The more I read on Music Think Tank, the more I realize that everything you need to know to build a career in music is on that blog or will be. And if it is not there - it is probably on one of these other blogs.
So I have simply decided to list a few resources that you can choose to read or not read - totally up to you.
http://www.musicthinktank.com/ (particularly anything by Loren Weismann)
Free resources
http://www.genyrockstars.com/
Resources and a blog
http://www.bob-baker.com/
Consult those - and you will find everything you need to know!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Monday, November 16, 2009
So, How Do You Engage Fans?
I know I promised a post on the seven points of fan contact, but I just read this blog entry. Read it and learn how to engage fans. $10,000 in 48 hours for a band that is only nine months old? I am intrigued. They obviously know how to ENGAGE potential fans and make them into fans. Read the post and the related posts. Adapt it for your band. Nothing wrong with stealing their ideas - they blogged about it so obviously they want you to.
http://www.wearelistening.org/blog/10000-in-48-hours-without-a-label/
Coming up next time - the seven points of contact and how to use them ... I promise.
http://www.wearelistening.org/blog/10000-in-48-hours-without-a-label/
Coming up next time - the seven points of contact and how to use them ... I promise.
What You Can Learn from Blue Rodeo Part II
This is a more in depth look at what you can learn from Blue Rodeo, and I think that two other people have done a good job of spelling it out.
First, Shauna de Cartier's comments on my original blog post on this subject tell you a great deal about what you can learn from Blue Rodeo. First, they treat people well. Learn from that and treat everyone well including fans, volunteers, people you hope to work with, and anyone you do work with. As well, realize the importance of what Shauna said "they are a model of how to make fans and keep them" (Thanks Shauna!). In other words, Blue Rodeo understand relationship building and that dealing with fans is not about 'buy my CD' and 'come to my show' and ignoring fans the rest of the time. Blue Rodeo are interesting and engaging all of time, and as Shauna says - presales for fans, their website itself, and the way they conduct themselves is all about building the relationship with fans. Over the 20 some years I have been a fan of Blue Rodeo, I have met members of the band in various settings. The first time "Try" was already a hit so they were already famous. What has struck me every time I have been in their presence is that they were appropriately courteous to the situation. And they have always been more courteous than many indie musicians who are just starting out and who are trying to build a career. That says volumes about them and that brings me to the next point - professionalism.
Loren Weisman wrote this great blog post on Music Think Tank today. If you read it and follow his advice you will go a long way to modelling yourself after Blue Rodeo. In other words - being professional. http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/ten-tips-that-every-musician-should-apply-to-their-career.html
Being professional, polite, and courteous is just common sense. And then remember "Hear, Like, Engage, Buy". You want to build a fan base and you can do that by modelling yourself after Blue Rodeo and others like them who get it. Your job with everything you do is to get your music in front of as many people as possible. That way they can hear it and have the chance to like it. Once they do, you must engage them. As Loren said "As a musician, give them something that will draw them in as well as make them want more". You need to ensure that all of your seven points of contact with your fanbase or those who might become your fans are interesting, appropriate, and most of all engaging. That's what will build you a fan base and that's what motivates people to part with their money - to buy.
Can't name seven points of contact with your fans? That's my own theory and I will expand on that in the next blog post.
First, Shauna de Cartier's comments on my original blog post on this subject tell you a great deal about what you can learn from Blue Rodeo. First, they treat people well. Learn from that and treat everyone well including fans, volunteers, people you hope to work with, and anyone you do work with. As well, realize the importance of what Shauna said "they are a model of how to make fans and keep them" (Thanks Shauna!). In other words, Blue Rodeo understand relationship building and that dealing with fans is not about 'buy my CD' and 'come to my show' and ignoring fans the rest of the time. Blue Rodeo are interesting and engaging all of time, and as Shauna says - presales for fans, their website itself, and the way they conduct themselves is all about building the relationship with fans. Over the 20 some years I have been a fan of Blue Rodeo, I have met members of the band in various settings. The first time "Try" was already a hit so they were already famous. What has struck me every time I have been in their presence is that they were appropriately courteous to the situation. And they have always been more courteous than many indie musicians who are just starting out and who are trying to build a career. That says volumes about them and that brings me to the next point - professionalism.
