Besides getting an insight in the common practices of music and media related companies, we found it also useful to gather information and opinions by an artist that has been involved in promotion and distribution processes online. By asking these questions we were seeking to get an insight in how artists are using social platforms and how they expect it to develop in the coming years, along with the growth of web 2.0 and web 3.0.
Tina is a student at Jamk, and was active in the rock group "Crimson Sun". The band had several gigs in and around Finland over the years, recording songs and releasing an EP in not too far back.
1. What is the most successful example of social media marketing company you can remember? Why do you think it was successful?
I don’t know about a company but the Finnish girl band Indica has done an awesome job in promoting themselves on Facebook. They started pretty much from the scratch and have now gathered lots of followers simply because they are so interactive! They update their status often and also upload lots of videos and pictures from where ever they are with the band.
2. Do you think there is some special challenges in music promotion in Finland? If yes what are they are?
It’s really difficult to stand out from the endless mass of bands especially now that social media has made promoting the bands so easy. On the other hand it gives smaller bands a chance to really accomplish something by putting effort on interacting on social media. Also I think that as a smaller artist especially on a major label it’s really difficult to get proper promotion in traditional media.
3. What on your taste is the best technique in the artist promotion through the social media?
Definitely interactivity. The more the artists do themselves the better. Especially if an artist is on a tour or recording a new album it gives the fans a really nice experience if they get to read blog entries and see pictures and videos.
4. Do you think it’s important for artists to be on as many sites as possible all over the Internet?
Not as important as choosing the most suitable channels and taking properly care of them.
5. Could you please share some tips and tricks which you used in your promotional practice? Could you please describe some case from your real practice?
I asked the guys of the band I was promoting to write status updates as often as they could about what they were doing for example on tour and update lots of videos and pictures. It seems that the more personal (by this I mean not just news updates) the updates are, the more people seem to be interested.
6. What is in your opinion the most important thing in building a community around the artist? What have to be done to build this community?
Hard work and, once again, interactivity. People like to get easily the latest news about their favorite artists and social media is an easy and very user-friendly channel.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Questionnaire of Music Promotion in Spain
This is a short questionnaire about how the bands and the levels use the social media to promote themselves or their music.
It has 10 little questions easy to understand to make easier the comprehension of the way that the promotion use into the social media.
We have to be greatfull to "Maik Maier" because of their unselfish help. This answers are really important to may this subject clearly. They have a lot of experience into the music world. They have worked in the Woody Allen's film, "Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona". But this is not a casual success, because they are a company who has a recording studio and they are completly dedicated to the music. So we thought that they were a good step to know how the promotion works into this world of the music and paying more attention on the social media environment.
You could visit their webpage if you want to know more about them:
http://test.maikmaier.com/music-to-measure
It has 10 little questions easy to understand to make easier the comprehension of the way that the promotion use into the social media.
We have to be greatfull to "Maik Maier" because of their unselfish help. This answers are really important to may this subject clearly. They have a lot of experience into the music world. They have worked in the Woody Allen's film, "Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona". But this is not a casual success, because they are a company who has a recording studio and they are completly dedicated to the music. So we thought that they were a good step to know how the promotion works into this world of the music and paying more attention on the social media environment.
You could visit their webpage if you want to know more about them:
http://test.maikmaier.com/music-to-measure
1. As far as you remember, which has been the most successful example of a marketing campaign through social networks? In your opinion, what turned to be the key of that success?
In 2007 the British group Radiohead released In Rainbows. This release had a major impact on the Internet because of the system chosen for distribution and collection: direct discharge to the price that you deem appropriate (which may be completely free)
2. Do you think there are some special hints to music promotion in Spain? If so, which kind of them?
Spanish music includes a long history of innovation in Andalusian classical music and Western classical music, as in the popular music industry, and various styles of folk music. In addition, the fields of Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal, Punk Rock and Hip Hop also enjoy a number of important artists. Each style boasts it’s strengths and difficulties, and do not think the difficulties are very different from what you have in other countries. Today I believe that Spanish music has a strong international presence. The only thing I would say is that in Spain the music lacks the professionalism required, or better said it would be a legislative regulation that allows industry professionals to develop their work with the guarantees that may have in any other profession.
3. In your opinion, which do you think is the best technique to promote an artist through social networks?
To promote you must make clear to people what kind of musician / group are. Focus on reaching an audience, and for this we must create an Internet site where fans can meet and know each other. People in social networks want to see who you are and listen to your music, and this has to be simple and try to get original. You have to show interest in the network, showing you're not one more. Definitely mobilizing things the best way possible without sitting waiting to get success.
4. Do you think it’s important for artists to be on as many sites as possible all over the Internet? Or do you select specific sites instead?
It is advisable, since in each platform there are music forums with potential fans.
5. Could you please share some tips and tricks you use to promote your music? Can you explain a real case of them?
The main thing is to have a "good" production and a "good" recording. I am in favor of the prestige opposite to the success. I prefer a long term career that hit. Ultimately what will allow this to happen is the public. A real example would be the band “Giulia y los Tellarini” who unwittingly free promotion was achieved through the network and various ways through the use of one of their songs in the Woody Allen film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." . With a high power requirement making it more credible to the group as a group revelation. It is not the same as an internationally renowned director discovers a new group to do another kind of character or entity. In this case is much more believable.
6. What is, in your opinion, the most important thing to take in account when setting up a community around an artist? What should be done to create an effective community?
Perhaps it was simply to make the fans involved in the project in an active way and give them the opportunity to be the first to hear / purchase music from their artist. Add value to the fans for being a fan on the net.
