Most artists and bands now use Twitter to promote their music and connect with their fans. But like with all promotional tools, there are certain things you should avoid doing. I’ve searched through literally thousands of artist accounts on Twitter and noticed some alarming trends. Here’s a quick Top 5 things that could cause you to lose your fans on Twitter:

5 Ways to Lose Fans on Twitter

1. Don’t respond

Twitter isn’t just to talk at people, it’s meant to be a conversation, so don’t ever leave a fan hanging. If they’ve asked you a question or commented on something you’ve said, respond as soon as you can.

2. Only promote yourself 

If your entire Twitter feed is made up of tweets like:

“Come to my show tonight!”

“Buy my album!”

“Check out my music!”

Chances are, your fans are going to tune out. Yes, you need to let people know if you’re playing a show, or where to buy your music, but not all of the time. Instead, focus on connecting with people by responding to their tweets, asking questions, or by talking about things that interest you. You never know how those little things in life will help you to connect with your fans and strengthen your relationship with them.

3. Use the same content on Twitter as on Facebook

Although there is inevitably going to be some cross over, make sure that you are putting out some different content on Twitter than you are on Facebook. If it’s always the exact same, then why should people follow you on Twitter? And if you’ve synced your Twitter & Facebook accounts, use something like selective tweets so that only some of the content goes to both accounts. Take advantage of the possibility of longer updates on Facebook and use Twitter for more frequent updates and constant fan interaction.

4. Tweet too much

If you’re updating your Twitter feed every 2 minutes with mundane details about your daily life, chances are, people are going to stop following you. A handful of updates everyday is enough, so if you start tweeting several dozen times per day and start losing followers, it might be time to scale back a little bit. 

5. Rarely Tweet

And last but not least, if you’re not active on Twitter, then don’t expect your fans to keep following you. You’ll need to constantly keep in touch with your fans to hold onto them and to grow your following. Even updating your feed just once a day will help to give fans a reason to stay in touch with you on Twitter.

This is a guest blog post by Rick Goetz. Rick is an entertainment professional with deep roots in the music industry. Throughout his music career he’s been a major label A&R representative, a music supervisor, an artist manager, a reality show producer, a bass player and the head of a digital record label. Rick writes a lot of great posts on his blog Musician Coaching, and this is one that I found especially useful for artists. E-mailing is something we do many times a day, everyday, and sometimes our e-mails are never answered. Rick sheds some light on proper e-mail etiquette and some of the common mistakes people make when sending e-mails to gatekeepers in the industry. Enjoy!

Your Email is an Unwelcome French Kiss from an Ugly Stranger

(And the Other Top 4 Reasons Your Email Isn’t Being Returned)

I am a big believer in doing as much legwork on your own as you possibly can before reaching out to music industry executives. That being said- there comes a time in every artist’s career where they are going to have to approach someone in the industry to get to that proverbial next level. Let me assure you that there is a right way of doing this … and several wrong ways of doing this. Sadly, many artists repeatedly write emails that go right into the trash because of very basic mistakes that can be easily avoided.

Obviously the first and most basic rule of the approach is “Don’t approach someone with a cold email if you can avoid it;” knowing someone who knows the person you are trying to get in touch with can help a great deal.  However, I realize that going in with a strong referral isn’t always an option. Consider the top 5 suggestions below when you’re putting together your next cold email.

1) Form Letters

Sure, you may be able to get your message out to hundreds or even thousands of people. But if people feel like you are sending them a form letter (don’t confuse this with a newsletter – that’s a whole other blog post) about a specific need or a desired business relationship, then it’s over. No one likes to feel like they are just a name on a list. And speaking of names on a list, sending an email to yourself and cc-ing rather than bcc-ing everyone won’t win you any favors from people who hold positions where both bot-generated and musician-generated spam mail comes with the territory.

It is perfectly acceptable to cut and paste part of a letter to a certain type of executive, but at least take the time to customize the first few sentences and address them by name. Also, let the person you are contacting know specifically why you are contacting them. What makes you think you are a good fit for what they do and why?  Let’s just say you are looking to approach a blogger. Saying something like, “I just read your story on this other artist and I really like the way it was written. I thought that since you liked what they do you might appreciate my new single…” is much more likely to get a response than a press release about your new product addressed to no one in particular.

2) Poor Presentation

This is so common it boggles the mind. I often get emails from people in which their names are not obvious from the email address and not included in the “from” field by their email program. On top of that, they don’t bother to introduce themselves or put any kind of signature indicating who they are or where they are from. From my vantage point, I am getting a message from SlappyMcJellyPants@Yahoo.com. The rest of the email had better be stellar (or at least very funny) for me to consider responding.

*As a side note, I’m damn easy to get a hold of. I am in the business of selling music marketing services so it is part of my job to be as reachable as possible. That said, it isn’t hard to tell from presentation who is taking their career and image seriously and who is not. If there are people out there who are having trouble getting a hold of me, then they can forget about people who are really difficult to contact cold like A&R people, Music Supervisors and music journalists.*

Another huge issue in presentation is spelling and grammar. Look, I’m no grammar Nazi and I would be completely lost without spell check, but reaching out to a stranger for help and then sending them what looks more like a text to your girlfriend is probably not a great idea. This all might sound silly, but I have found a huge correlation between the way people present themselves on email and how together their career is, and I respond to emails in order of the likelihood that I am dealing with someone who is serious (and willing to work!)

Lastly on the presentation front:  Saying you have talent is meaningless. Executives hear this all day long. The best thing you can do to get someone’s attention is to make a concentrated effort on your pitch prior to crafting any email and running it by friends and peers that can be honest with you. What turns my head is not when people talk about their talent, but when they describe the achievements that they have earned with their talent. Are you drawing well or playing with more established artists? Are you working with anyone who has great credits?  Did you win a local contest? Do you have a ton of social media followers and an obvious dialogue with fans online? Do you have a mailing list with a ton of people on it? These are the things that will get people’s attention.

3) Lack of Research

You can much more easily begin a personal relationship with someone when you have specifics about their job function and their professional history. With blogs, Linkedin and any of the other resources available online these days there is no excuse not to have a good understanding of what people have done in the past and on which projects they have worked. Knowing these things can go a long way in adding a personal touch to the email you are sending someone. I am always flattered that people took the time to read about me before reaching out. Admittedly I’m usually annoyed when people don’t bother to read anything and just ask for help without knowing who I am or what I do. And in my case, all that information is provided in a link right next to the contact link. I get intoxicated calls on my Google Voicemail at 3am on a Sunday from people wanting a record deal (from me … even though I don’t run a label) or want me to manage them (I don’t manage artists). My favorite call to date was someone asking for Jay-Z’s phone number (which I still don’t have) and then offering me 50% of the guaranteed collaboration that would result from me giving it to him.

Beyond the research on any one individual though it is important that you also research understand the mindset of a person who is the gatekeeper (Music supervisors, A&R people, Publishers, major journalists etc.) of big opportunities. Firstly, they can’t possibly return all the correspondences or listen to all of the music they get. Secondly – and this is especially true with big organizations – virtually no one executive makes 100% of the decision about a song getting placed in a movie, getting a major write up in a big magazine or getting someone signed to a record label or publisher. Damn near every executive these days has a boss, a client or someone else who guards the purse strings to contend with before pulling the trigger on a decision that could really help your career as an artist. The second part of the job is important to note also, because the easiest part of a gatekeeper’s job is getting in a steady flow of music to pick from. The hardest part of a gatekeeper’s job is keeping a gatekeeper job. It’s easy to think of these people as people who sit around listening to music all day on a pedestal and then giving a Ceasar-esque thumbs up or thumbs down. The politics and juggling involved with keeping everyone happy internally and making sure your external relationships are sound in case you are out of a gig (there is a high turnover rate with creative jobs like this) are almost full-time jobs in and of themselves. Long story short, like these people or hate them, it’s important to know before you approach them that they are often pretty stressed out.

4) Unreasonable Expectations

The next time you go out on a first date… or hell, the next time you encounter someone attractive from a distance, you should briskly walk up to them, say “Hello my name is _____,” and while heading towards them at an uncomfortable pace (preferably without letting them reply to your hello), you should attempt to French kiss them. This is actually best done when starting with your tongue fully extended from a distance of 20 yards or more at a full sprint.

* Editor’s note:  Actually, don’t try this. I am not responsible for the whiplash, broken jaw or harassment suits that may follow if you do*

Now you might be thinking, “Wow that was unexpected/inappropriate/ scary…”  Yes, indeed. It is. What is my point?  Well, my point is that bluntly asking for a huge favor, a contract, a partnership, a record deal or any other lasting business relationship from a stranger in a first email is equally inappropriate (although admittedly it is considerably less creepy). I can’t tell you how many emails I get without any information, background or even someone’s name that say something to the effect of “Help! I am really talented and I need you to manage me.” Not that I manage people, but if I did,  would I want to partner with someone who was willing to blindly decide that I was the one to guide their career without having met me or had a phone call?  Boundaries, people!

Those are some extreme examples obviously, but the real point is, take your time to get to know someone and what they do. Breaking the ice with an email never instantly leads to a partially executed contract on your doorstep. It’s supposed to lead to building a relationship and getting someone to take you seriously enough to give your material their time and attention.

5) Undefined Goals

Vague emails are really hard to respond to. A very common request I get (and I’m sorry, I know I reference this a great deal) is about “getting to the next level”. Do I understand in a general way what it means?  Sure. Do I know specifically what people mean by that and what they need or if I am a good fit for getting these people to said next level?  No, I don’t have a clue.

Before asking someone else, make sure that you have clearly defined your goals. Many people respond with knee-jerk responses like, “I want a publishing deal,” or “I need a booking agent.” It’s important to break down these wants into what most people actually mean.  What people forget is that for every brilliant partnership, there are plenty of lousy ones. And many of the lousy ones result from people not taking the time to really think through their needs and desires.

When you say, “I need a publishing deal,” do you mean, “I would like…” (‘cause really, people – we need food, water, shelter and good health; lighten up). Don’t you really mean, “I want someone to help me get my music placed in film and TV and arrange collaborations and co-writes with other artists I like and respect”?  Maybe it means something else to you. But whatever it means to you, write it out for yourself. Be specific without making a plan that hinges on the participation of a person or a business to which you don’t have access.

Of course, it need not apply to only publishing deals; it can be for whichever goals you have for yourself. One of the most encouraging things you can do in the eyes of a gatekeeper is to demonstrate that with or without their help, you are making progress in getting where you want to go.

I realize I am no longer a gatekeeper but I certainly sat behind a desk where dreams went to die for many years. Still – if you would like to check out a more current A&R person’s vantage point on the approach check out my interview with Jason Jordan VP of A&R at Hollywood Records – here.  

Why Bands Shouldn’t Give Away (ALL) their Music for Free

There’s a lot of talk in the music industry about the diminishing value of recorded music and how bands should look for other ways to make money. The argument for giving away your music is that you should simply want to have your music heard, and since people can generally find music online for free, then why bother putting a price tag on it? Live shows, merchandise, licensing, and subscriptions are just some of the ways that bands are encouraged to generate revenue. However, should artists just give up selling their music? Are we to believe that nobody buys music anymore? I’m not so sure that’s the case.

The topic became front and center for me recently after I spent a considerable amount of time following indie artists from all over North America on Twitter. I was shocked at how many would automatically send me a direct message with a link to download their entire album for free. I didn't sign up to their mailing list, I didn’t have to buy other merchandise in a bundled package offer, I simply followed them on Twitter and received a free album of music. I couldn’t help but think: too much, too soon?

I started following the artists out of curiosity, but I don’t know who they are yet, what their personalities are like, etc. It was simply a first step in the relationship, and they’ve already given away what could be their most valued asset: their music. There is a hint of desperation to it, but that’s understandable, because with so many other artists out there, how do you compete? How do you get your music heard? Well, why not give away your music for free to anyone and everyone you can?

Here’s another way to look at it, keeping with the example on Twitter:

One artist sent me a direct message thanking me for following them. The message was hilarious. The artist obviously has a great sense of humour, so I already know something about them that gives me a better sense of who they are as a person. They also included a link, but it was to their website where I could hear their music, not download it for free or buy it, but simply hear it. And because the link took me to their website, it increased the chances of having me see their latest blog posts, watch some videos, to sign-up to the mailing list or even shop in their store. Although I did go to the site, I simply listened to a few tracks, one of which I found kind of catchy, and moved on.

Fast forward to a few weeks later. The artist tweets something I find funny, I tweet back, and they respond to me right away. Awesome, they’re engaged with their fans, I was impressed. A few weeks after that, I tweet something, the artist responds to my tweet with a personalized joke that had me laughing out loud at my computer. The artist is paying attention to their fans’ tweets as well, now I’m really impressed. I went back to the artist’s website, saw that they had a new EP for sale, and bought it for $5.

So what happened here? The artist took time to develop a relationship with me. Once I knew the artist better, once they had made a deeper connection with me by making me laugh and responding to me personally a few times, they no longer felt like just another one of the thousands of other artists out there. They stood out from the pack because they took time to get to know me and I felt like I was a part of their world. Now I wanted to support their career. Could I have bought a t-shirt or a hat? Maybe, but I didn’t want to buy any new clothes, and I didn’t need a new mug or trinket. Could I have bought a ticket to their show next time they passed through Montreal? Possibly, but I wanted to show support in the moment, and given their geographic location, a show here was unlikely. The simplest way for me to show support was to buy their music, which is what I did. And what if they had simply given me their EP for free like the other artists? They would have $5 less in their bank account today.

But Aren’t Music Sales Tanking?

Let’s take a quick look at the numbers:

• Digital distributor TuneCore boasts over 45 million in music sales through their service
• CD Baby reported music sales of almost $40 million in 2010 alone
• Our very own Bandzoogle members recently crossed $4,000,000 in music and merchandise sales.

Are CD sales down? Yes. Are they non-existent? No. Are digital sales flattening out? Perhaps. Are they non-existent? You get the idea. People still spend money on music when they perceive that music to be valuable. And this is the key to selling any product or service: creating value.

Note: There are those who will argue that TuneCore’s sales are skewed because they have several former major label artists selling in their catalogue, or that CD Baby’s album sales actually went down while new album additions went up. I don’t want to turn this into a debate about their numbers. The reason I’ve included them is that they simply illustrate that there are obviously still some people out there buying music.

Note #2: Here’s a nice article detailing how paid single tracks are still the dominant force in digital music revenue: http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2011/05/digital-radio-paid-musicians-36-million-more-than-paid-subcriptions-last-year.html

How to Create Value

So if the key to selling your music is to create value for it, how can you go about doing that? Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Develop a relationship with your fans

One of the most important ways to create value for your music is to create a deeper connection with your fans. Every day take time to respond to fan e-mails, tweets, questions on Facebook, etc. Don’t just promote yourself and your music, have a conversation with your fans. Make them laugh, ask them questions, find out more about them, make them feel like they’re part of your world and that you’re a part of theirs. Take time to develop a relationship with them and they’ll want to support your career, which can of course include buying your music.

• Generate lots of content

Blog regularly, post video blogs, music videos, etc. By generating content on a regular basis, you’ll give people a better sense of your personality and show that you’re an active artist. And if a fan responds to a blog post or video blog, respond as soon as you can and never leave them hanging.

• Be genuine, be your unique self

The key to fan engagement is being your true self. Make sure to bring out your personality and you’ll attract like-minded people who you can have a genuinely deeper connection with.

• Use emotion

People respond to emotion. Make people laugh, make them cry, inspire them, and they are more likely to respond and feel a deeper sense of connection to you as an artist. Use your lyrics, your personality, make engaging videos, well-written blog posts and show your emotions. You never know when somebody will really connect with how you‘re feeling.

• Bundled options

Always offer buying options for everyone from a hardcore fan to someone who just wants to show a little bit of support for your career. From the single song download, to a personalized signed CD, to a bundled option with other merchandise, make sure there are plenty of options for the different level of fan.

• Release great music

And last, but certainly not least, the most important thing you can do to create value for your music is to only put out great music. If you have 15 new songs, and even you would consider 4 or 5 of those songs as “filler”, scrap those songs. Only release the songs that are great. Only release the songs that will have a chance of standing out from the thousands of other songs out there. Focus your energies on fewer songs and do as much as you can with them: music videos, live videos, making-of videos, blog about the songs, etc. Make sure they are front and centre on your website and online press kit. These are the songs that are going to help you stand out from other bands, and these are the songs that fans will gladly pay money for.

It’s About Strategy

I’m not saying that you should never give away your music. Giving away an exclusive track or an exclusive live EP to get people to sign-up to your mailing list can be great ways to build your fan list. All I’m saying is don’t give away ALL of your music, especially if you’re not getting anything tangible in exchange. Make sure to have a strategy behind the giveaways and always get something in return whenever you give away even just one song. Get an e-mail address, get some information about the fan (where they live, their birthday, etc.), get a “like” on Facebook, or a re-tweet on Twitter.

There is Always Demand for Quality

There are indeed many, many artists out there, and the perception is that there’s more supply than demand, which is the argument for why the price of music has gone down. That might be true in some ways, but there is always a demand for quality music and for quality relationships. And people will spend money on quality. Developing a quality relationship with your fans might take more time, but the return on that investment of time is exponential. And if you take the time to focus on getting to know your fans and putting out great content on a regular basis, you’ll create value for yourself as an artist, and in turn, for your music. And when people perceive value, they will spend money on it, and music is no different.  

Bandzoogle recently partnered with Sonicbids to offer their members an opportunity to easily transform their EPK’s into Bandzoogle websites. Sonicbids is a company that prides itself with connecting bands with gigs. Whether it’s a festival, conference showcase, licensing opportunity, or a tour in China, Sonicbids offers independent artists literally thousands of opportunities each year to get booked. We spoke to Sonicbids Community Manager Tess Cychosz about the company and where it fits into an artist’s overall career strategy.

Interview with Sonicbids Community Manager Tess Cychosz

1- Why have you decided to partner with Bandzoogle?

We know at Sonicbids that it’s important for bands to have a professional looking website. We also know that emerging/DIY artists want to spend less online and more time writing and playing music. Bandzoogle has a quick and easy platform for managing an official website. Plus, we heard from a lot of our own members that they love the service, so we wanted to open up the connection for our whole community!

2-  How important do you think an artist's website is for their online strategy?

Super important. An EPK™ (Electronic Press Kit) that Sonicbids provides is where an artist highlights only their very best work—just like a résumé does when you apply to a job. An official website, however, should be the “hub” for all of an artist’s online content and information. We’ve found that when a promoter viewing an EPK wants to learn more about a band, they will most often visit the band’s official website first.

3-  How does Sonicbids fit into an artist's overall online strategy?

Sonicbids is the online resource to make professional connections for the emerging music community (we call it the “Artistic Middle Class”). So, artists use Sonicbids to connect with promoters, use sites like Facebook and Twitter to connect with fans, and use a website to be the nucleus where all of the online content and presences can be found. Side note: we have some tools and a Facebook App to make the fan connection of an artist strategy easier, too!

4-  What do you think are the primary benefits for an artist having an account with Sonicbids?

Every artist needs an EPK these days, and since we’re the company that came up with the concept (seriously, our founder, Panos Panay, is a former booking agent and launched the site way back in 2001) we’ve become the industry standard. However, I’d say the biggest value we provide for emerging artists is our vast network of opportunity. We work really hard at securing slots at international and regional festivals for our members, providing direct access to licensors and music buyers, and we even work with big consumer brands like Diesel, Converse, etc. to find really helpful sponsorship opportunities. And like I mentioned, we have some nice Gig Promotion tools on our site, so artists can sync up their other major social media sites and publish their gig information quickly and easily.

5-  Sonicbids prides itself with connecting artists with gigs. How do you think an artist's own website can help improve their chances of getting gigs?

Having a great looking website adds professionalism and credibility to an artist. We have a place on the EPK where artists list in their official website URL. If a promoter clicks on it to learn more, and is re-directed to a Myspace page, it ultimately makes an artist look like they don’t have the time or energy to properly market themselves… so a promoter might assume that the band won’t have the time or energy to properly market their gig. Promoters want to work with bands that are serious about what they do, that have a promising future and will bring draw or attention to their opportunity.

6-  Sonicbids recently modified their model to include a "tokens" system to apply for opportunities, can you tell us more about that?

Yeah, we’re really excited about it! This time last year, if an artist wanted to submit their EPK to an opportunity with the Sonicbids network, they would have to pay a $2 minimum submission fee that acted as quality control. Obviously, those submissions fees add up if you apply to multiple opportunities a month (which of course we want folks to do!). So, to maintain that quality control aspect of our network but make things easier on an artist’s wallet, we introduced Token Listings, courtesy of our partner Musician’s Friend. Now, members get a monthly amount of tokens to submit to Token Listings, which today make up over 65% of the opportunities on Sonicbids. Our goal is to get that number to 90%. You can read more about it on our founder’s blog here.

7- In what ways is Sonicbids looking to improve in the future?

Well, getting that Token Listing number to 90% of our network is a big improvement! Also, we’re working on improving artists insights into their online buzz and their EPK hits tracker. Another a big focus for us currently is actually improving the tools within a promoter account. If we’ve got great tools that make a promoter’s life easier booking and communicating with artists, we’ll be able to add more and more opportunities and make the booking process easier for both parties. And if you can believe it, we’ve got even more plans and surprises… but I’d hate to spoil all the fun here. Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@sonicbids) and Facebook to keep up to date on all our happenings.  

*****

Want to give Sonicbids a try? If you’re not yet a Sonicbids member, tell us in the comments section one way that you’ve used your Bandzoogle site to get booked. We’re going to choose 5 Bandzoogle members who will get a FREE 3-month Sonic Membership to Sonicbids.  

Bandzoogle Member Spotlight: Elyse and the Aftermath

   

Bandzoogle Member since: 2010

Website: www.elyseandtheaftermath.com

Genre: Rock / Alternative / Indie Pop

From: Los Angeles, CA

Bandzoogle member Elyse Haren is a one-woman army and the music behind the Aftermath. Elyse decided to make music, in an instant, at a Fleetwood Mac concert; she’s played a number of parts in and after college including waitress, insurance assistant, music teacher and nanny for Saudi Royalty. She’s toured over 2000 miles, including performances at SXSW three years in a row, is endorsed by several companies and has licensed several of her songs. Currently Elyse is raising money for her new EP through PledgeMusic, with 5% of any money raised after the target is reached going to the Keep a Breast Foundation: www.keep-a-breast.org    

1. How do you drive traffic to your website?

I try to update a lot and that seems to drive people there and link to my website from Twitter and Facebook.

2. What is your favorite Bandzoogle feature?

I love how easy it is to edit and update your pages so quickly… and instantly see how something looks. It saves lots of time, so I can spend more time connect to the people who come through my website and social networks.

3. What do you think is the most effective promotional tool for your career?

Authenticity… there is no substitute for authenticity.

4. What area of your music career generates the most income for you? Music sales? Live shows? Licensing? Other?

I would say licensing is the most lucrative for us.

5. What’s one of your favorite career highlights so far?

Playing with Pop icons Berlin on New Year’s Eve… getting to ring in the new year on stage is the best way to start the year off right.

6. You’ve played SXSW three times, how did you find those experiences?

SXSW is complete inspiration. Austin is like the oxygen you breathe to get ready to take on the music industry. Every year, I come back with a new sense of hope for the future of music. Meeting the other great bands from across the country and the world and hanging out with the people of Austin is the best perk. They know how to make you never want to leave.

7. You have endorsements from Sennheiser Microphones, Get’m Get’m Guitar Straps, D’Addario Strings, Planet Waves Cables, MAC Cosmetics, and Daisy Rock Guitars. How did you go about getting those endorsements?

It started with Sennheiser. I just love, love their mics and we played a SXSW party sponsored by them and we got an endorsement. Also I met the owners of Daisy Rock guitars in the car rental line at the Austin airport.

8. Why did you decide to fan-fund your next EP?

I decided to use Pledge Music to fund the new EP because I knew couldn’t raise the funds alone after giving everything I had to make the first album.

9. You’ve created quite the epic trailer video for your fan-funding campaign, how did that come together?

Haha thanks! The spy idea came to me as a joke. I was looking at a few different trailers in iMovie and the spy theme made me laugh. I mean I am on a mission :) So, I dressed up as “Agent Aftermath” and started shooting myself. It all came together in one night on my laptop.

10. Why did you choose the PledgeMusic platform for your fan-funding campaign?

Pledge Music is such a great organization. The owners are so involved and motivated in seeing each project succeed and when you throw in raising money for charity… I was hooked.

11.How did you decide on the Keep a Breast Foundation as the charity you’ll donate a % of money raised after your fan-funding target is reached?

I chose the Keep a Breast Foundation because of their dedication to all forms of cancer education and prevention. Then when I heard about their new Non Toxic Revolution- a movement dedicated to eradicating all cancer causing synthetic chemicals from our foods and household products.

12. Final question: you were once a nanny for Saudi Royalty, please tell us that story!

What a crazy temporary summer job it was working for a Saudi Royal Family at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel (hotel where Pretty Woman was filmed). I was hired to be a companion for two of their girls ages 10 and 12. It was an intense experience. I had to learn so many customs quickly! I couldn’t ride in the elevator at the same time as the father, I had to walk behind everyone in the family and we spent most of the time at restaurants, shopping on Rodeo drive and sight-seeing. My favorite memory was showing the two daughters the movie, E.T. *****

To find out more about Elyse’s EP fund raising campaign on PledgeMusic, visit the project page: www.pledgemusic.com/projects/elyse

PledgeMusic is a great tool for artists and bands looking to raise money for a new release,  a tour or making a video. According to their statistics, 77% of campaigns hit their targets and over 90% of those exceed them by 25% or more. And although you do not have to include a charity in your campaign, 89% of campaigns do include a charity element, which they find helps the overall success of the campaign. PledgeMusic can suggest a charity for you, or you can work with any registered charity of your choice.

And maybe our favorite part about PledgeMusic? Founder and CEO Benji Rogers is a proud Bandzoogle member! You can check out his website here: http://marwoodmusic.com

Peter Spellman has released a free e-book for musicians called “Musician 2.0, 3.0, 4.0…Developing Music Careers in Uncertain Times”. Peter is the Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music in Boston, as well as the Director of Music Business Solutions, and someone who I consider to be one of the great thinkers in the music industry.

Peter’s work has had tremendous impact on me over the years, and really helped shape my philosophies about the music industry. His books “The Self-Promoting Musician” and “INDIE POWER” are must-read classics in my opinion (I have read them easily 5 times each!).

“Musician 2.0, 3.0, 4.0” is Peter Spellman at his best, and it is a great introduction to his work if you are not familiar with it already. Peter is a master at asking questions that put things in perspective and help you see the big picture. Where most advice and resources for artists focus on the “outward” career tools (social networking, online tools, promo/publicity, etc.), Peter gets you to pause, take a deep breath, and really focus on the inner-work that most of us forget to do.

As with all of Peter’s books, I found myself underlining and highlighting text on every page (I printed it out, still love to hand-write notes and highlight!). At only 30 pages, it's a quick read, but one that can make a profound impact, so I would highly recommend it. And the best part? It’s FREE: Download Musician 2.0, 3.0, 4.0.pdf  

7 Twitter Bio Tips for Bands

Twitter gives you 160 characters for your profile’s “bio”. Here are some quick tips on how to maximize the short amount of space you have to make that first impression count:

1. Don’t leave your bio blank

It might not seem like a lot of space, but you can make someone curious about your music and give them a real sense of your personality within those 160 characters. Take advantage of it, because leaving it blank could cause someone to simply move on to another profile.

2. Include a link to your own website

Twitter allows you to enter a website that will appear under your bio. Many artists link to other profiles like their MySpace page, ReverbNation profile, Sonicbids EPK, or Bandcamp page. There is only 1 link you should have, which is a link to your own website. Send people to your website where you can entice them into signing-up to your mailing list, where they can read your blog, watch your videos and shop at your online store. Give yourself the traffic and potential upside, not a social media site. If they want to connect with you on Facebook, ReverbNation, etc., they can always go to those pages once they’re on your website.

Note: One of the most unfortunate things I’ve seen are bands putting a link to their Twitter profile in their Twitter bio. I’ve seen it more times than you would think. All it does is refreshes the page when you click on the link, a wasted opportunity.

3. Make it personal, not 3rd person

Tell people about yourself as if you were talking to them in person, not like your bio reads in your press kit. So instead of “Dave Cool is an awesome artist who sounds like...”, make it more like “Hey, I’m an awesome artist, I kind of sound like...”. On Twitter, you’re talking directly to people, and that includes your bio. Make it personal and speak directly to the person reading it.

4. Include your location

Twitter gives you a field to include your location. Use it. Fans often want to know where a band is from, and not only that, if another band/artist stumbles on your profile, it’s a great way to network with artists in your area.

5. Don’t use a fake verified account

When bigger name artists/bands/celebrities use Twitter, they get a blue check mark that signifies that it’s a verified account, i.e. that it’s actually them. Some bands have started putting a fake “verified account” check mark in their bio to make it seem like they’re a big-name act. Please don’t do this, it’s really cheesy.

GOOD:

BAD:

   

6. Update your bio regularly

Just like your artist bio, your twitter bio should be updated regularly. If you’ve won an award, or were recently featured in a high-profile interview, be sure to add a quick sentence about that in your Twitter bio. Always be aware of your Twitter bio and whether it still reflects who you are as an artist.

7. Be genuine

It can be tough to give people a sense of your personality in 160 characters, but it can definitely be done. Be funny, be dry, be serious, be over-the-top. Whatever your personality is and whoever you are as an artist, make sure your Twitter bio is an extension of that.

This is a guest blog post by Jon Ostrow, the co-founder of MicControl, a music blogging community and social media/ blog consulting firm. In this post Jon goes in-depth on a subject that we’ve touched on here on the Bandzoogle blog before, which is making an emotional connection with your fans. Enjoy!

How An Emotional Connection Can Create A Cult-Like Fan Base

Social media creates the appearance that each of your fans holds the same weight, be it one 'like', one 'follow', or one 'friend'. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Your fans are all different.

The fact is that you will run into a wide range of fans; some of whom are really just friends supporting you (because that's what friends do, dammit!), meanwhile others will be dedicated super fans who actively evangelize your music to others. Of course, most of your fans will fall somewhere in between these two extremes.

However, no matter how small the percentage of your fan base that could be considered super fans, these are your true money makers and thus should be the focal point of a majority of your time and attention.

Super fans are the ones who will not just evangelize your music, but will spend the most money- on downloads, physical albums, tickets and mercy.

So what makes super fans so special?

An emotional connection has been established.

These fans more than just like your music. They have a connection to you, your music, and/ or even the fan base that is so strong that it is a part of them.

The more emotionally connected fans you have, the more money you will make both in the short-term and the long-term. The following are 5 ways that you can use to not only cater to existing super fans, but can actually help you to create MORE emotionally connected fans.

Newsletter

Before the internet, newsletters were used as a way to connect a world-wide community of fans. However, even now with the existence of social networks, newsletters are a personal and direct interaction that can connect not just you to your fans, but your fans to each other. 

Two excellent examples of community newsletters are the Grateful Dead's 'Almanac' and Phish's 'Doniac Schvice'. What made these newsletters work so well is that they covered more than the music; they covered the scene as a whole.

The 'Almanac', typically spanning 5 or 6 pages in length, spent much of the first few pages showcasing original (and exclusive!!) artwork, discussing side projects and music as a whole that the community would be interested in, as well as updating the community about the charitable foundations started by band members (more on sharing passions below). The second half would be band news, announcements of upcoming tours or album releases and finally, mail order music/ merch and tickets.

Phish's Doniac Schvice was very similar to the Grateful Dead's Almanac, offering up news and updates of both band and community related events.However the Doniac Schvice had much more direct band involvement, including Mike's Corner and Fish's Forum, two reoccurring and often hysterical op-ed pieces written by bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman. There were also 'Mike Replies' where Mike Gordon would publicly reply to fan letters.

By focusing on the community, the fans who received the newsletter were becoming emotionally connected to the scene; not just the music, but the band members and even the fans. If you were in the community, you were apart of something bigger than yourself and that meant something.  

Video Tour Diary

A concert is more than just music. It is an event. An experience.

A well-delivered concert experience is THE best way to connect with your fans on an emotional level. Because of this, video tour diaries are an extremely effective way to increase that emotional connected established through the concert experience, by giving the attendee's a deeper look into the behind the scenes happenings before, during and after the concert. Ultimately this gives attendees the chance to grab on to, and re-live the event any time they want to.

The idea of a video tour diary has become quite popular in the emerging hip-hop world, as many of these upcoming artists give their music away for free through mixtapes and focus on making money from the live show; a business model similar to that made famous by the Grateful Dead and Phish.

