GRASSROOTS MARKETING TACTICS

Click here to get some grass roots tactics and resources on Marketing Your Music and Making Money With Your Band.

[Resource http://www.determan.net/Michele/musicmarket.htm]

technorati tags:indie, independent, musician, marketing-tips

GUESS WHAT KEY YOUR BAND IS PLAYING IN

From New York's Hudson Valley Music here's an article from the Musicians handbook.

To save having to figure out the key of a song by watching what the bass or guitar player is doing, there are some methods used especially by larger bands for letting the band in on the key of the song.

Obviously, it's best to know before you start!...but if you're sitting in with a band and unfamilar songs or jamming, it could be helpful for another member to give you a quick signal.

Here's some hand signals you might find useful to know to communicate the key of a song between band members.

2 ways are....."to make the letter of the key of the song with your hand. For example, 'A' would look like the peace sign pointing down. 'E' is your middle three fingers extended horizontally out. 'C' is made with your thumb and index finger. 'F' is your index and middle finger extended horizontally. '

The second hand signal method is to hold fingers out for the amount of sharps or flats in the key. The trick with this is, contrary to logic, sharp keys are shown with fingers pointing down, and flats keys are fingers pointing up. For example, 2 fingers pointing up means the key of Bb,which as Bb and Eb in the key signature. One finger pointing down is the key of 'G', which has one sharp, F#."

It's from an article called,

B.S.ing Techniques to Get Through a Gig

by Mike Mindel

Which you can read in full if you click here

PS There are some more tips on techniques to looking like you really know what you're doing/playing even when you don't, so have a read the original article to learn some other tricks.

[Resource http://www.hvmusic.com/article/mindel/handbk4.shtml]

technorati tags:indie, independent, musician

A SONY BMG FIRST - A PUBLIC AFFAIR

SONY BMG RELEASES FIRST SONG THAT WORKS WITH ALL MUSIC PLAYERS

This headline from USA Today tells of the first song to be released which will be compatible with competitors Apple iTunes, Napster and Rhapsody and all portable music players.

Record labels have refused to sell songs without digital rightsmanagement (DRM) in the past. Consumer advocates hope this is thebeginning of a trend.

"This is an important signal that the labels may be finally realizing that DRM is hindering the size of the market." says Fred von Lohmann, a senior attorney with the public interest group Electronic Frontier Foundation.

This is good news for the future of downloadable music.

Click here to find out who the artist is ;-)

Well, I can't hand you everything on plate!

[Resource http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2006-07-20-sony-usat_x.htm]

technorati tags:indie, independent, musician, music+downloads

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY SAYING WHEN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BAND?

There are some great marketing tips like the one below, available on this website Musicians' Exchange. Sign up to receive email tips.

Marketing 101: Elevator Statements

So, Tell Me About Your Band...

The Problem
A typical musician, when asked to describe his band, may say something like this: "Yeah, it's, like, sort of an alternative rock thing, but harder, and we mix in some hip-hop, and we have a DJ that plays, but we're not, like, rapcore or anything like that."

This description, although remarkably unimpressive, might be alright if you're just hanging out at a barbecue. If you're talking to a club manager, journalist, or A&R representative, however, you might as well just not bother. In fact, you might as well tell them that you're in a really crappy amateur band with no sense of purpose and no interest in press coverage or label support. Because that's what they're going to hear if you say something like the statement above.

As Denzyl Feigelson, the President of Artists Without a Label, likes to point out, there are two words in the phrase "music business." Bands are learning that the people that can help them - managers, journalists, and label people, for example - are only interested in artists that operate with a certian degree of professionalism. Consequently, thinking of your band as a business and your music as a product, at least part of the time, is essential to real success in the music industry. Artists are learning to take notes from their corporate counterparts in the pursuit of larger audiences and greater income. (Psst! If you believe that this is "selling out," then you might want to skip the rest of this article and go back to playing coffee shops for tips...)

The Solution
I want to share a fundamental marketing concept with you: The Elevator Statement. Marketing departments in Corporate America use elevator statements to distill their description of a new product to a few sentences. The idea is that if you get asked about your product in an elevator on the first floor, you should be able to describe it in a compelling, interesting way before you reach the end of the ride. In today's Internet-accelerated, attention-deficit-disorder world, nobody has time for anything that doesn't seize their imagination in the first few seconds. This is especially true in the music industry.

