Key Points for Success in Todays Music Business

This came to my attention from Clyde Smith at Hypebot. 10 top tips from the horses mouth so to speak. 

Originally sourced from article in American Songwriter, they asked a range of industry professionals what is needed after you have written some great tunes but haven't built a sizable following or become visible to possible music industry allies.

There is some excellent advice here

Kendel Ratley – Director of Marketing, Kickstarter:

"If you're still establishing your fanbase, check out where your peers, favorite artists, or bands you want to emulate share their music and follow suit. There are countless platforms and venues to debut your work. Identify your audience, think about where you discover music, and post accordingly.".

The top tips have been sorted in Clyde's article here, but for more depth check out the full article on American Songwriter here.

 

Links

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/04/10-tips-for-succeeding-in-todays-volatile-music-biz.html

http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/03/dream-big-how-to-succeed-in-todays-volatile-music-biz/

 

10 steps to music success

This is a brilliant 'must-read' post from Emmanuel LeGrand in which he sums up the thoughts of many very successful web 2.0 savvy music indsutry people on how to make yourself a success in the modern music world.

It ends up being a 10 step method which talks about creating great music, connecting with fans, collecting email addresses and so on.

At it's core it has this message which applies today as much as it did 30 years ago:

In the mid-80s, Island Records – then still independent and owned by Chris Blackwell – sent to all its affiliates around the world a poster which showed a colourful drawing of an island with a coconut tree surrounded by the sea. The tag line was: “A terrible thing happens when you don't promote...” The answer came in the form of one word in very small font size: “…nothing!”

Read the whole post here.

How to make it in music

A new series of videos appeared on YouTube the other day which consist of interviews with lots of very very succesful artists and industry executives.

You might not agree with everything that they say but you can't doubt their success so some of it must be on the money.

This one is about how to make it in music.

 

How to make it in music

A new series of videos appeared on YouTube the other day which consist of interviews with lots of very very succesful artists and industry executives.

You might not agree with everything that they say but you can't doubt their success so some of it must be on the money.

This one is about how to make it in music.

 

Anything you want

I've seen quite a few people point out this new book by Derek Sivers in the last week - and with good reason.

Derek built CDBaby, sold it and gave the money to charity. He knows what it takes to make something happen.

This new book is purposely designed to be read in an hour and is full of great advice whether you're a musician or a budding entrepeneur.

My favourite review of the book and Derek's mindset is in this article at Brainpickings - Check it out here.

Get the book here.

And here's one of his pieces of wisdom.

 

If it's not a hit, switch from Derek Sivers on Vimeo.

13 steps to music success

Bob Lefsetz again.

This time advising old school artists on what they need to do to build a new fanbase when they have a new release.

BUT, equally applicable to your career whatever stage you're at.

And, Bob has a beautifully simple way of distilling the steps down to the basic truth.

Here's the first key:

1. You’ve got to know who your fans are.

It’s best if you’ve got everybody’s e-mail address.  But you need a presence on Facebook and Twitter too.  If someone decides to check you out on a whim, which is what fans do, we mindlessly surf to the firing of neurons in our brains, you’d better be readily available online, with up to date information.  People will go to Facebook first, but if you’ve got a Web page don’t focus on design but information.  Even if you yourself don’t post, make sure there’s new info EVERY DAY!  That’s what makes people come back.  And if you’re posting on Facebook or Twitter it had better be you, nothing pisses people off more than when an impostor, your lackey, posts for you.  It’s easy to detect, just like boys impersonating girls online and vice versa.  Anybody who says you can’t tell the sex of someone online doesn’t play, it’s OBVIOUS!

Read it all here.

 

How to succeed in the music business today

Two posts from Bob Lefsetz.

The first is about lessons that we can all learn from Rebecca Black.

I know that it isn't really a success as so much of the attention on her record is negative, but am I in the minority when it comes to accepting why?

Yes, in many ways it's a god-awful song (the lyrics in the middle eight are beyond redemption), but doesn't it fit rule number one of a pop song? That chorus refrain is hooky as hell and you do not forget it once you've heard it.