These videos not only act as a way to offer additional value to those who attended the event, increasing the emotional connection within, but can function as an emotional marketing tool as well. Giving your fan base the opportunity to take a sneak peek of your recent live shows is a fantastic way to drive further ticket sales…

Always remember that a concert is more than just the music. It is an event. If you can convey that your shows are a must-see experience, then you've already begun to establish an emotional connection with fans before they've even bought the ticket.

Share Passions Outside Of Music

Yes you are a musician, and yes your fans are so because of your music. But there is no reason the connection between you and your fans needs to end with the music. By sharing more of your passions with your fan base, you are creating an opportunity to greatly strengthen the emotional connection you have with fans who are not only passionate about your music, but these outside passions as well. This is how a community of super fans is born.

This is niche marketing at its finest. Since a niche is a very specific, distinct segment of a market, those who support and act from within are much more likely to be passionate about it than someone who supports a broad topic or market. As a rule of thumb, as a market becomes more niche focused, the support from within becomes more passion based.

A great example of sharing passions outside of music, and leveraging it to strengthen the emotional connection TO the music is Farm Aid. Started by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Melloncamp in 1975, this now annual concert was created as a way to spread the awareness of the loss of family farms and to raise funds that help keep farm families on their land.

Over 30 years later, Farm Aid is still taking place every year with Willie Nelson in particular acting as the soundtrack to the movement.

Name Your Fans

This is THE first step to creating a tribe, which is the most ultimate form of emotionally connected fan base you could have. This gives your fans away of identifying themselves as apart of a group, and ultimately this creates insiders and outsiders which helps to strengthen the loyalty of those within.

Again Phish and the Grateful Dead did this, with their 'tribes' being dubbed Phish Heads and Dead Heads respectively. Being a Phish or Dead Head meant something more than just being a casual fan - it meant that you were a respected piece of a larger community and brought along with it a sense of belonging.

Today, this has been translated to other genres though still holds the exact same precedence where the fans within the tribe are a welcomed member of a community. Like her or not, Lady Gaga has done an incredible job labeling her fans as her 'Little Monsters'.

Even emerging hip-hop artists are starting to understand the power of naming the fan base, such as CT-based Chris Webby, whose 'Ninjas' (Webby is an avid Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan) have lead to the over 13 Million youtube views. His latest mixtape out June 1st (yes, yesterday) has already garnered over 23,000 downloads in under 24 hours.

By giving fans a name and giving them a sense of belonging, loyalty to the community goes through the roof, leading to stronger long-term sales than you could ever have other wise. The fans within these tribes are the ones who look for every opportunity to buy a new release, ticket or t-shirt, are the first to share a new music video (or tour video above, wink-wink), and are THE best asset you can have as you continue to build upon your fan base.  

Nancy Baym is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. She is also an online fandom expert online fandom expert, an author, public speaker, and has even been made into a comic strip character. She wears many hats, but is consistently making valuable contributions to the debate over social media and the future of the artist-fan relationship. We had the privilege to speak to Nancy to get her thoughts about the impact social media has had on artists and the way they interact with their fans.

Fans or Friends? How Social Media is Changing the Artist-Fan Relationship (Part 1)

1. How has social media affected online fandom?

First, it’s important to understand that online fandom has been around since the earliest days of electronically networked communication. It existed well before what we’re now calling “social media” (as though telephones weren’t social!). So there are a lot of answers to this question.

One is that it has made online fandom much more visible and important to content creators and marketers. Online fans used to be obscure pockets of fringe activity with amazing potential. Now that potential is starting to be realized in that fans are gaining more power and influence. The online media that have been developed in the last decade or so also enable fans to create a lot of things like videos, artwork, or game mods they couldn’t make or share anywhere near as easily before. In that sense social media have been great for fan-driven creativity.

On the other hand, before social network sites became so important it was easier for fans to coalesce into groups online – there were specific mailing lists or web boards or newsgroups for discussing bands or other media, and it was easy for those sites to develop in-group identities and norms that made them feel like communities. Those groups still exist, but social network sites have decentralized fandom and none of them is good at managing groups. When is the last time you felt a sense of community through a Facebook fan page you’d liked? Those sites can be useful for information sharing and foster fan-to-artist/artist-to-fan communication, but they’re lousy for fan-to-fan communication. In that sense it’s a step backwards for fandom.

2. What do you think are the main benefits, and on the flip-side, the biggest challenges for artists having direct and instant access to their audience through social media?

There are a lot of benefits. People tend to focus on the marketing potential, and there’s no question that having instant access to the people who like you most can only help sales. Artists can keep audiences up to date on everything that matters and keep them engaged with them even when they’re not making music – a big change from the days when you had to hope they’d still remember you enough to care by the time your next record came out or your next tour came around.

There are also subtle benefits that are priceless, like the steady streams of affirmation musicians receive that remind them that their music touches people and that helps them better understand their life’s work, or the new friendships that arise as their audiences shift from being anonymous numbers to real people who come to matter as individuals. I worry that we lose track of these human rewards in thinking about social media through the lens of commerce.

The challenges are big, though. There’s the immediate challenge of which sites to engage. There’s the fact that which site is in vogue changes pretty quickly, the ways those sites work is constantly being tinkered with by the site designers, and paying attention can seem like a full time job, especially if, like most people, you’re not all that interested in social computing. There’s the time it takes to maintain a presence online, the challenge of what aspects of your selves to present, the question of how much to respond to fans who contact you, the continual requests for more of your attention and time than you may be willing to give. There’s often a sense that you have to be constantly available and continuously thinking up clever things to say, and perhaps that those clever things should be personal which may feel uncomfortable. In many ways these are challenges we all face, but they are enhanced for anyone who’s got an audience based on their work rather than personal connection.

3. Is fan interaction through social media simply part of the job description for today’s artists?

As a social media researcher I think I am supposed to say yes, and many of the younger musicians I’ve interviewed feel that it is. But I don’t think it has to be. I do think that someone has to be maintaining a web presence for artists so that when potential listeners go looking they can find out about them, hear them, get a sense of what they’re about, and buy the music. But we’ve got some examples of people like Sufjan Stevens who seem to do fine without tweeting or using Facebook and there are countless artists who use social media a lot yet still get nowhere. Social media can used to build relationships with fans that will endure and keep them interested over time. They can be an important part of maintaining a career and for some people it can make their career. But you can be totally engaged with people online and it won’t buy you an audience if no one likes your music or if you’re too tied up in chatting with them to make it. You can also be engaged with your audience, but in ways that demonstrate that you’re a jerk or otherwise turn off your fans. I encourage artists to use social media, but they don’t have to use every site and if, for them, social media are uncomfortable or deterrents to creative production, it’s totally okay not to use them. Find a fan or friend you trust who wants to represent you online instead, or have management do it for you.

*****

In Part 2 of our interview with Nancy, we’ll touch on whether there is a clear difference between fans and friends, and how social media has changed the way fans can contribute to an artist’s career.

Nancy Baym is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. She is also an online fandom expert, an author, public speaker, and has even been made into a comic strip character. She wears many hats, but is consistently making valuable contributions to the debate over social media and the future of the artist-fan relationship. We had the privilege to speak to Nancy to get her thoughts about the impact social media has had on artists and the way they interact with their fans. This is Part 2 of our interview with Nancy (Read Part 1).

 

Fans or Friends? How Social Media is Changing the Artist-Fan Relationship (Part 2)

4. You recently gave a presentation called “Fans or Friends?” at the International Communication Association, talking about the increasingly interpersonal nature of the relationships between musicians and friends. Should artists in fact view their fans as friends, or is there still room in this hyper-connected environment of social media for a clear boundary between the two?

Fans and friends are not the same thing. Individual fans may become friends (as they always have), but real friendships are mutual – friends choose to be connected to each other, they do things for each other, their relationships are based on equality, they spend time together. It’s not a kind of relationship that scales to a large fan base. Artists can’t be expected to take the kind of interest in each individual fan that the fans take in them. That said, the boundary is often not clear (if it ever was), and each artist has to figure out the boundaries that work for her or him, because it’s not the same for everyone and there’s no right or wrong way to draw those lines. Some people feel fiercely private and want a strong difference between friends and fans, others are totally happy to treat fans as friends and to meet them and see where it goes. Just like some of us are gregarious socializers and love to go out and meet new people and others of us are homebodies who are happy with the small social circles we’ve got.

5. Does social media and constant fan interaction remove any possibility of there still being some mystique, some mystery between the artist and their fans?

This is a challenge, and it’s one that some of the artists I’ve talked to fear. Lloyd Cole told me he’s worried about the internet “destroying the last shards” of his mystique. But I think it can be done. There’s a Norwegian band called Kitchie Kitchie Kimeo, some of whose members come out of some of Norway’s biggest (and now defunct) bands. Their first album is released this June. For the last two years they’ve done a great job of being on Facebook and the web and Vimeo but being very mysterious. They will post information about events and weird little 30 second clips with creepy scenes from old movies and samples of their music as the soundtrack. They share nothing about themselves as individuals and it really works to build a sense of mystery, anticipation and specialness. Now they have an audience primed because of their previous bands, but I think that kind of strategy can work if you can figure out how to get people to pay attention in the first place. There are lots of musicians online who just steer clear of talking about themselves beyond reporting things totally relevant to their music like being in the studio, appearances, or release dates. It can be done, but there are definitely pressures that make it harder than it was in the days when you only had to talk to the press.

6. How has social media changed the way fans can contribute to an artist’s career?

The main way is that fans have new power to serve as publicists by sharing information and embedding and linking to music they love. With sites like Kickstarter, social media can also be used to help drive funding of projects up front. I recently gave $100 to an artist who wanted to rerelease a deluxe edition of one of my favorite albums (“Kontiki” by Cotton Mather). I found out about the project because a Facebook friend posted it to his page and it showed up in my newsfeed. And then there are the more ephemeral ways, like just providing continuous support by sharing their own appreciation and excitement.

7. In the age of so many social media options and free profiles on various sites, do you think it’s still important for an artist to have their own website?

It’s essential to have a site that you own and which only you control. MySpace once took the band Bones’ username and gave it to a TV show of the same name. I know of at least one artist who was never able to get verified on MySpace even though his band sold hundreds of thousands of records on a major label. In an effort to limit fraudulent pages, Facebook recently converted an unknown number of legitimate artists’ pages those musicians had created into “community” pages. It is entirely within the purview of any site you don’t own to cut you off, change the terms, give your username to someone else, or otherwise destroy your presence. They can also go out of business or just out of style. I think it’s important to use social networking sites, but you should always be trying to get your fans’ contact information in a form you can move around at will, and you should always have your own data and presence available at a URL you own. You can’t expect fans to access you only through your own website, you have to go where they are, but having your own website is a dependable anchor in an ever-shifting sea.

Bonus Question:

8. You’ve developed quite an online following of your own, how are you dealing with your audience? Where do you draw the line between the professional and personal when it comes to fan interaction through social media?

Ha! I’m very comfortable fusing the personal and the professional, as anyone who reads my Twitter stream (or has ever taken one of my classes) knows. My challenge – as it is for anyone with a range of interests that attract people - is that some followers are music business/tech people, some are social media people, some are old friends, and many are academics. I’ve never been able to figure out how I could segment myself for the different audiences, but I’ve learned that people I would have pegged as caring about one often turn out to appreciate something else so I’ve quit trying and embraced not drawing false lines. I think most of the people who might call themselves my “fans” are younger academics who know me through my scholarship. In that regard, integrating the personal and professional is meant to demonstrate that you can be a successful woman and still have a family and raise kids and have indulgences and crushes and love pop songs and not just be a one dimensional workaholic. I do limit who I friend on Facebook and I don’t follow most of the people who follow me on Twitter because I actually try to read most of the tweets in my stream. I do read all my @ replies and usually respond to the ones that aren’t spam. There are a lot of sites and services I just don’t use. I’ve made friends through Twitter and I look at most of the people I interact with on there as people with a good shot at becoming friends if we ever meet. But there are still lots of things I’ll never post online. I’m pretty clear on my boundaries.

*****

To get more insights from Nancy Baym, you can visit her blog at www.onlinefandom.com, and you can also find her on Twitter: @nancybaym.

I recently attended the NXNE music festival and conference in Toronto. It was my first time at NXNE, but the lessons I took away for bands who were showcasing were the same as at other conferences I’ve attended. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re going to be showcasing at a conference or festival in the future.

I Loved Your Band, Too Bad I Have No Idea Who You Are (and Other Lessons from Music Conferences)

Repeat Your Name

People are constantly coming in and out of showcases, so please don’t forget to say your name often. If you only said your name at the very beginning of your set, the people who arrived 3 songs in will have no idea who you are. Don’t be shy about it, and you can even joke about constantly repeating it, just make sure to do it. You can mention your website, your Twitter handle, ask people to like your band on Facebook, and sign-up to your mailing list. These are all great excuses to mention your band name.

I’ve attended so many artist showcases and walked out not knowing who the artist was. People are extremely busy, don’t make it any harder for them to find out who you are by having to ask around or search through the conference program, be sure to let them know yourself.

Play Only Your Best (Rehearsed) Songs

It might be tempting to play that song you just wrote because it feels fresh and exciting, and you think it’s the best song you’ve ever written. But if you haven’t rehearsed it live, PLEASE don’t play it at your showcase. Play the songs you know best, play older “hits”, but whatever you do, don’t go in there playing a song live for the first time.

An artist friend of mine once played a high-profile showcase at a music conference and decided to play not only one, but several new songs that had never been performed live. Big mistake. Everyone I was with commented that those songs were the weakest part of the set and couldn’t understand why the artist had played them. You have to remember that often the people in attendance are not just having a beer and chatting with their friends. Some people are there to do business. These are people who can help your career. Don’t take risks like playing songs you’ve never played live before. Only play what you know best and what has been rehearsed many, many times. Maybe try out that new song in the late night jam sessions amongst other musicians and ask for their feedback. But please don’t showcase with it.

Play Your Heart Out, No Matter What

Regardless of how many or how few people are at your showcase, play like you’re playing in front of all of the agents, managers and festival directors you were hoping to meet. Because you never know who those few people are, and often times it will surprise you.

At a Folk Alliance conference a few years ago, I went to see a private showcase of one my Montreal artist friends, Allison Lickley. It was in a small hotel room, and there were only a handful of people. I kind of felt bad for Allison initially, but then I realized that one of the people sitting up front was Ken Irwin, co-founder of Rounder Records. Most artists would have killed to have Ken at their showcase, and there he was in a tiny hotel room watching my friend Allison perform with only a few other people in the room. And this kind of thing happens more often than you might think.

So whatever you do, don’t complain about how few people are in attendance, or don’t experiment or jam because “no one is there anyway”. Play your set as tight as you can and blow those few people away, because you never know who they are.

*****

Along the same theme, I recently read a great blog post by Chris “Seth” Jackson called “No One Will Remember Your Band: 10 Ways to Stop Being Forgettable". In it, Chris lists 10 ways that bands can stand out at shows. He touched on a few things that always run through my mind at conference showcases like having a large banner on stage, as well as having your logo on the kick drum, amps, etc., which ties-into letting people know who you are. Highly recommended read: http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/no-one-will-remember-your-band-10-ways-to-stop-being-forgett.html

*****

For more tips on attending music conferences, you can download my eBook “Attending Music Conferences 101”. From pre-conference planning, showcasing & networking, to the post-conference follow-up, it offers a step-by-step look at the music conference experience and how to maximize it from a musician’s point of view.

This is a guest post by Bob Baker from TheBuzzFactor.com, adapted from his new book: Guerrilla Music Marketing Online: 129 Free & Low-Cost Strategies to Promote & Sell Your Music on the Internet.

Define Your Web Site’s Purpose and Goals

Not all musical artists are created equal. That same concept applies to music websites. Your personal domain on the Web needs to serve two masters: The needs of your fans AND your own marketing and music career goals.

To help you define your site’s main objectives, ask yourself this key question:

What do I want people to do, think and feel when they visit my web site?

Here are some possible answers in the DO category:

• purchase music directly from my site
• sign up for my email list
• listen to my song samples
• watch a music video
• hire me to perform at their venue

Here are some possible THINK goals:

• realize I am a seasoned performer
• understand the type of music I play and how it benefits them
• comprehend what causes I stand for
• find out when and where my live shows are
• discover where my music is available for sale
• know what I look like

Finally, what emotional response do you want to elicit from your visitors? How do you want your web site to make them FEEL?

• empowered and inspired
• sad and melancholy
• turned on and aroused
• outraged and angry
• silly and fun-loving
• relaxed and mellow
• energized and ready to party

Warning: Please don’t say you want your web site to accomplish “all of the above.” That’s asking too much. Prioritize the actions, thoughts and feelings you want your site to evoke.

Most artists and music promoters never consider these important details – to their detriment. You must clarify your web site’s do, think and feel goals first. Only then can you design a site that will gently lead people to take the actions and think the thoughts that are most important to you.

*****

Bob Baker is the author of the highly acclaimed “Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook,” Berkleemusic’s “Music Marketing 101” course, and many other books and promotion resources for DIY artists, managers and music biz pros. You’ll find Bob’s free ezine, blog, podcast, video clips and articles at www.TheBuzzFactor.com and www.MusicPromotionBlog.com.

Stop Wasting Your Time with Facebook Events (Sending Messages through Facebook Event Invites is Now Essentially Useless)

I have a confession to make: I stopped checking Facebook Event Invites late last year. It started feeling eerily like MySpace at its worst (and look where MySpace is now). I have an average of 80+ invites at any one time, and what made it even worse was the constant messages that were sent to everyone invited to the event, whether they had confirmed or not. So not only did I stop checking event invites, my Facebook inbox became such a mess that I stopped checking that too.

That is until Facebook changed the way their messaging system worked. Your Facebook inbox is now an integration of SMS, chat, email or messages. But one of the biggest changes for bands is that now any messages sent through Event Invites no longer wind up in someone’s regular inbox, they now end up in the “Other” inbox. That’s right, the “Other” inbox where message updates from Facebook Fan Pages go.

The “Other” Inbox

How many people actually know that this secondary “Other” inbox exists? How many people know it exists and proactively check it to get those updates? I’m willing to bet, not very many. I actually knew it existed, but had totally forgotten about it, and now have 20 pages worth of unread messages from Facebook Pages. It’s like a junk mail folder that I never open. And now all of those messages from events I’m not attending are going to that inbox too, which is great news for me (and I might actually start using my Facebook inbox again), but it’s not very good news for people organizing events, specifically bands.

What’s the solution?

So what’s the solution? What should bands do now? Keep sending messages through event invites even though they are going to the “Other” inbox? While you can keep doing this if you want, here are a few other things you can spend time on that might give you better results and more attendance at your shows:

1. Stop blindly inviting everyone to shows

I live in Montreal, but I can’t tell you how often I get invites for events that are happening in Toronto, New York, Boston, etc. Is there a chance I will be in that city for the show? Yes, in theory, but it’s really not worth the risk of being blacklisted. Blacklisted? Yes, you can actually ignore all invites from certain people if you want to. I do it all the time, and being invited to shows that are not happening in my home city is often the reason (especially getting invites to shows in each city of a band’s national tour).

And if I do happen to be in that city for the show, I’ll find out when the person updates their fan page, sends out a message through their mailing list or tweets about it. But blindly inviting everyone in your Friend’s list is just not the way to go.

2. Be active on your Fan Page

Be sure to post regular updates about your show on your Fan Page. Event details, updates about the line-up, blog posts previewing the show, links to video blogs on your website. And if there are opening bands, talk about them too! You can post info about the bands, their music, videos, etc. If you post updates every day leading up to the show, it will no doubt create awareness about the event and create buzz/excitement about it.

3. Send personal messages to people that you invite to events

So the messages you send through the Event Invite itself are now going to the mysterious “Other” inbox? Well, why not take the time to send each person who you’ve invited a personal message inviting them? And I don’t mean copying and pasting the same message to each person. Yes, you can and should use some of the same elements, but take an extra few minutes and personalize the message to the individual. You can reference a recent conversation with them, tell them what’s going to be special/unique/fun about that night, basically, tell them why they should come out that night.

Don’t be discouraged

This post is certainly not meant to be discouraging, but more of a reality check for promoting shows. I sat in many empty rooms during my 3 years as a venue booker in Montreal, and often the band’s idea of promoting the show was creating a Facebook Invite and sending out 1 message to everyone who they invited. It’s just not enough anymore, and this goes for any event where the audience is not built-in. The message here is that we all have to go the extra mile to get people to our events, and the more creative, the better.

In what creative ways has your band promoted your live shows on Facebook?

Bandzoogle Member Spotlight: Leah Flanagan

Bandzoogle Member since: 2010

Website: www.leahflanagan.com.au

Genre: Acoustic / Folk / Soul

From: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

A storyteller at heart with the voice of an angel, Leah Flanagan can also wield a mean ukelele. Since the release of her 2010 acclaimed album NIRVANA NIGHTS, a tribute to a small, defiantly seedy bar in Darwin, Leah has been winning the hearts of audiences at festivals and selling out venues across Australia with her honesty, charm and musical prowess.

Leah’s versatile musicality lead her to collaborating with Internationally famed and acclaimed heavyweights such as Sinead O’Connor, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ricki Lee Jones and John Cale. Most recently her uke-fused tropical stylings caught the attention of Jimmy Buffett, who invited Leah to support him on his Australian Tour in January this year.

Perhaps it’s her intrinsic blend of Indigenous Australian, Irish and Italian descent that sets her apart from many other singer/songwriters, but one thing is a definite, it is her beautiful voice and distinctive take on folk, soul and country has made her a favourite on the major festival circuit.

What’s your favourite Bandzoogle feature and why?

I like the site traffic section which lets me know how many hits I getting from various locations. It really helps when planning tours.

How did you find the experience of working with a designer?

The best thing I have done. I can focus more on my music and let Stu handle the tech stuff which I find incredibly difficult to get my head around.

What do you think is the most effective promotional tool for your career?

Touring has done well for me. Especially as the type of music I play doesn’t get a great deal of mainstream support in Australia. When I tour I can meet my audience and make a first hand connection with them. It is something I appreciate as a music punter too so maybe thats why I make sure I try to perform as much as possible.

What area of your music career generates the most income for you? Music sales? Live shows? Licensing? Other?

Live shows, music sales and royalties are probably all on par at the moment. It’s kind of hard to keep up with it all sometimes.

What’s one of your favorite career highlights so far?

The Seven Songs To Leave Behind show I did with Sinead O’Connor, Ricki Lee Jones, John Cale, Meshell Ndegeocello, The Black Arm Band and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. It was HUGE and I got to perform alongside some of my heros. A very very life changing experience.

You’re nicknamed the “Darling of the Tropical North”, tell us more about Northern Australia, it sounds lovely!

Darwin, where I live in Australia is considered remote area as it takes you at least 3 days to drive to the next major city! We are closer to Asia than the rest of the country and I have lived here almost my whole life. It is a very tropical city - you rarely need a jumper and I own only one pair of jeans! It is probably the most multi-cultural part of Australia too.

In your bio, your voice is described as a “voice of an angel”, and after listening to a few songs, it’s hard to argue with that. When and how did you learn to sing?

Why thank you. I have been singing ever since I was a small child. I have followed my love of music my whole life (I even have a classical degree!) and have just been developing my skills and career year after year. It has led me to where I am and I hope it takes me on many other amazing journeys.

You also play the ukelele, how did you start playing that instrument and what attracted you to it?

The ukulele has just gone gangbusters over here in Australia! I have been playing the instrument for years, actually I picked it up whilst being bored in the studio and after I wrote the “September Song” on the Uke, it has been my trademark instrument!

You toured Australia with Jimmy Buffett in January, how did that come about and what was that experience like?

We got personally invited to open for Jimmy’s Australian shows at the Sydney Opera House and Hordern Pavillion. It was such a fun experience - Jimmy Buffett is a lifestyle not just a rockstar. His whole crew were very lovely and generous to us.

And finally, any plans to leave Australia and tour elsewhere in the world so the rest of us can see your live show?

We are currently working on it. We will be in North America touring in 2012 but for now it is some much needed chill time to inspire some more songs for the next album. Keep a look out for us though - you never know where we might pop up!

Recommended Listening: “First Class Lovers”, “September Song” (both streaming on Leah Flanagan’s website)

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Although Bandzoogle offers the tools to easily build a website without the help of an outside designer, some artists do work with a designer either to simply delegate the design task, or to further customize the branding for their site. Leah Flanagan’s website is a good example of this, so we decided to ask her designer Stuart Eadie of ArtistMarketing.com.au a few questions:

How important do you think it is for an artist to have their own website?

Paramount. Any one can have a ReverbNation page / Facebook / MySpace and so on. Not everyone has a well maintained well functioning website. The fact that someone can type in the artists name and end up in the artists online home from which they can interact and buy music direct is the whole point: The relationship between fan and artist.

As a professional designer, how do you find the experience working with Bandzoogle’s website building technology?

Mostly I love Bandzoogle as it has obviously been designed from a musicians point of view (I'm one as well). All the necessary features are there and are simple enough to work in most designs. There are a few things I'd like to have more flexibility over via the control panel. I can usually find a work around though to be able to access the style sheet when using the custom editor would be nice. You know like the firebug or web developer plugin for firefox.

What’s your favorite Bandzoogle feature?

From the point of view of the artists: the store and album download. From design P.O.V. the custom builder and the 'html' feature. Great to be able to get in there an add you own stuff.

How was it working with Leah Flanagan?

Leah is one of my favourite artists. I love her music, it's honest, direct and beautiful just like her. She doesn't mess around and seems to trust me. Pays her bills on time. Couldn't ask for a better client.

What’s your favorite section of Leah’s website?

The header. It has her face and the sitewide music player has her voice. I look into her eyes and listen to her voice. Creepy huh? Really I love the fact that Leah can send out emails direct to her fans and I know that every one in the mailing list wants to be there, also again the shop.... speaking design wise... too close.

What’s your favorite Leah Flanagan song?

That's hard as I really love her entire last album. I'll go with September Song as it features the uke and makes you smile. 'First Class Lovers' is a close second... aghhh too hard to choose. I love that she makes albums.

This is a guest post by Songtrust that sheds light on some of the common myths about music publishing:

Five Myths About Music Publishing

1. Music Publishing is only for established songwriters and artists

While it’s true that most music publishers focus on a small swath of songwriters who have already achieved traditional success, music publishing is a part of the industry that songwriters at all levels can focus on. From registering and protecting your copyrights to collecting royalties and licensing your music for sync, there’s no minimum amount of money you need to be earning to start taking this part of your career seriously.

2. I’m affiliated with a PRO (ASCAP, BMI or SESAC), I don’t need to do anything else to manage my music publishing rights

Sure, that’s one option. But that’s not how most professional songwriters thinks. Performing Rights Organizations in the United States only license and collect royalties for the public performance of your music. For many music publishers and songwriters, performance income, while an important revenue stream, only represents a portion of their catalog’s income. PROs do not license or collect mechanical royalties or interactive streaming royalties, they do not handle sync licensing and they do not register your songs with the US Copyright Office.

3. I just signed up with SoundExchange, I don’t need to do anything else to manage my music publishing rights

It’s great that you’ve signed up with SoundExchange, except they don’t have anything to do with music publishing. SoundExchange is a performing rights organization that collects licensing fees on behalf of sound recording copyright owners (record labels, generally) and recording artists—not songwriters.

4. Every music publishing deal will screw you, they are like bad bank loans

Back in the day, there were lots of stories of songwriters and artists who got really screwed by a number of unsavory characters. However, it’s not true that every music publishing deal will screw you. Today, music publishing deals come in all shapes and sizes and the partner you choose can help you navigate this part of the industry. Apart from trying to manage music publishing yourself or with the help of a manager or lawyer, there are basically three options out there:

• You can sign a long-term contract and sell a percentage of your rights (Co-Publishing)
• You can sign a short-term contract without selling your rights but pay a percentage of your royalties as an administration fee (Administration)
• You can opt for Songtrust and sign a month-to-month music publishing administration service agreement. You’ll keep 100% of your rights and get paid 100% of your royalties with membership fees starting at just $10 per month.

5. I mailed a CD with my songs on it to myself. This proves that I have the copyright.

It’s true that as soon as you “fix” your song to a physical form (write it down on paper, record it) your copyright exists. However, registering your song with the US Copyright Office gives you even more rights. For example, registering your song is a requirement before you can file a lawsuit against someone for infringing on your work. It also declares, publicly, that you are the owner of the work and affords you the ability to recover statutory damages and to potentially recover your legal fees as well.

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Songtrust is a company that makes it easy to register your songs, track your music, and collect your music publishing royalties. If you would like to give their service a try, comment on this post and we’ll send you a discount code that provides 20% off the first year of a Songtrust membership.

One of the first things bands have to do when they create their website is to add a bio. It can be challenging, and many get stuck on what exactly they should write. Here are some key elements that you should have in your bio to help get you started:

5 Key Elements to a Solid Band Bio

1. Who you are

Some questions you should answer right away in your bio:

What’s your band name?

Where are you from?

What do you sound like?

What are your influences?

Remember that your bio will be the first impression that most people have of your band, so this first paragraph is really important. Make it interesting, engaging and as unique as possible.

2. What’s going on with your career right now?

Have you just released a new album? Are you in studio? Are you currently on a songwriting retreat in Nashville? Make sure to include some information about what you’re currently up to in your bio.

3. Background info

Feel free to include some pertinent background info, but within reason. Nothing will make a media or industry person’s eyes gloss over more quickly than reading something like “Dave started taking pianos lessons when he was 5 years old. At age 6 he...”, etc. Find an interesting way to explain your musical history without necessarily spelling out each step from childhood until now.

4. Career highlights

Take the time to write down all of the successes you’ve had in your career, big and small. Did you collaborate with a well-known musician? Did your band win any awards/contests? Have you charted on radio? Once you’ve done that, choose the most unique/eye catching stories and include at least one of them in your bio.

5. Media quotes

If you have any quotes from media or industry people, definitely include one or two in your bio. Maybe have one in the opening paragraph to help describe your sound, and maybe a quote to end your bio talking about your potential as a band. And although tempting, please don’t include quotes from your Mom. If you don’t have any industry or media quotes, that’s fine, better not to have any than to make something up.

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Bonus tips:

Here are a few extra tips to keep in mind for your band’s bio:

Have several versions ready

It’s a good idea to have several versions of your bio ready: Long (1 page), Medium (2 or 3 paragraphs), short (1 paragraph) and an ‘elevator pitch’. An elevator pitch is a way to quickly describe your music in 30 seconds, so it should only be a few sentences.

For some great tips on how to create your pitch, check out Ariel Hyatt’s guest blog right here on Bandzoogle: Creating a Perfect Pitch - Laser Focus Your Message

Music conferences, festivals and media outlets have different needs and criteria, so having different versions ready beforehand will save you time and potential panic in having to edit your bio in situations where you need to submit it right away.

Be honest (no making stuff up)

It might be tempting to say that you showcased at SXSW, or to add a quote from a major news outlet talking about your music, but if it isn’t legit, don’t write it. People will eventually find out, and it’s not worth the backlash or the risk of being blacklisted by media.

No typos

Seriously, no typos.

Keep it current

And last but not least, always keep your bio current. The moment something significant happens in your career, you should update your bio with this new information. If you’ve gone from being in the studio to releasing your album, update your bio. If you’ve release the album and are now going on a National tour, add that to your bio, etc. Your bio should be continually updated as your career moves forward.

This blog post by Peter Spellman originally appeared on his blog “Music Career Juice”. Peter is the Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music, and the author of several books about the music industry including “The Self-Promoting Musician” and “Indie Business Power”. Self-promotion is a common struggle with artists, and we loved this article that Peter wrote addressing the issue. Enjoy!

Shy Self-Promoters

“Self promotion” isn’t something we were encouraged to pursue. Even today we tell children, “Don’t talk about yourself; people won’t like you.” Or maybe you’ve heard: “Don’t put yourself out front; you’ll show up your little brother;” and, “People don’t like show-offs.” Subtle but powerful messages.

And then there’s “networking”. Do you get that hollow feeling in your gut whenever you’re told that networking is the key to building your music career? Does it all sound to you a bit slimy and manipulative? It probably makes you feel like you’re putting on an act – not really being yourself, right?

Those of a more shy and introverted nature have the most trouble with these career imperatives. In general, introverts are quiet, reflective and reserved. They re-charge alone and prefer one on one conversation to the crowd. Combine this natural disposition with those early messages about not promoting yourself, and a distaste for “working the room,” and you have a guaranteed recipe for failure in a world that rewards big mouths and the hyper-connected.

