Five Things To Avoid On Kickstarter

Kickstarter is a great site for people to get projects funded that are really important to them. The great news is that 54% of all Kickstarter music ventures succeed! However that still leaves just under half that don't. But thank god there's people out there who do research so you don't have to! Here are the top five things to avoid when preparing your Kickstarter. 

1) Lack of a Purpose Worth Backing

Most people think that the reason a band’s Kickstarter fails is because they don’t have enough fans.  This is simply just not true.  Almost anyone is connected to enough friends and family to raise a reasonable amount of money.

Failing to show those friends, family, and fans that their money is going to a worthy cause is often times the deal breaker.

This happens when a) you have a worthy cause but you’re just terrible at explaining it (bad marketing) or b) you don’t actually have a compelling project that gets people excited.

2) Choosing a Goal That’s Too High for Your Circle of Influence

One big misconception is that Kickstarter is a community of people looking for cool projects to back.

With music Kickstarter projects, you are relying 99% on your existing personal connections.  It’s imperative that you assess your Circle of Influence by literally making a list of friends, family, and fans you expect to back you. Add them all up, assume that less than half will back you, then multiply by $60 (the average pledge per backer).

As a side note, we constantly hear people say “the ones I thought would back didn’t, and the ones I didn’t think would back did”.

3) Failure to Work Hard

Your Kickstarter is a personal project that requires you to reach out and connect one-on-one with many people.  Simply sending out a mass email and spamming your Facebook page for a month will not lead to success.  You need to send personal emails, engage in face-to-face communication, and tell people exactly what you need them to do.

Almost every artist we talk to admits to being afraid to directly ask for money.  Don’t beat around the bush and take the passive route.  You need to show people that you believe wholeheartedly in what you’re doing by getting out and working your butt off.  When they see your passion they’ll respond by backing your cause and spreading the word for you.

4) Giving Up Too Early

Most Kickstarter projects have a huge last minute rush.  If your goal seems too far away on the third week of a 30 day campaign, don’t assume it’s a lost cause.  Dig in and campaign harder than you ever have.

According to Kickstarter, “While 12% of projects finished having never received a single pledge, 81% of projects that raised more than 20% of their goal were successfully funded.”

5) Imperfect Rewards

Backers pledge at their level of fanhood or engagement in you and your project, not necessarily at the level they find a favorable reward. It’s your job to make sure that all types of backers are able to contribute at the highest level possible.

If a backer is willing to show you their support at the $35 level but you jump from a $20 package to a $50 package, you’re loosing out on potential dollars because they’ll settle for the $20 package.

Reward design is an art and requires a deep understanding of your following and how you plan to frame your project.  In other words, are you framing it as a pre-order where it’s important for rewards to match their real world perceived value or are you framing it as a fund raiser where it’s more acceptable to offer the physical CD for $35?

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5 Annoying Conversations Non-Musicians Will Have With You

I got a kick out of this. Check it out and see if any of this sounds familiar to you. The five most annoying conversations you'll have with non-music folk!

So, are you signed yet?

What it sounds like they mean:

You’ve been on about your music for a while now, but if you’re not signed, well then what’s the point of it all? You have to be signed like the big-names to be a somebody in music, right?

What you want to say:

NO. Surely If I were “signed”, you’d know. Plus, you’re in the dark if you think being signed is the be-all & end all of music! Where have you been the past few years? Have you NOT seen the independent movement of successful artists doing it their way and doing it big? Gosh!

What you actually say:

Signed? No. But I’m not trying to be – I mean, I’d love for things to take off but I know that in music, it takes time, plus I’m not chasing the mainstream – I’m in it for the art.

When’s your album out then?

What it sounds like they mean:

You don’t have an album? All the big names, the ones I used to buy before I started downloading music, have albums. I mean – no I don’t bother with albums now – I mostly just listen to my favourite singles in a playlist on repeat. But you DON’T have an album? Pshht!

