It's long and it's not written by me. I'm selling a CD on CD Baby and this is what you get from founder Derek Sivers even before you send him your $35 to put your CD online. Free advice. Not bad advice either, if you ask me.
~kate
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If you mount a toothbrush on the wall, it's art.
It's art because you're making people pay attention to it and thinkabout it.
BELOW ARE A BUNCH OF TIPS ABOUT HOW TO CALL MORE ATTENTION TO YOURMUSIC.
They're really meant as individual "thought for the day" things.Eating them all at once could make you sick. So instead - go throughthis one long email slowly. Get inspired, and try some crazy idea.Just one. It'll work, and excite you. Then next week you'll tryanother, and another. And everyone will ask you why you're so lucky.
IMPORTANT: Nothing here is telling you to be something you're not.The goal is to just turn up the volume on who you really are so theworld can hear it. Never forget you're an artist. And part of an artist's job is to call attention to what they're creating. A toothbrush in the sink isn't art. A toothbrush mounted on a wall, with a spotlight on it, and a room full of people paying attention to it, is art.
Read on...
PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERY MUSICIAN YOU THINK DESERVES MOREATTENTION
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WHO'S WRITING THIS? Me. Derek Sivers. Musician. 33 years old. Founderof CD Baby. I've been a full-time musician for about 10 years. (Lasttime I had a day job was 1992.) Toured the world as a guitaristsideman with some famous folks, (played to sold-out 15,000 seatstadiums.) Toured the country in a circus, too. Ran a recordingstudio. Worked inside the industry at Warner/Chappell Music for 3years. Had some really great teachers that taught me a lot about themusic business. Cracked the college market and got hired by 400colleges in 3 years. Sold a few thousand of my own CD.
And that's why I started CD Baby as a hobby: to sell my own CD and adozen friends who needed distribution. But it accidently took off(oops!) and now I'm in this interesting position of being "the guybehind the counter at CD Baby."
Between my past and present, I've learned a LOT about how to callattention to your music. Now I get to see what OTHER people aredoing. What sells. What works. Every time someone is selling a LOT ofCDs on CD Baby, I check out their website, their emails, theirmarketing plan. I call them up and ask, "What are you doing? How'dyou do that?"
So... HERE ARE MY COLLECTED OBSERVATIONS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT WHATCALLS ATTENTION TO YOUR MUSIC. USE THEM!
(You might have already seen this onhttp://www.MarketingYourMusic.com - but here it is in anoh-so-convenient email. Forward it to anyone you want.)
Derek Sivers, CD Babyhttp://www.cdbaby.net/derek
Marketing Your Music by Derek Sivershttp://www.cdbaby.net/derek
BIG STRATEGIES
Derek Sivers - http://www.cdbaby.net/derek
CALL THE DESTINATION, AND ASK FOR DIRECTIONS.
Work backwards.
Define your goal (your final destination) - then contact someonewho's there, and ask how to get there.
Know a magazine you think you should be in? Call their main number,ask for the editorial department, and ask someone in editorial ifthey could recommend their three favorite publicists. Write down thepublicists' names, and thank the nice editorial person for their time.(Don't waste their time asking for the publicists' contact info. Youcan find that on the web.) Then call each publicist, and try to gettheir attention.
Know a radio station you should be on? Call them and ask for themusic director. Ask if they could recommend a few good radiopromoters. Call the radio promoters they recommend, and try to gettheir attention.
Know a venue you should be playing? Bring a nice box of fancy Germancookies to the club booker, and ask for just 5 minutes of theiradvice. Ask them what criteria must be met in order for them to takea chance on an act. Ask what booking agents they recommend, or ifthey recommend using one at all. Again, keep your meeting as short aspossible. Get the crucial info, then leave them alone. (Until you'reback, headlining their club one day!)
I know an artist manager of a small unsigned act, who over the courseof a year, met with the managers of U2, REM, and other top acts. Sheasked them for their advice, coming from the top, and got greatsuggestions that she's used with big results.
In other words: Call the destination, and ask for directions.
You'll get there much faster than just blindly walking out your frontdoor, hoping you arrive someday.
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PUT YOUR FANS TO WORK.
You know those loyal few people who are in the front row every timeyou perform? You know those people that sat down to write you anEmail to say how much they love your music? You know that guy thatsaid, "Hey if you ever need anything - just ask!"
Put them to work!
Often, people who reach out like that are looking for a connection inthis world. Looking for a higher cause. They want to feel they havesome other purpose than their stupid accounting job.
You may be the best thing in their life.
You can break someone out of their drab life as an assistant salesrep for a manufacturing company. You might be the coolest thing thatever happened to a teenager going through an unpopular phase. You cangive them a mission!
If they're a fan of your music, invite them over for pizza to spend anight doing a mailing to colleges. Go hit the town together, puttingconcert flyers on telephone poles. Have them drive a van full offriends to your gig an hour away. Have the guts to ask that "emailfan" if she'd be into going through the Indie Contact Bible andsending your presskit to 20 magazines a week.
Soon you can send them out on their own, to spread the gospel messageof your amazing music, one promo project at a time. Eventually, as yougrow, these people can be the head of "street teams" of 20 people in acity that go promote you like mad each time you have a concert or anew CD.
Those of us busy busy people may think, "How could ANYone do thisslave work?" But there are plenty of people out there with time ontheir hands that want to spend it on something besides TV.
Don't forget that to most people, the music business is pure magic.It's Hollywood. It's glitter and fame and fantastically romantic.Working with you might be the closest the get to that magical worldof music. Give someone the chance to be on the inside circle. Put 'emto work.
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PHOTOS OF YOUR AUDIENCE ON YOUR WEBSITE.
Secret trick to get people in the audience to sign your mailing listAND be part of your inside club.
1. At every show you do, from now on, bring a camera and a notebook.
2. About halfway through your show, when everyone is having fun, takepictures of the audience, from the stage. Tell them to smile, make aface, hold up their beer, whatever.
3. Afterwards, pass around the notebook and say, "Please write downyour email address in this notebook, and in a few days, I'll emailyou, telling you where you can see YOUR goofy picture on my website."
4. At the end of the night, before bed, write up ajournal/diary/memoir of that show. Scan and upload all their picturesonto a page of your website. Dedicate a page of your site about thatshow, with the diary, photos, and a little link on that page thatsays, "If you were at this show, please introduce yourself!" - sopeople can contact you.
5. Email everyone that was there that night. Of course EVERYone willgo look at your site. How could they not? People are infinitely moreinterested in themselves than they are in you.
6. Stay in touch with them all!
(p.s. The other hidden idea in this is to make every show a RealEvent. A Big Deal. Something worth documenting. This will get you outof the habit of thinking of it as "just another gig." Because for manyof your fans, it's not. It's the most fun they've had all month.)
Here's an example. One of my old outdated tour diaries:http://www.hitme.net/tourdiary/(After starting CD Baby in 1998 I stopped touring. But since I hadbeen on the road for 10 years straight, I'm not complaining.)
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GO WHERE THE FILTERS ARE
Have you been filtered? If not, you should start now. (Huh?)
With the internet, there are more "media outlets" than anyone candigest. A site like MP3.COM has 250,000 artists on there. Many ofthem are crap. People in the music biz get piles of CDs in the maileveryday from amateurs. Many of them are crap.
But you're not crap, are you? No! So prove it! Don't sit in the binwith the rest.
You need to go through filters. Places that reject many, only lettingthe best of the best pass through.
As long as you're good (really good) - what you want are MOREfilters! More obstacles... More hurdles...
