January 20, 2010

Wordpress Websites for Musicians by Eric Hebert

Wordpress Websites for Musicians by Eric Hebert

via KnowTheMusicBiz.com () by Eric Hebert <evolvor@gmail.com> on 1/12/10

Eric Hebert is CEO of Evolvor Media and blogger at evolvor.com, in addition to co-founder of Label 2.0, and online music marketing community that teaches musicians the ins-and-outs of marketing and building a brand online. Eric has an extensive background in SEO , Social Media, and content development, working for some of the biggest names in the business and sharing his knowledge to assist artists and musicians to help promote their music.

One of the most important aspects of being a musician these days is trying to understand how to efficiently use the web to promote your tunes to people in the hopes of creating a rabid fanbase. Unfortunately, most do not understand the underlying principles of how to use your website in order to actually get the attention they are looking for.

Most view a website as a “traditional” advertisement and construct one with that mindset. Many bands build glossy looking Flash-based websites that, while visually appealing, do very little to help the band out. They think a website needs to be a pretty-looking page that visually grabs the viewer into wanting to listen to the music. Other then maybe some bio information and pictures, their usually is very little content on the site for the viewer to learn more about the band and the music. And usually these websites take forever to load and are just downright annoying to navigate around.

If you’re not using flash, chances are you just have an old-school static html site. Again, the graphics might be pretty and your music might be available to stream or download, but there is probably little in terms of interactive content.

And that’s the big thing about marketing online that everybody misses – building content. The goal is to increase traffic, and building content (and knowing how to get that content indexed in Google to gain visitors from Search) is how you go about getting people to come to your site, learn more about you, and then perform calls to action that will being them into your fan “filter”.

Now, while you CAN add content to a traditional website the old-fashioned way, chances are most musicians aren’t entirely web savvy enough to do it themselves. And, after you start adding a LOT of content, trying to mange all of it by constantly adding new links becomes tedious and inefficient.

If you REALLY want to get serious about using your website to interact with your audience, then you need to get with the times and build a dynamic website using s Content Management System, or CMS.

A few years back you would have had to pay an arm and a leg to get one custom built; luckily today (and thanks to the open-source movement), you can download FREE software to get you up and running with a state-of-the-art CMS in literally a few minutes.

Wordpress is an awesome piece of software that, once you learn how to use, will completely change how you view publishing content on the web. It’s easy to install, customize, and has a back-end where you can easily add new blog content using a visual-rich text editor that allows you the freedom to add content right from your browser. You don’t need to know code in order to get it up and running (but hopefully as you get comfortable using it you’ll teach yourself how to work around the code for further customization.

Here is a screenshot of what a basic post/page layout looks like in the Wordpress dashboard to give you an idea on how it works:

What’s really cool about Wordpress (other then being free and easy to install) is the large community of developers that support the software and help make it more powerful. You see, Wordpress is open-source – which mean anyone can take the code and add whatever they want to it. This large community of developers creates “plugins” which takes the deafault Wordpress software and adds extra functionality to it.

So while by default Wordpress is primarily a blogging/publishing platform, it’s capabilities are endless with the thousands of (mostly) free plugins out there. Want to optimize Wordpress for SEO? Need to add social media buttons to your posts? How about a contact form? There is an endless supply of plugins that make your site 10x as powerful.

So what about design? By defauly Wordpress has a simple (but boring) design. Luckily you can easily create a CSS driven “theme” that can alter your Wordpress install’s design – because, as with the plugin community, their is a large Wordpress design community that creates professional themes that are also available for, you guessed it, 0 dollars.

So lose that flash site and start building interesting and interactive content that engages people to want ti become a fan; you have no excuse to learn how to install and customize Wordpress and start building relevant web presence to promote your band.

