DJ Shadow - online and real world promotion tips

Brilliant article from Hypebot that gets the in-depth lowdown from DJ Shadow's 'Project, Marketing and Merchandise Manager' on how they work offline and online music promotion.

It ranges from street teams, free badges and old school email sign-ups to a super innovative license back scheme from his label to allow on-artist site digital download sales. Very tricky to get your major label to buy into that!

Essential read.

I am almost at the 5 year mark in working for Shadow, and the web and merchandise business has changed drastically in that time.  Through the years, we have had to remain aware and nimble.  I think we have done a great job at staying on the cutting edge of the web and merchandise space, and Shadow is ALWAYS on the cutting edge of music.  My job is a 10-7 sort of gig most of the year (with the exception of the occasional sleepless night before a launch), but about once a year, I am asked to come along for a tour.  In the past, I have managed the website remotely, run the merchandise, and assisted Shadow and the tour manager with any extra help with organization or logistics.  This time, I am handling the same tasks, but we are taking it to a new level with the marketing push and the website involvement.  Here is what we have lined up:

Get the full tips here.

Using SEO Backlinks to help get your music found

I am a bit of an SEO junkie and would love to find the time to instruct musicians in the basics of this dark art for their band website.

I will try!

But this article teaches the basic concept of using keyword text in the links that point to the stuff that you want people to find.

Did you know that the hyperlinks you create can boost your search engine ranking and improve your web presence? It’s true! Using relevant link text when you link back to your website, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc. will boost and broaden the search ranking of the page you are linking to. These keyword-studded “backlinks” will make it easier for your fans to find your web pages in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing because these pages will rank better in search results. And it only takes a few seconds to turn a boring “click here” link into a search engine optimized one.

Read it here.

Record label vs Indie Release - where the cash at?

Great Graphic courtesy of CrudBump.

The stats tell you all you need to know about the monetary advantage of being a diy musician.

Seth Godin and spreading ideas

Can't believe that I haven't ever linked to a Seth Godin post before!

If you don't know who he is, start with his seminal book on Tribes - how to build a following and engage with them. It's seen as a key text and applies directly to musicians - Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

This post talks about why people spread the word about you in 20 bullet points - clearly a key element of music promotion. Here's the first few:

I spread your idea because...

- it makes me feel generous...

- I feel smart alerting others to what I discovered...

- I care about the outcome and want you (the creator of the idea) to succeed.

Read them all here.

4 ways a band can make cash without a deal

Brilliant post from Mashable that you shouldn't miss, covering 4 ways that the diy musician can make a few bucks from online services whether you have a record deal or not.

One of the 4, Indaba, I had heard about but not really looked at - I will do now.

We see you out there — the future musicians of the world, pouring coffee, mixing drinks, designing websites for shifty moving companies, all the while dreaming of making it big: signing to a label, cutting a record, reaping the benefits that only a throng of gaping groupies can herald.

While not all of you will make the proverbial “Big Time” — we can’t all be Lady Gaga, nor should we strive to be — that doesn’t mean that you can’t reap some monetary benefits for your musical labor.

Read the tips at Mashable.

5 tips for independent musicians

A bit of an old video, shot and posted by Andrew Dubber - who knows what he's talking about.

Martin Atkins has seen and done it all and knows more than most about music marketing - from both sides of the fence, as both a working artist, and a respected expert.

Watch the video and learn.

Martin Atkins from Andrew Dubber on Vimeo.

40 tips for musicians from CMJ panels

If you are working to build your fanbase using every tool at your disposal then these tips from the panellists at last week's CMJ conference are going to give you an edge.

Collated by the folks at Digital Music News, it's full of great ideas - some you'll know and some will be new.

After a long week in New York, we strongly questioned whether CMJ was actually helping artists by simply doling out endless DIY marketing tips. But the tips themselves were often quite good, though the real question is whether it makes any sense to be a full-time marketing specialist and musician at the same time.       

Anyway, alongside that debate many just wanted to review the tips and judge for themselves. And, not just artists, but also managers, indie labels, consultants, and lawyers. So, here are 40 that we wrote down - which really is just a fraction of the overall stream of information from last week. And, this goes beyond DIY and into highly-related areas like publishing and music supervision. Enjoy.

Read all 40 tips here.

Can SoundOut spot if you have a hit?

I've talked about the need for artists to get honest feedback on the quality of their material before - so that you can improve where necessary! Anything that helps you improve when writing songs has to be good.

I've also recommended SoundOut as a way to test your material with real live listeners - so it's great to see this review of the service.

It seems to come out in favour of it with some caveats - for example I never really realised that, in truth, your material will most likely be reviewed exclusively by other musicians.

Read the whole piece and the lengthy comments - especially from SoundOut themselves.

Too much social media?

This video makes a point that is very close to my heart - you can spend as long as you like on online music promotion, but if you forgot to learn how to be any good it won't get you anywhere!

I do this for a living and I don't know some of these sites!

MySpace unveils long awaitied redesign

So, MySpace finally launches their (final?) attempt to stay relevant.

What does this mean for musicians?

I have long held that, despite it's dwindling power, MySpace is an absolutely essential part of how you should promote music online.

It remains a destination where fans and all types of industry folk will naturally head to check you out - they understand the format and know what to expect and can make a very fast subliminal judgement.

Although the new artist pages are already out in Beta, there is more to come.

Read this article in Music Week for more info.

Watch their own video on MySpace.

2010 Social Networking Map

This idea was originated by XKCD in 2007 but this is a 2010 update inspired by the original.

Not just useful for musicians but for everyone using social media to promote their wares.

Just by looking at the size of Facebook in comparison to the other sites is enough to make you realise that facebook music marketing is where you should concentrate your onloine effoirts.

It's aamazing to see how much it has grown since the 2007 version.

Oh, and it's just a cool map too!

Flowtown - Social Media Marketing Application

10 truths about the future of music

The music industry is changing at an unprecedented rate and it's often difficult to work out what the future of music will be.

Those at the forefront of the change should get a hearing though - like Jason Feinberg.

I've been covering the digital music business for MediaShift for more than 18 months, and in that time I've chronicled new services and examined key trends and news. Below is a look at 10 things that I've come to believe are true about the modern music business.

Read his 10 truths here.

Imogen Heap does it - you can too

Imogen Heap epitomises the future of music. Self funded, web 2.0 everything, fan friendly etc.

This interview may not tell you anything new about her and the way that she engages with her fans but her holistic approach to her music and her fans is well worth your study.

