How One Artist Used the Internet to Sell 12,000 CDs and Quit His Day Job
- 20somethingmedia
- Nov 23, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 17, 2024
We can all learn a lot from John Taglieri, a singer/songwriter from New Jersey who in five short years transformed himself from being a frustrated musician with a day job to being a full-time, one-man success story in the wired world.
“I spent a lot of time early in my career chasing down a dream that I thought was always just beyond my reach,” Taglieri says of his years in the bar band trenches. “I had burned out on the original scene and needed a break.” After a couple of years, though, the itch to create music returned. “Only this time, I wanted it my way.”
Taglieri went the do-it-yourself route and recorded a solo CD, called Leap of Faith. “The CD, aptly titled, was my leap of faith to see if I could really make it in the business,” he says.
Results: Since the release of that CD, Taglieri has sold about 12,000 units, toured, performed at music conferences, landed several major sponsors, was signed to one international label and then started his own indie label, Leap Dog Music. He also has investors paying for his next album and upcoming tour. How did he come so far so quickly?
Searching for the right avenue
“When I released the CD, I took out ads in the local papers, got the CD in all the major local stores on consignment, and tried my hardest to promote it,” he explains. “I did all the traditional methods of promotion.”
Taglieri then landed an appearance on WPLJ’s “Scott & Todd Show,” one of the biggest morning radio shows in New York. Sales went through the roof that week, with almost all of the stores selling out of their stock. But as his appearance on the show faded into memory, so did the sales.
“The problem was, I couldn’t figure out how to keep it going,” he says. “As a solo artist, I had no band to go and book clubs with, so touring was not an option at that point.”
Then the ambitious musician did something that proved to be a turning point: He got on his home computer and dove into the internet. Once he realised the potential that sat at his fingertips, there was no stopping him.
“The internet has created a whole new world out there for singer/songwriters, bands and musicians in general. What I learned over the next 18 months, and have continued to learn in the years since, is just how valuable the internet can be.”
Taglieri’s approach to cyber promotion is fairly simple. He explains: “I’m a pop-rock songwriter. My music has been compared to everything from Journey and Bon Jovi to Edwin McCain and Train. It has a 1980s style with a newer rock feel. So I started searching the web for any sites that catered to my type of music. I got listed on some of the generic music web sites, but I felt the genre-specific sites offered a better chance of getting exposure and good reviews.”
Important lesson: Focus on sites that cater to your style of music. You’ll never be all things to all people, so spend your limited time concentrating on sites where you have the best chance of connecting with an audience.
“I would find one website for my type of music and contact them about the possibility of a review, then go to their links page and go to every site on that page. I kept up this routine for every site I went to,” he says. “For every one I visited, I wound up on 25 more, which led me to 75 more. Before long, I had made contact with dozens of music website owners who were willing to mention me or do a review.”
Time-released success
Progress was slow at first, but things began to pick up steam. “Within a few months, the ball was rolling. The first few reviews came out and were very positive. This opened the door to other sites that were reluctant to let me in. Once they saw me getting good reviews, they were willing to give it a try.”
Taglieri spent from six to eight hours a day on the internet while working a full-time job. When he wasn’t at work, he was on the net promoting his music. Over a 12-month period, he racked up more than 50 reviews. He attributes his success to putting in the time, being pleasantly persistent, and having patience and determination.
I’ve long advocated Taglieri’s personal, one-on-one approach. Even against the backdrop of today’s quick-fix era, this time-honoured philosophy still pays dividends. I encourage you to start a simple database of websites (and the specific human contacts at each one) that are dedicated to your style of music.
How to start your online search
Here are a list of music directories where you can begin your search. Of course, as Taglieri will tell, it takes time and commitment to make it work.
Google – Music Directories
Yahoo! – Music Web Directories
MusicDish Genome Project
Music Business Solutions: Resource Directory
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