January 20, 2010

When There Is No One In The Music Business Left To Call by Rick Goetz

When There Is No One In The Music Business Left To Call by Rick Goetz

via KnowTheMusicBiz.com () by Rick Goetz <rickgoetz@gmail.com> on 1/18/10

Rick Goetz is a Musician Coach and Music Consultant by way of a fifteen
year career as a Major label A&R executive at Atlantic and Elektra Records a
musician and a music supervisor. Throughout his career he has played bass
for members of the Cult and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and on the industry side has worked with artists like Kid Rock, Matchbox 20, Sugar Ray and Damage Plan. His current client list ranges from Grammy award winners to people just looking to get their foot in the door. You can check out Rick at www.MusicianCoaching.com or twitter.com/musiccoaching.

I was once told a story about Bill Murray and Hunter S. Thompson. I can’t verify the specifics of the story but I suppose for the purposes of this article it doesn’t much matter. During the production of the 1980 Film “Where the Buffalo Roam”, in which Murray was to play a young Hunter Thompson, he met Hunter poolside so he could get a good idea of what the famously eccentric writer was really like. In response to the question “What is it like to be you?” Thompson tied Murray up to a deckchair and threw him in the pool.

Such is the position of most artists in the music business – floundering in the water and trying their damndest not to drown in spite of overwhelming circumstances.

I run a music business consultancy called Musician Coaching which was something I put together after having been a musician on and off for twenty years and having done A&R at Major labels for almost a decade. As a result of actively promoting this business I get contacted by several strangers every day who are looking to make it in the music industry. It never ceases to amaze me that in this day and age with all of the tools now available to artists that people are still looking for that one person, that one opportunity or a chance encounter that is going to propel them to superstardom. That’s not to say that I mind being contacted – far from it! It’s just that the type of questions I get can be really disturbing. “Can you get me a record deal?” or “Hey – I just need a manager and I’m going to make millions! You need to introduce me to great managers.”

Really? Last I checked it was 2010.

Chances are if you are reading this – it doesn’t apply to you but from what I have seen this is still the prevailing mindset of many aspiring artists. I believe those with this mindset won’t make it – period.

In my opinion if you are going to make a living making music - let alone “making it”- you have to own the following:

·         There is no help coming for you

·         The age of the “big break” is all but over.

·         The one person who will help your career more than anyone is you.

Harsh? Yes. Hopeless? Not at all.

Let this empower you. You no longer need to spend a great deal of time chasing management, booking agents or labels.   I am not suggesting that any of these types of strategic partners aren’t helpful but I do find that many artists seek to engage partners far too early in the trajectory of their careers. Before you seek out someone to partner with you ask yourself the following questions:

·         Have you played out locally on a regular basis for at least six months?

·         Do you have a corporate entity and an intra-band agreement?

·         Have you trademarked your name?

·         Are you registered with a Performance Royalties Organization? (ASCAP, BMI, SEASAC)

·         Do you have a professional looking website for your project and a presence on social networks?

·         Have you made “no apology” recordings of your songs that you think are representative of your ability?

·         Do you have a bio on your musical career that doesn’t peak when you were eight years old and taking piano lessons?

·         Do you maintain an ongoing online and offline positive relationship with a large group of people you could call fans without feeling funny about it or including your parents and extended family?

If you answered no then your business is not yet off the ground. You don’t yet have a viable and fully formed product. In any business it is very difficult to get an investment for a blueprint concept or an idea. Getting funding for a start up business becomes much easier the more time and effort (and money) the entrepreneur puts into it. You have to remember that seeking out management, agents or labels is asking someone to invest in you. It might not be financial investment but the amount of time a partner like this would need to devote to developing an artist’s career is usually a full time job. What do you bring to the table other than your talent?

It’s true – people who interact with artists a great deal are often jaded (Yes, me too. Couldn’t you tell?) The failure rate in music and the arts in general is astounding. If you really want to get the attention of competent and experienced handlers you have to be the one to get your career moving on your own. If you make enough noise long enough people will find you. Overnight successes that are examined closely are very rarely (as in go by lotto tickets instead) a case of someone being struck by the thunderbolt of fame whilst daydreaming and smoking dope in the parent’s basement.

What’s the good news? There are now plenty of sites that provide information and insight and dozens of tools to help you get your music heard for low or no cost. This makes it harder to rise above all of the noise (because everyone with a mic can be a singer in this day and age) but it is still a viable way to start.