When the singer-songwriter Imogen Heap heard last December that she had been nominated for two Grammy awards, her very first thought was, 'What am I going to wear?' Heap, 32, who had been nominated for the Best Engineered Album Grammy (as well as Best Pop Instru-mental) wanted an outfit that would capture the LED lights of the studio that she had built in her childhood home in rural Essex to record her third solo album, Ellipse.

Not only that, she wanted a creation that would involve her fan base, with whom she was in contact during the making of the record via fortnightly video blogs from her home and frequent tweets (Heap has nearly 1.5 million followers on Twitter).

So she asked Moritz Waldemeyer (a British-German designer and engineer who has worked with Zaha Hadid) to construct an elliptical collar for her dress, around which messages sent to the dress's Twitter account scrolled in LED lights throughout the evening. She accessorised with a see-through Fendi handbag containing an iPod Touch that was constantly uploaded with images sent by fans, plus a transparent biodegradable parasol (just because).

Read the whole article here.

Engage your fans - how Nimbit can help

Nimbit is a great direct to fan platform that allows you to deal with all the tasks that come with selling your music on your own.

Watch this video from the Nimbit co-founder Phil Antoniades where he covers some of the topics that you need to be thinking about as a diy artists - from deluxe packages to free promo codes.

I rate Nimbit - check it out - Sign up to Nimbit.

Film it all - get 3 Flip Cams!

YouTube is the unsung champion of the diy musician.

If I had to give one piece of advice to artists who were looking for the best way to promote their band, it would be to get very, very active on YouTube. The returns can be huge.

And what do you need to do to get content on the Tube? You need to film it and edit it.

Here's the deal:  I think you should have at least 3 of these cameras in your gig bag.  And don't worry, they aren't uber expensive.  With one gig's worth of cash you should be able to to grab a small bundle of them as even the HD ones hover around $150 each.

Yep, I just double checked.  Three flip cams = $450.

Lifetime of marketing return.  Seriously. 

Read this article for tips.

You can get the latest third generation models here on Amazon - a bit more than $150 each but makes sense to get the latest version

Hit songs and how to write them by Ryan Tedder

Ryan Tedder - he knows a thing or two about hits and this article is his best tips on songwriting.

When a pro is giving his insight on hooks, lyrics and structure, you should take note.

What do you think makes a good hook? Simplicity. I don't know if this is the right word: memorability. A simple concept: simple melody and one that I think packs an emotional punch. And the other element would be a basic human concept and you need to say it in a way that hasn't been said before.

Read his tips here.

What it takes to succeed in music

Our site aims to tell you what you need to do to make it in music and I'm proud that we spend a lot of our time advising that you need to be good before you start marketing - a step that many people dishing out advice to musicians forget to address!

Songs need to be great, and you and your band need to have developed some skills and persona.

This article looks at all the varied advice that Suzanne Lainson has come across in her time and serves as a timely reminder that there is a LOT to think about - but, fundamentally, seek your counsel wisely and make sure that you spend the majority of your time on your art.

Being good is where it starts - without that everything else is pointless.

There are a lot of people who will tell you what you need to do to succeed in (or at least making a living at) music.

Unfortunately, people are recommending all sorts of strategies, some of it conflicting.

I decided to make a list of many of the suggestions I've read.

Read the article here.

Touring and career development

I believe that touring is essential to help build your fanbase.

This video on Artist's House sets out a seemingly simple path of gathering fans, playing clubs and growing in a series of steps to world tours and a mega-agent.

It's interesting and kind of how it is - but would that it was so easy for every artist!

Watch the video here.

How to post a perfect press kit on your artist site

Can't knock Ariel and what she does at Cyber PR. This is a great post that deals with a key element that you should have on your band website - a high quality press kit.

I'll leave it to her:

I’m often amazed when I go to an artist’s website, and I look around, and I’m trying to find basic press information and I can’t.

It seems that in the age of Twitter, Facebook, and Facebook Fan pages, and constantly focusing on your two-way conversations, we’ve forgotten the important basics.

Read the key post here.

Other ways that a diy musician can support their career

Following on from the previous post, what if your life as a diy artist, just isn't quite covering the bills?

Well, maybe some of these ideas will help make ends meet and keep you solidly 'in the game' and making new connections all the time to boot.

As it becomes more evident that the new music industry will in no way resemble the construct of the past, many musicians are left trying to figure out how they can create a sustainable, or even lucrative career in music. Although album sales are on the decline, there is no decline in alternative jobs for musicians.

Read the ideas here.

More musicians making money

This article on Hypebot has postitive implications for the diy musician.

If it's true, as Tunecore's video claims, then more and more self reliant artists will be able to survive in the new music economy.

Read the article here

And watch the video.

 

10 things to do to book more live shows

Great to do list for the live element of your efforts to build your fanbase.

Photo by Môsieur J. [version 4.0b]]

I particularly agree with the bonus tip! As you know, I advocate email list building as the number one non-music-making task facing you and your band.

BONUS TIP! Everywhere you go, wherever you play, whomever you talk to about your band… collect as many e-mail addresses as you can. E-mail is still one of the best ways to communicate directly with your fan base, and develop long-lasting relationships.

Read the piece here.

5 must read music marketing blogs

James Chatman - you made a mistake!

These are indeed 5 great music marketing blogs and everyone should know them and review them regularly.

James says:

The internet is cluttered with blogs on a plethora of topics. Good blogs are wonderful sources of information and are regularly updated with insightful and enlightening content. Unfortunately though, good blogs are sometimes hard to find. The internet is a breeding ground for information where anyone, no matter how ill-informed or misguided they may be, has the opportunity to express their opinion. For this reason I decided to do some digging around to find the best music marketing blogs. Below are five of my favourites…

Find out what the 5 are here.

BUT - you missed the best one out. Ours.

Not just music marketing - although we have that covered - but everything you need to know to succeed in the music business - songwriting, performance, the business and on and on.

Make It In Music - the best blog for aspiring musicians.

Money vs Cool

Bob, again, on what it takes to make it and his vision of the future of music.

Lots of people think he rants and misses the point. I don't.

I think he rants and makes some genius, insightful points. This is one I'd urge you to read.

In order to make it and sustain in the music business, it can’t be about the money.

I know, I know, this is the last thing you want to hear.  But that’s why you’re never going to make it.  If you’re going to make it, it’s got to be about the obsession, the need to make it.  That’s what Mr. Nocera points out in his column.  Facebook may have been the Winklevoss twins’ idea, but they never would have made it successful.  They were obsessed with rowing, Mark Zuckerberg was obsessed with coding, with changing the world.

Are you obsessed with music?

And, if you are, do you own the musical equivalent of a Harvard degree? If I mention some obscure band from the seventies, do you know it? You’d be surprised how many successful young musicians do.  They know the history of the game.  You’ve got to know where you came from in order to make it today.

