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5 tips to better promote your band.
By:As the music industry continues to shift, more of your band’s marketing activities are bound to be online based, and as it becomes ever easier to create content and share opinion that may influence others, it is imperative as an band to ensure that you are utilizing all the tools that are at your disposal and making them work for you to establish your brand.
1. Set goals
What would you ultimately want your Social blast to accomplish? Most bands ultimately want their music heard and to gain new fans. Utilizing Myspace, Reverbnation, and the slew of others bands are now easily able to track plays.
When setting up your next social blast, set a goal to get a specific return.
Example: Get 1,000 new listens2. Measure Everything
Without hard numbers to determine whether your marketing efforts are working, it is a pointless endeavor to set up goals and marketing becomes a useless tool only taking up precious practice time. Google Analytics is the easiest to use and can be integrated into most websites to determine traffic, click through, visitor loyalty and more. All with a simple copy and pasting of code. You can even set up specific goals for certain URLs and measure their effectiveness.
3. Call to Action
When you send out social blasts, it should be exceptionally important to give a call to action in your messages. What do you want your readers to do? Retweet your message? Share your video? Listen to your music?
The best advice is to make it obvious and easy for your potential customer to take action the instant that your message catches their attention.
Smart marketers whose message generates a product or service purchase should match the Click to action to the landing page where the link will send them.
If for example it’s a page for your latest release, the call could invite people this way: “Hear our brand new album here.” Or, if you simply must include the word “click:” “Click to hear our brand new release.”
As a command, “click here” is beautiful in its simplicity, but it falls far short as a call to action – the trigger to launch the customer on the complicated path to conversion – because it doesn’t tell your readers what you really want them to do.
4. Twitter – Use Twitter Trending Topics to your benefit
Once you’ve begun the process of using Twitter, you’ll notice phrases embedded in people’s tweets that are known as “hash-tags.” A hash-tag is a word or phrase in a tweet that has a “#” prefix . A hash-tag is an easy way for people to search tweets that have a similar topic, a similar interest or can be targeted towards a specific geographic area or audience. For example, if you search on #Rock music, you’ll get a list of tweets and fans related to that topic.
Hash tags are also being used by Twitter as a way to determine and promote Topics.
In the above picture, you’ll notice #Superbowl as a promoted trending topic. Certainly a very largely tweeted about subject. What if you designed your next Tweet blast around it?Rocking the halftime show at the #Superbowl would be awesome. Almost as awesome as you listening to our tracks right here: www.ofnrstudios.com
You have now put your blast in front of anyone following that heavily promoted topic, thus using someone Else’s promotional dollars to benefit your band.
Certainly you would not want to do this on every post, and you need to be mindful to curtail your posting around hash-tags to prevent from coming off as too spammy, but with moderate effort and an imagination you can appeal to some new fans exposing your brand.
5. Research, Rework, Retweet
Marketing is a science, what works for some doesn’t always work for others. Over marketing will usually harm your efforts significantly as will postings that are irrelevant to your fan base. By setting goals, watching your metrics, and making minor adjustments to your wording you should be able to determine how much effort it takes to reach those goals. You should also have the research to be able to recreate the results and ultimately that garners your band new fans.
And then they tell their two friends…and they tell their two friends… and so on.
Tips to enter into the music industry as a new band.
By: jabbarkarleeBefore my current job, I did some unpaid work as a music journalist for a music magazine, reviewing local gigs, as well as new releases and upcoming talent. I was based in Leeds for this job, in a small office maintaining the website homepage, writing blogs and helping to produce the magazine.
Firstly, I should say that Leeds is an absolutely amazing place to work and I enjoyed all of my time working in the office; however Leeds is a markedly expensive place to live, with increasing rents and a lack of available properties to occupy, making it difficult for a young professional to live comfortably.
These are my five top factors to enter the music industry and make your band a success, without worrying about the age of the band, history of gig venues or prominence in the region.
5. Subscribe to a plethora of magazines and online blogs Even though NME and Kerrang are industry leaders in terms of music magazine publishers, there are a plethora of other choices of magazines which provide stories from which you can derive useful information. Online blogs also usually have up-to-the-minute information before any magazine could; you must make sure that the blog writer is reliable and using reputable sources. This can help to increase publicity of the band and experience success.
