And the award goes to…….

Celebrating the small wins

All artists want to be recognized for their craft/art. And recognition can come in many forms. The main forms of recognition, that artists often go after, generally falls under the categories of awards, high sales, popular media exposure, and other opportunities/offers within the entertainment industry. However, some artists will not get these on large scales.  If you find yourself in the latter scenario then don’t hesitate to celebrate the small wins/recognitions. Since the world isn’t making a big deal about it….YOU should make a big deal about it. Get people involved and get them to care about what you’ve accomplished. Hey you worked hard to earn it….why not brag about it?!?!

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I'm your #1 Fan....what would you call me?

We’ve all heard of the “Beliebers”, “Barbies”, “Armies”, “Angels”, and “Navies”, if you haven’t, these names represent a musician’s fans/fan club. Have you ever thought about putting a fan club or group together? If not, then maybe you should start. Nothing will get your fans more riled up to come out and support than placing a “brand” on them as well. This will also help you to stand out and continue the awareness for yourself in this industry.

When looking to name the brand of your fans, find something that is creative and that coincides with your image and/or stage name. This will make it easier for media, potential fans, and industry professionals connect you with your fan club/group. Also, look for a logo that is similar to your own (if you have one) to place on merchandise, social media pages, and your website. Start creating the buzz about your group by reaching out to your fans first. Thank them for their support and congratulate them on being the first members of your fan group.

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Music Without Labels Live Tour 2012

At Music Without Labels & Beat-Play we know you want, and deserve, exclusive coverage of all of the best summer festivals and concerts; which is why MWL Live is embarking on journey across the United States! MWL spokesperson, Katie McVeay, and leading videographer, Shane Suski, are crossing state lines to showcase musical acts at festivals, small town concerts and everywhere in between, providing up-to-date photos, video interviews, and giving you the opportunity to interact with today’s top artists and musicians.

During Shane’s first year with MWL, he has had the opportunity to photograph over 75 artists including big names like Immortal Technique, GZA, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, Young the Giant, and more! Katie McVeay started her MWL work in NYC where she interviewed numerous up-and-coming bands such as Caged Animals, Dustin Wong, The Beets and Canon Logic. In February, Katie relocated to MWL Headquarters in San Diego and has had the chance to interview talented acts such as Puscifer, Lost in the Trees, Rachael Yamagata, Talkdemonic and many more!

MWL Live will be traveling approximately 11,000 miles in 108 days featuring popular musicians at Sasquatch, Free Press, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot Music Festival and everywhere in between! We also know that not all of your favorite musicians are located near hub cities where their music can be properly showcased, reviewed or featured. Are you one of these artists? Do you know a great band in your location? We are reaching out to artists and fans! We want to visit you during the MWL Live Tour!

A trip like this takes funding! How much? $10,000! Right now we have $5,749 towards the project, but it’s not enough! Our Kickstarter goal of $6,000 helps cover the (high) price of gas, food, accommodations, tolls, festival fees, equipment and other expenses that we need to make the MWL Live Tour 2012 a reality!

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Bad Press...Take It of Leave It (from BRASH! - A Music Marketing Blog)

“People gonna talk about you ’til the day you die; and there ain’t nothing you can do about it.” This is one of my favorite Madea movie quotes because this is true.  Especially in the entertainment industry where artists are constantly being watched, attacked, and ridiculed for making life’s mistakes or even for things that are blown out of the water by the press. A few artists escape the daily bashing by flying under the radar and keeping a simple private life.  While others feed on the bad press to stay relevant and/or capture attention towards their latest project.  But is exposure for your music REALLY worth the negative press?

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Has Facebook grown too big for itself?

Has Facebook grown to big for itself & actually listen to the voice of its users?

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"Are you engaged?" from BRASH! A Music Marketing Blog

Getting involved with your following

When I speak of being engaged, in a Marketing perspective it doesn’t mean to “Put a ring on it”. As we all know, you can be engaged with people by becoming involved whether its in a business aspect or a relationship.  As an artist, you should want to have engaging conversations with your fans, interested media outlets, and industry professionals.  This will help you to expand your brand and exposure in the industry.

