While the internet does have it's major disadvantages, it's been suggested to me from a couple of people, ways of counteracting the imbalance. The main suggestion regarding giving music away for free.
I'm not for that idea, like I said in my previous post, I think that music is worth something because the artist puts so much into creating and recording it. The suggestion that has been made: record one more track than what you need, don't include it on the album and give it away free. (Thanks to Danny and Richard - both had the same thoughts).
Now doesn't that make more sense?! And as suggested, you call it a 'b-side' demo. You are then a) giving away a track that isn't on the album anyway, it's a track that is created for the sole purpose of giving away; b) it's kind of like a taster for people then... they hear it and think "wow, if this is what is considered b-side then I gotta hear the album". People are going to want to hear more!
I think it's a great idea! And have decided that this is what will happen with the band that I manage. Their second album is due out at the end of the year - so one more song will be recorded for the sole purpose of giving away as a free download. It was also suggested to me that this particular song being given away be a cover song. It just so happens that this band do a killer version of "Somebody Told Me" (by the Killers). The boys aren't too keen on doing a cover, but we'll see what becomes. Either way, be it one of their own or a cover, the free download is sure to grab attention if it's quality material. And from a professional band, what more would you expect.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Free Downloads To Promote? Or Not...
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Any Publicity Is Good Publicity... Right?
Well... yes... I happen to agree with that one. There are some great ways to go about it - and although there have been some very interesting attempts, here's one I thought I might pass on - the title alone made me laugh: "How To Get Publicity For Your Forgotten Band - Sue Stupid Pop Star", check the article out at Music Snobbery here.
So you can give publicity a go via the alternative route (as above), or go the professional route (as I will explain below). I must admit though, I am tempted to take that route above! haha
Anyways, I received the advice a while back to get in touch with a good PR person as soon as the album was done. At that stage, after investing a lot in buying our own studio and then recording the band, the funds simply weren't available to look into the PR side of things thoroughly.
Having put that off for nearly a year, I have decided that now is the time to look into that seriously. I was recently contacted by a Canadian PR company who love the album and that have the contacts and experience to get my artist some well-deserved exposure. I am considering it - but it might just be smart to wait until after the showcase next week.
But put it this way, PR is one of the most important (if not THE most important) aspect in music. You may have one great album, but it's no good if no-one knows about you! Getting an excellent PR person (that has the brains and the reputation) behind you could make all the difference!
Breaking Into Commercial Radio
Okey dokey, here's a bit of the good news! It is possible to receive airplay and get playlisted with the commercial radio stations - it has happened to several bands - and not just in New Zealand. But one good example that I would like to share, which you may or may not already know the story of, is the story behind New Zealand band, Blindspott.
Originally typecast as too heavy for radio, the Blindspott eventually earned radio airplay through radio stations being overwhelmed with fans requesting to hear them. And, as they say, the rest is history — a major label bidding war, two number one albums, triple platinum sales, a number one airplay single, sold-out tours, and overseas adventures in South East Asia, Japan, America and Australia.
Certainly goes to show that it's all about getting the music to the people - winning them over one by one. Nurture your fans, look after them - they will become your best asset! Just like I mentioned in a previous blog - you need to treat every single fan like they are number one! Because you never know who they are or how they can help you! Just look at what happened with our YouTube video - all because we replied to a comment and let that person know we appreciated him taking the time to check it out.
There are many stories to success that are similar to the one of Blindspott. However, it's important to note that, though it may sound fairly easy, reality is, it's a lot of hard work. Playing live, connecting with fans, keeping up to date with comments, emails, playing more gigs, organising new gigs etc - all of it is solid hard work - it's not easy. But when you get to that stage and all your fans behind you wanting to hear you on the radio - that's what makes it all worth it.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
YouTube.. Is It Worth It For Musicians?
Now, here's where it all gets interesting. I thought it was time to forget about the so called "commericial" avenues and work on getting it out to the people instead - after all, it is the 'people' that make the difference - always remember that! Don't get hooked on trying to be "commercial". If the people love you, then you'll make it there eventually.
So armed and ready, we uploaded the video to YouTube. In the first 5 days it received over 300,000 views!! How the hell did we do that? I'll tell you how. It all goes back to two crucial elements: 1.) have a damn good song; 2.) look after your fans! The latter one is most important. Reply to every comment - even if it's just to say "thanks". It shows that you actually give a damn and that they are appreciated. After all - they take the time out to not only listen to your music but to comment. Always remember - you never know WHO they are or WHAT they do. Every comment my artist receives gets a reply.