Because these things weed out the "bad" music. Or the music thatisn't ready. Or the people that weren't dedicated.
I worked at Warner Brothers for 3 years. I learned why they neveraccept unsolicited demos: It helps weed out the people that didn't doenough research to know they have to go meet managers or lawyers orDavid Geffen's chauffeur FIRST in order to get to the "big boys."(Deal with the 'gatekeepers' to get to the mansion.)
If you REALLY REALLY BELIEVE in your music, have the confidence toput yourself into those places where MOST people get rejected.(radio, magazines, big venues, agents, managers, record labels,promoters...)
Because each gate you get through puts you in finer company. ("thebest of the best")
And you'll find many more opportunities open to you once you'veearned your way through a few gates.
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EXTREME RESULTS = EXTREME ACTIONS.
You don't get extreme talent, fame, or success without extremeactions.
Be less leisurely.
Throw yourself into this entirely.
Find what you love and let it kill you.
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IF THIS IS DRAINING YOUR ENERGY, PLEASE STOP!
"Whatever scares you, go do it." <-- one of my favorite slogans
If something scares you in an excited way, (something that *gives*you energy) - that's a good sign.
BUT IF SOMETHING IS MAKING YOU MISERABLE AND DRAINING YOUR ENERGY,PLEASE STOP.
Life is telling you that is not the path for you.
QUICK EXAMPLE: Biggest mistake I ever made in my life:
My band was doing well. A well-meaning lawyer that I trusted told methat I should start a record label. "Find and sign 3 other artists.Do for them what you did for your band. Then sell the whole label fora million bucks!!"
I walked out of his office with slumped shoulders, miserable, saying,"yeah... I guess he's right..."
With a long face, I plopped in a chair back home and thought, "Ohman... do I really have to do this?" But because I trusted him, Ispent 2 years of my life trying!
It wasn't what came natural to me, and so of course it was a failure,AND since I had spent so much time on it, the thing that I WAS good at(making music) was being ignored!!
I wish I would have paid attention to my lack of enthusiasm and stuckwith the things that excited me.
Please don't make the same mistake.
If anything I'm talking about here makes you tired instead of wired,just don't do it! Stick with what excites you. That's where you'llfind your success.
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HAVE SOMEONE WORK THE INSIDE OF THE INDUSTRY
I prefer to ignore the music industry. Maybe that's why you don't seeme on the cover of Rolling Stone.
One of my only regrets about my own band was that we toured and gotgreat reviews, toured and got lots of airplay, toured and booked somegreat-paying gigs. BUT... nobody was working the inside of the musicbusiness.
Nobody was connecting with the "gatekeepers" to bring us to the nextlevel. We just kept doing the same gigs.
Maybe you're happy on the outside of the biz. (I know I am.)
But if you want to tour with major-label artists, be on the cover ofnational magazines, be in good rotation on the biggest radio stationsin town, or get onto MTV, you're going to have to have someone workingthe inside of the biz.
Someone who loves it. Someone who is loved by it. Someone persuasivewho gets things done 10 times faster than you ever could. Someonewho's excited enough about it, that they would never be discouraged.
Like your love of making music. You wouldn't just "stop" making musicbecause you didn't get a record deal would you? Then you need to findsomeone who's equally passionate about the business side of music,and particularly the business side of YOUR music.
It IS possible. There are lots of people in this world.
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BE A NOVICE MARKETER, NOT AN EXPERT.
Get to the point of being a novice marketer/promoter/agent. Then handit to an expert.
Moby, the famous techno artist, says the main reason for his successwas that he found experts to do what they're best at, instead oftrying to do it himself.
(Paraphrased:) "Instead of trying to be a booking agent, publicist,label, and manager, I put my initial energy into finding andimpressing the best agent, publicist, label, and manager. And I justkept making lots of the best music I could."
If you sense you are becoming an expert, figure out what your realpassions in life are and act accordingly.
Maybe you're a better publicist than bassist. Maybe you're a betterbassist than publicist.
Maybe it's time to admit your weakness as a booking agent, and handit off to someone else. Maybe it's time to admit your genius as abooking agent, and commit to it full-time.
THINK OF EVERYTHING FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW
CONSTANTLY ASK, "WHAT DO THEY REALLY WANT?"
Want to know the basic rule or marketing and promoting your music?
Constantly ask, "What do they really want?" (with "they" being anyoneyou are trying to reach)
Think hard, and don't take this one lightly.
Thinking of everything from the other person's point of view is aseeeerious Jedi mind trick. If done right, it will elevate you intothe clouds along with a few select immortal beings.
Every time you lift up the phone. Every time you write an Email.Every time you send out a presskit.
Think why people in the music industry are REALLY working this job.Try to imagine them as just a well-meaning human being who isprobably overworked, looking for a little happiness in the world, andlikes music (or the music world itself) enough to do what they do,even though they could be doing something else.
Think what their Email "IN" box must look like, and how it would beunwise for you to send them an email with the subject of "hey"followed by a 7-page Email detailing your wishes for success.
Think what people are REALLY looking for when they go out to a clubto hear music. For some people, it's just a way to be seem toincrease their popularity. For some, they're searching for some musicthat does something completely original and mind-blowing. Some arelooking for total visual entertainment.
Nobody owes you their attention. Not your audience. Not a person youhappened to call or Email. Not even the music industry.
Let go of your ego entirely. Think of everything from their point ofview. Be their dream come true. Do what they really want.
(This even goes down to the smallest levels: what kind of phonemessage you leave, what kind of cover letter you write in a package,what kind of subject header you put in your email.)
And maybe, just maybe, they'll be or do exactly what you want.
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REACH THEM LIKE YOU WOULD WANT TO BE REACHED.
Reach people like you would want to be reached.
Would you rather have someone call you up in a dry business monotone,and start speaking a script like a telemarketer?
Or would you rather have someone be a cool person, a real person?
When you contact people, no matter how it's done (phone, email, mail,face-to-face) - show a little spunk. Stand apart from the crowd.
If it sounds like they have a moment and aren't in a major rush,entertain them a bit. Ask about their day and expect a real answer.Talk about something non-business for a minute or two.
Or - if they sound hectic, skip the "how are you", skip the longintroduction, ask your damn question and move out of the way.
This means you must know your exact question before you contact them,just in case that ultra-quick situation is needed.
Reach them like you would want to be reached. Imagine what kind ofphone call or Email YOU would like to get.
If you're contacting fans, imagine what kind of flyer they would liketo get in their mailbox. Something dull and "just the facts" - orsomething a little twisted, creative, funny, entertaining and unique?Something corporate, or something artistic?
This is a creative decision on your part. Every contact with thepeople around your music (fans and industry) is an extension of yourart. If you make depressing, morose, acoustic music, maybe you shouldsend your fans a dark brown-and-black little understated flyer that'sdepressing just to look at. Set the tone. Pull in those people wholove that kind of thing. Proudly alienate those that don't.
If you're an in-your-face, tattooed, country-metal-speedpunk band,have the guts to call a potential booking agent and scream, "Listenyou fucking motherfucker! I'm going to explode! Ah! Aaaaaaah!!!" Ifthey like that introduction, you've found a good match.
Be different. (Even if it's just in your remarkable efficiency.)
Everyone wants a little change in their day.
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THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT YOU. DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING.
People will always and forever ask you, "What kind of music do youdo?"
Musicians often say, "All styles, really."