Read the whole thing at Bob's site.

 

SignMeTo - another online music discovery site

Do we need another? What's so different about this one?

Well, as a place to promote your music, this new site launched by Roadrunner Records has a twist. Roadrunner are a label with a massive rock tradition and credibility. The site allows bands to create a profile and upload music - as you'd expect - but fans also get to 'A&R' the artists and there are weekly charts across many genres.

You can bet that Roadrunner are watching who is appealing to the users - and probably plenty of other labels are too!

If my band suited the genres that the site will gravitate towards then I'd definitely spend the time to build a profile there.

Roadrunner Records has announced the launch of SignMeTo Roadrunner Records, a dynamic new free service that mimics the actual A&R process using social networking tactics.

SignMeTo is a fun and functional way for fans and unsigned bands to participate in the music industry’s A&R process. Users begin by signing up as “scouts,” and unsigned bands create their own profiles, which scouts then rate and tag. The band profiles offer comprehensive functionality, with bands being able to upload photos, video, music and tour dates. For added convenience, artists and managers are able to use one dashboard to control multiple profiles.

Read the article on Dotted Music.

BTW - Dotted Music - an excellent blog!

Some exchanges of email for free mp3's will fail

Read the linked article and the comments, since this is a debate, not a statement of fact.

As a DIY musician you are constantly being told that freemium is the way to go and to build an email list from that exchange. I wholeheartedly believe in that.

However, this article argues that the level of effort required by a potential fan to get the 'free' mp3 is too much of a burden and hence not as effective as it should be. I have written before about this - saying that you shouldn't view it as free since you are asking someone to invest their time to download, listen and form an opinion. That is a cost to them. That's why I advocate giving away a bunch of tracks - one free mp3 doesn't cut it for me.

The entire music industry is infatuated with the idea of free. It is a valid and strategic marketing tool. But if not used correctly, then it holds no relevance for  the oversaturated fan. There have been numerous times when I've gone to a band’s site to get a free mp3 and have decided to not complete their process. The reason being that the value of the mp3 was not free, it was work.

Read the article and the comments here.

 

Facebook fans - you find them, they don't find you

We are always looking for tips on how to best use facebook for musicians.

And this is a key little fact that has been unearthed in relation to brands interacting with consumers on Facebook but it can equally apply to bands.

More than 75% of people who joined a fan page did so as a result of an advertisement or invitation - rather than finding it themselves.

Given that it was recently shown that people are far more likely to 'like' a page that was already proving to be popular - the herding instinct in action - it must be worthwhile to kick off your fan page and encourage people to join by inviting as many fans as you can and by advertising.

This eBook from AllFacebook has some superb ideas on how to do just that - 3,000 fans in 30 days. Well worth a read.

In some respects, Facebook Pages are the new web pages. With more than 500m registered users and counting, Facebook is to brands today what the internet was to brands in the 1990s when the consumer internet was in its infancy.

For that reason, many brands are investing in a presence on Facebook, and the number of brands on Facebook is growing all the time.

But how can brands succeed with their Facebook Pages? How do they acquire 'fans'? Will Facebook eventually enable brands to spend less on advertising, as they can reach consumers directly where they're hanging out online?

Read the article here.

Facebook sharing 6 times more powerful than Twitter sharing

This little fact about the power of social media marketing comes from Eventbrite and is a very valuable piece of information that you can apply to your facebook music marketing.

Eventbrite is an amazing online ticketing tool - watch the video below - that you ought to be aware of.

In their tracking of people using the service they discovered that there was a 6 times higher return from people sharing their ticket info on Facebook than on Twitter.

It's safe to assume that those numbers would apply to any sharing - i.e. that related to your music.

So, think Facebook first, Twitter second. 

Sharing a link on Facebook can be worth almost six times the value of that same link shared in a tweet, according to a new study from event ticketing startup Eventbrite.

Eventbrite puts buttons on its website that let users automatically share events on the service through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and email. By tracking the use of these buttons, and the sales it generated from consumers who arrived at the site through those referrals, Eventbrite determined the value of each kind of share.

Read the whole article here. 

A tale of two Simons

Sorry - we shouldn't have to read this, but take it as intended.

A treatise on the future of music, everything that is wrong with the music and media business, or just the death throes of an old system that has nothing to do with music at all.

You tell me - but it's worth reading to the bitter end!

Normally at this time of year Cowell would be shuttling between London and Los Angeles, wrapping up The X Factor in the UK and preparing for his role as a judge on the next series of American Idol, the show that made him a star in the US. But not this year. Following a split from his on-off friend Simon Fuller – the man who created Idol and the brains behind the Spice Girls – Cowell is going it alone. Next year, he launches X Factor in the US, where it will compete directly for advertisers and sponsors with Fuller’s Idol – the biggest programme on American television for the past eight years.

Read about the Simon twins here.

Music Publishing - what is it? The Basics

Great article that will help many understand the basics of music publishing - what the rights are, what the various means of exploitation are and where the money is at.

If you are writing songs, I'd read it!

If you’re serious about making this business of music your full time career, then one of the first things you need to understand is the lingo of the business! Today we will discuss, in plain English, the top 7 terms you need to understand about publishing. Something important to remember about publishing is, this is how songwriters earn their living. If you are an artist who only records other peoples music, you are usually not entitled to the publishing income. However, if you are an artist who writes some or all of your own material, or a writer/ composer (beat-maker for the rap producers), this is where ALL of your money is coming from!

See the whole piece here.

7 Facebook Apps for musicians

You might already be using some of these apps in your facebook music marketing - but it's worth reminding yourself of them.

Being a musician, songwriter, or band in this digital age can be difficult and extremely complicated. Making music has become a completely different entity than what it was just a decade ago. Social media plays such a large part in being a musician these days, and all artists really need to become proficient in their knowledge on the subject. Facebook is a great tools for bands, and today we bring you 7 applications to help best utilize the site. Check out the applications below!

Read the list here.

More photos on your site......say the fans

I think I tweeted this before I started doing the Daily site but it bears repeating as it's a cracking little insight into online music promotion best practice.

Jeremy Welt from Warner Bros revealed that the most visited part of their artist's sites was the photo section. So, his suggestion - have hundreds of photos regularly updated. Makes a lot of sense!

Push aside your complicated, interlocking 360-degree marketing strategy for one moment.  Because the simple photo is one of the most critically important assets for an artist today.  "On artist websites, our number one section is usually photos," said Warner Bros. Records SVP of New Media Jeremy Welt.

Read the post here.

Digital Brand Manifesto - the elements a musician needs

As a DIY musician you need to get all the elements of your 'digital brand' in order.