4. Sign up to Last.fm, promote your band: Last.fm doesn’t just collect information about what songs you have been listening to – it gives you the opportunity to build a band page, upload any personally recorded demos and stream them for free, as well as providing links for purchasing. Whilst facebook has begun to make itself a presence in this respect, using Last.fm presents the easiest and most industry-acclaimed way of effectively publicising your band.
3. Keep a frequent blog: It may appear that writing a blog only serves as a distraction to making more music, but it is a highly effective way to boost SEO ratings and eventually popularise your band fully. An important determining factor of band popularity is Google and a competent SEO strategy can prove to be highly effective – however, try and write your blogs on music news or activity, as opposed to a personal account, as this will pique the interest of the readers.
2. Subscribe to newsletters and attend festivals: Smaller bands, despite not having the same popularity and impact as others, are the perfect way of latching onto the potential popularity of the other band and improving yours through osmosis. Support acts will also become easier to obtain within this partnership. It is beneficial to build up support from a regional fanbase before attempting to break out further. My experience in an office in Leeds has given me a lot of access to regional bands and into the future of music.
1. Make friends in the industry Similar to working a start-up company, a large amount of your success will depend on who you know. It is a good idea to attend networking events for the music industry and talk to high-powered members. Even something as simple as taking a phone number or e-mail address can be a highly effective way to breaking through.
Whilst some of your success will depend on how critically-acclaimed your music is and the style of your music (unless you are spotted by a talent scout), these tips can significantly improve your band’s potential.
8 Music Career Tips
By:uniqguyy
Do you want a career in music? Then musicians everywhere should read this article if you want to advance your career in music. Top lists are essential in today’s society. It’s a fun, fast and easy way to simplify a complex world. The following list, lists practices you should develop if you want to have a career in music last more than a ‘one hit wonder’. Remember, there is more than one way to get to your desired destination. From my observations of others, this list of professional practices, combine the most successful tactics of musicians who have what it takes to make it in this unpredictable music industry.1- Make ordinary people who love music, love your music
We live in a time where music is made, heard and taken with us everywhere. We don’t leave home without our wallets or our Ipods. Just because the lives we live revolve around music, doesn’t mean that you will necessarily get your music signed to a record label just yet. Try soliciting your music to music lovers and music fans that are just like you. Talent scouts always keep an ear out for tips to come across on the streets. However, in order to get your music recognized you have to make sure that you are creating something new and fresh. 95% of the independently produced CDs out there contain regurgitated ideas that were ripped off from some other more gifted musicians. Prove to the music industry executives that ordinary music fans in your city love your music. In an executives mind, they want to give the audience what they want in a strong heavily advertise dose.
Tip: You can start by giving samples of your music on the street or at music venues. Be sure to have all your contact information on the CD or flashdrive. Also, put songs on your website (and if you don’t have a website, what are you waiting for?).
If people really love your music, they will tell others about it.2- Play live as often as possible
People can always tell the difference between musicians who do it for the money and those who do it for the love of music. If you think about it really, you could make a living off gigs for the first few years of your music career, but you eventually hit a dead end. The truly gifted musicians who struggled and never gave up come to that bump in the road and overcome it. So take your music to the streets and perform at schools, fairs, festivals, benefits, weddings, parties, church groups—the possibilities are endless. Once you establish yourself, more and more people will come to see your play your music which then leads to paying gigs. The key is to play live and keep playing live.
3. Know your instrument inside-out.
Since the late 70’s there was a huge increase in garage bands, punk bands, rappers who just picked up on playing an instrument, or just started to sing-a-long with some friends, and then months later recorded a record. Great music and music artists were born because of this.
Prior to the late 70’s disco craze, music was made and performed by musicians who in some way or another worshiped some master bluesman, jazz player, songwriter or whatever. The appetite of these musicians was not just ‘be good’ but to be GREAT! Never settle for anything less. So think about what stage you are at RIGHT NOW, and go beyond it. Reconnect yourself to your instrument or voice. Take lessons, search the internet for your favorite song’s guitar chords and learn it. Challenge yourself beyond your limitations. You may possibly find a new sound that will make you stand out even more. Record labels love to listen to innovative new sounds all the time, in face they bank on unique sounds.
