How Musicians and Independent Bands Can Use Square

Musicians need to sell a lot of stuff to stay afloat. CDs, t-shirts, and other merchandise are the lifeblood of our trade, but we've run into a serious problem in the last two decades or so: people aren't really carrying cash anymore.

I'm no different. Unless I'm going to a cash only establishment, I rarely take anything but a debit card with me when I leave the house. The problem is that there haven't been a lot of ways for musicians to charge the credit cards and debit cards of their fans without setting up expensive credit accounts, so we've missed out on a lot of easy sales.

Square is going to be the answer for a lot of professional and amateur musicians. There's nothing really close to Square out there right now--it charges credit cards a straight 2.75% fee. It operates through a simple app for the iPhone and iPad, and the real kicker is that the company that offers the service, SquareUp, gives a free credit card scanner that hooks into either of those devices for easy usage.

The closest alternative is probably CDBaby, which offers a credit card swiper that's manually operated, costs more than Square, and takes much longer (slips have to be sent in to a physical address to be charged). Square is a huge improvement that any musician can take advantage of to sell more products in an easy, secure way.

However, musicians should be careful to approach Square appropriately. It's a new technology, and while it works very well, there are some challenges that we'll have to overcome, most notably the security concerns of our fans.

Here's the thing: when you scan someone's credit card through your iPhone's earphone jack, the first thing that they're going to think is, "hey, that's pretty cool!" The second thing that they're going to think is, "that seems like it could be very easily abused," and they'd be right.

Musicians who want to use Square should be careful to introduce it to fans as a secure card reader and let them in on every aspect of the charge. Show them how much you're charging, how the program works, and explain that you can't bring up their card information after it has been securely transferred to Square via your 3G or WiFi connection.

It's also important to present yourself as professionally as possible when taking fan orders via Square. Professionalism is remarkably important in the music industry, so look organized and keep your merchandise in an easy-to-approach display. This will increase the potential customers' confidence and make it easier for them to decide to use a credit card to pick up a CD or other product.

Every musician should look into Square, as it's exceptional technology at an unbelievable price. The rate is really good, the tool itself works--and it's free, by the way--and setting up a Square account is remarkably simple.

With the right presentation, Square can change the way that musicians do business. It's an exciting technology, it's easy to use, and it's free. If you play music and you sell products, order Square right away.

Are you in a band? Solo musician? What do you think of Square credit card processing? Post below.