The main goal of an independent musician is getting the music out there. There is nothing more lethal to an artist of any sort than obscurity. It does not matter if you are the best thing to happen to music since Wolfgang Amadeus, Beethoven or Jimi Hendrix if there is nobody out there listening to you. Fortunately, the Internet has made it a lot easier for independent musicians. It is entirely possible for an indie musician to not only get their music heard, but to actually make a living from it, something that artists like Jonathan Coulton have proved. But in order to do so, you have to get your music distributed.

This is where you hit the downside of the Internet. Because it has made everything so much easier, you now have to work even harder to get your voice heard above the crowd, since everybody and their brother thinks they have got the new sound that will rock the world. You can rise above the crowd. All it takes is some canny marketing and making the best use of your time and energy. Every musician has an audience, you just have to go out there and find it.

First and foremost, you need to remember that all the people out there downloading music are not your enemy. They are, in fact, your potential audience and, if you use the download sites correctly, your best friend. This is one of the most efficient ways of getting your music distributed.

So the very first thing you should do is to make sure that your music gets on the download sites and social media networks such as Facebook and MySpace. You then need to make sure your music is available on paid download sites, of which iTunes is the big one. This way, if people like your music and want to get more of it, it will be easy for them to do so.

The next step should be to try and get your music available on Internet radio services like Spotify. Again, this will not make you much, if any, money but it will get your music out there. Likewise, put up some performance videos on YouTube and then link to your other online sites so viewers can buy your music.

All of this should be done in conjunction with aggressive offline tactics including distribution of CDs and download cards at your gigs and through your website. The best way to take advantage of CD sales is to make sure that you are offering them something that they cannot easily get in digital form. Consider adding bonus live versions of songs or maybe some nifty stickers with the CD.

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