7. How can users be attracted to join an artist’s social network profile?
Entering music forums where there are potential fans, and pages of artists / groups with who could be shared and take part actively in order that they know you. Through specialized bloggers that give more crossed to the projection of the group in the network and work as advocates. It is more credible when they speak about you, that when one speaks of himself.
8. Besides of his/her music, what other items do you think are important to attract people to an artist’ profile?
Unable to reach all audiences, so we must focus on what can be your potential fan. Also the group's philosophy, it is understood and shared by the fan.
9. Which are the most significant changes over the last years, offered by the social networks, due to customer’s demands?
That fans can know each other, talk and discuss things. This will get: they often come on your site (to find each other and talk), which become infected each other and to create platforms to introduce you, more progress in less time.
10. How do you think social networking will evolve in the coming years, specially regarding to the fast evolution of those networks, and, in fact, the global networking?
Internet is the most profitable and effective way to promote music products today. Up to us to decide if we exclude one formula or another according to our tastes, our ideas and our needs.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Social Media & Online Marketing For Musicians
From: http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/social-media-online-marketing-for-musicians-10-questions-for.html
Social Media & Online Marketing For Musicians 10 Questions For Corey Denis
Social Media & Online Marketing For Musicians 10 Questions For Corey Denis
1.Why is it important that artists participate in social media?
At the very least, learning how to participate in social media will give artists a chance to take advantage of new online tools, which may actually enhance their current projects. Singles, videos and tourdates can be released via new outlets, fans (new and old) will have a new method of communication with artists, and artists will have a new set of tools by which to market their craft. In the face of both an unstable music economy and the evolution of the new music economy
2. Name 10 sites you think all artists should have a presence on?
3. Do you think it’s important for artists to be on as many sites as possible all over the Internet, or should they be selective and only sign up to the ones that they are actively using?
It can’t hurt to have a profile on as many sites as possible, but if you don’t sign in or know how to use the networks, or understand how to integrate all the sites together, then the profile will not automatically generate any exposure for you other than the top tier of popular artists who sell millions of records per month. An artist could viably create 50 profiles and optimize search-ability online, but it’s crucial to consider what a person will find once they get to the profile. I advise artists to start with 3 networks and to use & manage them correctly and actively, or hire someone who can do it - then increase to 5, 10 and so on.
4. What would your recommendations be for the busy artist that only has 30 minutes a week to dedicate to social media?Set aside a small budget to hire someone to help, and treat them like an additional band member. If you only have 30 minutes to spare then the concept of “your time is money” should make sense to you - and if you want to sell music online and are not Britney Spears, it’s worth your time & money to bring on this additional band member to increase your visibility, discoverability and sales online.
5. How can an artist save time by using widgets, and which ones would you recommend?
Widgets are time savers if you know how to create and use them. They enable fans to spread information more easily. The only task at hand is to copy-paste-embed on a website or as a blogpost. Think of a widget as a mini web page that can be embedded on a larger web page, or somewhere in a social network. I am a fan of the Sprout widget but since most social networks and services offer widgets i recommend simply finding one that you like best and then putting it up on your website, myspace page and facebook page. Then email your fans with the embed code and invite them to spread the word.
6. What’s the best way for an artist to get blogged about?
There are no guarantees. However, I advise indie publicists and artists who are brave enough to do their own publicity to develop a relationship with bloggers by reading their blogs, learning more about their taste and then you can write to them individually to let them know why you think they might be interested in your music. In addition, start your own blog, build a blogroll, and link to your favorite blogs.
7. Do you think artists should focus on getting played on Internet radio? Or has the scare with the RIAA stopped most Internet radio programmers in their tracks?Internet radio is very important if you want to be heard online. Terrestrial and online radio stations have to pay for the right to use your copyrighted art on their stations. The focus of the RIAA is not to stop the existence of Internet radio, but to hold “interactive” internet radio as well as large venture funded internet radio stations accountable for higher rates. In other words, the RIAA and Sound Exchange are claiming to fight for the rights of artists and get artists paid for large amounts of airplay.
Unfortunately there are largernternet radio channels with over 20 million listeners who are actually squeezing out the smaller webcasters by claiming that they (the large stations) are also small. There are two (or more) sides to this now-famous issue and their arguments (and lawsuits) are not ending anytime soon. I highly recommend to all artists that they push for airplay online the same way you might have pushed for airplay on terrestrial radio 10 years ago. I support webcasters and strongly advise all artists to treat webcasters like they are KROQ. Know which stations are playing what genres, know the DJs, and send them music appropriately. get airplay! Then promote those stations on your website and fanlists/ emails. Support their cause to stay alive and share the love. (note: in the music industry radio play and promotion is commonly referred to as “love”) :-)
8. When consulting with a band or an artist, what do you do for them that helps them sell more music online? How do you quantify your results? How can they?
When i consult with bands, labels and artists, I strategize digital presence. Simply creating a facebook or myspace page or a twitter account does not sell music. But learning to use these tools can greatly increase exposure and eventually sell music. In addition there are creative ways to utilize each network to target fans and potential fans. Usually none of this can be quantified financially until at least 3 months after the onset of a campaign. However, there are many numbers revealing exposure such as how many followers, fans or streams an artist accrues over a three-month period. With full engagement, I have yet to see an artist flounder when they know how to utilize the tools.
I teach artists and labels how to use these tools and help them devise creative ways to increase exposure with various tricks inside the tools. Whether it’s using a hash tag or starting a funny group on facebook, these strategies increase visibility and therefore the discoverability of your music online increases. There are ways to flood google so that you are always at the top of your own search results without ever buying an adword. I call this Music Discovery Optimization. Increasing visibility and discoverability of quality music will only increase an artist’s chance at selling music new and old.