4- Copyright your music
I’m shocked at how few artists are not willing to spend a few dollars to REGISTER THEIR SONGS WITH THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE. Who in turn, are the same musicians who complain about not getting what is owed to them. You have to protect your investment, so start treating your music as a business. If you intend on creating a music career out of your music and work so hard for so long to come to find out that someone else stole your idea, you have no one to blame but yourself. It’s fast and easy. Go to www.copyright.gov
5- Promote your music to make it stand out
Promote your music by writing and designing effective promotional materials; bios, fact sheets, cover letters, press releases…Some other tips that can help musicians promote their music careers, is to make your promotional materials compelling and highly informative. List your accomplishment, quote positive reviews by fans, awards, live appearances. Organize all this information into a ‘Media Kit’, ready to be handed out at a moment’s notice. Also, research which record labels you want to send this information to and personalize each packet to the type of information the label would be interested in.
Tip: Stay away from creating any generic kits, record producers aren’t interested in what has already been done.
6- Know what record labels and music publishers you hope to sign with
Getting signed to a record label is like applying for a job. You have to have the right credentials and experience for them to hire AKA ‘sign’ you. They are not going to waste their time on candidates AKA ‘music artists’ who are not worth a second glance. Having any record label or music publisher admire your work and take interest in your music is certainly an honor, don’t get me wrong. However, don’t rush. Make sure that this label is the right match for both parties.
Tip: Questions to consider when being approached by a record label.
*How have they done with your particular genre of music?
*What specific ‘points’ are they offering you?
*Who runs the label or publishing company?
*What is their reputation in the music business?
*How do you like them as people?
These and other questions are critical in making the right decision for your music career.
7 Get your own Lawyer
Being in the music industry is half the challenge. The other half is the business of getting signed. The music industry has always had, has now, and will always have, the involvement of entertainment law attorneys. The relationship between a musician, record label, publisher, publicist, image consultant and whoever will always come down to two attorneys negotiating contracts for the musician and company to protect each other’s assets.
Tip: When choosing a reputable, ethical and well respected attorney is a serious necessity for any serious music artist.
8 Musicians- Educate yourself if you want a record deal.
Musicians if you want that record deal, you better what that deal is and learn the business of the music industry. Naïve or misinformed musicians are a danger to no one but themselves. Keeping musicians in the dark has been the name of the game for years. Learn to READ AND UNDERSTAND everything you sign BEFORE SIGNING a record contract.
Dozens of stories have come up in the past decade about musicians having their label bleed their bank accounts dry, leaving YOU THE ARTIST broke! Groups like TLC, The Backstreet boys, Mary J. Bleige even Pop-Princess Britney Spears have all complained about their record label having all the control of their money. Now, there are articles, blogs and books everywhere warning artists to protect themselves. Classes and programs are offered in understand the business of the music industry. Mathew Knowles, father and manager of the group Destiny’s Child and singer/actress and daughter Beyonce Knowles, took courses in business management and music industry business before contributing to the success of the group and the his daughter. Don’t let your label exploit you!
Education is power, and the more you know, the less powerful your label will have over you and your music career. Learn about the business side of the music industry because no one will sit down and teach it to you.
7 tips for bands in Social Media
By: Renagade
http://ow.ly/47Y87
Lately, many musicians are finally waking up to social media. With facebook and Twitter offering integration with countless sites, they are becoming a strong and almost necessary set of tools in today's world of music. But, many are also lost or are becoming 'lazy' with their social media campaign. While the integration is good - Twitter feeding Facebook, Facebook feeding Twitter, MySpace feeding both, Reverbnation feeding everywhere, I am seeing to many fail at the most important part - the SOCIAL end of Social Media
. Although the ends and outs, the do's and don'ts have been covered time and time again, let me jump on this happy bandwagon and give my take on it.
- DO integrate - yes, use the feeds from one to the other to the other . My Favorite is the Reverbnation feed. From Reverb, you can keep everyone everywhere up dated with your shows, and by sharing the player with Facebook, increase the number of plays you receive.
- DON'T Neglect - Just because you are feeding Facebook from Twitter for example, don't think you do not have to pop in there. Try to personally visit each social site at least once a week.