As musicians, we can borrow the concept of an elevator statement to clarify our own vision and have a ready-made description of our band for anyone who is interested. Since so many musicians are so flaky, simply preparing an articulate, detailed description automatically gives you an edge in the event someone with influence happens to ask.

Elevator statements are created using a specific formula. For our purposes as musicians, I've modified the standard formula for use in describing bands and their music. To develop your own elevator statement, complete the following sentences:

1. We have ____ players in the band.
2. We play music in the _______ genre(s).
3. People compare us to _______ and ________.
4. But we are different from these bands because_________.
5. The thing that most distinguishes us from other bands like us is _________.

Example answers:

1. four
2. alt rock, hip hop, R&B
3. Limp Bizkit, Incubus
4. our music is more dance oriented
5. we have a professionally trained female bassist

You then compile the information into a brief description, like this:

"We are a four piece alternative rock project with some influences from hip-hop and R&B. People compare us to Limp Bizkit and Incubus, but our music has even more of a dance-able feel than that. Our bassist, Laura, has a degree in music performance, so we have a really strong low-end groove that gets people moving."

Keep in mind, this is only an example. The idea is to describe your band and separate yourself from the average garage group in the span of a few sentences. If you have a gig coming up at a well known venue, you might mention that, or if you had a radio appearance, you could throw that in. The most important things are that

1. You are comfortable saying your statement
2. It is grounded in comparisons that hold meaning for the listener
3. You can say it in a tone that exudes professionalism, motivation, and confidence. You know who you are and you know where you're headed.

Specific details such as genre and band size are less important than the overall expression. If you talk about your band in a professional way, the people that matter will consider you a professional band.

Once you have an elevator statement, use it! As Columbia talent scout Sharon Fitzgerald mentions in my article on what talent scouts look for, A&R people are everywhere, so you should always describe your band with professionalism, even at a barbecue!

Epilogue
About a half-hour after I finished this article, I got a call from a friend that I hadn't spoken with in a while. I mentioned that I recently began playing with a new band. She asked what the band is like. I'm ashamed to admit that I was unprepared for the question! I tried to stammer out an answer and then just laughed and told her I had just written an article about exactly that. Rest assured that I came up with my elevator statement as soon as we hung up. Don't get caught like I did - think up your elevator statement!

Epilogue After-Thought (I can't seem to stop writing)
It's funny that we often don't do the right thing, even when we know the right thing to do. Here's another example: Most of us know the main ingredients to a hit song, but we still fail to incorporate them in the tunes we wish were hits. Sometimes we just need to be reminded. For a quick refresher on the main ingredients of super singles, read this article.

[Resource http://musicians.about.com/library/weekly/2002/aa033102a.htm]

technorati tags:indie, independent, musician

THINKING OUTSIDE THE SQUARE

Being imaginative and a little bit different can really help you stand out in the 'sea of music' and find new fans.

Here's an exmple of what's possible if you're prepared to put in a bit of effort and come up with inventive ways to market your music.

This came from cnet News.com

The founder of Pandora, a 7-month-old, so-called music-discovery engine, Westergren travels from town to town, sharing his time and story with fans who, because of his service, say they've rediscovered a love of new found music.

From every town he visits -- places like New Orleans; Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; and Biloxi, Miss. -- he carries back to his Oakland,Calif., headquarters a bag full of CDs given to him by local taste makers. Songs on those CDs make it into the Internet-based radio of Pandora, which in seven short months has acquired 2.5 million registered listeners largely by word of mouth.

To finish reading the article click here

[Resource http://news.com.com/Pandoras+music+box+inspires+fans/2100-1027_3-6096619.html]

technorati tags:indie, independent, musician

ATT: AUSTRALIAN JAZZ MUSICIANS

Do you live in Brisbane and fancy going along to a Jazz jam session?

If so, get yourself along to the "Historic 7 Mile House" at 2800 Bayshore Blvd, Geneva.

It's on every Thursday from 7pm until 10pm.

[Resource http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/muc/184340432.html]

technorati tags:indie, independent, jazz, musician

GET YOUR BAND'S VIDEO MADE CHEAPLY

If your band is looking a make a video but don't have major $ to spend, try this idea

I came accross it on Go Articles

Title: How To Get State-of-the-Art Video Singles Cheap!