So, in answer to the question of how we 'worked it' on YouTube: it turned out that one of the guys I replied to absolutely loved the song and just happened to run an internet TV station! He decided he really wanted to help promote this band and threw it up on his front page. We were pretty stoked! After that, the views rapidly increased - and so did the email messages of people wanting to know when they are touring!
So... in a nutshell - is YouTube worth it for musicians? Hell YES! That is the people talking! Get the picture? Every single fan has the potential to help you - one way or another, some more than others - but ALL are important!
Music Video Time... Did It Work?!
...[continued..] Well, I certainly didn't let the lack of support from commercial radio stations bother me. Actually, it empowered me and made me more determined. I was completely committed to getting this artist out there, and I still am. Next up on my list of things to do, was to get a video done. We had already created a YouTube account and thrown up a couple of acoustic versions, which people really seemed to enjoy.
Time for a real video, now that the album was finished and fully produced and mastered - let's see if the TV stations are any more helpful than radio! We created the video - we did it on a very limited budget, and had a lot of help from friends and contacts we had made - came together nicely. Not the best video - looking back, there are many things I would change - but it was what we could do on little or no budget. Comparing it to other New Zealand music videos - it was in the same league.
So, we sent that off to 2 of the main music video stations here in New Zealand - C4TV and Juice. Result? C4 said they might show it in their Homegrown section - they thought the song was awesome, but didn't think the video did it justice. I'm happy to agree with that. Juice? They were just downright rude! They were not interested - I inquired as to what they thought of the song itself... and they said "it wouldn't fit in amongst Beyonce and Justin Timberlake" (I still have the email - with the very rude tone in it!). I must admit, I had to laugh, because whilst they do play that kind of thing - there's also a tonne of New Zealand content, and this track is by far, as good as (if not better) than any other New Zealand song currently playing.
How the hell do you break into the commercial world ...??? More soon!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: A hidden wisdom is like a hidden star; it shines nowhere"
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Getting Radio Airplay.... Or Not!
I've been running an indie record label/management company full time for about 6 months now. I currently manage only one band at this stage as I would rather focus on one act that has 'hit' potential, rather than 3 that are just pretty good. I spend a lot of time doing the upkeep of all sites (website, Bebo, MySpace etc), replying to every message and every comment, commenting back, adding blogs etc. That alone is a full time job!
We put together a video for the first single this band released off their album, and posted it up on YouTube. Within 5 days it had received over 300,000 views! So I was pretty happy with that, considering that the biggest rock band here in New Zealand has only received 57,000 views! It proved to me that the public were loving it - we received a lot of honours on YouTube and the emails flowed in. It confirmed to me that we had hit the mark with choosing that first song.
So, using the YouTube feedback as our credibility I decided that one way or another, we need to get this song on air. I got hold of the name of every programme director at each radio station fitting the genre, called them and introduced myself. I mentioned that I would like to send them a copy of the album and a couple of weeks later, I called back to follow up. The result I got from them, collectively, were that it was "cheesy" and "wouldn't fit into the playlist" etc. CHEESY???? What the heck? Were they listening to the same track that I was? And the other 300,000 people? I was too polite to mention that many of the current tracks on their playlist were what I would term as "cheesy"! I have sinced learned that getting any kind of air play is a very political venture! In the music industry.. it is not WHAT you know, is is definitely WHO you know.
But... I wasn't about to stop there! No way were they going to knock me down and put me in my place. I was more determined than ever.... [to be continued..]
Promote Your Music .. but where to start?
Yes, getting your music out there is damn hard. But I believe it's by winning over one fan at a time. There are so many questions and so many opinions - neither necessarily right or wrong. For example: do you offer free downloads? Do you stream music? If so, just a couple of the songs, or a full album? If people have that so freely, will they bother to buy or download them? There are so many different opinions on these questions that you have to just do what fits right for you and what you're comfortable with. There are pros and cons to it all.
For my artist, I allow all tracks to be downloaded individually - this is because I can remember how often I have been put off buying an album because I was really only loving one or two tracks. This way, people can pick and choose - and if they don't want to buy a full album, they may buy up to half a dozen tracks - but at least it's songs that they really want. I only stream 3 songs across all mediums as I feel that it's better to leave people wanting more. If they want to hear more, then there are previews on the website.