If the stranger you said that to happens to be a fan of Africanmusic, watch out! You better combine the polyrhythmic drumming ofWest Africa with the rich vocal harmonies of South Africa, with themicrotonal reeds of Northeast Africa. And if they have any awarenessof the rest of the world, then your CD better combine rage-rap,country linedancing, Chinese opera, ambient techno trance, Hungarianfolk songs, and the free jazz of Ornette Coleman. (Hey - you said"all styles" didn't you?)
This example is extreme, but constantly remember: people know nothingabout you, or your background, or where you're coming from. If you sayyou sound "totally unique" - then you better not have any chords,drums, guitars, words, or any sounds that have ever been made in thehistory of music.
When you speak to the world, you are speaking to strangers from allkinds of backgrounds and tastes.
Open your mind. Realize you don't sound like all styles, and you'renot totally 100nique.
Do them a favor. Don't assume anything. Say what it is you soundlike. Narrow it down a bit.
If you do this in a creative way, ("We sound like the Incredible Hulkhaving sex.") - you can intrigue people and make them want your CD, orwant to come to your next show. Whereas if you had said, "Everything"- then you didn't make a fan.
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WHAT HAS WORKED ON YOU?
Any time you're trying to influence people to do something, thinkwhat has worked on YOU in the past.
Are you trying to get people to buy your CD? Write down the last 20CDs you bought, then for each one, write down what made you buy it.
Did you ever buy a CD because of a matchbook, postcard, or 30-secondweb soundclip? What DID work? (Reviews, word-of-mouth, live show?)
Write down your top 10 favorite artists of all time, and a list ofwhat made you discover each one and become a fan.
Here's where it gets heavy: Ask your friends to answer these samequestions.
You'll end up with a "how-to" list, giving you 100 ideas for how tomake people a lifelong fan of your music.
P.S. This goes beyond music. Which TV ads made you buy something?What anonymous Emails made you click a link and check out a website?Which flyers or radio ads made you go see a live show by someone youhad never heard?
HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO TARGET
BAD TARGETING EXAMPLE: PROGRESSIVE ROCKER TARGETTING TEENYBOPPER
On CD Baby, there is a great musician who made an amazingheavy-progressive-metal record.
When we had a "search keywords" section, asking for three artists hesounds like, he wrote, "britney spears, ricky martin, jennifer lopez,backstreet boys, mp3, sex, free"
What the hell was he thinking? He just wanted to turn up in people'ssearch engines, at any cost.
But for what? And who?
Did he really want a Britney Spears fan to get "tricked" into findinghis dark-progressive-metal record? Would that 13-year-old girlactually spend the 25 minutes to download his 10 minute epic,"Confusing Mysteries of Hell"? If she did, would she buy his CD?
I suggested he instead have the confidence to target the REAL fans ofhis music.
He put three semi-obscure progressive artists into the search engine,and guess what?
He's selling more CDs than ever! He found his true fans.
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IF YOU DON'T SAY WHAT YOU SOUND LIKE, YOU WON'T MAKE ANY FANS.
A person asks you, "What kind of music do you do?" Musicians say,"All styles. Everything."
That person then asks, "So who do you sound like?" Musicians say,"Nobody. We're totally unique. Like nothing you've ever heardbefore."
What does that person do? Nothing. They might make a vague promise tocheck you out sometime. Then they walk on, and forget about you!Why??? You didn't arouse their curiosity! You violated a HUGE rule ofself-promotion! Bad bad bad!
What if you had said, "It's 70's porno-funk music being played by menfrom Mars." Or... "This CD is a delicate little kiss on your earlobefrom a pink-winged pixie." Or... "We sound like a cross between AC/DCand Tom Jones." Or... "It's deep-dancing reggae that magically placespalm trees and sand wherever it is played, and grooves so deep itmakes all non-dancers get drunk on imaginary island air, and dance inthe sand."
Any one of these, and you've got their interest.
Get yourself a magic key phrase that describes what you sound like.Try out a few different ones, until you see which one always gets thebest reaction from strangers. Use it. Have it ready at a moment'snotice.
It doesn't have to narrow what you do at all. Any of those threeexamples I use above could sound like anything.
And that's just the point - if you have a magic phrase that describesyour music in curious but vague terms, you can make total strangersstart wondering about you.
But whatever you do, stay away from the words "everything","nothing", "all styles", and "totally unique".
Say something!
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PROUDLY EXCLUDE SOME PEOPLE.
Proudly say what you're NOT: "If you like Celine Dion, you'll hateus."
...and people who hate Celine Dion will love you. (Or at least giveyou a chance.)
You can't please everyone in this world. So go ahead and recklesslyleave out people.
Almost like you're the doorman at an exclusive club that plays onlyyour music. Maybe you wouldn't let in anyone wearing a suit. Maybeyou wouldn't let in anyone without a suit!
But know who you are, and have the confidence that somewhere outthere, there's a little niche of people that would like your kind ofmusic. They may only be 1f the population. But 1f the world is20 million people!
Loudly leave out 99f the world. When someone in your target 1ars you excluding the part of the population they already feelalienated from, they'll be drawn to you.
Write down a list of artists who you don't like, and whose fansprobably wouldn't like you. Use that.
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THE MOST EXPENSIVE VODKA
There is a vodka company that advertises itself as The Most Expensive Vodka You Can Buy.
I'll bet they're very successful with it. It's almost a dare. (And it proudly excludes people!)
Other companies are all trying to find ways to be the cheapest, andsomeone had the guts to decide that they were going to do exactly theopposite of everyone else.
There are some people who read the Billboard charts, and try toimitate the current trends and styles.
I suggest, even as an experiment, strongly declaring that you aresomething totally UN-trendy - the opposite from what everyone elsewants or is trying to be.
Perhaps you could advertise your live show as, "The most boringconcert you'll ever see."
Perhaps you want to call your music, "The most un-catchy, difficultto remember, un-danceable music you've ever heard."
Or tell the music industry, "This music has no hit potentialwhatsoever."
I'll bet you get their attention.
It's almost a dare.
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IF YOU TARGET SHARP ENOUGH, YOU WILL OWN YOUR NICHE
Let's say you've decided that your style of music should be proudlycalled "powerpop".
If you say, "We're powerpop!" in the very first sentence or paragraphall of your marketing. If your Email address is "powerpop@yahoo.com"If your album title is "Powerpop Drip and Drop" If the license plateon your band van is "POWRPOP"
Well then... when someone comes into my record store and says theylike powerpop, guess who I'm going to tell them to buy?
Have the confidence to find your niche, define who you are, thendeclare it again and again and again and again.
If you do it persistently enough, you will OWN that niche. Peoplewill not be able to imagine that niche without you.
(You can try to make your own, if you're brave. You might be "thebest techno-opera artist in the world".)
GRAB PEOPLE'S ATTENTION, SENSES AND EMOTIONS.
TOUCH AS MANY OF THEIR SENSES AS YOU CAN.
The more senses you touch in someone, the more they'll remember you.
BEST: a live show, with you sweating right on top of someone, the PAsystem pounding their chest, the smell of the smoky club, theflashing lights and live-in-person performance.
WORST: an email. a single web page. a review in a magazine with nophoto.
(Let's say that "emotions" are one of the senses.)
Whenever possible, try to reach as many senses as possible. Have anamazing photo of yourself or your band, and convince every reviewerto put that photo next to the review of your album.
Send videos with your presskit. Play live shows often. Understand thepower of radio to make people hear your music instead of just hearingabout it.
Get onto any TV shows you can. Scent your album with patchouli oil.Make your songs and productions truly emotional instead of merelycatchy.
(Touching their emotions is like touching their body. If you do it,you'll be remembered.)