Go find other artists and build a community. Relationships with your peers when starting out are usually more valuable than industry relationships. If you are able to surround yourself with several developing artists who are in your situation and perhaps even endear yourself to people who have put in a bit more legwork than you this will help a great deal. Being able to market yourself to the fans of similar acts is almost the whole name of the game in the beginning so along those lines – go make friends!

Long story short (too late?) – before you spend time and effort chasing big league help, make sure you have maxed out your ability to do everything within your reach to convert strangers to friends, friends to fans and fans to fans who will actually purchase your products. If you do that long enough and well enough even in a small town – industry will find you.

Good luck out there,

Rick

January 20, 2010

My first ReverbNation street team mission

My first ReverbNation street team mission

via KnowTheMusicBiz.com () by Brian Hazard <colortheory@colortheory.com> on 1/19/10

From PassivePromotion.com :
I love ReverbNation. I could write a dozen articles on the various tools they provide for artists. For now I’ll focus on one I just tried for the first time: Street Team Missions.
Whenever a fan subscribes to your mailing list, they’re given the option to join your street team. You create missions to direct your team’s promotional efforts on your behalf, and they compete against each other for rewards of your choosing. ReverbNation manages the whole thing automatically by measuring plays, widget clicks, banner impressions, and mailing list signups.
Sound too good to be true? I thought so at first, so I joined several other artists’ missions to get a closer look.
Click here to read Brian's entire post.

January 20, 2010

U2 and Jay-Z Collaborate on Charity Song for Haiti

U2 and Jay-Z Collaborate on Charity Song for Haiti

via Spinner by Emily Tan on 1/20/10

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, New Music

As Spinner previously reported, U2's Bono and the Edge have teamed up with Jay-Z for a performance in London during Friday night's 'Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief.' But the one-off gig isn't the only collaboration they have worked on. The trio has recently partnered up with hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz to record a song that will benefit the island nation.
Currently untitled, the song was something that just organically happened as U2, Swizz Beatz and Jay-Z all wanted to write a song for the earthquake victims. "Bono came up with the phrase on the phone, and last night we were here, we wrote a song -- finished, recorded and sent it back to [Swizz Beatz and Jay-Z]," the Edge said on Ireland's 'The Dave Fanning Show' over the weekend. "So that might be the next thing you hear from us!"

January 20, 2010

Making Music Personal

Making Music Personal

via Music Marketing - Gen-Y Rock Stars by zach on 1/13/10

photo by phillipsandwich

This article will be geared more towards my reflection and relationship with music - in an effort - that musicians might be able to identify with me. I write, and am here, to hopefully provide critical and helpful information to better shape your priorities and understanding (even if it is not shaped like mine) of your relationship with the musical world. I can only offer what I’ve learned so far on my musical journey. I’ve played to the underground network of musicians for about seven years; followed and listened to music of all diversities, eras and popularity; and now I strive to open up my full-fledging journey using what I know and learning what I don’t know.

I understand I have much to learn; and that in itself is a valuable lesson to learn as a musician and individual.

Just within these three articles / interviews that I’ve offered for Gen-Y Rock Stars and Label 2.0 over the last two months, I’ve noticed that while I’m writing these articles it’s been a unique and fascinating learning experience for me, as well, because there is something beneficial about disciplining yourself to sit down and carve out time to simply reflect on what music means to you. This reflection becomes a very eye-opening and satisfying process.

Writing allows me to figure out and solidify:

What music means to me

And in general, what all sorts of things mean to me.

In the authentic cases, music is driven by what all sorts of things mean to people; passions and personal thoughts cannot become alive until they are written down and fully expressed. Likewise, these personal thoughts cannot become alive (through music!) until they are first realized and shaped from in one’s mind to some kind of written form.

Writing Out Your Ideas

As I continue to learn, writing out my thoughts about music, or anything for that matter, is a completely different process than just simply thinking about it for a short or even long period of time. When ideas are written out they are able to create and connect other ideas in ways that just thinking about them momentarily might not create. An example could be similar to writing a melody, harmony, beat or any musical pattern only in your head and not actually putting it into play on your instrument. (That example right there probably wouldn’t have came to me if I hadn’t taken the time to think and write this article!) If you start playing what you have in your head you might be able to keep the juices flowing and create something that wouldn’t have been created because you kept it in your head.

