Marketing Musician

Today I share a story that looked like we were going to have one of the worst gigs ever. Instead it turned into one of the best, and there I was with no email sign up forms, no flyers to promote the website, and we had people in the palm of our hand. It was one of the worst blown opportunities of my career. With this in mind, I urge you to always be ready. The other point we make today is having a demo CD. You want to put your best foot forward. Don't record your band in the basement on you iPad, or worse on a cassette deck. It is good to do recordings as it gets you familiar with playing under pressure, but in the end I would go to a studio. It doesn't matter if you have good equipment, its the person behind the knobs that can make you sound pro or awful. If you are looking to build your website, check out the self paced tutorials that will walk you through using Wordpress to build your band's website (if its good enough for the Rolling Stones, its good enough to you). [easyazon-block asin="B00CAC6DXO" align="left"]

Money changes everything. Band after band gets along great and when success shows up things get weird when the money shows up. Today we talk about handling your band's money and how to take steps so its never an issues. It's all about being transparent. We also have tips on treating a touring band, and some news on nimbit. Stageit - Touring From Your Bedroom Artists decide when to play, what to play and how much they want to charge. Fans then buy virtual tickets to the show using our virtual currency called "Notes" (1 Note = 10¢ USD). Fans can chat with artists and other like-minded fans and tip performers throughout the show. Artists can perform anywhere with a solid internet connection: At home, backstage or in the studio. Fans can tune in from wherever they are: the kitchen, office, or bedroom. All it takes is a laptop. The result is an incredibly intimate experience that fans truly appreciate. Money Changes Everything The one thing that everyone argues over (be it married people, companies, etc) is money. Many groups set up "band funds." This is basically an envelope in someone's sock drawer. At every gig, an amount of money is put into the "band fund." This is not a bad idea, but it has tremendous potential to cause problems. If you decide to have a "band fund" you may want to use some of these guidelines, or ideas: Specifically write down what the fund can be spent on. When possible, have everyone agree before you spend the money. You want to avoid surprises. Someone should provide monthly reports.  I know this sounds way to "businesslike." If you leave people thinking, "I wonder how much is in the band fund," then you leave the door open to suspicion.  Keep everyone UP TO DATE on the band fund. First off, you may want to consult a lawyer to make sure what you agree upon is supported by the law. You need to write down what happens if someone quits. If someone quits, then the money issue gets even stickier. Now the new member that joins the band does not have as much money in the band fund. This can become a tracking nightmare. One way to remedy this is to have that person pay more into the band fund than the rest of the group so they can "catch up." Realize if the new member does not have an equal amount in the fund, you have to track how much is in the fund, AND who has contributed. In some cases, I've heard of new members that do NOT contribute to the band fund, but then pay an equal amount of money (out of pocket) when something is purchased. Realize that if you do not have a purpose for a band fund, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE ONE. They can be quite the pain in the butt. How to Treat a Touring Band If you remember the golden rule (treat others how you want to be treated), it’ll be likely that other bands will throw more shows your way. Your opportunities to tour with a band who has an established following in other markets will increase. You’ll feel good for helping a starving artist. But if you are a greedy douche bag, no one will want to help you get you where you want to go. Full Article Mentioned On This Show [easyazon-block asin="1423438744" align="none"] [easyazon-block asin="1423482905" align="none"]  

If you have a smartphone, you can broadcast 30 minutes of your next gig for free. This can turn the gig into an "Event" those in attendance (hey wow we are being broadcast) and for those listening your website they might think "Hey that sounds fun." These recordings can then be taken and used for those who want to give it to "super fans" or as a reward for signing up for your newsletter. If you need more than 30 minute, you can purchase plans for $20 a month that allow you to steam 3 hours straight (realize you could stop broadcasting on break, and do another 30 minutes later). Tools For Broadcasting [easyazon-block asin="B003T1WCBW" align="none"] [easyazon-block asin="B007517AKK" align="none"] For more information go to spreaker.com In the Music Business, Your Practice Time is a Business Meeting Today we hear a sample of my book Get Your Band Out of the Basement where I talk about what you should and should not do at practice. These are VERY importance piece of a band's success strategy. Without practice your band will become stale and die. Here are some tips. 1. Make sure everyone know what songs to learn 2. Make sure everyone know what order the songs will be learned 3. If you can't make practice or learn the songs, let everyone know. 4. Practice is where you put together what you learned at home (not where you learn the song). [easyazon-block asin="B00CAC6DXO" align="none"]

