Unsigned Acts and Drawing Fans
A Commentary, by Professor Pooch
(C) 2008-2010 David J. Spangenberg
Part 4
The Day has come. The Artists/Bands, Promoters, Venues are all ready to stage an EVENT. An EVENT people will talk about – a “Night to Remember.”
“So, I guess we really need a Gimmick…” NO! Gimmicks are basically useless because people can see right through them, and they are needless as well. Gimmicks are looked at as Gimmicks; “Great shows” are looked at as Great Shows!
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Wow! Right along the line of what the MusicBizNinja was babbling about (I think), comes a great article by Vinny Ribas at Indie Connect Magazine. He points out that opportunities for indie artists have never been greater. There have never been so many options to pursue, avenues to follow, methods to use, and results to achieve. The article touches on:
- Labels control careers. As an indie, you have total control over your career.
- There are no unreasonable limitations
- There are more income opportunities from recording music
- There are numerous income streams from songwriting
- You have unlimited co-writing opportunities
- Your global reach is unprecedented
- More venues are used to artists booking themselves
- It can be inexpensive to record songs, an EP or a CD
- You have direct access to talent buyers worldwide
- You have access to amazing marketing tools
- Indie music is accepted as an alternative to major label music
- You can start your own record label
- You have the ability to organize and mobilize a team
- You can manage your fan base in ways unheard of just 5 years ago
- ‘Trade secrets’ about the music industry are now common knowledge
- ou have access to experts and expert advice on every aspect of the industry
- You can control your radio promotion
- You are control of your business. You are the CEO
- You control your merchandise and merchandise sales
- Being a musician is quickly becoming a more legitimate career path
Each of these topics are broken down in more detail. Read the original article at http://indieconnectmagazine.com/taking-advantage-of-the-benefits-of-being-an-indie-artist/
What the f#ck is a paradigm? I’m a musician and a ninja, not a linguist!
According to WikiPedia, the word paradigm, pronounced /ˈpɛrədaɪm/, refers to a dynamic field or world of concepts —such that it represents a union between intelligent inquiry and some particular kind of world view.
Huh? F#cking $10 college word!
OK, let me get to my point. There is no “The” New Paradigm for the music industry! Forget the “The” part. From here on out, there will be only paradigms, multiple concepts developed by multiple music artists to fit their own needs. Bottom line – what works for me, may not work for you!
Good luck finding The New Paradigm. Some way or another, it’s already been done. We just have to open our eyes. Wicked D is right in saying, “Old school is the new black.”
About the author
The MusicBizNinja lurks in the shadows of the the Music Biz. Watching, waiting – Striking out against the old guard whenever the opportunity arises!
Portions reprinted from Bob Baker’s Indie Music Promotion Blog
Yep, I like this post from Bob Baker. One of the best in quite awhile!
Bob claims, “To be effective in today’s noisy world, you can’t be lazy when it comes to marketing your music. You have to stretch your thinking and your methods. You must break old paradigms and shatter trusted formulas. You must become a marketing ninja!”
He goes on to point out 3 ways to do this are to:
- Reconsider all of your marketing tactics.
- Think in terms of opposites.
- Redefine your small-scale, independent status.
Tips adapted from Bob’s book, Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition.
For an in depth explanation, read the entire article at http://music-promotion-blog.blogspot.com/2010/09/3-ways-to-become-music-marketing-ninja.html
Bob Baker is the author of “Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook,” “Unleash the Artist Within” and “Branding Yourself Online.” He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com, a web site, blog and e-zine that deliver
free music marketing tips and self-promotion ideas to musicians of all kinds. Visit
TheBuzzFactor.com for more details.
Back in November 2009 I published Music As A Marketing Tool, regarding Earache Records teaming with Rapidshare to release the Gama Bomb album, Tales From The Grave In Space, as a free download. I followed up in January 2010 with Tales From The Grave In Space, which covered the release of the physical product. This third installment touches on the success of the campaign. Here’s an excerpt from the Gama Bomb Blog:
By the way, when my band released their third album for free last year, we managed to sell an equal number of physical CDs as we did the prior album when it finally hit shelves. Not a spectacular result, but an interesting one.
More importantly, we’ve seen a groundswell in our fanbase and now get paid more for playing gigs and sell more merchandise than before. On the balance I think we won out, because we gave people what they wanted; a quality album and a bit of credit.
This is actually part of an open letter directed toward U2 manager, Paul McGuinness. Please read the entire letter at http://gamabomb.blogspot.com/2010/08/open-letter-to-and-about-paul.html
Unsigned Acts and Drawing Fans
A Commentary, by Professor Pooch
(C) 2008-2010 David J. Spangenberg
Part 3
Now, “Promotion” is the most obvious step that comes next in most people’s minds. Artists promoting themselves, telling their fans and potential fans that they’re playing at this venue or that venue.
But my question to you is, “What is it you’re actually promoting?” That is, when you’re promoting yourself, what will be your potential fans perception of what you’re promoting? Will you just be one more “amateur artist” playing somewhere?
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David Rose has posted a very interesting and informative article over at KnowTheMusicBiz.com called,
“Indie Record Label Economics.” He uses the following summary of the actual expenses an indie record label incurred for a new release:
- Recording advance: $15,000
- Tour support: $2,100
- Mastering costs: $934.96
- Marketing: $13,433.23
- Advertising: $2,067.50
- Publicity: $5,153.34
- Manufacturing: $16,581.04
- Artwork / photos: $200
- Misc: $587.71
Read an overview of each line item in a little more detail at Indie Record Label Economics!
There’s a pretty cool article over at Music Dish called, “The New Artist Development Model: Growing your Brand from the Ground Up.“ Written by BJ Jansen, co-founder of Pitch Artist Services, it outlines a 5 step road map to successfully growing your brand.
- Cultivate Initial Direct-To-Fan Relationships And Social Media Attention
- Successfully Crowdfund a Project
- Regularly Draw 200+ At Live Performances Inside And Outside Of Your Home Market
- Co-Brand with Mid-Level Corporate Tour Sponsorship
- Major Co-Branding and Venture Capital Investment and Collective Brand Marketing
Read the complete article at http://www.musicdish.com/mag/?id=12710 for a more in depth look at each of the steps!
Setting a specific goal assures a greater chance of accomplishment than just setting a general goal. Something along the lines of, “I want to tour Europe” or “I’m going to try and land a recording contract” is pretty vague. No plan, no reasoning, no purpose, no discipline, just point A to point B. Let’s try to make it a bit more specific by answering the following:
- Who?
- What?
- Where?
- When?
- Which?
- Why?
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