Loren Weisman wrote this great blog post on Music Think Tank today. If you read it and follow his advice you will go a long way to modelling yourself after Blue Rodeo. In other words - being professional. http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/ten-tips-that-every-musician-should-apply-to-their-career.html
Being professional, polite, and courteous is just common sense. And then remember "Hear, Like, Engage, Buy". You want to build a fan base and you can do that by modelling yourself after Blue Rodeo and others like them who get it. Your job with everything you do is to get your music in front of as many people as possible. That way they can hear it and have the chance to like it. Once they do, you must engage them. As Loren said "As a musician, give them something that will draw them in as well as make them want more". You need to ensure that all of your seven points of contact with your fanbase or those who might become your fans are interesting, appropriate, and most of all engaging. That's what will build you a fan base and that's what motivates people to part with their money - to buy.
Can't name seven points of contact with your fans? That's my own theory and I will expand on that in the next blog post.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What You Can Learn from Blue Rodeo
I am a Blue Rodeo fan and have been for 21 years. I think that whether or not you are a fan, you can learn a lot from them. Before you protest and say "but they have a team and I don't" - stop whining, read this, think about your career, and start copying!
Blue Rodeo has a new double CD (and double vinyl) due out next week. I am like many of their fans - we tend to like the older songs more than we like new releases. Why? Familiarity perhaps. I also admit that I haven't even purchased many of their recent albums even though I am a devoted fan. But I am very excited about this new album and I can't wait to have it in my hands. What's different? They have done two key things to make me interested and engaged. And you can easily copy and adapt these to help promote your next album or promote your music.
What has Blue Rodeo done? First, they have streamed the new album on their website for the past several weeks. Not the whole album at once - one side of the vinyl per week. The music player launches in a separate window and I admit that I have let it play the 4 or 5 songs over and over while I do other things. The result is that I am quite familiar with the new material and I love it. Do I love it because it is better than their other recent albums? I don't think so. I think I love it because it is already familiar to me. And I can't wait to have the new songs in my hands so that I can play what I was listening to two weeks ago!
The other thing that engaged me (and many others) was the acoustic show that Jim and Greg played here Monday night in a small venue. This promotional tour was about showcasing their new material. They played songs from the new album and told stories about the songs. The stories made me intrigued to listen to those songs again ... particularly the two songs about the same subject (Jim and Greg each wrote a song about the same incident without being aware the other was writing about it). Again, can't wait to have the album in my hands!
What does this mean to you? Recognizing that "Hear, Like, Buy" has always been the rule for selling music; you need to engage people in your music by having them hear it. I say 'engage' deliberately because I would add "engage" to the spot in between "like" and "buy" because I don't think we buy everything we like. We buy that with which we become engaged. So, think about what you can do and in my next post I will write about some ideas that I have on what you can do.
Blue Rodeo has a new double CD (and double vinyl) due out next week. I am like many of their fans - we tend to like the older songs more than we like new releases. Why? Familiarity perhaps. I also admit that I haven't even purchased many of their recent albums even though I am a devoted fan. But I am very excited about this new album and I can't wait to have it in my hands. What's different? They have done two key things to make me interested and engaged. And you can easily copy and adapt these to help promote your next album or promote your music.
What has Blue Rodeo done? First, they have streamed the new album on their website for the past several weeks. Not the whole album at once - one side of the vinyl per week. The music player launches in a separate window and I admit that I have let it play the 4 or 5 songs over and over while I do other things. The result is that I am quite familiar with the new material and I love it. Do I love it because it is better than their other recent albums? I don't think so. I think I love it because it is already familiar to me. And I can't wait to have the new songs in my hands so that I can play what I was listening to two weeks ago!