Today we take a peak at a great tool to take yor practice time to the next level, and from my book Get Your Band Out of the Basement, we talk about the importance of choosing an "official communication channel" for your band. Riff Station Review Riff Station is a great software program for Mac or PC that can eliminate any hurdles you may be having trying to learn new material. You can isolate, slow down, your music files. You can check out what key the song is in (as it figures it out). Tired of retuning your guitar or bass to the song? Now you can change the pitch of the song without changing the tempo (unless you want to). Both the tempo and pitch can be changed in small (or large) increments. All I have to say is where was this when I was 16? You can also build riffs from your favorite music and stitch them together to make your own songs. The software is designed by a bunch of nerdy musicians. I really like it. You can download a free version at www.riffstation.com if you decide to purchase the software its $49. Choosing a Communication Tool For Your Band In this episode we hear a snippet from my book "Get Your Band Out of the Basement" and we talk about how "Communication is the lubrication" of the engine that is your band. If one person checks email, while the other check voicemail, you're going to have issues. There are so many tools to pick from, and you need to get on the same page with all the members of your band. It will take discipline to make sure it all goes smooth. If you are looking for a free way to share calendars, check Google Calendar. This can be used to share your calendar with the rest of your band members. [easyazon-block asin="B00CAC6DXO" align="none"]

Mat from librerock.com wants to know what I feel about giving away digital downloads away for free. Giving Away Your Music For Free For me, should they and "is this fair" are two different topics. I don't think its fair that you spend money to produce your recordings, you work hard, and are expected to give it away for free. HOWEVER, the customer EXPECTS a downloadable file to be either free of .99 cents.  Maybe the best solution is to give the opportunity for people to get it for free (maybe in exchange for an email address). That would be the best of both worlds. Here is my music, if you'd like to buy it, it's .99. If you don't have .99 then give me your email address. When you DO NOT give it away for free is when you package it with a CD, book, t-shirt. Then you lose the expectation that it should be free. This is why tickets, t-shirts, and other merchandise is so expensive. You have to feed your kids with something. What are your thoughts? B.B. King Reflections This is a guy who has passion for playing. If you get a chance to see him, he's pretty amazing and you could see how he makes each concert an event. He is 87 years old. Picking Your Songs This segment is geared towards cover bands, but there is still some information here for people doing original music as well. Don't play songs that suck. Don't play sounds that your band can't pull off. Make it democratic (if this is a band). [easyazon-block asin="B00CAC6DXO" align="left"]

Today we are talking about the things that you might think about when choosing a band name. It is going to be your brand, so you want a good. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters HATES the band Foo Fighters.  So what should you consider? Pick a word that exists (don't make up a word). Unless its super easy to spell, and say. Narrow down a few name choices and ask your friends. You want to see what domain names are available. If it is buy it immediately. Don't switch your name without some serious thought. There is no value in putting all this effort into a band name if you change it in three months. Make sure your domain name doesn't spell secret works. If the band was Kind of Art, and their domain was kindofart.com it looks like Kind O Fart. You can change your name when the band name is associated with "awful." This segment was from the book Get Your Band out of the Basement [easyazon-block asin="B00CAC6DXO" align="center"] 7 Mistakes bands Make with Twitter and Facebook You can read this full article here.  Thanks to Alli of sarcood.com for the tip on the article. 1. Promoting without providing value 2. Posting at the wrong times 3. Being generic & self-indulgent 4. Irregular posting patterns 5. Telling the WHAT but not the WHY 6. Forgetting that your timeline is a shopfront 7. Adopting the same strategy for Facebook & Twitter  

