Trent Reznor’s advice to young artists…
“Forget thinking you are going to make any real money from record sales. Make your record cheaply (but great) and GIVE IT AWAY. As an artist you want as many people as possible to hear your work. Word of mouth is the only true marketing that matters.”
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s even more good advice here. This is not just good advice for musicians but for authors as well. (via Powazek)