It is the Best of Times, It is the Worst of Times...Focus On the First Part

Lately, we’ve been talking a lot about all of the new hurdles that musicians haven’t needed to deal with in the past. But, as I’ve expressed, many of these hurdles stem directly from brand new opportunities. In order to maintain a healthy morale, its crucial take at least a glimpse from the positive angle every once in a while. Musicians have far more resources and possibilities for independence than ever before. Although this means more competition, this is still a very, very good thing. It allows musicians with talent who are able to strategize and are also willing to work very hard, a relatively clear shot at their target/niche market and hence a sustainable music career.

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Making The Marketing-Most From Your YouTube Channel

Considering Google's recent announcement that they will be removing music from YouTube, it is possible that the only way to continuing using the service to promote your music is by making videos for your songs. Because your promotional range/options will be limited, you will have to make the most of what you can do. Artists who use YouTube most successfully focus on making sure they get as much content out there as possible. For some, this means making and posting a music video once a month. Music videos make you seem more professional to venues, A&R reps, and potential fans by inspiring a sort of subconscious celebrity status. Don't worry too much about the quality of each video. In this case, "good enough" is exactly what it sounds like and quantity can certainly compensate for reasonable lapses in quality.

Another great tip is when making a video, involve as many people as you can and the more popular/social they are, the better. You probably don't want to struggle to fit 200 people into a video for an intimate love ballad so use your best judgment, but idea behind this is that almost all of the people who are in it will share it on social media, exponentially increasing your audience, if only for just one video.      

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'Don't Worry Baby (Maybe)'

Music streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora are, though still very popular, effectively old news. Since the success of their model has been established, it was only a matter of time before Google got in on the action. They have been very quiet about their plans until recently when they began contacting musicians with YouTube accounts to notify them that their music will be taken down. Before you panic, you should know that this primarily applies to artists represented by Major or Independent labels who have already struck a deal with Google. (*note that in this context ‘Independent’ refers to labels that are generally owned or connected to major labels, with a few exceptions…so if your college roommate has been putting your music out on cassette, your probably safe).  

For now, the only thing known for sure is that this will affect significantly established (profitable) artists and as far as smaller or “Local” bands go, the information is vague if there is any information at all. Basically, it is something to keep an eye. You may also want to considered some less-than-official but highly possible ramifications, 1) YouTube may no longer offer a highly visible platform for your music since bands that the general public would look for will no longer be there. 2) It has the potential to decrease the relevance cover songs since they will no longer be linked to the original versions. Keep an ear to the ground but know that for now, your band’s YouTube page is probably safe and as effective as ever.

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A Brief Guide to Effective Networking

Everyone’s heard the old adage about the entertainment industry: “It’s not what you know, but who you know”. This phrase has become so tired over the course of decades and with so much else change, many assume that it simply isn’t true anymore. While bands are still occasionally discovered more or less by accident, networking is still arguably the most important part of building a career. Once a band/musician has accepted this, the most common reactions are to a) devote the rest of one’s career (as long or short as it may be) to unproductive anger, resentment, bitterness…basically a lot of whining, and b) giving up immediately and forever. While these are both understandable reactions it is important to remember that most musicians didn’t collect their industry contacts by pure luck. Even older than the ‘not what you know/who you know’ adage is the phrase “You gotta start somewhere.” If you are truly driven, that ‘somewhere’ can, and should, be today.

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Being "All Business"

Every musician has heard the phrase "music is a business". Whether you've read it here, elsewhere, or heard it in a movie - like it or not, it's the truth. If you're smart, you've accepted it by now. But if you're really, really smart, you should be thinking about music as a business, beyond the Music Business proper. Far too often bands who embrace the business angle of their music fall short because while they may be creative has musicians, they are simply mimicking the marketing tactics of every other band on social media. The best way to get creative with your business/marketing tactics is to look to other creative industry such as publishers, filmmakers/producers, and even celebrity chefs. It is the best way to come up with a fresh angle without having to think of anything yourself.

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First the "Radio Star", Then the Whole Darn Industry

The effects of rapidly progressing technology have undeniably had an impact on the music industry over the past decade or so, but the scope of this impact is up for debate and to some extent remains to be seen. It is not so much the technology itself that is shaking up the industry, but rather the ways in which newer generations are using it. There is more music on the general radar than ever before, younger generations consume more and have more access to music than ever before, and thanks to social networking they share more music than ever before. So then why are record sales at an all-time low?