This article is a handy checklist.

Read it here.

10 steps to failure

Couldn't resist it - it's brilliant!

Whilst I am busy looking to tell you all you need to know about the music business, this post comes along and does it better than I could! 

We’ve all seen and read posts and eBooks about how to ‘succeed’ as independent artists and to be honest, I’ve even written a few.  But what about those of us who are bent on failure?  Those of us who would like to know how to shoot ourselves in the foot as efficiently and painfully as possible? Those of us who would like to be more unsuccessful and confused?  Well this post is for you!

Some of these things I’ve done myself, and I can assure you – they work amazingly well!  Others I’ve merely watched in admiration as true masters of blunder and confusion have performed their magic before my very eyes.

Please go and read this here!

Hit songs - two great tips

Guy Chambers has written a few hits.

This article in the Guardian has a couple of gems in it as he reveals his methods of songwriting.

How do you write a hit song? Many authors have claimed to know the secret, and software developers have tried to come up with a formula by running thousands of chart-toppers through computer programs. Of course, no one has a definitive answer. But Guy Chambers, a songwriter who has had his fair share of hits, tried to shed some light on the issue at a recent songwriters masterclass at the British Academy of Composers and Authors (BASCA).

Read it here.

And here he modestly speaks about one he (co-)wrote earlier!

Show me the money - where's it at in the music business?

Whilst many cogitate (including me!) on the state of the record business and the future of music, we all know that there is still plenty of money to be made from music.

This weighty article in the Economist looks at the strange state of affairs that sees one part of the industry colapsing and others flourishing.

Yet the music business is surprisingly healthy, and becoming more so. Will Page of PRS for Music, which collects royalties on behalf of writers and publishers, has added up the entire British music business. He reckons it turned over £3.9 billion ($6.1 billion) in 2009, 5% more than in 2008. It was the second consecutive year of growth. Much of the money bypassed the record companies. But even they managed to pull in £1.1 billion last year, up 2% from 2008. A surprising number of things are making money for artists and music firms, and others show great promise. The music business is not dying. But it is changing profoundly.

Read it on the Economist site.

Where to build your online fanbase

We talked about exactly this issue in our article on how to build your fanbase and declared that having your own site, built in Wordpress, is a key part of every musician's online marketing.

This article from DJ Tech Tools is brilliant - it looks at the whole issue of promoting music online and where you should build a presence to reach out to potential fans.

Some of the comments make great reading too - pointing out (which I agree) that spending all your time online shouldn't be at the expense of real world networking and time spent making great music!

Recently it came time to update DJ TechTools founder Ean Golden’s artist website. Since the last update was more than three years ago and a lot has changed since then, he was wondering: Does anyone even need a website anymore? Why not just focus on Facebook/Twitter and ditch the .com altogether? Since you’re probably wondering the same thing, we scoured the net and asked industry professionals for answers.

Read it at DJTECHTOOLS.

How to make your fan funded project a success

I'm working on some posts about fan funding for the main site at the moment. It is a great way to raise funds and push your career forward in the modern music business.

Photo by AMagill

This article looks at how one person used Kickstarter to fund a graphic novel but gives really good tips about how to set up your fan funding project - what to do and what not to do.

If you’ve never heard of Kickstarter.com before, you really should check it out. Kickstarter is an exciting place where creators can post their projects and get pledges from people who are interesting in their ideas and want to help the projects move forward. I’ve already found myself pledging to a few other projects that caught my interest. Anyway, if you already know about Kickstarter and you are thinking of launching a campaign for your comic or graphic novel, here are a few things I suggest thinking about before jumping in.

Read the article here.

Stand out to achieve music success - but how?

I love this post - it has some great points to get you thinking about how you can promote your music.

It's true that you need to find a way to stand out in order to get yourself noticed and, although great songs, a great performance and great image are all part of this, something unique often catches the eye of fans and industry alike.

The biggest thing that you, as an independent artist or musician, can do to for your own career is to find a way to set yourself apart from the pack. In a world of copycats and knock-offs, this may seem an impossible task. However, hundreds of thousands of artists have found ways to become innovators and leaders rather than imitators and followers. A very effective way that you can do that is to be the first at doing something that no one else has done yet. Here are some examples.

Read the whole post here and get inspired!

10 habits to make music your living

A great list post that has ideas on how to maximise your ability to earn a living from your music.

One to add to a list of musician resources for sure.

Everybody loves Top 10 Lists, from David Letterman’s countdowns, to the Huffington Post’s top 10 this and that. It’s a fun way to maintain the illusion that in a complex world, things can be simpified, or dumbed-down.

So…Let’s play along. Why not a Top Ten List on the subject of Making A Living From Your Music?

The following list highlights 10 habits you should develop if you want to make a consistent living from your music. I can honestly say that these habits are the habits of successful musicians I have known and admired:

Read the list here.

The most profitble place to sell music online

David Rose posts some amazing in depth information on his blog. It's well worth regularly checking it out.

If you promote music online on your own website, shouldn't you look at selling your music online direct to your fans from your own website too - and is this more profiatble than selling through itunes et al?

The answer might seem obvious but David's analysis is there to back up your hunch.

For those of you who just want to know the bottom line of this post here it is: musicians can make more money selling their music directly to fans online versus selling their music through online retailers like iTunes or Amazon. Utilizing direct eCommerce solutions like the ones offered by companies such as Audiolife, Bandcamp, CD Baby, Nimbit and TopSpin indie musicians can sell music directly to their fans and keep more of their hard earned cash in their own pocket at the end of the day.

Read the post here.

Root Music and Facebook music pages

Every artist knows that they have to have a facebook music page these days as part of their online presence.

I've mentioned Root Music before and you should definitely have a look at their BandPage app - it is an awesome way to pull your music together on Facebook.

This article is a brief set of ideas from one Root Music's directors - so it's well worth a look.

In an age when the music industry is rapidly changing, connecting with fans on the Internet has become essential to an artist’s success. Facebook is the largest social network in the world, and having a presence on Facebook is one of the most helpful things an artist can do to bolster their career. Everyone has a Facebook profile, and by setting up a fan page and adding apps like BandPage, both big name artists and local musicians can share their music with new fans from around the world with the click of a button. On Facebook, fans make your music a social experience. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of Facebook.

Read it on Bandzoogle here.

 

The death of the bridge and other awesome songwriting insights

Although I manage songwriters for a living, I don't write about how to improve your songwriting enough on the blog. I have my opinions, but, as I don't write myself, I defer to the creators more often than not.

We will be getting some in depth songwriting contributions in the near future though.