Author: Kenny Love

When it comes to promoting their new music releases, I have
found that most musicians only consider radio as the vehicle for
exposing their music to the public.

Rarely do they consider publicity, in the form of print media,
i.e., music magazines, weekly arts and entertainment
publications and newspapers as support tools to help support
their radio airplay (another subject I shall address shortly).

But, even rarer, is their consideration of the importance of
having videos for their singles. A video of your single, which
was once considered an optional luxury, is now a standard, vital
and necessary tool if you are going to compete with fellow
independent recording artists for media and consumer attention.

And, a video is even more important if you are going to compete
with major label artists. In fact, since having a video for your
single, particularly, your very first single from a new release,
is so vitally important, why would you even release a recording
without one in today's music climate?

To me, that is like a soldier going to war with only a handgun
while leaving his automatic weapon behind in his barracks.

But, perhaps, in your mind, you believe that it is still very
expensive to produce videos for your singles. Even more, while
you are likely an expert on producing music, you probably feel
like an amateur when it comes to video production. However, that
need not be the case any longer.

So, I am going to show you a no-brainer approach to easily
getting a video produced for, at least, your first single from
your new release, if not all of your singles.

=======================================

* Steps to Getting Your Video Singles Produced Cheaply *


1. After you have your mastered soundtrack, and have selected
your first single, you should then contact an area college,
university or art institute.

2. Tell the school's administration department that you need to
get in touch with its "broadcast journalism" department.

3. When you reach the broadcast journalism department, ask to
speak to an "advisor" or "department head."

4. Tell the advisor or department head that you are an artist
interested in getting a music video produced, and that you would
like to be put in touch with either a senior student or graduate
student who is majoring in broadcast journalism with, perhaps, a
concentration on "production" or "direction."

You may also want to stress your preference for a student who
has experience with having produced music videos already.
Depending on the size of the school, there will likely be
several highly qualified student candidates.

In most cases, you will find video producers or directors who
will want to work from a script, which includes a story line,
for your video single. If that is the case, and you are in need
of a script, I would like to direct you to MuBiz.com, which can
produce a video script from your single. See the below link:

http://www.MuBiz.com/services.html#Video_Scripting

You can also see a sample video script that I created for a
client at the below link.

http://www.MuBiz.com/vdoscript.html

5. As for the low cost of getting broadcast journalism students
to produce your video, in quite a few cases, these particular
students are already in need of videos for their class projects,
and yours just may be the one that will pique their interest.
This is a no-cost method, and you will often need to arrange
this setup one semester in advance.

In other cases, students may either own their film equipment, or
be able to borrow school equipment for production. And, in this
case, there may be nominal charges, however, these charges will
be very affordable.

The best thing about this particular scenario is that, while you
will get the best production knowledge from the student, as well
as your video produced with the latest technology, you cannot be
charged commercial rates, such as if you used a videographer or
related service that officially operated in a commercial status.

But, perhaps, the best thing about this avenue to take for
producing your video singles is that, not only will you be able
to bring your marketing and artist status up a notch by having a
video, you will now also have another product that can be used
two-fold:

1. For further promotion of your single

2. Able to sell another product on online music sales sites as
well as in retail outlets.

In some cases, you may also wish to offer it as a package deal
with your CD. Additionally, why not go a step farther by
incorporating it within your CD, placing it on DVD, as well as
making it available on video cassette for retailers and
consumer?

Note: Depending on the extensiveness of your production, most
videos can be produced and edited within two weeks, if not
sooner.

About the author:

Kenny Love is president of MuBiz.com, a multi-service music firm
providing radio promotion, media publicity, gig publicity and
business services for musicians. Get complete details at
http://www.myspace.com/kenlove

technorati tags:indie, independent, musician

BETTER PAYING GIGS

Here's a promo article about a book released in 2004.

Called.......

The Musician's and Singer's Survival Guide to Booking Better Paying Jobs With or Without An Agent.

A comprehensive guide to finding the best paying gigs for musiciansand singers, from their loca area to the international stage. A musicbusiness veteran gives the inside track to creating a profitable careerin the performing arts, from local clubs to international cruise ships.Includes interviews with successful musicians and entertainmentdirectors who share their secrets in landing the best paying gigs.