9. Can you name five bands who are doing it right online?
10. Finally, if I was an artist and I had $500 of promotional money to spend, what would you advise me to do?
See answer to #4 - if you have $500 and don’t know what to do with it, hire someone who has command of the new music climate online and can execute quickly to increase your visibility online and teach you how to twitter. If that’s not an option or you just don’t want to bring anyone into the fold, spend it on an email newsletter service if you aren’ t already emailing your fans with news.
At the very least, learning how to participate in social media will give artists a chance to take advantage of new online tools, which may actually enhance their current projects. Singles, videos and tourdates can be released via new outlets, fans (new and old) will have a new method of communication with artists, and artists will have a new set of tools by which to market their craft. In the face of both an unstable music economy and the evolution of the new music economy
2. Name 10 sites you think all artists should have a presence on?
- myspace
- youtube
- flickr
- ning (network)
- imeem
- blogger (so you can comment on other blogs)
- vimeo
- qik
3. Do you think it’s important for artists to be on as many sites as possible all over the Internet, or should they be selective and only sign up to the ones that they are actively using?
It can’t hurt to have a profile on as many sites as possible, but if you don’t sign in or know how to use the networks, or understand how to integrate all the sites together, then the profile will not automatically generate any exposure for you other than the top tier of popular artists who sell millions of records per month. An artist could viably create 50 profiles and optimize search-ability online, but it’s crucial to consider what a person will find once they get to the profile. I advise artists to start with 3 networks and to use & manage them correctly and actively, or hire someone who can do it - then increase to 5, 10 and so on.
4. What would your recommendations be for the busy artist that only has 30 minutes a week to dedicate to social media?Set aside a small budget to hire someone to help, and treat them like an additional band member. If you only have 30 minutes to spare then the concept of “your time is money” should make sense to you - and if you want to sell music online and are not Britney Spears, it’s worth your time & money to bring on this additional band member to increase your visibility, discoverability and sales online.
5. How can an artist save time by using widgets, and which ones would you recommend?
Widgets are time savers if you know how to create and use them. They enable fans to spread information more easily. The only task at hand is to copy-paste-embed on a website or as a blogpost. Think of a widget as a mini web page that can be embedded on a larger web page, or somewhere in a social network. I am a fan of the Sprout widget but since most social networks and services offer widgets i recommend simply finding one that you like best and then putting it up on your website, myspace page and facebook page. Then email your fans with the embed code and invite them to spread the word.
6. What’s the best way for an artist to get blogged about?
There are no guarantees. However, I advise indie publicists and artists who are brave enough to do their own publicity to develop a relationship with bloggers by reading their blogs, learning more about their taste and then you can write to them individually to let them know why you think they might be interested in your music. In addition, start your own blog, build a blogroll, and link to your favorite blogs.
7. Do you think artists should focus on getting played on Internet radio? Or has the scare with the RIAA stopped most Internet radio programmers in their tracks?Internet radio is very important if you want to be heard online. Terrestrial and online radio stations have to pay for the right to use your copyrighted art on their stations. The focus of the RIAA is not to stop the existence of Internet radio, but to hold “interactive” internet radio as well as large venture funded internet radio stations accountable for higher rates. In other words, the RIAA and Sound Exchange are claiming to fight for the rights of artists and get artists paid for large amounts of airplay.
Unfortunately there are largernternet radio channels with over 20 million listeners who are actually squeezing out the smaller webcasters by claiming that they (the large stations) are also small. There are two (or more) sides to this now-famous issue and their arguments (and lawsuits) are not ending anytime soon. I highly recommend to all artists that they push for airplay online the same way you might have pushed for airplay on terrestrial radio 10 years ago. I support webcasters and strongly advise all artists to treat webcasters like they are KROQ. Know which stations are playing what genres, know the DJs, and send them music appropriately. get airplay! Then promote those stations on your website and fanlists/ emails. Support their cause to stay alive and share the love. (note: in the music industry radio play and promotion is commonly referred to as “love”) :-)
8. When consulting with a band or an artist, what do you do for them that helps them sell more music online? How do you quantify your results? How can they?
When i consult with bands, labels and artists, I strategize digital presence. Simply creating a facebook or myspace page or a twitter account does not sell music. But learning to use these tools can greatly increase exposure and eventually sell music. In addition there are creative ways to utilize each network to target fans and potential fans. Usually none of this can be quantified financially until at least 3 months after the onset of a campaign. However, there are many numbers revealing exposure such as how many followers, fans or streams an artist accrues over a three-month period. With full engagement, I have yet to see an artist flounder when they know how to utilize the tools.
I teach artists and labels how to use these tools and help them devise creative ways to increase exposure with various tricks inside the tools. Whether it’s using a hash tag or starting a funny group on facebook, these strategies increase visibility and therefore the discoverability of your music online increases. There are ways to flood google so that you are always at the top of your own search results without ever buying an adword. I call this Music Discovery Optimization. Increasing visibility and discoverability of quality music will only increase an artist’s chance at selling music new and old.
9. Can you name five bands who are doing it right online?
10. Finally, if I was an artist and I had $500 of promotional money to spend, what would you advise me to do?
See answer to #4 - if you have $500 and don’t know what to do with it, hire someone who has command of the new music climate online and can execute quickly to increase your visibility online and teach you how to twitter. If that’s not an option or you just don’t want to bring anyone into the fold, spend it on an email newsletter service if you aren’ t already emailing your fans with news.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
What is SoundCloud?
