November, 2007

Marketing / Music Business / Promoting / Venues — Comments Off
15
Nov 07

Indie Music Band – Naming Your Band

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Most people would say the first thing to do is to find a name for the band. Lets start from there shall we??

The auditions are over, you have found your bass player and you all seem to get along really well. The excitement is in the air and you have had your first band bonding celebration.

Now its time to start your musical journey together.

Personally, I think that finding a band name is THE hardest decision that the band will ever have to make and therefore one of the most important decisions as well.

A band name is a very important part of the bands identity. It is the first point of contact a punter has with the band.

Does this conversation sound familiar to you? Continue reading →

Marketing / Music Business / Performance / Promoting / Venues — Comments Off
15
Nov 07

Indie Music Industry – Focus On The Quality Gigs

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketI’m not sure what the indie music business is like in the US, Canada or the UK in regards to playing gigs but I know in Australia we still have venues that pay guarantees for bands to play.

This is great because you know exactly how much you are going to be paid at the end of the night for the service that you are providing. What it also does is lull you into a false sense of security by thinking that the more shows you play the better off you are.

That maybe true if every show that you play has a guarantee but what happens if you have to charge at the door and you haven’t cultivated a fanbase? I learnt this lesson pretty quickly.

In 1995 I moved from Adelaide to Sydney to further my music career and had the opportunity to get my own band “Hot Fridge” together with a couple of really good players and for the first time it was up to me to get the gigs. I considered myself pretty good with the “gift of the gab” and so I went out and got a lot of gigs for the next three months.

I was buoyed by the fact that we were a “working band” but I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. “Hot Fridge” was basically paying to play and we were losing money.

I spent all of my efforts in getting the gigs I forgot to develop a strategy to actually get people to the gigs. When we did play shows in front of a few people we didn’t engage with them enough to get their details so we can communicate with them about future gigs. It was safe to say that my three piece band was not very happy.

I then realised that the most important thing was not how many gigs you played but the amount of people you played to. When this penny dropped I immediately called a band meeting and told the guys of my discovery. Continue reading →

Advice / Career / Marketing / Performance / Promoting — Comments Off
15
Nov 07

Profit By Investing in Your Brand Account

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketIn the Music Biz, marketing makes the difference between artist and musicians succeeding or failing.

There are a few marketing key terms that you should know to be able to market your music successfully. This article deals with the first and most important marketing technique – branding.

Branding involves creating symbols that potential fans or “target’s” will associate with you or your product. Those symbols when combined and attributed to your brand are then known as your brands identity.

Branding is reflected in everything you do or say as an artist or musician.

The pictures you take, Your autograph signatures, your name, logo, interviews, cover art and anything audible or visual should all be taken into consideration when developing your brand identity.

If your music brand is still young (under five years), be careful of everything you do or say.

Remember the Dixie Chicks? The Dixie Chicks were on top of the world until the day Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Mains made disparaging remarks about George W. Bush while overseas. With those remarks about George W. Bush, the Dixie Chicks branded themselves as “unpatriotic”. Hundreds of radio stations immediately yanked the Dixie Chicks music off the air. Be warned, watch what you do or say very carefully. Continue reading →

Advice / Career / Marketing / Promoting — Comments Off
15
Nov 07

7 Rules of Successful Myspace Music Promotion

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketIn a very short time, Myspace.com has become the hottest music promotional tool available to anyone. Here are the 7 rules of successful myspace music promotion.

1. Get a myspace.com music page.

Getting a myspace.com music page is free so there is no reason not to have one.

2. Make sure your page is user friendly.

There are many would-be music business professionals who have myspace pages take too long to load. If your myspace page loads too slow, you could be losing potential fans. Mega bandwidth graphics and images will prevent your page from loading quickly. Your myspace page should take no longer than 20 – 30 seconds to load.

Many artists on myspace use layouts that emphasize their creativity but are a nightmare to navigate. Refrain from using dancing cursor’s, raining text, and distracting images on your myspace music pages.

Other myspace artists have about me blurbs that go on forever. Keep about me blurbs short (no more than 1000 words), if people want to know more about you, they will ask.

3. Have your music on your myspace page.

Don’t put someone else’s music on your myspace page unless you were involved in the creation of the music. How can you be discovered if your music isn’t on your page?