Written for both the amateur part-time to the full-timeprofessional musician, this guide will show you how to get gigs, nomatter where you live.

You'll learn where the better paying gigs are and how to get them.

You'll learn techniques on handling the people who can make orbreak your career, how to approach them, how to follow up. Avoid commonmistakee and pitfalls most musicians make when trying to land gigs. Itincludes successs stories by those who have achieved their goals usingthese same principles and techniques.

Mark Curran shows you how to package your demo, press kit andpresentation package to get maximum results, and how to follow up in amanner that will maximize your income.

This book covers all aspects of finding and creating your owngigs, including: Clubs, Private Functions, Parties, Weddings, Caterers,Event Planners, Country Clubs, Cruise Ships, Churches, Schools,Colleges, Fairs, Festivals ... and more.

Don't wait for your next big break. Create your own with Getting Gigs! ©2004, 216 pages.

To purchase this book or browse through many other titles click here.

PS  I am not an affiliate of this product, I'm just bringing you (the indie musician) information and tips that could be useful  for your career :-)

[Resource http://musicbooksplus.com/getting-gigs-p-5969.html]

technorati tags:indie, independent, musician

5 STEPS TO SUCCESS

Here's 5 steps to success from Musicians' Exchange

1) Define Success
How far do you want to take your music? Is it a joyous and rewarding hobby, are you making it your career, or something in between? Setting specific goals and giving them regular attention is vital to achieving success at any level. Goals give direction to your action. Furthermore, achieving goals is a tasty reward that will build your esteem and motivate you to reach even higher. Guide Dawn McKay at About Career Planning can help you plot your own course.

2) Spend Time, Not Money
How long has it been since you saw a rookie musician with stacks of absurdly expensive gear? Not long, I'm sure. Each of us is guilty of walking into a music store and ogling the top-end instruments, convinced that if we could afford that stuff, our sound would improve by leaps and bounds. "If I had that guitar, I'd practice every day." If you're not practicing every day already, a new guitar won't change that.

The only investment that improves our success as musicians is time - time spent practicing, time spent learning, time spent pursuing our goals. The lure of expensive gear is a tempting but false road to better musicianship.

This is true for bands, too. Many, many bands rush to record a CD at the expense of hundreds and even thousands of dollars, only to find that they have trouble selling more than a few dozen copies. Producer Jack Endino, the mastermind behind Nirvana's first album, reminds bands that all they need to start is a simple demo of any quality. Only after using that tape to get lots of gigs and find legions of fans, he says, should a professional recording even be considered. If you don't have hundreds of fans ready and waiting to buy a professional recording, don't spend the money to make one.

3) Get Informed
There is simply no substitute for knowledge when it comes to navigating the complex and confusing avenues of the music industry. Fully exploit the free resources at this site and others (such as Peter Spellman's Music Business Solutions) to plot the best and safest road to success. Hunter S. Thompson is credited with writing, "The music industry is a cruel and shallow money trench; a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs." Although Mr. Thompson's assessment may be extreme, the wisdom behind it is worth heeding.

4) Play With Others
Music is a form of conversation between human beings. It may well be the oldest language, used for millenia by musically inclined people to jointly convey their own rage, sorrow, hope, and joy to other human beings.

Learning music without this community is as futile as learning to play football by yourself. Although hours spent alone with your instrument are certainly necessary for success, engaging in musical conversations and performances is an equally vital element to your progress. A very common weakness among amateur musicians is their inability to make music with other artists - a flaw which can be easily remedied with experience. Even if you are a beginner, get out and play with others and stage a few performances if you can. Without even realizing it, you will begin to assimilate fundamental lessons about listening, interacting, and performing in a live setting that are critical to your future success.

5) Practice
Practice, practice, practice! There is simply no other way to ensure your own progress as a musician. Have you been spending hours on the Internet, combing for information on how to market your music, or cheaply record a CD, or win a music competiton? That's great! Have you been spending as least as much time alone with your instrument? If not, you should reconsider your priorities. If you aren't practicing several times a week at least, the music you market, or record cheaply, or submit to a competition isn't going to get very far. As a musician seeking success at any level, practicing your instrument should be your #1 priority. For my full rant on this topic (yes, it's entertaining), read this article.

[Resource http://musicians.about.com/b/a/111856.htm]

technorati tags:indie, independent, musician