I'm not defending it and not saying that she'll build a music career out of it - there's way too much hate for that. But, I do think that if people gave it their own honest judgement rather than the 'follow the herd' abuse, they might grudgingly admit that there's something about the hook that deserves at least a footnote in pop's songwriting annals.

Maybe I'm just wrong!

Either way, there is a LOT to learn from the success of her release and Bob Lefstez has set out a list:

1. Selling recorded music is not the only way to make money in music.  Ark Factory came up with a new way, ripping off the parents of little kids.  Let this be a lesson to you, rather than complain that the old model is dead, innovate.

8. YouTube hosts videos for free.  Too much emphasis is being put on how much Rebecca Black is getting paid.  More important is the mechanism that led to her fame.  Used to be you had to pay independent promoters to get your track on radio, hoping to have it heard and discovered.  Today airplay is free.

18. You do not need radio or record stores to make it.  There is no physical product, airplay didn’t break "Friday".  Anyone telling you you need a label is sorely mistaken.

I picked those three at random, but go and read the whole list here.  

And then he followed that post up with one entitled 'Credibility' in which he sets out another list which has great insight for every musician trying to build a long-term sustainable career in the modern music business.

He begins by decrying why a self-published author, Ammanda Hocking, would now sign to a traditional publisher, and concludes with a long list of reasons why you don't need to.

Brilliant stuff.

1. Focus on the product, the art.  Every career needs an engine.  Which fans can point to and believe in. And that’s not "Friday", which is why Rebecca Black got noticed but she’s got no real fans and no real traction, she’s still waiting for her first hit.  "Friday" is a train-wreck, not a hit.

2. Gain fans.  You do this by allowing them to partake of your art for free.  And giving them tools to spread the word.  Know where to charge in the food chain. At first you pay your fans, then they pay you, it’s not the other way around anymore.

3. Continue to reward the core with product and access.  If you aren’t reachable by your fans, you’re too big in the head.

4. Don’t try to blow it up too soon!  If you’re not willing to wait, you’re not willing to have a career.

Read that post here.

 

 

How to be a rock star

Image by xJasonRogersx

I came across this article today by Chris Rockett which lists six skills that he says you'll need to make it as a musician - and it's a good list.

In particular, I'll listen to anyone who starts their list of requirements with talent. As you'll know if you come by these parts regularly, I think it's the one thing everybody forgets!

My definition of success is to build a profitable and reliable income and fan base around your music, that can sustain you without a 9 to 5 job.

If that sounds like something you would like to achieve you need to acquire the skills below as soon as possible.

Musical talent alone is not enough these days; to run your own career you need to build a set of skills that will see you through the tough times. Some of these will take work and are very hard to achieve which is why a lot of people just give up and go back to a job that they hate, because at least they can feel like they are winning at something.

It's well worth a read.

And, it reminded me of a post on our blog that I hadn't looked at in a long time that takes a slightly sterner view of what is required. You can find it here under the very catchy title - All you need to know about the music business.

It makes it clear what you need if you're going to win!

Find your style to find success

This post kind of contrasts with the previous post - whereas that said that you need to look at what elements commonly make a song successful, this states that you need to find your own original niche in order to stand out.

As it says, sure, A&R men (and future fans) are looking for the next GaGa, but they are also receptive to something new - they just won't know it until it comes along!

However, they aren't mutually exclusive - you can fit your songs to the current paradigm for success, look to successful artists to see how they create their public persona, style, sound and so on, but you can still be true to your own belief and musical aims.

It's a tightrope, for sure, but that's why it ain't easy!

Any kind of music success requires that you know yourself before you can promote and sell what you've got.

Read the post on the ever great Gen-Y site here.

Rules for music success

I asked Bob Lefsetz for permission to reproduce part of his recent post on Kanye West as it has this list of 8 things you should use as rules for your music success, and I wanted to be able to point you to them as a reference.

