Practice Makes Perfect, But Promotion Makes Success In The Music Business

One of the most advantageous relationships an artist or band can have is with a promoter. At the local level, there seems to be a mystery as to what exactly the promoter does. “Does the promoter promote? Shouldn’t the promoter be responsible for bringing all the people if I’m putting everything into the music end?” These questions resemble those I hear from local artists on a semi-frequent basis. While that logic may seem like it makes a lot of sense, it can ultimately hurt the artist in the long run.

To answer the question; yes the promoter promotes. However, the promotional push varies at different levels based on the expected effectiveness. For example, a large national act or regional touring band has a recognizable name. If I’m promoting a show with a headlining act with a solid fan base, investing in print ads, radio spots, and other means of advertising may make a lot of sense. The average concertgoer will see that name and make it a point to go to that show. The context of the promotional push is much less important at this level. Whether you see a facebook post from your favorite band or a flyer at your bus stop, you’re going to that show regardless of how you found out about it.

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Big Machine's Deal with Clear Channel: A Win for the Music Business?

At the beginning of June, it was announced that Big Machine Label Group struck a groundbreaking deal with Clear Channel that will provide payment of royalties to artists and record labels for terrestrial radio play. What does this mean for the music business? Let’s break this down:

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The 7 Big Mistakes That Indie Musicians Make In Music Business - Mistake #1

The music business is a tough industry to succeed in. It is a prestige industry and having a position in the music business is highly sought after and positions in all aspects of the music business are few and far between. As an indie musician it is useful to understand what mistakes to avoid. So here are the 7 big mistakes that indie musicians make in music business according to Positively Music.

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Indie Artist Music Services? Where, What, and WHY!

For those of you who have already embraced the DIY duties of the new music industry, the concept of music hosting sites for Indie Artists is not an unfamiliar one. 

I’m sure you’ve heard about dozens of NEXT big site you NEED to be on, music marketing wiz bang widgets, and yet another indie music service you need to be using…

The PROBLEM most people have is WHICH ones to be on, and then of course why and how does it benefit you… And i mean… In the real world. I get how it theoretically works.

Well there are tons of options, and exactly WHY you should be on a site certainly depends on a strategy for doing so, where that reason would be spelled out and clear.

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Home studio ideas

The home studio can be incredibly sophisticated these days, very much capable of recording, mixing and even self finalizing your tracks to a high standard in the comfort of your own tailored musical space. If you are willing to invest some time into learning some basic engineering skills and invest some money, great results can be achieved. You will be able to potentially save money on studio bills and benefit from the great convenience of a studio in your house. This would especially have benefits at the composing, arranging, recording and idea building stage for an acoustic musician and potentially the entire production process for an electronic musician.

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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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How to Use Facebook Events to Promote Your Shows/Tour

If you’re like me, you’re bombarded with Facebook event invitations everyday. Most of them are for events out of town and I end up blocking/ignoring the people or pages that continue to send this spam out. However, every once in a while, I get a great reminder of something: an old friend playing a show in town, a birthday party, a wedding, and so on. It’s not all bad. So let’s talk about how you can use Facebook events properly to promote your gigs. Follow these steps:

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Facebook Ads! Are they really that effective?

Facebook is the new black, as some would call it. As one of the biggest social networks around, getting your music out there using this network is vital. But are Facebook ads an effective way to increase your ‘fan base?’

Recent blog post by Hypebot suggested that Facebook’s ad revenue is decreasing. Karsten Weide, Vice President of Media and Entertainment at IDC stated that:

“The effectiveness of advertising on Facebook is just really terrible,” 

“Advertisers are realising that Facebook isn’t as effective as they first thought. They’re pulling their money and taking it elsewhere.”

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Would You Pay Someone To Listen To Your Music?

We all know that talent alone doesn’t guarantee success. Musicians who make lots of connections and have the “hustle” tend to get further in their career than the quiet gifted artist. That just seems to be the way of the world in any industry. It’s not what you know or how talented you are, it’s who you know!

So what about pitching websites/A&R platforms, are they a good way to open doors within the industry … and in particular, is it OK to pay someone to listen to your music?

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Earbits Online Radio and "Promoted Spins"

I discovered Earbits awhile back through Hypebot, and as far as I know, I was one of the first round of artists to sign up. They had set themselves apart from other online radio stations by their commitment to promoting the independent artists versus using artists as stepping-stones to their own agenda. They recently launched “promoted spins” as an option for their artists, and I gave it a try. This is my writeup on the analytics, results, and value I found in the program.

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Have a plan. But don’t expect to stick to it.

In my brief time working in the music industry there is one thing that I have learned. No matter how hard you try nothing will go as planned. But that does not mean that you should not have a plan. Having goals and a specific target that you are working towards is important.

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Hearing protection

Ears are important for your work.

Working in the music industry means ears and hearing are especially important, without good hearing it will be impossible to do your job as a musician, producer, instrument tech or engineer. As such it is vital that you protect your most sensitive assets. I am sure almost everyone is aware of that ringing in the ears after a night out in a club or at a gig. Well the bad news is that means you have likely exceeded the safe level vs time exposure period for your hearing.  Do not panic, it does not necessarily mean instant and or permanent damage has been done. (although with very high sound pressure levels, such as 135dB-140dB it certainly can be.)  However ringing is your ears way of objecting to the level and exposure time. These signals must not be ignored and the response is to use ear plugs, the basic means of hearing protection in noisy environments. I am sure all of us are familiar with the foam roll up type ear plugs and these do offer a good level of hearing protection. This protection will attenuate sound between 125Hz and 8kHz (and above) by approx 20-40dB. The lower the frequency the lower the attenuation because the sound waves are very long at low frequencies and cannot effectively be blocked by a small 2cm foam plug. (i.e. at 125Hz the wavelength of a sound is 2.7 meters).

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StageLitePro 4th of July Giveaway

One lucky StageLitePro Facebook Fan Will Win a Pedal Guard Compacton the 4th of July.

Lino Lakes, MN – Just a few days left to enter the drawing for a StageLitePro Pedal Guard Compact personal stage light. Register to win simply by “Liking us” on Facebook.(50 US States and D.C. must be 18 or older to win.Complete contest rules here)

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Unit Audio 4th of July Give-away

Nashville, Tenn. – To celebrate the 4th of July, Unit Audio is giving away a Milli-Unit Passive Summing Mixer. Simply like us on Facebook (facebook.com/unitaudio) to enter. Unit Audio will enter all of its Facebook followers into a drawing for a Milli-Unit ASM. Winner will be anounced on the 4th of July on Facebook. (Contest limited to 50 US States and D.C. must be 18 or older to win.Complete contest rules here)   

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