This will maybe not be the nicest post I have done. Still it needs to be told.
I was on a talent competition a couple of years ago (read in the age of CD). We were hanging in the green room since I was part of the jury. In this jury was also an artist who has done quite much do it yourself releases. And the artist said:

– It’s really complicated to give out a record. All these forms from NCB (mechanical rights) and how the layout measurements and all you have to know.

– No it’s darn simple to give out music, the other guy in the jury said. You are just lazy not putting yourself into something that is written on the homepage quite easy.

And the room went silent. But it’s true. It’s not at all complicated to give out music. Sure one or two forms with the PRO and some info for uploading (and back then some measurements for the cover). And today it’s even easier to get things out.

Still that same question comes over and over again; it’s so hard to give out your music. And then the person only thinks about the recording process and filling out the formula at the digital distributor (which is usually very simplified if they go to an armature distributor, they should see the forms on the real ones).

If you think this part is hard and consume time, you should not give out music. Don’t release music if that is the case. Actually nowadays there is more information what to do than ever. And it’s not hard to understand or get a tutorial of. No it’s because that you are in the part that person in the jury talked about, lazy.

I usually check out with bands telling me that it’s hard how many internet courses they have paid for to find out how to market the product. Usually it’s zero money; occasionally they might have spent a small sum on something. Then I ask how much they spent on gear. Well that is usually ridiculous high and sometimes they have also spent a large sum of money in the studio and spent much money on a producer. And don’t get me going how much they paid for the damn video. But marketing, no.

It’s really not complicated. It’s just that you don’t want to pay for what you need.