As a result, introverts feel inadequate, underconnected – even guilty. They end up thinking it’s necessary to choose between remaining obscure or sounding obnoxious, forgetting that maybe, just maybe, there is a creative middle ground.

Here are a few ideas to help with finding that middle ground for yourself:

• First, shed the useless negative self-talk (“You have nothing to offer,” “You’ll make a fool of yourself,” “You can’t, you can’t, you can’t…”). Hey, if you want to really evolve, then accept the fact adulthood is mainly about de-programming/re-programming yourself. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. As Wayne Dyer is wont to say, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”. Truer words have never been spoken. Start saying, “I think I can…”

• Every day remind yourself of four things: your name, your title, your responsibilities, and the positive things you are accomplishing right now for others and, if relevant, for your company. You have a lot to offer and a lot of value to bring. Figure out what that is and remind yourself about it everyday. Affirmations help.

• Create a game plan with snack-sized goals. Approach networking functions somewhat strategically, creating a meaningful connection with 1-2 people, going off to recharge, then jumping in the fray once again.

• The brave new world of social networking affords a fear-free door. Working your blog or even email messages allow a tempo and pace even introverts thrive in. Find ways to connect using your passion and creativity. For example, on LinkedIn within groups you can post a question or start a discussion or identify something you feel is newsworthy.

• Try partnering with someone (an extrovert) that complements your strengths and see what kind of project or even business idea may emerge.

• Be inspired by great company: Bach, Debussy, Einstein, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. were all shy and introverted, as are Michael Jordan, Bob Dylan and Meryl Streep. It need not hold you back.

Accept your natural disposition and lead with your strengths.

Bandzoogle Member Spotlight: Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars

Bandzoogle Member since: 2011

Website: www.sierraleonesrefugeeallstars.com

Genre: Reggae, Afro-beat

From: Sierra Leone

As they languished in a refugee camp in Guinea, the members of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars could not have imagined what the future would hold for them. In just five whirlwind years, the group has been the subject of an acclaimed documentary film, toured the world to support a critically revered album, appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, had their music featured in a major Leonardo DiCaprio film, and shared the stage and studio with Aerosmith, Keith Richards and other international stars. The band is a tangible example of the redeeming power of music and the ability of the human spirit to persevere through unimaginable hardship and emerge with optimism intact.

We’re thrilled to have them as part of the Bandzoogle community. Black Nature, the youngest member of the band, took a few minutes out of his busy tour schedule to talk to us about the band and their new album:

Q: You’ve traveled the world, been on the Oprah show, you’ve shared the stage and studio with Aerosmith, Keith Richards and others. How do you remain grounded as a band? Is there any temptation to try and live that kind of life full-time?

We’re still grounded in where we came from. We try not to get away from our origins, we try to represent who we are and our country, our continent and our culture. We’re still refugees, even though we’re not living in refugee camps anymore, there are still issues that we talk about. We’re not going to start talking about money or cars or other things like that. We feel we still have thousands of miles to run. I just feel like we’re here for a purpose, and still haven’t fulfilled all of our goals, so we still have to keep going.

Q: The band now has a record deal, publishing deal, booking agent, you travel the world, etc. Does the band still feel like a family like it did in the early days?

Absolutely, we still have a sense of family. For me personally I feel like all of the members are my father figures or uncle figures, we all have mutual respect for each other. Coming from the same country, everyone considers everyone as family. We still have that, we still maintain that.

Q: How hard was it to go back to Sierra Leone the first time?

On a personal level, I was totally hopeless, I didn’t know where I was going to start from. I didn’t know where my family was, what exactly am I going to go do? But at the same time, I kept the faith, this is my country, let me just go and see what is going to happen. It was very, very challenging. Everything changed, it was like another country. The people I used to know in a particular neighborhood were gone, everything was in a different order. But I kept doing my thing and I got used to it.

Q: You have a new album out called “Rise & Shine”. The album was tracked in New Orleans with veteran producer Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. What was that experience like? Did you find any parallels between a post-Katrina New Orleans and post-war Sierra Leone?

When I was there, it absolutely reminded me of Sierra Leone. And with the music, the culture, the food, I was like wow, I feel we had a strong connection. It was like wow, you know, we fit in perfectly!

Q: What was it like making the album in New Orleans and being able to draw from such an incredible pool of musicians in that city and collaborate with them?

Ya! That’s the thing, I was like wow, this is incredible! We got to feature “Trombone Shorty” and Bonerama that played the horns on the record, and Washboard Chaz who played instruments that I never saw before. It was really incredible.

Video preview of “Rise & Shine”:

Q: What motivates the band today to continue this positive revolution that started in those refugee camps almost 20 years ago?

Well, I think it’s the ongoing things that are still happening in the world, like Libya or somewhere else, we feel for those people, we were once like those people, you know, the innocent people that don’t know exactly what’s going on and they just get killed or displaced. And also other societies, like in America, it’s one of the most incredible places on earth, but there are really bad things happening like drug wars and gang wars, all of those things, you know. I wish I could talk about nice sunglasses, or about nice clothes, but I feel, no I can’t, because there are still things that are going wrong. That’s the motivation that’s just kept us going.

Q: Where do you think the wind will take you in the future? What’s next for Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars?

We’ve been all around, I’m hoping the wind keeps bringing us around and that people will get to learn and people will get to listen. And hopefully they take this message from these songs and say ‘let me practice this, let me pass it on to my generation, to my kids, my family, and see how we can change this world into a better world for the next generation’. That’s what I’m hoping.

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Filmmakers Zach Niles and Banker White along with musician Chris Velan, encountered the band in the Sembakounya Camp, and were so inspired by their story they ended up following them for three years as they moved from camp to camp, bringing much needed joy to fellow refugees with their heartfelt performances.

The resulting film that documented this moving saga, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, was a critical success, and introduced the world to the personalities and dramatic stories behind the band.

The film’s trailer:

Filmmaker Zach Niles, who now manages the band, took a few minutes to answer a couple of questions about the band’s website, as well as what the Montreal connection to the band is. Since Bandzoogle was founded in Montreal, and founder Chris Vinson, CEO David Dufresne and blogger-in-residence Dave Cool all live there, we were obviously very curious.

Q: What is your favorite Bandzoogle feature?

Since I am a manager that often acts as a tour manager and PR and merch guy the best thing about Bandzoogle is that I can update easily and on the fly. Almost anything I need to do is easily done within the framework. Makes life so much easier and as a non-techy person it makes it so much less daunting to be managing a website that's visited (hopefully) by thousands people. I also love the integrated email feature, we just made a template and I type in and boom it's off! I use to procrastinate for weeks on email blasts just because I didn't want to deal with it.

Q: The design is beautifully done, did you work with a designer for it?

I worked with a great designer named Alana Salcer. I gave her some creative pieces that we use in our marketing and she adapted them to the platform. I love the look of it.

Q: How has your website helped to amplify the band’s message of positive change in the world?

Even with Facebook and Twitter people still use websites to create a deeper connection with artists. I've tried to nurture that relationship with as many candid pictures and tour videos, news updates, live tracks, etc. It provides a platform where the story of a band can really be highlighted - and Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars have one of the most compelling stories out there!

Q: There’s a Montreal connection to the band, how did that come about?

Well - our really great friend Chris Velan is a Montrealer. Chris discovered the band with myself and Banker White back in 2002 in a refugee camp in Guinea West Africa. He produced their first album and just collaborated with the band on a song "Inez" (inez.chrisvelan.com). We're hoping to write and record more with him in the future. Check him out at www.chrisvelan.com

I’ve now been involved in the Montreal music scene in some way for 17 years, and have seen many artists and bands come and go during that time. Now that I’m in my 30’s, I’m starting to truly understand what it takes to “make it” as a musician/band. What do I mean by “make it”? I’m not talking about becoming a "star", but simply playing music for a living, which is a place where most of my artist friends want to get to. While reflecting on this, I realized that the artists that were finally able to make a living playing music had some common traits:

5 Common Characteristics of Full-Time Musicians

   

1. They work (very) hard

The artists and bands that I know that are making a full-time living are some of the hardest working people I know. They hustle every day and work long hours, evenings, weekends, whatever it takes to get the job done and bring in the income they need to survive. Most bands dream of quitting their day job to do music full-time, but some don’t realize that it is a job to be a full-time musician, and you might end up working harder and longer than any day job out there, but the reward will be to do what you love for a living.

2. They love what they’re doing

To make it as a full-time musician, you have to eat, breath and sleep music each and every day. In order to do this, you have to truly love what you are doing and be extremely passionate about it. It’s not always going to be glamorous, and most often it’s going to be a lot of hard work. When you’re on tour for weeks at a time, driving long hours cramped in a van, sleeping on floors and barely making enough money to eat, you really need to love what you’re doing to get through those tough experiences and breakthrough to the other side when the money does start to come in.

3. It’s not about the money

Speaking of money, I don’t know a single full-time artist that is playing music simply for the money. They have a passion for writing/performing/recording music, and they take their art and their craft seriously. It’s all they know and it’s all they want to do. Money is secondary, and when it comes, it’s simply a by-product of the work they are putting in.

Don’t get me wrong, although it’s not about the money for these artists, they do have a business sense, which is extremely important. They know how to manage their finances and put a value to the work they are doing.

4. They have support

Being a DIY artist doesn’t mean you have to or should do it all on your own. Derek Sivers, the Founder of CD Baby, wrote a great blog post talking about this subject: http://sivers.org/diy

Essentially, Derek says that DIY shouldn’t mean Do-It-ALL-Yourself, but instead should mean Decide-It-Yourself. This is so true, and all the artists I know who are making a full-time living have some kind of support team in place, either a manager, agent, small label or assistant to help them with their career.

They didn’t necessarily start out with these people in place, but over time they developed a team to help them manage their careers. In some cases they are life partners, sometimes close friends, but more often it's a professional manager and/or agent who got on board once they reached a certain level in their career development.

5. They don’t give up

And last but not least, they simply don’t give up. I can’t tell you how many artists and bands I’ve known that after 1 or 2 albums they simply pack it in because they didn’t “make it”. This especially seems to happen after a few tours. Being on the road can be a difficult experience for most people, which goes back to having to really love what you’re doing to get through those moments.

The artists I know that are now making a living full-time from their music just stuck to it, through thick and thin. A gig falls through? They find another one. A band member quits? They replace them. They just keep going no matter what obstacles they have in front of them. This is all they know, and they don’t make any back-up plans.

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One final thing I’ll say on this subject is that it often took these artists years to get to the point of making a full-time living from music, usually 7-10 years. Most “overnight successes” are years in the making, and nowhere is this truer than in the music industry.

Remember, The Beatles spent years performing 8-hour sets, 7 days a week in Germany before breaking into the American market.

Author Malcolm Gladwell talks about this story and the “10,000 Hour Rule” in his book The Outliers. Here’s a video describing the 10,000 Hour Rule:

Another example of the 10,000 Hour Rule in the music industry, this time about Fleetwood Mac:

This is a guest post by David Newland, Editor in Chief of Roots Music Canada, the online hub for the folk and roots scene in Canada. David is also an accomplished musician and an experienced host, not only hosting Roots Music Canada’s own Woodshed Sessions, but also many other events and festivals in Canada.

Hosting shows is something many artists must do throughout their careers, whether it’s an open mic night that they’ve organized, or simply hosting their own show and introducing the opening bands. In this post, David offers some valuable tips for how to be an effective host. Enjoy!

How to host a show

Hosting, in my experience, takes as much preparation and skill as any other form of public performance. The host is responsible for maintaining the energy of the house, and weaving the thread that links all performers, sponsors, presenters and audience together.

Like all the acts that may take to the stage, the host has to be “on”; unlike them, the host has to be “on” throughout the entire performance, and ready to jump in at a moment’s notice to cover gaps or smooth things over.

It’s a tough job, and one I keep learning about. My role models are folks like Shelagh Rogers, Holmes Hooke, Magoo and others on the scene who excel at it. (Most of the mistakes, I’ve made myself.)

Here are ten tips for hosts I’ve picked up along the way.

1. Be yourself.

Who else would you be? Well, you might try to be a big-voiced radio jock, an undiscovered comic, the self-aggrandizing star of the show, an ironic commentator on something you’re way too cool for… Forget it.

Trying to be ANYONE or ANYTHING but likeable little your-name-here will leave you high and dry. Just be you.

2. Be a fan.

The best thing you can do for the show you’re hosting is to let the audience know why it matters. Find what you admire about a given act’s work, and speak to that. (If you can’t find something you like, you may be in the wrong place, and you need to consider that before you take the gig.) If you’re stuck, mention an artist’s schedule, albums or awards.Know what matters, believe it matters, and tell the audience about it.

The audience cares; it’s why they’re there. You, too.

3. Be prepared.

Confession: I rarely take notes with me onto the stage, unless I’m reading off a list of sponsors or something similar. I prefer to be spontaneous. Ironically, to do that you have to be prepared.

That doesn’t mean memorizing a bio; for me, it means simply having in mind three things worth saying about the act I’m introducing, and improvising from there. You can learn those three things while the previous act is on stage, if necessary. But to be in the moment, on stage, requires experience, forethought, and the right attitude.

The more you do to prepare yourself, the more you can simply be yourself. You can’t learn that at the last minute.

4. Be a professional all the way.

A pro doesn’t act like a snob, on stage or off. A pro doesn’t make off-colour jokes. A pro doesn’t make fun of acts or sponsors or presenters. A pro shakes hands, talks to the presenter, the sound crew and the stage crew, asks what’s required, respects the time limits given, and whenever possible, says something meaningful that will enhance the audience’s appreciation of the show.

A pro always puts the show first: dress for success, ask for what you need, communicate well, do a thorough job, smile, and treat everyone well. It pays off, bigtime.

5. Get to know the acts you’re introducing.

Because of my work in the scene, I often know the acts I’m introducing, at least by reputation, if not on a personal level. But if I don’t, I make a point of getting to know them, first by doing my research, and second, by reaching out in person.

At Mariposa I even had a mutual friend introduce me to Emmylou Harris backstage so I could tell her I’d be bringing her on, and ask her if there was anything I should or shouldn’t say. That kind of heads-up puts lets artists know what to expect from you. It also reminds everyone that you’re a part of the performance, and that what you do matters to the flow.

6. Less is more.

Wordiness, and excessive praise can both throw an act off their game. You may think you’re flattering, but take my word for it: if you call someone a legend and they don’t see themselves that way it will freak them out and affect their performance. Plus, the audience doesn’t want to be oversold! And don’t forget: if you blab on too much, you’re cutting into the time allotted to the act. Not cool. Until you’re sure of what you’re doing and can get philosophical or conversational on stage, three bullet points is all the intro just about anybody needs.

7. Know your go-to material

That said, sometimes you have to fill dead air. This is TOUGH, even for people with the gift of the gab. Deep space is nothing compared to the vacuum of being at a loss for words on stage, where every second feels like a millennium. This is when you turn to your go-to material (including some tried and true stories or songs of your own) and be sure you can trust it out there.

By default, you can always thank presenters, sponsors, artists, crew, volunteers and audience; remind people of the placement of the washrooms and the exits; encourage patronage of the merch tent or table, and that sort of thing. You can highlight items from the program, or remind people how important this event is in the local cultural landscape. (It’s still not the time to try out lame jokes or to engage in banter with someone in the front row no one else can hear.) But don’t be afraid to talk when you have to.

If all else fails, sometimes it’s okay to say “this is going to take a few minutes to set up. Get to know your neighbours and we’ll be back shortly.”

8. Take your role seriously.

Hosting, like other jobs in our business, is frequently under-appreciated and under-compensated, but you shouldn’t see your role that way. Make it your goal to show how much the host can enhance the show, and you’ll be amazed what you get back.

At the same time, you need to ask for what you need to do a good job. That means being compensated appropriately, in cash or in whatever form makes most sense, and it means ensuring you have the tools to do the job. That may be a dedicated mic, a stack of printed bios, a place to sit backstage, a warm meal or a warm welcome at the after party. Whatever it is, don’t be shy to ask for it and negotiate what you need.

In return, you must treat your job as an important one and do it to the very best of your ability. Your own pride, at least, demands it, and the audience and the artists require it!

9. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Your role is important to the show, but it’s not about you. To put it bluntly, all you have to do is say a few words and get off the stage. You’ll be mercifully forgotten if you did it badly, and you’ll be kindly remembered if you did it well. Humility will help in either case.

While being the MC is special, and important, face it: you’re probably not who the audience paid to see. Relax. It’s just a show!

10. The audience is your best friend.

Your natural inclination may be to fear the audience. If so, you need to get over it, or get out of hosting, pronto. The truth is, the audience is your best friend. At your say-so they will clap, cheer, stretch, shake hands, shout encouragement, laugh or groan at your jokes, and acknowledge the work of everyone who participated. Plus, they have a vested interest in the show going well. They paid to get in! They don’t want to have a bad time.

And think about it: you, more than any other person on stage, represent the audience. You are one of them! They don’t want you to fail. They are more terrified of public speaking than you are, believe me. They admire what you’re doing even if you think you’re botching it. As long as you stay classy, the audience is on your side, and they will come through with the thing you need most: heartfelt appreciation for a great show.

Which, after all, is why you’re there…

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David Newland’s summer hosting (and strumming & singing) schedule includes Elphin Roots Festival, Mariposa Folk Festival, Blue Skies Music Festival, Lunenburg Folk Harbour, Summerfolk, Eaglewood Folk Festival, Shelter Valley Folk Festival, and The Woodshed Sessions

Photo courtesy Ali J. Eisner

For the past few years I’ve been advising every band I speak to that they “must” be on social media sites to promote their music. But do emerging bands really need to be using social media? Is it possible that too much time spent on social media can actually hurt your creative output?

Is Social Media Hurting Your Band’s Creativity?

I recently went on vacation for a week. It was the first time in 2 years that I had been away from a computer for more than 24 hours, and with it, away from Facebook and Twitter. It allowed me to completely disconnect, relax and truly reflect on life.

Then a funny thing happened: I noticed that by the end of the week I had come up with more quality ideas than I had in a long time. It’s as if my brain just needed a break from the constant bombardment of Twitter updates and Facebook notifications to be creative again.

So I asked myself a simple question: was constant activity on social media hurting my creative output?

Digital Downtime and Creativity

I did some research and discovered the concept of “Digital Downtime”. When one of the world's best-known marketing/communications firms JWT released their “100 Things to Watch in 2011”, #25 on the list was “Digital Downtime”:

“These mindful breaks from digital input will be intended to relieve stress and foster creativity.”

The New York Times also published an article related to the subject of digital downtime, and in the article it mentions that scientists had discovered that:

“...when people keep their brains busy with digital input, they are forfeiting downtime that could allow them to better learn and remember information, or come up with new ideas.”

When you’re spending a lot of time on social media sites, where you’re constantly reacting to questions and comments, focusing on updating your profiles, is it possible that it can hurt your creativity in other areas?

Social Media Not for Everyone?

The topic of social media and creativity actually came up in my interview with online fandom expert Nancy Baym right here on the Bandzoogle blog:

“I encourage artists to use social media, but they don’t have to use every site and if, for them, social media are uncomfortable or deterrents to creative production, it’s totally okay not to use them.”

I think it was the first time I heard someone say that it’s okay for a band not to be using social media. Then Berklee Blogs published an incredibly revealing interview with John Mayer, who at one point had over 4 million Twitter followers, but then gave it up completely. Here’s why:

“You’re coming up with 140-character zingers, and the song is still 4 minutes long...I realized about a year ago that I couldn’t have a complete thought anymore. And I was a tweetaholic. And I stopped using twitter as an outlet and I started using twitter as the instrument to riff on, and it started to make my mind smaller and smaller and smaller. And I couldn’t write a song.”

But John Mayer is not the only artist to question Twitter and social media. Many artists are leaving Twitter, and in some cases donating their accounts. As Nancy Baym also pointed out, other artists like Sufjan Stevens simply never used social media to begin with.

So the question becomes: do all bands really need to be using social media?

Music Should Always Come First

"Focus on the music and the show, the rest is secondary." - Bob Lefsetz

At the end of the day, your music is what’s most important. In an age where there are so many other bands out there, what truly stands out is great music. So if your band is just starting out, should you be spending a lot of time on social media trying to gain new fans? Could that time be better spent writing, rehearsing, and recording? Especially when you consider that most emerging musicians work day jobs and their time is limited to begin with, where should that limited amount of time be spent? Social media might not be the answer.

Should Bands Give Up Social Media Completely?

But should bands give up social media completely? I think it comes down to personal choice and what’s right for your own career. If you find that being on social media is hurting your creative output or taking time away from rehearsals, then you might want to scale back. Moderation is key. Or, you can simply choose to hold-off using social media until you feel that your music is truly ready to promote to the public. As John Mayer told the audience at Berklee:

“This is not a time to promote yourself. It doesn’t matter. This is the time to get your stuff together. Promotion can be like that. You can have promotion in 30 seconds if your stuff is good.”

So the next time a band tells me that they’re not going to use social media, I’m not going to react as if they just told me they killed a unicorn. If they feel that social media is not right for them at this point in their career, then I think that’s totally valid.

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Do you find that too much time spent on social media hurts your creativity? Please leave your comments below.

This is a guest blog post by Madalyn Sklar. Madalyn is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social media maven and fearless leader at GoGirlsMusic.com. She has spent over 15 years working with a wide range of independent musicians as well as music industry professionals all over the world. This is an article about how artists and bands can use Facebook notes to stand out. Enjoy!

Musicians: Stand Out Using Facebook Notes

Are you engaging your friends and followers on Facebook? Probably not enough. These days you have to always be in engagement mode. You cannot simply post something static or bland like, “Hey, buy my shi*t!!”. Well, you can but you won’t get far. You must be creative. If you’re not, start learning so you won’t get left behind.

I love Facebook. I will admit it. It’s a great resource we all have at our fingertips to get our messages out. It’s an amazing engagement tool. Are you utilizing it to its fullest potential? Probably not. There are so many aspects to Facebook and I find that some are greatly underutilized. One that we’ll talk about today is Facebook Notes.

You can post a Note, which is really just an article or piece of information, then tag relevant Facebook friends and Facebook (fan/biz) Pages to it. It’s a great way to get something viral on Facebook.

Here’s an example of one I posted recently: GoGirls Interview with G.U.T.S.

Here’s what I love. This Note shows up on my personal Facebook Wall as well as those I tag. I tagged one of the band members I’m friends with on Facebook as well as the band and GoGirls.

Note: DO NOT tag non-relevant people or Pages in your Notes. It’s spammy, will make you look bad and will piss people off.

How do you write a Note? Easy. Just head to your personal Facebook profile and click on Notes.

Next, you’ll see Write a Note in the upper right hand side of your page. Click on that and follow the steps.

This is my Facebook Quick Tip for today. Try it out and let me know what you think. I’m eager to hear about your results!

And while you’re on Facebook, come visit me at Social Networks for Musicians, Social Networks for Biz and GoGirlsMusic.com. And if we’re not already Facebook friends, hit me up at www.facebook.com/madalynsklar and let me know you found me through this article. Thanks!

This is an excerpt of MicControl’s free eBook: "How To Craft The Perfect Blog Post". MicControl is a music blogging community and social media/ blog consulting firm. This guest post talks about some of the do’s and don’ts of choosing the right font for your blog. Enjoy!

Musicians: Learn How to Properly use Fonts on Your Blog (and Website)

Your blog is meant to be read (or at least skimmed). Increasing the quality of the formatting and content, and making the post as skimmable as possible will help to increase the effectiveness of your articles. After all, your articles are being read by people with notoriously short attention spans.

So if you are really just trying to keep the attention of your readers, couldn't the use of interesting and flashy font help?

Simply put, no.

While it may seem like a good idea to experiment with different styles, sizes and colors of fonts, ask yourself one question:

How readable is my blog?

This is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself because ultimately, if your blog is unreadable then it doesn't matter how great the content within actually is.

Although you may be tempted to play around with the font of your blog in hopes of avoiding the typical 'boring' or 'dull' fonts- this is one place where eye catching doesn't have a positive impact, and in fact can have a down-right negative effect on your blog.

What Makes A Good Font?

Choosing the correct font for your blog can actually have an enormous impact on the effectiveness of your articles. Not because a good font will make a post that much easier to read (though it could), but more simply because picking a bad font can make it much harder to read the article.

Before picking a font, there are some guidelines that you'll want to consider. While we don't claim to be experts in the field of typography, there is an amazing resource for you use from Before & After, a graphic design magazine called What Is The Right Typeface For Text?

Here are a few of the guidelines they recommend considering:

1. Pick a typeface with similar character width

This helps to keep up with the natural rhythm of reading.

Ex: Times New Roman

2. Watch out for mirroring images

Geometric typestyles can cause mirroring images when similar letter shapes, such as db and qp, are placed close together.

Ex: Helvetica Neue Roman

3. Avoid overlarge 'counters'

'Counters' are enclosed spaces inside letters, such as b d p q. When these enclosed spaces are too big, it can become straining on the eyes.

Ex:

These guidelines and more are explained in much greater detail in Before & After's FREE download! We highly recommend checking it out here here.

Which Fonts To Use

Now that you've explored the many guidelines that make a font good or bad, it's time to go ahead and pick the font that best fits your blog. When it really comes down to it, picking the 'best font' means picking a font that you like and that follows the guidelines above, making it easier to read.

Here are some font's that we recommend trying:

Arial

Verdana

Times New Roman

Each of these fonts satisfy of the aforementioned guidelines, are web safe and best of all, are easy on the eyes.

Avoiding The Annoying

Working with fonts isn't just about picking the right typestyle. There are also a few things you want to avoid for one very important reason: They can really piss people off!

Using Caps Lock

Capitalizing a single word here and there is another effective way of illustrating emphasis. There is nothing wrong with showing people just how HUGELY important something is...

But if there is one thing that will truly piss people off, it is when they look at a blog post and the whole article is in capital letters. Not only is it unprofessional, it creates a very strained reading experience.

As a rule of thumb, avoid using caps lock within a blog post.

Bright Colors

Using a bright colored font in a newsletter or advertisement may be a good way of grabbing someone's attention, but makes for a not so great reading experience. Stick with a black font when at all possible, or if you must, use a dark blue or dark gray. But be forewarned that even using a gray or blue can make your content a bit more difficult to read. A black font is truly the best way to let your text pop off of your background.

Big & Small Font

The standard sizes for web fonts can range from 12px to 16px. We recommend using 12px or 14px font as it can help to make the content a bit easier to read without being too broken up. Again, in hopes of making your articles as readable as possible, keep away from using font sizes that require a magnifying glass (any size 10px or below) or font sizes that require too much scrolling due to the article being overly broken up (any size 18px or above).

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To read MicControl’s free eBook: "How To Craft The Perfect Blog Post", visit: http://miccontrol.com/#/consulting/

One of the best ways for emerging bands to gain new fans is to be exposed to another band’s audience. Especially if you have similar target markets, fans are more likely to trust a recommendation coming from a band they already know and like. Here are some ideas on how you can collaborate with other artists and bands to grow your fan base:

21 Ways to Collaborate with Other Artists & Bands to Get More Fans

Collaborate on Live Shows

Likely the easiest and most common way to collaborate with other bands is to play gigs together. Here are a few different ways to collaborate on gigs:

1. Gig Swap

This is of course a no-brainer. Find other like-minded bands whose musical style either compliments you, or even better, that would make for an interesting combination, giving fans of both bands a unique experience. You can open for each other at different shows, and this will work especially well if the other band is based in a different (but nearby) city. You can do gig swaps to help each other break into new markets.

2. Festival gigs

If you’re playing a festival and there is an artist or members of a band that you want to collaborate with, why not create a special environment at your festival gig by collaborating on a song or two? I’ve seen artists collaborate on festival stages big and small, and it usually makes for a buzz-worthy performance that gets people talking.

3. Conference showcases

Same idea as with festivals, but if you manage to get a showcase at a music conference, why not bring in another artist to collaborate on a song? Just be sure to have rehearsed it live before showcasing.

4. Tours

Take the concept of playing live with another band even further and book a tour together. It could be just a weekend tour of a few cities close to home, or a full-out regional/national tour.

Collaborate on Recordings

For your next album, try and think of some like-minded artists that you can collaborate with. Collaborating on recordings can be done in many different ways, here are a few to consider:

5. Guest performances

The simplest thing you can do is perform on each other’s recordings (sing, play an instrument, DJ, rap, etc.). If you want to get the most bang for your buck, make sure that in the song title it actually lists the other artist “X Song Name (Featuring X Artist)”.

6. Co-write a song

Next step would be to co-write with another artist. This will not only be great for the sake of collaboration, but might help with each of your songwriting abilities and open up some new ideas, which is never a bad thing.

7. Cover a song

Why not cover a song by a fellow emerging band whose fan base would like your music? It’s a great way to flatter the band and also generate buzz for both of you.

8. Produce each other’s music

An even more involved way to collaborate in the studio is to take turns producing each other’s songs. This can give each of you a new perspective on the songs you choose to produce for each other.

Often emerging artists can’t afford to hire a producer, but having that objective ear can really help improve the songs. So if you have an opportunity to have a peer produce a song, it might be worthwhile to give it a try.

9. Remix songs

Another great way to collaborate is to approach an artist to do a remix of one of your songs. You can even remix each other’s songs, or take it further and do remix albums of each other’s music.

10. Release an exclusive single/EP

If you’ve collaborated with another band through guest appearances, songwriting, production, remixes, etc., why not release an exclusive digital single or EP through your website?

Even better, couple that digital release with the release of a limited edition vinyl: Vinyl sales already up 41% on the year

Collaborate Using Video

There are also lots of possibilities to use video for collaborations:

11. Official music videos

If you’ve guested on a song, or co-written a song together, collaborating on an official music video is also a no-brainer.

12. Live videos

If you’ve collaborated with another band live on stage, be sure to get some footage of it for both bands to use to promote to their fans.

13. Cover song videos

Even if you haven’t covered the band’s song on your album, you can still release videos covering songs of fellow emerging bands that you want to collaborate with. Chances are that both of your fan bases will get a kick out of this.

14. Videos from the Studio

If you’re doing any kind of collaboration in the studio, be sure to get some footage of it to release on your website/YouTube, etc. Remember, when you’re in the studio, don’t shut out your fans.

15. Live streaming video

Why not use live streaming video while in studio, at a live gig, or even after a gig to chat with fans of both bands?

Collaborate Using Your Website

Don’t forget to use your website to help in your collaboration with other bands. Here are some of the ways to drive people to your website:

16. On Your Blog

It can be as simple as blogging about the other band. You can:

• Talk about why you like their music
• Do a review their album
• Interview the band

17. Photo Galleries

Use photo galleries to highlight collaborations with other bands, including pictures from studio sessions, pictures from live shows, or just the bands hanging out together.

Note: Live Video & Exclusive Music

If you do decide to use live video streaming in your collaborations, be sure to host the video on your own site and not the streaming service’s site. Most services will let you embed HTML to host the feed directly on your own website.

And as mentioned earlier, if you do collaborate on a recording with another band, why not release the track(s) exclusively through your website? Take advantage of any excuse to drive traffic to your website where people can sign-up to your mailing list, shop at your online store, etc.

Collaborate Using Social Media

And last but not least, probably the quickest way to collaborate with other bands and help each other out is to use social media. You can:

18. Exchange Tweets

Tweet praise about each other and encourage your fans to follow each other’s band.

19. Host a Twitter Chat

Why not organize a Twitter chat session for fans of both bands so you can chat with each other’s fans. What’s a Twitter chat? Here’s a great article that explains what it is and how to set one up: http://mashable.com/2009/12/08/twitter-chat/

20. Use Facebook status updates

You can each talk about why you like the other band and be sure to link to each other’s fan page.

21. Post a Facebook Note

Create a Facebook note talking about the other band, just be sure to tag the other band in the note as Madalyn Sklar pointed out in her guest blog about Facebook Notes here on Bandzoogle.

Note: And it goes without saying, use social media to drive fans to your website to view your blog posts, video blogs, live video and other exclusive content on your website.

The bottom line is that the more emerging artists join forces to help each other out through collaborations, the more buzz it will generate, which will no doubt result in more fans for each band.

Rappers do it best

The amount of collaborations and guest appearances that happen in hip hop eclipse’s other genres. As discussed in a Digital Music News Article “The Top 8 Reasons Why Rappers Make Better Businessmen…”, guest appearances help amplify your music to new audiences, and rappers use this tactic often and to great effect.

Making the news these days is the high-profile collaboration between Kanye West and Jay-Z called “Watch the Throne”. But I’ll end this post with a more old-school example.

