Well I don't know that it's THAT crazy...BUT...I have 27 songs recorded, almost everything I ever completed. My website is almost done, and I am NOT planning to produce a physical CD !
I will have a "Song Wall" with a picture that represents each song. The pics will all be hung on the wall with the song title under it...The user clicks on the song, and 1. the picture get large on the left side, 2. the lyrics automatically come in on the right side, and 3. the songs plays, giving three angles on the song at once.

The users can
1 Download any tune through CD baby digital (working on setting that up now)
2 Just listen to any of them
3 If they want a CD, I am going to let them CUSTOM order it !
12 songs for $10, 19 for $15 or all 27 for $20...My songs are really different from each other, so I figure this is the best way ! Maybe they'll really listen to choose their 12 favs! OR..maybe not ... lol...BUT this is the road I am choosing. I will just burn them a custom CD and mail it, all the info about the music is on the website.

I know that this decision depends on your goals...and I figure that if no one listens to my music, it won't go anywhere anyway, so I am just putting it all out there for listening. I hope I sell some downloads and CDs...but the most important thing to me is that I can reproduce live exactly what's there (it will only be me and guitar)...I hope to win people over with my quirky entertaining artistry, the depth of my lyrics, and the fact that my stuff is way different and unique. Barbara Cloyd told me at the last Pineyfest that I should invent my OWN genre and that's what I'm trying to do. What do you think? I ask now, because my website lady is just about to start putting everything together and if I am overlooking something, or if one of you have a great, relevant idea that you'd share with me, I'm all ears to my fellow JPFers!

Herbie, I think this is a great idea. Let me know how it goes. I've had the what-to-put-on-an-album problem, too, and you may just have hit on a solution.

I could see taking it one step further. If the customer wants a custom CD, could let 'em pick the artwork. Have one avatar for each song, say, and they could pick one from any song on the "album." Would be easy to do--it'd just take a little setup work in advance. (Ex-graphic design person speaking, there.)

It'd work out pretty cheap, both in time and materials. If you could do one to two dozen a day, you could be making a decent living.

Joe

Thanks Joe

Ya, it just feels like the right thing to do...I know too many people that have hundreds of "coasters" left over...these days, people may only want a couple of your tunes, what can you do? When we were kids, 45s were the rage ! Now it's come full circle?

Hey Herbie,

Great idea. Just make it all availble.

Since you have your own website, and not a part of a bunched music wesite, what would your strategy be for driving traffic in your direction ?

I've thought of doing something similar, but how do you get folks to visit ?

cheers, niteshift

Herbie you are a creative genuius and on to something. What a novel idea. Hope things work out real well for you!!!!

Search Engine Optimization or SEO. I'm no expert but I have been studying SEO for a year now.
The bottom line for SEO is Key words and inbound links to your site. You may call your site "Herbietunes" but no one will ever know of that name unless you add vital key words to the name and the text of your site, if not you will only remain in the far back pages of the search engines, unless someone types "Herbietunes" into the search box.
Here is a suggestion. Go to "Google key word tools". They have all of the key words that people used in searches from the past month, type in something like "acoustic music", "singer songwriter", "original music" etc. Find out how many searches were made for those key words or phrases in the last month. If it shows around 10,000 I would add those words to the title and content of the web site. For example "original music by Herbietunes" If it shows 100,000 or more searches than those key words are highly competitive and it could take years to get on page one.

The point is that you want to get search engine traffic from strangers. Your friends are only going to buy so much music if they buy at all.
The search engines also look for links pointing to your site. That gives your site authority and tells the search engines that other sites in your niche think enough of you to point a link to you. Make them hyperlinks. Blog roll is OK, but hyperlinks that are embedded in text have more juice, especially from high Page Rank sites with a PR of 3-10.
If you do this, you can find your site on or near page one for several search terms and get plenty of traffic in a few months. Your name alone will not get you there. I will leave a link to "Google Key word tool" below. Hopes this helps, Ben
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Hey Nite !
Bloody good to have ya stop by mate ! Hmm...driving traffic...well, it won't be my good looks ! ! LOL...I guess I had a "build it and they will come" when I started this...I'll figure that out ! ! Ben already had some good suggestions

Hi Lynnie !
Genius, ya right ! ! Hardly ! ! Thanks for stopping by and I am very happy that you think I'm onto something !

Herbie:

I think you've hit paydirt! Keep us posted about how it pans out. This is a fantastic idea. When you finally get things turning on all cylinders, you may want to consider supplementing your income by setting up more "songwalls" for other artists. I hope you'll give that some serious thought.

The real genius behind this plan is the part about letting the shopper pick and choose the song and playing order. Folks have been wanting that for as long as I can remember. Now... if you can figure out a way for them to throw in different artists into the mix... to break up the "tired ears" factor... that will really be a home run. Yep, you may soon be a wealthy man. Good luck on this fantastic idea. (You may even want to cut out the middle man.)