Only having your musical values in your head is just like only having musical compositions in your head; it does not do you much good; they’re easily forgettable and should be put into written motion.

This might seem kind of ironic, but if you are in some kind of frustrating musical writer’s block, try taking some time to write out (express) your thoughts about music.

This will allow you to stay focused on music, but also allow you to express why you are making music in the first place. After writing your thoughts about music and then going back to writing on your instrument, you might be re-inspired and reconnect to a feeling. The thoughts that you have in your head might be too abstract and when you write them out they might spark the right material, lyric, passion, note or progression that wasn’t occurring to you before because you might have been too tensed up.

Musicians should be able to describe to themselves and to others what music means to them.

Since I am still getting acquainted with what kind of musicians, reviewers and audiences view this marketing site, I am still trying to collect what degrees of musical pursuits, values and expectations might be on the horizon for all of you; all of us as ambitious musical participants. My relationship with music would have me suggest that there is power in writing out your ideas rather than just relying on in-passing thoughts through out the day.

Being able to describe, in writing, how you want your music to sound, what you want for your music’s future, or even what you want for your future, should help make it easier to collect and shape what you want out of your musical journey. I write out my thoughts because it is a liberating kind of expression for me; and similarly, I write music because it’s a chance for me to liberate my appreciations and abilities that I have for music.

Do you write out your thoughts? What are some ways that you use to express your beliefs, thoughts and emotions from being a musician?

This post was written by Zach Frmmel, a senior at UCF majoring in English Literature with a minor in Humanities. He plays in an indie band, GreatFriendofMine, and you can check out their music on Bandcamp here. Your can also follow Zach on Twiiter, @chazlimmerf

January 20, 2010

5 Marketing Books Every Musician Should Read

5 Marketing Books Every Musician Should Read

via Music Marketing - Gen-Y Rock Stars by gregrollett on 1/12/10

photo by Let Ideas Compete

I have a theory that musicians do not read enough non-fiction. When I was in a band, my education into my business and my marketing was the panels at Florida Music Festival every year and skimming through Donald Passman’s “Everything You Need To Know About The Music Business.”

Now that I spend my time on the other side of the court I find myself reading more than ever, killing an average of a book per week. This includes everything from biographies on musicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs to marketing and business books. I have even been looking into economics, stocks and finances.

I am a believer that we always need to keep educating ourselves. I was reading a report from billion dollar copywriter Ted Nicholas that said all his millionaire friends spend from $25-100,000 a year in education from mastermind groups to seminars to courses and education.

Now I don’t recommend that you jump into anything in that realm, it was just to say that the people that are really creating huge incomes and portfolios continue to educate themselves.

Today I wanted to share 5 marketing books that I think would be a great addition to any musician’s book shelf. The great thing about book (like the hardcover kind) is that they are great for road trips, sharing and fast food bathroom stops.

1. Tribes by Seth Godin

I read Tribes on a flight from Orlando to Reno heading out to Lake Tahoe to snowboard last year. I didn’t look up for the entire trip until the book was finished. Seth is a brilliant marketer and was also featured as one of 5 bloggers musicians should be reading. This book is all about creating tribes in your niche and industry and the fact that you do not need a tribe of millions to make an impact. This is especially important to bands and artists. Building a tribe of a few hundred to a few thousand around your music and your movement can be the difference maker in your career. This is a must read!

2. Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch

I had the opportunity to interview John for Personal Branding Magazine a few months back and the guy is a really smart small business marketer. Most indie bands are operating (or should be operating) like a small business. Duct Tape Marketing is all about simple, affordable and effective marketing ideas and strategies - all things that musicians want to hear in a marketing plan.

3. Free - The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Andersen

You all know the concept, now really understand the concept. In the Internet Marketing world we call this “Moving the Free Line.” Chris just makes it a business model. If you need some convincing that giving away your music can grow your business and your bottom line, this is a book that you need to read.