What you want to say:

LOL – an album? Do you even buy music anymore? What’s the last album you purchased? Not to mention, music stores are forever minimizing in-store space, because people are less inclined to buy them. Plus, albums are really expensive to make, record, mix, master and design – no, I don’t have an album out at the moment.

What you actually say:

I don’t have an album in the works just yet, I do have a few songs out at the moment though – I can send them to you if you’d like?

So, I’ll be hearing you on the radio will I?

What it sounds like they mean:

I ONLY listen to the radio, it’s my main music source – so if it aint in the top ten, I aint listening. You’re not in there, so you’re stuff can’t be as “good” as what is. Or maybe you’re just not doing something right.

What you want to say:

Well, radio is pretty much controlled by, or has elements of a Payola type system. That makes traditional radio an almost impossible place for new, unsigned and underground music to be play-listed – because the mainstream has a firm hold over what is played.

There are slots outside of that where new music is often played, but obviously your busy life means you have no time for shows during those often late nights or very early mornings – so in a nutshell, probably not – as I’m unsigned.

What you actually say:

The radio is only one of many places new music like mine is played, sure I’ve had some attention there, but really I’m focusing on quality stuff for potential new fans.

Long time no see, are you famous yet?

What it sounds like they mean:

You say you’re a musician but you’re not on TV. Musician’s are everywhere, billboards TV, radio – does anybody apart from me, know that you make music?

What you want to say:

Oh c’mon – surely if I were famous you would know! Yes, I make music, but I’m not on TV – or famous, so I guess I’m not successful? – Well, I’m not fame-hungry or anything, I make music because I really love music, and people enjoy mine.

What you actually say:

Ha! I guess not…

Still doing the whole music thing then?

What it sounds like they mean:

Still pushing on with that are you? You must be serious about it then, not that I’ve noticed, mind…

What you want to say:

“Thing”? – Music is my art, my passion – of course I’m still making it!

You asking means you haven’t been following my updates, or coming to shows, or even checking out the new music I’ve been releasing – that’s a shame, I think you might like it.

What you actually say:

Yeah of course! I’ve actually just released a new track – I’ll send you the link to it if you’d like?

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Four Steps To Go From Playing Covers To Originals

Face it, every band starts out playing covers. How could you not? It's an easy way to practice because you can listen to the original and make sure everyone in the band sounds up to par, and it's easy to find mistakes. It's also great for crowds because they're going to know it! And when a crowd hears a song they love, they're going to be more interested in the performance as a whole. 

You might try to work in some original songs while playing a gig, but the crowd isn't diggin' it you might think it's just not good. Before you begin to think that way, remember that it’s not your fault that your material doesn't get the same kind of response. A hit record has usually been well crafted by a slew of experts, and it’s been burned into your audience’s consciousness over a long period of time. But here are some great tips to get your music up there with the big hits and have your audience wowed! 



1. Take what you think is your best song and work it up show-wise so it’s the best song in your set. This means that you concentrate on the dynamics of the song, the lighting, and the movement of the players on stage. Don’t know what I mean? Watch a concert by your favorite band or artist. At some point during the set (or several times even) the show will peak thanks to something that goes beyond just standing there and singing and playing. That’s what you want to do. I realize that it isn’t as easy as it sounds, but this is a step you’ve got to take.

2. Next, connect that song to one of the hot cover songs that you do that’s similar in theme and/or tempo, then play them together in a medley.  Keep working it until your song get’s the same response as the cover.

3. After you’ve gotten your audience used to one of your songs, use the technique to put a second, then a third song into your show. It’s a gradual process, so just be sure that your songs the show around them are as well-crafted as you can get them. It’s quality you’re going for, not quantity.

4. Finally, since you have to play cover song for the time being, don’t play them exactly like the record. Don’t be afraid to give them your sound. Remember that you’re audience is digging more on the familiarity of the song rather than how close to the record your performance is.


Just remember that your songs have to be good for any of this to work. Take the time required to write great music with strong lyrics. Put in the effort, it'll be well worth it!




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The Music Business Isn't Dying!