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NEVER USE CORPORATE-SPEAK
Don't try to sound pro or use industry catch phrases.
Would you do that to a friend?
Your fans are your friends. Speak to them like real people.
Write every letter or email as if it were to a good friend. From youto your best friend Beth.
Even if it's going out to 10,000 people.
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LEAVE 'EM WANTING MORE
What's more appealing?
Someone holding a carrot in front of your face, then pull it backtowards them slowly?
Or someone shoving 50 carrots in your mouth?
Brian Eno (my favorite theorist) says the best thing you can do is tobring people to the point where they start searching.
Not so plain or obvious that there's nothing left to the imagination.No so cryptic that they give up.
Give people just enough to pull them in, but make them want more.Make them go searching for clues, or details, or explanations, or"more of what you just gave me."
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE. WHAT CHARACTER ARE YOU?
IMAGINE A PLAY WITH 1000 ACTORS ON STAGE.
Imagine you're in the audience of a play. Big theater. Opera house.
Imagine there are one thousand actors on stage.
Which ones would stand out? Which ones would you remember?
It's not always going to be the loudest or most hyperactive.
Maybe you'd be drawn into the misty-blue woman with the long blackhair in the deep blue cape with half her face hidden, standingsilently at the edge of the stage.
Now you, as a musician, are one of the actors on that overcrowdedstage.
Would you stand out? Would people remember you? Are you being strongenough version of YOU, so that people who DO want who YOU are canfind you in the crowd?
(P.S. The most memorable actor on stage might be the one that getsoff the stage, walks up to your seat, and gives you a kiss.)
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BE AN EXTREME VERSION OF YOURSELF.
Define yourself. Show your weirdness. Bring out all your quirks.
Your public persona, the image you show to the world, should be anextreme version of yourself.
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EVEN CONSERVATIVE LEGENDS WERE EXTREME.
Think of the legendary performers in that conservative style. (Theones even your grandmother could like.)
Frank Sinatra. Charlie Chaplin. Liberace. Liza Minelli. BarbaraStreisand.
Even the most conservative "legendary" performers were rather extremecharacters.
Don't be afraid to be as extreme as you can imagine. Being in thespotlight is the excuse. You can get away with anything, all in thename of entertainment.
THINK TEST MARKETING - PROOF OF SUCCESS
TEST. IMPROVE. PERFECT. ANNOUNCE.
In this indie music world, the best thing you can do is think interms of "Test Marketing."
This is what food companies do before they release a new product.They release it just in Denver (for example), and see what peoplethink of it there. They get feedback. They try a different name. Theytry an improved flavor, based on complaints or compliments. They try adifferent ad campaign. They see what works. Constantly improving.
When it's a huge success in Denver, they know they're on to somethinggood. They can now release it in Portland, Dallas, and Pittsburgh. Dothe same thing.
When everyone seems to like it, they get the financial backing to"roll it out" and confidently spend a ton of money to distribute itaround the whole country, or the whole world. The people investingmoney into it are confident, because it was a huge success in all thetest markets.
Think of what you're doing with your music as test marketing.
When you're a huge success on a lower level, or in a small area, THENyou can go to the big companies and ask for financial or resource helpto "roll it out" to the country or world.
Then they'll feel confident that their big money is being wellinvested.
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A GOOD BIZ PLAN WINS NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.
In doing this test marketing you should make a plan that will makeyou a success even if nobody comes along with their magic wand.
Start now. Don't wait for a "deal".
Don't just record a "demo" that is meant only for record companies.
You have all the resources you need to make a finished CD thatthousands of people would want to buy. If you need more money, get itfrom anyone except a record company.
And if, as you're following your great business plan, sellinghundreds, then thousands of CDs, selling out small, then largervenues, getting on the cover of magazines... you'll be doing so wellthat you won't need a record deal.
And if a record deal IS offered to you, you'll be in the fineposition of taking it or leaving it. There's nothing more attractiveto an investor than someone who doesn't need their money. Someonewho's going to be successful whether they're involved or not.
Make the kind of business plan that will get you to a goodsustainable level of success, even without a big record deal. Thatway you'll win no matter what happens.
THE POWER OF PEOPLE
GET USED TO THE IDEA OF DATABASE AND QUANTITY
If you want any level of success beyond the admiration of friends andfamily, you have to get used to the idea of dealing with great numbersof people.
One good review means almost nothing. Getting airplay on one radiostation is not enough.
You need to stay in close touch with hundreds, and soon, thousands ofpeople. Whether fans, music biz, or the endless characters you'regoing to encounter around the world on your way to the top, you'regoing to need to keep track of them all.
You're going to need a database. A "contact manager". A fancy termfor "a fancy address book". An amazing tool with endless memory tohelp our artistic, creative, musical brains which are often lost inspace and notoriously flaky.
It takes a discipline and orderliness you may not be used to, butcomes in SO handy when you need to contact that graphic designer whointroduced himself to you once after a gig in St. Louis a year and ahalf ago. Or to be able, in 5 seconds, to find the 28 drummers youknow in northern Oregon.
Get used to this concept, and we'll go into detail on the next page.
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STAY IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE.
It's a shame when you get lost in a project, or go out on a tour, orget stuck in a demanding relationship, and find out that all of yourold contacts have dried up.
You go to call a booking agent you used to see weekly, and she says,"I'm sorry - I don't really remember you. You're going to have toremind me..."
A successful publicist advises that you secretly give everyone inyour phonebook an A, B, C, D, or F. That's your A-list (call every 3weeks), B-list, (every 5 weeks), C-list (every few months), D-list(twice a year), and Friends.
There are a few people in my life that would have disappeared longago if they hadn't been so persistent in calling me every month, orinsisting on a face-to-face a couple times a year.
Go through your database, and call those people just to say, "Hi." Or- even better - know their interests and life (from memory or perhapsfrom your notes) - and call them with some news that's of interest tothem, even if it's of no other interest to you.
In other words, don't *only* call to say "How are you?" when it'salways going to end with "So - can you come to my gig tomorrownight?" Call unselfishly. Call with some news that will make themhappy. Keep in touch to make both of your lives better.
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DATABASE TIPS
Database tips, from an expert:
- Best programs, in order: (1) Indie Band Manager:http://www.IndieBandManager.com It does EVERYTHING I recommend. Itworks on Mac and Windows. And it's only $39. If you don't have adatabase program already, start with that. (2) Filemaker Pro. Sellsfor $299 but you can find it used on EBay.com for $40. Both Mac andWindows. Totally flexible. (3) MS Works or Claris Works comes with adatabase section. These programs are usually free and inlcuded onyour computer. (4) ACT. http://www.act.com Sells for $189. ACT ismeant more as a "salesman's tool" and so it's more corporate, andless flexible. But it is already set up to do exactly what you want.On the Mac, I've heard that "Now Contact Manager" is very similar toAct. (5) MS Access. It's like using an army tank to go do yourgroceries. It's so powerful and complicated that it might take you along time to learn. But like Filemaker, it can do everything you needif you harness it. (6) MS Outlook. Yuk. Unflexible. Hit by viruses.But if you have it already and you can't afford something new, gowith it. (7) Do NOT use a spreadsheet like MS Excel, or a wordprocessor, or a notebook of paper. These just won't do the job.Choose from #1-#5.
- Keywords! Multiple keywords are the most important thing in yourdatabase. Every person in your address book should have a few wordsattached to their record like "drums, webdesign, percussion" or"agent, clubowner, songwriter". Some folks will only have one wordthere, some will have a list of the 25 instruments they can play.This comes in the most handy when you need to find "drums" in Texas,or you're trying to remember the full name of that webdesigner named"Dave". If your address book program doesn't have keywords already,put it in there! Find out how! It'll save your life many times.
