How do you sell MP3's at your gigs?

This post was first published in May 2014 at projectstudiohandbook.com/PSHforum

A close friend of ours has just completed recording and mastering his new LP. It's a lovely recording made in a small project studio with a portable Pro Tools rig and minimal equipment.

He choose to spend most of his budget, not on gear, or fancy studio time, but on hiring some of London's finest session players. It was a wise choice because you'd never guess the humble facilities used. 

No expensive mic's were used, or pre-amps, or compressors, but it sounds as good as any expensive west coast recording. When I visited, there were a few Rodes, an old battered AKG 414, some SM57s and a bass drum mic. No proper acoustic treatment in the room either, everything was close mic'd for that classic late 70's LA sound.

We all know of course that great songs and performance are the key to good recordings, but it seams the kit doesn't matter much either. It helped that he had a great engineer and was able to take his time.

Now the LP is mastered, he has gigs planned and was planning to sell CD's at them. Except that a quick poll of his and our friends and family indicates that the age of the CD is rapidly passing. Almost all buy MP3s, most no longer even own a CD player.

Committed audiophiles have moved on, and almost everyone we know who has been active in the UK music industry has given into the convenience of portable music purchased from the comfort of a smartphone or tablet.

Given that selling CDs at gigs has long been a way to earn some immediate cash, especially as retail outlets decline (are their any CD shops in your high street?), how will our close friend solve this puzzle?

The problems with selling MP3s at gigs are many. Here's a few suggestions he is considering ..

1. Firstly, although there is less "souvenir" value in a printed card with a voucher code and web link on it, this method can work for digital natives. dropcards.com is one service.

2. A USB stick is an idea, but cost and duplication might be tricky, especially if you can't source small enough capacity sticks. 

3. He could take a laptop and transfer files onto the audiences mobile devices. But that could be time consuming.

If you have experience of this, let us know.

Thanks for reading.
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