Photo by Adrian F

So, when I find an article like this one, I have to pass it on. Read the article but also go and look through the comments as they have some real in depth discussion that you can learn from - I particularly like the breakdown of Lady GaGa song structures.

Many of my all-time favorite songs are “growers” – album tracks that don’t really grab you the first few spins, but eventually dig their hooks in and don’t let go. Few artists these days have the luxury of writing growers, because listeners aren’t willing to invest that kind of time. Unless the artist is proven to deliver, the listener will tune out and move on. While I’m a huge fan of the album format, it’s hard to deny the shifting focus from albums to individual songs. Every one of those songs needs to grab the listener’s attention and hold it until the last note – preferably longer! In order for your songs to be grabbers rather than growers, they must have clear and familiar structures.

Read Brian's article here.

Connect your fans to make your fanbase stronger

This is a great little post and something that I'd never really thought about.

It sounds kinda obvious when you read it and undoubtedly will help you to build your fanbase.

So, you’re doing a lot of things right – you’re show is tight, you’re giving out some free tunes and encouraging people to share, you’re building up your mailing list and nurturing it with content, you understand social media.

You’re building fans.

Now what?

Keep repeating what you are doing?  Yep.

But what else?

Go and read the article here.

Promoters take the strain, but will it change?

Bob Lefsetz gets his weekly props from me today - I love all his stuff on the future of music.

This is his take on how the power shifted from promoters to acts who now have to overpay for the talent - How much longer can that go on, and do the promoters need to find a way to invest in the talent to grow the stars of the future?

Well worth your time to check out.

You see the last forty years have been about talent getting the lion’s share of the dough. And that’s what killed the major labels. As soon as there were alternatives, the superstars went elsewhere. And will continue to do so. Unless the labels make fair deals. But if they cut fair deals for stars, they’ll have to cut fair deals for wannabes, and unwilling to set a precedent, they’d rather stand on ceremony and fade away.

Read Bob's article here.

Online music promotion only?

Is it enough to concentrate all your efforts on online music promotion only?

I'm not sure, but this article suggests that it might be right for your band as online is where all the action is and where you can create a real two-way exchange with your fans.

I promote to establish and nurture a genuine relationship with my fans. I measure my success by the number of subscribers to my mailing list. Notice I said mailing list, not Twitter followers or MySpace “friends.” I’m talking about the people who grant me permission through a double opt-in process to email them directly on a regular and consistent basis. Right now there are just over a thousand, but there are plenty more out there who might love my music if they heard it. So how do we reach those potential fans?

I'm not advocating this approach necessarily - live work, radio, press etc are all part of the mix, but you can't deny that focusing your efforts online where you can build your fanbase more easily makes a lot of sense.

Read the whole article here.

 

How to get the elevator pitch for your band right

Have you heard of the concept of the 'elevator pitch'?

Ariel Hyatt talks about it a great deal and believes that it is a key part of your music promotion as well as helping you to get to grips with what you think about your band and your music yourself.

The idea is that you need to be able to describe your band and music to a stranger in less time than it takes for an average elevator ride - say about 15 seconds.

Photo by ExpressMonorail

Ariel hates the attitude that you can't describe your band because you are unique and don't sound like anyone who has gone before. She's right - come on, be honest with yourself. And your pitch needs to hook a listener in to want to know more.

I saw these two articles that look into the idea a bit more.

How to give your elevator pitch.

How to make your elevator pitch stick.

You can also find this covered in detail plus a whole load more stuff in Ariel's book - Music Success in Nine Weeks.

10 ways to show your fan appreciation

David Hooper is one of the original experts in online music marketing.

This post talks about 10 ways that you can and should show how much you appreciate your fans. Great tips.

They come to your shows, they buy your albums, and they wear your t-shirts. They are your fans, and you love them as much as you need them. Show how can you show them that you appreciate their support and dedication? Here are ten ways!

Read all 10 here.

Why every musician should have a ping artist profile

Cameron at MusiciansWages.com has posted a brilliant article about why every artist should embrace apple's 'Ping' network on iTunes.

Yesterday we posted apple's own guidelines, but Cameron's article is a much easier read - and he argues that having your profile set up is a key part of your online music promotion.

Apple’s recent rollout of iTunes 10 included a new feature called Ping, dubbed a “social network for music” by the creators. Ping’s release was followed by a good deal of criticism from the tech and music blogs, and for the most part, I agreed with them. Coming from a company that’s notorious for unveiling gadgets and software that impress from the moment of Steve Jobs’ keynote, this feature kind of felt like it wasn’t ready for public use. But despite it’s downfalls, and perhaps because of it’s small splash in the online music and social networking community, there are several reasons why every musician should be using iTunes Ping.

Read the article at MusiciansWages.com

How Twitter has changed the rules of publicity

Another piece that isn't directly about music publicity but it's lesson can be easily applied.

Scott Stratten is a marketing guy who used his Twitter followers to engage with him and help him set up a book tour - which he KNEW would be a success before he set out!

This is a great marketing lesson that can be followed by bands - do exactly what he did but for your next record release, or get your followers to sell tickets before you book a gig, or get pre-sales of a record before you make it using fan funding or do anything else that you can get your followers to do for you before you commit to specifics.

The Oakville expert in viral and social marketing has used his status as one of the world’s top influencers on Twitter to pre-sell 3,000 copies of his book and pretty much guarantee hundreds, if not thousands, more.

Named by the global PR company Edelman the 19th most influential twitterer by engagement, the business consultant and blogger tweeted to his followers that he’d go to any city where a sponsor would preorder 100 books and pay his expenses. After posting the first 10 cities, fans started rallying.

Read how he did it here.

The real cost of free

Cory Doctorow responds to the claim from a fellow journalist that many of those that recommend the freemium model are actually not practising what they preach and are raking in the dollars by charging for exactly that which they suggest others should give away.

It's a long piece but worth a read - although he doesn't talk directly about music it's obvious that everything he covers also applies to the future of music.

What should other artists do? Well, I'm not really bothered. The sad truth is that almost everything almost every artist tries to earn money will fail. This has nothing to do with the internet, of course. Consider the remarkable statement from Alanis Morissette's attorney at the Future of Music Conference: 97% of the artists signed to a major label before Napster earned $600 or less a year from it. And these were the lucky lotto winners, the tiny fraction of 1% who made it to a record deal. Almost every artist who sets out to earn a living from art won't get there (for me, it took 19 years before I could afford to quit my day job), whether or not they give away their work, sign to a label, or stick it through every letterbox in Zone 1.

Read the piece here.

 

29 things you can do to improve your touring

Parts 1 & 2 of a three part post series about tips for touring.