- Collect all the information you can. Have areas in your databaseprogram for first name, last name, two phone numbers, fax, email,website (know their website!), two address lines, country, keywords(see above), mailing list tags (who gets your mailings and whodoesn't want them), date last contacted, and very important: NOTES.Other ideas would be birthday, interests, and referred by (or "metthrough").
- NOTES should be a big giant text area underneath their contactinfo, where you're free to type type type anything you want. Typenotes from your conversations. Cut-and-paste Emails they've sent you.In ACT and Filemaker you can set it up to make an "event" for everysingle conversation or contact you have, each with its own notes.Very handy. Set this up if you can. But even if you do, keep the biggiant Notes field for all permanent notes you want to remember aboutthis person
- Learn how to mail-merge these people, so you can send them all apersonalized Email or letter. Using a person's name in the letterinstead of "Dear Music Industry Professional".
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MEET THREE NEW PEOPLE EVERY WEEK
One of the best books about the music business was called "Making Itin the New Music Business" by James Riordan.
He suggested that, as an aspiring musician (orproducer/agent/writer/etc.) - you make a point to meet three newpeople in the music industry every week. (And, as he says, not justburned-out guitarists.)
Imagine that! Three new people every single week - people that couldactually help your career! In a year from now you'll haverelationships with over 150 new people that are potential "lotterytickets" - and hopefully the interest is mutual. (Meaning - alwayskeep in mind how YOU can help someone, not just how they can helpyou.)
The thing is, you have to *develop* these relationships. Put them onyour A, B, or C list. Stay in touch. Go beyond the introduction, andreally get to know these people, what they're looking for in businessand life, what they're interested in, and how you can help them.
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ALWAYS THINK HOW YOU CAN HELP SOMEONE
As you're meeting all of these people in your life and career, alwayskeep in mind how you can help someone. You should practically meditateon it before contacting them.
There must be someone you know that is exactly what they're lookingfor. There must be some resource you've got that would really maketheir day. Some favor you can do.
An article you read in this morning's paper might be of particularinterest to someone you met last summer. Cut it out and mail it tothem. A film/TV music supervisor might mention she's getting marriedand is looking for a reggae band. You don't do reggae, but with yourdatabase you can help her find a great band that does.
Maybe you spent 3 months shopping for a laptop. Maybe a booking agentyou met today mentioned that he's looking for a new laptop. Send him afax or Email with all the best info you found.
Give give give, and sometimes you will receive.
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GET PERSONAL
Some people, out of the thousands I know, actually contact me on aregular basis. I consider them friends.
But some of those always stick with a strict business "script" whenthey call: "Hi I'm calling to check in to see how sales are doing, ifyou need more inventory, how things are going."
Others seem to have the gift of smalltalk. I don't know how they doit, but soon we're talking about my girlfriend, their dogs, aboutyoga, high school, Japan, and something that happened on the way towork today.
Now - when an opportunity comes up to help someone - (say, a Film/TVperson I know calls up and asks "who's good in that standard rockgenre?") - guess who comes to mind first?
The person who hasn't departed from the standard business call, orthe person who went beyond?
Be a real person. Be a friend.
Don't always be selling yourself. You'll be like that annoying unclewho shows up at the family reunion to try to sell everyone on lifeinsurance.
Have the confidence to know that being a cool person, being a friend,will sell you more than being a pushy salesperson.
People do business with people they like. With their friends,whenever possible.
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DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR FAVORS
Don't be afraid to ask for favors.
Some people LIKE doing favors.
It's like asking for directions in New York City. People's egos getstroked when they know the answer to something you're asking. They'llgladly answer to show off their knowledge.
One bold musician I know called me up one day and said, "I'm comingto New York in 2 months. Can you give me a list of all the importantcontacts you think I should meet?" What guts! But I laughed, and dida search in my database, Emailing him a list of 40 people he shouldcall, and mention my name.
Sometimes you need to find something specific: a video director forcheap, a PA system you can borrow for a month, a free rehearsalstudio. Call up everyone you know and ask! This network of friendsyou are creating will have everything you want in life.
Some rare and lucky folks (perhaps on your "band mailing list") havetime on their hands and would rather help you do something, than sitat home in front of the TV another night. Need help doing flyers?Help getting equipment to a show? Go ahead and ask!
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KEEP IN TOUCH!
Mentioned earlier, but important enough to say again.
Sometimes the difference between success and failure is just a matterof keeping in touch!
There are some AMAZING musicians who have sent a CD to CD Baby, andwhen I heard it, I flipped. In a few cases, I've stopped what I wasdoing at that moment, picked up the phone and called them whereverthey were to tell them I thought they were a total genius. (Believeme - this is rare. Maybe 1 in 500 CDs that I hear.)
Often I get an answering machine, and guess what... they don't callback!! What masochistic anti-social success-sabotaging kind of thingis that to do?
Then 2 weeks later I've forgotten about their CD as new ones came in.
The lesson: If they would have just called back, and kept in touch,they may have a fan like no other at the head of one of the largestdistributors of independent music on the web. A fan that would go outon a limb to help their career in ways others just dream of. But theynever kept in touch and now I can't remember their names.
Some others whose CDs didn't really catch my attention the first timearound, just keep in touch so well that I often find myself helpingthem more as a friend than a fan.
Keep in touch, keep in touch, keep in touch!
People forget you very fast.
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SMALL GIFTS GO A LONG WAY.
10 years ago, I worked at Warner/Chappell Music Publishing. Being thelargest music publisher in the world, I dealt with thousands ofsongwriters. Most of them I can't remember their names.
Three times, and only three times, I got a surprise gift from asongwriter.
James Mastro, a great songwriter from Hoboken, got me a cool little"Mother Mary" keychain when he was touring in Spain.
Gerry DeVeaux, a successful R&B / dance songwriter, got me some funkyplastic fish with lights inside, like Christmas ornaments, when hewent to the Bahamas.
And Jane Kelly Williams got me a red sweatshirt from the Gap, forhelping her out with a demo session. I was thrilled.
Can you believe I remember these details 10 years later? Believe it!
A little gift you might give to someone, as you climb the ladder ofsuccess, may go a long long way, and mean a lot to someone down theroad.
If any of the three people above called me today to ask a favor, youcan be sure I'd stop what I was doing to help them out.
Be generous. It will be returned. As you stay in the music biz,you're going to see the same faces for years to come.
[P.S. Don't send ME gifts! You've already got my attention. Use thistechnique on other people.]
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KEEP IN TOUCH - (LONG VERSION)
Give away lots of CDs. But do NOT just toss them away. Make every onecount!!
Get volunteer friends/ bandmembers/ fans to help call or Email andtrack the results of as many of these as possible.
Go ahead and ask for favors - be a little bit of a pest. Ask each magwhat they'd want to put you on the cover. Take notes of eachconversation.
Keep everyone happy. Don't lose touch. Ask for references. Ask ifthere's anyone else they know that can help you. Then contact allTHOSE people, and keep doing it.
It's a LOT of Emailing and calling. But it means EVERYTHING. (As longas you superhumanly balance this with making new music and writinggreat songs.)
I think KEEPING IN TOUCH is THE single most important thing. Here'swhy:
Whenever I'm talking to someone in the "industry" or have theopportunity to help promote a CD Baby member, I often find myselfhooking up the person who I just got off the phone with. (You know -"Oh I was just talking with Scott from the band called theRosenbergs, you should talk to them - he's home right now, and justtold me how well their tour is going!")