Thanks Bob - here's the original post on Kanye on his site at Lefsetz.com and at lefsetz.com/wordpress

He talks about the way that Kanye has been rehabilitated in the public eye after the VMA debacle by doing it his way.

But, the bit that I wanted to focus on is that he extrapolates these rules - they are BRILLIANT and cut to the core:

1. Be really damn good.  Great art makes up for a ton of ills.  One can argue strongly if Mel Gibson makes a movie on his own dime and it’s great, he can reemerge from the depths.  We’re a forgiving populace.

2. Don’t fall on your sword.  Your crime doesn’t mean as much to people as the mainstream press says it does.  Kevin Smith sat at home, depressed as the man labeled "too fat to fly", but eventually Tiger Woods crashed his car and Smith’s foibles on Southwest, which were inaccurately reported, faded away.  A career in the public eye is first and foremost about persistence, and perseverance.

3. Play the mainstream media game, die by the mainstream media game.  News outlets don’t care about you, they care about advertising, they care about ratings.  Don’t let the tail wag the dog.  Katy Perry is in the news every damn day, but she still can’t sell out an arena.  Get your perspective right.  Katy’s handlers have got it totally wrong.  What does showing off your tits have to do with music?  Kanye’s not the best-looking dude on the planet, but it doesn’t matter, because people believe he’s good.

4. If you’re not willing to give away something for free, you’re not willing to have a career.  If Kanye can give away free tracks, why can’t you?  It’s about your relationship with your fans.  The song doesn’t have to be on the album.  You’ve got to know where in the food chain to charge, and it’s not at every contact point.

5. Maintain contact.  You’re doing your own act.  Now, with the Internet, you don’t need permission to do it.  You can perform on YouTube, you can tweet, less is more is history.  Now you always give more, and the public decides how much it wants to graze in your neighborhood.  Fans come and go, but you can’t let it impact your art.  You’ve got to do what you want to do, not what you think the audience wants.

6. Have a personality.  If no one hates you, you’re not doing it right.

7. Don’t focus on the album release.  Your marketing’s got to go on for years.  The Doobie Brothers released a new album.  Straight to the dumper.  There was no Twitter presence, no fan engagement, just a record most fans don’t know exists and don’t want anyway.  And I only use the Doobies because they’re an ancient act, and all the ancient acts don’t know how to do it.  You don’t need a label and you don’t need an album.  You need fans, which you’ve got, and you need to know how to reach each and every one of them.  Pat Simmons should have played acoustic in someone’s house.  The band should have done live performances of classics on YouTube.  They should have gotten their fans involved.  If Paul McCartney wants to sell a new album, he’s gonna have to do it this way too.  Unless you want to be a recluse, if you want to survive in the new world, you’ve got to get yourself out there.  Don’t pooh-pooh it as marketing, it’s performing!  And isn’t that what you do!  And it can be as much about music as you want it to be.

8. In a chaotic era you’ve got to go your own way, you’ve got to forge your own path.  No one knows, certainly not the mainstream media guys or those at the label.  They know how it used to be done. It’s incumbent upon you to do it your own way, for yourself.  The Eagles can’t sell every ticket?  How come Don Henley’s not on Twitter, he’s got opinions.  Just putting tickets on sale is no longer enough.  Hell, how do people even find out about the gig?  Most people complain they didn’t know you were playing.  And if you’re a new act?  You’ve got to be good.  And if your goal is to connect with the mainstream and have it do your bidding, you’ve got it wrong. It’s about a career.  And you build it.  And it works because you’ve got fans.  Your label doesn’t own your fans, nor does the radio station, only you do.  Start there.

10 Success Strategies for DIY Musicians, Managers & Promoters

Bob Baker - @MrBuzzFactor - is the original artist-focused music marketing guy and has been giving advice online to all aspiring musicians for years.

He has now released another free pdf entitled  - 10 Success Strategies for DIY Musicians, Managers and Promoters. It has some general ideas, some specific tips and some motivational / mindset stuff.

Got to be worth reading.

Get it here - 10 Success Strategies for DIY Musicians, Managers and Promoters

 

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.