You can also add your free music to RouteNote and get your music onto Spotify and other streaming services for FREE

I can't think of any contemporary artist that doesn't give away *some* music free. Perhaps a more pertinent question might be: how much is the right amount?

James, the real question is not how much, but who decides.  Free can be a powerful marketing tool, but that choice must reside with the artist.

Nah, all that's rubbish.

Give away your music if it's worthless. Sell it if it's valuable.

Not really.

If you're an original composer of an instrumental/acoustic band, then maybe.  If you have digital instrumentation or work with heavy sampling/remixing, this is how you do it.

Giving away short bits & pieces is a good idea.

We are, after all, selling drugs.

But giving entire songs away is just plain silly. Unless they're worthless, of course...

Your opinion is just that, an opinion.  However, there are artists out there that thrive off of free content distribution.

Try a dude that goes by Pretty Lights.  His entire catalog is available on his site and over a 5 year stretch has gone from a late night dj to a major headliner, commanding a $40,000 gurantee or more.  

To say that his music sucks is fine but again, is only a singular opinion.  Clearly his music and branding is endearing enough to warrant him some serious cash from his loyal fanbase.

Think about it.  Free content has no correlation with "worthless".

We couldn't agree more with the premise of your title, Paul - only we'd change it to: "14 Reasons to Give Away Your Music and MUSIC VIDEOS for Free." 

HDAudioPlus created 16 gorgeous MTV-style music videos in-house as demos for our 320.48KHz "audiophile mp3" codec . We named the channel "The Greatest Show In The Universe"http://vimeo.com/channels/nobodydoesitbetter.

These aren't the standard YouTube variety shot with a cellphone in somebody's basement. They're true collector's items with audio to die for in 320.48KHz "audiophile mp3".

Judging by the sheer number of embeds and links running into the hundreds of thousands all over the planet, it's safe to say our little experiment sure got our name out there.

Now all that's missing is for the record labels to wake up to the fact that fans of Luis Miguel for example, have been clicking like mad, for months on our video to "buy" the respective albums - with nothing on the other end!

He-LOW... Awesome audio in video sells. Just because we're giving away the show for free doesn't mean the labels have to!

Paul, great list of reasons. 

I'd like to add one important suggestion: If you're going to give away music, make sure you follow up with the fans who accessed the download.  

It can be as simple as "Thank you" or you can use this as an attempt to monetize, for example "hey we're playing a gig in your area" or "would you like to buy our album"

This proves very effective, and we added auto-matic follow up to our promo tool, precisely for that reason.  

Oh no, not Prince again!

Prince has never, so far as I know, 'given an album away'. He released his album 20Ten as an enclosure with various newspapers. Although no official figures have been published, he was undoubtedly paid a large fee by the newspapers concerned.  In the UK, where it was bundled with the Daily Mirror, one of the largest-selling tabloids, it was rumored that he was paid half a million pounds.  That is not 'giving it away'.  Neither did the newspapers 'give it away'.  They charged customers the usual cover price, and gained an increase in circulation.  Whether the increase was sufficient to cover the cost of paying Prince is not known, but newspapers (in the UK at least) quite often include promotional items like CDs, DVDs, and paperback books, so presumably it makes commercial sense for them. The point is that the items are not 'given away':  they are bundled into a paid-for package.  This is fundamentally different from literally giving something away, in the hope of getting a return in some other way. 

Everyone is getting into the FREEMIUM Model with Apps as well as Music promotion. We are developing a SAMPLE style series of Apps for just that purpose, with 30 second "SWISHTONES*TM" to be created in the "IPADHARMONY*TM": -"Scientific interactive Music Palette Apps" Platform: Temp Web Link: -[ http://ipadharmony.yolasite.com ] which will connect with the "C-LebLabs*TM" Private Cloud: Temp Web Link: -[ http://cleblabs.weebly.com ] connecting to all Social Networks enabling Market Research for Labels or Bands. Yet the Apps can be used to make money for all users, or Post for Facebook credits, or Post just for FUN to your Friends and Fans. [ http://www.swishtones.com ] is the Domain for the "SWISHEST" of the creations to load into.