On the flip side, there are 60 people a week or so who submit theirCD to CD Baby, I put it in the store, I email them but they neverreply, I send them checks for CDs sold but never hear from them.
I often wonder who these people are that just let a potentialfruitful relationship just disappear into anonymity.
(Do I sell a band called Conundrum? Umm.. let me check the database.Well it says here I do. I don't know them, though.) And CD Baby isjust ONE company!
Imagine if you actually stayed "close" with 100 little companies! Or1000!! You'd have people in all corners of the industry everywhereconstantly recommending you, referring you, hooking you up withopportunities, promoting you, etc. You'd be very successful, verysoon.
When you're on tour, look up all the people who you've sent CDs to inthat area. Meet with them. Sleep at their house.
Ask everyone's advice. Pick everyone's brain. Hear their thoughts &point of view. Remember it.
Oh, send them a present every now and then. Chad the Dungeon Bunnysent me a bag of Baby Ruths. Guess who comes to mind first now whenpeople are asking for his kind of music??
God now that I think of it I probably remember every little presentanyone has ever given me in my 10 years being in the music biz. I cancount them one hand. It's such a rare wonderful surprise.
On the flip side, I made a friend for life at the top ranks of BMIbecause I showed up to his office with a pizza for our meeting.(Luckily he was hungry and never forgot it.)
Radio stations are just people. Magazines are just people. Websitesare just people. Record companies are just people.
People like to work with their FRIENDS whenever possible. Be a goodfriend. Be a real person, not a slick schmoozer. If you're acting TOOprofessional in all this "keeping in touch" then it just sounds fakeand will be forgotten.
Oh, and try to sense when they don't like you. Sometimes they justdon't like your music, and aren't willing to help. Don't take itpersonally. Mark it in your addressbook/database and move on to thenext.
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LIFE IS LIKE HIGH SCHOOL.
Last week a musician wrote an Email to the effect of, "I've beenworking hard - why isn't it paying off?"
Keep this in mind... LIFE IS LIKE HIGH SCHOOL.
When you're in High School, it's ALL about popularity, clicks, being'cool', what you wear, what parties you're at, etc.
When you go to College, the focus shifts to academic achievement.
Many people get out of college thinking the world will be like that."The harder you work, the more you should be rewarded." - But it'snot.
Life is like High School. It's all about who you know, how sociallycharming you are, what 'scene' you're in, what you wear, what partiesyou're at, flirting, and - being 'cool'.
BUT YOU CAN MAKE THIS WORK IN YOUR FAVOR.
When I think about every big leap that happened in my career, it wasalways because of "someone I knew." Always friends of friends. Peoplein some position of power who I kept in touch with, did favors for,and got the same in return.
Go meet 3 people each week you think could help your career. Be agood friend. Make it mutually beneficial, not some suck-uprelationship. There's always some resource you have that can totallyhelp out someone who may be "above" you on the ladder. Invite a NEWfriend to a party or show you know about.
For years I was booked solid, touring the college market, making waytoo much $$, not because I'm GOOD, but because we made a FUN,ENTERTAINING, "COOL" show. We won the popularity contest in a sense.
I think it's possible to approach the music business as if you were anew kid going to a new high school, and wanted to be the most popularkid in class. Sounds shallow, but it works.
Ask Andy Warhol, or someone like Prince who actually made GREATmusic, but knew how to toss in a little controversy & sex appeal toget the world's attention.
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MAKE THESE HABITS, AND THEY WON'T SEEM HARD.
All of these suggestions may sound exhausting to you.
But keep that database at your fingertips. Get used to taking 1minute after a conversation to take some notes about it. Give some ofthese ideas a try.
You can probably tell, by reading this, that if you were to actuallyDO all of these things mentioned, you'd be much more successful thanyou are now. The gates of life would swing wide open.
Hard to start, but easy to continue.
Incredibly powerful when done every day. (Like a little river madethe Grand Canyon.)
Make these habits, and they won't seem hard.
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SHINING EXAMPLE: RAYKO
I went to the Eat'm Music Conference in Las Vegas, summer 1999.Hundreds of artists there but one made the biggest impression on me.I noticed her first because she's gorgeous, but the other stuffquickly made that unimportant - and there's an inspiring lesson inhere.
Her name is Rayko. Japanese musician from L.A.http://www.cdbaby.com/rayko http://www.rayko.com
She was going up to every single person at the conference introducingherself, getting into great conversations, finding out what everyonedoes, taking notes. Every time someone handed her a business card,she grabbed her pen and wrote down notes about that person on theback, to help her remember.
She probably befriended hundreds of people in 3 days, including me.
Whenever she has a show on the road, she goes in the day before to docountless meet-and-greet interviews, in-store appearances,flyer-promotion, and every other promotion tool you've ever heard of.She gets right into the crowd after every show to sell CDs and sign uphundreds of people to the mailing list.
She answers every fan letter with a hand-written letter. Sheimmediately sends a thank-you card to every biz contact she meets.
And all the while, she's constantly practicing and writing andrecording new music.
I was on the receiving end of this when, the very first day back fromthe conference, she called me in New York to take care of getting onto CD Baby. Who knows if she called 200 people that day, but damn sheknows how to make you feel like you're the most important one. (Andyep - 2 days later her whole package with CDs, shirts, videos, andpurple handwritten letter were at my door.)
This is exactly the same success story I've heard is behind GarthBrooks and Madonna (and even Bill Clinton, actually.) Meetingeveryone. Remembering everyone's name. Developing relationships.Following up and constantly keeping in touch. Treating everyonespecial.
Who knows if this is just part of her personality, or if it's a traitshe developed because her career is THAT important to her.
So - the real point of giving you all these details - is analyzingyour own networking and promoting efforts. I've heard many greatrecords at CD Baby. But I've only seen a few great promoters.
Maybe there are people out there promoting their butts off and I justdon't know about it - the same way I wouldn't have known about Raykoif I wasn't in that room at that moment.
If you care about your music, and you really REALLY want - in yourheart and bones - to become incredibly successful at it, you're goingto have to go meet tons of people and "plug away" with tireless drive,and joyful determination every waking moment.
Meet every person you can and treat them the way you'd love to betreated.
And still somehow balance this with making the best music you can andconstantly improving your songwriting and performing skills.
THE POWER OF WORDS
ON THE INTERNET, WORDS MATTER MORE THAN EVER.
On the radio, descriptions don't matter. People hear your song onetime or a hundred times, they decide they like it, and hopefully theDJ says who it is.
In concert, descriptions don't matter. You don't have to describeyour music while you're performing. You get on stage and perform.People love it, or like it, or they don't. No words necessary.
But on the internet, and in print, and in conversation, words mattera LOT.
If you take just one night to come up with some good descriptions ofyour music, you can use those phrases for years, and you will findmany MANY more fans than you will without descriptions.
On the internet, whether web or Email, you need to entice people toclick their mouse before they'll ever become a fan.
In order to get someone to listen to your sound clips, sign yourmailing list, or buy your CD, you have to: (1) catch their attention(2) appeal to their senses or emotions (3) arouse their curiosity (4)persuade them to do something about it (click!)
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A SHORT DESCRIPTION - 10 SECONDS OR LESS
Most of the world has never heard your music.
Most of the world WON'T hear your music, unless you do a good jobdescribing it.