- DO Promote - Yes - the whole purpose of you spending your time on Twitter, etc is to expose your music, and to increase your fanbase, hence increasing sales, and crowds at your shows.
- DON'T over Promote - Again, the whole purpose is to build a fanbase, nothing turns people off faster than a barrage of "look at me!"
- DO be sociable - It is called social media for a reason - be sociable! - Chat with the people, thank them for mentioning you, sharing your song, and help out other musicians by propping them up and giving them some kudos too. THEY have fans, and no, you don't want to 'steal' fans, but sharing fans is only a win-win for all involved.
- DON'T be rude - in ANY way. Keep it clean, keep it civil, keep it friendly.
- DO be YOU - THIS is the most important one. Be YOU. Fans follow artists because they want to 'see' what they are like. Keep it real.
It is simple - relax - have fun - win fans. Just remember, what works in the club on a Saturday night with the drinking crowd is not going to wash for the Sunday morning coffee drinkers. Be true to you - to quote George Michael's song - you gotta have Faith- faith in you.
4 Insights on the Future of the Music Industry
By: Jason Feinberg
The music industry is still in tremendous turmoil. Yet it is also full of the kind of discussions needed to remake and rebuild the industry.
Fostering those conversations is the purpose of the revamped New Music Seminar (NMS), the most recent edition of which took place last week in Los Angeles. The conference focused on the music industry's evolving economic models and gave artists a look at the future of the business -- from do-it-yourself (DIY) outfits up to the major labels. Tom Silverman founded it 30 years ago as "a new kind of grassroots music industry gathering for disenfranchised music business upstarts," according to the NMS website. (You can hear more from Silverman in Mark Glaser's Q&A with him previously on MediaShift.)
I spoke with panelists, industry veterans, and aspiring artists at the conference. Here are a few points that were on most everyone's minds:
1. No single product defines the industry.
For decades the single song was the music industry's core product. Then for a few more decades the album reigned. The industry was well suited to meeting these consumer preferences because the profit margins were significant and selling more of anything in a single transaction is generally good business.
Endless choice has altered consumer behavior significantly. But with this change comes an opportunity to market substantially more products to fans. As album sales have declined, the industry now profits from a complex puzzle of revenue sources: merchandise, video, high-fidelity audio, karaoke tracks, song stems, artist access, and many other diversified offerings.
Today, there is no magic formula that works for all artists. Knowing what fan's preferences are and offering up tiers of products seems to be the winning equation.
2. Don't believe the hype.
Every year or two, a core trend is over-hyped and eventually disappoints. For years, it was ringtones. Likewise, DIY and direct-to-fan have proven to be more complicated and less successful than expected. And the bottom fell out on music-based videogame sales, culminating this month in the shuttering of the Guitar Hero franchise.
The newest hot trend is cloud-based music services. In Silverman's keynote (as well as his MediaShift interview), the founder of NMS and Tommy Boy Records made it clear that he didn't believe these services will revolutionize the industry, as many are predicting.
The numbers just don't add up, he said. Currently, online CD sales are only down three percent from last year. Physical CDs still count for 76 percent of album sales. Clearly, people are not abandoning music ownership just yet.
An interesting fact Silverman pointed out is that music storage is actually cheaper than the bandwidth to stream it. This isn't a consumer-facing factor as cloud services typically don't charge based on consumption. But it may have a long-term impact on the financials of ownership vs. access: Unless the cost of bandwidth drops, cloud-based streaming services will struggle to compete on price with digital music sales.
3. It's all about the music, after all.
What the past few years have shown is that technology and clever business models mean nothing without music people care about. In his NMS introduction, longtime artist manager Peter Malkin reprised this video, which lists the plethora of tools that enable musicians to run their enterprise. The point of the list is to show that there are a tremendous amount of tech platforms, but none of them really matter if the music isn't any good. Here's his presentation at NMS: I spoke to Malkin after his presentation, and he expanded on this point, saying that a great live show is still the most important tool in an artist's arsenal. A strong musical foundation is key no matter what tools one chooses to use, he said.
4. New opportunities for artists at every level.
A number of companies announced new product lines at NMS, many of which cater to artists interested in offering goods and services directly to their fans. It used to be only the biggest acts who had the resources needed to pitch niche products.
