Leave Them Wanting More (...But Make Them Pay In Advance)

There is a new platform for music sharing weaseling its way onto the social media landscape. Spawnsong allowed musicians to share 'teasers' of brand new material to get the potential fan engage in your music by showing them a glimpse of your creative process. Not only does it offer a way to gain the best kind of fan, but it also applies a proven marketing and advertising principle to the world of unsigned bands. Most people tend to decide whether or not they are interested in a product within the first few seconds of a commercial, and tend towards a similar decision-making process when it comes to new music. Of course we are also reminded of the adage: “Leave them wanting more.” If you can grab a listener with a 30-second clip, they’ll have the opportunity to buy the work-in-progress, pre-order the upcoming release and will be waiting on the edge of their seats in the meantime. If you can really get them hooked, they may even be inclined to check out your previous work and pick up something to hold them over. The idea is still be being developed but a preliminary version of the website is up and worth taking a look at.  

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Time To Pay The Piper (..and the drummer, and the bassist...)

Good news for any bloggers who have recently been talking about the lucrative possibilities of licensing as a light at the end of the moneyless tunnel where unestablished musicians live (...also good news for anyone who has been reading it). CD Baby recently announced that they paid out almost half a million dollars in sync licensing during the last quarter of 2013. This is a pittance compared what some of these bands might have made a couple of decades ago, but it just may be the beginning of an emerging model that will put music careers in reach for those who don't mind staying a little under the radar.

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Publish or Perish...But Don't Do Both At the Same Time.

We've talked a little bit about using music publishing opportunities as a great way of using your talents to support yourself, but we haven't discussed too much about how it works. You probably understand the basic idea; that you write/compose a piece (usually very short) and when a company uses it in a commercial, a video, etc., you get a good amount money. There are many companies out there who collect submissions to build a giant library for their clients to choose from. If your piece is selected, you then get a predetermined "cut of the action". But fair warning, if you're worried about losing the rights to music you make with your band but this a 15-second piano melody is no big deal, you got it backwards. As an unestablished artist, this is your best shot at making a sustainable income and you need to look out for companies who practices "retitling". This is when they give your composition to be reinterpreted by musicians they have on staff, which can take a big chunk out of your royalties. It doesn't mean that it's necessarily a bad a idea because you are after all, getting more than you're likely to get for a bar gig and doing far less work for it, however it is something to look out for.

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What to Expect When You're Expecting...A Recording Contract

The role of record labels has always been a double-edged sword. At times, they have helped to lift musicians out of destitution and allowed them to build a career. Other times, they have exploited the artist and tricked them into destitution. Although this particular ambiguity has remained, their role in the industry has gone through a transition. Despite horror stories about musicians writing/recording hit songs and never seeing a penny, many bands today are still eager to sign on the dotted line and fairly sure that mansions are in their futures once they do. Due to a number of complicated factors, a record label’s range of capabilities and willing to take risks have severely diminished and that once double-edged sword is now closer to a Spork. To find out what you can reasonable expect to benefit from a contract, following the link below:

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Social Media Secrets That Shouldn't Be

There are plenty of ways to use social media for music promotion. Unfortunately, most of them are wrong and these wrong ways are usually what come most intuitively to musicians. This is why your friend’s bands will be reminding you every five hours about their show three months away at a bar you’ve never heard of. It is also the reason the attendance won’t break into double digits. Some of the methods, strategies and platforms have changed, but the objectives remain the same and those are essentially to retain interest and drive traffic to your websites. If you can accomplish these, concert attendance, sales and general social media metrics will come naturally. One good rule to go by is to make sure your social media posts are roughly 80% personal, interesting and entertaining, and only about 20% business (upcoming albums, events, etc.). Also, don’t spread yourself too thin. Only use the platforms that your fans are most likely to be involved with.

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You're Doing Everything Right...Aren't You?

If you’re a hardworking Indie musician who has been doing everything right, you may sometimes wonder why you’re working so hard when NOTHING seems to be going right. The closest thing to simple answer is that you may be missing something. Part of being dedicated means performing periodic audits of your activities: a) What have you been doing well? b) What could you be doing better? And c) Could there be something you haven’t thought of yet? The correct answers are; a) the easy stuff, b) almost everything, and c) probably.