Here’s a video of one of the most famous collaborations that crossed over genres and garnered both groups increased sales, awards, and arguably spawned a new genre of music:

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P.S.- A Shout-out

In the world of music blogging, with so many blogs and writers out there, the chances of overlap are great. Case in point, this blog post was in the can and scheduled to go up a few week ago, but with a back-log of content, we delayed publishing it until this week.

Well, ironically, David Hooper over at Music Marketing [dot] com posted a blog recently called “5 Ways to Collaborate (or Partner) with Other Bands”. And although there are of course some similarities, there are a few ways to collaborate with other bands that didn’t make it onto my list, so head on over there if you’re looking for a few other ways to collaborate with bands.

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Question: In what creative ways have you collaborated with other artists or bands? Please leave us your comments below.

We Want YOU! (To Vote for our Panels at SXSW)

SXSW is the biggest music festival and conference in the world, and also one heck of a great party. Through their “PanelPicker”, SXSW let people submit panel ideas that can be voted on, with the top vote-getters having a chance to be part of the official conference program.

Bandzoogle submitted 2 panel ideas, and we’d really appreciate if you took a minute to vote for them. Voting ends at 11:59 CDT this Friday, September 2:

1- Website Demolition Derby

MC’d by Bandzoogle CEO David Dufresne, the panel is 100% dedicated to live critiques of band websites. The panel includes Bandzoogle Founder and web design guru Chris Vinson, Ariel Hyatt from Ariel Publicity, and Ethan Kaplan, former VP at Warner Music Group. They will leave all diplomacy aside in their critiques of artist websites. So, this won't be for the faint-hearted, but should be a lot of fun.

2- Turn Your Drummer Into a Community Manager

Moderated by Bandzoogle community manager Dave Cool (a recovering drummer himself, *see proof below) the panel will feature community managers from established music web companies who will reveal all of their social media dirty secrets, tips and tricks that artists can use in their day-to-day interactions with their fans.

To vote for these panels:

Step 1: Create a SXSW Account: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/users/register?return=/

Step 2: Visit these links to give the panels a “thumbs up”:

Vote for "Website Demolition Derby":

http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10158?return=%2Fideas%2Findex%2F12%2Fname%3Awebsite

Vote for "Turn Your Drummer Into a Community Manager":

http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/10685?return=%2Fideas%2Findex%2F12%2Fname%3Adrummer

Thanks for your support, we really appreciate it!

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*Here is proof that I was in fact a drummer (and a blatant gesture to get more votes):

I became a much better drummer after that photo was taken, but also became a lot less cute, not sure if it was a good trade-off...

This guest post is by Chris “Seth” Jackson, a bass guitarist and composer in pursuit of fulfilling his life’s dream of being a self-sufficient musician. He blogs his progress over at Howtorunaband.com to share the ups and downs of his adventure and to share great techniques that all artists can use to achieve success in the difficult world of music. This is one of our favorite posts of his about the importance of standing out when performing live. Enjoy!

No One Will Remember Your Band: 10 Ways to Stop Being Forgettable

What bands tend to forget, not everyone at the show knows who they are. Some people are just there to hang out and could care less about the bands. Knowing this, you have to use every tool at your disposal to get your band recognized. It’s no good to entertain a crowd of people and then let them leave not even knowing the name of your band. (It happens...trust me...)

1. Large banner on stage

Displaying your band’s logo prominently while you’re playing has to be the number one way for everyone to know who you are. At any point during your set, people will immediately see who you are.

Simply announcing the name of your band during your set is not enough. You never know at what point someone will or will not be in your audience. People wander in and out the entire time: getting beer, smoking, going to the bathroom, just got to the club, etc. There is no guarantee your new, potential super-fan will be in the room when you say your band’s name.

Yes, even if someone really digs your band, they can still wander out and miss who you are. Why? Well, there are usually two things that trump your show: alcohol and getting laid.

2. Something free for everyone

Have something with your logo and website that you can give to everyone at that show. Stickers are always good for this, but it could also be EPs or a small piece of artwork. The point is to get your band’s name into everyone’s brain.

An additional benefit, handing out these items gives you an excuse to personally meet everyone in the club which is the best way to get new fans. 400 other bands sound exactly like yours; The only thing that separates you from them is YOU.

3. Large logo on merch booth

In addition to hocking your wares, your merch booth has a secondary role for branding. A well designed (and well lit) logo above your merch advertises your band’s name for the entire night. Even those that didn’t see your set will still see your band’s name.

4. Posters

Posters are just cool. I rarely see bands with posters. I sometimes grab fliers for a show and hang on my wall. A cool poster lives a long life well past your show.

A nifty way to brand yourself at the show is to hang up a cool poster that isn’t tied to a particular show. Just pop up a graphically intriguing poster on the club’s wall. If you’re lucky, someone will steal it.

5. Logos on the Kick drum

Put your logo on the kick drum. In addition to a banner, the kick drum is usually visible during your entire set.

6. Logos on the cabs and amplifiers

The grates on guitars and bassist’s speakers can be removed and painted. Grab some cardboard and spray paint to re-design that grate with your band’s logo.

7. Beer coasters

If you’re playing a bar, create some cool beer coasters and give them to the bar. Your band’s name will be underneath everyone’s drink all night long. Maybe all month long.

8. Matches

Everyone smoker forgets their lighter. Give ‘em a nifty band branded set of matches.

9. List of band lineup

Something simple that I’ve always appreciated. Have a clear list on the wall around the club that says who and when each band is playing. I’ve used these lists to know the name of who I’m watching. Maybe it’s just me that notices this crap, though.

10. Custom item for club

Make something really cool just for the club. I’ve seen guitars, broken drum heads, and nice, glossy photos. When people are chilling out, they’ll check out these items on the wall. Another way your band’s name can live on...

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You can check out Chris “Seth” Jackson’s blog over at Howtorunaband.com, or follow him on Twitter: www.twitter.com/howtorunaband

This blog post by Peter Spellman originally appeared on his blog "Music Career Juice". Peter is the Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music, and the author of several books about the music industry including "The Self-Promoting Musician" and "Indie Business Power". In this post Peter gives some great advice for how to handle the long road of a music career. Enjoy!

The Keys to Music Career Resilience

Especially in the early stages, a career musician must wear a number of hats. You might be a Performer-Writer-Teacher, or an Arranger-Mixer-Editor, or, more likely, a Singer-AdminAssistant-Barista or Producer-Babysitter-Sales Associate. That’s appropriate; all of us have done it.

Some have called the current times we’re living in the “Age of Ambiguity,” an era of “boundaryless careers,” where career development manifests through lateral and horizontal as well as vertical movement. Pretty familiar to musicians whose work tends to be of a freelance nature within “flexible work arrangements”.

Creative people don’t feel the need to stamp out uncertainty. They see all kinds of inconsistencies and gaps in life, and they often take delight in exploring those gaps – or in using their imagination to fill them in. Again, there are things to celebrate all along the way, if they are met with a flexibility of mind.

Write your goals in stone and your plans in sand.

When asked about what advice he had for young players, pianist Ahmad Jamal once said: “Prepare yourself to have options. Many of the greats were lost because they didn’t have options. If there is one exit door when a fire breaks out chances are you’re going to get trampled to death. You can conduct, perform, teach, arrange, produce, go to an institute of higher learning and get more options, and avoid the exit door.”

• Practice patience/Stay humble. Since success paths today have multiplied, musicians will experiment with more career-building methods and try a variety of relational constellations before the most resonate ones are found. This takes time and time is the new scarcity. Being in the Waiting Room will try your soul. But hurry and strife will just breed the same. A shortcut is often the longest distance between two points. Successful musicians are constantly reviewing their steps to ensure movement towards their goals. It’s a journey and, as the sage once quipped, the journey is the goal.

On this, it doesn’t hurt to remember the former jobs of famous musicians: Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) was an environmental inspector for an oil company, Vocalist Chad Kroeger of Nickelback sold phones; Gwen Stefani scrubbed floors for Dairy Queen, Philip Glass was a cab driver and plumber, Jack White an upholsterer. Even P Diddy cleaned toilets. Humility is a big part of the dues-paying phase of music careers. The key is staying humble and not overpaying your dues.

• Cast Your Net Wide. It took a coffee company and a computer manufacturer to teach the music industry how to sell music in the digital age. Non-music businesses everywhere are seeking creative ways to add music-related services to their mix. This means that you needn’t be dependent on the traditional music companies for music career success.

Think of companies you already resonate with and try brainstorming ways you can link up. Consider ones with a similar demographic to yours. Start on a local level. It might be a gift shop, skateboard arena or arts organization. It may even evolve into a full-fledged sponsorship for a tour or recording project. Finds ways to add value to what these businesses are doing with what you have to offer.

• Forget jobs; look for the work that needs to be done. A colleague shared about a music production student with perfect pitch who found plenty of work in recording studios by providing his skill as the “last mile” on auto-tuned vocal sessions. What special skill do you have that can be used as a door opener?

Project work, outsourcing, contract work, and short-term assignments are becoming the primary way of doing business today. So it no longer makes sense to think only in terms of jobs with fixed “job descriptions.” Instead, as a creative worker, you will have a constantly fluctuating mix of responsibilities – “packages” of “deliverables” for which you will need to continually upgrade your skills.

Some musicians like the variety and make it an asset in their portfolios. “The key to a successful indie career is diversifying your income,” suggests singer/ songwriter Kyler England. “I write country songs; I do session singing, licensing, and I help others on their gigs. That’s the key – diversifying.”

• Be Entrepreneurial in Body & Mind. Kyler is the entrepreneurial musician in action, scoping out market opps and providing service solutions wherever they’re found.

French economist, Jean-Baptiste Say, who lived at the time of the French Revolution, invented the term entrepreneur to describe someone who unlocks capital tied up in land and redirects it to ‘change the future’. He was one of the first economists to introduce the idea of change anduncertainty as something normal and even positive. The entrepreneur sees gaps to fill, pain to alleviate, needs to appease, and is often driven by a passion to do so. But it is also often done without a clear path. Indeed, entrepreneurs often blaze their own path.

The one who runs straight bumps harder. – Anonymous

Bandzooglers: How Do You Make Money From Music?

The Future of Music Coalition is conducting an online survey from September 6 to October 28 called "How Do You Make Money From Music?" as part of the Artists Revenue Streams project. Their aim is to gather information about the ways that musicians and composers are currently generating income for their career, and how this has changed over the past five years.

The survey is open to US-based musicians of all genres who are 18 years of age or older. Participation is voluntary and anonymous. The results will provide a snapshot of the complex nature of being a musician in the 21st century. FMC will be sharing the data with organizations, advocates and musicians in 2012, and it will help to ensure that policymakers and consumers understand the financial realities of musicians today.

By participating, you also stand the chance of winning prizes, including gift certificates and iPads. Here’s a short video describing the survey:

How Do You Make Money from Music? survey introduction from Future of Music Coalition on Vimeo.

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Participate in the Survey:

To participate in the survey, follow this link: www.research.net/s/moneyfrommusic

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Help Spread the Word About the Survey:

If you’d like to help the Future of Music Coalition spread the word about the survey, you can visit their Resource Center:

www.futureofmusic.org/article/research/artist-revenue-streams-resources

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About the Future of Music Coalition:

Founded in June 2000 by musicians, artist advocates, technologists and legal experts, Future of Music Coalition works to ensure that musicians have a voice in the issues that affect their livelihood. FMC’s activities are rooted in the real-world experiences and ambitions of working musicians, whose perspectives are often overlooked in policy debates. Over the years, FMC has provided an important forum for discussion about issues at the intersection of music, technology, policy and law. Guided by a firm conviction that public policy has real impact on the lives of both musicians and fans, FMC advocates for a balanced approach to music in the digital age — one that reflects the interests of all stakeholders, and not just the powerful few.

For more information about FMC and their activities, visit their website: www.futureofmusic.org

Bandzoogle Gives Back to Canadian Indie Musicians

We’re happy to announce that we’re sponsoring a new grant program for Canadian independent musicians. Created by the Canadian Independent Recording Artists’ Association (CIRAA), the Groundbreaker Grant awards $100 micro-grants each month to musicians that performed live the previous month. The principal funder of the grant program is XM Satellite Radio, and Bandzoogle has now added to the pool of funds that are available to artists.

About the CIRAA Groundbreaker Grant

Each month, CIRAA members are eligible to receive a $100 micro-grant for each gig that they played during the past calendar month, with a maximum of $1,200 in Groundbreaker Grants per artist per year. CIRAA members only have to fill out a simple online application form providing details of each gig, and they are then entered into the group of members from which winners are selected in a lottery draw every month.

The Groundbreaker Grant is a great way for us to give back to the Canadian artist community that has helped make Bandzoogle the most powerful band website platform, and a nice opportunity for us to connect with thousands of active independent artists across Canada.

Are You a Canadian Musician?

If you’re a Canadian musician, you can sign up to be a CIRAA member here (it’s FREE): www.ciraa.ca/register.php

For more information about the Groundbreaker Grant, visit this link: www.ciraa.ca/grant.php

3 Reasons to Drive Fans to Your Band Website (and not to Social Media)

Do I really need a website for my music? With Facebook, Twitter, and all the musician-specific social networks out there, you might think that your own .COM is obsolete. But there are 3 very important reasons to drive fans to your website instead:

1) You own the address

First and foremost, you own your .COM address. As long as you maintain it, it will always point to your website. This is powerful -- you are guaranteed to own that little slice of the Internet. Even if you switch companies that host your website, your .COM can be transferred, so your fans will always be able to find you.

This is not the case with your social networking profile. They can get bought out, lose out to competition, or simply become un-cool. Thousands of bands relied on their MySpace page as their home base, then switched over to Facebook (after printing their Myspace URL on their merch... ouch!).

This isn’t limited to MySpace. Those of you who’ve been online since 2000 will remember sites like Garageband and MP3.com. Who knows what will happen in 5 years? Will Facebook still be around? Twitter? Google+? It might be an entirely new social networking site that will be “THE” place to have a profile. Your best bet is to make sure that you always have a place where fans can go to find out about your career.

One last point about social networks: if you’re really unlucky, you may wake up to find your social network page repossessed. There have been many examples of MySpace doing this. Time will tell if this also happens at Facebook or Twitter. And although his page was not repossessed, one Montreal artist had his Facebook page (with 80,000 fans) hijacked by someone, who then spammed his fans. It can take a while for Facebook to sort out situations like that, and it’s a great example of how you can lose control of your social networking page.

2) You Own the Experience

With your website you also own the experience. You can control what your fans see, when they see it, and the messaging that you send to them. This means:

No Distractions

Unlike with social networking sites, on your website there are no ads to distract your fans, and there also aren’t dozens of other links vying for their attention. You’re able to really focus on your music and your brand. And since you have your fan’s full attention, you can then direct them to your call to action to deepen their connection.

No Design Limits

With your own website, you don’t have any design limits or restrictions. If you want to add a blog, or put a hi-res press kit for download, or even a special “fan-only” page, you can. Your website gives you the opportunity to make a deeper connection with your fans, without the limits of the one-size-fits-all social networks.

A Better Buying Experience

If you sell music or merch, your own website is even more critical. Social networking sales tools force fans to interact within a tiny widget, or redirect them to another website altogether to complete the transaction. Having your own store on your own site allows you to give your fans a seamless buying experience, and full control over what that experience is.

3) You Own your Data

On your .COM site, you can get far more detail on your fans than what you can get on a social networking site.

Stuff like:

• How many people previewed my track last week?
• Which ones downloaded it?
• Did they skip ahead to a specific track?
• Where do those fans live?
• What site brought them here?

More than stats, you also own your fan list. You probably noticed that you can’t move your old MySpace fans to Facebook. That’s because you don’t own that fan list, MySpace does. Same thing could happen whenever the next hot social network appears. There is no easy “export from Facebook” option!

Remember, your list of fan emails is gold. It allows you to always maintain contact with your fans, regardless which social networks they might be on.

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Social Networks Are Still Important

This is not to say that you shouldn’t be present on social networks -- they clearly have a place to interact with and find new fans. But what’s even more important is to have a home base to bring your fans back to that you own, where they can always find you regardless which social networks are popular at the time.

In an upcoming post I’ll talk about the “hub and spokes” method of driving fans from your social networks (“spokes”) back to your website (“hub”), and list some of the best ways you can do that.

Musicians and the Art of Polite Persistence

A few weeks ago I went back to a venue that I was the program director at for 3 years. The band playing that night was a jazz trio called “Apartment 5”. I realized that the bass player Paul is the perfect example of polite persistence, because it took almost a year for me to first book his band, but they have been playing regular gigs at the venue ever since.

I first heard from Paul after I had started booking a space called the St-Ambroise Centre here in Montreal, which is owned and operated by local micro-brewery McAuslan Brewing (if you can find their St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, it’s considered to be the best stout in the world by many beer geeks). Anyway, his jazz trio had played at a visual arts event at the venue (the artist had hired them), and he called me shortly after to see if we would be interested in hiring his band for other gigs. I explained that it was something we simply didn’t do. We didn’t charge to rent the space, but we also didn’t offer guarantees to bands. But they were a work-for-hire band, so there was nothing I could for them at the time.

A few months later, I got a voice mail from Paul, asking if we had any need for his jazz trio. I didn’t call him back this time because I was swamped with work, and there was still nothing I could do for him. A few months later, he called back and we spoke on the phone once again. I didn’t have anything different to tell him, but he was a nice guy and I honestly didn’t mind talking to him for a few minutes.

Opportunity Knocked

These phone calls and messages continued every once in a while for most of that year, until one day we got a call at the venue to host a private event for a company. It turned out they wanted a jazz trio for entertainment during the evening. Guess who I thought of first? My friend Paul. So I called him up and offered him the gig. It was for less money than they normally charged, but Paul said they’d take the gig to show me what it was like to work with the band and to prove themselves.

As it turned out, they were perfect. Great musicians, totally professional. They came in, set-up on time, played their sets, tore down and got out of the way (and they didn’t get drunk, eat all of the client’s food, etc.). They knew they were there to do a job and that’s what they did. I was really impressed.

I got a thank you phone call from Paul shortly after (remember how much I love those). He of course reminded me they were available to do more gigs, and I reminded him that this was a one-off kind of thing, but that I would keep him in mind if anything else came up.

The Pay Off

Well, the following spring I was given the keys to the much larger outdoor space at the micro-brewery, the St-Ambroise Terrace (250+ capacity versus 50+ capacity). We also made a decision to invest a considerable amount of money into hiring entertainment throughout the summer, a good portion of which would go to weekly music nights. I think you know who got a lot of those gigs, and they’ve been playing regularly at the space for 3 years now, even after I left my job as the program director.

Everyone Needs a Polite Reminder

So when I saw Paul recently after his set at the St-Ambroise Terrace, I reminded him how it had all started with his regular phone calls and messages. We laughed about it, but then he thanked me for reminding him. He admitted it’s not easy to do for an artist, and he had lost sight of the fact that polite persistence can indeed pay off. He realized that there were a bunch of potential clients that he had stopped phoning simply because he had lost confidence after he wasn’t getting calls back, but he said he would pick up the phone and try again.

I figured since the guy who was in my mind the perfect example of polite persistence needed a friendly reminder, then other musicians might need one as well. So take it from someone who was fielding dozens of booking emails/calls every week for 4 years, polite persistence can indeed pay off.

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IMPORTANT: Why Paul’s Polite Persistence Paid Off

It’s one thing to say that polite persistence works, but I want to take a closer look at specifically why it worked in this case:

1. They never sounded bitter, angry or frustrated

Whenever Paul called, he never came across as pushy, and never sounded bitter, angry or frustrated that I wasn’t booking him. He was always upbeat, asked me how things at the venue were going, and was just fun to talk to. The reality is that had he given me any attitude along the way about not booking the band, the story probably would’ve ended there.

2. They didn’t take a non-reply as a “No”

There were several times when I didn’t call Paul back, but he didn’t take the non-reply as a “No”, and neither should you. If a booker or media person (or anyone else you’re trying to reach) doesn’t return your phone call or respond to your email, all it means is that they didn’t return your phone call or respond to your email. It doesn’t mean the answer is no.

People are extremely busy, especially any gatekeepers in the industry, and emails and phone calls often get lost in the shuffle. Heck, even when I did tell Paul the answer was “no”, he still persisted, but that’s because I always left the door open to the situation changing in the future, so he kept following up until the answer was a definite “No”, which it never ended up being.

3. They persisted, to a point

Yes, Paul persisted, but he didn’t call every day or even every week. It was more like once every few months. Had he called me every day or every few days, I probably would’ve blocked his number and never booked the band. He struck the right balance.

4. Once opportunity knocked, they exceeded expectations

Once the band got the first gig, they did an amazing job and exceeded my expectations. They even took the gig for less money than they were usually paid, just to get their feet in the door. They made sure that if ever another opportunity came up, I would have no choice but to think to book them, which is exactly what happened.

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Have you ever used polite persistence to get a gig? How about to get an interview in the media or song on the radio? Let us know in the comments section below!

Bandzoogle Member Spotlight: Jon Gomm

Bandzoogle Member Since: 2011

Genre: Acoustic / Singer-Songwriter / Experimental

From: Leeds, United Kingdom

Website: www.jongomm.com

Jon’s favorite Bandzoogle Feature: Download codes.

Favorite section of his website: Store (“Not because I’m all about the money, just because it’s SO much better than my last website”)

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Jon Gomm is an acoustic singer-songwriter with an incredible virtuoso guitar style (i.e. his guitar playing will make your brain hurt). He uses one acoustic guitar to create drum sounds, basslines and sparkling melodies all at the same time, and combines styles from blues and jazz to rock and pop.

He tours Europe, playing at festivals from Rome to Athens, has a huge cult following and is regarded by those in the know as one of the world’s most talented and innovative acoustic guitarists. His videos are watched thousands of times within days of appearing on Youtube, and his home-recorded CD “Hypertension” has sold over ten thousand copies with no industry backing. And we’re mighty proud that he's a Bandzoogle member.

Q: So when and how did you start playing guitar?

I got my first guitar when I was two years old (it was a ukulele actually!) and started taking lessons when I was four. So – pretty young!

Q: It sounds like you grew up in quite a musical household, what was that like?

My dad was a frustrated musician. He has the biggest record collection I have still ever seen, and he used to take me to gigs at an early age, but he can’t play a note! He became friends with local concert promoters, and he’d offer to accommodate touring bands at his house. So I knew guys like Bob Brozman and Walter Trout pretty well by the time I was 11 or 12 years old.

Q: You certainly have a unique guitar playing style, where do you learn to play like that? Was it self-taught?

It’s a mix of everything I have ever learned, and I’m far from self-taught – lessons, music colleges, the works. I just love guitar music so I’m always learning new things. There’s a bit of innovation in there hopefully too – I always loved players who broke the rules, from Stanley Jordan to Tom Morello.

Q: Are any companies that make guitar tuners sponsoring you yet?

Ha ha! No, I don’t do as well as I should for sponsorship because most of the equipment I love is handmade by tiny companies, so they don’t have a budget for sponsorship. The tuners I use are handmade by banjo legend Bill Keith, he’s a wonderful, friendly guy!

Q: Who are some of your influences as a guitarist? Is there even anyone else out there that plays with a similar style?

The two players I probably sound most like are Preston Reed and Nick Harper – two very different guitarists but both geniuses. I’m hugely influenced by Michael Hedges, and I’m part of a “new generation” of post-Hedges guitarists – most of us seem to know each other and are friends. Guys like Erik Mongrain, Thomas Leeb, Andy McKee, Pino Forastiere, Amrit Sond...

Q: On your Twitter you mention that you named your guitar “Wilma”, where did that come from and how long has Wilma been in your life?

Wilma came into my life by a bizarre series of coincidences, 10 years ago. She’s named after my first love. When I was about 6. Wilma Deering from Buck Rogers In The 25th Century.

Q: On your site you’re going to have a section for guitarists only. Do you teach guitar? Is educating other aspiring guitarists something that you want to focus on in the future?

I used to teach guitar, these days I don’t often have time but I do give guitar workshops, and I go into The Guitar Institute in London for a few days each year to teach contemporary acoustic techniques. I love teaching, a lot of young guitarists are more interested in acoustic playing at the moment, which is great!/

Q: How do you approach songwriting? Do you come up with the music and percussive elements first, then add lyrics later, or do you build the music around lyrics?

I always write the melody and lyrics first, and I’ll have some idea of harmony and groove in mind, and even genre – I might think “this song would work in a bluesy context” for example. Then all the guitar arrangement comes afterwards, it’s a separate process. I never want technique to rule the song. It’s always the other way around.

Q: In terms of your career, what do you think is the most effective promotional tool at your disposal?

The best method is word of mouth. Social networks are a great way of helping with that. My favourite thing about online promotion is the ideas and influence I can get back from fans and listeners. The website facilitates that too – people can leave comments on my blog, for example. My new videos were all made by people responding to my plea for help in my mailout! People are just great, so keen to help and be involved.

Q: What area of your music career generates the most income for you? Music sales? Live shows? Licensing? Other?

I make most of my income from gigs, then sales comes in second. I love touring, so that’s not a problem for me.

Q: What’s one of your favorite career highlights so far?

Two things. Getting to perform with and become friends with musicians I think are incredible is a huge privilege. For example, recently I took Angelo Palladino (a criminally little known blues singer) over to play a concert on The Isle Of Man. Then secondly, just touring – playing in different countries, making new friends in far flung cities, learning to understand different cultures so I can communicate with them from the stage.

Q: You’re an independent artist that has sold over 10,000 copies of your debut CD, and also tour throughout Europe. How do you manage your career? Do you have a team that helps you?

I have a manager, Natasha, who also happens to be my wife! She books most of my shows and organises a lot of stuff, as well as being a wonderful musician herself. I have booking agents, PR people, all that stuff, but most of them work for me for peanuts! For which I am eternally grateful!

Q: Tell us about the The Domestic Science singles series? And why did you decide to go with a Pay-what-you-want model?

I was gradually persuaded over to the PWYW idea by various friends, mainly Hope And Social, a band from the town where I live. It seems like a great way of bypassing music piracy issues, and giving people the opportunity to hear and share my music without having to pay first – they can pay later if they want to! It’s an experiment for me, but I have high hopes. And anyway, there’s always the chance somebody will pay a million bucks for a song!

I’m going to be selling PWYW downloads at my shows too, using download codes. I think they are a fantastic idea – it’s not a marketing fad, it’s a real way of selling music.

Q: What’s next for Jon Gomm? Any plans for touring North America or other parts of the world?

I would LOVE to come to the U.S. and Canada. I don’t have any definite plans, but I am sure it will happen some day. It’s quite daunting for us Brits you know – that continent of yours is just so darn BIG!

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To get a sense of Jon’s guitar playing ability, check out this video for his new single “Passionflower”

Competitions for Musicians: Are They Worth it? An Interview with the Independent Music Awards

There are probably hundreds of songwriting contests, battle-of-the-bands competitions and awards aimed at the independent musician community. Some are real boosts to an artist's career, others, maybe not so much. One well-respected awards competition for indie artists is the Independent Music Awards, who have been around for 10 years and have been associated with some of the biggest names in the industry. We asked them some questions about the IMA’s and competitions for musicians in general, to get a better idea of what they do and how they differ from other awards. Enjoy!

Q: Why did you decide to create the IMA’s?

In 1997 the parent company of the IMAs, Music Resource Group, launched The Musician's Atlas - a detailed, contact database that gives independent musicians access to performance, promotion & distribution opportunities that had only been available to major labels.

As a result, we had daily contact with all facets of the music industry including incredible independent musicians and labels that were our customers.

It was frustrating for all of us that this exceptional and diverse talent didn't get the attention they needed and deserved from the mainstream gatekeepers and music consumers.

While there are many songwriting contests and battle of the band competitions, there were no programs that honored and supported the artistic excellence and vision of independent musicians throughout the world. And The Grammy's focus was more on mainstream releases and sales numbers than artistic merit.

Because The Atlas gave us access to influential, industry influencers and music consumers, we realized that we were uniquely positioned to place deserving artists in front of press, radio programmers, agents, talent buyers, music supervisors and other key industry players.

We created The Independent Music Awards in the year 2000 and since then have helped hundreds of artists and bands of every genre to enhance their profile and realize their career goals.

Q: Why should artists participate in the IMA’s? How can it benefit their careers?

The IMAs is a community and an awards program for professional, independent musicians and labels. It's not a program for hobbyists. We work hard to connect every artist who joins The IMAs with career opportunities regardless of whether they earn an IMA nomination or not. We like to say that artists and labels win just by joining The IMAs, because we have recognition programs for all who enter their music.

And there's no expiration date on our support for IMA artists. We frequently pair past and current winners and nominees whenever suitable projects arise. You can get a taste for some of these WebTV and performance programs at: www.GrooveableFeast.com/grooveablefeast and www.IndependentMusicAwards.com/ima/imatv/

Q: How does the IMA program differentiate itself from other songwriting contests & awards?

In addition to celebrating artists who follow their own muse, The IMAs is the only international awards program that connects independent musicians to new revenue opportunities and an audience of more than 1 billion music fans.

Artists who join The Independent Music Awards have reached a level of accomplishment where marketing, sales support and performance opportunities are more meaningful to their careers than the prize packages offered by songwriting and battle of the band contests.

Program benefits include a 12-week radio promotion campaign, featured placement on 20,000 digital jukeboxes, a yearlong promotion campaign on eMusic, distribution to music supervisors, ongoing publicity campaigns, as well as live and filmed performance opportunities.

We’re always adding new marketing and promotion campaign benefits for winners and nominees. And in fact for the 11th IMA program that’s currently accepting submissions, we just announced that the music of all winners will be distributed and made available for sale to more than a billion mobile telephone subscribers in China. This is an incredible opportunity for IMA artists’ music to break through in this vast, emerging market.

Q: We've heard some skeptical artists say that songwriting competitions and awards are just a money grab by the organizers. What do you say to that and how do you communicate what the IMA’s are really about?

I can't speak for other organizations, but The Independent Music Awards receives tremendous word-of-mouth within the global independent music community. The program attracts a diverse pool of top self-released and independent label talent.

Artists, labels, managers, publicists, etc. consider IMA honors a badge of distinction and appreciate all the work we continually do on their behalf.

In the program's early years, it was the judging panel and career opportunities that was the primary attraction, now artists submit their best work to the program because they respect the artists that The IMAs honors and supports.

Q: What are some of the success stories from winners, or even nominees from past IMA’s?

The IMA “Now Hear This” winners compilation routinely places at the top of eMusic & CMJ charts. We receive emails and posts from new fans who’ve “discovered” new, favorite artists and bands through The IMAs. And past winners and nominees tell us that their IMA honors have helped them land slots on festival and conference main stages. Overall the program enhances both winners’ and nominee profiles enabling them to book better gigs, get more industry attention and increase their CD and ticket sales.

Judges are often so impressed with artists they find through The IMAs that they request artist contact info. Amy Ray of Indigo Girls was so impressed with one IMA nominee that she learned about through the IMAs that she signed them to her label and took them around the world as the opening act for Indigo Girls. The band is called Girlyman, and now has a worldwide following thanks to their participation in The IMAs.

IMA alumni just get noticed. Jack White recently produced a single on his Third Man 45 label with 10th IMA Amerciana Album Winner, Pokey LaFarge And The South City Three. And the band Fictionist was among the Final 4 in the Rolling Stones Cover Contest. Neither of these achievements were a result of their IMA recognition...but it does show the caliber of artist the program honors!

Q: This year’s judges include Tom Waits, Suzanne Vega, Michael Franti, Tori Amos and Ozzy Osbourne (among others). How do you select judges, and how do you attract such high-profile judges?

The IMA judging panel consists of more than 70 respected musicians and influential talent buyers, programmers, music supervisors, music journalists and the like. We look for judges who appreciate artistry and originality.

We truly feel honored that these talented and busy professionals lend their ears and time to help determine The Independent Music Award winners.

But of course art is subjective. So in addition to the judge-determined winners, we also have The Vox Pop Awards, the fan-determined portion of The IMAs. We open the Vox Pop voting as soon as we announce each year’s nominees. This is a great way to introduce all of The IMA nominees to music fans from around the world. And to have another opportunity to direct fan and industry attention to these talented artists.

Q: What’s the application process for the IMA’s? How do artists get involved?

The Independent Music Awards honors all styles of music - from every corner of the globe.

Current work from self-released and independent label artists can be submitted in more than 70 Song, Album, Music Video and Design categories.

All submissions are judged by the same criteria. We ask judging panelists to consider all aspects of the music and design projects submitted. We ask them to regard it for originality, creativity, songwriting, musicianship, production, etc., because in the real world, that's how fans, talent buyers and programmers will judge it.

The submission deadline is Friday, October 14th.