> ZMX Music launched their direct-to-fan sheet music service at NMS, allowing smaller artists to enter America's $600 million sheet music industry. They cater to artists that do not have deals with the major publishers (e.g. Hal Leonard) and wish to sell their sheet music directly to fans. The non-exclusive service evenly splits revenue with the artists and offers embeddable widgets that allow for direct sales across many platforms.
> Topspin, considered the direct-to-fan leader for high-end artists, announced the launch of a self-serve model aimed at bands earlier in their career. A monthly fee of $9.99 and 15 percent of sales gives any artist access to serious marketing and sales tools.
> GigsWiz offers a ticketing system that encourages artists to actively sell tickets to shows rather than simply informing their fans of them. By sharing revenue, the service creates an incentive for artists to get even more involved in their show promotion.
> JamBase has expanded their service, allowing fans to connect via Facebook and be alerted when their favorite artists are playing local shows.
Other companies had launch announcements and platform upgrades, including Mozes and SoundExchange.
Just remember, as Malkin pointed out, these tools are only as useful as the music they power and the personal connections they are used to enhance.
How to make your band successful and stand out?
By:There are thousands and thousands of bands out there, all striving for exposure and to make a name for themselves. In order to stand out you've got to put 100% of your energy into the band and into your music. Let me make something clear before I give my two cents. I'm no expert. Everything that I'm about to suggest is based off of what I've experienced and seen throughout our scene as well as others. I'm just your average avid music fan who really wants to see bands succeed.1. Get money together: Everything costs money, and usually plenty of it. Bands who want to make it are going to have to have members who all have jobs and are willing to invest money into the band. Money makes the world go 'round and the music scene is no exception. 2. Buy good equipment. This of course is going to cost plenty of money. Good equipment says something about your band to companies (potential sponsors) and labels out there. Not only that, but the benefit it will provide your live sound is extremely important. 3. Pay the necessary cash for a good recording of your studio tracks. Again, this ties into the money issue, but when someone's browsing though your facebook and myspace listening to what you have posted there, you want it to sound as good as possible. Don't settle for subpar recordings, because there's a strong chance that stranger won't give your band another shot for a long time. First impressions are everything.4. Obtain good and creative merch. Sure, every band out there has cool T-shirts with bad-ass sangs on them, but do you really want to settle for the norm? Do something creative with your merch. Do something no one else has done or something that is rare with their merch. I've seen some crazy stuff myself. For example, I saw a band have someone paint pictures during their set. Weird, but the fact that they auctioned off just one of those paintings for 100$ stands on its own. For a band touring, that's money in your gas tank, food for the night, and whatever other necessities based off just one painting. Think of the possibilities. Another band that got some attention was one that sold their own hand-made soap. For some people, showering with soap made by their favorite bands gives them something to boast about over the common fan. Did I mention how much they sold it for?
5. Promotion. If you want people to hear your music, your going to have to make a strong, persistent, and time consuming effort to make exactly that happen. Go to local shows and distribute samples of your music. Give out flyers wherever you are. Hit up every music blog you can find and distribute samples of your music. Talk with every person/fan you can find. Build a communication network. Talk and make friends with other bands. It could mean the difference between you getting a spot on a very good show or being regulated to yet another crappy local show. Get to know local promoters. Get yourself out there! 6. Release physical and digital tracks. You need to get your work out there as soon as you can. People who liked what they heard at your show may want to listen further, and perhaps spread the word in the process. (I.E. Sharing tracks on facebook) 7. Put up a free download of your music online. This is a controversial suggestion, but let's face it, unless someone really likes your EP, Single, or album, they aren't going to buy it. (Asking for an optional donation isn't a bad idea though.) There is very VERY little money in digital or physical sales. If your going to make money, your going to make it elsewhere. So in order to make that money, distribute as many copies of your studio work as possible. Go to every blog, file-sharing site, and option you can find and get them to post up your music. The exposure and promotion you will get is something that will be hard to rival through other methods. Remember, word of mouth (Or online "spreading the word") is free advertising and promotion. FREE! You need every single person possible to hear your music, as everyone of those folks is a potential fan who might come out to your shows, buy your merchandise, and of course spread the word.8. Strongly consider just how important and beneficial signing to a record label will be for your band. Sure it's almost always the goal of every local band around here to get signed to a record label of some sort. Weigh your options though. You will be a slave to those record labels, and chances are you will be in their debt, which isn't a position you may want to find yourself in. There are other possibilities out there, especially nowadays. Observe the scene and be sure to pay attention to the changes happening to the music industry and scene right now, and the possibilities of the future. 9. Set yourself a part. Know your "genre" and know your targeted fan base and audience. Do something different. Think of the possibilities? What if you wore bags over your head? What if you played live shows over a streaming webcam onto a site like Youtube or Stickam? Could you stream your show's and set's live somehow and make fans feel as if they were actually at your show? Play secret shows that people have to find out about? (Okay, maybe not that.) Can you do something different with your stage-performance? Think outside the box.
