Quote:

Think about it, gigs are where the money is nowadays!



I will give you that, but I offer this.

Your formula looks nice if you have gigs in 104 different places over that year and you dazzle 25 people at each of those gigs and they buy a CD. Where I live is a circuit of about a dozen rooms. Of those dozen rooms, you are at least "strongly discouraged", if not flat out forbidden, to play original music. The places where original acts are welcomed don't typically seat a lot of people, and those artists typically play to the same 30 faces every gig. Who will buy those 25 CDs? How many copies of that same CD do you think that group of 30 followers are going to buy? Unless you are going to waste weeks making a CD of other people's music and paying THEM royalties for your time.....

I don't know where you are, but "mate" makes me think Australia or England. The scene may be different there. Where I live, most of the bands who work a lot are players who play in 3-4 bands at a time, playing 100% cover, never with the same people twice in a row, and never really in a "band" in the definition of "players who work together toward a common goal". The handful of people who play original music are mostly solo artists, and again, they develop a following and see the same faces every gig, and once you have "the CD".... again, how many copies are they going to buy of the same CD? Unless you have a new CD ready every gig.....

The numbers are fine in theory, but unless you have product available for sale to the masses, that theory is theory only. "Bob" in Milwaukee or Detroit or Cleveland or Pittsburgh may sell a handful of CDs at his gigs, but nobody in Oregon or New Mexico knows who "Bob" is, and until he starts selling in Oregon and New Mexico.... you get what I am saying? Unless your CD is "released" (there is that semantics thing coming into play again - how do you define "released?") 50 states minus your home area don't know who you are.

Keep in mind also that "happening" varies from town to town. The northeast Ohio area used to be AWESOME. It is 20% of what it used to be. People don't have money to go out. I have a large number of friends who still play from back in the years that I did. I rarely go see them. Why? They are playing the same music they played then. I am not about to pay $5 at the door to visit with someone who I bowled with or played golf with for years. I'd rather visit them at home for free and there is no "gotta get back on stage" involved. I won't pay a cover charge to see ANY copy band.

But on topic, if you really don't have the avenues to be national (or even international) by all means sell your CDs and get paid for your hard work writing and recording. My only point is that selling CDs you made yourself in your basement is not, in my personal definition, my opinion, "releasing" anything.

I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.

1. How much did you make in 2023?
2. Send it to us.