SoundCloud is a new online audio platform that lets music professionals receive, send & distribute their music. Primarily SoundCloud provides a efficient and simple way for music professionals to exchange music they are working on in private settings allowing for easy collaboration and communication prior to a public release. With SoundCloud the music professionals can easily send & receive large amounts of tracks without cluttering their email inbox, having to make use of generic file sending services or manage their own server. For people who deal with music on a regular basis SoundCloud increases efficiency and improves their work flow by allowing them to focus on the music and not think about the actual files.
SoundCloud: The Tour from SoundCloud on Vimeo.
How did SoundCloud start?
The idea behind SoundCloud was born in Stockholm, Sweden after Alexander & Eric realized that they felt annoyed rather than excited when artists & producers they knew send them pre-views of their new music. After realizing that the available solutions for music professionals to send and receive music was what was causing the frustration while the actual music was something they were excited about they decided to set things right. The aim was to make a service that was simple enough that it would take up less energy from the users and bring back the excitement into sending & receiving exclusive music again.
http://soundcloud.com/press/releases/2010-08-19-soundcloud-creative-commons.pdf
http://soundcloud.com/press/releases/2010-01-25-soundcloud-hypem.pdf
http://soundcloud.com/press/releases/2010-01-14-upload-to-web.pdf
SoundCloud is a new online audio platform that lets music professionals receive, send & distribute their music. Primarily SoundCloud provides a efficient and simple way for music professionals to exchange music they are working on in private settings allowing for easy collaboration and communication prior to a public release. With SoundCloud the music professionals can easily send & receive large amounts of tracks without cluttering their email inbox, having to make use of generic file sending services or manage their own server. For people who deal with music on a regular basis SoundCloud increases efficiency and improves their work flow by allowing them to focus on the music and not think about the actual files.
SoundCloud: The Tour from SoundCloud on Vimeo.
How did SoundCloud start?
The idea behind SoundCloud was born in Stockholm, Sweden after Alexander & Eric realized that they felt annoyed rather than excited when artists & producers they knew send them pre-views of their new music. After realizing that the available solutions for music professionals to send and receive music was what was causing the frustration while the actual music was something they were excited about they decided to set things right. The aim was to make a service that was simple enough that it would take up less energy from the users and bring back the excitement into sending & receiving exclusive music again.
Once decided they moved to Berlin the following week and set up a temporary office in the conference room of a friend’s office. They were soon joined by other friends and two weeks later the first private beta version of SoundCloud was online and in use for sending & receiving music.
Press Releases 
http://soundcloud.com/press/releases/2010-01-25-soundcloud-hypem.pdf
http://soundcloud.com/press/releases/2010-01-14-upload-to-web.pdf
Monday, October 4, 2010
Tuenti
Tuenti Technologies
Tuenti is a Madrid-based, social networking website that has been referred to as the “Spanish Facebook.”[1] Tuenti, pronounced in Spanish, sounds like Twenty in English. The name, however, actually comes from “tu enti[dad],” meaning “your entity.”[2] The site is targeted at the Spanish audience, and is currently accessible only to those who have been invited.
Tuenti features many tools common to social-networking sites. It allows users to set up a profile, upload photos, link videos and connect with friends. Many other utilities, such as the ability to create events, are also offered. Unlike similar social networking sites which feature banner advertisements, Tuenti has opted out of these traditional forms of “noisy” and obstructive advertising.[3]
According to the Google Annual Search Report, “tuenti” was the fourth fastest-rising global search term in 2008[4], and Alexa Internet ranks the site as one of the top-ten most visited in Spain.[5] It is currently estimated that there are more than 5 million users, making it the country’s most popular social network.
Tuenti was founded in 2006 by Zaryn Dentzel, Kenny Bentley, Adeyemi Ajao, Felix Ruiz and JoaquÃn Ayuso de Pául.
In August 4th 2010, Tuenti was adquired by Telefonica [of Spain] for 90€ millions. After this adquisition, Bernardo Hernandez (Global Product Manager in Google) abandon the presidence on the company. More information in Spanish in the Carlos Blanco Blog http://nini.es/drN5xB
Zaryn Dentzel, CEO, and Kenny Bentley, the lead programmer, came to Spain after having worked in social networking in the United States.[7] Kenny Bentley is credited with coding most of the original platform from a small office in the north of Madrid in the Spring of 2006, while Zaryn Dentzel led the project and was involved in much of the design and strategy.[8]
The organization now employees from countries around the world, including Spain, the U.S., Sweden, Germany, Poland, the UK and Portugal
Screenshot
http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/original/0009/4904/94904v1.jpg
Tuenti is a Madrid-based, social networking website that has been referred to as the “Spanish Facebook.”[1] Tuenti, pronounced in Spanish, sounds like Twenty in English. The name, however, actually comes from “tu enti[dad],” meaning “your entity.”[2] The site is targeted at the Spanish audience, and is currently accessible only to those who have been invited.
Tuenti features many tools common to social-networking sites. It allows users to set up a profile, upload photos, link videos and connect with friends. Many other utilities, such as the ability to create events, are also offered. Unlike similar social networking sites which feature banner advertisements, Tuenti has opted out of these traditional forms of “noisy” and obstructive advertising.[3]
According to the Google Annual Search Report, “tuenti” was the fourth fastest-rising global search term in 2008[4], and Alexa Internet ranks the site as one of the top-ten most visited in Spain.[5] It is currently estimated that there are more than 5 million users, making it the country’s most popular social network.
Tuenti was founded in 2006 by Zaryn Dentzel, Kenny Bentley, Adeyemi Ajao, Felix Ruiz and JoaquÃn Ayuso de Pául.
