Selling music is not an easy task. Each month, hundreds of new albums and songs are released. This large competition can pose a challenge to new artists as they are not established in the music industry. However, with the rise of the digital world, more tools to help indie musicians sell music have become available. iTunes, for example, has become an amazing platform to boost your music sales and increase exposure. If you are interested in digital distribution, follow these tips on how to sell your music on iTunes.

Using an Aggregator

There are two ways to sell your music on iTunes. You can sell them directly through the store or you can sell them through an aggregator. An aggregator can handle the business dealings with Apple–and other digital platforms–on your behalf for a cut of your earnings. While you can free yourself from the stressful music distribution business by using an aggregator, keep in mind that your overall income will be lower than it would be if you dealt with everything on your own.

Search Engine Optimization

Once you have selected the content you will be including in your album, you need to ensure that the digital files are encoded with optimized metadata for search engine optimization. This is crucial to ensure your album is listed in the correct categories and that can be easily found when searched for in a search engine. The following should be considered when encoding your digital album files:

• Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation: This is as important in the music industry as it would be in any other industry. Ensuring your digital files are written correctly is key to optimizing them for a search engine.
• Spacing: Be careful with spaces. If one is accidentally placed before your song or album title, it could make it difficult for people to find them through a search engine.
• Genre: Based on popular demand, iTunes tends to focus on main music genres rather than niche sub-genres. Encoding your digital music files with an overall genre is key to sell your music on iTunes.
• Album Cover: All digital tracks should be encoded with the album’s cover artwork. Keep in mind that people are visual and by doing this you can improve your overall sales.

Pricing

Establishing a price for your work can be challenging. While your music holds a lot of value to you because of all the hard work you have invested, overcharging for your tracks and albums can have a negative impact in your sales. As an indie artist looking to get established in the music market, it is important to follow the industry’s standard digital album and track pricing.

• Album: $9.99
• Tracks: $0.99 or $1.29

Don’t let search engine and business fails ruin your hard work! For more information on how to sell your music on iTunes, follow our SongCast Blog.