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How To Take Your Twitter Promotion To The Next Level - Free Ebook

Hi guys, just a short post for you today. I wanted to share with you a free guide I’ve just written on promoting your music with Twitter. In fact it’s not just about promoting your music with Twitter, it’s about how to take your Twitter promotion to a whole new level, and get in front of a load of fans of your genre pretty much on tap!

You can skip to the bottom of this post if want to download this free ebook now (Click the blue button) and don’t want to read the background info.

From what I’ve seen, Twitter is one of the best forms of online promotion you can do as a musician. It’s easy for new musicians to get in front of potential fans relatively fast (Faster and easier then say building up your Facebook fan page), but it also does a great job of driving fans to any new material you may put out there.

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Guerrilla Promotion; Building Better MI Relationships

Contacting music industry professionals can be easy if you have the right approach. Unfortunately, many independent artists do not use the right approach and have limited success. The Guerrilla Promotion tips in this post are designed to help musicians that find it difficult to get in touch with or to work with music industry professionals. If you find yourself leaving a lot of message that don’t get returned, or cant get people on the phone, this article may help.

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Get new fans on Google Plus

So you’ve got a great Google Plus profile set up, you have videos and links to your music posted, and you’re connecting with as many music industry professionals as possible. (If you don’t have a profile, you should). The next logical step is start converting other Google Plus users into rabid online fans of your music. There are two ways to go about this.

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MyMusicExec.com - Tunnel Vision: Today's "Internet Entrepreneurs"

Clearly the Internet has transformed the manner in which music is promoted and presented to the public. Never has the relationship between art and money been so complex- I mean, who would have ever thought of the day we would see artists who use to sell 3-5 million records first week now struggling to hit Gold? (500k) I can assure you some of the biggest business guru’s were hit with a taste of reality when the Internets power would become somewhat of a overnight success.

Let us rewind- pretend it is 1999 (Good days right?) Billy Joel is given an award for his “inspired songwriting and exciting performances”, Britney Spears releases her debut album “Baby One More Time” (we all remember that video!) the Chili Peppers release Californication with John Frusciante and sell 13 mill worldwide and of course the debut of Hip Hop icon Eminem releases “The Slim Shady LP” - Great time in music right? Now, keep in mind Napster debut July 1998. What if Britney, the Chili Peppers and Eminem had the foresight to see the impact the internet would have and all decided to release their album digitally? What change would have been brought on if they embraced the idea of “internet entrepreneurship”? Do you think they would have been the megastars they are today? Or would would the Label say “Your crazy! This internet thing is a phase and it will pass! It’s like the Record…or like the 8 Track Player..or like the Cassette Tape…or like the CD”

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Why you need to be on Google Plus now

The music blogs lately have been wallowing in pessimism about the new social network from Google. The general line of thought seems to be that Google + is yet another added burden along with Twitter, Facebook, that old website called Myspace, etc. However, Google Plus has several features that no other website or social network offers.

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How long until Facebook is the New Myspace?

It’s been seven  years and Facebook has gone from a small, exclusive social network -  for college students only - to now being almost as ubiquitous as your driver’s license.  Everybody has it.  Even your grandparents.  But how much longer will Facebook last?  With the advent of Google +, which has started as an exclusive social network - by invite only - it’s appears that Facebook may have finally run its course. 

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2000 Things to Generate 20,000 Fans – Twitter Treasure Hunt

Author David Meerman Scott made a honest and realistic quote, “if you want 20,000 fans you must do 2000 different things that each generate 10 fans.” This was my favorite quote from 2010 and I am going to take this on as a challenge for 2011 for an ambitious project to give you 2000 different things you can do to generate 20,000 fans.

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Transcript - Ian Rogers from Topspin Discusses Social Networking and Commerce Solutions on The Music Biz Weekly Podcast

Welcome to transcript of episode seven of The Music Biz Weekly, a weekly podcast co-hosted by Michael Brandvold and Brian Thompson. Each week Michael and Brian will discuss the latest events in the music business and music marketing events and techniques.

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