How to make money on iTunes!
April 8, 2008
Our favorite help desk manager / lead singer, Shannon Barrett took some time out of his busy schedule this morning to show me how ANYONE can start making money on iTunes. I suggested that my musical chops weren’t up-to-speed, but Shannon told me it didn’t matter and explained this sure-fire way people without talent can make money on iTunes:
- Step One: Find an unsigned band’s album.
- Step Two: Scan the cover art.
- Step Three: Covert the music to ACC format.
- Step Four: Submit ACC files and cover art to iTunes.
- Step Five: Promote the album and start watching money roll in.
Wait a second, I thought, don’t you have to share the revenue with the artist? I remember hearing something about that on one of the blogs ~ i.e. that artist get pissed when you make money on their music without paying them too. Shannon set me straight; evidently on iTunes it isn’t terribly important who owns the music, simply who posted it first. Think of it like a domain name, whoever registers it first wins.
So can ANYONE releases someone else’s music on iTunes? According to Shannon Barrett, it seems as though this is the case. Why is this a big deal? Now that iTunes has overtaken Wal-Mart to become the top music seller in the U.S. it is a huge deal. Shannon and his band are now researching the ins-and-outs of the DCMA and will be sending a take down notice as soon as a) they can figure out how to do it and b) where to send it. Good luck guys!
