Reply To: Strange Business Model
Although I'm no musician myself, I have a number of friends are, and I'm going to repeat the time-honoured, gigging.
It's used so often it's losing meaning. But it is a powerful aid. The live show means a lot of things, including getting in closer touch with the fanbase and generally developing more. Not too mention the merch sales at gigs.
More internet, radio and television promotions won't hurt.
My only other thought is more into the promotion and challenging the fan-base. Afterall, if a webcomic creator can get enough donations to quit his job for a year, I happen to think that you have a pretty good shot at making this work.
ED! knows that the more the fanbase grows, the more likely it is to seem like a viable living option.
Shameless self-promotion, into the art and webcomic community is also a good place to advertize.