Hi @happyme I'm glad it was helpful!
I don't think its about paying some money to transcribe two tunes, or even about any number of tunes. It's more important to think about projecting what you are setting out to achieve as an artist into a compelling story you can tell well and connect your fans to.
If you can get twenty people to a gig and it's really special and intimate for them they'll be queue-ing up to buy a physical CD if you have one and you'll shift more than in a record store. (and keep those profits even if small). But that takes time and a number of steps, whereas you can start on Steemit straight away with a blog about your journey and people are hungry to see that. All that takes is some time to sit down and really think out your story you want to tell and engage people with.
Artists make next to nothing from sales until they connect with the right fans. The thing about Steemit is you are in the right place. Everyone here is real and is connecting for real.
People who become interested in you enough to become genuine fans are there because they are interested in your journey and your story above anything else. You'd probably make more money (and definitely would get followers) by making an endearing set of you-tube films about trying to get your vinyl transcribed than you would in sales at the beginning.
Everyone has a story. You just have to commit to it and things will start and that will be the source of where your future sales will come. The beginning of your story, the Origin story, is actually proven scientifically to be the most compelling. That's why a lot of artists have traditionally re-invented themselves every year as a new persona. People absolutely love and connect with your origin story so you could start with that.
I'm sorry to have given you the wrong impression. I am not an artist. I am the producer. The artist sold approximately 200 singles off stage, but never really pushed the sales, so I'm left with the bulk of records. No CD's were ever made, just the vinyl records.