I’m getting tired of how the music industry blames file sharing for drops in sales. The majors have gotten away with selling albums with only one or two good tracks for many years. That’s the heart of the problem. Consumers are tired of paying big bucks for an album they don’t like. I once bought an album for an artist I loved. Except for the radio track, the rest was garbage. I was so angry that I opened my car winder and tossed the CD into the trash. I’ll never buy another of her albums! I was furious. But when I hear music from an album and like most of the cuts, I’ll buy it.

To me, a big difference between major labels and independents is that majors just care about record sales. Indies focus on developing fans. They know that if someone hears their music and likes it, he or she is more likely to buy the whole album and come to see them play live. Derek Sivers, founder of CDBaby told me that when the original Napster was shut down, his sales went down, not up. Many people who take free music wouldn’t buy it if they couldn’t get it online. They just take it because it’s free and won’t help an artist. People who buy music and get free music will buy more if they like what they hear.

I encourage indies to stream all their music on their sites if they believe in it. If you have a lousy album, then don’t! But if you have great music, let potential fans hear it. If it’s streamed, people can’t steal it. It’s ironic how artists pray for radio play but shield their music from being heard on the Internet. The more people that hear your music, the more potential for fans who will support you! They can spread the word about your great music and become part of your street team. I highly recommend calming fears of people stealing your music. Get it out so you can create loyal fans who buy what you sell.