Dave

http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/DaveRice

Herbie
This is a great idea. You won't be the first to do it but you are joining a good club.
Ben Gave some good advice and your website designer should know this. Hyperlinks are real important as are keywords.
Search Engine Optimizing is also important. You will need to keep up on the maintenance of that.
A fun and exciting webpage will help. Keep it interesting and fun to navigate.
Your old Herbietunes site was fun.

Good luck with it Herbie.

Hi Herbie: Just came from your MYSpace page. Very interesting. You do have a unique style.

I am now in the process of preparing somethin similiar. I have an extensive catalogue of lyrics, which I am getting organized as I write newer material, and I am beginning to create sound files for them.

Listening to your production I was curious what you recorded on and where. Your sound quality is excellent IMO.

Well good luck on your endeavour.

Douglas

Hi Ben
Sorry I took so long to reply, busy day ! You have alot of good ideas and info there...my web designer always has tags and HTML even at the bottom of a flash page...the song wall will be completely flash. Your point about the search items is very good, but I think TAGGING all the songs and pics and the site does the trick for that, I don't think the name needs changing...The name has to be simple and easy. Thanks for your stop my floridian friend.

Hi Dave
Yes, I like the fact that they can pick their 12 songs alot, also ! ! Songwalls for other artists? Hmmm....never thought of that, but I suppose if mine is a hit, others will want to follow ! Wealthy man? I doubt it...

Bill !
Thanks for stopping in buddy ! The Song Wall will be fun and exciting...the profile wall will be informational with links to everything I could think of...well actually..hmmm...why don't I put it here and see what you think )or if you think I thought of everything that's relevant ! This "profile wall" will have some pics on it where we get put them in


Support Herbie as an artist ! ! There are SO many easy ways ! !

" at the top...then below it has buttons that say
>
1. SMILE when you think of Herbie or listen to his music ;-) Give him a hug next time you see him
>
2 sign his guest book (you can JUST sign and say hi OR if you leave your email, he will put you on his email list with news and performance info) the guest book is blue and takes you there
>
3 check out his myspace page which has his performing videos posted on the lower right (post a comment if you choose) the myspace page is blue and a click takes you there
>
> 4 friend him on facebook (facebook blue and takes you there)
>
> 5 view his pics Again, we will use myspace for this, I can just
put them there and self manage them …the pics is blue and takes you there
>
> 6 Purchase Herbietunes by download (click here will be a link to CD baby) download blue
>
> 7 Order a custom Herbietunes CD. (click here to one page explanation)
> CD blue
>
> Hello friends….Since there are 27 Herbietunes here, and people will
> like different ones, We have decided to let people pick out their
> favorites and order a custom CD ! From the Song Wall, choose 12 songs
> for $10…00 19 songs for $15.00 OR all 27 for $20.00. Just email the
> list of songs you have chosen to herbie@herbietunes.com
> <mailto:herbie@herbietunes.com> …. You can pay with a check OR through
> this Paypal account (they should be able to click on blue PAYPAL and
> go right there)
>
8 Listen to his "Herbietunes" (back to Song Wall)
>
9 Check out the huge list of cover tunes he can perform by three methods
(drop down with 1 YOU can sing (Herbie-oke)...subs from that one are about, pics, and songlist....2 Neil "Herbie" Diamond Show with music of me doing him that plays automatically when this is chosen, just one page that plays music.....and 3 HE can sing for you anything from this songlist (same as in Herbie-oke, just repeated there)
>
10 Hire him for a party or event, call him @847-452-8194 or email him herbie@herbietunes.com <mailto:herbie@herbietunes.com> to discuss
>
> 11 Contribute to his next recording project in advance through check or paypal (same as above)
>
> 12 Talk about “Herbietunes” to your friends and family so they can enjoy also ! Bring them to a show!

This page has very consistent navigation to get there and back...simple but everything I could think of...anything I missed? Anybody?

Hi Dude
The stuff you heard on myspace was done in my friends bedroom studio using protools MBox and a good mike...BUT...it's all two years old...I have rerecorded everything in a real studio now... the website will have the new stuff that will sound quite a bit better...so thank you for the compliment and the good wishes and I can't wait for it to come alive...and it really will be soon !
See if you think everything is there on the profile page, I don't wnat her to have to change anything later !

Hey...Herbie...It takes creativity...and you've got it!!!...
Good luck to you on this...and let us know when your site is ready!!...

best..to you this morning...
Kaley

Herbie...

Good show, my friend!!! But, from having spent part of a couple of summers with you in Nashville, I already knew you were a pretty crazy guy anyway.

I think this is a great approach. I'll be lloking forward to see how well it works. Best of luck!

Alan

Kaley !
I must be onto something because there weren't very many dots on your post ! ! Thanks for stopping and your good wishes

Alan
Thanks for the well wishes, I can't WAIT for it to be done...I looked the pics over again today, and I forgot how cool some of them are ! ! BIG hugs to you and Helen ! !