In August 4th 2010, Tuenti was adquired by Telefonica [of Spain] for 90€ millions. After this adquisition, Bernardo Hernandez (Global Product Manager in Google) abandon the presidence on the company. More information in Spanish in the Carlos Blanco Blog http://nini.es/drN5xB
Zaryn Dentzel, CEO, and Kenny Bentley, the lead programmer, came to Spain after having worked in social networking in the United States.[7] Kenny Bentley is credited with coding most of the original platform from a small office in the north of Madrid in the Spring of 2006, while Zaryn Dentzel led the project and was involved in much of the design and strategy.[8]
The organization now employees from countries around the world, including Spain, the U.S., Sweden, Germany, Poland, the UK and Portugal
Screenshot
http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/original/0009/4904/94904v1.jpg
Friday, October 1, 2010
Self Promote Your Music By Heather McDonald
Link: http://musicians.about.com/od/beingamusician/ht/selfpromote.htm
Unless you have major label money behind you, the ability to self promote your music is one of the most important skills you can have. When you don't have money to hire PR people to run media campaigns for you, it is up to you to make sure people know about the music you are making. Getting started can be a little overwhelming, however. These steps will help you start out on the right foot, to make sure all of the right people are standing up and taking notice of you.
Time Required: Ongoing
Here's How:
1.
Identify Your Goals - When you set out to promote your music, don't try to cover too much ground at once. Look at the way larger artists are promoted - they have specific campaigns that promote specific things, like a new album or a tour. Choose one thing to promote, like:
* A single
* A show
* A website
Once you know what to promote, you will be able to make clear goals for yourself, i.e. if you want to promote your website, then your goal is to bring traffic to the site. With these goals in mind, you'll find it easier to come up with promotion ideas, and you'll be better able to judge the success of your promotions.
2.
Target the Right Audience - With your promotional goal in mind, figure out who the right audience for your campaign is. If you have a gig coming up, then the right audience for your promotion are the local print publications and radio stations in the town in which your show is happening. If you have a limited edition single coming out, your primary audience is your band mailing list, plus the media. Going for the right audience is especially important if you're on a budget. Don't waste time and money letting town X knowing about an upcoming show in town Y or a folk magazine about your new hip hop album.
3.
Have a Promo Package - Just like when you send a demo to a label , to self promote your music, you need a good promo package. Your package should have:
* A press release detailing your news
* A short (one page) band bio
* A CD (a demo recording is ok, or an advance copy of an upcoming release)
* A package of any press coverage you have had so far - press coverage begets press coverage
* Your contact information (make sure to include an email address - people may hesitate to call you)
* A color photo, or a link to a site where a photo can be downloaded. The press is more likely to run a photo if they don't have to chase it.
4.
Find Your Niche - The sad truth is, every writer, radio station, website, or fan for that matter, you are trying to reach is likely being bombarded with info from other music hopefuls. You a reason to stand out. Try to find something that will make people more curious about you - give them a reason to want to know more. Being elusive worked wonders for Belle & Sebastian at the start of their career and people write about Marilyn Manson for being, well, Marilyn Manson. You don't have to devise a huge, calculated persona, but giving people a reason to check out your show or your CD before the others can only help.
5.
Bribe 'Em - Another way to stand out from the crowd is plain old free stuff. Even press people and label bosses love getting something for nothing, and you'll whip your fans into a frenzy (and get new fans) by giving stuff away. Some ideas:
* Put some money behind the bar at a show and give free drink passes to all the industry people who come to check you out.
* Give people on your mailing list an exclusive download once a month (be it a new song or an alternate version of a song)
* At gigs, raffle (for free) mix CDs made by the band - everyone who signs up to your mailing list at the show gets entered in the drawing.
6.
Branding - Get your name out there. Make up some stickers, badges, posters, lighters or anything else you can think of that include your band's name. Then, leave the stuff anywhere you can. Pass them out at your favorite clubs, leave them on the record shop counter, poster the light posts - go for it. Soon, your name will be familiar to people even if they don't know why, and when they see your name in the paper advertising an upcoming show, they'll think "hey...I know that name, I wonder what that's all about.."
7.
Keep Track of Your Contacts - As you go through all of these steps, chances are that you are going to pick up a lot of new contacts along the way. Some of these contacts will be industry people and some will be fans. Never lose track of a contact. Keep a database on your computer for the industry people you have met and another database of fan contacts. These databases should be your first port of call for your next promotional campaign - and these databases should always be growing. Don't write anyone off, even if you don't get much feedback from them. You never know who is going to give you the break you need.
Tips:
1.
Know When to Act Small - This step ties in with targeting the right audience and identifying your goals - you can save a lot of time spinning your wheels by keeping the small stuff small. While it's always useful to keep other people up to date with what's happening in your career, that guy from Rolling Stone doesn't really need to know every time your band is playing a half hour set at the local club, especially if the local press really hasn't given you much coverage yet. When you're getting started, the easiest place to start a buzz is your local area. Build up the small stuff to get to the bigger stuff.
2.
But Know When to Act Large - Sometimes, a larger campaign really is in order. Go full speed ahead when you have something big brewing, like:
* A new album
* A tour
* An important piece of news, like an award or a new record deal
This kind of news warrants contacting both the media and people you want to work with, like labels, agents, managers and so on.
3.
Find the RIGHT Niche - As mentioned, finding your niche is helpful in getting noticed. There is one caveat however - make sure you get noticed for the right reasons. You certainly will get some attention for bad, unprofessional behavior, but the problem is that your music won't be what everyone is talking about - and isn't that what you really want to be recognized for? Don't do yourself the disservice of self promoting a bad rep for yourself. Make sure you get noticed for your talent instead.