I suggest observing what other bands such as Punchline, Before Their Eyes, The Composure, Radiohead, and OK Go have done, (All bands that either have no record label, or have their own record label) Remember, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!The Top 7 Things Independent Artists Do Wrong
By: Unknown
Recently, I did a post entitled ‘Artists! Stats Are Your Friends’ which included the musing;“Stats are basically unbiased feedback. Look at them in that light and you should start to see why they can be incredibly useful.”
So I took a bit of my own advice and had a good old snoop around the analytics of my various social media outlets; blog, twitter, links, podcast, Google alerts etc and I discovered that one of my most read blog posts is one I did back in September 2007, the now ‘classic’ ‘8 Things Unsigned/Independent Artists Do Wrong’.
I’ve been doing the blog for near on four years and hundreds of thousands of you have continued to read it (for which I am eternally grateful), but if that post was the first thing someone read when they discovered this blog they’d instantly think I was as out of touch with the emerging music industry as a certain Liberal leader is with his rather negotiable morals. So after re-reading this article I realised that it’s dangerously out of date so hence thus forthwith hitherto this post you’re reading currently.
So it’s now 2011. Three years and a bit years since I posted the original ‘8 Things…’ and the industry has changed a HELL of a lot – back then; Sentric Music was home to mere hundreds of artists rather than thousands, MySpace was still pretty much *the* only place to have your music online and Willow Smith was, er, was she even born? (On a side note, look at this astonishing video of Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen covering Miss Smith’s ‘Whip My Hair’ – and no, that isn’t a typo).
So, introducing my top 7 things independent artists do wrong (2011 edition).
- Don’t have somewhere to stream a high quality version of their music
I don’t care about CD’s anymore. I really, really don’t. They mean as much to me as The Daily Mail’s opinions regarding [pretty much everything] do, so please don’t bother sending any to me. The next time you contemplate buying lots of CD’s, jiffy bags and postage stamps – stop yourself, go to SoundCloud and pay for a Lite/Solo account as it’s a far wiser investment.
What I do care about though is ‘CD quality’ audio. When I’m being introduced to your music for the first time I want to be able to go somewhere where I can listen to a high quality version so I can firmly grasp the production values of your music. I recommend SoundCloud (as always), but there are plenty of other places that will give you the ability to do this.
320kbps MP3’s get the thumbs up from me. Although WAVs are nice you have to remember the size of them can make buffering rather slow for those with only adequate internet connections therefore the high quality MP3’s are usually more than good enough.
Always bear in mind who you’re sending your music to and for what purpose (read this post for more info: ‘Different People Have Different Ears For Different Needs’). For example I’m looking for music that has sufficient enough production values for TV shows/adverts and that’s why this point is so important to me.
- Think ‘metadata’ is slang for asking a girl out for a drink after only just meeting her
A friend of mine recently told me she’d stopped reading the blog because it had become less anecdotal and all about metadata. She was, of course, being meretricious (I think) and therefore I’m going to ignore her and write about it again here.
So I’ve streamed a high quality version of your music online as noted in the point above and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve heard. So I ask you for the MP3’s so I can send them off to whoever I feel will like them and in return you send me ‘TRACK 1’ by ‘UNKNOWN ARTIST’. Unless you’ve purposely called yourself UNKNOWN ARTIST to (and I quote Jeremy from Peep Show here) “to f**k over people with iPods” then you’ve just shot yourself in the foot.