It's like a Hollywood screenplay. You not only have to write a greatscreenplay, but you have to have a great description of it that youcan say in 10 seconds or less, in order to catch people's attention.
Find a way to describe your music that would catch anyone'sattention, AND describe it accurately. No use coming up with a funnydescription of your music if it doesn't actually describe what youreally sound like!
HOW TO GET THE BEST SHORT DESCRIPTION OF YOUR MUSIC:
(1) Ask friends for their opinion. Ask a friend who talks too much,or someone in sales, to tell someone about you. Listen in, andremember. (2) Get silly. Get drunk. Write down 50 ridiculousdescriptions with some drunk friends. One of them may be good. (3)Take your favorite one and test it on the world. Whenever you meetstrangers, and they ask about your music, have your catch phrasehandy. If it doesn't make their eyebrows go up, try a different one.(4) Send an Email to everyone on your Emailing list. Give them yourthree favorite phrases and let them pick which they like the best.Let them offer a better one.
Once you've got a great one, you'll know it.
Keep using it again and again until people almost associate your namewith that one-sentence-phrase that describes it beautifully andaccurately.
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THINK LIKE A PERSON OR POET, NOT A MUSICIAN.
When describing your music, PLEASE don't be a musician.
Don't say, "The wonderful harmonies and arrangements on this releaseare sure to delight! Not to mention the tight rhythm section andinsightful lyrics!"
Real people don't think like that.
Think what one teenager down at the mall would say to another, whendescribing what they love about your CD.
("Dude - it's like if Korn hadn't wimped out. It's like Busta Rhymeswent metal, but they're from Mars or somethin. It's slammin. And yougotta see that picture on the inside cover!")
Think what an office-worker who wasn't much a music expert would sayto a friend about your music.
("It's cute! They have this song that has a little "hoop-hoop!" atthe beginning, with that baby voice. It's kinda funky! And he's gotthis sexy bedroom voice. Funny video.")
Real people often compare an artist to other famous artists. Realpeople talk about the overall "vibe" or sound of something.
Real people DON'T talk about "insightful lyrics" and "wonderfulharmonies" and "tight musicianship". That's musician-speak. (OK -*some* music fans are deep enough into music that they do end upusing these musician terms. But that's pretty rare.)
Play your music for some non-musicians, and ask them what they'd sayto a friend about it.
Learn to describe your music in ways that actually *reach* people'semotion and imagination, and your music itself will be that much morelikely to reach and touch people.
Your descriptions of your music should be almost as exciting (ortouching, or sad, or shocking) as the music itself.
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READ ABOUT NEW MUSIC. USE THE TRICKS THAT WORKED ON YOU.
Go get a magazine like CMJ, or Magnet, or Alternative Press.
You'll read about (and see pictures of) dozens of artists who you'venever heard of before.
Out of that whole magazine, only one or two will really catch yourattention.
WHY?
I don't have the answer. Only you do. Ask yourself why a certainheadline or photo or article caught your attention.
(Was it something about the opening sentence? Was it a curious tidbitabout the background of the singer? What was it exactly that intriguedyou?)
Analyze that. Use that. Adapt those techniques to try writing aheadline or article about your music.
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YES YOU DO SOUND LIKE SOMETHING OR SOMEONE.
Yes you DO sound like something or someone.
Thousands of musicians describe themselves as sounding "Totallyunique. There is nothing like this music you have ever heard!" Thenwhen you put on the CD, it's straight-up pop/rock/blues. Instantdisappointment.
When asked, many musicians think it's fine to say, "We don't soundlike anyone." Or when asked what kind of music they play, say, "Youcan't describe it. Just check it out."
That's just lazy, inconsiderate, and stupid.
What if a business out in New Jersey somewhere said, "We can'tdescribe what our store does. Just check it out!" Would you get inyour car and spend a Saturday driving out to Route 17 to check itout? No!
You have to convince people! Grab their curiosity. Describe what youactually do, in an interesting way!
Make the wheels in their head turn. Make them taste it, hear it, seeit, want it.
Be accurate, and don't disappoint. Read that twice: (1) - Beaccurate. (2) - Don't disappoint.
This is a creative writing exercise. You can do it. It's important.It will make the right people stop and listen to your music.
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BLAH BLAH BLAH... WHAT NOT TO SAY.
At CD Baby we ask musicians to give a one-sentence description oftheir style. You'd be surprised how many artists say, "A great4-piece band from North Carolina. A hot new artist for the newmillennium. A band you're sure to enjoy!"
Imagine if you ran into an old friend who now owned his own business,and you asked what his company does. Then he says, "We're a top-notch9-person company in New Jersey. We believe in service, quality, anddependability."
-= yawn =-
Would you remember that 1 minute later or give a damn what thatbusiness did?
Nope. They lost you.
Think how many people you're losing when you describe your music in aboring, or generic way.
When asked for a little more info, musicians often say "The membersgrew up in Boston and met in high school. After the bassist left topursue another career, they found a replacement who has solidifiedthe lineup as it stands today. They regularly play the local clubscene."
Imagine a computer store saying, "Our VP of finance graduated fromPenn State. We found our office manager through an employment agency.After our initial marketing director left?"
-= yawn =-
When a fan is learning about an artist for the first time, the lastthing they care about is uneventful band history. As a rule, it'ssafe to assume people don't care about your history until you've gota gold record. Don't bore them with it before then. (Unless it'sburied deep in your website for those few folks that are deeplycurious.)
Describe your music or history in a way that you would want a totalstranger running a little shop somewhere to describe his business toyou.
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OR YOU CAN NOT TALK AT ALL
Words got you down? Nothing new to say?
Then spend some money on a great photographer.
Calvin Klein showed you don't have to talk and talk and talk.
But if you don't, it's ALLLLL up to the image.
Unless you're in heavy rotation on top40 radio stations, it's notvery easy for people to hear your music. They have to go seek youout, and make an effort to go hear you.
Music is like perfume. You have to convince and persuade people, withyour words and images, to take that initiative, to make an effort, tohear your music.
If you try to just "let the music speak for itself" most people willnever hear you.
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HAVE FUN - DO NOT BE CORPORATE
Never use corporate marketing-speak.
Be weird.
Be a real person.
Sound like one person speaking to one person.
This is a big reason why it's COOL to be indie instead of corporate.
Real people respond better to the weird fun stuff.
TOOLS AND WEAPONS
PROMO BOX ON YOUR DESKTOP
The self-promoting musician of the past needed to always have apresskit (with CD and photo) nearby and ready to send.
The modern self-promoting musician needs to keep a "PROMO BOX" folderon the desktop of your computer.
It will take you just one hour to put together, and you'll be able touse it again and again and again:
MAKE A FOLDER ON YOUR DESKTOP CALLED "PROMO BOX" (or something) ANDPUT THESE THINGS INSIDE FOR QUICK EASY ACCESS:
1. At least one full-length MP3 file of a track from your CD. Encodedat the standard 128k bitrate. Give it a nice long name, withoutspaces, so that if anyone runs across it on the web they know who itis. (Example: RACHAEL_SAGE-sistersong.mp3 ) Preferably have 3-5 songsfrom your CD encoded here, ready to go.
2. An entertaining bio written four times, in four different lengths.- Long long version (over 3 paragraphs. 1-2 pages. exhaustive andrarely used.) - Medium long version (2 - 4 entertaining and importantparagraphs. the top end of what people will sit and read on the web.)- Short version ( 1 killer paragraph) - One-liner ( 1 killer sentence)
3. Quotes from reviews: - one big text file with every review you'veever gotten, all typed out and credited - one text file with just thebest short quotes from these reviews
4. Graphics, with a few different sizes of each: - artist photos(studio shot, live shot, up close, far away) - album cover graphic(big version, small version) - your logo, if you have one
IF YOU DO THIS, JUST ONCE, then the job of uploading your informationto another website will be painless. You'll just say, "da-da-da! alldone!" and let your MP3s upload while you go make dinner.
