Building Up Into a Crescendo of Successful Sales: How Two Brothers from a Small Town Sold Over 1 Million CDs Without a Major Label

Young recording artists often think being signed by a major label is the only surefire way to achieve success. But best-selling musicians Tim and Ryan ONeill of www.pianobrothers.com beg to differ. The ONeill Brothers have sold over one million CDs without a major label. Heres how theyve done it.

December 13, 2004 -- Sidestepping the route most musicians follow, two small town entrepreneurs have spun success for their own record label, Shamrock-n-Roll, Inc. Tim and Ryan ONeill, piano playing brothers from Minnesota, concentrated on distributing their CDs through retailers who cater to their key audience: women age 35 and older.

Selling a million CDs isnt as amazing as the path that took us there, says Ryan, who has provided music for NBC, ESPN, HBO television as well as performed live on QVC television and for former President George H. Bush.

Prelude to Success

The brothers got their start performing at family gatherings. Once Tim discovered that his mother had been distributing his recordings to family and friends, he decided to pursue business as a musician.

Expanding sales beyond just people I knew began to make sense, says Tim.

In 1995, Tim quickly found his audience doing holiday-themed performances at Minnesota grocery and department stores. Two years later, Tim teamed up with younger brother Ryan to start recording their brand of what the Los Angeles Times and Parenting magazine have called reflective, soothing and stimulating music.

To increase their number of performances the brothers converted in-store pianos into player pianos, then later created high-tech audio kiosks to play entire selections from their albums. Increased CD sales followed.

Today youll find their music in nearly 1,000 gift shops, grocery stores, and craft shows coast to coast. Some weekends during the fall craft show season, the ONeill Brothers sell a CD every 10 seconds.

They have recorded 20 albums, including holiday themed CDs, a collection of lullabies, Irish-themed albums, and a A Day to Remember, which has become the best-selling CD on theknot.com and weddingchannel.com. A Day to Remember will also be given to all brides registering during 2005 at any of the May Company Department Stores; Filene's, Foley's, Lord & Taylor, and Marshall Field's.

Its been a great journey to get past the million mark, says Tim, which just goes to prove that absolutely anybody can achieve success.

Even if they arent signed by a major label, listen to music from the The ONeill Brothers at www.PianoBrothers.com.

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