There are some absolute gems in these two posts and I can't wait for the third installment - plus check out Amanda's post on what to do to get a gig.

Martin Atkins who wrote the posts really knows his stuff and the first tip alone on the 'five pointed star inward-facing crush technique' is, honestly, brilliant.

Read Part 1 of the 29 tips here.

Read Part 2 of the 29 tips here.

If you want to get Martin's book - which I'd recommend to any band - you can get it here - Tour:Smart: And Break the Band

Ping - best practice guide for artists

Ping - is it the essential future or another waste of time?

It seems that the artists featuring most heavily are seeing an increase in sales but, given that they are so far the megastars that we all know - is that a case of chicken and egg?

And how do you, as an indie artist, get your artist profile up and running and get some attention from your online music promotion efforts?

Well, Apple has decided to help you out with the release of their own best practice guide, which has been posted by the lovely folk at Tunecore.

The first hurdle is getting an artist profile set up, which is currently best done by getting your digital distributor (whoever that may be) to contact itunes and request your artist profile - there are millions of people doing this, so it may take some time!

Once you are set up, go and download the guide and follow the rather dry suggestions!

Get the Apple artist guide to Ping here.

The days of 'selling out' are long gone - all branding is now acceptable

Great article that claims that no band can now be accused of selling out because of cultural shifts and changes in the way the music industry has been forced to operate.

No real tips for you as such in the article, but the overview of the future of music is a landscape that you ought to be aware of.

Critics have often complained about the influence of licensing and advertising on music. In the mid-2000s, for example, rap started to develop lots of blippy, simple melodies that would sound good in ringtones. It may be too soon to tell whether the patronage of Red Bull, Mountain Dew and Converse will warp the sound of indie rock. But if young bands are developing with their attractiveness to corporate America in mind, will they, say, avoid political content?

Read it on the Village Voice.

The Slips - a case study in how to promote your music

I found this article on the Unsigned Guide blog that reveals a lot about how one electronic act pushed hard to get heard.

You can find plenty of tips in there to help you promote your music.

Collecting email addresses, lots of free content, videos, illegal remixing and mix tapes - it's all good.

The Slips are not just another electro/dance outfit. Comparisons to LCD Soundsystem seem to have made their way around blogs (they’ve received good reviews from the likes of Music Week, the Fly and many more) though I find they manage to incorporate the typical “French Touch” that Daft Punk or the more recent Justice are so good at. One thing is for sure - these guys will make you dance!

What’s more, The Slips are definitely pro-active and do not simply hope things will just happen. As they repeated a few times during the interview, “you need to look at every possible channel nowadays”.

Read it on the Unsigned Guide's blog.

Echo Republic - a music stock market and sales platform

Another new space in the world of online music marketing.

Echo Republic is something new though - it has a dual pronged approach which allows you to add another outlet for your music which will then sell legal downloads at a price set to appeal to young fans, plus fans can buy a share of the revenue that your songs make through the service.

It's different to some other services since you aren't buying a share in the band's long term future - just the songs on sale - and that makes it appeal to me as an additional discovery outlet for artists. It's no risk to you.

Echo Republic, the world’s first joint music stock market and sales company, opened to the public on June 20^th. Part music sharing, part e-commerce, Echo Republic strives to return the power of the music industry to its two most important members: the artists and their fans. “We're not a company. We're a movement.” says founder Patrick McConlogue of the California start-up.

A movement that will quickly attract attention for its legal music downloads at a price point even the most penny-pinching college student can handle: 10 cents a song. What's more, Echo Republic's firm belief that purchased music belongs to the buyer means every download is iPod™ compatible and accessible through the company's cloud based music library, Echo Encore.

Check out Echo Republic here

The 6 phases of music marketing

Once you've got your music recorded and ready to unleash on the world you enter the realm of music marketing.

And you can be overwhelmed.

This article breaks down the steps into six separate phases.

The 6 Phases of Music Marketing

1. Distribution
2. Awareness
3. Discovery
4. Credibility
5. Engagement
6. Sustained Attention

Read the article here.

How to learn about music promotion in your spare time

Music promotion is one of the pillars of your future success....but keeping up with this blog, loads of others and learning new online skills is eating up all your time that you should be spending writing, recording and rehearsing!

What can you do?

Some music industry gurus out there say that “musicians shouldn’t spend their time learning how to be marketing experts, instead they should be dedicating as much time as possible to writing music – the marketing should then be outsourced to someone who enjoys it”.

Go and read Marcus Taylor's post about how he fits it all in!

Creating your entertainment brand the Gene Simmons way

You might not like this and you might think Gene is a cynic, but you should read the article and watch the video either way!

Gene is honest about what he applied by way of music marketing and that he had a plan at the outset to create the band and the show that he  knew people would love.

Simmons took great care to point out KISS has also lent its name and likeness to 3000 licensed products, from condoms to caskets. “We’ll get you coming and we’ll get you going,” he quipped. (Motorcycles and hi-def TVs are also in the works.)

There’s a logic to all this, which revealed itself not-so-subtly as the session progressed. Kicking off a montage for Family Jewels, a Gene broadcast over our heads intoned, “Why do people seek my advice? Successful band, successful business, successful family.”

That attitude, encapsulated in those words, about covers it.

Read the whole piece and see the video here.

Split 7" - cross the divide

This is a great idea for your music marketing.

Cee-Lo and Band of Horses are covering each other's tracks on a limited 7" release.

I was raised on punk rock. A genre that took DIY to another level. One of the more popular ways of gaining new fans was/is to release a split disc with your friends band. Cross pollinate fanbases, create new fans, make some money, and typically have an awesome time and a huge split launch gig.

Read the post at New Rocstar Philosophy.

Foursquare and interacting with your fans

Bob Lefsetz ran this piece last week about Foursquare and argued that it is a relevant social network for the music industry.

I am a fan - I'm on there - and I can see that it does have a very strong appeal for any business with a bricks and mortar presence since the owner can offer incentives and convert casual vistors into returning customers.

It is however harder to see how an artist can effectively integrate Foursquare into their social media efforts.

Some ideas would be to use it on tour to invite fans to meet-ups, to soundchecks etc, or for a more established artist, how about a tour of their route to the top where fans check-in at places that were important steps on their joureny to earn badges. I'm sure that over time people will come up with some great ideas.

Have a look at it and see how you could use it.

Don’t worry so much about getting paid!  Like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, focus on building a sticky platform/attraction first.  The money will come after!  It may not even come in ways you can foresee!  Stop talking about getting paid and start building your tribe!  Fans of acts will give them ALL their money.

Read Bob's piece here.

Sampling and what you need to know

I was a music lawyer many moons ago and I learnt the way that the music business works.