Also, don't be fake. If you're not sure what your niche is yet, don't push it. Stay true to yourself and your music.
4.
Grow your Database - In addition to keeping tracks of the contacts you have, don't be afraid to help your database grow by adding some "dream" contacts to your list. Is there an agent you want to take notice of you? Then include them on your press release mailing list or promo mailing list when you have big news to share. Let them know you're still working and still building your career - pretty soon, they may be knocking on your door.
5.
Take a Deep Breath - For many people, the idea of self promoting their music to their fans is easy, but the idea of calling up the press is downright terrifying. Relax. Here's the truth - some people you call will be nice, some people won't be. Some people will never return your calls or emails. Some will. You shouldn't take any of it personally. You definitely shouldn't be afraid to try. Covering bands is the job of the music media - they expect to hear from you. Don't be discouraged by someone who is rude, or someone who is polite, but still says "no". Don't write them off, either. Next time, you may hear "yes."
Unless you have major label money behind you, the ability to self promote your music is one of the most important skills you can have. When you don't have money to hire PR people to run media campaigns for you, it is up to you to make sure people know about the music you are making. Getting started can be a little overwhelming, however. These steps will help you start out on the right foot, to make sure all of the right people are standing up and taking notice of you.
Time Required: Ongoing
Here's How:
1.
Identify Your Goals - When you set out to promote your music, don't try to cover too much ground at once. Look at the way larger artists are promoted - they have specific campaigns that promote specific things, like a new album or a tour. Choose one thing to promote, like:
* A single
* A show
* A website
Once you know what to promote, you will be able to make clear goals for yourself, i.e. if you want to promote your website, then your goal is to bring traffic to the site. With these goals in mind, you'll find it easier to come up with promotion ideas, and you'll be better able to judge the success of your promotions.
2.
Target the Right Audience - With your promotional goal in mind, figure out who the right audience for your campaign is. If you have a gig coming up, then the right audience for your promotion are the local print publications and radio stations in the town in which your show is happening. If you have a limited edition single coming out, your primary audience is your band mailing list, plus the media. Going for the right audience is especially important if you're on a budget. Don't waste time and money letting town X knowing about an upcoming show in town Y or a folk magazine about your new hip hop album.
3.
Have a Promo Package - Just like when you send a demo to a label , to self promote your music, you need a good promo package. Your package should have:
* A press release detailing your news
* A short (one page) band bio
* A CD (a demo recording is ok, or an advance copy of an upcoming release)
* A package of any press coverage you have had so far - press coverage begets press coverage
* Your contact information (make sure to include an email address - people may hesitate to call you)
* A color photo, or a link to a site where a photo can be downloaded. The press is more likely to run a photo if they don't have to chase it.
4.
Find Your Niche - The sad truth is, every writer, radio station, website, or fan for that matter, you are trying to reach is likely being bombarded with info from other music hopefuls. You a reason to stand out. Try to find something that will make people more curious about you - give them a reason to want to know more. Being elusive worked wonders for Belle & Sebastian at the start of their career and people write about Marilyn Manson for being, well, Marilyn Manson. You don't have to devise a huge, calculated persona, but giving people a reason to check out your show or your CD before the others can only help.
5.
Bribe 'Em - Another way to stand out from the crowd is plain old free stuff. Even press people and label bosses love getting something for nothing, and you'll whip your fans into a frenzy (and get new fans) by giving stuff away. Some ideas:
* Put some money behind the bar at a show and give free drink passes to all the industry people who come to check you out.
* Give people on your mailing list an exclusive download once a month (be it a new song or an alternate version of a song)
* At gigs, raffle (for free) mix CDs made by the band - everyone who signs up to your mailing list at the show gets entered in the drawing.
6.
Branding - Get your name out there. Make up some stickers, badges, posters, lighters or anything else you can think of that include your band's name. Then, leave the stuff anywhere you can. Pass them out at your favorite clubs, leave them on the record shop counter, poster the light posts - go for it. Soon, your name will be familiar to people even if they don't know why, and when they see your name in the paper advertising an upcoming show, they'll think "hey...I know that name, I wonder what that's all about.."
7.
Keep Track of Your Contacts - As you go through all of these steps, chances are that you are going to pick up a lot of new contacts along the way. Some of these contacts will be industry people and some will be fans. Never lose track of a contact. Keep a database on your computer for the industry people you have met and another database of fan contacts. These databases should be your first port of call for your next promotional campaign - and these databases should always be growing. Don't write anyone off, even if you don't get much feedback from them. You never know who is going to give you the break you need.
Tips:
1.
Know When to Act Small - This step ties in with targeting the right audience and identifying your goals - you can save a lot of time spinning your wheels by keeping the small stuff small. While it's always useful to keep other people up to date with what's happening in your career, that guy from Rolling Stone doesn't really need to know every time your band is playing a half hour set at the local club, especially if the local press really hasn't given you much coverage yet. When you're getting started, the easiest place to start a buzz is your local area. Build up the small stuff to get to the bigger stuff.
2.
But Know When to Act Large - Sometimes, a larger campaign really is in order. Go full speed ahead when you have something big brewing, like:
* A new album
* A tour
* An important piece of news, like an award or a new record deal
This kind of news warrants contacting both the media and people you want to work with, like labels, agents, managers and so on.
3.