Artists and record labels can enter using the IMA Online Submission Platform, or by mailing in their entries. Details are available here.

Q: What’s the judging and winner’s selection process for the IMA’s and when does that take place?

The first round of judging begins in early November after the call for entries is closed. Every single submission is reviewed and ranked by preliminary judging panelists. The tracks that receive higher rankings, the more reviewing it receives from the preliminary panelists.

After much passionate (often heated) panel sessions - up to 5 nominees in each of the 70+ categories are selected.

Winners in each of the categories are then determined by the celebrity and higher-profile industry judging panelists who we have listed on the Judges tab of the IMA site.

Submissions are evaluated solely for their artistic merit - press clippings and sales don't impact the decisions.

Our commitment to supporting artistic vision is evident when you view the talent that we've promoted throughout the program. I believe that this track record of putting "outsider" talent such as a Johnny Dowd or The So So Glos on the same platform as more commercially successful artists such as a Jackson Browne and Flying Lotus is something that resonates and is respected within the independent community.

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To participate in the Independent Music Awards, click here

The submission deadline is Friday, October 14th.

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What do think of competitions and awards for musicians? Have you ever submitted to one? Do you have any success stories? Let us know in the comments section.

Win a Pass for the OCFF Music Conference!

Are you a folk/acoustic/roots musician and would like to attend the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals music conference? Well, Bandzoogle can help you do just that.

Bandzoogle is proud to sponsor this year’s 25th Anniversary of the OCFF music conference. It will take place in beautiful Niagara Falls, Ontario at the Marriott Gateway Hotel on the Falls.

Starting Thursday, October 13 and running through Sunday, October 16, the conference will feature panel discussions, keynote speeches by Eric Baptiste (CEO of SOCAN) and Loreena McKennitt (artist, music entrepreneur), as well as lots (LOTS!) of music with official showcases, private showcases, and random music jams throughout the nights.

The conference provides a great opportunity to network with fellow musicians and industry reps, learn from the panel discussions and workshops, and meet people that will possibly be friends for years to come.

For more information about the conference, visit their website: www.ocff.ca

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How to Win a Pass

We have 2 passes to give away to the conference. For a chance to win a pass, email dcool{at}bandzoogle{dot}com.

We’ll pick the first 2 people who can travel to the conference and attend. And keep in mind that all travel and lodging costs are on you, but the pass is worth a good $400.

We will prioritize Bandzoogle members, but if none of our members can attend, we’ll give them out to non-members.

This is a guest post by Dave Huffman from The Indie Launch Pad. I (Dave Cool) actually spent 3 years running a sponsorships program for a micro-brewery that focused on supporting the arts. So, you would think that being a blogger, I would write a blog post about sponsorships myself. But the truth is, this is the best blog post about getting sponsored that I’ve ever seen, and simply put, I don’t think I could have written it any better. Dave Huffman is one of my favorite writers out there, so enjoy Part 1 of this post, Part 2 will go up in a few days. Cheers!

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Budweiser not only gave us money for this show, they made us a 4ft x 20ft
banner (shown) with 2-8ft stand up banners for the venue entrance

Musicians- How To Get Sponsored (Part 1)

Catchy headline, huh?

Ok, so you have built a nice local following. You can pretty much sell out the mid to largest room in town. You either command a nice guarantee OR you do so well at the door that you fore-go the guarantee for the bigger payout.

What next?

Here's an answer for ya: Generate some more dollars in the form of sponsorship

I'm an artist Dave. I am beholden to no corporate sponsor.

Ok, but remember - if you have the eyeballs and the ears at your shows, you call the shots. You approach the sponsors YOU want at your shows.

And if you pick correctly, a lot of cool things can happen. Namely, some extra cash for a better produced show, extra promo materials, and some gear; which means more for your pocket after the show.

Here is a linear breakout of how you can do this:

1. Identify your hit list of local sponsors and start calling them.

Beer was always an easy target for me. I love beer and it was easy for me to talk about onstage because we were drinking it. Keeping with the example of beer: find the local distributor of the type of beer you'd prefer to have at your shows and call them to schedule a meeting.

Once you lock that in, find a non-alcoholic sponsor. Be creative. If Pepsi or Coke turn you down, go for something else like Milk. Also remember, Pepsi and Coke have sub-brands of energy drinks and things (beer distributors do as well). They'll most likely be handled by the same person, BUT it could change your pitch if you have a target market that is the same as theirs.

BEWARE: Some brands may have exclusive rights to certain venues. If you are searching for show sponsorship, check this out first. You may not be able to hang that Budweiser banner if that is the case.

Call on small businesses as well. If you can put together a value added package worth their while, they will sponsor you. Sure, it may only be $200 or so - but gather up five of those and you got yourself a nice little deal there.

We locked in close to $1,000 from a local car dealership with a package and a personal testimony that told the story of how we toured for a year in the type of car they sold. In another example, we locked in sponsorship from a Monster Truck team. Sure, sounds nutty – but it was for our outdoor festival and they were just looking for placement.

You’ll learn as you go regarding what you think fits and what doesn’t.

2. Put together a Package

Everyone has their own sales techniques. What always worked for me was having a "partnership" mock-up package available to present while letting the business know that I could customize the terms specific to what was attractive to that particular business.

Here is what a package could include:

• Heading with band logo and logo of business you are pitching to at top
• Summary of what you are asking for (sponsorship for show, tour, festival, etc.)
• What you can do and plan to do for them
• Specified time period if there is one (Annual contract? one show?). This can also be moved to the top heading as "An Annual Partnership Between...." for example
• What the business is to provide (signage, product, money)

What You Can Do For Them

The normal things in this area are signage at the show, logo on flyers/handbills, logo with click through on website, stage mentions, and personal mention in email blast/social media pages.

Here is a tip though: The more value you can add to the package the more money you can ask for.

1. Can you edit video? Make a video for the business with a goal for it to be "sticky" enough to go viral. If you are proposing an annual deal - propose that you'll generate one of these per month. That alone could be worth $5,000 or more depending on how you sell it. Remember: You are a storyteller, you have the ability to put together a little skit. Online content in general can be a great sell. Pictures of concert attendees using the product that you can post on your site and share with the business are great as well.

2. Write a jingle. If you have no shame, this is a GREAT way to add value and dollars to a package. By "no shame" I mean some people hate doing this. If you don't mind...DO IT.

3. Add Incentives. This goes without saying, meaning you NEED to have these in a package so I do not really feel they add attractiveness. However, lack of them will make you look like a Jack-O. These include extra tickets for the buyer, VIP seating, etc.

4. An Exclusive Performance. I wouldn’t suggest this because I think it kind of eats up some of the money up in expenses, but if you do it right it is a super easy sell. Pitch to the business that you will play one of their corporate events. Put this in the package. Again, be very specific about your terms. Performance should be contingent on band schedule, business should provide gas money, etc.

Not good at selling? No excuse. I'm the worst salesman on the face of the planet. In fact, every sales job I have ever applied for I have been turned down for. My personality inventory scores even suggest that I am a horrible salesman.

BUT...

If you believe in what you are selling (i.e. your shows/music) you WILL be able to sell it to a business. I promise you.

You have plenty of experience booking shows by now. Treat the chase of sponsorship the same way. Call the business, get the name of the person responsible for buying, and then begin the deluge of follow up.

Be courteous, BE REAL, do not overestimate your following, and ADD VALUE to the relationship as much as possible.

Again, I'm an artist Dave. I'm not selling out.

Ok, well you shouldn't be reading this blog then. If you want to work for yourself, call the shots for yourself, then you are going to have to run your own business. If you are going to run your own business, then you will have to maximize dollars in every corner available.

If you have a lot of eyeballs at your shows, that is one of your “corners.”

Oh and one last thing: You better make sure you actually like the product you are endorsing. Nothing will ruin your reputation and get dollars pulled faster than drinking a Miller Lite when Bud is your sponsor.

In part 2, I will illustrate some more of these “corners.” I will also give you some ideas of who you can approach for sponsorship, what to ask for, what "trade" is and why you might want to consider it from time to time, and we will build a package together.

This is a guest post by Dave Huffman from The Indie Launch Pad. This is Part 2 of his “How To Get Sponsored” blog post. You can read Part 1 here. In Part 2, Dave goes over the concepts of “Corners”, “Trade” and walks through building a sponsorship proposal. Enjoy!

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Musicians- How To Get Sponsored Part 2: Corners, Trade, and Building a Proposal

Notice that small sea of people in the pic above? That's what I mean by eyes and ears. That is DIRECT attention for a brand.

Ok, let's pick up where we left off: "Corners"

Corners is just a random term I came up with on the fly in the last post to explain the areas of your art that are sponsor-able. The short answer to all of this is anything can be sponsored provided you can justify the benefit to the sponsoring agency.

Here is the most basic example of how this might work:

• You have regular attendance of between 350-500 people at your shows
• You approach a local beer/soft drink distributor with these numbers
• If they do not know who you are, you invite them to the next show and put them on the guest list
• At the show you promote their product, encourage the crowd to do the same, personally buy a couple of groups of people a round of the product, maybe change up the words to a cover tune to slip the product name in ("Sippin' on Budweiser instead of "Gin n Juice" - cheesy yea, but it works)
• Distributor thinks: "Wow, so these guys only want $2,000 in 2011 to do this for us?"
• In the new culture of connectivity and engagement distributor realizes this is much better than any money spent on pray and spray advertising and recognizes value in giving money to your band

CAUTION: I know the above sounds like you are hammering your crowd over the head, but this CAN be done in a genuine fashion if you really love the product. I'm not suggesting you whore yourself out.

In some cases your reputation will precede you and that will be great. It'll be an easy sell, you may walk out after the first or second meeting with signed proposal in hand.

However, as in the case illustrated above, you may need to COURT the sponsor. Court is an old man term for "date"...I know. But it's true, I've had to do this a few times. AND IT WORKS LIKE HELL. And offering this up front really shows you are in this to work hard. It shows you don't expect anything.

SPONSOR-ABLE ITEMS

What can you ask to be sponsored? Well, like I said above, anything. Here is a short and what may seem like an obvious list:

1. Your website
2. Merchandise
3. Studio time
4. Cd pressing
5. Van/Trailer
6. Promotional Material
7. Individual Shows
8. Wrap #1-#7 up into an "Annual" and spread the dollars accordingly

YES, you can get a dealership to pony up on a van. I have seen it happen more than once. Again the trick is to justify why they should give you that van. Do you tour all over the state? Do they have dealerships in multiple locations? Yes? WHAM! Justified. In that case, you are a touring billboard for their product. Get turned down by a dealership? Don't give up. Go to the mom and pop dealership hocking used crappy vans if you have to.

TRADE

The van example is a form of "trade."

In exchange for eyes and ears, the dealership gives you a van. Trade is a win-win. Both parties end up with more than they had before - at a fraction of the cost.

This can be your best friend if you are open to it and it can also help stuff your pocket full of gear.

A couple years ago or so I fell in love with Dava guitar picks. So - I wrote the president of the company telling him how big of a fan we were, sent along a video or two that proved our following and boom, he sent us a thank you letter with an unlimited supply of Dava picks. All styles of them.

Sure, it wasn't a multi-thousand dollar deal, but with 2 guitarists in the band it gave us some extra dough in our pockets and one less trip to the gear store. Same goes with guitars, drum heads, drum sticks, strings...the list goes on and on.

Being "sponsored" isn't always about getting a fat check. It is also about covering expenses so when you get that fat check from elsewhere, it doesn't need to be spent on said expenses.

You could do a trade for any of examples #1-#6.

And when you get really good, you can recognize opportunities for Partial Trade.

Say you use a local company to press your t-shirts and it costs you $6 a shirt for a basic one color, one logo position shirt.

Offer to put their company logo on the sleeve/back of the neck, etc in exchange for knocking $2 or so off each shirt. Then ADD VALUE to the relationship by following up at later dates with free tickets to shows, stop in and drop off your new cd, give them stage mentions, and genuine personal testimonials in your email newsletter.

BUILDING A PROPOSAL

Alrighty, let's build out a proposal. Keep in mind, there is no one way to do this. This is just how I did it and how I had seen it done when I actually did trick a broadcasting company into hiring me as a salesperson. Or did they trick me? Who knows...moving forward.

• Headline/Header: Put together a little header that explains what you are about to hand them. I liked to call it a "Partnership" of some sort (Annual, etc.) and then place our logo beside their logo. For example

• What You Will Provide: Here is where you show them your value and what you plan to do for them. Below is an example of one I did close to 3 years ago. Had I been pitching this today, I would have thrown in Viral Video creation and possibly a social media campaign provided I could think of a non-spammy way to do it. Notice how I defined our value in a couple of places. First in the circulation of our newsletter. Secondly, when I threw in the "free" performance ($2,000) value. That wasn't a lie. That is what we were getting paid at the time in some places and made the sponsor feel like they were getting us on the cheap.

• What the Business Will Provide: Are you proposing they get signage at your event? Then they have to provide that signage. Are you giving them "sampling" at the event? Then they need to provide product. Here is where I stumbled when I made packages. I didn't realize this until I ate up the very money they gave me to design and pay for their signage. I only had to do that once by the way. This is also the place where you ask for money. Below is how I would word that. Very simple...not as a "how much it costs" statement, more of a "This is what you will provide ie gechange for what we provide"

• Page Design: I say keep it simple. You can add some color and maybe a border or something, but don't get too crazy here. Save that for the media sheet that you can attach for the sponsors that do not know who you are.


• Format: I like PDF's.


• Signature Line: Almost forgot this. Wrap up the proposal with places for you and the buyer to sign and date.

That pretty much wraps it up. I really encourage you to check out some sales podcasts, books, and blogs from time to time. Do not get too wrapped up in it though, remember you are STILL an artist and you need time to create.

DO NOT FORGET TO SEND A HAND WRITTEN THANK YOU NOTE (that's a link to how I did that).

One last word or two: Just keep in mind that companies have marketing budgets. A portion of this budget is usually set aside for "event marketing" or "promotions." In some cases a person on their marketing staff would have to put these together. But not if you come knocking. Which makes it so attractive to them. Think of yourself as an event marketer with a built in crowd. And remember that YOU CAN get a portion of that budget if you can justify why.

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You can (and should) check out more of Dave Huffman’s blog posts over at www.TheIndieLaunchPad.com.

Hey folks, we're going to write a series of quick posts to give simple, actionable tips and advice that can help you make your website a little better and more effective.

Turn off auto-start music

This first one that not everyone will agree with, and even within the Bandzoogle team, folks have different opinions. Either way, here's what the CEO thinks:

Top 2 reasons why you SHOULD have music auto-start on your site:

1. It's your site, and you should have it the way you want (and we like it that way).

2. Chris argues that people know they're coming to a band website, so they should be expecting to hear music. (Restaurant sites however, please...).

Top 5 reasons why you SHOULD NOT have auto-start

1. Remember, your fans are music fans. There's an excellent chance, when they visit your site that they are already listening to some music (iTunes, Pandora, Spotify, their stereo, etc.). Forcing your best track to get mixed with the latest Gaga single isn't the experience you want them to have.

2. You have no idea what volume setting their speakers or headphones are on when they reach your site. Can make for very unpleasant surprises, especially if at work, or at the library. Especially if you're a screamo metal band.

3. Tabs. More and more people use multiple tabs when they're browsing, and they might "right-click-open-in-new-tab" your website. That's how I do it. I'll see a link in a blog post, for example, right-click it, finish reading the post, and then go to the new tab to check out the site. So sometimes I will have music startle me out of nowhere and I'm not sure which tab it's from. Spooky, and a bad first impression.

4. The music that auto-plays competes with your own content. You have a cool new video ? Folks are then forced to pause or stop the player (if they can find it) and then start the video, or the one song they're curious about. Can be annoying. Give them control.

5. Waste. Often people will have their speakers muted or mute them when music auto-starts. That can mean a lot of wasted bandwidth for that fan, and for Bandzoogle (and higher costs that can make it harder to keep our prices low).

So there it is. Clearly I'm not a fan of auto-start music. Let us know in the comments what you think, both as a website owner and as a fan...and I promise the next Quick Fixes will be quicker and shorter!

Musicians: Have a DIY Success Story? Share it with Step2

Created by media blog Techdirt, Step2 is a community brainstorming platform for asking about, suggesting, creating, and building models for success. We had the opportunity to interview Techdirt founder Mike Masnick about the site and what it can offer to content creators like the many artist and bands here on Bandzoogle. Enjoy!

Q: What inspired you to create Step 2?

I've been talking and writing a lot over the past few years about cool things that content creators were doing to connect with fans and to build useful business models. And the more I wrote or spoke about it, the more I'd have content creators reach out and ask for help with their unique situation. I only have so much time in the day, and I also believe that getting more people involved only leads to better ideas and solutions. So we built a platform to bring together a community to discuss these things.

Q: Who is Step 2 for? Creators themselves? Industry? Fans?

All of the above. It's definitely targeted at creators, but very much with the idea of fan involvement as well. We've often found that fans have the best ideas for cool things that their favorite creators can do (or sell). In an ideal world, I'd love to see content creators post their questions to Step2, and then point their fans to that discussion. So, for example, a band preparing for a new release might ask fans to chime in with ideas for "packages" that could be sold around the new release. You'd be amazed at the cool feedback you might get.

Also, one of the reasons why we hope to involve people beyond just the creators is to get that difference in perspective. It's amazing how breakthroughs in brainstorming can often come from someone with a totally fresh perspective on things. So, someone who spends most of their time as a software engineer, might have the best possible idea for a band halfway around the world. Hopefully Step2 will bring out some of those kinds of connections that make everyone better off.

Q: What do you hope to achieve with the site?

Simple: help make content creators more successful in today's rapidly changing environment. I'd love for the site to inspire content creators, helping them recognize that there are new and interesting things that can be done to be successful these days. In the long run, I'd love for it to become the go-to knowledge base of all sorts of interesting ideas, knowledge and expertise about how to succeed today.

Q: Tell us more about the “Content Creator Success Stories” contest

For the launch, we're offering up 10 $1,000 prizes for the best case studies from content creators. The idea was that we wanted to give some initial incentive for artist to jump in and share to kick things off. All an artist has to do is write up a case study about a particular thing they did to be more successful -- connecting with fans, giving them something to buy, increasing concert attendance, whatever, and post it to the site.

Q: How can creators participate in Step 2?

Simple. They just go to www.insightcommunity.com/step2/ and sign up for an account and begin taking part. They can "start a discussion" to post a case study or ask a question about their own situation (or, perhaps, the situation of others they'd like to help). Or, they can peruse existing discussions and questions and start responding to some of them.

Q: What do you personally think will be the model for content creators going forward?

Personally, I think that every content creator's situation is different, so the specific tactics that each will need to take to succeed changes on a variety of variables (type of content, style, location, charisma, access to fans, etc.) but that there are two key elements to succeed these days. The first is to build a *real* connection with fans that is authentic and honest. Shunning fans is not an option -- but amazing fans and making fans feel special pays back tremendous dividends. Second, is giving them a real reason to buy. For whatever reason, many artists often seem afraid or ashamed about the commerce side of things. They'll maybe put out an album and say "here it is." But they don't put much thought into providing a real "reason" for fans to buy it beyond just the fact that they're fans. I think there's a huge opportunity in providing significant value above and beyond the content itself.

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Well Zooglers, normally we would ask you to share your success stories here on the blog, but you heard the man: go to the Step2 site, tell your success story and you could win $1000: www.insightcommunity.com/step2/

I had the pleasure of moderating a panel called “Social Media: New Trends for Current Users” at the recent OCFF conference in Niagara Falls. After 90 minutes of discussion, the end result of this social media panel was that artists should focus on their own website, their mailing list, songwriting and live performance. Say what?! Allow me to explain.

Social Media Trends: Focus on Your Website, Songwriting, and Playing Live (?!)

The goal of the panel at OCFF was to examine the latest trends in social media, how to manage all of your profiles, and to discuss new tips/tactics, etc. On the panel were Selena Burgess (social media maven for Borealis Records), Tom Power (host of CBC Radio 2’s Deep Roots) and singer-songwriter Ember Swift, who manages her social media accounts in both English and Mandarin since she’s now living in China.

So I threw out questions about how to manage several social media accounts (Hootsuite was the popular choice amongst panelists), what everyone thought about some of Facebook’s new features (not very popular so far), Twitter trends, and the latest, greatest social media network, Google+ (not too many people using it apparently).

But in the end, no matter what I did to steer the conversation towards a social media geek-out session, the panelists and artists in attendance always brought the discussion back to the basics:

1. You still need your own website

Any work you do through your social media networks needs to bring people back to your own website. Bandzoogle founder Chris Vinson just wrote a blog post about why this is so important:

3 Reasons to Drive Fans to Your Band Website (and not to Social Media)

But essentially, it’s because you own it, you control it, and you can give your fans a focused experience of your band through your own site. By bringing fans back to your own website you can deepen your relationship with them, encourage them to sign-up to your mailing list, and shop at your own online store.

2. You still need to collect email addresses

Email addresses are gold for an artist’s career. It is still the most reliable way to stay in touch with your fans. Regardless of what happens to the social media sites that are popular at the moment (remember all the fans you had on MySpace?), you can stay in touch with your fans through email.

Just recently, Facebook changed the way pages worked, removing the “Update Your Fans” feature, which sent a message to all of your fans. Ember Swift brought this up during the panel discussion, as she had been using that feature’s geo-location option to target fans by region while on her current North American tour. Well, halfway through her tour, because Facebook decided to make the change, she could no longer send those updates, let alone target fans geographically. Luckily Ember had always kept her mailing list going, organized by region, so she could still send out newsletters and email fans individually before she came to their city. But had she relied solely on Facebook Pages, that could have potentially been disastrous for her promotional efforts on tour.

Statistics from TopSpin, one of the top direct-to-fan marketing platforms, show that email is still the best way to convert fans to paying customers. With all of the fancy Facebook stores, and sales links being sent out through social media, sending a newsletter with a call-to-action to purchase through your own website (preferably) or through services that people recognize (iTunes, Amazon, etc.) still seems to work best.

3. Your music and live show must be GREAT

Nothing, I repeat NOTHING will be better for the promotion of your music than having other people talking about it. New fans are often created because they hear about a band through a trusted source. So if your music or live show is so good that it gets people talking about it, it’s going to spread naturally.

Tom Power’s last words during the panel talked about how social media marketing can’t make up for bad music. It reminded me of a great quote by Bob Lefsetz:

“No amount of Tweeting and Facebooking and online dunning will make up for lame music.”

Should you be active on social media? Yes. It is an important tool in your career and a great way to connect with your fans. But it should never come at the expense of your art. I actually wrote a blog post recently asking if social media was hurting creativity, and in the responses, Bandzoogle member D. Anson Brody mentioned another great quote from comedian/actor/musician Steve Martin:

“Be so good, they can’t ignore you”

And that is what will make you stand out more than any amount of tweeting or Facebook updates. Being so good, people have no choice but to pay attention to you and talk about you to their friends.

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A Failed Panel Discussion About Social Media?

In my opinion, not at all. While these aren’t exactly new trends in social media, I was heartened by the fact that people are realizing that they can’t let go of these basic principles. Without solid music, a great live show, and a home base for your fans, your best efforts on social media are likely to fall flat.

Bandzoogle Member Spotlight: Jenn Mierau

Bandzoogle Member since: 2010

Genre: Electro-Acoustic / Pop

From: Montreal, Canada

Website: www.songsofjenn.com

Jenn’s favourite Bandzoogle Feature: “The content manager – which is a big surprise for me. Because I’ve done some work with websites, I normally despise having to work with content managers. They usually assume you’re stupid and try to help you in ways that only make things more difficult for someone who has some knowledge of coding. But Bandzoogle’s content manager is a great middle ground of giving me control over various aspects, including some code, while making things very easy to put together.”

It might be because of her years of classical piano solitude, or maybe because she likes to do things the hard way, but whatever the reason, Montreal’s jenn mierau chose to embark on the long and winding road of self-producing and recording.

Having learned much from working with other producers, jenn felt the need to follow her own vision and see where it led her. Now, emerging from her cocoon of self-production, the years of going it alone have paid off in a gorgeous way. With nods to Lykke Li and Imogen Heap, the result is an icy, versatile, electronic-influenced pop album “HUSH” that highlights jenn’s songwriting and production skills, as well as her sweetly sexy voice.

And jenn’s hard work has not gone unnoticed. Her song HUM was the AmazonMP3.com Free Song of the Day, and the Hollis P Monroe remix of the song was later released on the UK label, Defected Records.

Q: What artists/bands are some of your influences?

Imogen Heap, Arovane, Kid Beyond, Prefuse 73, 90’s hip hop in general, Philip Glass, Portishead, PJ Harvey, Judy Garland...

Q: How do you come up with the sounds and beats for your music?

As an example, I’ll explain my process for the song, Told You. The impetus for the song came from a warbled Dictaphone recording of me playing a different song on Wurlitzer – I happened to play it back at the wrong speed one day, liked the way it sounded and recorded it. Then, on a train trip from Montreal to Toronto, I was working on melody and lyrics for the song and recorded myself singing (very quietly) into the mic on my laptop. I never used the vocals from those recordings, but I did use the sounds from the train: the wheels, the whistle, the bottles clanging against each other in the trolley that goes by. I also recorded some other sounds from the Dictaphone: the sound of scanning through radio stations and the sound of the Dictaphone rewinding. I love using found sound samples that I record myself. They usually come from fairly random and serendipitous sources.

What I usually do when making beats is to go through my samples (which include some actual recordings of drums) as well as the Apple Loops in Logic. Sometimes there’s an Apple Loop that is close to what I want, so I’ll edit it to be timed better and adjust the pattern of it to exactly how I want it to be. I always overlay several different sounds for each element of a beat (kick drum, snare, high hat). I think the most I’ve layered was six different kicks to make one particular kick sound.

Q: How do you approach songwriting? Do you write lyrics first, or come up with beats/sounds and then add lyrics after?

I have no particular process. Sometimes a song comes from playing around on the Wurlitzer and coming up with a chord progression I like. Sometimes it comes while talking a walk and a melody comes to mind. Sometimes it comes from sitting down and writing lyrics. Sometimes it comes from a sound I’ve recorded or come across. I try to not analyze or intellectualize it too much… my best work happens when I just let ideas come and experiment with them.

Q: Your album cover is a 14,400 stitch rug-hooking self-portrait. How did you come up with the idea?

Two years ago, I decided that all my album artwork would be “analog,” to counter all my hours spent in front of a computer. So I’ve done knitting, string art, paper clip art and a kind of macaroni art. The idea for this cover came to me as an epiphany in an intimate moment while mastering the album with Ryan Morey at Ryebread Mastering. I had taken a bathroom break (TMI, I know, but I want to clarify that I was peeing!), and as I sat down, I saw, hanging on the wall across from me, an intricate rughooking of a landscape: fields, trees, clouds, a path, a barn. I was taken by the way light and shadow could be depicted using pieces of yarn as pixels... and I knew I had to rughook my album cover! Little did I know the gargantuan project I had committed myself to: several months of sitting on my couch surrounded by bits of yarn! I made the process longer because I decided to shoot a timelapse video of the rug being made, which meant stopping every 100 stitches or so to take a photo. I often felt crazy to have taken it on – especially when I was wearing wrist braces to deal with the tendinitis that was starting to flare up!!! – but in the end, I’m really glad I did it and I love how it looks!

Timelapse video for rug-hooking of HUSH album cover:

Q: What’s one of your favorite career highlights so far?

Most recently, it has been the first review that mentioned my production skills specifically. Even though I record and produce myself, I hesitate to call myself a producer. I’m fairly confident in my song-writing skills, but for producing, I feel like I don’t really know what I’m doing and am just figuring it out as I go along. So it was very gratifying to have people, aside from my parents and husband, specifically mention that they liked what I produced.

Q: What’s your biggest challenge as an artist?

DIAY...Doing it all yourself! Especially being a solo indie artist. I have no band members with whom I can share the work. There’s no one else to invite people to shows, nor to do booking. No one else to help keep all the social media profiles updated. No one else to research places to send the CD. No one else to meet other bands. No one else to keep the motivation going. And because I also record and produce myself, it adds a whole other level of DIAY work! I’m not complaining, but frankly, it can get a bit overwhelming at times.

Q: What’s next for you? Touring? More videos? Another rughooking project?

Shows, videos, collaborations and yes, more rughooking! I’m doing out of town shows in Ontario from mid to end of November (Ottawa, Kingston, St. Catherines, Hamilton) and am planning a more “formal” tour for the spring. Other videos are in production: one for Told You, Hush and Shine, and maybe one for Lovesong. There are also numerous collaborations in the works with various artists. I really love co-writing with other people, as well as giving others free rein to remix my songs. This year, I was involved in six releases with other artists and want to keep that going in 2012. And finally, I am, in fact, back to doing more rughooking, now that the wrists are healthy again. I’ve started making mini rugs that I frame and sell at shows.

Musician Website Quick Fix #2: Lose the Intro Page

This quick fix is a matter of opinion, but in my opinion – I don’t think Intro pages add much to a website’s value and can actually work against you.

Top 3 reasons why you should use an Intro page on your site:

1.) You are promoting something in the short term, like a CD which is being released very soon. Adding a single call to action (Buy my CD here!) can focus your visitors attention to one thing.

2.) Your website is under construction, and you want your visitors know that you are still there even though your site isn't accessible.

3.) You have more than one website (one for your band, and one for your sound engineer business) and want your user to choose between these two website options right away when they land on your page.

Top 3 reasons NOT to have an Intro page

1.) It's annoying to your returning visitors – clicking "Enter Site" or "Skip Intro" is one extra click every single time they visit your website, before they can get to get to the good stuff (your blog, your music, your merch...and so on!) Extra clicks can mean people might not bother returning to the content.

2.) It can hurt your rank with the search engines. Google picks up text content on your page and if the first page of your website is an Intro page, there isn’t much to tell Google if and how your site is relevant to search queries.

3.) Confusing Navigation. Intro pages don’t have a menu like the inner website pages and this can be confusing to visitors landing on your page, especially if your “Enter Site” link is hard to see, or below the fold (meaning they would have to scroll down the page to even see it).

So tell me – do you use an Intro page for your website? If you do, is there a reason or a focus to it? I'd like to hear your thoughts!

This guest post comes from Melanie Kealey, Support Technician at musician website and marketing platform Bandzoogle.

Advice for Touring Musicians: NYCAS On How NOT To Travel

This is a guest post from Christina Morelli, Founder of NYC Art Scene, an artist resource and promotional site for the independent music and arts community. In this post, Christina offers musicians some tangible advice for travelling in Europe. Enjoy!

Well the first major leg of my tour has come to an end, covering 7 cities in 13 days and somehow living to talk about it! It was quite an experience, from spending time behind the scenes of an extensive European tour with Nick Howard to covering ground in Amsterdam and Paris with little guidance and contacts. Here’s a little recap of the most important lessons I learned when it comes to traveling in Europe… I like to think of it as “I made the mistakes so you don’t have to.” Read and learn...

1. There’s no such thing as a cheap flight.

Most people who have traveled throughout the EU (European Union) have heard of the notoriously discounted airline, Ryan Air. While, yes, the initial flight prices themselves are rather cheap, there are tons of hidden costs to beware of. Checked baggage will cost anywhere from $25- $40 each way! Plus once you throw in taxes and additional service fees your $40 flight is suddenly $120. Trains are a great way to travel if you book far enough in advance… they are clean, efficient, and do not charge extra for baggage (or instruments/equipment). I had a great experience on the NS HiSpeed from Amsterdam to Paris and the Eurostar from Paris back to London. ALSO. Make sure to check WHERE your flights take off and land. That great deal does not work out so “great” when you realize you are an hour from the departure airport and the destination airport, which is what happened to me on my first trip to Germany. Once you tack on time and money for additional transportation to get to and from these cities, you might as well have opted for the more expensive but completely direct flight.

2. Book in advance as much as you can.

I waited until I got here to book the majority of my transportation arrangements, and I paid for it. You can get some great deals on lines like Eurostar, EasyJet and even major airlines if you plan it out. Also, I would suggest a round trip ticket with trains or cars in between cities when possible. For example, Nick started and ended his tour in Berlin, so most of the band paid for a round trip ticket and traveled through the rest of the countries by van. Plan out your tour to come full circle… you’ll save money, time and probably get to see more of the countries you are visiting.