I also decided to sell the album via CD Baby as after reading up about them, it's a great way to sell worldwide and not have to worry about the posting of CD's etc. They do it all for you - and you still get all the information of who buys your CD. They also provide great digital services with the companies they have partnered up with. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't already. My artist's album was up there 2 days (I hadn't even confirmed the setup for digital distribution) and we already had a sale!
What you also need is one really good song - get that really good song out there, on every medium you can - YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, Mog etc. Use something like ReverbNation's widgets to collect fans. These are little widgets you can place on many social networking sites, as well as your own website, where people can input their name and email and ReverbNation collects the details for you. Then you can mass email your fans with news, updates, new tracks etc.
Once you start getting your fans - look after them!! The single most important rule! Personally write to them - don't use formal, corporate language, talk to them like you would a good mate, let them feel part of what you're doing. Continue the fantasy that they have that they are hanging with a 'rock star'. Answer every comment you get on YouTube or MySpace etc, don't let them go un-noticed. They will really appreciate it. I have had a few fans really surprised that they got a reply from the singer!! They were really taken aback, and I know that they are now a fan for life.
Now, I have an awesome resource that has really helped me - I don't agree with everything in it - but like I said, take what you want out of things and do what fits for you. It's a 96 page e-book, so if you're keen for help with new music strategies for the online world, just get in touch.
Ok, well I'll be back!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Join Me On My Journey...
I manage a rock band here in New Zealand - they're a pretty wicked band (and no, I'm not just being biassed - I couldn't promote or stand behind something I didn't believe it). And please note: this blog is NOT for promotional purposes, hence I won't be mentioning the band.
It's a hard industry to break into, especially being a female, I don't feel that there's the respect that there would be if I was male - but I might be wrong there. Either way, I feel that I'm slowly making some headway - completely believing in your artist and having that passion for their music is a major part of it all.
In saying all this, the most important thing I have learned is to leave all the nay-sayers behind. You don't need that - and anyone that just sees the negative in what you're doing is not worth the time or effort. It used to bother me, whenever I talked about what I was doing, or the goals I had, I felt like I had to defend myself, my thoughts and my actions - it became draining and I didn't enjoy those conversations. I can no longer be bothered with it and I fully believe you can achieve anything if you really put your mind to it and really focus on it. Any backlash I get now - it drives me and motivates me. I have a point to prove and I will prove it. Already on this journey I am on, I have left behind several people... because their negativity drains me.
That said, join me on this journey to getting a band to world-wide fame. My goal is to write on this every single day (forgive me if I miss a day!), and to diary the ways and means by which I get there. Maybe it will help some of you along the way. But the whole reason I know it will happen for me is because this band I manage has the ability to make it huge! You will see.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Archives
From Beginning To Current:
April 2008
- Join Me On My Journey
- Promote Your Music... But Where To Start?
- Getting Radio Airplay... Or Not!
- Music Video Time... Did It Work?!
- YouTube... Is It Worth It For Musicians?
- 10 Tips To Get New Fans...
- Sabotage In The Music Industry... (Part 1)
- Sabotage In The Music Industry... (Part 2)
- Tall Poppy Syndrome
- My Gripe With MySpace Musicians
- Repercussions Of Tall Poppy Syndrome
- When People Love To Hate You
- Devil Rears It's Ugly Head... (Part 1)
- Devil Rears It's Ugly Head... (Part 2)
- Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining...
- Who Is Right? Consumer Or Industry?
- It's Not What You Know, But Who You Know
- Breaking Into Commercial Radio
- Any Publicity Is Good Publicity... Right?
- Planning For A Showcase
- Big Strategy #1
- Burned From The Inside
- Slow Recovery... But Game On!
- Gimme More... (No, Not Britney!)
- The Wheels Are A-Turning...!
- Day Of The Showcase (Part 1)
- Day Of The Showcase (Part 2)
- The Show Must Go On
- Saga Of The Showcase - My Summary
- He Who Has The Power... Speak!
- Where To Now?
- How To Contact The Industry Bigwigs
- Not Every Day Is A Good Day
- Negativeland
- Theory: How To Sell Out A Show
- Being On The Same Page
