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# How Jonathan Coulton Became An Internet Rock Star On The Cheap
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/how-jonathan-coulton-became-an-internet-rock-star-on-the-cheap/
- Published: 2009-02-04T06:13:00.000Z
- Updated: 2009-02-04T06:13:00.000Z
- Description: Jonathan Coulton quit his programming job in 2005 to become a full-time musician. He's met with some tangible success and this month shared his budget conscious approach in, of all. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/02/how-jonathan-coulton-became-an-internet-rock-star-on-the-che
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, Indie Music, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 11:03

[Jonathan Coulton](http://jonathancoulton.com/?ref=hypebot.com) quit his programming job in 2005 to become a full-time musician. He's met with some tangible success and this month shared his budget conscious approach in, of all places, [Popular Science](http://www.popsci.com/node/31681?page=&ref=hypebot.com). Here are the highlights:

- [![Jonathan Coulton](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20105370bd0de970b-200wi)](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20105370bd0de970b-pi?ref=hypebot.com)  
"…you've got a more advanced recording studio in your laptop than the Beatles had when they made Sgt. Pepper's, so record your music yourself."
- "Skip the cookie-cutter MySpace stuff and get a full-fledged content-management system like WordPress or Drupal, which will allow you to build your empire as you go: a blog, forums, photos, videos — all in one place that you control."
- "If you don't know HTML or PHP, find a sucker. . . er, a fan to build it for you."
- "Create merchandise on demand with CafePress, Spreadshirt or Zazzle to avoid buying boxes of T-shirts that'll sit in your basement."
- "..for $4 each, CD Baby will store, sell, and ship your discs. It will also push your music to digital outlets like iTunes and Amazon MP3."
- "…use eventful.com, which lets people request a show in their town. Why slog from city to city in an old van unless you know you're going to sell some tickets?"
- "Promote yourself on Twitter, broadcast live shows on Ustream"
- "Send out a million pieces of yourself to interact with potential fans. If they're out there, they'll find you — and hopefully sometime after that, give you money."