There is an app called Shazam that allows people to listen to a song and it will look up the artist. According to the Digital Music News, 7.2% of download sales in 2012 started by a person using Shazam. That means that one of of fourteen downloads started in Shazam. If you have your music on CDBaby, you can have your music listed on Shazam. Thanks to DIY Musician for the story. If you are looking to boost you efficiency when sending tweets, check out tweriod and FollowerWonk to get insightsi nto your twitter audience. You can know where they are, when they are online, and maximize your potential on Twitter. If you are looking to get more out of pinterest check out pinterestplugin.com and get multiple styles of pin it buttons, as well as setting defaults, choosing images, and more. The good news is there is no monthly fee. You can purchase this plugin for your wordpress website. If you're new to website check out the Building Your band's Website to learn how to use Wordpress to build your band's website. Shazam App

Localized Currencies and Stores Comes to Nimbit The initial rollout, planned for May 2013 will support the following currencies: Australian Dollar British Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Euro Hong Kong Dollar Mexican Peso New Zealand Dollar Philippine Peso Singapore Dollar US Dollar To sign up at nimbit (it's free) go to www.marketingmusician.com/nimbit Keep Things Simple My current band has a TON of technology thanks to a lead singer who loves gadgets. The problem is the more technology you have on stage the better the chance a battery will go dead, or something will go wrong. It's something that requires your attention while you are trying to connect to your audience. The singer in my band is running the sound system through his iPad, while he is reading the lyrics on his iPad. With his face buried into the iPad it might be hard to connect with the audience. There is a difference between a want and a need. You NEED a powered PA system for people to hear your vocals and instruments. You WANT a new guitar to replace your current guitar. If your guitar doesn't work, then that want is now a NEED. You want to avoid putting hurdles in place that stop you from being able to perform at your maximum, sound your best, and create a memorable performance. Holding Auditions In today's snippet of Get Your Band Out of the Basement we hear about holding auditions. Here are some key points: 1. Be prepared. You are interviewing them - they are interviewing you. 2. If you're in a hurry, open auditions are an options 3. Have people perform the same song and record them so you can compare later. Thanks to Ali for purchasing the book and for writing a 5 star review! [easyazon-block asin="B00CAC6DXO" align="left"]  

Call Loop Text Message Marketing Today we have a great tool called Call Loop to help you connect with your fans via text. The great thing about text messages is they are seen 97% most of the time. Compare this to email, and it pales in comparison. You can Create and schedule a series of SMS text and vice broadcast messages. Automate your sms text and voice message marketing using our followups. Trigger SMS text messages and voice broadcasts on demand when you want. Send voice broadcasts to mobile and landline phones in seconds. It's simple. Instantly view your statistics, reports, and analytics in real time. Add, edit, upload, and easily add new contacts and subscribers. You can try it completely free for $1 for 14 days. Plans range from free to $99 for power users. Check it out at callloop.com Be Prepared to Talk About Your Band Today in the segment from Get Your Band Out of the Basement, we hear about preparing to take phone calls so you can sound professional. You can pick up the book at Amazon for some sofa change.

Contest Domination is a free tool that you can use to award people for telling their firends about your music/webiste/gig. The system doesn't require a bit of code, and you can brand it with your logo. If you use the free version, you an't see the details of the people who are coming to your contest (the system will alert everyone hwo wins). If you want the actual information of these people you can spend $20 a month or if you just want to run one contest it's $37. You award people for signing up up, and for referring peopel (via social media). the system tracks everying thing and makes it simple. If you don't have a website, you can point people to the contest domination site. For more information go to ContestDomination.com

Today's tool is a tool I purchased call Scarcity Samurai. It's way cool. It's way easy. It's way powerful. This tool captializes on the Scarcity principle. Powerful Countdown Timer for Wordpress You can set up a campaign for that will be a one time e...

