As technology advances, physical copies of CDs, books and even artwork are being replaced by their digital counterparts. More and more artists, authors and musicians are making their work available solely through digital downloads because of the dramatic reduction in overhead costs. Instead of funding a self-publishing project from your own pocket to provide a tangible product to sell, it might be better for you, as an independent creator, to make the move to digital products.

Digital Downloads Hosting Considerations

To offer your work as a download on purchase, you’ll need to choose the best hosting solution to suit your needs. Consider the several drawbacks and advantages to the various options before making this decision.

• Piracy – Illegal file sharing exists and affects independent creators more drastically than those with the backing of major corporate distribution deals. The service you choose to host your files can help prevent piracy or make it easier for those determined to obtain files they haven’t purchased.
• Bandwidth – Choosing to host your files directly through your website can have some far-reaching implications if you exceed your bandwidth allowance. Having a product so popular that your bandwidth is exceeded negatively affects your income because it will make your downloads temporarily unavailable to other users. Each sale lost during that period is one that you may never regain.
• Delivery – When you host an item intended for sale as a digital download, you must also arrange delivery of the file after each transaction is completed. Services like Payloadz.com offer hosting and content delivery, solving two online merchant concerns.
• Marketing and Promotions – Choosing your method for digital downloads hosting requires you to decide how to market and promote those items. Fair or not, some of the digital locker sites that offer free downloads as well as paid ones now bear the illegal download stigma. That can make it difficult to sell your legitimate, legal files if you turn to these services for your hosting and delivery needs.
• Purchasing Simplicity – Wherever you host your digital downloads, it’s essential that the process of purchasing and receiving those files after submitting a payment is simple and hassle-free. Customers can easily become discouraged before a transaction is complete if the process is too involved. This could cause you to lose a sale and a good word-of-mouth reference.

The method you choose for digital downloads hosting can dramatically affect your success as you begin to market and promote your product. Take your time to review all your options to ensure that you’re making the best choice for your business.

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