I was looking at it all wrong.
I thought it was YouTube vs. iTunes for music distribution. Wrong thinking.
Correct thinking: YouTube AND iTunes.
YouTube is your bait. You should be posting all your music there anyway. In high quality, for free. Add links to iTunes/Amazon for people that are converted. Don't rely on it. If you truly bat one out of the park, you'll be amply rewarded.
But don't get focused on stats. Focus on the art.
Yes, we still have to do some basic legwork, and we can't count on 'social media' to do it for us. It certainly helps maintain momentum, but it can't be the genesis of it. Unless you're in the train wreck business.
Stop releasing CD's and 'albums.'[1] It's indulgent, and nobody has time for filler anyway. Let the singles sink or swim on their own. When you've got ten great singles, THEN release an album.
Record a few covers. Licenses are cheap an it greatly increases your chances of new fans finding you.
In order to post your songs to YT, you'll need some basic video editing software that will create a title card for your tracks. Remember, this is the graphic displayed on one's phone while they're listening to your music.
But don't worry about your stats. Remember this: more people DON'T listen to music online than people who do. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how many people come out to your show.
[1] The only album you should be producing is one that's financed directly by fans/yourself. Kickstarter.com is a great place to get funding for such things.
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