Click to see the charts
Ever since 2000, when the Brobdingnagian Bards first started charting on MP3.com, I have loved to see how my music would continue to chart on some scale. Charts are an important part of the music business. Billboard Top 100 determines what the most-popular songs are in the world in any given week. iTunes and Amazon have their own charts that show what people are buying. The higher you are on any of those charts, the more sales you earn.
That's why I run my Top the Charts events with each new album (more on that in a moment). If I can push an album into the top 20, the top and especially the #1 slot in the world, I will see not only a degree of prestige with eyes around the globe taking notice, even for a minute. But I will also earn more money from my sales.
Reverbnation has a Celtic chart that they run on their website. They started an exclusive chart a few years ago, breaking away from the World chart. The website is an extremely popular promotional tool for musicians especially because of the free mailing list services they offer.
In the past, you only saw indie Celtic groups on the charts, like me, or The Elders, Connemara Stone Company, Beer Belly, and such. There are a LOT of Celtic rock groups on the charts. There haven't been a lot of the Major Celtic groups on the charts… until recently.
Today, I found that both Clannad and The Irish Rovers, two chart topping groups, are now on the charts. That's cool to see. What's cooler is that both groups are lower on the charts than I am. Today, I am #2 behind The Elders, a great indie Celtic rock group.
Now I'm not naive. I know that this is probably a temporary thing. As more big named artists finally learn the guerrilla tactics that I've been using for over a decade that means it will become harder and harder to maintain that #1 or #2 spot on the charts. I also know that I'm not making nearly as many sales of my music as they are. It may be a long while, if ever, before I can breakthrough on the Billboard or iTunes or Amazon charts. But dang it, I'm gonna try.
Help America Top the Charts
On February 19, 2014, How America Saved Irish Music officially goes on sale. I need your help pushing it to the top of the charts on Amazon. Yes. Amazon.
Amazon has smaller music charts than iTunes. The music is also more universally available since they sell MP3s instead of iTunes proprietary format. And so…
I need your help. I want you to do the following on February 19th.
- Buy the single “Men of New Basin Canal”
- Complete your album by buying How America Saved Irish Music
- Tell your friends!
This album is an important tribute to the American influence on Irish music. More than that it celebrates the dispersed Irish people in America and around the world. It should be a firm part of your music collection.
If we work together and can top the Folk Charts on Amazon, then we might be able to push our way to the top of all the music charts on Amazon.
And you wanna hear something crazy. If we can top those charts, we might even be able to break into the Billboard Top 100. Yes. These charts are covered by Billboard Magazine too.
Maybe I'm dreaming. But then again, I've been living my dream of making a living with music for nine years. So a little dream can go a long way!
