CD Baby’s 2011 Annual Stats [Infographic]

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February 8, 2012{ 21 Comments }

Growth remains strong in independent music!

2011 was a banner year for indie music releases, and we’re pleased that CD Baby has continued to be the leader in independent music distribution.  Click on the image to see the full size infographic of our key stats for 2011.

CDBaby 2011 Stats Infographic 339x650 CD Babys 2011 Annual Stats [Infographic]

 Sell your music on iTunes, Facebook, Amazon, Spotify, Rhapsody, CD Baby, and more!

Kevin Breuner's Author Bio

  • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

    That difference is probably due to a few things: 1) artists getting signed to label deals and having to pull their catalog from CD Baby 2) cancellations 3) and artists who were previously selling singles or an EP with material that eventually ends up on a full-length release (and when they sign up the full length, they deactivate the singles/EPs).

  • Thesoulphonics

    Congratulations CD Baby! You guys are great

    • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

      Thanks. You too!

  • Ozgunakay

    Congrats CDbaby. You rule =) Thanks for these awesome informations.

  • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

    Well, I can’t give out specifics or names, but I can say that yes,… those folks are earning a very nice living. I mean, they’re not as rich as oil tycoons, but they do ok for themselves.

    • Juliusthornton

      I am a cdbaby member and am grateful for ANY revenue I can get every month. Just curious to know if the major breadwinners are new acts or long time members and if you can divulge the info..what genres are they a part of…thanks!

      • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

        There is no consistency there either. Some are pop, some are folk, some are rock, some country, hip hop, etc. And they range from folks who’ve been with us for almost a decade to people who’ve only been with us for a year or two.

  • Anonymous

    That’s great news for CDbaby! my music is on CDbaby, i do wish i could have sold more, though. it would be helpful to know how to market music better.

    http://kiyomimusic.com

    • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

      Well, keep checking this blog for some marketing tips. And always feel free to ask us!

  • Zarninyunt

    My CD For your Tomorrow is only rehearsal CD.I need final recording.2 songs hot &got each 4 stars.Can you give me an advice?50%-50% policy,If I make a final recording,For Your Tomorrow CD will be hit song.

    • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

      I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you wondering whether to turn your demo into a proper recording? If you believe it has hit potential then I’d say go for it!

  • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

    Try to foster a cultural shift by:
    1) making music that is worth stealing
    2) clearly communicate to your fans how much time, talent, energy, and, yes, MONEY it takes to create and release music that is worth stealing
    3) ask them to be conscious of that fact in regards to all their music consumption
    4) give them many opportunities to monetarily reward you, not JUST for albums/downloads (CDs, vinyl, downloads, merch, crowdfunding, live shows, donations, etc.)
    5) don’t steal or “borrow” music yourself, and talk to every other music fan you know about how purchasing the actual product made you feel better. What made that purchase feel special?

  • Expersound

    wow! Cool!

  • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

    Averaging individual artist revenue is not particularly useful because not everyone is selling the same product; not everyone has the same ambitions for their musical pursuits; and not everyone has the same amount of fan engagement.

    We have artists selling thousands of albums a month and artists who go months at a time without any sale at all— and everything in between. But CD Baby is not doing better simply because artist submissions increased; our annual payout increased too.

    As for a decline in your own music sales, that would make sense if you’ve continued to sell the same music without new releases. Most artists’ sales see a sharp decline after the first 12-24 months of an album’s life. If you have put out new releases but sales have still declined, it might be fruitful to look at how those sales are trending (are CD sales down? are you losing download sales to free-streaming services like Spotify?). Are you playing as many or more shows as you were a few years ago? Anyway, all these questions are just to say it’s always good to see what factors contribute to a sales decline, and if you can adjust your approach to resemble what it was like when sales were better… do sales go back up?

  • http://www.youtube.com/dejayhard DJ Hard

    I like those statistics. I’m telling people about CD Baby and my instrumental album titled: I Got The Music Aint Got No Word by DJ Hard on CD Baby. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/DJHard

    • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

      Thanks, DJ!

  • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

    Hey Darren, I just emailed ya details.

  • http://eafloe.com/ Edgar Allen Floe®

    Been with CD Baby for several years now. They have ALWAYS been top-notch and looking out for the independent artist…I definitely consider them trailblazers!

  • eddie joe clark

    This is just another reason why im proud to have my music at cdbaby.com The helpfull topics and articles are always welcome on my pc.There arnt very many that i havent read.Thank you cd baby for blazing new roads for us indie artists. Thank you for a good last year and a very promising 2012
    eddie joe clark

    • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

      Thanks, EJC. Thanks to you, too.

  • http://members.cdbaby.com/ CD Baby

    Hey Errol, sorry for the delay here. I’m trying to hunt down this info. Surprisingly, pop isn’t at the top. I believe rock and country are up there at the top. Also surprisingly, jazz does very well too. But I’ll try to find the exact genre rankings by sales.