**Guest post written by Joy Ike, creator of Grassrootsy.com and Independent Musician, as featured on Grassrootsy.com.

"ARTIST: Jefrey Siler (NYC)

QUESTION: My name is Jefrey, writing from NYC. Hope you're well, I came across your stuff from the Seeds of Music podcast. Really interesting, lots of insight. Just wanted to ask a quick question - do you consistently see results with the direct to fan marketing with getting emails-for-mp3’s via a squeeze page? I’m about to launch a kids album and figuring how best to jump in.

ANSWER: Hi Jefrey, this is a great question. Getting emails in exchange for a free song is one of the most popular methods for building an audience via the internet. It’s an idea that was made popular by Noisetrade and has been adopted by Bandcamp and several other music platforms. But does it really work? Well…yes and no. It probably depends on the song and the person who’s downloading it. Is the song good? Do listeners actually want to be on your newsletter or do they just want a free tune? Will they be pleasantly surprised by the song and become a fan for life? Or will they hate the song and unsubscribe shortly thereafter? Ooor will they unsubscribe simply because they never planned to stay on the list anyhow?

+The Bribe to Subscribe: Bands and E-mails

The Problem

Noisetrade is great…in theory. We sing its praises because a lot of wonderful musicians have gotten excellent exposure, incoming traffic to their websites, and have gained die hard fans. But the problem is, you still have a huge percentage of Noisetrade users who strategically unsubscribe from mailing lists after they’ve gotten their free song. It’s annoying. But Noisetrade isnt the problem. The real problem is saturation.

The market is over-saturated. Everyone is giving away free music these days. Literally eeeeveryone. You don’t have to search hard to get a free song from an artist…or even a free album. This inevitably results in the devaluing of music. The average person in the 21st century just doesnt appreciate a song or an album as much as the average person did 20 years ago. Simple Economics – the law of supply and demand.

+10 Steps to Selling Tons More Tickets, Music, and Merchandise

The Answer

We’re not saying you should scrap the idea of online email capturing. Just be prepared for people to fall off. But most importantly, offer your best song! Fans are more likely to stick around when they like what they hear. And remember, it’s not just about the song, but also the quality of the recording.

We also suggest focusing equally on your live show email capturing. People who hear you and sign up for your mailing list at a live show are much more likely to stay committed and follow your career.

But at the end of the day, you never know who will visit your website or how they got there. Whether they found you through Facebook, Twitter, a YouTube Video, or a weird search phrase on Google, you owe it to yourself to retain that fan by way of email capturing!

Go for it and let us know how it goes!

p.s. use YMLP! We highly suggest them as your mailing list provider!"

Related Blog Posts:

+33 Gig Promotion Strategies (And Which Ones Actually Work!) - Part 2

+The Tools of Music Fan Engagement [Part 2]: Newsletters

+How to Promote Your Shows