4. Reach out for friends.

Networking on myspace is one of the most powerful tools you can use to build your fan-base. Take advantage of the opportunity to reach people with like interests. Never ignore or decline a friend request. You never know who can help your career. Continue reading →

Career / Celebrity Business / Marketing / Music Business / Promoting — Comments Off
15
Nov 07

Succeed In the Music Biz with Crazy Keywords

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketWhat is more important in today’s music business?

A.) Having a great sound?

B.) Executing a great marketing strategy?

If you chose “B”, you may be on your way to stardom. In today’s music business, having an effective web marketing strategy can make the difference between you being a local, national or international music star.

A key element in your web marketing strategy should be the selection of your bands name. Why? Because your bands name will also become your bands keyword on the Internet.

I’m sure you’ve heard of references to AOL Keywords, but AOL isn’t the only place where people use keywords for search. Google, Yahoo, MSN, ASK and many other search engines use keywords to help millions of people find what they are looking for on-line.

If someone is looking for information about your band on the Internet, they are most likely, going to type your bands name into a search engine. When the search engine returns the results, you’ll want your website, or your myspace page to be in the top of the listings. Continue reading →

Career / Marketing / Music Business / Performance / Promoting — Comments Off
15
Nov 07

Getting a Record Deal

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketAre You Ready to Get A Record Deal?

Getting is a Record Deal can be a real challenge but it’s not impossible. If you really want a Record Deal you must be able to answer these questions first.

Are You Talented?

You don’t need any talent to get a Record Deal, but not having talent will guarantee that you won’t sell many records. Talent comes in many forms and you don’t need to be able to sing, rap, or play an instrument like a virtuoso, but you do need some form of talent.

Talent Defined (Key Term):

We define talent as “the ability to get people to pay you for what you do”. Many people are critical of popular artists like Brittney Spears, Madonna and a lot of today’s rapper’s. Some wonder how these so called talent-less individuals ever received a record deal. One thing all artists with record deals have is talent. The artists who have record deals have some form of talent. You must be talented to get a record deal.

Can You Entertain?

In today’s music biz, the ability to entertain beats the ability to sing. If you want a record deal you have to be good at entertaining. Record Companies are looking for people who can compel fans to buy the artists music, attend shows, and conduct compelling interviews in the media.

Definition of Entertainment:

We define entertainment as “the ability to provide value to those who pay attention to you”. There are a many comedians who can’t sing, but they fill venues that seat thousands of people because they can entertain. As an artist, if you can entertain you can get a record deal.

Value is anything that produces positive a result. What is your value? What positive results does your music or brand provide? To get a record deal, you’ll need to have proven results. The days of record companies signing talent on the hunch of an A&R rep are over. Today, getting signed is about the value (in dollars) that your music brings to the record label. Continue reading →

Marketing / Music Business — Comments Off
15
Nov 07

The Revolution has begun – and it will not be Televised “The new Artist Development Paradigm”

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketIn reflecting on the world of the Music Business in 2004, there were some very profound and dramatic changes that changed the nature of the Music Business itself. 2004 will always be remembered as the year the ‘Big Five’ became the ‘Big Four’ and don’t be surprised if you’re reading at this time next year and we’re telling you about the ‘Big Three’! Beside the Sony/BMG merger, 2004 will also be remembered as the year labels utilized aggressively utilized video games as a marketing vehicle for the launching of many of their artists.

It will also be remembered as the year when the public finally said “No Thanks” to the Concert Business in a very loud and clear way. The summer touring season especially, was taught some very painful and costly lessons regarding who and exactly how much the public is willing to pay to see an act and what they are no longer willing to pay for! As a result Clear Channel has removed Service fees from its ticket prices and drastically reduced parking at many of its venues. The Industry also learned some very valuable (and long overdue) lessons on the volume of acts the marketplace is able to absorb as well as the actual live-viability of some of those acts.

Of course, the most profound impact on the the music business, was the closure of four major labels; DreamWorks, Arista, Elektra and MCA (although MCA was reborn with far less staff as Geffen). These closures accounted for the loss of nearly 600 jobs. New labels were not as plentiful as in years past.