I wrote a definitive piece on sampling as it then stood (1994 this was), and I have cleared many samples that others thought impossible - I know what I'm talking about!

So do Tunecore in this article, which is a great primer.

One thing that it doesn't cover is the misconception that artists always tell me as if it's gospel. Most people believe that if they use a sample in a track and they get sued for the infringement, the damages that they would have to pay if they lost would be related to how much money the record made. This is NOT the case. There will be factors that determine the damages and these depend on what part of the world the infringement and the case take place in. BUT.....you can be sued for damages that outweigh the profits from the record many hundreds of times - enough to bankrupt you.

My advice - DO NOT have a hit with an uncleared sample!

Similarly, ignorance is not a defense. If you, create a derivative work without knowing or intending to do so - e.g., you put a riff in your work that is so similar as to be seen as a derivative work of another's copyrighted material, but you didn't know about this prior work - you are still infringing on the copyright holder's exclusive right to create a derivative work. However, if you can show that there was no knowing or intentional infringement, the damages will be less than if you intentionally and knowingly infringed.

Read the Tunecore article in full here. If you use samples you should know this!

YouTube can be the key to adding fans

I am a massive believer in the power of YouTube to build your fanbase and break artists - just look at the post we did on Pomplamoose.

This article makes some simple points but serves to remind that YouTube is very rapidly becoming the key place online where you can reach out to fans.

Be there and be inventive. It rewards handsomely.

A recent study of 12 – 24 years shows two things, radio is still important to breaking a band followed up by You Tube and then social networks. A key part of your digital strategy needs to be YouTube. Most bands think a good YouTube campaign consists of posting a music video and walking away and if you don’t have one you are out of luck.

Think live videos – stats show that an inspired cover is a key gateway to get fans listening to your original music.

Encourage fan video at live shows, give members of your fan club special access to film your set at each venue.

Document the recording process and post it regularly.

Most importantly, be accessible to your fans. Find ways to interact with them, in and age with high quality video in every phone – every moment is a you tube moment.

Read the whole article here.

How to write a great artist bio

We have written about how important a bio is to your music promotion on our blog before.

It's an essential part of what you need to do. So many, however, are horribly boring and you need to make yours stand out.

This is an older article but it gives some great ideas.

A bio can be a tough nut to crack for independent artists. So how do you write a good bio?

First of all, proper spelling and punctuation are imperative. Don’t have errors in your bio!  Have other people proofread your bio, especially if this isn’t one of your strengths. (I’ve been guilty of spelling and grammatical errors plenty of times myself – just make sure you don’t let yourself off the hook too easily. Proofread. Care. It matters)

Structure your paragraphs in a way that’s easy to read. Be digestible. Giant paragraphs and run-on sentences are amateur and make your bio difficult to read – not what you want!

As for the content, there are many ways to approach it. Here’s one of them.

Read the whole article here.

How to stop your fans file sharing your music

I am not against file sharing.

However, I do believe that teaching a generation of fans and consumers that music has no value and that they can trade it freely is a slippery slope - there has to be a happy medium for the future of music.

If you are the person controlling the free dsitribution of your music (in exchange for an email address or similar) then at least you're getting some value. Let's not forget either that 'free' isn't free - you're still asking a potential fan to invest their time and energy in listening to your work and deciding whether to become a fan. That has a value - something the major labels do not undersatnd.

This article looks at ways that you can help to reduce the file sharing which ultimately should drive fans back to your site where you control the way that music is delivered to them.

They should be happier and so should you.

If you follow the arguments surrounding file-sharing close enough you’d assume that file-sharers are the kind of moral lacking scum of the Earth that would consider pushing their own grandma into moving traffic or, that on the weekends, they shoplift from Best Buy and are slowly working up the confidence to start robbing banks.

Of course, we all know that’s simply not true. Most fans that file-share are like you and I. With the slight exception that they don’t even have an idea that folks like us have invested thousands of words debating, contesting, and trying to make sense of how we feel about the notion that music fans think music, the most beloved and precious thing that we have, should be free and not be paid for.

Read the article at Music Void.

Improve your songwriting - this is key

We are always getting asked by people how they can become better songwriters.

At least they understand that the ability to write a great song is a key skill and they want to improve to give themselves the best shot possible.

There are loads of ways - study, find collaborators who are more advanced than you (Craig's List, facebook, MySpace), go to seminars etc. We'll be looking at this in a lot more detail on the main Make It In Music site after the imminent relaunch.

One way is to go and network with expert songwriters at meet-ups or conferences. You'll learn from them as they speak but you'll also get to meet other aspiring writers and can hook yourself up with some sessions or teaching.

People overlook the development of this core skill - don't be one of them.

If you live in the UK, there is a great event that does just this coming up on 25th - 27th October. My pick is the Tuesday 26th day as there are talks by seriously successful songwriters. And it's only £10 a day!

Events like these can give you the break your carer needs.

Check out SongFest here.

Comprehensive Twitter guide for musicians

We've said before that we're working on the definitive guide for twitter for musicians, but until then, this article is a great place to start.

It's a bit old but the teaching is spot on.

Don’t be obnoxious. Don’t spam people. Don’t ask them to buy your album before they know anything about you. General rule of thumb, only mention your music in 1/10 tweets maximum (unless it’s appropriate in a conversation). Don’t be a robot and post things from stufftotweet.com and follow-sweep everyday, contribute and show what you are all about. If you do that, you’ll burn the marketing flame out like MySpace bands did with adding everyone. Overnight success is not likely. It will feel slow, but it will be steady and predictable. If you measure properly and learn what works you will spend less time and get more results.

Read the whole article here.

How to get other bands to tip you to their fans

Headliner might just be genius! It is definitely another tool in the arsenal of the diy musician.
It's a relatively new service that networks bands together to leverage their existing social networks on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace etc.
In essence, you join, and in return for tipping bands to your followers and fans, they will do the same for you. Think how genuine that is for a fan. If you find bands that are great and who are in your genre, their fans are very likely to listen to their tips.
Got to be worth a go.



Check out their site here and go and sign up.

Get Bloggers to write about you

This article is aimed at brands rather than musicians specifically but most of it applies and it's full of some really great tips. Getting coverage for your act on blogs is a key part of digital music marketing - you need to learn how to do it.

Cultivating relationships with bloggers is vital for any serious brand marketer. They can be a real asset to help you spread word about content, products and services. They are more likely to link to you than mainstream media sites and they often link in the right way. 

I’ll try to shine some light on the tools you can use to unearth the most relevant blogs to your business. You’ll find that there are many bloggers out there that will be receptive to working with you, you just know how to seek them out.