Learning how to create proper metadata for your MP3’s takes an hour to learn and potentially a few tries to master, but once you’ve done it you’ve gained a skill that will make you incredibly likable to people within the industry. Go here to learn more.
If you don’t know about Metadata and you’ve just gone past that last sentence without clicking on the link then shame on you. Go on, go and open it in another tab so you can read it once you’ve finished this. I’ll wait for you.
Let us continue.
- Don’t utilise and analyse stats
As I mentioned within the intro of this blog, I wrote a post dedicated to stats recently and I implore you to go and have a read if you haven’t yet. All good social media platforms have an element of stats within them (those with Facebook Fan pages will have noticed the inclusion of on-post ‘Insights’ recently) and by keeping track of all these facts and figures you can genuinely hone your online output to be far more concise and fruitful than ever before. To put it quite simply; ignoring them is silly.
- Spread themselves out too thinly over various social media platforms
Each type and element of social media has its own rules and culture; if you’re not going to put the time and effort into learning each individual one’s many, many foibles then don’t bother with it. It’s far better to sign up to one or two and do them well then it is to sign up to all of them and leave them unloved, out of date and borderline mistreated.
For example, if I was a Tumblr addict (of which there are many out there) and I came across an artist’s account that had a handful of posts from months ago and seemingly had been untouched since then I may very well believe that said artist is no longer active. This, of course, may be far from the truth as the same artist might tweet every 20 minutes and be fantastically engaging with their fanbase on Facebook.
You see what I’m getting at; don’t sign up for the sake of signing up and once you’re on a certain platform, take the time to learn about it and use it to its full potential.
- Don’t help themselves
I’m fully aware that as an artist you may only wish to produce art, and fair play to you, but the fact of the matter is you’re rarely going to be able to do nothing except produce said art whilst simultaneously making a living from it so you might as well help yourself out a little bit by at least learning the basics.
I’ve talked to artists that:
- Don’t know what publishing is
- Didn’t know they’re owed money when their records are played on radio
- Think that PPL is nothing more than text speak for ‘people’
- Didn’t know what ‘master rights’ are
- Think that ‘IP’ is the beginning of a punchline to a bad prank phone callAnd the list goes on.
If you’re serious about making music, then it doesn’t take more than spending a bit of cash on a well written book for you to understand the essentials. I recommend Anne Harrison’s Music: The Business or Donald L Passman’s All You Need To Know About The Music Business; reading and understanding either of those books will straight away put you within a higher echelon of knowledgeable artists which will genuinely increase your chances of success.
There are also countless events around the country held by various music bodies or conferences designed to give you an insight into the music industry. They’re held often and I’ve spoken at enough of them to know they’re criminally under attended. Major ones include In The City, Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape, Go North plus lots of events around the country held in conjunction with people like AIM, PRS for Music, MMF, BPI etc.
When I meet an artist or speak to someone on the phone/over email and they have at least a basic grasp on the industry around them, their rights and how they can exploit said rights to generate income, it instantly makes them far more pleasurable to work with.
- Think they’re owed something
AS SOON AS YOU START DOING THIS I HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME FOR YOU. Don’t get me wrong; there is an element of human nature involved here and everyone is guilty of it at some point in their personal and professional life, but if you can’t slap yourself around the face, pull yourself out of this awful place you’ve gotten yourself into and realise you’re not owed anything by anyone then you might as well put down that miscellaneous instrument you stumble yourself around and go get a job within the public sector (because when you genuinely become overworked and underpaid then I’ll feel something for you).
Ready for this?
Out of all the artists I work with there are none more delightful than the ones who are nice.
What a sickeningly obvious sentence that is, yet it is borderline absurd how some people present themselves on the phone/email/face to face. If you have a victim mentality then you’ll gain no respect from those around you and will actually push them away from wanting to help you.
- Forget why they’re doing all this in the first place
Make music because you want to make music. If you’re in the mind-set where you wouldn’t be upset if you never earned a penny (which is near on impossible might I add) then you’ll be fine.
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Tate Music Group's Posterous
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TMG partners with its artists to provide them with the production, manufacturing, distribution and promotion they need to succeed in today's music industry.