Of note, EMI Music Publishing Executive Evan Lamberg formed E.V.L.A., a new label via Atlantic for EMI-signed writers, Simon Fuller (American Idol) formed 19 Recordings in the US and UK, Artist Manager Dave Benveniste has a new label venture – Velvet Hammer Music via Sony/BMG and Artist Manager Joe Simpson (manager/father of Ashley & Jessica Simpson)formed JT via Geffen, Producer Kanye West has formed Good Music via Sony/BMG in Los Angeles. Shaquille O’Neal has come back into the Music Business via Deja 34 out of Atlanta. Continue reading →

Industry Trends / Marketing / Music Business — Comments Off
15
Nov 07

Music Industry Or Music Business: Which One Are You In?

There is a big difference between being in the Music Industry and being in the Music Biz. Knowing the difference will help you make better decisions as you Step Into the Music Biz.

The Music Industry is mainly made up of Musicians and DJ’s- people who love to sing, play and perform.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketSome Musicians, in the music industry, will play for little or no money. You’ll find people in the Music Industry singing in your Church Choir, on a street corner for tips, or playing the local College Bar. For a Musician, a paid gig is usually icing on the cake.

There is nothing wrong with playing music for the love of playing. There is noting wrong with wanting to play your favorite records in front of crowds for little or no payment. But don’t get it confused with being in the Music Biz. The Music Biz is all about business. Continue reading →

Celebrity Business / Marketing / Music Business — Comments Off
10
Nov 07

Develop Music Industry Skills Through Music Forums

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketInternet forums and discussion boards have become a valuable medium for establishing an online presence, building a reputation, networking with peers, and getting feedback on relevant topics and ideas. With that said, there are many forums and discussion boards on the Internet specific to music artists, musicians, and songwriters. These music forums are packed with wisdom that thriving artists can leverage for their professional development advantage. By becoming actively involved in music forum communities, artists can find themselves absorbing an abundance of music industry knowledge that can help in furthering their respective career agendas.

Registration at music forum communities is generally free, however, the more prominent and private communities charge nominal fees for memberships. To find the right forum community for you, we suggest you go to a popular search engine like Google (www.google.com) or Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) and perform a search on “music forums”. Browse the search engine results one by one, and keep in mind that each forum community has its own mission, theme, guidelines, and attitude. After visiting a few music forum communities, you will quickly learn that not all music forums are the same. Taking your time in finding the right community is key because you will want time spent to be an investment and not a waste. To help you find the right music forums for your needs, Artistopia offers the below suggestions. Note that at the end of each suggestion below, an explanation is provided on how it applies to the development and maturing process of an artist in the music industry.

1. Carefully select a forum community you can settle into for the long haul. Take your time researching them by reading existing posts, and making sure conversations, and music styles, meet your learning goals and objectives before making your selection. Relation to professional development: Finding the right music company or business that will develop you thoroughly is key to helping you mature in the business properly. Always know that haste makes waste.

2. Focus on building a well-respected reputation within the forum community. Continue reading →

Advice / Marketing / Music Business — Comments Off
9
Nov 07

Write Songs the Music Industry Wants to Hear!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketSure, “art for art’s sake” is cool… but what if you’re pursuing a career as a songwriter? This article is full of suggestions for how you can tailor your songs to suit the requirements of music business professionals.

Many of us bemoan the state of commercial music today, but what are you doing to improve things in your own microcosmic corner of the universe? Are you working to create the next wave of great material — songs that have a lifespan of more than a few weeks or months? How can you use your talents to actually make a powerful contribution… and make a living while you’re at it?

The first step is to take a good look inside and explore what you as a unique individual have to say, lyrically and musically. What do you think about, believe in, stand for? What makes you tick? These precious truths that bubble up from the soul provide the driving force behind great songwriting. These sparks of inspiration, these “aha! moments,” are what listeners crave when they play a song. They’re also what People Behind Desks are desparate to find. Do you have the courage to lay bare your personal truth in public? I firmly believe that’s what it takes to achieve success with your songs.

The cynical among us will say, “no, you just need the right equipment, a catchy hook and a whole lot of money behind you.” Sure, those things help, but if you’re trying to break into the business, your song has to simultaneously grab people by the guts, tickle their ears, and slam them over the head like a 2-by-4. Strive to write songs that take risks, tap into the universal via the personal, Continue reading →

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