 I know there's a lot of information out there about the music industry dying a slow and painful death, but don't give up your music career just yet! According to these numbers from  Nielsen Soundscan and the IFPI, that just simply isn't true! 

Check this out:

• US album sales were up 1.3% last year, the first year since 2005 that’s happened. 66% of these sales were CDs.

• There were 249 million albums sold in the US last year. People will tell you that the music industry is dying, but 249 million of anything is still a huge number.

• 75% of all CD sales were made offline. That means that people physically purchased the CD at a brick and mortar store or an event.

• 40% of all CD buyers are over the age of 45, which means that the demo that mostly grew up with CDs are the ones still buying them. But it also means that 60% of all buyers were under 45 too.

• Vinyl sales increased 37 percent in 2011, but only accounted for 1.2 percent of all physical sales. That doesn’t mean that people who buy vinyl actually listen to it though. Just like the old days, many still buy it for the cover, the artwork, the liner notes, and the trendiness (which is new).

• Rock is the most popular genre of music, with 32 percent album share, while pop music represents 40 percent of all current digital tracks sold. Ninety-three of the 100 best selling vinyl albums in 2011 fall within the Rock or Alternative genres. I guess that means that the hip-hop and rap trend has run it’s course.

• People who live in New York or LA buy more country records than those who live in Nashville by almost 2 to 1. Having just come from a speaking tour in Nashville, I can tell you first-hand that it’s a very cosmopolitan music town, with country no longer the major part of the industry as it once was. That said, country music represents 13% of the total album sales.

• Digital country music sales are up 31% over last year. While it might have been true at one time that country music lovers were slow to get into digital music, that’s obviously no longer the case.

• Acts that perform at halftime during the Superbowl get an average sales bump of 555%. Critics may pan them and you might hate them, but you still buy them.

Looks like there's hope after all!



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How To Make Your Dreams Come True

What's the difference between a dream and a goal? Well, really it's all in your attitude. Dreams are defined more by being something unattainable, out of reach. But goals are the things you work for and plan to accomplish or reach. So from now on, treat your dreams as goals! And with enough ambition, anything is possible. The Wright brothers didn't just sit around thinking about how great it would be to fly, they made it happen - and so can you! Here are some simple tips to get you started! 

1. Start Small

The first step towards your dream is to get started. Do something every day, anything. Don’t go and spend tons of money on fancy instruments and studio equipment. Don’t waste time on trying to get a gig at the best venue in your town before you’ve played the toilet around the corner. Start with the stuff that matters and that you know you are capable of handling. Give yourself time to learn your art and the tricks of the trade.

2. Live Cheap

You are immediately limiting your options if you get yourself into too much debt. If possible, start saving so that you have a bit of a buffer if you need to take time out of work, or your car breaks down. Don’t jump at every fancy new gadget that comes your way. Buy stuff only when you really need it. Keep your every day expenses reasonable. The less you spend, the less you need to make money. And that will give you more freedom to do whatever you want.

3. Plan Regularly

Ok, so you played that toilet around the corner a few times now. Maybe it’s time to move on. Take a step back and map out the road to your Big Dream. Break it down to monthly, quarterly and yearly goals. Decide what to do and make time to do the tasks you set yourself. By having a good plan will make each step a bit clearer. It will give you ideas of what you should be aiming for next. It will also help you realise what is useful and what is a waste of time. Set yourself a budget and stick to it.

4. Make Friends

Connections are gold. Your genius will go unnoticed if no one knows about it. The myth of the lonely genius is exactly that – a myth. Successful people are without exception well connected. Luckily making connections is easier than ever before. Connect with other bands, bloggers, music lovers, friends of friends and random people. Don’t try to gain anything from these connections. Have inspiring conversations and people will remember you. Offer to help and people will help you back.

5. Commit

No dream is going to come true if you don’t make a commitment to it. Everything that can, will go wrong. You will lose faith. You will suck. You will run out of money. You will play empty venues. You will be too busy. Sorry, you’ll just have to keep your head down and keep going. Without a commitment life will get in the way and before you know it the attainable goal has turned into a distant dream again.