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Music Promotion Pitfalls

Issues and ideas having to do with promotion is probably the most prolific category of music career advice you’re likely to come across. Some of you might read these articles about consistent social media, blogging, networking, etc., and I think, “Well, I see their point, but I really don’t want to do it.” Then you turn to your favorite search engine for the laziest solution you can find. But beware; online promotional services cannot take the place of someone who actually cares about your music (you) or someone who is paid to care enough to do a good job. The ones that make grandiose promises are outright lying and the ones that concrete things like Facebook Likes and Twitter Followers are selling you exactly what they say they are, but the lie is in the idea that anything will come from it.  

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Merch: The OTHER Intellectual Property Theft

Ok, so I've spent a good amount of time making the argument that one of the best ways bands can make up for income lost due to pirated/shared music is through merchandise sales. What I didn't tell you is that there are sharks in those waters as well. This conversation doesn't apply to the vast majority of bands. Partly to those who have gathered some level of momentum, but mostly for those who have moved passed calling it "momentum"and have started calling it a career. The problem runs a little deeper in this case because there is no source/hub/community to crackdown on like there is for torrenting sites. No one is going to shut down all of Amazon and go door-to-door reclaiming Radiohead t-shirts, nor should they. But sooner or later something needs to be done about this. One thing that you can do as an artist, is find ways to market your merchandise to fans when you're not on tour. The vast majority of you don't have bootleggers lurking outside your shows or opening fraudulent Amazon accounts, and if you do, you're probably paying someone to read this for you. But this is a good idea anyway and if you're lucky, it will become a serious problem for your band too.

Optimized Gigging

The first step to booking more and better gigs is playing your heart out at the ones you’re already getting, but that’s pretty intuitive. Of course playing a good (and effective) gig is largely about preparation, but this means more than diligent rehearsal. What’s equally important is being prepared to network. This means having a quick and charismatic line ready to describe your music to bloggers, booking agents, or anyone with an interest. It also means having meaningful and goal-oriented communication with the other bands such as discussing future gigs together and trading info on key contacts. For those with a stronger stomach, you should also print business card to exchange with anyone "important" and get a running start on working up the nerve to ask for theirs.

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"One Step at a Time": Not Just For Addicts Anymore!

Conventional wisdom dictates that "knowledge is power". However, if you're an unknown musician who is smart enough to know the daunting road ahead of them and the grim reality of likely failure it can be a burden that leads to be terminally discouragement. The problem is that there is so much to do and no guarantees whatsoever. But the key is that same as reaching just about any long term goal; take it one step at a time. You could start by outlining a strategy or making an effort to create buzz by starting a blog, or just thinking of a way to draw your target audience to you. The best advice I could give is to take the first step as soon as possible, which is a fancy way of saying "today". The first step

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Try It Before They Buy It

Arguably the toughest struggle a songwriter faces has nothing to do with booking a show, promoting a show, social media or even a recording contract. Just going through the songwriting process of taking a melody from an idea to something they're willing to share, if only at a diver bar open-mic or Facebook (the social media equivalent of a dive bar), can be agonizing and drives many to give up before they've even technically tried. Of course like every other psychological phenomenon/quirk these days, it's a spectrum disorder.

I know one experimental artist who was handed a fairly long letter during a live set pleading with him to give up and cursing the unknown name of whoever encouraged him to do anything creative. He had since framed the letter and hangs it on his wall for inspiration whenever he feels like dissolving his project. On the other hand, I also know a songwriter who often posts unfinished songs on SoundCloud and if the right person says the wrong thing about one of them, will almost certainly dive into a two week ecstasy binge. My guess would be that most aspiring songwriters fall a bit off-center towards the latter of these two extremes. For those (and others) there is a new service called AudioKite which employs qualified listeners to critique songs that are either still works in progress or that you're generally uncertain about.

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Q: How Many Roads Must a Band Walk Down? A: All of Them

Many of my posts feature new or often overlooked ways for musicians to make money. Others strive to instill a sense of urgency for musicians to work more than one angle in order to get ahead. But because singular blog posts can easily be missed and the phrase "...more than one angle" doesn't really do justice to amount of work that needs to be done and the number of angles there are. Have you been trying what you assume is everything and dodging your landlord on a regular basis? The good news (and the bad news) is that there is most likely plenty that you aren't doing. So you've put a digital album up on Bandcamp...what about iTunes? So you've had merch like t-shirts and stickers printed...what about digital merch like exclusive artwork or videos? So you put out a CD...have you considered vinyl and did you know that vinyl sales surged 30% last year? Have you tried offering music lessons? If you are 100% dedicated to building a career as a musician, it may be a very long while before you can afford much of anything so in the meantime, be a scavenger.

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