The coolest part about the book - it lives by its own rules. The ebook is available for free, or you can grab the hardcover from Amazon or your favorite book store.

4. Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson

The original marketing handbook. It took me a while to come to terms with this series. It wasn’t until my buddy Chris, talent buyer for the Plaza Theatre. started coming at me with awesome marketing ideas (and then started selling out shows left and right) that I started listening. There are man adaptations of the book, but the original is where you are going to get the biggest bang for your indie budget.

5. Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

Chris is probably the brightest mind in social media. As someone who writes for one of his cleint’s sites, Workshifting, and having a few conversations with him, I can say that if you want to build relationships with your fans, you need to read this book. Julien and Chris lay out a framework that musicians can run with to start to create a trust with their fans and having fans become rabid followers - helping you grow your Tribe. (These 2 books are wicked back-2-back)

I hope you take some time while in the van, the hotel or taking a break from the studio and keep educating yourself on the business end of the music business. These are 5 of many great books to dig into to get your mind going and conversations started among your music team.

If you have read any of these books, let’s chat in the comments. Or if you have other suggestions I’d love to hear them and check them out myself.

-Greg Rollett

Disclosure. There are affiliate links in this post.

P.S. Be sure to download the essential musician resource guide, 100 Resources For DIY Musicians. It’s the same price as Chris Anderson’s eBook above.

January 20, 2010

Musician Outsourcing

Musician Outsourcing

via Music Marketing - Gen-Y Rock Stars by gregrollett on 1/14/10

Being a musician in today’s economy is not an easy task to tackle. You know everything you need to do and that list never seems to get smaller, only longer. Here is one of the secrets of business that took me a long time to realize - you need to play to your strengths and outsource the rest.

This goes against everything you are taught in school or probably have ingrained in your head. We are always taught to educate ourselves and practice on our weaknesses. I am here to tell you to stop. You are a musician. You have a special set of talents (hopefully). You can’t do everything no matter who tells you that you have to (and I am one of the ones saying you need to do everything).

The fact is that as an upcoming musician you have the same number of hours that any business has to get done in one day - 24. No more, no less. Focus your time on achieving your goals and doing the things you are great at - not ever good, there are others that are great that will help you be 100% more productive.

Here is a video I shot on the topic of Music Outsourcing:

Music Outsourcing

From the video here are some resources to get started in learning about outsourcing:

The Four Hour Work Week - if you want to get more done with less, pick this book up. It wasn’t mentioned in my top 5 marketing books for musicians because it is so much more. After you read through this, everything you thought you were doing right, you will question. Your time management will be better and you will be focusing on results oriented projects.

eLance - Have a project you need done? Write a description, set a budget and have freelancers bid to work on your project.

Guru - Same as eLance.

Scriptlance - Same as eLance and Guru, only there is a focus on people that write scripts from advanced to very basic.

Criagslist - Post a job or opportunity in a specific market. This is great if you want to oversee the project locally or have someone join your team full time.

oDesk - This is the best resource I know to find a virtual assistant. If you are a band on the road, or one that has to juggle press, booking, sales, finances and other business related tasks that are not to your strength, get an assistant. You can find a good English speaking assistant for anywhere from $3 - 6 an hour.

123employee - Higher caliber of virtual assistant. Have them handle tasks such as SEO, managing your email, your social networking, article writing, booking, research and so much more.

99 Designs - Need some logos, t-shirt ideas, album artwork? Outsource it. 99 Designs is an amazing community of top notch designers looking to work on your project.

Source Control - This is a course by David Walsh where you can learn how to talk to these companies and get the most out of your outsoucing. When working with outsourcing companies you need to provide great directions and detail. This ebook and templates will help you maximize your money spent.

More on Music Business Outsourcing

In upcoming posts we will be looking at case studies of musicians that have outsourced tasks and different aspects of your business that you need to let go in order to keep up with the other demands on your music career - namely fan acquisition and content creation.

What are your thoughts on outsourcing? Have you ever outsourced anything in your music business? What was your experience like? Let’s talk in the comments below.

-Greg Rollett