I don’t usually put press releases up here, but this is something I believe in, and it’s good news for music and musicians!

CD Baby is an independant on-line store selling CD’s directly from independant music artists.
There are no distributors involved, the musicians send their CD’s to CD Baby and they sell direct to the public.

They’ve just announced that they’ve now payed over US$10 million to artists from the sales of their CD’s as well as from their deals with people like Apple’s iTunes.

While record labels are blaming piracy for a lack of sales, music sold through CD Baby has almost doubled every year for the past six years. “It’s easier than ever for music fans to find great non-mainstream music,” says CD Baby founder Derek Sivers. “So what’s reported as a sales decline for a huge pop star is actually a sales boost for the less-famous but more-talented musicians of the world. We sell thousands of CDs a day by artists you’ve never heard, but will love when you do.”

Their “about” page says:

Current Numbers:

• 74,654 artists sell their CD at CD Baby.
• 1,254,336 CDs sold online to customers.
• $10,047,762.14 paid to artists.

All pretty impressive!

Donna has her CD “Nobody Nowhere” with them. They’re nice friendly people who are doing the right thing by making it simple for independant artists to sell direct to the public.

Read on for the press release.

Press Release

CD Baby pays $10 million to musicians for CDs sold

Independent online music retailer CD Baby has now paid over $10 million directly to musicians for CDs sold worldwide through their online store at cdbaby.com.

CD Baby’s easy consignment system has given every musician access to worldwide sales and distribution, without having to sign away their music to a record label.
While record labels are blaming piracy for a lack of sales, music sold through CD Baby has almost doubled every year for the past six years.

“It’s easier than ever for music fans to find great non-mainstream music,” says CD Baby founder Derek Sivers. “So what’s reported as a sales decline for a huge pop star is actually a sales boost for the
less-famous but more-talented musicians of the world. We sell thousands of CDs a day by artists you’ve never heard, but will love when you do.”

Now, as one of the primary suppliers of music to digital download services such as Apple iTunes, MSN Music, Napster, Rhapsody, SonyConnect, MusicMatch, and more, CD Baby is helping artists everywhere get their music out into even wider distribution.
CD Baby has been a launching pad for later-famous acts such as O.A.R., Jack Johnson and Gary Jules. Other already-famous artists such as Thomas Dolby, George Clinton, Grant-Lee Phillips, and Beach Boy Al Jardine have chosen to use CD Baby’s unique distributionservice to release smaller projects directly to their fans.

CD Baby now represents over 75,000 artists and labels, making them the largest seller of independent music on the web.

For more information, interview requests, etc., please contact Alex Steininger at CD Baby alex@cdbaby.com or 503-595-3000.
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About CD Baby:

CD Baby handles online sales and distribution for independent artists and labels. Founder and musician Derek Sivers was selling his own CD online in 1998, and as a hobby offered to let a few friends use his
system. Friends told friends and now over 75,000 artists sell their music through CD Baby, making it the largest seller of independent music on the web. CD Baby has sold over one million CDs sold to customers worldwide, and paid over $10 million directly to the musicians. CD Baby’s Digital Distribution program has deals with all major digital outlets such as Apple iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Napster, and Sony Connect, making CD Baby one of the leaders in the aggregation of digital content. For more information visit www.cdbaby.com.