Dreams are only dreams until you write them down. Then they become your goals. – Anonymous

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The Mobile Web And Music

Now-a-days the internet is constantly at our fingertips through the use of smartphones and other devices. Whether it's Facebook, online banking, shopping, or listening to music, it can all be done through mobile devices. So if the world is becoming reliant on smartphones and tablets, what does that mean for musicians? Here's a great Infographic about the use of the mobile web and what musicians should consider!

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How To Promote Your Band With Custom Tabs On Facebook

As most of you probably know, across the top of your Facebook page are tabs which you can control (and if you didn't, you do now!). Typically these tabs are for friends, photos, maps, etc., but you can actually change up what's up there to your benefit. However with Facebook always changing  it's easy to forget what you can and can't do. Facebook tabs are just as effective, especially after the recent EdgeRank enhancements which mean your updates get less reach and visibility if you don’t promote your Page the smart way. You need to drive traffic to your tabs, but which one is most important? Well, whatever one is going to get you noticed most! Below are some ideas to using Facebook tabs to your advantage!



1) Use direct links:

Now that you’ve decided which Facebook tab to promote, it's time to drive people's attention to your promotion.

As you already know, you can't load a custom app when someone visits your Facebook page by default anymore. This means you will have to link directly to the app a lot. A full URL looks too bulky, so make sure you create a shortened one. Bit.ly works just great for that as we will get the click stats, too.

Link to your Facebook anywhere you can (your website, your other social media profiles and so on), just as you have been doing all along. Instead of linking to http://facebook.com/yourbandname, however, link directly to your tab. If you use a shortened URL for tracking, consider creating several shortened links for each location to see where fans are coming from.

2) Use Facebook Ads:

This tip is primarily for those of you who are already running Facebook Ads to drive traffic to your page. Create a new campaign, where you direct fans to your custom tab - fortunately, it’s easy to do now.

3) Update your Timeline:

Some people will still be coming straight to your Facebook page of course. So don’t forget these basic tips. You can have up to four apps displayed at the top of your Facebook page, and you control three of them - make sure that your custom tab is there, and that you set a clear and engaging thumbnail for it. Assign a proper name to the thumbnail, either with a title of a freebie if you are giving something away (especially if the title is recognised), or a call-to-action - e.g. "Get it now!"

With the previous point in mind, you can't have a prominent call-to-action in your Timeline cover. You can try to play it around with indirect hints in design, but do it at your own risk and never write "Like this page for a free song!" on your cover (it's prohibited by Facebook).

4) Pin wisely:

Regularly (once every couple of weeks) create a post with a link to your custom tab, prompting new visitors to check out your offer, and - more importantly - asking your existing fans to act on the post. When someone likes or comments on your status updates, they make these updates appear in their friends’ feeds. So ask for your fans' thoughts on the track that you are giving away or ask them how preparation is going for the photo contest you are currently running. Keep such posts pinned for as long as you can.

5) Use all your other channels:

Announce the promotion in your email newsletter and on your blog as soon as the tab is up. Do post about it on all your other social networks as well. I know this sounds obvious, but it’s often ignored or seldom remembered.

6) YouTube and Soundcloud are your friends:

If you are giving away a track, you should have a clip version of it on your YouTube channel. Even if it's an audio with a static image, just put it up there, then add proper title, tags, and description. The trick is to start the description with a link to your Facebook tab with a kind of "download the full song here" phrase.

If you've got a Soundcloud profile, have the clip up there as well. Don't make it downloadable: instead, replace the "Buy" link with a "Free download" one (you can change the anchor in a track's settings), and link to your custom Facebook tab.

7) Give instructions to your street team:

If you've got a digital street team and they don't have much to do at the moment, ask them to send a link to your promotion via private messages to all new commenters on your blog, YouTube channel, Twitter, or whatever. Ask them to reach out to admins of Facebook pages and groups dedicated to the music genre that you record/perform at and ask them to share the link to their followers.