The other thing that engaged me (and many others) was the acoustic show that Jim and Greg played here Monday night in a small venue. This promotional tour was about showcasing their new material. They played songs from the new album and told stories about the songs. The stories made me intrigued to listen to those songs again ... particularly the two songs about the same subject (Jim and Greg each wrote a song about the same incident without being aware the other was writing about it). Again, can't wait to have the album in my hands!
What does this mean to you? Recognizing that "Hear, Like, Buy" has always been the rule for selling music; you need to engage people in your music by having them hear it. I say 'engage' deliberately because I would add "engage" to the spot in between "like" and "buy" because I don't think we buy everything we like. We buy that with which we become engaged. So, think about what you can do and in my next post I will write about some ideas that I have on what you can do.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Blogs I Read
Hello to any of you who heard me at the Alberta Music Industry night tonight.
Here are links to some of the music industry blogs that I read. I will write another post linking to free online books and other resources.
This is a great blog that brings together a variety of industry professionals.
http://www.musicthinktank.com/
Loved this guy's entry today on 7 ways to destroy your career.
http://www.bob-baker.com/musicpromotionblog/index.html
I think this one might feed into musicthinktank but it has Indie Artist X on it.
http://www.knowthemusicbiz.com/index.php/BIZ-BLOG/2009/November/
Not a lot on this one but it has some good information.
http://www.newmusicstrategies.com/
And another ...
http://www.stevelawson.net/wordpress/
Reading these - particularly the first two will give you a great education in the music industry. Also in other blog entries here you will find links to websites that are not necessarily blogs - the guy from the Salt Lake City Examiner has some great stuff. (See my entry "More on the Need to Plan" for a link to his articles). Feel free to contact me via email if you have any questions. I can't promise to answer right away, but I will answer you. Good luck!
Here are links to some of the music industry blogs that I read. I will write another post linking to free online books and other resources.
This is a great blog that brings together a variety of industry professionals.
http://www.musicthinktank.com/
Loved this guy's entry today on 7 ways to destroy your career.
http://www.bob-baker.com/musicpromotionblog/index.html
I think this one might feed into musicthinktank but it has Indie Artist X on it.
http://www.knowthemusicbiz.com/index.php/BIZ-BLOG/2009/November/
Not a lot on this one but it has some good information.
http://www.newmusicstrategies.com/
And another ...
http://www.stevelawson.net/wordpress/
Reading these - particularly the first two will give you a great education in the music industry. Also in other blog entries here you will find links to websites that are not necessarily blogs - the guy from the Salt Lake City Examiner has some great stuff. (See my entry "More on the Need to Plan" for a link to his articles). Feel free to contact me via email if you have any questions. I can't promise to answer right away, but I will answer you. Good luck!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Stop Whining and Start Working
I have a problem with many of the musicians I meet. Simply stated - they tell me that they want to make music their career; but in conversation it is apparent that they are completely unwilling to work to make that career happen. They want someone to do it for them. If I suggest some DIY steps they could take, they tell me that it is too much work. If I suggest resources on the internet (blogs, free books) they tell me they don't read much. They whine and say that if only they could get signed to a label or if only they could get a manager; then they could "concentrate on their career". In other words - what they want to do is play music and live what they think the musician's life is.
Serious reality check - it isn't like that. Particularly for you - the Canadian indie musician. Managers and labels only want to work with artists who are doing all of the things to create success for themselves. They want to work with artists who are committed to their career. But if you aren't willing to do it - they don't want to work with you. And I am at the point where I won't even give a few minutes of my time to the whiners.
This is a prime example of what I am talking about. I was running a FACTOR jury and chatting at a break with another juror about the fabulous opportunities available to musicians today. She shared what one of the artists she works with had done - which was a great idea. I mentioned the artist on Twitter with 800,000 followers who does what she calls 'couch sessions'. Her followers suggest a song she should cover, she learns the song, videos herself singing it, and posts it on YouTube. Another juror (a musician) joined the conversation to say that both of our ideas "sounded like a lot of work". That's not the first time I have heard a musician say that and it probably won't be the last time.
Your career is yours to make. That's the beauty of the industry in its current state. However, you are going to have to WORK at it. If you don't want to - fine. Then music is your hobby.