3. Hotels are expensive in Europe.

No kidding, you’re probably thinking. But seriously. If you are traveling with a band, definitely book rooms for groups. You can get multiple bed rooms without having to stay in a hostel, many with breakfast included. I stayed in single rooms in almost every city and the cost really added up. Other options: staying with friends and/or relatives of friends in nearby cities (although then you have to account for transportation) or trying a website like AirBnB. AirBnB is a budget website for travelers looking for rooms to stay in cities all over the world, or hosts with a room to spare. You’re able to see reviews from previous guests, message with your potential host beforehand, avoid uncomfortable hostel dorm-style rooms with strangers, and save a few bucks in comparison to most of the city hotels. Make sure you map out WHERE your potential room is though… my first weekend in London I booked a place that was a great rate but 3 tube station changes into central London. I probably made up the difference in money I saved on train tickets. **NOTE: If you are a touring artist and you have a van, you need to make sure there is private and secure parking available at your hotel. Not every hotel can accommodate large vehicles.

4. Repeat after me: You are a tourist.

I have been stopped multiple times at Customs because of the date on my return ticket. Every single Customs officer has grilled me on my work, how much money I have saved to be able to afford this, and what my purpose in London is, and as a result I have learned that I do not respond well under intense interrogation. You either need to come prepared with a bank statement showing you have the funds to travel, or say you are visiting relatives for vacation and have a realistic address to put on the info card. Or be ready to cry. Musicians, you have to be particularly weary about this. I’ll get into details in later posts, but for one you should plan to ship out any merchandise beforehand to a local address so you don’t have to deal with claiming anything.

5. Travel LIGHT.

The bag I toured with for 14 days weighed 22 kilos at check in. That’s 48.5 pounds. And that was with me leaving a small carry-on at a friend’s house in London, and NOT including my shoulder bag with my laptop and camera. Completely unacceptable. My body, the bag, and every staircase in Europe, paid for it. You do not need as much as you think. Trust me.

Looking back most of this seems like common sense, but you’d be surprise how much of that goes out the window when you are planning and juggling multiple things at once. The bottom line is if you want to be a touring musician you need to be organized, efficient, and completely prepared for multiple scenarios. Or have a seriously kick ass tour manager. Either way, it’s hard work that will pay off if done properly.

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Zooglers: Do you have any travel tips from your experiences on the road? Let us know in the comments!

Musician Website Quick Fix #3: Focus on one Call-to-Action

One easy thing you can do to improve your website is to focus your home page design on one main call-to-action. A call-to-action is designed to direct people’s attention to something specific that you want them to do while on your website. This is the website equivalent of the over-friendly store clerk that welcomes you and says “hey there, did you know we have a 2 for 1 sale on men’s underwear” and then gently leads you towards the boxers display.

Take a few seconds and go to www.bandzoogle.com and look at our home page. What do you think our main call-to-action is ?

That’s right... “Try It Free” (a.k.a. “Dear Musician, please sign up for a Bandzoogle account now”). We have it big, and green, and we have that call-to-action 2 more times on the homepage above the fold (meaning you don’t have to scroll down to see it), and one more time at the bottom, just to make sure no one missed it. Go to our Features Pages (www.bandzoogle.com/features) and you’ll see it there too, in the details for each of our features... (And, hey, wow, we do have a lot of features, don’t we ? Tell your friends !

What do you really want people to do while visiting your website?

That’s your decision to make, and it depends what your goals are, right now. It could be to get folks to join your mailing list, buy your latest album, listen to your latest track, or donate to your fan-funding campaign. If you assume they’ll spend exactly 30 seconds on your site, where do you want them to spend those precious seconds ?

For a new artist, collecting email addresses to build up your mailing list would be a good goal to have. For a more established artist with a solid fan base, directing people to purchase music and merch through your online store might be the way to go. If you’re raising money to fund your new album, you can direct people to your fan-funding campaign. If you’re leaving soon for a big tour, you want to make sure visitors see your calendar.

Where should you put your call-to-action?

Your main call-to-action should be clearly visible on your website. The most important place to have it is right on your homepage, preferably towards the top of the page so that visitors to your site can see it right away without having to scroll down (remember the Bandzoogle.com example). You can also place your call-to-action on other important pages on your website like your Bio, Music, or Contact sections, or simply have it as a constant on all of your website pages.

Bonus tip: Building your mailing list? Offer an incentive.

If you decide that your call-to-action will be to encourage visitors to sign-up to your mailing list, try to offer some kind of incentive. A free MP3, a free live EP, exclusive content (videos, never released tracks, etc.). People’s inboxes are already flooded with emails, it doesn’t hurt to offer a little extra incentive to entice people to give you their email address. After all, it’s still the most effective marketing tool for musicians. So try to do whatever you can to sweeten the deal to get those email addresses.

Examples of Calls-to-Action

Here are a few good examples of calls-to-action:

Laura Marie (email address for free exclusive music + chance for appreciation video):

5th Projekt (email address for free exclusive song):

Rob Lutes (new album now available):

Delaney Gibson (Pledge Music fan-funding campaign):

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Previous Website Quick Fix posts:

Musician Website Quick Fix #2: Lose the Intro Page

Musician Website Quick Fix #1: Turn off auto-start music

This guest post is by Chris “Seth” Jackson, a bass guitarist and composer in pursuit of fulfilling his life’s dream of being a self-sufficient musician. He blogs his progress over at Howtorunaband.com to share the ups and downs of his adventure and to share techniques that all artists can use to achieve success. This is a great post about taking personal responsibility for the promotion of your live shows. Enjoy!

How to Promote a Show: Don’t Rely on Anyone Else

After having a poorly attended show, it’s easy to point the fingers at everyone else. The bottom line: the turn-out is entirely your responsibility.

When trying to promote your show, you would expect there to be a team of people to help out: the club, the booker, the other bands, and the promoter. And, yes, they sometimes do help out. However, more times than not, that level of support just isn’t there.

“How about the other bands on the bill? Can’t we get them to help flier and promote?”

Sadly, no. You can’t rely on other bands to promote the show. However, you can rely on them to make outrageous demands at the show, despite having done no promotional work whatsoever.

The bands that actually do help out, you want to work with them forever. Treat them like gold, pitch their shows, and always keep in contact with them. Those are the contacts you need in this industry.

Also, what if the other bands are from out-of-town? They can’t physically promote at all in your city. They rely on YOU. If the band is new, they may not know how to promote. Again, they need to see how you do it!

“How about the booker and the club? Aren’t they supposed to promote this?”

No. The booker has done her job by booking the show. She, now, has to book the other four months worth of shows, all the while dealing with cancellations and flakey bands.

The club itself is usually in the business of selling alcohol and trying desperately to keep its doors open. Most clubs I’ve seen at least run ads in the local papers. That’s about all you’re getting with the club dealing with shows just about every night of the year.

“Well, the promoter for this show is going to promote this, right?”

No. The promoter does drugs and steals your money from the door. So far, all the people I’ve seen that have the title “promoter” are the least capable of promoting. Not to say good promoters don’t exist; just don’t bet on it and protect your ass.

Rely on Yourself

In this biz, you are the only one you can rely on. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t build a team. As your band grows, you will need to bring in others to help you out. However, this doesn’t mean trusting them implicitly. In the software testing field, we have a saying: “Trust, but Verify.”

Just because you have an entertainment lawyer doesn’t absolve you of double checking what the lawyer has written up for you. Just because you have an accountant doesn’t mean that accountant is handling your money correctly. Having a manager doesn’t mean your career is being handled appropriately.

And with promoting a show, you need to verify that those also “helping” promote are doing their job. For this very reason, starting your show promotion as early as possible will help you identify the slackers or the scammers.

If you do rely on someone else to help out your band, make sure to have a backup plan. Just like bringing an extra guitar and drum sticks to your gig, you should have a backup plan in case someone falls through. And in the music biz, people fall through a lot. Though this post sounds a bit negative, I’m only trying to make you aware of the reality of the situation. Sometimes you have great shows where everyone promotes, and you don’t have to worry about all the other people. Then, you have shows where you can’t even rely on your own bandmates to help with anything.

That’s just how the biz goes. If you plan for the worst, you will be prepared against most surprises. Your show will still get promoted, even if it’s only you.

The alternative when relying on everyone else? No promotion occurs, and you have zero people at your show.

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You can check out Chris “Seth” Jackson’s blog over at Howtorunaband.com, or follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/howtorunaband

Musician Tips: The importance of a contract and professionalism when collaborating

Here’s the scenario: You’re out and about watching another indie artist perform and you think your styles would blend well together. After the show you approach him and ask if he wants to collab. He says sure, and you make a plan to meet a couple days later.

What you do from here will make a world of difference in the long run. Here are some tips to help navigate the collaboration process:

The first meeting

This should be a brief get together to discuss the goal of the collaboration project. This is not the time to create, just a short meet up to make a plan which should include:

• What type of project do you want to work on? One song, an EP, a gig? There are lots of possibilities.
  
• A basic idea of who will do what on the project. Although this may change in the creative process it is a good idea to note each participants intended contribution.
• A rough schedule of when you can meet to create, and when you want to complete the project. Even if you are both free spirits, set a deadline. This can always be adjusted, but without a deadline the project could just stall.
• The terms of payment (if any), and time frame for payment
• How the project will be used. For instance, will only one of you put this on your album or are you creating a song to shop to a third party band or artist.

The contract

Yes, I said contract. That word that makes you cringe at the thought of mentioning it to another person. To lessen the dread, we can call it an agreement, which is basically what a contract is…an agreement of terms between two parties. Simple right? Well, kind of. Here are some important points to keep in mind when drafting an agreement:

• After your first meeting one of you should take the notes and put them into a basic agreement. At the very next meeting before any work begins, each person involved should read over the agreement and sign it. Anyone hesitant to sign an agreement is usually someone who wouldn’t honor it anyway.


• Add in a clause that allows you both to exit out of this project up to a certain point if the collaboration is not working. In the beginning everything is sunshine and daisies, but as time goes on, the project may turn in a direction you don’t want your name associated with.


• You can never be prepared for everything, but if you have any concerns up front it’s best to include them in the agreement. If something comes up later that drastically changes the project it is best to write up an addendum, have all parties sign it, and attach it to the original agreement.


• An agreement does not need to be notarized or written up by a lawyer. A notary basically just acknowledges the signatures and with basic agreements this is unnecessary. Unless you are creating a very detailed project you do not have to pay a lawyer to prepare a contract.

If you do want something a bit more professional than a hand written or typed contract, you can check out some online resources that offer standard work agreements. Here are a few to get you started:

www.musiccontracts.com
www.musiccontracts101.com

Written vs. oral agreements

Always use a written agreement as oral contracts lead to misunderstandings. You may say, “well he is my friend and he wouldn’t do me wrong.” I’m here to tell you that written agreements between friends is even more important than between strangers. When you have a signed agreement it keeps the professional relationship separate from your buddy relationship. This also makes it easier to hold each other accountable when lines are blurred. When a conflict occurs, instead of arguing about it you can just say, “Hmm...I forget, let’s check the agreement.”

Professionalism in the creative process

Although the music industry can be flashy and fun, remember that this is your business. There is a time and place for everything, and partying all the way through the creative process will not sustain your career. This is not to say you can’t have a good time through the process but always remember that there is a balance between creativity and business. Here are some tips for maintaining professionalism throughout the creative process:

• Keep the partying and groupies out of the creative process and celebrate after you have come up with that collaboration hit!


• When you go into the studio or a creation session, set a time limit. Leaving this process open ended does not get much done. Once you are in the zone you can allow for more time but when you first begin set an attainable goal like “let’s get the melody created by {--o’clock}”. Then once that is done, move onto the next part of the song or project. This will keep the project moving forward.


• Don’t burn bridges. If a collaboration doesn’t work out, don’t bad mouth your collaboration partner all over the internet. This is a small industry and you may have to work with this person again, or know someone with important connections who works with this person.


• Rule of thumb is... If you find that a person is super picky, very opinionated, unprofessional, or difficult to work with up front…. it will continue. Listen to your gut feeling in the initial meeting and know when to cut your losses.


• Remember to work together for the good of the project. The main reason to collab is to blend styles to get a great end result. Always explore each other’s ideas and don’t let your ego take over.


• Always give credit where credit is due. Even if you worked on a project a little more than the other person, always recognize them for their contribution. This keeps your music karma in balance.

I’m sure many of you have had experiences with collaborating. We’d love to hear about them, both the good and the bad!

*And if you're looking for ideas for how to collaborate with other artists, check out our blog post "21 Ways to Collaborate with Other Artists & Bands to Get More Fans".

Bandzoogle Member Enter the Haggis Raise Over $40,000 through their Website

Bandzoogle Member since: 2007

Genre: Celtic Rock

From: Toronto, Canada

Website: www.enterthehaggis.com

Toronto’s Celtic rock band Enter The Haggis has found itself at the center of a grassroots success story ever teetering on the brink of mainstream success. From playing Celtic festivals to headlining them, and from the festival circuit to selling out multiple nights in rock venues, ETH has blazed a path with heavy and almost constant touring. The band has made waves in the genre, landing high Billboard and iTunes World Music chart positions as well as major television appearances on shows like Live With Regis And Kelly, A&E Breakfast With the Arts and PBS’ popular program Out of Ireland.

They recently completed a hugely successful fan-funding campaign where they raised over $40,000 through their website to fund their new album. In our interview with the band they explain why and how they did it, and tell us about a very cool opportunity they are offering their fan base. Enjoy!

Q: You guys recently decided to break free of the more traditional industry and raise money independently for your newest album, what was the inspiration to do that?

Well, honestly - companies like Bandzoogle and ArtistData offer so many incredible tools to artists today - tools that used to be out of the reach of indie acts. Throw in the level of fan engagement possible with social networks like Facebook and Twitter and suddenly it gets harder and harder to justify the chunk of your income a label demands, especially when it's hard to think of things a label will do that a motivated indie act can't do themselves! We're not on MTV, we're not on Clear Channel stations - why should we pay a label to get our album into a store in Wyoming if nobody there has ever heard of us? It's not like we'll see any significant income from the sale even if someone DOES decide to buy it blind.

Unfortunately, the one thing that labels can do for you (although all of our albums have been self-financed) is help pay for the recording of a record. We'd seen some creative campaigns by people like Josh Freese and Imogen Heap in which they enlisted the support of their fans to bankroll their albums, and with the tools at our disposal we realized that, with a little extra work, we could probably raise enough money from a pre-sale fundraiser to make a better record than we could afford on our own. We'd spent years developing a close and personal relationship with our fanbase, and we knew that they would jump at the chance to get in on the ground floor - especially if we made it worth their while!

Q: Why did you choose to run your fan-funding campaign through your own website rather than through a fan-funding service?

After poring over the various options we found, it was obvious that Bandzoogle's store was robust and flexible enough for us to just run it ourselves. I think there's something to be said for doing it all independently, too - your fans don't have that corporate level of separation from you that comes with a branded service like Kickstarter, and they really feel like they're supporting you directly (and they know nobody's taking a cut!). The only potential downside would be the fact that reputable companies like Kickstarter inspire confidence in an e-consumer - but since our BZ store runs through PayPal (the MOST trusted e-commerce solution) that wasn't an issue at all. And we got to keep more of the money.

Q: How did you get the word out about your campaign?

We used all the channels available to us - Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. We run our mailing list through Fanbridge (because we've got a pretty big list) so we sent lots of little reminder emails out with snippets of info and lots of behind-the-scenes videos. We replaced our homepage with a Bandzoogle "Intro page", with a giant and funny photo that linked straight to the fundraiser page. Obviously we talked it up on stage and after shows as well, and mentioned the campaign in any press that came our way. Remarkably, even with all the effort we put into it, I still come across devoted fans who somehow missed the whole thing - which shows you that you can NEVER assume that just putting a few status updates on Facebook and sending out a mass email will reach everyone whose attention you're trying to get!

Q: What were the incentives you offered to people to contribute to the campaign?

God, there were a ton of things. We took a page from Kickstarter and offered a few tiers of presale packages. For $20, you'd get a signed copy of the album sent to you. A few levels up, at $200, you'd get: TWO signed copies; a digital copy; five unreleased demos; a custom T-shirt; a custom USB key full of photos and unreleased videos and a personal "thank you" video; a postcard from the road; a phone call from the band; a handwritten lyric sheet; a special souvenir from the studio (which could be anything from a pair of drumsticks to the cutting board we made sandwiches on). Obviously this was a lot of work on our end (we had to put together SIXTY of these top-tier packages), but it was all worthwhile.

On top of that, we offered private lessons at shows, sold off some pieces of gear and offered fans the chance to get a matching tattoo with me (which I have to do this month, haha). For $500, we'd learn and record ANY SONG you chose, whether it was your own original or some wacky cover (we've had to learn Baba O'Reilly by The Who and Fitzcarraldo by The Frames). For $1000 you could come to the studio up in Canada (on your own dime, of course) and actually BE on the album - we had a guy come and play trumpet on two songs and a really nice couple from Michigan sang backups and added hand-claps, and both have joined us onstage at shows since!

The other thing we did (which I learned from Josh Freese's campaign) was offer a few absolutely ridiculous fundraiser packages. For a quarter of a million dollars, we'd fly you into space. For $12,000, our guitar player Trevor would drive his car to your house anywhere on the continent, do your laundry, cook you dinner and then hand you the keys to his Volkswagen Gulf and take a bus home. The value in offering a few altogether crazy packages is that it gets people talking - your fans will go to Facebook and say "Hey everyone, look what this crazy band is doing! LOL ROLFMAO OMG". Suddenly, you haven't just reached your fans - you've reached their friends and family as well.

Q: How much money did you raise in the end for your new album?

In the end, we brought in about $43,000. It was more than enough to make the record we wanted to make. We even made the always difficult decision to get the album re-mixed after mixing the whole damned thing, just because our fans afforded us the financial flexibility to get it right. I designed the album art and packaging, and we had enough left over to do a few fun things: custom die-cut windows in the traypak, foil stamping the album title on the cover, etc. Being able to go directly to our amazing fans and raise money WITHOUT having to pay out a huge chunk to a third party enabled us to focus on making the best product we possibly could without compromising due to budget constraints.

Q: You guys have a fun offering for your fans right now, which is a chance to tour Ireland with the band in 2012. Tell us more about that.

We'll be doing a tour of Ireland from April 11th-19th, and we're offering fans the chance to fly over with us and ride on tour buses all over Southern Ireland. They'll see all the sights, have time to wander in beautiful Irish cities like Dublin and Galway and see us play a few shows.

We've done this a few times before - a few years back we paired up with another band (The Elders, from Kansas City) and brought over 200 people with us! It was pretty intense. Five busloads of fans descending like locusts onto unsuspecting Irish coastal towns - I think we made the price of Guinness spike worldwide that month.

Best of all, instead of opening for a local act in a dingy back-alley club, we can call venues and say "Hey, we're a band from Canada, on tour for a week in Ireland and we'd like to book a headline slot at your 250 capacity club on a Friday night. Oh, and we're bringing a hundred hard-partying Americans and Canadians with us." This in turn makes it a million times easier to get press attention, and any locals who happen to come to your shows are greeted by a hundred hardcores singing along with every word, which boosts their perception of your band... It's an absolute win-win.

OK, we’re going to end this interview with a few hard-hitting questions:

Q: Have you ever in fact entered a haggis?

You can't see my face in those photos. It's entirely possible someone else has the same tattoos as me. My lawyer suggests I don't answer this question in any more detail.

Q: Irish or Scotch Whiskey?

Irish. When I first joined this band as an 18 year old, it seemed like every gig we played turned into a Scotch tasting, which eventually became a Scotch gulping. It'll be a few more years before I want to dive back into those barrels.

Q: Guinness or Murphy’s?

Hmm... once you've had Guinness at the brewery in Dublin, it's a little sentimental - but I do honestly really love Murphy's. Beamish is great, too - really it's hard to go wrong with a legitimate Irish stout. If you've never tried Guinness' Extra Stout or Foreign Extra Stout, give them a shot - they're very different but very good. And high in alcohol content.

Q: And finally, when wearing a kilt, underwear or commando style?

I don't get to wear a kilt anymore - I sold it in the fundraiser! I'm not even joking. Up here in Canada I think the climate dictates the necessity of undercarriage insulation though.. it gets a little drafty.

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Zooglers, have you run a fan-funding campaign through your own website? If so, tell us about your experience in the comments!

Hey there Bandzooglers,

Just a quick note to wish a happy and merry Thanksgiving Holiday to all of our American members. And a happy Rest of the Week to everyone else (!) including the Canadian members of our support staff who, having celebrated Thanksgiving more than a month ago, will be on hand if you feel like using the days off to work on your site and need any help.

Still... you should expect reduced live chat hours, and slightly longer delays in replying to support e-mails, as many of us will be distracted by turkey, family and football watching.

There are so many things that we are thankful for here at Bandzoogle, and all of those are made possible by your continued trust and support. We will (finally) have many exciting things to announce very soon and a lot of work ahead. But we're happy to take a moment and realize how lucky we all are to be doing work we love, building tools that help you Bandzooglers do what you love. This makes life a lot more fun for everyone, and much better sounding, thank you.

To finish, let me share an older-than-me song I really love, from rock/funk guitarist Eugene Blacknell:

Happy Thanksgiving !

David Dufresne
CEO, Bandzoogle

Marketing Your Music: Rynda Laurel on Social Media, Visual Marketing & Philanthropy

Hello Zooglers! Welcome to a new series of blog posts where we will interview experts in music marketing to offer tangible advice for artists and bands. We’re kicking things off with an interview with Rynda Laurel:

Rynda is a partner at DigiStar which is focused on working with established music artists and iconic entertainers on a variety of content and marketing initiatives. She also consults for various startup and technology companies. You will often find her speaking at international conferences including Social Media Week, DigitalLA, Girls in Tech, Canadian Music Week, MaMA Music, East Coast Music, MIDEM and SXSW.

As part of her belief and passion for giving back, she founded CauseWeRock, is on the advisory board of Sweet Relief and has participated in philanthropic events such as DigitalLA Green, Fair Fund, Twestival, Live Earth and MusiCares MAPFund.

Q: With all of the free social media networks out there, is having your own website still important for artists today?

Yes without a doubt. That's like asking if we need the sun to survive. A dedicated website with your name as the url is crucial. It is the life force of your social media and digital universe. Let the platform of planets revolve around you not you around them. We once thought the earth was the center of the universe like Facebook does now - then we discovered that we revolved around the sun. Same thing. Really all planets (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, MySpace, etc..) should revolve around the sun. Wow did I just go there? I wonder what @astroengine would say about that!

Q: Once an artist is using social media, what should they be talking about?

If artists start thinking of using these tools as another creative outlet as opposed to a chore their parents (aka mangers) asked them to do then it should come naturally.

That said- there are many ways to express who they are as a person and as an artist. Although some fans want to know the intimate details of their morning shower, what they really want to know is what makes an artist tick. Is it other artists? pop culture? world news? movies? sports? nature? food? photography? science? clowns? Talk about it.

I'd also say that expression and connection can be made without words. The Twilight Singers, for example, post beautiful photographs, art and random music videos of artists of all genres intertwined with fan photos, personal photos, interviews, show dates and live videos. It is perfect for them – it expresses their artistic and musical tastes without saying a word literally -it is authentic to who they are.

I can guarantee every artist is a fan of another artist. Someone inspired them to play music - hopefully it was Led Zeppelin. If they asked themselves what they, as fans would want to know about their favorite artist through these tools and do that - then they are on the right track.

Q: “Direct-to-fan” is a big buzz phrase these days, is it a passing fad or here to stay?

A passing fad? If you mean like the 60's-gone but influencing every generation after? Then it's still no. Direct-to-fan is really nothing new there are just no middle-multi-million dollar salaried-men in between the artist and the fan anymore. The fans won't have it. The system has broken down. It's the "Summer of Love" for artists and fans.

Q: How focused should artists be today on interacting with their fans?

Here again if the artist starts thinking of these fans as part of their family and artistic community they will want to interact with them. Fans are the artists extended family-not always chosen but loved none the less. How could they not interact with them?

Q: What is branding and should artists pay attention to it?

They shouldn't. They should just make sure everything has the same "look and feel" across all of their "creative spaces" which includes their "album" art, website, social media platforms, press materials and merch. A good logo never hurt anyone either. Think about Foo Fighters - see the double F's? The Doors in block font? Basically an artist wants to be VISUALLY MEMORABLE - that is all branding is to me.

Some technical advice: Hexadecimal (Hex) codes- figure out what they are. Pick three and use them everywhere. Use the same font everywhere. Have a square logo and photo - all social media avatars are square.

Q: You’re quite the avid photographer, what advice would you give to artists about photos? Is a good band photo important for their promotion/marketing efforts?

Yes, I started taking live photos of bands many many years ago and realized I could make time stand still for just a fraction of a second. It is magic. I've shot band press shots before too - it is about using the tools (lighting, framing, processing/filters) to bring out the "essence" of who they are as artists.

Advice for artists? It is about expressing yourself in an artistic manner that shows in one shot who you are as an artist at that point in time. Be authentic and don't let a stylist tell you how to dress.

An Artist "press" photo is important in the over all "look and feel" so it should match your "visually memorable" goal.

Q: How much time initially do you think artists should be spending on marketing/promotion vs. rehearsals/creation, etc.?

Initially: As in an artist just starting out? First, practice, practice, practice. Write good songs with melodies and lyrics that will resonate with people. Practice some more. Write more songs. Practice. LOVE what you do. Write another song. Come up with a great band name if you need one. Practice. Record a few and see how everyone works under pressure, write more songs, practice, record some demos, practice, book some gigs, play around town, (maybe start an e-mail newsletter list around this time) make sure you like your bandmates - you will have to live with them in a dark smelly van - practice - write more songs - and by then if you still want to do it, practice some more, write another song, and if you still want to do it then... take a handful of those songs and put them in a format that people can hear while you are not there (like a CD or digital download) and then......

...Tackle "the look and feel" "visually memorable" non marketing marketing by getting your "press materials" together and building your website and THEN start sharing on social media. If the drummer hasn't quit by then he/she will probably do it.

Q: Most marketing & promotional talk these days is about online strategies and social media, but what offline strategies should artists also be focusing some attention on?

All strategy should probably focus on the live performances. PERIOD.(see why I suggested they practice?) That is essentially one of the main ways artists make money. It will be slow at first but I will tell you that I've seen plenty of multi-platinum artists who now sell out stadiums play their ass off for 10 people on a Tuesday night. All strategies should be about getting people to your shows – which goes back to online strategies and platforms that help you book gigs and sleep on people’s couches. (see: @betterthanthevan)

Q: Philanthropy is very important in your career, do you think it’s important for artists to give back through work with charitable organizations?

Philanthropy is important to me personally. I have been lucky enough to be in a career where I can use my relationships to facilitate opportunities and I am prou to be on the advisory board for @SweetRelief. It is important for an artist to be authentic- so if giving back is part of who they are as people then of course they should. There are many ways to give back and of course different levels. (FYI Artists - check out @downtime)

Q: When an artist supports a cause, is there a danger of being pigeon-holed? Can you possibly support a cause too much?

If an artist is passionate about a cause then they can do as much as they want for a cause – the only “pigeon-hole” danger is when it comes to politics and/or issues that are considered “moral” issues. Again, if an artist feels strongly about it then more power to them – for example artists like Steve Earle & Tom Morello are known for their activism and it suites them.

Q: Bonus question: I read somewhere that you’ve met Elmo?! Please explain the context of that, and also, please tell us if he’s as tempting to tickle as he appears to be.

HA! Yes, I spent 8 years at Sony Wonder, the children’s division of Sony. There I worked on multiple Sesame Street projects including they 35th anniversary box set. He is quite ticklish. An even better story is when I told David Bowie – jokingly of course- that we wanted him to dress up as Big Bird and go on tour with Elmo. Luckily he got my humor and laughed along. True story.

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For more about Rynda Laurel, visit her website: www.rynda.me or follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rynda

Marketing Your Music: Interview with Rick Goetz Part 1: Getting Signed, Email Etiquette & Licensing

Throughout his music career, Rick Goetz has been a major label A&R representative, a music supervisor, an artist manager, a reality show producer, a bass player and the head of a digital record label. Rick has lots of helpful content on his blog Musician Coaching, and is one of my favorite industry people around, because as you’ll see, he’s a straight-talker who doesn’t pull any punches. In Part 1 of this interview, we discuss why bands still want to get signed, how to send emails to industry professionals, and Rick also offers some insight into getting your music licensed.

Q: Earlier this year ReverbNation released the results of a survey that showed that 75% of indie artists still want to get signed to a record label. As someone who has a background in the label world, I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Did the results surprise you? In an era with social media, easy digital distribution, and an abundance of direct-to-fan tools, why do you think so many artists still want to get signed?

Surprised? I think when I initially got back in to working with artists in 2009 I was surprised that this was the pervasive feeling among musicians in the digital age. By the time that survey came out I had become all too familiar with what most artists were looking for. MusicianCoaching.com started in August of 2009 and right around that time when researching what music business related keywords were most often searched in Google I was shocked to learn that keywords relying on outside help far out numbered keywords that suggested self-reliance. This hasn’t changed. For example, today (December 13th, 2011) “How do I get a record deal” gets searched for 110,000 times per month while “How do I market my music” gets searched for 480 times per month. “Where can I find a music manager” gets searched for 165,000 times per month where as “How to promote your music” gets 6,600 searches per month. You could argue that these are only 4 different terms but by all means go on Google Adwords Keyword Tool and look for yourself. It indicated to me that people were more interested in outside help than self-reliance. To be fair- there was this unspoken promise of the digital era that said every musician would have a chance to be self sustaining through direct to fan that (of course) never really came to be. Fame and success are what they are in music because they are (and always will be) rare commodities.

The underlying message I took away from the keyword research though is that most people think the idea of being a rock star is great but they don’t really understand what goes in to it. Notice I said “people” rather than “musicians” – there are too many people who are really just people who plunk around on a guitar rather than “real” guitarists or people who scribble poetry in a journal and sing in the shower who consider themselves “real” singers. However you define what a real musician is I think the take away here is that our overnight success culture is one that has sold us on the idea that anyone can be a musician and anyone can make it but it has left out the years and years of study and persistence that usually goes into becoming a success. I guess the overnight success mythology is just a much better story for journalists than the slow grind. No one remembers that Hendrix played sideman gigs for years before going solo or that Peter Frampton was on the road for three years straight before recording “Frampton comes Alive”. People look at the end result and just forget those things.

It’s weird, right? Shows like American Idol perpetuate this mythology too. If you think about it they show the public less than an hour’s worth of performance footage before handing someone a record deal and they don’t really elaborate on the journey of honing their craft that got them there. Worse still- they deify people in the music business as judges who hold artists’ fate in their hands. In the real world there are very few people left who can allocate millions of dollars towards the marketing and promotion of a pop star and waiting for someone like that to appear in your life (rather than doing your best to market and promote yourself) is akin to handing an investor a business plan that says simply “Buy lotto tickets with initial investment and win.”

Why do so many people want to get signed? I think it stems from a global cultural problem that alters our perception of reality that is fed to us and reinforced by mass media. I think people gravitate to the idea that there is some kind of quick fix. It’s in the way we (all of us) think to look for the path of least resistance. What most people don’t realize is just how difficult things remain even after getting signed.

Q: Speaking of email, many artists do email record labels, managers, etc. asking for help. What’s your advice for artists who write emails to people in the industry?

I have a ton of advice on this – people often screw this up and they don’t have to if they put a bit more time and thought into their approach.

For one – I’d avoid the form letter. I’m not saying that some of what you send people isn’t going to be the same (or even a straight cut and paste) but you’d better have language in your letter that is custom tailored to the person you are sending a cold email to. A specific reason that you are contacting someone is a good start. What do you want, why specifically are you contacting this industry person and why should they care? You need to answer those questions in a concise manner because a form letter about your thoughts on your own level of talent is going to fall on deaf ears.

Remember that playing music is a potent drug and nearly everyone who plays is under the influence. We might not always be the best judge of our own music and as such people who are gate keepers (or what I like to call people who sit behind a desk where dreams go to die) are used to hearing how great people think they are day in and day out. If you want to impress someone – do so with tangible accomplishments. Mention who you’ve played with, how many tour markets you do well in, social network numbers, testimonials for more established musicians or synch placements you have gotten. If you don’t have much to talk about it might be too early to contact the person or company you are targeting. The industry wants to know that other people think you are great and are putting their money where their mouth is. Your own word doesn’t tend to hold up.

Another common mistake musicians make is throwing themselves at the industry. If you take a tact that you want to know someone and see what their company is about- it’s a much stronger position than making the assumption that whatever company you are writing to is the best possible fit because they work with large artists (or whatever the case may be). It’s really off-putting to people getting these emails to consider that the person contacting knows absolutely nothing about them personally or professionally but is out of the blue proposing an ongoing business relationship. It’s creepy. This would be like seeing an attractive stranger across the room and then tearing off your clothes and charging at them. Be aware of healthy boundaries in your business life too.