Find the RIGHT Niche - As mentioned, finding your niche is helpful in getting noticed. There is one caveat however - make sure you get noticed for the right reasons. You certainly will get some attention for bad, unprofessional behavior, but the problem is that your music won't be what everyone is talking about - and isn't that what you really want to be recognized for? Don't do yourself the disservice of self promoting a bad rep for yourself. Make sure you get noticed for your talent instead.
Also, don't be fake. If you're not sure what your niche is yet, don't push it. Stay true to yourself and your music.
4.
Grow your Database - In addition to keeping tracks of the contacts you have, don't be afraid to help your database grow by adding some "dream" contacts to your list. Is there an agent you want to take notice of you? Then include them on your press release mailing list or promo mailing list when you have big news to share. Let them know you're still working and still building your career - pretty soon, they may be knocking on your door.
5.
Take a Deep Breath - For many people, the idea of self promoting their music to their fans is easy, but the idea of calling up the press is downright terrifying. Relax. Here's the truth - some people you call will be nice, some people won't be. Some people will never return your calls or emails. Some will. You shouldn't take any of it personally. You definitely shouldn't be afraid to try. Covering bands is the job of the music media - they expect to hear from you. Don't be discouraged by someone who is rude, or someone who is polite, but still says "no". Don't write them off, either. Next time, you may hear "yes."
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Social Media Strategies - Music, Part One
Music social networks taps the wisdom of the crowds, leveraging each user's musical profile to make personalized recommendations, connect users who share similar tastes, provide custom radio streams, and much more.
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Effect of Social Media on Music
Link: http://www.heavybagmedia.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-effect-of-social-media-on-music
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Sun, 06/08/2008 - 19:39
The social web has changed the way people listen to, share and interact with music. Sites like Last.fm, Muxtape, Radioheadremix and iMeem put the user at the helm. They allow us to share, interact, distribute, collect and rework music.
There are already plenty of great posts out there about what Radiohead has been up to. As well as NIN.
And Mashable has an amazing list of 90+ online music and audio sites.
What I want to discuss here is the effect of all of this stuff on us as individuals and the effect it's had, or could potentially have in the music business.
Music Discovery
Let’s start with the music discovery. Prior to the social web our options for discovering new music were limited. There was the radio, and the friends and family that we saw on a regular basis. People who were serious audiophiles knew the right record stores to go to, the right clubs to check out emerging artists, but your average Joe did not have access, or care enough about it to go out of their way to find it. The social web has allowed everyone to share, rate, recommend, discover and exchange music. The social web is a few to few environment; friends are influenced by friends more than anything else.
Music discovery on the web happens in a variety of ways:
Browsing - users browse through music based on the genre and artists they like
Stumbling - users "stumble" down paths based on behavioral targeting "people who liked X also liked Y"
Peer to Peer - users can send and receive recommendations to each other
Social groupings - your friends liked X
Live Performances
Then there's the impact social media has had on the discovery process in terms of live performances. With sites like Upcoming.org and Last.fm users can see which shows their friends are going to, and which ones they might like based on their musical tastes. You can figure out what everyone is doing, listen to the music online if you've never heard it before, and buy a ticket.
Interactivity and Collaboration
How about the way we interact with music? It used to be that we purchased an album, maybe made mix tapes or CDs and that was about it. Services like Muxtape allow users to make online mix tapes of their favorite songs and share them. Most social music sites are based on play lists that users can create and share with their friends. Radiohead took it one step further with the release of their single "Nude" in which they allowed users to purchase the tracks separately, make their own remix, upload it to radioheadremix.com and share with their friends. This was brilliant on Radiohead’s part, they not only sold each of the tracks for .99 on iTunes, increasing the revenue from the single, they engaged their audience in a relevant way, leveraged them to drive traffic to the site, and got an incredible amount of coverage from news organizations and blogs. People were participating with the Radiohead brand. They were spending their time carefully crafting remixes and rallying their friends to vote for them on the website. I love this concept of including your fans in the creation and improvement of your art and music. User-generated contests are a great way to build momentum and engage with fans.
Purchase
This all then leads to music purchase. Online purchases are influenced by friends and peers more than anything else, by a large margin. That's what makes social media so pivotal given the surge in digital downloads. Apple just announced that iTunes is now the number one music retailer in the US, with 19% of music sales occurring there. Amazon.com accounts for another 6% (I’m surprised it’s that high) and then you’ve got all of the smaller guys, leading to an overall paid digital download business that accounts for 30% of all music sold.
Take a look at this recent study by Enders Analysis:
Now What?
The music industry doesn’t quite seem to know what to do with this. If the projections are right, though digital purchases will continue to climb, they will not entirely make up for the loss of physical album sales. This is largely due to the fact that users tend to buy one or two songs rather than a whole album, and also availability of free music.
And yet, it’s a phenomenon that is obviously going to continue to grow and can’t be ignored. What I don’t understand is why more labels and artists aren’t jumping in with both feet and harnessing the power of the social web. Use word of mouth and social to build a community around the artist. Make up for the losses by creating new or modified revenue streams that may well surpass the old model. Limited edition high-ticket collectors' items for example, live performances, even live performances streamed into multiple locations at once where people can interact with each other from location to location and even interact with the artist. What about ad revenue from online video? It’s not a huge profit center yet, but it’s getting there. Why not wrap that into user-generated contests? Have users create videos, upload them, send their friends to the videos to vote for them, run ads on the videos that generate revenue for the artist while all along building social buzz, word of mouth and achieving a viral effect.