Have you been keeping up with the latest trends? Have you been creating/maintaining a mailing list? Have you been updating your website and social media regularly? For a list of fifteen things you should be doing to keep your career in forward progress, follow the link below:

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"Burning Down the House" is Easier Than It Sounds

When we wrapped up last week by discussing critical concerns when setting up a DIY show, we didn’t seriously discuss the benefits of going this route (other than getting around pesky details such as liquor laws). It easy to understand why many musicians would turn their noses up at playing anywhere outside the bar/club circuit – especially since it probably took a good deal of time and networking to get on those bills in the first place. A record store probably makes a little sense, but the idea of playing at someone’s house probably sounds like a serious self-demotion. But the truth is that many artists of various genres have found the house-as-venue strategy to be vital to their success. It creates a sense of intimacy that extends far beyond the duration of the show. While you probably won’t have the same potential for exposure in terms of crowd-size, what you lose in quantity you make up for in potency. No one will be worrying about flagging down the bartender, no one will be distracted by seeing their ex-whatever there, and (ideally) no one will blackout drunk. In your efforts to turn ‘fans’ into ‘super-fans’ (people who will buy a lot of stuff from you over a long period of time), this is a power play. If done correctly, the audience won’t think of themselves as your fans or super-fans, they’ll think of themselves as ‘friends’. And what are friends for, if not giving you money?

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How to Make the Most of a DIY Show

With the live music circuit currently being dominated by Ticketmaster and LiveNation, the only options left for amateur musicians are Pay-to-Play venues which carry mixed appeal, or turning to more outside-the-box venues commonly referred to as 'DIY'. These shows more often happen, in record stores, art galleries, residential basements and basically wherever a set of amps can be set up without drawing to much negative attention from neighbors or police. The major appeals of going DIY are the bypassing of promoters, giving the venue a cut of the door revenue, and any time or age restrictions an established venue may utilize. If you do decide to go this route, either as a one-time thing or a matter-of-course, you really need to kick into a high gear in terms of promotion and taking responsibility for things like a proper sound system. Otherwise you stand to face a disappointing turnout and you'll find yourself without any drink tickets to ease your pain.

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How to Play SXSW Without Even Trying…Or Actually Going There

The SXSW festival is considered a music mecca for a reason. This is because 5-10 years ago, it was still a hub for independent-everything. It was conceived and designed by Those-In-The-Know, and for Those-In-The-Know. Now, like most authentically great and grimy things in the world, it has become a happening closer to Disney’s Magic Kingdom than a music and culture festival. It’s like the difference between going to New York City to hang out in the dive bars of Brooklyn and the Lower East Side, or staying in Times Square and riding the Trump elevator up and down all day. This is how Justin Bieber ends up playing private parties at the once 'underground' festival and why more and more musicians are coming back disappointed and writing scathing editorial review to Pitchfork. Ironic since many would argue that Pitchfork is largely responsible for making 'DIY' a brand, rather than a philosophy.

The #1 benefit (and for some, the only benefit) of playing SXSW is ‘cred’ and perceived prestige. But you don’t necessarily need to spend the money getting there or waste the energy and time zipping around town to play ten minutes sets without the opportunity to sound check. The alternative? Shortly before the festival begins, get on social media and spin a web of lies equally as vague and convoluted as the festival itself and no one will be the wiser.

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Fear of Fun

One of the most common links between on musicians is the experience of stage fright. “What if I screw up?” “What if they hate the music?” “What if they hate the music because I screwed up?” Sound familiar? Well snap out of it. The best way to beat stage fright is to consider that maybe the stage isn’t the best time or place to be getting scared. First of all, you’re a lot more likely to screw up if that’s all you’re thinking about. Secondly, it will be a lot worse (and harder to recover) when/if you do. The time to be nervous and stressed is when you’re practicing. If you haven’t gotten your part right before the show, you’re not likely to catch up during the show. When it comes time to take the stage, don’t worry too much about screwing up and get scared of not having a good time.

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