Even with these simple tips you will get more Likes and Reach on your page, so start acting now.



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Horror Movies That Inspired Band Names

Check out these horror movies that inspired some well known rock bands! But can you name them all without looking?? (original article here)





1. Black Sabbath (1963) - Black Sabbath, the band, needs no introduction. The architects of metal formed in 1969, having since sold over 70 million records worldwide, with MTV naming them the greatest metal band of all time and VH1 giving them the title of the second greatest hard rock band, after Led Zeppelin. With the band having utilized both Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio as vocalists, the band has also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame.

 




2. White Zombie (1932) - Inspired by the Lugosi film, Rob Zombie and his band named themselves White Zombie and quickly became one of the pioneers of industrial metal. Before embarking on a successful solo career in both music and film, Rob Zombie released four full-length albums with White Zombie, which are now considered cult classics in their own rite.


3. The Evil Dead (1981) - The same year ‘Evil Dead II’ was released, the band Evildead formed. Beginning in 1987, Evildead began a career of thrash metal that lasted on-and-off until Oct. 17, 2012. Evildead recorded two full-length albums, two EPs and one live album during the band’s career. The band went through long periods of inactivity along with two breakups after various lineup changes and difficulties writing a follow-up album to their 1991 full-length, ‘The Underworld.’



4. Nosferatu (1922) - Nosferatu is also an English gothic rock band that formed in 1988. Over 65 years after the film ‘Nosferatu’ was released, the use of the title by the band is a testament to the movie’s creative success. With the band having over 100,000 copies of their cumulative releases, Nosferatu broke up shortly after their 2011 full-length album, ‘Wonderland.’


5. Suspiria (1977) -There are two bands who have named their projects after the movie. Suspiria, who retained the classic spelling of the film, were a darkwave / goth rock band from England, but perhaps the most notable act named after the film is Susperia, which uses an ‘e’ in place of the title’s first i’. Created by Tjodalv of Dimmu Borgir and Cyrus of Satyricon in 1998. The Norwegian black metal act have released five full-length albums since 2001, along with one EP.



6. My Bloody Valentine (1981) - My Bloody Valentine the band, meanwhile, formed in 1983 in Dublin, Ireland. The trio, fronted by singer-guitarist Kevin Shields, considered several names, including Burning Peacocks. Ultimately, they settled on the slasher-inspired name and set about making their mark on the underground rock scene. MBV released their debut album, ‘This Is Your Bloody Valentine,’ in 1985, and after personnel changes and a relocation to London, they finalized the lineup that would release the watershed 1991 shoegazing classic ‘Loveless.’




7. Two Thousand Maniacs(1981) - Even if the number was off, the name turned heads. “Our name really helped separate us from the lot of local bands we were competing with in those days,” singer Natalie Merchant once said. Formed in in 1981, 10,000 Maniacs enjoyed a fruitful career as a folk-tinged alt-rock act, peaking in the early ’90s, when they topped the alternative charts with the single ‘These Are Days’ and released an ‘MTV Unplugged’ album featuring a cover of the Patti Smith Group’s ‘Because the Night.’

THE FUTURE OF MUSIC SUMMIT

The Future Of Music Summit is held annually to discuss the emerging issues at the intersection of music, technology, law and policy! It's sold out but will be streaming LIVE from Hyperbot! Speakers include Senator Ron Wyden, Pandora’s Tim Westergren and panels covering everything from webcasting rates to arts funding.  Below is the schedule for today!

