running the diamond on the vinyl, they are invested in the process, helping them connect even more to the artist and the music. This is especially true for smaller “niche” artists with communities often more invested in the artist’s career.
No stock, No financial risk
Our partner Diggers Factory developed an on-demand solution. The records are pre-ordered, meaning no stock to manage and no finances to advance! With Diggers Factory, your fans are the ones funding your project and then receiving their records straight at home. You can set a quantity goal as low as 100 records for exclusive runs. Diggers Factory will help you design the records, manage the costs, fix the right selling price, and help you communicate effectively on social media to sell as much as possible. From manufacturing and delivery to customer service, they take care of everything!
To make it short, no money to advance, no stock to handle, and records delivered directly at your fan’s doors.
And if all that wasn’t enough to convince you to start your vinyl project right now, you can enjoy 10% off the production costs with promo code MAGNETIC10. Check out more of what they do right HERE
Don’t let your music get lost on platforms; create a long-lasting legacy right now!
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