You have to remember that at some point we all (myself included) are going to have to reach out to someone we don’t know to advance our careers so it’s important that you develop this skill as soon as possible.

Q: You have an extensive background in television, and you’ve also featured some great interviews on your blog about music licensing. What is your advice for artists looking to get their music licensed on TV and in film? Do they need to have an agent? Work with a placement company? Do the abundance of free/open-to-all/non-exclusive music licensing sites work for indie artists?

“Extensive” is being a bit kind but I’ve done some work in music supervision for commercials and dabbled in reality TV. I think people should selectively try out a few of the non-exclusive placement companies. It’s rare that they turn up a placement relative to how many submissions they get but it can’t hurt since most of these companies don’t have much of a barrier with regard to the time it takes to register or submission fees. I know musicians who do quite well without an agency and those who have started monetizing their music by building relationships as junior producers at large music / jingle houses. It’s almost 100% a relationship business getting your music placed. The most important thing is that you meet music supervisors and even editors and approach them without any hint desperation. You might laugh but someone coming at you like their life depends on you using their music is a bit... well, it’s a bit scary.

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In Part 2 of our interview with Rick Goetz, he discusses digital marketing strategies, music streaming services, and has some choice words for social media experts, so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, you can check out Rick’s work over at MusicianCoaching.com and follow him on Twitter: @Musiccoaching

Do's and Don'ts of a website store page

Having fans visit your website is great, but let’s be honest…. there’s nothing like getting an email that says “You’ve made a sale!” Having someone buy from your website is no accident and it takes a bit of skill to not only get them to your website, but to encourage the sale. The number one rule of sales is to make it easy to buy from you. Here are a few do’s and don’ts to help.

Don’t...

1) Don’t clutter your store page

This can be easy to do when you have many CD’s and merch to present. Always assume your visitor has only a few minutes to browse your site. If you put too many pictures, words, and options on your store page they may get overwhelmed and decide to come back later when they have time. If they leave without buying, the chances of them coming back are slim. Make your Store page organized and inviting. Provide a short description of the item, an image, and the price. Then all that’s left for them to do is click ‘buy now.’

2) Don’t add a lot of widgets to your page

Widgets look nice but there are two major downfalls to adding store widgets to your website. The first is that most are flash based and won’t show up on iPad’s/iPhone’s. When a visitor views your store page from any of those devices it will just be blank. Second, widgets can take quite awhile to load which can be irritating to a visitor who is ready to view and buy your items right away.

3) Don’t make your visitor leave your site

Imagine walking into a store and the salesperson telling you, “Yes we sell that here, but a more popular ‘brand name’ store sells it also. We want you to know we are so cool that our items are there too, so you can go there to buy your item if you want.” That would be ridiculous right? That is the same thing that happens when you have your fans go to iTunes or other ‘popular’ music sites to purchase your music when it is easily available from your website. Now there is nothing wrong with linking to any other store sites, but once a fan makes it to your Store page encourage them to buy right from that page. The best part is that the Bandzoogle store doesn’t take a cut of any of your sales, so that’s a bonus as well.

4) Don’t make a visitor log-in to buy

Of all the other don’ts on this list, this one is by far the most important in my opinion. When you are an indie artist you work so hard to get people to even view your website, so when they get there don’t make them jump through hoops to buy something. Many people are leery of ‘registering’ for a website they are not familiar with so I don’t recommend making your Store page ‘members only’. Once you have a solid fan list you can setup a ‘members only’ page and add freebies and contests for your most loyal fans.

5) Don’t inundate your fans

This tip isn’t really about your store page, but the methods you use to get them there. This topic deserves a blog post all its own, but for now just remember that screaming ‘BUY MY MUSIC!!!’ every hour all over the internet is not going to get fans to buy from you. In fact it will most likely result in those fans un-friend’ing you.

Do’s

1) Do ask!

The most important ‘DO’ is to ask for the sale! If you don’t ask the answer is always no. This goes for online sales, as well as sales at gigs and events. Don’t be afraid to put a call-to-action right on your home page directing people to your Store page. This lets fans know you have a current album that they should get, now! At gigs, don’t just end your final set with a “thank you and good night.” Let your fans know what you have to sell and where they can buy it.

2) Do promote creatively

Remember that music is everywhere and many artists are giving it away for free. To make sales you have to create the perception of value for your items. Think outside of the normal ‘CD’s and Downloads box’ by offering other goods and services as well. Many artists have made good money by offering things like autographed items, personalized songs, backstage passes, and phone calls.

3) Do continually add new products

Being a professional musician means going to work every day to create something new for your fans. To keep your fans interested, add new products and content often. When you add new blog posts, images, videos, and events, it brings visitors back to your website to check it out. When they get to your site, try to have something new for them to download or buy. You don’t have to offer a new 10-song CD, as new individual songs and EP’s are just as popular with fans. Even before your CD is ready you can offer it as a pre-sale item. Offer a short description and then add at least one track to the page to give them a little taste. Then blog about the progress to keep people in anticipation of the new release.

4) Do give some freebies

Consider giving away one free track in exchange for the fan’s email address. If they like your music, they will most likely purchase other tracks or the full album. You can also do this with referrals, which are another great way to increase your fan base. When someone refers friends you should reward them with something free like another free track, or free admission to your next gig. Running a contest on your Store page each month is another way to use freebies to encourage fans to re-visit your site often, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. People love gift cards, free music, free gig admission, or even a video chat with you, their favorite band or artist!

5) Do thank your fans

When your fans purchase a download they will receive an email with the thank you message you set in the Mailing list tab (member options tab). In that thank you message you may want to consider using the “freebie” idea and adding a link to a free ‘hidden’ track. You can go one step further and set up a group in your mailing list for those who have purchased anything from you. Then every few months send them a thank you for being a loyal fan and give something away to them for free. And whenever you send physical merch, include a little something extra like stickers or guitar picks. This will make them feel special and will want to buy again for the perks. Just remember that fans have many options to buy new music so when they buy from you, let them know you appreciate it.

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What are some of your favorite ways to get people to your Store page? What are some of the ways that you thank your fans for their purchases?

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Examples of a few nice stores of Bandzoogle members:

Marketing Your Music: Interview with Rick Goetz Part 2: Social Media, Content Marketing and the Importance of Making Great Music

Throughout his music career, Rick Goetz has been a major label A&R representative, a music supervisor, an artist manager, a reality show producer, a bass player and the head of a digital record label. Rick has lots of helpful content on his blog Musician Coaching, and is one of my favorite industry people around, because as you’ll see, he’s a straight-talker who doesn’t pull any punches. In Part 1 of our interview with Rick, he discussed why bands still want to get signed, how to send emails to industry professionals, and music licensing. In Part 2, Rick talks digital marketing strategy, why bands should focus on making great music, and has some choice words for “social media experts”. Enjoy!

Q: One of the services you offer is to write marketing plans for musicians. When you’re working with artists, what else besides social media do you have them put into their plans? It seems like most advice out there these days is hyper-focused on social media. What else do artists need to be thinking about when marketing their music?

Social Media is that handful of ice cubes protruding from the water connected to a mountainous glacier below the surface that is the rest of digital marketing. I’m not saying social media isn’t important – it absolutely is! The problem is that “social media experts” are about as ubiquitous today as the word “Alternative” was in music magazines in the mid 1990s. Shut the f**k up – we know we should be on Twitter already!

People should pay attention to search, message boards and ways of bundling their content with other acts that are likely to have similar fan bases but that really only scratches the surface.

It used to be (prior to the digital age) that you created a product and then promoted said product and it was all very linear. Now it’s all about creating an ongoing stream of promotional content to build your overall brand and thereby sell the standard products (shows, merch, recorded music etc.) Your ongoing multimedia dialogue with fans and potential fans is key regardless of whether or not that ends up on social networks or blogs or wherever. That’s the real key in my opinion. What are you doing or saying that gets people to visit your online properties more regularly. How do you get people to become comfortable enough with you to give you that all-important “fair listen” rather than everyone’s initial listen to dismiss that occurs because we have all been bombarded by too much music. This promotional content can be anything, blogging ,vlogging, still images, live video from shows, recorded interview footage. If musicians are looking to “make it” in that fame and fortune kind of way they should consider that they have to be in the entertainment business as much as in the music business because it seems like music as a commodity is more and more diminished every day.

Q: What do you think the best strategy is for an artist's online presence? Is having your own website still important for artists in an era of free social media networks?

I still think websites are essential even though most interactions can be done on social media platforms. I think a good website says something about how reliable and committed an artist is and believe me anything that conveys being reliable as an artist is HUGE. It’s just too easy to put up a Facebook fan page. Besides, something has to bind all of your online properties together and act as a command center of some kind. When I want to see the official word from an artist I tend to still look at the website and explore their social media from there. Discovery usually comes from elsewhere (for me) but I like having a definitive and official page for the artists I work with...

What is the best strategy? It’s really not a one size fits all kind of thing. Artists who are primarily touring acts will have a vastly different tact than those who get attention by doing covers on YouTube vs. those that get their music in TV etc. I get these questions a great deal from artists and it’s a frustration for me. It’s like someone pulled every musician aside and said there is one way of doing this marketing and PR thing but it’s just not the case. People who attempt to put PR and marketing services into a template above and beyond some very basic digital marketing basics are selling snake oil and the snake oil business seems to be booming right now.

Q: Most indie artists have to work side jobs or contracts to help them get by, so their free time is usually limited. Given that, how much time do you think artists/bands should be spending on marketing/promotion vs. rehearsals/creation when starting out?

Great question. It should be 100% rehearsals and creation when you start out. Far too many people rush off to market with a product...No, you know what- calling what many people first bring to market as a “product” is way too kind. Many people rush the first bulls**t they record out into the world because it is cheap an easy to do so. Not surprisingly the revolution in the music over the last decade has been the marketing of music and not the music itself. People should stop rushing and give music some room to breathe. Without a great product you’re not going anywhere anyway.

Q: With social media, is there any danger of over-saturating your fans with updates & content? And on the flip-side, do you think it’s possible to not provide enough content on social media?

This all depends on the quality of the content. If your content is uninteresting you can absolutely have people tune out on you by updating too much. You have to pay really close attention to your analytics and Facebook insight numbers to see what’s going on. On the other hand if you aren’t updating your website and social media pages at all it won’t be that hard for people to forget you.

Q: In your view, what’s more important for an artist to obtain: a Facebook “Like”, Twitter follower, or a fan’s email address?

An e-mail address– hands down. To my surprise I read studies that indicate that email still has the best conversion rate for turning a fan into a customer.

Q: There seems to be a lot of debate about Spotify these days, do you think emerging bands should have their music available on streaming services like Spotify?

Once again it’s a question of context. Are you a band like Phish that lives off their live show? If so – sure, your recorded music is more of a business card than a product for you anyway. If you are an artist shooting for radio and a more traditional recorded music sales focus... I guess it depends. I’m all in favour of getting as much exposure for an unknown artist to start so in general I’d say you should be on there but I don’t think the service has been around long enough to really gauge the impact in the long term.

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Big thanks to Rick Goetz for doing this interview. You can check out Rick’s work over at MusicianCoaching.com and follow him on Twitter: @Musiccoaching

New Year’s Resolutions for Musicians from Bandzoogle & Sonicbids Part 1: Agreements and Budgets

With a New Year comes everyone’s favorite, New Year’s Resolutions! And while we applaud all those hitting the gym, let’s be honest, it’s music that is on our minds. That’s why Sonicbids and Bandzoogle are teaming up to bring you a series of tips and tricks to make 2012 the best year yet for your band! With everything from budgeting and touring to getting your act together online, we’ve got plenty of info to share.

First up are tips on some of the most important and often most overlooked parts of being in a band – agreements and budgeting. We know they aren’t the sexiest of topics, but they are super important to the success of your band. So go ahead, get reading and get to rocking 2012!

Band or brothers: Create a Band Agreement

One way to help you stay on top of your finances in 2012 is to draft a band agreement. Even if your band has been together for a while, you never know when revenues & expenses will start to get complicated, and if it isn’t clear how to deal with those issues, conflict can arise, or worse, bands can break up over things that could have easily been dealt with beforehand.

Key points for your band agreement:

• Band name, band members, key man: Start with the basics: Who’s officially in the band? Is there a “key man” in the band? What if they leave? Can the band continue? What if other members leave, who holds the rights to use the band name?


• Term: Although there might not be a set length of time for the agreement itself, it will be important to know when the band will be considered officially broken up and who, if anybody, holds the rights to use the band name, and how future income will be distributed.


• Type of partnership: Will you be creating a business under the band’s name? If so, what kind of business will it be? A partnership? Will you incorporate? It’s probably best to talk with an accountant about which option would be best for your situation.


• Decision making: Do all band members have an equal vote? What issues require a unanimous vote? What issues require a simple majority? Things like expenses (equipment, touring, marketing, etc.), hiring a manager, publicist, signing a record deal, etc., are all important issues that you’ll need to make as a band.


• Division of duties: What band member is in charge of what? Updating your website, Facebook, Twitter, email correspondence, accounting, booking gigs, the list of tasks involved in running a band is almost endless. Delegate and spread out the tasks as much as possible to avoid having certain members burn out.


• Expenses: Decide who will invest money into expenses like purchasing equipment, buying a van, paying for marketing/promotion, merchandise, etc. It could be decided on a case by case basis, or all band members invest money equally whenever it is needed. Ideally, you always have money in the band’s bank account for those expenses, but you can’t count on that always being the case.


• Income: Possibly the most important issue, how will income be divided within the band? Income streams can include music sales (physical and digital), merchandise, live shows, licensing, sponsorships, and more. Will all income be divided evenly? What if there is debt to pay back for past investments (recording an album, merchandise, etc.)? You could decide on a formula where 100% of revenue goes to pay back debt, then profits are split equally, or band members take a small % each as a per diem (especially useful on the road) and the rest goes into the debt, etc.


• Songwriting & Royalties: Although this could be included in the “income” section, I wanted to bring special attention to this issue. Songwriting can be tricky in a band setting, since there is often a lot of collaboration going on. There’s no right or wrong way to approach this, as long as everyone in the band agrees that it’s fair. Maybe there’s a principal songwriter that gets a higher % or a majority %, and the rest is split between the other members. What happens when a band member leaves or is kicked out of the band? Do they still get to share in songwriting royalties? What about new members who join the band?

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when it comes to running a band as a business, and many bands break up because things like expenses, income and division of duties were not decided beforehand.

To see some sample band agreements, there’s a pretty good one over at Music Biz Academy, or doing a simple Google search for “band agreements” should give you a few good options for templates you can build from. And once you have something drafted for your band, you should probably have an entertainment lawyer look it over before anyone signs it.

Mo’ money mo’ budgeting: Create a budget

Once you get your agreement together, then you can start budgeting out your year. While we could write a book about this topic (and there are many already!) here’s a list of some key expenses to anticipate and consider.

• Touring. Chances are you’ll want to go on the road at some point this year. When you determine where you want to go, start budgeting out what your anticipated expenses and needs for the year. Don’t forget to consider the changing gas prices or exchange rates if you’re traveling across a border for the following: Transportation & Rentals, Food & Drink (Band tip: Most bands set a per diem), Hotel & Lodging, and an Emergency Pool (you never know when you’re going to have car or gear issues *knock on wood*).


• Recording. Even if you’re not planning to release a full length album, you might want to consider releasing an EP or a series of singles to keep your fans engaged all year long. Here are the major expenses when putting out a professional recording: Rehearsal Space (Band tip: Try sharing the space with one or two other bands to cut costs), Studio Time, a Producer/Engineer (if you do have a band member who is mixing the record, how much do they get paid?) and Mastering.


• Merch and Physical Recordings. If you decide on some physical distribution for your recordings, budget out what it’d cost to make CDs or even some Vinyl and your anticipated sales. In addition to the cost of the ordering and shipping of your recordings, T-shirts and other merch, don’t forget that you’ll actually need someone doing the artwork! Band tip:Think about working with someone who knows how to keep your band’s brand looking consistent.


• Gear. The majority of bands agree that each member pays for their own gear but you might consider a few pieces to be purchased by the band account (Band tip: Make sure you have in your agreement what happens to that gear if you guys split). Sometimes you might need to rent a PA or a few extra loop pedals to perform something live.


• Business Expenses. The final part of your budget should entail your business expenses. Everything from your website and EPK costs, Press Photos (please, don’t skimp on investing in these!), digital distribution, cover songs and if you’ve got an agent or publicist helping you out, you’ll have to pay them, too. Last but not least, think about the education you want to get this year. Are there some seminars or conferences you’d like to attend? Band tip: While there’s plenty of helpful info for free online (like this article, hopefully!) furthering your knowledge about the business is definitely a worthwhile item to put in the budget.

There’s plenty more tips to go! Next week we’ll talk fan-funding and merch sales as ways to support your music this year. Have questions or tips for other artists? Leave us notes in the comments!

Marketing Your Music: Kelli Richards on Social Media Authenticity, LinkedIn & our Future in the Cloud

Kelli Richards is a trailblazer in the digital music and media arenas with more than twenty years of experience, including 10 years at Apple. A highly sought-after consultant, mentor, speaker, producer, coach and author, Kelli is the CEO of The All Access Group . A frequent speaker and panel moderator at digital music and entertainment industry conferences globally, she is also the host of BlogTalkRadio (you might recognize a few of her past guests) and author of the book Taking the Crowd to the Cloud. We spoke to Kelli about social media marketing and the future of music. Enjoy!

Q: What do you think the best strategy is for an artist's online presence? Is having your own website still important for artists in an era of free social media networks?

The best strategy is one that works for the individual artist. There are a plethora of amazing tools out there to make it easier for the artist to reach and engage with their fans, and for the fans to engage with each other as well. It’s not necessary to be on every platform and use every tool. Some artists may seek fan-funded tools like Kickstarter, Slice the Piece, and Pledge Music to pay for their next album, while others may leverage TopSpin to create unique bundles of goods that allow them to go direct-to-fan (especially for superfans). Others may use crowdsourcing sites like Talenthouse to become visible and burst onto the global scene.

I do think that a website is still important for artists – beyond their Facebook page, Twitter accounts and the like, primarily because it’s a destination for a band’s fans. You can share tour dates, biographies, photos, show videos, and engage in direct-to-fan e-commerce – all in one place. It provides both a rich infrastructure and a destination tied to the band’s brand & name.

Q: With social media, is there any danger of over-saturating your fans with updates & content? And on the flip-side, do you think it’s possible to not provide enough content on social media?

I think there’s always a risk of oversaturation by tweeting about nonsensical things that no one really cares all that much about, but on the other hand there’s a lot to be said for artists who are willing to engage with their fans often and openly (if they’re comfortable doing that). That direct dialogue, interaction and engagement is so powerful in this age of direct-to-fan communication.

Regarding the risk of not providing enough content on social media, I think it comes down to setting expectations with fans to the comfort level of the individual artist or brand. If they want to be active on social media, if so how, how often, and really just being authentic & setting the pace. Fans who are in tune with their favorite artists & bands prize authenticity above all else.

Q: Do you think artists must share everything of themselves to truly connect with their fan base, or is there still room for some mystery, some mystique in an artist’s life and career?

Not at all! First of all, wearing my hat as a coach and being a BIG believer in life balance, I maintain that an artist has a right to a fair amount of privacy – balanced with their public persona. So I think it’s a mistake in most cases to not reserve some of their private life for themselves, and I think generally speaking some degree of mystery with fans is welcome.

Q: In your view, what’s more important for an artist to obtain: a Facebook “Like”, Twitter follower, or a fan’s email address?

Once again, I can’t answer this in a ‘black and white’ way; the real answer is “it depends”. I’m not sure what having a huge Twitter following really does for an artist – but Facebook ‘likes’ could come in handy when trying to secure brand sponsors for tours and other activities to demonstrate an artist’s popularity and engagement with his/her fans. The fan e-mail address is still a prize and should be treated with great care and respect; it allows the artist to engage directly with his/her fan base without any intervention from a third party at his own discretion. For some artists having a ton of “Likes” is more important to them than the e-mail addresses; but if I were forced to recommend one or the other I think I’d go with the e-mails in most cases.

Q: What are your thoughts on the newest social media site on the block, Google+? Do you think artists should be using it? And do you feel it’s a real threat to Facebook’s dominance?

I think it’s too soon to say how impactful Google + will be for artists; I don’t think it would hurt to add it to their social media mix (especially if they have someone else taking care of that for them) but on the other hand I don’t see a lot of clear, direct benefit for it quite yet. I also don’t see it as a threat to Facebook’s entrenchment and dominance just yet; but Google is a major force, and I wouldn’t count them out. It’s really just too early to tell where Google + is going.

Q: Many artists don’t think to use LinkedIn as part of their online strategy, but in your book “Taking the Crowd to the Cloud”, you dedicate a chapter to it. Why do you think artists should incorporate LinkedIn into their online strategy?

Depending on what they do and how experienced they are around social media, an artist may or may not see the wisdom in using LinkedIn. But make no mistake, the industry leaders in the field, and the reviewers, bloggers and print media writers are most definitely there – so this becomes a valuable link in an artist’s online chain – and that chain reaches all the way from them to their fans. In fact, there are 70M users on Linkedin, and 37 percent of those are making more than 6 figures. So while an artist’s listeners and fan base may not be looking for them on Linkedin, bands can find some amazing connections there – and successful collaborations – along with some fully funded fans, followers and even brand advocates and sponsors for their merchandise and tours.

Q: Also in your book, you talk about how you don’t think MySpace is dead. Do you think artists should still maintain a presence on MySpace?

MySpace is a great place to build an audience, advertise gigs, get gigs, sell cd’s and merchandise and basically engage your audience. Like most social networks, MySpace Music Pages can be set up to host songs, pictures, biography, gigs, updates, blogs, friends and comments. The reason it’s worth being in there is that it’s got a huge presence of other musicians and artists – and if you’re looking for music lovers, you go where the music is.

The most exciting news about MySpace is that you can now attach your MySpace Page to your Facebook Page through a simple app. So if you’re there already, this is a fantastic way to use everything you already put into place without spending ten hours to move it over or mirror it on Facebook. Beyond that, Justin Timberlake led a group of investors to purchase MySpace earlier this year, and it remains to be seen what comes next – but with a musician at the helm it’s worth watching. MySpace still has a ton of artist sites and traffic despite Facebook’s dominance.

Q: Speaking of "Taking the Crowd to the Cloud”, you were at Apple for many years and helped to spearhead and manage their music initiatives. What do you think of iCloud? Have you been using it? And is “music in the cloud” the future of music consumption in your opinion?

Yes I was part of a very small team who launched Apple’s earliest music initiatives, and led those efforts during my ten-year tenure with the company. We had the vision for what music could mean to Apple, and Apple spearheading a digital music revolution once the Internet hit full-bore, for over a decade before iTunes launched – but without Steve at the helm, the powers that be who were in charge didn’t empower us to make it happen. Imagine would might have been possible had we been able to execute on our vision that much earlier in the process.

Of course I’m heavily biased towards all things Apple, and I love iCloud. I think it’s a fantastic, natural evolution. Many of us have been touting the concept of a ‘celestial jukebox’ since the dawn of digital music – where everything is stored in the sky and you can call up what you want on demand. With advancements in online streaming, smartphones and ‘everywhere connected’ tablets, we’re seeing this vision materialize at long last. I do think that “music in the cloud” is a vital component in terms of how music gets consumed moving forward; Pandora, Spotify and iTunes have proven that (along with a plethora of other services and enabling devices). It’s just going to get more and more exciting as we move towards a world of everything on-demand.

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You can find more of Kelli’s work on her website: www.allaccessgroup.com and follow her on Twitter here: @kellirichards

Musician Website Quick Fix #4: Make it easy to listen to your music

Another quick improvement you can make to your website is to make it easy for people to listen to your music. First time visitors should be able to sample your music in one, easy, and obvious click. Sound like common sense? Well, I can honestly tell you that from 4 years of booking bands at a music venue, I had essentially given up going to band websites to hear music and simply used profiles at Myspace or Bandcamp pages instead. It was often difficult to find full songs to listen to on artist websites, and with limited time, I went to the one place I knew I could hear music easily.

Make a first impression: Music to listen to, not only purchase

Keep in mind that a lot of your traffic is from people who aren't your fans yet. Maybe they’ve heard about you. Maybe one of their friends posted your website somewhere. Maybe you’re opening for a band they like and they want to decide if you’re worth showing up early for. Think of them by putting your best track right there, at the top of your homepage in high bitrate glory (good sound quality). A good video? Even better. That way you’re grabbing their viewing as well as their listening attention.

All too often music pages only have music for sale that at best offer crappy 30-60 second sample clips. Sometimes there is only music available to purchase with no music samples at all, or worse yet, only links to external sites to purchase music, with no music available on the site whatsoever. You should definitely have your music for sale on your website, but make sure to also have at least 1 or 2 songs people can listen to, from start to finish, so they can get a good taste of what your music is all about.

Make it clear where to listen to your music

Once your music is available to listen to on your site, make it very easy for people to find it. Again, best thing to do would be to have a music player right on your homepage. You can also use a site-wide music player that can continue to play while people surf the different sections of your site. Once they start listening, having a “playlist” of your best songs that keeps playing is definitely better that forcing them to hit “play” for each track (because chances are, they won’t).

Speaking of the different sections of your website, “Music” should be in the main menu of your website. Again, this sounds like common sense, but there are still too many websites that either try to be fancy with sections like “Experience” or “Discover”, or have the music buried within another section of the site like “Media” or “Press”. You might only have that person’s attention for a minute (maybe less), so make it clear right on the main menu where they can find your music.

Your website is your hub, give people every reason to stay

Your website is your hub, and you should have everything available on it, including full songs to listen to. If your fans can listen to your songs on Facebook, Myspace, music blogs, etc., then they should be able to listen to them right on your website, which is where you really want fans to spend their time.

This way, they can stick around, listen to your music, look at your photos, read your blog posts, and hopefully sign-up to your newsletter or shop in your online store. If you don’t have any music for them to listen to while they’re on your site, they might leave and go to your Facebook page (or your rarely updated Myspace page), or worse, just leave your site and move onto something else entirely to pass the time (like watching an epic battle between a puppy and a robot).

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Do you have your music available to listen to on your website? Is it easy to find? We’re always looking for nice websites, feel free to post your links in the comments below to show off how you display your music on your site.

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Previous Website Quick Fix posts:

Musician Website Quick Fix #3: Focus on one Call-to-Action

Musician Website Quick Fix #2: Lose the Intro Page

Musician Website Quick Fix #1: Turn off auto-start music

New Year’s Resolutions for Musicians from Bandzoogle & Sonicbids Part 2: Fan-Funding & Merch

If you’re following along with our New Year’s Resolutions blog series (and we hope you are!), by now you have thought about your expenses for the year. Before you start interviewing for a 3rd job, we bring you two ways to make some additional money this year: merch and fan-funding. Merch sales are an easy way to collect some extra gas money on tour, and to put aside for bigger project. Fan-funding campaigns can be a great way to connect with your fans and fund larger projects like you next record or covering costs to get your band overseas.

Get Your Merch On: Generating Revenue from Merchandise

It’s no secret that a great way to generate income for your band is to sell merchandise. As the saying goes, merchandise can’t be downloaded, and many bands find they can make more money from merchandise sales than anything else, especially while on the road. Here are some tips to putting together a merchandise strategy for your band:

Step 1: What merch to make?

T-shirts? Hats? Pins? Stickers? Posters? The possibilities are almost endless. Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding what merch to make:

Ask your fans

Why not ask your fans what merch they would like? Use your mailing list, Facebook and Twitter profiles as market research. After all, they’re the most likely to buy the merch.

Make merch for different fans (and different prices)

Not all of your fans are going to want to spend $20+ on merch, so try and have a few options available at different prices. For example, if you get some stickers, pins and shirts made, you could quickly have a wide selection of merch, combined with some music options like download cards, CDs and maybe vinyls too. Some of your biggest fans might want one of everything, more casual fans might just want to show some support by getting a few pins or a digital download card. And with more options, you can bundle items together at special prices, which also helps to sell more merch, because let’s face it, people always love a good deal.

Step 2: Budget

Ugh, back to this. But it’s important to know ahead of time how much it’s going to cost. A few questions to ask yourself when determining the amount of money you’re going to spend on creating merch:

What’s your draw at local shows?

If you’re only drawing 20 people to your local shows, and you’re not playing that often, chances are you’re not going to need 1000 shirts. It’s better to start small, see what sells, and then make more when needed.

Are you touring this year?

Will you be going on tour this year? If so, how many shows will you be playing on that tour? Try to take a look at your year ahead and be realistic about the amount of people who will be at your shows.

Do you get a lot of traffic to your website?

You’ll of course be selling your merchandise on your website, so take a look at your online strategy. Will you be blogging a lot this year? Will you be active on social media? Do you have a strategy to drive fans to your website?

Will you be hiring a designer?

Many bands have members who are multidisciplinary artists that can also help with visual design, but for those bands that don’t, remember to save room in the budget for a designer.

Step 3: Getting Your Merch Made

Once you’ve decided what merch you’re going to make, it’s time to find a supplier. You can research local suppliers, or if you’ve seen other bands in your local scene with nice merch, ask them where they got it made. You can also go with online merch suppliers like JakPrints, who offer lots of different merchandise options, and who can also help you find a designer.

Speaking of designers, you’ll want to find someone who can really capture the look/feel that you want for your band. Again, ask around with other bands to get a referral, or do an online search for designers. If you have a big enough fan base, you can also try holding a design contest to tap into the skill & creativity of your fans, or use a service like 99designs.com.

Step 4: Selling Your Merch

Once you have your merch in hand, it’s time to start selling it:

Sell merch at live shows:

Essentials for your merch table:

• Signage: Your band name, list of merch items & prices displayed clearly


• Cashbox with change (don’t rely on the venue for this)


• Inventory sheets to track your sales


• Pens/markers (for mailing list, signing autographs)


• Mailing list sign-up: Email addresses are still the most reliable way to stay in touch with your fans, and the best way to convert fans to paying customers. So get those email addresses anyway you can, even offer a free sticker/pin in return, it will be a great long-term investment for your band.

Here’s an example of a great merch table setup that shows great signage, mailing list sign-up and bundling options: What’s Your Merch Setup (Grassrootsy Blog).

*Note: Accepting credit card payments at shows can increase your sales dramatically, as not everyone carries cash with them. Services like Square-up or Indie Pool (for Canadian bands) can turn your iPhone into a credit card swiper. Another option is to get an actual credit card swiper, which is available from CD Baby.

Band Tip: And remember, always mention your merch while on stage! A few polite reminders to the crowd can really help drive sales.

Sell merch online

To sell your merch online, first and foremost, start with your own website. If you have a website on Bandzoogle, you can setup your own merch store in just a few minutes (with no % taken from your sales). But there are services like TopSpin and Nimbit that have widgets that you can embed to sell merch through your site. Whichever way you decide to go, be sure to read the Do’s and Don’t of a website store page for some great tips on how to improve your online store.

For selling merch on Facebook, again, services like TopSpin or Nimbit offer apps to setup a store on your Facebook fan page, and TopSpin even offers an option to sell on YouTube.

Note: If you don’t want to carry an inventory at all or pay for merchandise upfront, another option for selling merch online is to use a service like Zazzle, which creates custom merch on-demand, whenever orders are placed.

Get Your Fans Moving: Generating Funds from Followers

Fan-funding blew up in 2011 and it's about time! After putting in time at meet & greets, on social media sites and at shows, chances are you have a strong following of supportive and loyal fans. Fan-funded programs allow you to connect with those fans and give them unique content in exchange for monetary support for upcoming projects (like say, helping pay for that tour bus you're going to need to get you to SXSW or covering costs to mix your latest record). We've found that fan-funded campaigns, like those on PledgeMusic (it's a fan-funding site that is exclusive to musicians), can be a great way to finance your art and create an even stronger bonds with fans. But before you put a campaign together, talk as a band through these steps:

Plan it out: Sure, bands always need money whether it's for your tour, a new music video or rent. But fan-funded campaigns work best when you have one important project you are looking to fund. Think about your year ahead. Is there something you're hoping to accomplish this year? Pick one project and plan a campaign to help cover costs. Band tip: Fan-funding campaigns can also come in handy when shit hits the fan, like your bus breaking down or gear gets stolen.

Make a goal: Naturally, the more money you have to create, the better. However, with fan-funded projects it's important to set a realistic goal so that fans can understand how much they should donate and clearly see how their contribution helped! Be thoughtful and estimate out how much you'd need to fulfill your project. Also be conscientious of your fan base. If you have 100 fans on Facebook, think about how much they could realistic donate. Band tip: Another reason why we like PledgeMusic is that they don't show the specific number of your goal AND they let you raise money beyond that goal.