TODAY'S SCHEDULE

9:00 AM – 9:05 AM    
Welcome+

9:05 AM – 9:25 AM    
In Conversation: Tim Westergren of Pandora

9:30 AM – 10:10 AM
Expression Obsession: IP Enforcement & Internet Openness

10:15 AM - 10:35 AM
In Conversation: Daniel Raimer of RapidShare

10:40 AM - 11:40 AM
Presentations from Artist Growth, CASH Music, HugeFan and Songkick

11:40 PM – 12:50 PM    
LUNCH: In Conversation with Thomas Frank, Sascha Meinrath & Rebecca Gates

12:50 PM – 1:30 PM    
Radio-active: Internet Broadcasting and Artist Compensation

1:35 PM – 2:30 PM
Making Music-Making Work for Working Musicians

2:30 PM – 2:50 PM
Keynote: Senator Ron Wyden

2:50 PM – 3:10 PM
Artist Revenue Streams Presentation: Leverage

3:10 PM – 3:50 PM
Why Pussy Riot Matters

3:55 PM - 4:35 PM
The Intersection of Data, Policy and the Arts Sector

4:40 PM - 5:15 PM
Election Day Aftermath & The Arts

5:20 PM - 6:00 PM
In Conversation: Merrill Garbus, Thao Nguyen, Chris Walla and Jordan Kurland

6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Gibson Guitar Washington D.C. Showroom
Cocktail Party hosted by MailChimp

* All items and speakers subject to change

What You Need Before Running A Digital PR Campaign

You may be thinking that running a digital PR campaign for your band is going to be a great idea. I mean, what artist doesn't want to reach new fans, increase their online influence, and overall strengthen their existing fan base through social media? And that's what a digital PR Campaign will do for you.. BUT! There are a few things YOU need to do first, or else running a campaign with be a complete waste of your time. 


1. Have Music Ready For Release

Let’s get this out of the way right now. If you don’t have music ready to go, then there is no need for a PR campaign. No matter what direction or niche is targeted during a PR campaign, if you don’t have music available to be shared with media makers (bloggers, podcasters, iradio station DJs), then you’re wasting your time and money.

The ideal scenario is that you have at least an upcoming EP (containing at least 4 songs) that is planned for release around 1 to 1.5 months into the PR campaign. For the most part, bloggers don’t like to mention an upcoming release if there is any more than 1 month of lead-time between the feature and the release.

2. Have A Professional, Compelling Bio

A professionally written bio that weaves a compelling story about who you are and what makes you unique is THE #1 asset that you need for an effective PR campaign (after the music of course).

While many bloggers still write their own content, it is often the case that a blogger will re-purpose the bio in order to create enough content for their blog on a consistent basis. This is bad news for you if you’re bio is one paragraph saying that you are a musician from so-and-so making rock music that will blow everyone’s mind.

This is, however, good news for you if you have a strong bio! That fact that many bloggers will re-purpose the bio means that you now have the opportunity to control the messaging of their features, telling their readers the important points about you that may stick out to fans as unique and intriguing.

3. Professional Promotional Photos

All bloggers (and even some podcasters) will want a photo to go along with their feature that includes your music. Many new media makers have a quality standard to uphold and poor photos of you and/ or your band could actually be a deal breaker.

On the other hand, unique, creative and well-shot promo photos can actually be the ice breaker needed to get new media makers to check out your music. Here are a few great promo photos of a few Cyber PR® clients that absolutely helped them to have great campaigns: 

4. Find The Proper Niche

Identifying a specific niche to target is a critical component to any successful digital publicity campaign.

It is important to note that your niche does not, in any way, need to reflect your genre of music. Anything that you are passionate about, anything that has inflicted you as a person (such as a disease or disability) or any part of your upbringing that has helped to define who you are as a person and a musician can be a great niche.

The idea here is that on music blogs, you are just another musician being covered, however on, say a positivity blog or a yoga blog, you are the one, or one of very few musicians being covered making your story and your music far more unique which can help it to resonate with the reader-base.

A few niches that we have worked with in the past that present great opportunities for independent musicians:

• Tech
• DIY Music Marketing
• Positivity
• Yoga
• Gay Parenting
• Early-Childhood Education
• Songwriting
• Human Rights Advocacy
• Politics

5. A Social Media Presence

Too many musicians under-estimate the importance of a social media presence to a digital publicity campaign.

While the music, the bio and the promo photos are all critical assets to have when planning for a successful campaign, there are two reasons why it is so important that you also have a strong social media presence:

1. With so many musicians and digital publicists inundating the inboxes of new media makers, it is inevitable that they will check out the social media presence of each submission as a filter for who to, and who not to consider for coverage. 

