I recently had the opportunity to write about David Nevue’s excellent new solo piano CD, “A Delicate Joy.” While doing research for the article, I was interested to find that he is also a published author with a book entitled “How To Promote Your Music Successfully On The Internet.” Being an independent recording artist myself with five CD’s, this definitely caught my attention. After contacting him and receiving a copy of the book, I am glad to be able to pass along information about it.
Not that long ago, it was commonly believed that you pretty much had to have a record deal with a major label in order to get exposure for your music. The internet, however, has shifted that paradigm and the playing field is considerably more level, enabling independent musicians to promote themselves in ways that were inconceivable in the past. That said – how does one go about doing it? It’s not as simple as it sounds, and there are a myriad of possibilities, not to mention pitfalls, as well. Having read a fair amount on this topic over the past few years, I’d have to say that David’s book is about the best map I have come across for helping to navigate the complex currents of online promotion in the music business.
One of its most valuable features is that it is based on real-life experience. David was one of the pioneers when he began marketing his music on the internet way back in 1995. Although he only sold two CD’s online in his first year, he wasn’t deterred. He experienced success and failure as he experimented with different marketing strategies, and eventually got to the point where in 2010 he generated over $70,000 in income from the sale of his music online. He felt motivated to share what he had learned and in 1997, he published the first edition of this book. Since then, it has been updated numerous times, with the latest version being 2011.
The book is literally packed full of information and resources based on a proven track record, without any hype, theoretical ideas, or get rich quick schemes. It’s the real thing. According to David, “I’ve lived this book! Everything in it, every idea, suggestion, and strategy within its pages comes from my own life experience.” The book is comprehensive to say the least, with the hard copy containing 229 pages in 8”x10” format, while the PDF version is 208 full size pages.
There is such a multitude of topics covered in the book that a full listing would be beyond the scope of this article, however, an extremely abbreviated list would include chapters on, How To: build and optimize a website, place and distribute your music online, take credit cards, target your customers, write press releases, build a mailing list, get your music on podcasts and radio stations, create your own internet radio station, make the most out of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and social media, collect royalties, use advertising, distribute on sites like cdbaby, Amazon, and iTunes, as well as what NOT to do. There are also over twenty pages of music related resources and contact info, which are worth the price of the book alone, as well as four bonus articles in this latest version. In addition, I found quite a host of resources available on his website.
I am genuinely impressed by the wealth of information this book offers and am looking forward to putting it to work in my own marketing. I also appreciate the way David stands behind his product by offering a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied, and the fact that in all the years it’s been in publication with tens of thousands of sales, he’s only had four books returned. Part of the reason for the success of this book is that it is extremely user-friendly, well written, and easy to understand. My only wish is that I had been aware of it a few years ago. But I’m glad I found it now and am happy to give this book my highest recommendation.