There's also the fact that digital distribution means lower costs in terms of shelf space, physical goods and distribution. Then there's warehousing, shipping, speed to market, all expenses that will decrease as digital distribution increases. Also, positioning music to take advantage of natural word of mouth is less costly than traditional advertising and marketing, and often much more effective. So perhaps the cost-savings of adopting an online social music model will help offset the decrease in revenue from album sales.
The sooner the music industry stops trying to cling to old models that don’t work and starts getting imaginative about the possibilities the better. I'm sure there are lots of people who know way more about this than I do, I'd love your feedback, please comment.
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Sun, 06/08/2008 - 19:39
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Sun, 06/08/2008 - 19:39
The social web has changed the way people listen to, share and interact with music. Sites like Last.fm, Muxtape, Radioheadremix and iMeem put the user at the helm. They allow us to share, interact, distribute, collect and rework music.
There are already plenty of great posts out there about what Radiohead has been up to. As well as NIN.
And Mashable has an amazing list of 90+ online music and audio sites.
What I want to discuss here is the effect of all of this stuff on us as individuals and the effect it's had, or could potentially have in the music business.
Music Discovery
Let’s start with the music discovery. Prior to the social web our options for discovering new music were limited. There was the radio, and the friends and family that we saw on a regular basis. People who were serious audiophiles knew the right record stores to go to, the right clubs to check out emerging artists, but your average Joe did not have access, or care enough about it to go out of their way to find it. The social web has allowed everyone to share, rate, recommend, discover and exchange music. The social web is a few to few environment; friends are influenced by friends more than anything else.
Music discovery on the web happens in a variety of ways:
Browsing - users browse through music based on the genre and artists they like
Stumbling - users "stumble" down paths based on behavioral targeting "people who liked X also liked Y"
Peer to Peer - users can send and receive recommendations to each other
Social groupings - your friends liked X
Live Performances
Then there's the impact social media has had on the discovery process in terms of live performances. With sites like Upcoming.org and Last.fm users can see which shows their friends are going to, and which ones they might like based on their musical tastes. You can figure out what everyone is doing, listen to the music online if you've never heard it before, and buy a ticket.
Interactivity and Collaboration
How about the way we interact with music? It used to be that we purchased an album, maybe made mix tapes or CDs and that was about it. Services like Muxtape allow users to make online mix tapes of their favorite songs and share them. Most social music sites are based on play lists that users can create and share with their friends. Radiohead took it one step further with the release of their single "Nude" in which they allowed users to purchase the tracks separately, make their own remix, upload it to radioheadremix.com and share with their friends. This was brilliant on Radiohead’s part, they not only sold each of the tracks for .99 on iTunes, increasing the revenue from the single, they engaged their audience in a relevant way, leveraged them to drive traffic to the site, and got an incredible amount of coverage from news organizations and blogs. People were participating with the Radiohead brand. They were spending their time carefully crafting remixes and rallying their friends to vote for them on the website. I love this concept of including your fans in the creation and improvement of your art and music. User-generated contests are a great way to build momentum and engage with fans.
Purchase
This all then leads to music purchase. Online purchases are influenced by friends and peers more than anything else, by a large margin. That's what makes social media so pivotal given the surge in digital downloads. Apple just announced that iTunes is now the number one music retailer in the US, with 19% of music sales occurring there. Amazon.com accounts for another 6% (I’m surprised it’s that high) and then you’ve got all of the smaller guys, leading to an overall paid digital download business that accounts for 30% of all music sold.
Take a look at this recent study by Enders Analysis:
Now What?
The music industry doesn’t quite seem to know what to do with this. If the projections are right, though digital purchases will continue to climb, they will not entirely make up for the loss of physical album sales. This is largely due to the fact that users tend to buy one or two songs rather than a whole album, and also availability of free music.
And yet, it’s a phenomenon that is obviously going to continue to grow and can’t be ignored. What I don’t understand is why more labels and artists aren’t jumping in with both feet and harnessing the power of the social web. Use word of mouth and social to build a community around the artist. Make up for the losses by creating new or modified revenue streams that may well surpass the old model. Limited edition high-ticket collectors' items for example, live performances, even live performances streamed into multiple locations at once where people can interact with each other from location to location and even interact with the artist. What about ad revenue from online video? It’s not a huge profit center yet, but it’s getting there. Why not wrap that into user-generated contests? Have users create videos, upload them, send their friends to the videos to vote for them, run ads on the videos that generate revenue for the artist while all along building social buzz, word of mouth and achieving a viral effect.
There's also the fact that digital distribution means lower costs in terms of shelf space, physical goods and distribution. Then there's warehousing, shipping, speed to market, all expenses that will decrease as digital distribution increases. Also, positioning music to take advantage of natural word of mouth is less costly than traditional advertising and marketing, and often much more effective. So perhaps the cost-savings of adopting an online social music model will help offset the decrease in revenue from album sales.
The sooner the music industry stops trying to cling to old models that don’t work and starts getting imaginative about the possibilities the better. I'm sure there are lots of people who know way more about this than I do, I'd love your feedback, please comment.
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Sun, 06/08/2008 - 19:39
Radioshow Social Media Hour #13
This week join a real-time brainstorm session as Cathy and her Ad Hocnium colleague Shel Holtz help the Executive Director of a non-profit figure out how to use social media. Also on this week's show, a look at one way technology is impacting the music business and a well known author proffers his insights on why old-fashioned networking tips are so critical today. Guests: Shel Holtz - Ad Hocnium David DeVore - Fanmail Marketing Larry Chiang - author, entrepreneur James Kass - Executive Director, Youth Speaks
Conversation about musical business starts around 6.30
Detailed content description will be a bit later.
Conversation about musical business starts around 6.30
Detailed content description will be a bit later.
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