 This certainly doesn’t mean that you need to have a HUGE social media presence with hundreds of thousands of fans, but it does mean that you need to be consistently posting to your socials, and engaging with your fans. Ultimately a new media maker wants to know that if they are going to take the time to cover your music, you will be able to return the support by sharing the feature with your fans, helping them to build their own following as well. 

2. In order for a digital publicity campaign to truly be effective, each feature delivered within needs to be properly leveraged through social media to mobilize the existing fan base. 

 In other words, each feature is new content that you can use to engage your fans without having to say ‘listen to my music’… this form of sharing your successes is a much more subtle form of self-promotion than the much dreaded shameless self-promo that all too many musicians practice.

Again, having hundreds of thousands of fans isn’t the point here, but rather you need to have a consistent content strategy that covers all 6 rooms of your social media house, which includes (but isn’t limited to) Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest, Blog, Newsletter. Here is a quick outline of how often you need to post to each platform in order to remain ‘consistent’:

Facebook: 1 Post Per Day 

Twitter: 2 - 3 Tweets Per Day 

Blog: At least 1 new post every other week 

Newsletter: 1 newsletter per month 

Youtube: At least 1 new video per month (note this doesn’t need to be a professional music video)

Pinterest: Posting at each of your boards at least once per day

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5 Tips Your Day Job Can Teach You About Your Music Career

There aren't many people out there who can make it as a full time musician and still be making enough money to pay the bills. Chances are, you have yourself a regular '9 to 5' to keep food on the table and a roof over your head (unless, of course, you're still living in your mom's basement). But hey, maybe that day job isn't a bad idea. Here are some tips you can learn from it to help with your music career!

1.Treating Customers Right: 
Whether you are working at a mall or you are on Wall Street, the business will depend on customers. It’s the same with music: you have to learn how to connect with your fans. Most organizations have guidebooks or protocol on how to treat customers. They might be boring but trying reading those guides and finding ways to apply them to your music

2.Learn How to Sell: 
At the end of the day, the success of your music career will depend on sales. Whether it is direct music/merchandise sales (and chances are this is where most of your revenue will come from), licensing, indirect sales, or “selling” your band to someone else through booking, sponsorship, etc., it’s good to have real world experience with negotiation, pricing, and closing a sale.

3.Communication Skills: 
Skills like phone and email etiquette are important if you are running your own business. It’s good to have an understanding of others’ working hours, how to follow up, preferred methods of communication, etc. Remember, spell check is your friend. In addition, never underestimate the power of networking. Those connections can be lifelines later in your career. Learning how to network is a key for any working musician.

4.Discipline: 
Many artists I work with struggle with self-discipline. If you really want to do music for a living, then you have to treat it like you would a job: have regular and focused working hours that you work consistently, create a mission and set of values that you and your band mates follow, and a system in place when someone deviates from their role/responsibilities. 

5.Handling Money:
All organizations have strict money handling rules. If you work a register, you are accountable for what goes in and what goes out. How is cash handled in your band? Do you account for each sale, have a consistent till for change, account for expenses (such as buying gas)? If/when you file taxes as a business for your band, you’ll need to have some good accounting practices in place.  



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Ten Great Scenes In Music History

I found this list of some of the top music scenes from movies of the past and present. Check it out! Anything you think deserves (or doesn't deserve) to be on the list?



10. Singin' In The Rain (1952) - Singin' In the Rain



9. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) - Two Little Girls From Little Rock

8. The Band Wagon (1953) - Girl Hunt


7. Sweet Charity (1969) - Rich Man's Frug


6. Grease (1978)  - Summer Nights

5. The Producers (1968/2005) - Springtime For Hitler


4. Rent (2005) - La Vie Boheme


3. Moulin Rouge (2001) - El Tango De Roxeanne

2. Chicago (2002) - The Cell Block Tango


1. The Wizard Of Oz (1939) - Somewhere Over The Rainbow

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Tumblr Growth - Can It Benefit You Musically?

