If it sounds easy, it's because it is. Strip away the layers of middlemen (and women) in the Pop Music industry and I am left with a larger chunk of the revenue produced by iTunes downloads of songs from my songbook "The Autobiography of Mick Star" http://www.mickeystar.com.
It might sound opportunistic at first but it is also a simple way to take advantage of the changing ways of Pop Music sales for the benefit of the songwriter and a very deserving cause. I am co-branding my songs with Zimbabwe relief efforts. In return, I giving 50% of the net proceeds to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)) to do what they do best. This 50% of net proceeds (and more) was gobbled up by the layers of middlemen (and women) before the fall of the record industry.
Here's how my business model works:
* On-line sales of $0.99 at iTunes yielded a $0.70 pre-tax earning for a record label.
* The record labels, on average, returned $0.15 to the artist.
* On-line distributors like Tunecore work directly with the singer/songwriter or band and eliminates the need for a record label.
* MP3 files get uploaded directly to on-line outlets (iTunes) and profits comes directly to the artist at $0.70 not $0.15.
* By pledging 50% of net profit to Doctors Without Borders, artists like me can make a difference in Zimbabwe.
* If one artist embraces this on-line marketing model, it's an interesting story.
* If artists collaborate worldwide and embrace this on-line marketing model, Doctors Without Borders and their humanitarian efforts in Zimbabwe can succeed.
Spread the word and help to shift the paradigms of Pop Music marketing for the benefit of Doctors Without Borders efforts in Zimbabwe. We can make a difference in Zimbabwe and the world, one iTunes download at a time.
---Mick Star
http://doctorswithoutborders.com
http://myspace.com/