I just discovered lead player.  This is a Wordpress tool that has NO MONTHLY FEES. You can have it add opt in lists, call to actions, and redirect people automatically at the end of your video. It works with youtube (only) so you don't have to worry about bandwidth for your videos. Another great feature is you can set up a default call to action, and then any video you have setup using the defaults will change to show those changes. For example, if you have an important gig, you can change the call to action to view the page with directions to the gig instead of the typical call to action. Then after the gig, switch it back. Fore more information go to leadplayer.com Here is a video. Getting On the Same Page Today we hear the chapter "Getting on the Same Page" from the book Get Your Band Out of the Basement (and keep them out of the asylum). This points out that in some cases people are NOT control freaks (they've just joined the wrong band). One of the key points of assembling your band is to get the right people, and this is why you should have a list of songs that you want to play. Then ask each potential band member to produce a similar list and see how similar their list is to yours. For more tips, check out the book at musicianlibrary.com Building Your Website LIVE CLASSES I'm looking to hold some live classes that will walk you through building your band's website LIVE. You will login to a webinar and we will all build our websites together. I'm interested to see if anyone is interested in joining me. If you think this is something you might be interested in check out marketingmusician.com/liveclasses the first people who sign up will have first crack at the class

Today I share a great story about Facebook stats and why your page is not growing. We also look into keeping your stage setup simple to make giging less stressful. When things get tense let your love of your BAND be more than your hatred for any band member (and keep your fans in your mind). I also talk about Goal setting and how to do it successfully. Key Points: Without paying facebook money, the BEST you will do is have 15% of your audience get your message. That's beyond awful. This is why you need to use tools that YOU control. Here are the coupons mentioned in this episode Use the coupon podcast30 to get $30 off the audio version of get your band out of the basement. Use the coupon podcast to get $3 off the pdf. Use the coupon listener1 to take the course "Build Your Band's Website" for $1 (now through April 30). Get David Hooper's New Book Six-Figure Musician - How to Sell More Music, Get More People to Your Shows, and Make More Money in the Music Business (Music Marketing [dot] com Presents) for free by signing up for a free account at www.audibletrial.com/dave or pick it up for your kindle here. [easyazon-block asin="1608423336" align="none"]

In this episode we hear from Tony from Runway27left.com as he explains some of the tips he has picked up over the last few years. He talks about working with promoters, and how to develop relationships with club owners. Turn Wordpress For Facebook I found an inexpensive tool that helps you get more interaction on your Facebook page. You can get more likes, create sweepstakes, and encourage your current fans to find more fans for you. You can create custom wordpress tabs using built in templates that are completely customizable. Tools stop your fans from getting to content until they "like" your page. When it comes to sweepstakes YOU get to create the rules and make sure that your visitors have a winning experience. For more videos and ordering information click here

Last weekend I auditioned and got a new gig playing guitar for a new band. Due to schedule issues they ended having me come to a gig and play a few songs with them (my video on youtube showed them I had some chips). Here are some things that may lead you to doing this type of audition. 1. Does the person your auditioning have any stage presence? 2. Do they know the material. 3. Can they improvise? 4. Do they show up on time. 5. Did they bring any people with them to the gig (any kind of following). It also allowed me to see if they had any of the above, and see if any kind of substance consumption issues my arise at gigs. Interview with Jim from the Quiltcaster Podcast The quiltcaster is "Your Resource for Music Crowdsourcing Custom Musical Gear · Niche Music Marketing." Today we interview the host and he explains about this new podcast. Check it out at quiltcaster.com Get Your Band Out of the Basement - Opening Today you hear the opening to my book Get Your Band Out of the Basement and Keep Them Out of the Asylum. If you'd like to hear or read more, you can pick it up and have it in your hand immediately. Its available as a PDF and as an audio book.