By now just about everyone has a Facebook, and probably even a Twitter too. And as a musician you want to put yourself where the people are so it's a great idea to have both of these, but what are you other options? Well, according to this article, it might just be time to get yoursef a Tumblr account, too!

Tumblr has had an some amazing growth over the past year or so. Back in January of 2011, Tumblr was was getting only around 4 billion page views a month. It has now skyrocketed to over 20 billion page views a month - that's a 30% increase in the past year!

David Karp, the company's CEO stated, “There are moments where we want everybody in the world using Tumblr, and then there are moments where we have to pull it down and remember that the reason anybody in the world even cares is because there’s a smaller community here that is making this incredible stuff.”

Tumblr has always been a great option for any musician looking to create and maintain a piece of online real estate and own his or her online hub away from social networks. Many of their free template-based designs can actually come out quite good-looking and are highly functional, but of course the site can’t live off these free users. Instead, Tumblr makes money from advertisers looking to connect with the their 120 million impressions per day – doing so with “Tumblr Radar”, which shows sponsored content from brands and advertisers in a “Spotlight” area on the site.

As the party continues on over at Facebook (which some may believe is winding down), many others are beginning to seek out alternative communities to drive their messaging and fan engagements. And considering the vast community that exists within Tumblr, these numbers may indicate that another party might be building up just around the corner. 


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Check Out My New Website!

Just a side note, my new website is up and running! It has all my great Rock Report tips, as well as my Stop Drunk Driving Now and Right Now Anti-Bullying information as well!

Check it out at http://ronbellanti.com/

Saving Money While Buying New Gear

We're in a recession (and have been, unfortunately) but it's been hitting everyone. So what happens when you need a new amp, new guitar, or new drum kit but can't shell out the cash to get the quality stuff you need? You don't want to settle for sub-par equipment to save money and have your sound suffer. So here are some tips pinching pennies to get what you need and save some cash while doing it!

Search for a great deal

The internet is a great way to find the best prices for new musical equipment, but do not let the search engine be the last port of call. You have a telephone and I strongly suggest you put this to work. Often, when you speak to a person in store you can get greater deals creating leverage by being an actual person on the end of a phone.  Make a shortlist of shops and then you can give them a call and start asking about any special deals they may have, shop soiled items, ex-demo equipment, time sensitive deals, and you can even try and get the price down by saying you will buy immediately. Information is power and if you know the prices of the item at different stores and know the details of each deal you can play off one shop against another. A confident and friendly approach to the conversation will pay dividends. Invest time in your call preparation and be forearmed with some good information and I am sure you can get a cracking deal.

Purchase the right equipment the first time

A few words about buying high quality items as opposed to going for a cheaper but similar item: Quality kit is more sturdily built and is likely to be more durable in performance. Quality items will outlive a low cost item and whilst going cheap might appeal at first, it is likely you will be better served by spending a bit more money and getting a better item. Buying a high quality item at the best price is quite different from buying a lesser quality item at a rock bottom rate. If possible, try and save and purchase the right equipment the first time rather than letting your impatience get the better of you and splashing out just to satisfy your short term gear cravings.

Consider importing musical equipment

In many instances this is not a great thing to do but you owe it to yourself to research all options and sometimes it can be possible to get a great deal. In some instances buying the equipment from where it originates can save some money. However, there are things to be aware of:

A) Check that you are in the know relating to your tax and duty rates when importing equipment. Search online to find out the costs involved in importing musical equipment.

B) Double check that the equipment works on your main voltages which vary across the world. 

C) Think about shipment costs. If the equipment does not work or is damaged on arrival consider the costs involved in sending it back.

D) Warranties can be a problem and finding out if the equipment will be under warranty (and the length of the warranty) despite having imported it, needs to be checked in detail.

You can get a better price sometimes but do ensure you are fully informed about the above aspects before importing equipment.

Don't forget, no matter who you're dealing with be confident, polite and have the right tone. You might just be able to get a good discount!

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