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July 17, 2015 Recently a friend who has the advantage of being an astute student of the music business from the outside - the advantage being that he doesn’t have to rely on the music business to make a living – threw out the trial balloon statement that what we should be looking for is the next Everly Brothers.
May 23, 2013 It’s no secret that often in the world music, it’s more about “who you know” than what you know. The industry generally favors pre-existing relationships, whether you are looking for a venue, a sponsor, a review on your new album, or a slot at SXSW. Like it or not, networking can make or break an act.
Focus on taking a few steps closer to your goal by working on your contacts a few minutes each day. Here are some of my favorite tips on networking:
Advice, Band Marketing, Booking Agents, Breaking into the industry, Business, DIY, DIY Artist, DIY Promotions, Endorsements, Information, Marketing, Marketing 101, Marketing with LinkedIn, Music 3.0, Music Business Jobs, Music Business Plan, Music Conference, Music Industry, awesome indie music, booking, careers, collaboration, independent music, indie musician motivation, music , music business, music festivals, music marketing, music production, music promotion, record labels, song pitching | tagged A&R, Labels, Music Industry, booking agents, contacts, endorsements, managers, music business, publicists, pull marketing, sponsors, value September 26, 2012 If you were presented with the opportunity to pitch your band directly to the Chief A&R representative for Capital Records, what would you say? If there was a venture capitalist looking to invest into the dreams of one band, how would you convince them to choose you? If your favorite band was in town and looking for an opener, what would you tell the promoter about your act?
Being able to pitch your band is one of the most important steps in being able to book shows, secure sponsorships, get a booking agent/manager, receive press, and even to getting on a label. It’s also one of the areas that I see independent musicians struggling with the most. Even though I have a disclaimer on LastStopBooking.com that we are not accepting submissions, I still receive about 50-100 EPK submissions and query letters per week. 90% of these sound the same: the band describes themselves as having “great music,” and they almost always say they are different than other artists because they are “hardworking.”
Artist Development, Band Marketing, Band Website Tips, Booking Agents, Branding, Breaking into the industry, DIY, DIY Artist, DIY Promotions, Education, Endorsements, Indepedendant Artist , Innovation, Life in the Music Business, LinkedIn Marketing Strategy, Marketing, Marketing 101, Music Licensing, Music Management, Promotion, Radio Play, booking, epk, independent music, music marketing, record labels, selling, song pitching, sponsorship | tagged booking, booking a tour, booking agent, booking agents, manager, managers, pitching, record label, record label deal, record label demo submission, song pitching, sponsors August 20, 2010 The 2nd main reason it’s hard to draw new fans revolves around the word “Perception”. Perception includes, in part, the Artist’s perception or view of their “job”, and how it affects the potential fans perception of the “Unsigned Artists Scene”.
Now, let me say here, the problem of perception and the answers to this problem do not lie totally on the Artist’s shoulders, but also fall on the Artists’ Managers, Venues, Promoters and Fans, which I will also cover later and throughout…
It should be made clear here, that Artists should still care about attracting both the over 21 crowd as well as the younger potential fans. For everyone, even those over 21, there is still the need to discover something new and different, something “to do” that people will know will at least be a lot of fun; an escape.
July 13, 2010 2 Common Examples:
1. You’re offered 10% as an Artist
[Side Note: Make sure it says of the Retail Price! If it says “Wholesale”, make sure you get 20%!!!]
Why not ask for your rate to rise each album you release by 1/2%?
Why not ask that your rate goes up 1/2% for “Gold” and anothet 1/2% for “Platinum”?
Believe it or not, the Record Company will probably say “Yes” to both! Why? Because if you’re doing well, they won’t mind it, and if you’re Not selling, they can always rease you from the contract anytime they want!
2. Thinking you can stop paying a Manager [for example] when the contract is over
Artist Development, Education, Information, Music Industry, Music Management, Music Services, The Business of Independent Music, collaboration, music business, record labels | tagged artist development, contract specialist, managers, music business, music business contract, professor pooch, record deal