Do The Math: Indie vs Major – A Rap Breakdown

By, Tony Guidry

A question for rappers…

Would you PERSONALLY give away 75,000 CD singles over a 100 day period in 75 cities in order to sell 7,500 iTunes album downloads, do 40 shows for $2,500???

This is the math for distributing the free single or sampler CD:

Below is the math behind the sales that the above legwork can generate when coupled with a consistent digital content release plan and social media promotional schedule. To add radio to the above plan would cost an additional $40-50,000, yet is still feasible once the numbers are evaluated.

So your time and a $57,250 investment stands to generate close to $175,000 – more than triple the money spent. As the artist in this example, all that’s required of you is to be hands on in passing out and placing the promo material. Whether it’s in a major city at a venue of…