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KNOW THE IMPORTANT SKILLS
Like proper manners, or knowing how to drive, here are some things inthe online world you just need to know:
1. EMAIL - Have a good signature file that tells who you are, how tofind you, and entices people to click through to your web address.All in 4 lines or less. - How to make good subject headers. So whenyour Email is one of 500 in an "IN" box, it will say exactly what iscontained inside, from the other person's point of view. - How toquote someone's email message back to them. Or not. - How tosubscribe to, post messages to, and unsubscribe from to a mailinglist. - Manners. Spelling. Punctuation. How to turn off your capslock key, and not use 25 exclamation points in a row. - How tocommunicate personality through these typewriter keys. - Separatesentences into paragraphs. Reading a computer screen is differentfrom reading a book. There's no paper to waste - leave plenty ofspace.
2. DATABASE SKILLS - Know how to work your "address book" program.How to find people, sort, print, add, remove, change, and do biggerfind commands (how to find all guitarists in the 818 area code) -Keep it nice and clean and updated. Keep street address separatedfrom the city, state, zip, country. Don't be sloppy in these earlystages. - Assume you ARE going to get more popular and soon yourlittle address book will need to sort thousands of people. - If youget really fancy, track each contact you have with someone: eachcall, email, visit. It comes in handy when someone from a year agocalls you up saying, "It's George! Remember?"
3 . WEB SKILLS - Get comfortable uploading an Mp3 file. (Practice atmp3.com, iuma.com, rollingstone.com) - Sort your bookmarks/favoritesinto categories/folders so you can find things later.
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YOUR INTERACTIVE WEBSITE
Your website can be your best tool, if you MAKE IT COMMUNICATE**WITH** YOUR FANS and potential fans, TWO-WAY.
Your website should get people involve, make them want to introducethemselves, ask questions, shout out.
YOUR WEBSITE SHOULD:#1 - Get their Email address! Interact! Make an easy fill-out form.(hint: try a fun question like "who are you?" or "do you know yourown name?")#2 - Encourage them to buy your CD, constantly. It's a great way tostart a relationship.#3 - Show what's unique about you. Image, quirks, colors, moods.#4 - Make the sound clips easy to get to, not buried under layers#5 - Answer the obvious questions: who are you, what do you looklike, let me hear the music#6 - Acknowledge them! Have their pictures on your site. Answer theirquestions on your site. Show them they ARE a part of your life.
The best webhosting company to host musicians' websites, and help youdo the hard stuff is Hostbaby! http://www.hostbaby.com
The web has replaced college radio as THE way to turn people on toyour music.
Use it!
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PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERY MUSICIAN YOU THINK DESERVES MORE ATTENTION
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Copyright 2003, Derek Sivers, CD Babyhttp://cdbaby.com <--- store to sell your CDshttp://cdbaby.net <--- tips for musicianshttp://cdbaby.org <--- news, opportunities, etc.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
GUERRILLA P.R. - by Michael Levine (the best book I've ever readabout getting attention)http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0887306640/cdbaby
GUERRILLA MARKETING EXCELLENCE - by Jay Conrad Levinson (veryconcrete do-able tips on marketing your music)http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0395608449/cdbaby
SELLING THE INVISIBLE - by Harry Beckwith (an amazing marketing book.my biggest inspiration for the tips, above.)http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446520942/cdbaby
THINK AND GROW RICH - by Napoleon Hill (replace the word "money" with"talent" and it's a classic book about being a great musician.)http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0449214923/cdbaby
and more info came later:
== YOUR TIME
One of the biggest problems that musicians have is how to find the
TIME to practice, write music, record, perform, promote, while having
a job, taking care of the family, etc.
If that sounds like you, please read this article. It's the best
I've seen in a long time:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/do-it-now.htm
== YOUR MONEY
Ah.. there's nothing I like more than making sure musicians get paid.
Luckily there's another organization that is set up just to do that,
and they might have money waiting for you already. (I should be
shouting that in an over-hyped TV salesman kind of voice, right?)
But seriously, SoundExchange is an American company that has
collected money for years from music played on "noninteractive
digital transmissions on cable, satellite and webcast services", and
distributes it to "sound recording copyright owners". Hopefully that
means you. But they don't have the payment/contact info for the
artists, so they are trying to reach the artists that have money
waiting.
We did a database comparison, and over 10,000 CD Baby artists names
matched their "waiting to be paid" list. Instead of just emailing
those 10,000, I'm emailing everyone, just in case. I didn't give
them your contact info, yet. That's up to you.
Read more about SoundExchange here:
http://www.soundexchange.com/about/about.html
and here:
..>http://www.soundexchange.com/artist_home.html
Create an account here, to see if they have money waiting for you:
http://mail.plays.soundexchange.com/jsp/registration.jsp
Then check your email for a password they send you, and log in here:
http://mail.plays.soundexchange.com/jsp/login.jsp
When you get your money, I'll let you buy me a pineapple juice next
time we meet.
== CD BABY MONEY
I like being very transparent with the CD Baby numbers. I think the
musicians have a right to know how things are going, to know the
health of this company that sells your music.
Here's our most recent sales chart, and some interesting 2004-vs-2005
comparisons:
http://cdbaby.org/stories/06/02/08/3949734.html
As of now, we've paid over $23 million directly to musicians for over
2.1 million CDs sold.
== OPPORTUNITIES
Bookmark this cdbaby.org link for opportunities. Companies that are
looking for music post all kinds of opportunities on cdbaby.org all
the time:
http://www.cdbaby.org/stories.php?topic=4
== MEET NEW CONTACTS
The 2006 edition of the Galaris Music Industry Directory was just
released. It's a Windows program with all verified contact info for
thousands of booking agents, managers, clubs & venues, distributors,
magazines, retailers, photographers, promoters, publicists,
publishers, radio stations, and record labels.
This page has all the info and ordering:
http://www.galaris.com/GMD.html
Also, if you've got a lot of paper to organize, check out their
Musicians' File Organizer:
http://www.galaris.com/MFO.htm
== WHEN YOU MEET THEM, WHAT DO YOU DO?
So many biz-contacts meet by email these days, that it's time for a
quick reminder on what makes an effective email.
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/02/the_effective_e.html
http://www.43folders.com/2005/09/19/writing-sensible-email-messages/
And this link is a great reminder of the manners of meeting new
people. (My favorite quotes: "Discover what you can do for someone
else." and "Ask good questions, then shut up.")
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/02/the_art_of_schm.html
My one bit to add:
In business, persistence is polite.
Understand that people get busy, and aren't able to reply to every
phone call or email.
The worst, most inconsiderate thing you could do, is to call or email
them once, never hear back, then give up, and think they're a jerk
for the rest of your life.
The most considerate and polite thing you could do is to call or
email once a week until you get a response.
I know this goes against the rules of romance we learned as
teenagers. If a girl doesn't call you back, take a hint, she's just
not into you, right?
But in business, it's the opposite. People are busy. Don't take it
personal. Be considerate. Persistence is polite. Also it proves
how much you care.
..>..>
--
Derek Sivers, president & programmer
CD Baby - http://cdbaby.com/
HostBaby - http://hostbaby.com/ <-- need a new website?