Your Email Address Has More Value Than...

It cracks me up when I come across musicians who want to “give” you free songs upon sign-up to their website simply by providing your (at least) email address, sometimes your name, or even better, your street address.

After spending countless hours in a recording studio and potentially thousands of dollars on engineering time, why in the hell would an artist “give” you their music?

The answer is simple: their music has no value in 2015. If you want it bad enough, you can find it for free: check SoundCloud, ReverbNation,YouTube, or just search their name or the band’s name on the Internet. It is there. Trust me.

But your email address and other personal information has a TON of value to them. It is connected to your purchasing power. So, after you get your “free” songs, you are going to be inundated with emails regarding merchandise, show tickets, or whatever else they might entice you with, including just a simple click on their monetized video.

Musicians are going to have to think about the next phase of SEM if they are to survive in an increasingly saturated entertainment market.