But if you are serious and want to do things to build your career - I suggest you follow this project - http://blog.artistshousemusic.org/post/137058530/indieartistx
Some music industry professionals/bloggers in the USA have joined forces to:
Serious reality check - it isn't like that. Particularly for you - the Canadian indie musician. Managers and labels only want to work with artists who are doing all of the things to create success for themselves. They want to work with artists who are committed to their career. But if you aren't willing to do it - they don't want to work with you. And I am at the point where I won't even give a few minutes of my time to the whiners.
This is a prime example of what I am talking about. I was running a FACTOR jury and chatting at a break with another juror about the fabulous opportunities available to musicians today. She shared what one of the artists she works with had done - which was a great idea. I mentioned the artist on Twitter with 800,000 followers who does what she calls 'couch sessions'. Her followers suggest a song she should cover, she learns the song, videos herself singing it, and posts it on YouTube. Another juror (a musician) joined the conversation to say that both of our ideas "sounded like a lot of work". That's not the first time I have heard a musician say that and it probably won't be the last time.
Your career is yours to make. That's the beauty of the industry in its current state. However, you are going to have to WORK at it. If you don't want to - fine. Then music is your hobby.
But if you are serious and want to do things to build your career - I suggest you follow this project - http://blog.artistshousemusic.org/post/137058530/indieartistx
Some music industry professionals/bloggers in the USA have joined forces to:
The goal of the Indie Artist X Project is to develop a basic, actionable music marketing plan designed around simple strategy, prioritization of tactics, tools and a reasonable budget that can be implemented by any indie artist who has the inclination to follow it.
The musician at the centre of the project is an indie artist with the goal of making music his full-time career. Why not use this as a research template for your career? Stop whining and start working. Once you do that - you will realize there are a lot of people who will help you.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
More on the Need to Plan
"Bands need to learn to create a plan, set goals, create roles within the band where everyone takes ownership of part of the process and has a job description". Great interview/blog post with the founder of http://musicnomad.com/. (Link to the full blog post below).
Personally, after three years in the industry and 'knowing' this because of an extensive business background, it is nice to get some validation through the many, many music industry blogs that abound now. The music business is a business. If you are going to put a price on something and sell it - you are in business. The music industry is not exempt from that because it is creative. If you want success, then you need business basics. Visioning, planning, and executing that plan. Each and every day.
“This new music business will require a new level of business sophistication. So the artists who learn the business and have a good business head will be the ones who survive and thrive.”
If music is your hobby - then it can still benefit by being treated as a business, but it doesn't need to be treated that way. If you aren't relying on your music industry income to live; then it is less of a necessity. There is nothing wrong with having music as a career or as a hobby. What becomes problematic is when you say you want a career, but you don't want to treat music as a business. Get clear with yourself. If you want a career, set goals, make a plan, and then execute the plan. Live that plan ... every day.
http://www.examiner.com/x-16453-Salt-Lake-City-Entertainment-Industry-Examiner~y2009m9d15-Music-Nomad--a-philanthropist-to-Indie-artists
Personally, after three years in the industry and 'knowing' this because of an extensive business background, it is nice to get some validation through the many, many music industry blogs that abound now. The music business is a business. If you are going to put a price on something and sell it - you are in business. The music industry is not exempt from that because it is creative. If you want success, then you need business basics. Visioning, planning, and executing that plan. Each and every day.
“This new music business will require a new level of business sophistication. So the artists who learn the business and have a good business head will be the ones who survive and thrive.”
If music is your hobby - then it can still benefit by being treated as a business, but it doesn't need to be treated that way. If you aren't relying on your music industry income to live; then it is less of a necessity. There is nothing wrong with having music as a career or as a hobby. What becomes problematic is when you say you want a career, but you don't want to treat music as a business. Get clear with yourself. If you want a career, set goals, make a plan, and then execute the plan. Live that plan ... every day.
http://www.examiner.com/x-16453-Salt-Lake-City-Entertainment-Industry-Examiner~y2009m9d15-Music-Nomad--a-philanthropist-to-Indie-artists
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