Read the whole article here.

Virtual touring - a way to avoid cost but at what price?

A theme develping today of posts all related to gigs and touring!

But what if you want to avoid the cost of touring (despite crashing on sofas and splitting gigs)? Gigs and tours are, after all, an integral part of your band marketing.

Can virtual touring be the answer?

The virtual tour might be but isn't necessarily a web hosted live show. It could be that, but it might just be getting the focus of a website to be on your band for a day with added interaction from your band.

My concern would be that, although the cost is much lower than mounting a tour, how much is the face to face interaction that you'll miss worth to you and your fans. Perhaps the virtual tour is an add-on to touring, not a repalcement.

MTT has a two part post of which only the first part is up so far.

A virtual music tour is similar to a traditional tour in that the band/musicians make several appearances, and in several locations, in an attempt to promote and sell their music. On a traditional tour, musicians make contact with clubs, bars or other suitable venues (suitable venues: house parties, small music festivals, state fairs, and Geri’s Bat Mitzvah) to book live shows. They then travel to each city, spend time at each location playing their music and possibly spending time with the audience in an effort to sell their music and merchandise. Many musicians will agree, for the effort and expense involved, touring and playing live doesn’t sell many CD’s or music downloads. (Although it can be a heck of a lot of fun, if you have the money.)

Read more about it here.

Travie McCoy runs an enviable Social Media presence

You can learn a huge amount about how to make social media a key part of your online music promotion just by looking at what some very successful artists are doing.

This article looks at the places that Travie has been active and how he has built a massive online following.

Travie McCoy is part of a generation of savvy young artists who understand how to use social media to their advantage. In July, Travie dropped his debut solo album, Lazarus, which was met with both critical praise and commercial success. Lazarus peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, due in part to McCoy’s strong social media presence. ArtistHQ caught up with Adam Samiljan, Senior Director of New Media at Travie’s label, Fueled By Ramen, to get Adam’s insights into how Travie built a resonant buzz online.

Read the post at Artist HQ.

Network offline - not just online

This article made me think about how true it is that networking in the music business is absolutely crucial to your chances of success.

As a DIY musician you need every break you can get and you never know who might help you climb the slippery pole.

To effectively manage affairs for your artist, you’re going to have to master both the ability to rock Twitter and Facebook, while being the “boots on the ground” support to connect with booking agents, press, and street team leaders during the early stages of an artist’s project.

In my own experience, I find that you need to be where your scene is - at the gigs and clubs obviously. But there are other bars and coffee shops where music business people hang out. It's not all late night!

And don't just think what someone can do for you. Think about how you can help them. It's a network, not a private gang of helpers!

Read the post and the one it links to here.

Guerilla gigging is alive and well....and sometimes a bit corporate!

I saw two cases of guerilla gigging this week that caught my eye and so I thought I should just remind everyone that it's still a great idea to attract attention.

That's exactly what this band, Brother, did in the UK. Note the quality of the video (not essential, but engaging) and the persistence! This band are very hot right now and about to sign a deal. How much of a part did this play? At least some. As ever though - they're a great band too.

Watch the video on their site here.

Then, I saw that Urban Outfitters were sponsoring a series of guerilla gigs in the US.

Read about that here.

It seems that the new game in town is getting the generator and the flip mino camera out and get double impact for that guerilla gig.

Check out our main site for more music marketing tips.

Fit your music marketing in to your everyday life

As an aspiring artist you are looking for every spare minute to up your music marketing game. And you should.

But, it doesn't mean that you have to give up your life - work the promotion and marketing into what you do everyday.

Chances are good that you will be wearing several ‘hats’ as you attempt to establish your new band on the scene. Sure, you make great music and that’s the most important thing. But you are also the only one who is promoting your music—so you act as a marketer, PR rep, advertiser, web guru, and business manager—sometimes all in the same day!  And of course, you probably have a whole existence outside the band, too.  Family, friends, a day job—you know— a life.

You don’t have to bring your whole life to a standstill just to be in a band. Your music is a part of who you are—so take it with you everywhere you go. Here are some ways that you can promote your band while going about your daily business.

Read the whole list here.

Split gigs with bands you don't even know

We looked at the issue of bands needing to find somewhere to stay in order to be able to tour in this post - Fans connect to make touring easier.

But, what about getting the gigs themselves? After all, playing live is the most direct way to promote your music.

Well this new site aims to hook bands up with others who are looking to split gigs. Simple.

 

 

20 reasons why musicians get stuck at a local level

There is no reason why any artist shouldn't reach a worldwide audience these days with all the possibilities afforded by online music promotion, but many still stall in their local scene.

I came across this great article that lists 20 of the reasons why.

Ever wonder why some talented local musicians never get that elusive record deal? Or why the careers of some signed artists or American Idols stall out just past the starting gate? It’s not just “bad luck.” Here are 20 common reasons why some artists never make it to the next level:

Read the list of 20 reasons here.

Why every band needs to be on Twitter

I love twitter and often talk about twitter for musicians.

But many musicians think tweeting all day is a waste of time.

It's not - it's really important and can give you amazing breaks. Read this article to see how:

Everyone at Ditto Music has played in bands and we know how hard you guys work. The long hours, the sacrifices, all for the love of music and perhaps that one big break. With the rise of social media (Myspace/Facebook/Twitter) over the last few years there are PLENTY of free tools available for artists to get your music heard by the right people and also grow your fanbase. Just because they are free doesn't mean they can't be your most powerful tool. Your music deserves to be heard and you've spent all your time and money perfecting it. So let's talk about how Twitter, used well, can be the most powerful tool you can have.

Read the whole thing here.

You can't push your music at fans

The internet allows artists to spread their music in a myriad of ways in an attempt to build a fanbase.

But, often, this comes across as salesy and hyped. So, although the playing field has been levelled, it seems that there is still a need for a filter that people can trust that will validate your art.

Yes, you can persuade fans one by one online or in the real world by pushing music at them, but isn't it better to be everywhere with a following wind of recommendation?

Have you ever been in a subway in any major city and have seen a musician with a box of tapes or CDs saying 'hey check out my music!'? Maybe that musician was on a street corner or outside of a club, but it’s all the same idea. These musicians are pushing music at you, expecting you to listen because they say it's good.

Now take a step back and look at what musicians, yourself included, are doing through social media: 

Pushing, Pushing and PUSHING!

Whether you realize it or not, 'promoting', or spamming your music in this sense is exactly the same as sitting in a subway stop and telling people to listen to your music. It is a complete waste of time and is not by any means a recommended way to build a strong fan base and increase sales.

What is the biggest problem with this situation?

Read a great piece on this from Mic Control.