Archive for October, 2009
The Necessity of Touring for Independent Musicians
Posted by admin | Filed under Musicians
Before we delve into the wonderful world of touring logistics, strategies, great ideas that can help, bad ideas that won’t, and a few stories along the way; perhaps we should ponder if, with all of the technological advancements every day AND (for f’s sake) the price of gas!, If it’s even necessary to tour anymore?
Major League Affiliate Music Marketing
Posted by admin | Filed under Music Marketing
A few weeks ago I sparked the conversation on Internet Music Marketing, or how musicians need to start thinking like the Internet Marketing crowd in order to really capture data and sell their music online. What sparked was a really cool conversation on promoting other people’s stuff via affiliate marketing. This is by no means the official guide, but a way to make some money by promoting offers to your fans via your mailing list or your blogs, Twitter accounts, etc.
Do-it-yourself: There are more ways to the top than one
Posted by admin | Filed under Musicians
I remember seeing a Seinfeld episode where Kramer – who was always full of brilliant ideas – decided that he wanted to open a make-your-own-pizza restaurant. When he unveils his concept to Jerry, the look on Jerry’s face is one of awe. He says something to Kramer like, ‘the reason why people get pizza is because there is no work involved. They just order it, and pick it up. Nobody wants to make their own pizza.’
Selling CDs is no way to make a living
Posted by admin | Filed under Musicians
Back in the late 1980s when Jane’s Addiction was in its prime, I saw an interview where front man Perry Farrell was asked about sales figures for their albums. His response: “If I wanted to sell records, I’d work in a record store.” He knew that the key to success was touring, which the band did almost incessantly for about three years.
Before You Hire Music PR
Posted by admin | Filed under Musicians
Is it time to hire music PR? It’s a big decision. After all, PR is expensive, and the results are never guaranteed. Before you sign up with a music PR firm, ask yourself – and them – these questions, so you can be sure PR is the right choice for you right now.
Four Rules For Music Business Success
Posted by admin | Filed under Music Business
The Topspin blog has a story of one of the bands they’ve worked with, a lesser known act called Fanfarlo, that was able to reach some specific goals in promoting itself and building up its fan base, while getting many to commit to paying. From that, the post discusses a four step “formula” that the band used for success (listed here with my summary):
How much is a fan worth? – Part 1
Posted by admin | Filed under Musicians
Most aspiring artists intuitively understand that there’s value in building an audience for the long-term rather that focusing solely on short-term revenue. Bands offer free downloads, play free shows, and spend countless hours on- and offline interacting with listeners in hopes of developing a fan base that will support them over their careers.
But how [...]
How to Use Social Bookmarking Sites for Big Traffic
Posted by admin | Filed under Music Marketing
Sites like propeller.com, digg.com, stumbleupon.com and other social bookmarking sites can give you a huge traffic. How about having 30,000 or more visitors everyday when your website is on the front page. Here are some useful tips on how to get huge traffic from these social bookmarking sites:
How To: Pitch your songs to industry insiders
Posted by admin | Filed under Musicians
For many songwriters, the business side of music publishing is a curse; they would rather focus on the creative aspects of their jobs and leave the marketing of their songs to the “suits.” But for others, pitching their own songs is empowering. After all, nobody is going to believe in your music and look after your interests as much as you are. So why not take control?
Music Marketing That’s Made-To-Stick
Posted by admin | Filed under Music Marketing
Everybody these days wants to create buzz. They want to grab people’s attention on a large scale. And they want to do it sooner rather than later.
Therefore, everyone wants to know the secret steps they can take to ensure their marketing idea sticks — that it gains traction and reaches the people who need to hear it the most.