Pirate Your Own Music

You may not want to do it but this is a guerilla marketing technique (an unconventional and free marketing technique). Face it, there are certain people who WILL NOT purchase music. If you don't upload your music to groups like limewire then you risk losing fans. Don't look at it as losing money by losing song sales. Instead look at it as gaining exposure and referrals. When these people download your music they are becoming your supporters. This means that they will likely start coming to your gigs and paying to see you at small and local concerts. Additionally they will REFER you to their friends, some of which will purchase your music legally. The bottom line is that if your music isn't on illegal download sites, it should be. Some people just will not purchase your music so you have to make sure they can still be your fans. In doing this there is also the possibility that you will make true fans of these people who are stealing your music. I had a friend who would only download music illegally. After a while he decided that for his favorite bands he would purchase their music because he wanted to support those groups that he loved most. This type of thing is not uncommon.

Remember that when you are starting out, publicity is the name of the game. Get the word out, even if it means that you aren't making money.