I have found that many unsigned or new/up-and-coming muscians feel like they are going to get rich by selling their music.  Unless they plan on selling out to major label, that's not even remotely true.

I've tried with all my might to explain that the real money comes from playing gigs/shows/concerts.  If the opposite were true, bands and artists would be coming out with 100's of songs a year rather than playing 100s of shows a year.

Giving away your music is a great way to get your name out there. People are much more likely to share, view, and/or listen to free. If you had to pay to retweet or like something on facebook, would you do it?

Most of these options, as someone already pointed out, don't really qualify as giving content for free. There are so many variables; what if you're not a performing artist. What about all the people behind the album? They also need to get paid. Your title for the post is not only sensationalist, but also an insult.

Giving away your music is a conspiracy perpetrated by the majors in order to drive the indy's into despai,r owing to the lack of funds required to sustain a music career, ultimately resulting in demoralization and the need to sell all of one's gear, to get a full time job and to leave marketing and the music industry to those that own it. :)

Well you could subscribe to the above or you could recognize that it depends on what you are marketing.  If it's a show performance then your music becomes the flyer and just might work.  If you are selling your music then you shouldn't be giving it away.  If you are giving it away then why would anyone be inclined to buy it.  It's like when "music file sharing" or Nabster came out.  Stealing music was all the rage and young people felt no remorse for doing it.  Those rich rock stars don't need the money anyway right?  So with the latter reasoning and commensurate character and integrity,  I'm not convinced of this groups purchasing power or consumer potential.  But in the end....what ever works for you.

I think your message looks like coming from the majors in order to protect their past ability of making a lot of money by selling albums and singles.

Well, I've got news for you. The game has changed.

According to many surveys (make a google search), around 70% of listeners download free music from the internet, and around 60% of listeners feel they shouldn't have to pay for music. I estimate that in a few years from now nobody will pay for CDs or music downloads.

If people are going to get your music for free anyway, then make sure they get it from you (the benefits are many).

Nowadays, artists have to generate new streams of revenue, and find alternative ways of making money from music. But that's another whole new topic.

"

6. It's a Great Way to Say 'F-U' to Your Label (and Get Dropped)."

Why is this a good thing? I want a good relationship with my labels.

- V

"8. It Can Drive Paid Purchasing.

Free often coincides with paid purchasing of the exact same content."

Correlation is not causation. 

Where is the proof that free actually leads to increased sales?

- V

"9. It Can Drive Premium Purchases.

Awareness can lead to higher-end buying, whether vinyl, premium bundles, concert tickets, or exclusive digital versions."

"Can lead"? Well, does it?
Again, where is the evidence?

- V 

"9. It Can Drive Premium Purchases.

Awareness can lead to higher-end buying, whether vinyl, premium bundles, concert tickets, or exclusive digital versions."

"Can lead"? Well, does it?
Again, where is the evidence?

- V 

"

12. It Stimulates Physical.

A vinyl purchase has value.  A vinyl purchase with a download code has greater value."

This point is made for the third time in this same list.

So the same concern: Where is the proof that free leads to more physical sales?

- V

I recently came across this article from Science Daily  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601102017.htm#.UJq5cJAEVBE  

A report to be published in the International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising reveals that longer, higher quality free music samples engage more listeners and reduce the number of free riders.

Since 2009 our subscription radio station Baroque 24/7, http://baroque247.com has offered  listeners a limited number of free feature-length download samples in full quality 320.48KHz.

Most if not all our subscribers decided to join after sampling our music first. The two magic words here are "limited" and"quality".

Those of you who remember the golden era of vinyl and 78's, will recall that record labels would often give away a track or two as freebies or give a track to the local radio station for free. But they were complete songs - not the truncated variety we see today.

That's the way music used  to be marketed in the "good old dayz." People got a full  length full quality track to try out. The public was happy and the labels were happy when those freebies generated album sales.

To date, we've never had a single instance of a rip-off from our site. When you give people quality, they appreciate it and don't mind paying for the full album. But when you give people second-rate trunctated "freebies"- they take it as an an insult . That's when you're setting yourself up for the rip-offs.

Paula Wertheim, Executive Director

HDAudioPlus- Baroque 24/7

http://hdaudioplus.com

http://baroque247.com