Get creative: As part of these campaigns each time a fan donates a specific dollar amount they'll receive something from the band. Most bands give away a free track for a small donation and charge more for exclusive gifts or experiences (dinner with the band, a concert at the fans home, etc). Talk as a band and come up with some fun and creative ways you can share something with your fans that won't cost you tons of money. And as a bonus, it's exclusive experiences that fans will be talking about forever.

Spread the word & content: Once you create your campaign, you're going to have to spread the word to your fans and friends. Be sure to continue to promote the campaign regularly so your fans know where and how to help. Also, think about creating content during the campaign to let fans know you are paying attention and give them the scoop on your project. Band tip: If you will use the funds for your next record, show footage of you recording or post pictures at the studio.

Fan-funding campaigns have proven to be successful but it's important to think ahead and set realistic goals for your band. For more information you can go to sites like PledgeMusic.com to get the scoop on how to get started.

Alright, take the next week to talk about your merch plan for 2012 and decide if you are in need of a fan-funded program. Next week we’ll get you the scoop on refreshing and rebooting your online status in 2012. As always, if you have questions or comments, let us know in the comments section below!

This blog post by Peter Spellman originally appeared on his blog "Music Career Juice". Peter is the Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music, and the author of several books about the music industry including "The Self-Promoting Musician" and "Indie Business Power".

Musicians are often told they have to act like a "business" to succeed. In this post, Peter proposes a completely different way to see your career. Enjoy!

Musician – Act Like a Business?

We’ve heard it before. A musician must “act like a business” or risk an impoverished existence. I appreciate the thought: Without ceaseless attention to things like planning, budgeting, organizing and marketing a music career will more often careen off course, and be thrown onto the rocks of good intentions. Granted.

But “act like a business?”

Why aim so low?

The metaphors we live by are telling.

Businesses aren’t exactly models of success. Most new businesses (7 out of 10) fail within seven years. The majority of businesses are poorly run with “management incompetence” being the primary reason for all those failures. It doesn’t take much insight to see that most businesses practice mediocrity rather than greatness. “Business” also tends to have its own set of values – values a business owner/family member would never practice at home.

So telling musicians to act like a business is like telling them to lower their standards or to “aim low”, and a lot of musicians justifiably chafe at this suggestion.

I propose a different metaphor:

Musicians should see themselves as expressive Energy Grids.

Think about it:

• Grids generate energy: Musicians generate energy through relationship-building, practicing their craft, and expressing their art;


• Grids transform energy: Musicians transform their energy through sharing their talent with audiences; and then multiplying that talent through collaborative projects (1 + 1 = 10 – synergy);


• Grids distribute energy: Musicians distribute their energy in multiple directions through multiple creative activities.

And in order for an energy grid to do its work it must be grounded – that is, connected to the dirt, rocks, water, etc. of earth. So to, optimal health comes from a practiced awareness of our inter-connection with the eco-system we inhabit.

In my book, "Indie Business Power", I refer to managing one’s business as “conducting energy”. Conducting. Conduction. Electricity. Energy. See the relationship?

Business is just one component of the multi-dimensional musician. Business can provide tools and strategies for organizing and expanding our work. But musicians (really, all creative workers) shouldn’t just act like a business. That’s too low a target. They are expressive grids – generating, transforming and distributing energy continually.

Your thoughts?

New Year’s Resolutions for Musicians from Bandzoogle & Sonicbids Part 3: Your Online Presence

It’s that time of the week again – time to get a dose of tips and tricks to making 2012 the year for your band. This week we are covering your online presence. Between content, your site, your EPK and social media – there’s PLENTY to talk about. Dave Cool at Bandzoogle teamed up with Sonicbids to bring you the best and brightest. Have question or comments? Leave them below!

Content is King: Using Content Marketing to Promote Your Music

One great way to promote your music is through content marketing. Content marketing is defined as “encompassing all marketing formats that involve the creation or sharing of content for the purpose of engaging current and potential consumer bases, and subscribes to the notion that delivering high-quality, relevant and valuable information to prospects and customers drives profitable consumer action.”

OK, that was painful to read. Content marketing is a huge buzz phrase in business, and there are thousands upon thousands of articles online about the subject, most of which might as well be written in *Klingon (*nerd alert). But here is why content marketing is important for promoting your music:

• The content you create can help add value to your music
• The content you create can help build a connection to your audience
• The content you create can help drive people to your website, where they can get to know your music better, sign-up to your mailing list, or buy something from you

OK, so what exactly is this “content”? It can be a lot of things, like:

• Blog posts
• Video (live videos, cover song videos, official music videos, etc.)
• Podcasts
• Photos (official photos, live photos, photos from the road, photos of fans, fan-submitted photos, etc.)
• Q & A sessions with your fans (online chat, Ustream live Q & A, etc.)
• Polls
• Contests

But the most important content that you need to have? MUSIC. All other content is irrelevant if you don’t have great music to back it up.

Band tip: The content can be anything you want, and there’s no limit to the creativity you can put into it, but the most important thing is that it shows your authentic personality and who you are as an artist. This will help create a stronger connection with your fans.

Where should you post your content?

As much as possible, you should post content on your own website. If you’re blogging, blog on your website. If you upload videos to YouTube or Vimeo, make sure to embed them onto your site and drive people there. Why? Here are a few reasons taken from Bandzoogle founder Chris Vinson’s blog post “3 Reasons to Drive Fans to Your Band Website”:

No Distractions

Unlike with social networking sites, on your website there are no ads to distract your fans, and there also aren't dozens of other links vying for their attention.

No Design Limits

With your own website, you don't have any design limits or restrictions. Your website gives you the opportunity to make a deeper connection with your fans, without the limits of the one-size-fits-all social networks.

Better Buying Experience

Social networking sales tools force fans to interact within a tiny widget, or redirect them to another website altogether to complete the transaction. Having your own store on your own site allows you to give your fans a seamless buying experience, and full control over what that experience is.

Social media?

Shouldn’t social media be part of a content plan? We’re going to talk about social media later in the blog post, but for the purposes of content marketing, for the most part you’re going to use your social media profiles to give people a taste of your content and then drive people to your website.

New Year, New Website?

The New Year is a good time to think about refreshing your website. If you’re using Bandzoogle, it takes only a few seconds to change your template or create a custom design to give your website a new look. If you’re working with a designer, talk to them about options to refresh the look of your site. If you’re releasing a new album in 2012, you can work with your designer to customize your website to match the design/branding of your new album to give it a new look that way.

Here are some other ways you can give your website a quick refresh:

• Update calendar: Do you have all of your confirmed 2012 gigs added to your calendar?
• Add photos: Do you have new photos or ones that you didn’t get a chance to post last year? How about hiring a photographer for a new photo shoot?
• Add videos: Do you have any videos that you could embed on your site? Maybe some live footage? Or how about a 2012 message for your fans, giving them a glimpse of what they can expect from your band this upcoming year.
• Update latest news: have any news to start 2012? How about a preview of what you’ve got planned for the year?
• New blog post: If you haven’t started blogging yet, it’s as good a time as any to start. If you already have a blog, get a new post up there so your fans know you’re hitting the ground running in 2012.
• Update your bio: Is your bio still current? Did anything significant happen in your career last year that you could add to your bio? Band Tip: 5 Key Elements to a Solid Bio
• Update press kit: Make sure you have your latest press articles, awards, an updated bio, latest photos and updated gig calendar for your press kit.
• Change the music: How about putting different or new songs on your site that fans can listen to? You do have music on your site, right?

Keep it fresh. Update your EPK

Now that you have all your content on one glorious looking website, it’s time to update your EPK. While websites are more fan-focused, EPKs allow bookers to find exactly what they need to know about your band for booking purposes (i.e. what you sound like, where you’ve played, what your “look” is). With a new year, it’s important to make sure that your EPK reflects your most up-to-date information.

Think: Music, Photos, Discography, Bios, Videos, Press, and Calendar dates.

Not only should your EPK include an updated bio and discography but tracks from your latest EP and a filled out calendar that shows bookers exactly when you are available AND where you’ve played in the past. When you put tracks on your EPK, put your single first! Be sure to update your photos with your latest press pics, and your press section if you’ve been written up recently. Nothing says a band doesn’t care like an outdated and empty EPK.

Band tip: While your EPK should display most of the information a booker needs, do include the links to your website and social media sites as well (I can’t tell you how many times people post a broken Facebook link or just don’t fill it in). You don’t want to make a promoter work hard to get the full picture of your band since they only have limited time to review bands.

Get social: Your Social Media Strategy.

We started off this post talking about content for a reason. You need a strong stream of cool content to best make use of your social media platforms. Whether you’ve been avoiding social media or you’ve just let it slip for a while, here are some tips to killing it online this year.

Decide which platforms to use.

It seems every day there is a new social networking site out there, and while the experts can tell you that you can’t miss out on any social site, you need to think about two things; your fans and your time. Think realistically about where you fans are interacting regularly and then go there. Don’t force your fans to join another platform just to keep up with you. Time is something else to consider. Every social media platform demands your time and attention. If you know you won’t be able to blog at least once a week, opt for other platforms that may be less demanding.

Who is responsible for what?

If you’re in a band, there may be plenty of people who want to be on social media sites. Decide as a team if everyone will have to participate on each platform or if one or two bandmates are responsible for updating your sites with the latest tour information, or respond to fans on Facebook. It’s totally up to you as a band what will work best, but do make sure at least one person is in charge of the platforms so you don’t drop the ball.

Band tip: Think about your network. If you have a friend who is really into social media or likes taking photos regularly, ask them if they can help as well.

What are you saying?

Each social networking site is good for sharing different things. Facebook is great to post videos, pictures, updates and interact with fans directly. And getting a sweet Facebook app makes it easy to share your music directly. Twitter is a good platform for sharing updates quickly and simply, but to gain a good following on Twitter often requires spending serious time tweeting (here are some tips). YouTube is the perfect platform for posting videos from your shows or posting vlogs for your fans while you’re in the studio or on the road. Instagram (only for iPhones right now) is fun way to post interesting photos of what your up to and it can be synched to your Facebook or Twitter making your life easier. Google+ is relatively new on the scene but it is getting attention for its “Hang out” capability that can let you have real-time conversations with fans or share music live. Whichever platform you are on, think about who your audience is and the best way to talk to them (whether it’s with photos, quick silly updates or more lengthy news about your latest release).

Band tip: When you are setting up accounts on different social media platforms, make sure your name is close to your band name to make it easier for fans to find you. Also, be sure to add buttons to your website so fans can go back and forth between the site and platform. As a reminder, social networks come and go, but your website will always be yours. Make sure that you are updating content on your website regularly as well.

So what do you think? Let us know in the comments!

Spotify: Millions of DJs

As a music fan, the growing number of free and subscription based streaming services can be a dream come true. Install Spotify (or Rdio, Mog, Slacker, Rhapsody, Deezer, etc.) on your computer, your mobile phone, your internet-enabled stereo, and you have instant access to pretty much all the music that’s out there. Build playlists, see what your friends are listening to, those services have become a great tool to discover and enjoy music. Amazing.

From the artists that create this abundance of music, there’s been a very mixed reaction. I strongly suggest you read this 2011 recap by Bandzoogle friend and Nashville music marketing genius Charles Alexander. In it, he links to many articles and posts about Spotify that give you a good sense of why so many are worried or pissed off about it. You can also read the comments section to any post about Spotify on Hypebot, or Digital Music News and you’ll see that very graphic language is often used.

The short version ?

• The revenue that labels and artists get is pocket change (even established artists).
• Indie artists and labels are treated somewhat unfairly vs. majors
• There is a lack of transparency in reporting (so you can’t know by who and where and how much a certain song was streamed, and how much royalties this means, and who gets it).

All valid concerns (especially the third one, if you ask me). So I’ve been discussing the topic with many musician friends and many Bandzoogle members that aren’t sure what to think. Should I make my tracks available on those services ? Is it going to cannibalize my music sales ?

My answer to the first question is “Yes, I think you should embrace it”. My answer to the second question is “Maybe, maybe not. So focus on other parts of your business and view it as an opportunity to grow those revenue lines”.

Here’s what I mean...

You can look at Spotify as an alternative to fans buying your music. “My fans stream my tunes on demand, for free or almost-free, so they’ll stop buying my records. Man, this sucks. Hard.”

And, from that point-of-view, absolutely, it sucks.

But what I tell my artist friends is: Instead, you should look at Spotify as “a tool that enables millions of radio DJs to add your songs to their radio show (audience = 1)".

If you’ve ever had the happy experience of learning that a DJ at a radio station in your town, or somewhere else, really loves your new single and has played it many times, it’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it ? You haven’t made any money here, but you know that getting this exposure opens the door to getting more fans interested in you as an artist, your music, you next gig, etc.

There are flaws in my argument, but, usage of streaming services will only keep growing, and through streaming services, fans and potential fans can discover and enjoy your music as much as they want, for almost free, at their fingertips. That’s a good thing. (And by the way, my opinion on private file-sharing is somewhat similar...). Get over the fact that streaming won’t ever pay you in any meaningful way, and focus on the opportunities it opens up.

Your job, as a serious artist, is to then find ways to reach those listeners, engage them, and figure out ways to monetize them as fans of your art (and not just “consumers of your shrink-wrapped product”).

This is where your creativity as an artist needs to kick in. We’ll post more soon about innovative ways to engage and monetize your fans (and music sales are still a huge part of it), but you can get ideas from this list that the Future of Music Coalition put together a while ago. I’m personally super excited by everything around fan-funding and patronage and, if your tracks aren’t available where people might discover them, you might be missing out on future financial backers and patrons of your art.

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Addendum:

The day after I write this, the main business news item is “Kodak Files For Bankruptcy Protection”. Apparently, this huge, established, dominant company was not able to foresee and adapt to photography moving from film to digital. Makes you think.

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Question: What do you think of Spotify? Do you have your music available on Spotify? Why or why not?

New Year’s Resolutions From Bandzoogle & Sonicbids Part 4: Tour Tips

So here’s the final blog post of our New Year’s Resolutions series. Now that you’ve got your budget and funding together and your online presence is looking tight, it’s time to hit the road! But before you do, check out these tips from Bandzoogle and Sonicbids.

Oh the places you’ll go: Decide where you’ll play

Before you hit the road, it’s important to map out where you’d like to play. There are a couple of things to consider including your draw in certain regions or cities, how many shows you can afford to play and the location and timing specific festivals or venues that you hope to play.

Draw.

While it’s always great to explore new parts of the country, if you don’t have any fans or connections with bands on the opposite coast, it may make more sense to focus your tour on cities surrounding your hometown. Starting close to home can help build up fans in your region and it’s easier to get back out for extra shows! If you’re ready to hit the road in far off town, think about gig swapping (see below).

Budget.

Now that you have a budget together, it’s important to try to stick to it. That may mean touring in towns where you have friends to crash with (save costs on hotels) or only traveling for 10-days at a time. Get together and talk about the challenges for being on the road, where will you sleep, how much money can you spend on food each day, how will you pay for gas. Once you’ve got a plan, the tour will go much more smoothly.

Special shows.

Playing festivals or specific venues can help put your band on the map – and it’s a great excuse to build a tour around those dates. Before hitting the road this year, think about what larger gigs you are hoping to book and map out your travels with those dates and locations in mind.

Band tip: When you are looking at venues or festivals you want to play consider what level your band is at. If you haven’t played for more than 100 fans, you may not get booked for a festival like Bonnaroo but there are plenty of other festivals that you could be a great fit for. Also, before submitting to festivals, do your research and think like a booker. Will your sound fit in with the likes of the headliners? Will you be able to draw to that location?

Going on Tour: Tips for getting your band booked

So you’ve identified the cities and venues that you want to play and now it’s time to start booking the shows. Here are 5 tips to give yourself the best shot at getting booked:

1. Think at least 4-5 months in advance: Most venues are booked several months in advance, and the more popular a venue, the further in advance you should contact them.

2. Keep it short: When contacting a booking agent, keep it short. Bookers get a ton of emails, so try and keep the email to a couple of paragraphs, and include the following info:

• Your band name & date you want to book, and any other bands who will be performing


• Link to music that they can listen to (if linking to your website, make sure your music is easy to find), or simply link to your EPK.


• Link to a live video, if not already contained in your EPK. Band tip: Unless requested, don’t attach large files to your email. Simply include links to music, photos and videos.


• Brief promo plan: How are you going to get people out to the show? You don’t have to write a full promo plan, but mention things like a media/publicity campaign/hiring a publicist, or if you have data of how many mailing list subscribers, Facebook fans, and Twitter followers you have in that city. Band tip: Use TweepsMap to find out where your Twitter followers are from, and for Facebook, use your page Insights to see what cities your fans are from.

3.Be honest: Whatever you do, don’t lie about your draw. You’re better off being honest with a booker about what your draw really is rather than stretching the truth and disappointing them.

4. Follow-up: Bookers are very busy people, so be patient. If you didn’t get a response right away, chances are they just haven't had time to check out your music yet. Follow-up to see if your message has been received, but whatever you do, don’t try to rush them or sound annoyed that they haven’t gotten back to you. Be persistent, but always be polite.

5. Team up with a local band: When playing in a new city, it always helps to play with a local band who is known to the venue.

Speaking of teaming up with local bands, let’s talk about gig swapping.

Get Swappy: Gig Swaps

Gig swapping is a fantastic way to build your fan base and help bookers build out a night of music, rather than trying to figure out where to schedule you. Here’s how it works:

Research bands: Check out bands in other cities with similar sounds to your band (aka you’d be great on a bill together). Check out their fanbase on social media and the types of venues they regularly play.

Reach out: Connect with the band to see if they’d be interested in opening for you in your hometown in exchange for an opening slot at their next gig in their town.

Band tip: Not only are you making friends in the industry (being friends with bands is better than competing with them) but you are making it easier for a booking agent to fill their bills.

Fulfill your promise: Make sure you promote your local show so the other band has a chance to play to some new fans and make a great impression. After all, you want the same in return. Get some tips on promoting the show below!

Stay in touch: Beyond gig swapping, you never know when you need to borrow gear or have a place to crash so keep the door open.

Getting the word out: Promoting your tour

Once your tour is booked, it’s time to start getting the word out. An entire blog post could be dedicated to tour promotion, but here are some key areas to focus on:

Media & Publicity: If you plan on doing your own media and publicity, start doing outreach to media as soon as shows are booked. You can use resources like the Indie Bible or Musician’s Atlas to find newspapers/radio/blogs/podcasts to contact. Services like StoryAmp and StereoGrid can also help you connect with the media. And if you have a budget, you can hire local or regional publicists, but keep in mind that they can charge anywhere from $500 to over $2000 for one campaign.

Newsletter: Send an update to your whole mailing list with the full list of tour dates, then schedule reminders for each city, targeting only mailing list members from those cities.

Blogging: Keep your fans informed on your tour’s progress with stories from the road, show reviews, show previews, etc.

Video: Create video blogs, post live footage from tour, or even promo videos for each show.

Photos: Post photos on your website, Facebook page, and Twitter from shows. Photos from the road, from shows, photos of fans, fan-submitted photos, etc.

Facebook: Again, entire blog posts can be written about Facebook promotion, but be sure to cover the basics:

• Facebook Events: Create an event for each show and encourage fans to share it with their friends for each city you’re playing on tour.
• Regular updates on your fan page: Post photos from shows, blog posts, and videos on a regular basis to help create some buzz about your tour.
• Facebook Ads: Facebook Ads can help create awareness about shows, but don’t blow your budget doing this. Some bands find it helpful, others not as much, so proceed with caution, it can be easy to spend a lot of money.

Twitter: Post regular updates from the road, show reminders, links to blog posts, links to any press you’ve received, photos, links to videos, etc.

Contact fans individually: Last but not least, reach out to people on your mailing list, your Facebook Fans, and Twitter followers individually with short reminders about the upcoming show in their city. Even if you just do a little bit every day, it all adds up, and this personal touch will no doubt bring a lot of those people through the door.

This is just a quick overview of some of the promo you can do for your tour, but the bottom line is that you’re going to have to hustle and work hard every day, doing whatever you can to get people out to your shows. It’s a lot of work, but the thrill of packed shows and connecting with new fans will make it all worthwhile.

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Another blog series has come and gone but we hope you have found some tips and tricks to making 2012 the best year yet for you and your band. And of course, we are always looking to share more tips so leave your questions and comments below. Here’s to 2012!

5 Ways to Get Your Music Noticed by Music Bloggers

This is a guest post by Andrew Zarick. Andrew is the Founder & CEO of StereoGrid, a music delivery network that allows artists to easily deliver music to and gain fans and insights from the dissemination of promotional music to music bloggers and press. He is also founder of rap blog 100BestRapSongs.com.

As both a most blogger at 100BestRapSongs.com and founder of StereoGrid, a music platform that specializes in helping artists deliver and disseminate promotional music, I've witnessed first-hand the good, bad and the ugly associated with artist PR and vying for music blogger and press attention.

Speaking as a music blogger, I often times receive upwards of 30-40 new music submissions a day. Many top tier bloggers receive even more than that. That means that your music submission, assuming you sent it via email, will fall somewhere in between the hundreds or maybe even thousands of other non-music related spam emails that the blogger receives on a daily basis.

There are a number of things that you can do as an artist or artist manager to give your submission a better chance of being opened, being viewed, being listened to, and then hopefully, being written about and shared.

Here Goes...

1) Understand Your Press List

Have the individuals on your press list written about similar artists in the past? Do they only write about pop music or do they also tend to write about up and coming artists? Do they only write about certain genres of music? Does your music fall within that genre?

A quick way to see if a blog has written about an artist you think you're similar to is to do a Google Search with "site:blogname.com artist name" - Google will show you a list of search results from that blog featuring that artist.

2) Have a Detailed Subject Line

If you're going to stand out from the crowd you better have a damn good subject line. Is your song a new release? Say so. Is there an MP3/Video attached? Call that out. Is your song featuring a big name artist that might be more well-known than yourself? Call it out.

Good Examples:

MP3/Video: Fatal Lucciauno - "Big Bro" (Prod. By Kuddie Fresh) + "Flawed" Freestyle
(Music Submission) Smoke - Goin Hammer (Feat. Chalie Boy and Gorilla Zoe)

3) Keep the Description Simple

Remember that the recipients of your song submission receive many submissions per day. They don't want to read a novel when determining whether or not to listen to and post a song. Tell a concise story about who you are and your music. Have you been featured elsewhere? Toured with a famous band? Have a famous cousin? Why are you different? Why should we care about you?

Confusion from Pigeons and Planes says,

"…the pitches that get my most attention are the simple ones that make it easy to check out the music. When it comes to indie/unknown artists, it all depends on the music. If I get an email with 20 attachments, a short story’s worth of writing, and links to everything the artist has ever done, I’m not likely to check it out. If I see a simple message with one song, and if I like that song, I’m going to do what I can to support."

4) Include Essential Song Assets

Music bloggers really like presentation. If you're lucky enough to have a compelling enough subject line to get an email open, further bring the music blogger into your world with well designed artwork.

Winston "Stone" Ford from The Couch Sessions makes the point,

"Any artist at this time needs artwork and presentation. If you actually have really good cover art, that’s what I gravitate towards and click on first."

Ensure that the blogger has all the assets they need to create a solid blog post. This means include links to music videos, external URLs like your website and social media presences in addition to your artwork and song description.

"Always present yourself professionally and keep a very strong brand image. It is all about keeping your brand and product as high quality as possible." - David Reyneke, Potholes In My Blog

5) The Infamous Media Player Embed

The most essential asset to include in your email is a link to your music. This is so essential that I'm giving it its own section. Realize that even successful bloggers sometimes have other day jobs that don't involve blogging. This means that a lot of work is done via mobile phone. Attach your mp3 file (or a snippet at least) to the email itself when sending so that the blogger can listen to your song while on the move. But don't stop there! Also clearly call out in your email where the blogger can go to get the media player embed code so that they can easily publish a media player with your song. If you want to get super fancy, include the actual embed code in your email as well.

The Most Common Mistake

"Spamming. Spamming is the biggest mistake that a lot of independent artists do. A lot of artists ask me, ‘how can I get noticed? How can I blow up on Nah Right? How can I blow up on The Smoking Section?’ Well, you have to create a buzz for yourself on your own. Spamming Nah Right, spamming me, sending me emails, sending me tweets is not going to help anybody. So what you have to do is create noise for yourself. When you create the buzz, I’ll be knocking on your door. Stop spamming. It simply does not work." - Trent Fitzgerald, Beats and Rants

And remember...

"Great music will always transcend, but to get it out there and help it in that process, you have to have a lot of things in place. A compelling story, identity, distinctive style, and aggressive personality. Put yourself out there with those bloggers/fans/community respect and engage them with no end." - David Johnson-Igra, SF Critic

Band Website Love: 5th Projekt

Every week, we highlight one of our favorite websites on Bandzoogle.

Who: 5th Projekt
What: Ambient, psychedelic art-rock.
Where: Toronto, Canada
Why their website rocks: What’s not to love about this website? It displays excellent and consistent branding, has a great homepage with calls-to-action for their mailing list and a free download, plus the site features a nice, clean navigation experience. And to top it all off, their online shoppe highlights a nice integration with the Topspin store (one of Bandzoogle’s E-Commerce features), is well organized, and offers everything from a $3 vinyl sticker to a $45 deluxe package for their fans.

Check it out at: www.5thprojekt.com

The “Four P’s” is a term used to describe the traditional Marketing Mix: Product, Price, Placement, and Promotion. Well, I’m going to borrow from that expression and talk about the Four P’s of Playing Live Shows: Preparation, Promotion, Performance, and Post-Show. This series of blog posts will cover the things that you can be doing as a live performer to maximize each show. Part 1 is all about preparation.

The Four P’s of Playing Live Shows: Preparation

We’re going to start with the assumption that you’ve chosen a venue and confirmed a date with the venue booker. For tips about getting booked, see one of my previous posts 5 Ways to Impress Venue Bookers and Get More Gigs.

Once the gig is confirmed, here are some things you will need to prepare for the show:

Who will the opening band(s) be?

I guess the first question really is will there even be an opening band? The answer will almost always be yes, as the benefits are clear. An opening band can warm up the crowd, hopefully bring their own fans to the show, and help with the promotion of the show. So when choosing an *opening band, a few things to consider (*and if you happen to be the opening band, much of this advice can still apply):

• Does their music complement yours?

There are two schools of thought: one being that you find a band that is similar to yours for a more cohesive evening of music. The other option is to go for something totally different to give the audience a very different experience from each band. There is no wrong or right answer, it really depends on what kind of show you want people to experience that night.

• Would their audience like your band’s music?

Another consideration to make is if there is a potential for the opening band’s fans to like your music. After all, in an ideal case, you are going to gain some new fans that night.

• Will they help with promotion?

When choosing opening bands, take into consideration whether they are a proactive band that works hard on promoting shows. What you don’t want is a band that will simply show up the night of the show, without having done any legwork to bring their fans, and simply play and ask for their money. This can be hard to avoid sometimes, but do some research, and ask around before making a final decision.

• Do they have other shows booked around the same date?

You also don’t want the opening band to have another show scheduled within a few days of yours, or worse, the same night as your show (I’ve actually seen that happen many times, where an opening act books another gig for later the same night). It is completely demoralizing, and will likely result in that band not drawing as many people to the show.

The Devil is in the Details: Show Logistics

It’s a good idea to get the logistics for the show sorted out well in advance. This includes:

• Compensation

What’s the deal at the venue? A guarantee? Percentage of the door? Pass the hat? A percentage of bar sales? Once you know the deal, work out how the compensation will be split with any opening bands. Do not wait until the night of the show to do this. Sort it out well in advance and save yourself the potential headache the night of the show.

• Food/beverage deals for bands

What’s the deal for food and drinks for band members? Free? Staff price? Full price? Any limits on quantity of meals/drinks?

• Guest List

Is there a limit to the number of guest list spots? Do you have to submit the guest list to the venue in advance?

• Ticketing & Seating

What is the cover charge? Is choosing the price up to the venue or the bands? Are tickets sold in advance? If so, where are they available? Or is it simply pay at the door? Can people reserve seats?

• Load-in time and logistics

What time is load-in at the venue? Do the bands load-in at different times? Is there a special entrance to load-in equipment?

• Sound & Equipment

What sound equipment is provided by the venue? What are bands responsible for? Are the bands going to share certain equipment? Is there a sound tech provided by the venue? Can you bring your own sound tech? What time is soundcheck for each band?

• Start & End Time

What time do the doors open for the public? What is the start time for the show? What is the schedule for the bands? Is there a specific time that the show has to be over by?

• Door logistics

Who is taking money at the door? The venue? A volunteer from the band(s)? Is there a cashbox with change supplied by the venue? A stamp to stamp people’s hands?

• Room set-up

Some venues offer different set-up styles for the room, whether it’s all seating, no seating, some tables with chairs, etc. Talk to the venue and decide on the best option for your show.

• Merch table

Is there a table/space for merchandise? Where is it located? Is there lighting provided? Does the venue take a % of sales? Is there a cashbox with change supplied by the venue? Who is responsible for selling merch? Venue? Bands? Can you sell merch throughout the night, or only before and after the show?

• Promo materials for the venue

What does the venue need from you? Posters? Flyers? Bio? Band photo? Press Release? Be sure to supply them with everything they need well in advance of the show.

Download a Sample Live Show Logistics Checklist to help stay on top of these details: Download Here

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Build Your Set List

I touched on this in a blog post about how to find a booking agent, but building a set list is really an art unto itself. Your set-list will determine what kind of experience your fans will have. Some considerations when building your set-list:

• Set-length: How long of a set will you play? Decide what length would have the most impact and strikes the right balance between giving a satisfying set, and leaving the audience wanting more.
• Select the songs: Once you know how long your set will be, choose the songs you want to play that night, including for an encore, if it should come up.
• Pacing: Do you have high-energy songs and low-energy songs? What kind of experience do you want to give the audience? Start slow then build? Are there songs where the audience can participate? Where do you want those songs to go in the set? Figure out how those songs can best work off of each other.
• Song transitions: Make sure your songs flow well together and that everybody in the band knows when there will be a small break for interacting with the audience, and when you’ll be going straight into the next song.
• Type of venue/seating arrangement: Is it a dingy bar, a night club, a fancy theatre, a coffee house? What’s the seating arrangement? This can impact the type of set you want to offer.

Once you’ve decided on your set list, rehearse it. Then rehearse it again. And once more. Make sure everyone in the band can play that set with their eyes closed and that they know all of the cues and transitions between songs without having to think twice.

Visual Presentation: On Stage & Merch Table

On Stage

You should also prepare what your visual presentation will be at the show. Does your band have costumes? A certain dress code? Will you have video projections playing in the background? A banner with your band name hanging on stage? A custom drum head with your logo?

For some good ideas for visuals at your show, check out Chris “Seth” Jackson’s guest post on the Bandzoogle Blog: No One Will Remember Your Band: 10 Ways to Stop Being Forgettable

Merch Table

How about for your merch table? Do you have an eye-catching set-up? Proper signage?

Here are some essentials to have for your merch table:

• Signage: Your band name, list of merch items & prices displayed clearly
• Cashbox with change (don’t rely on the venue for this)
• Inventory sheets to track your sales
• Pens/markers (for mailing list, signing autographs)
• Mailing list sign-up: Email addresses are still the most reliable way to stay in touch with your fans, and the best way to convert fans to paying customers. So get those email addresses anyway you can, even offer a free sticker/pin in return, it will be a great long-term investment for your band.

Here’s an example of a great merch table setup, including proper signage and a mailing list sign-up: What’s Your Merch Setup (Grassrootsy Blog).

*Note: Accepting credit card payments at shows can increase your sales dramatically, as not everyone carries cash with them. Services like Square-up or Indie Pool (for Canadian bands) can turn your iPhone into a credit card swiper.

Preparing For Promotion: Give Yourself At Least 6-8 Weeks

Part 2 of this blog series will go into detail about promotional tactics you can use to promote your show. But for the purposes of preparation, you should give yourself a good 6-8 weeks lead-time to plan and execute the promotion for your show. This will allow you to take into consideration things like a media & publicity campaign, whether or not you’re going to go after sponsorship for your show, and promotional collaborations with the other bands performing.

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So what did you guys think of Part 1? Did you find it helpful? Is there anything missing? Please leave your comments below!

Bandzoogle On the Road Again: SF, NYC, Memphis, Austin, Moncton, LA

Hello Zooglers,

Unlike the weather here in Canada, the conference season is heating up! We’ll be attending lots of events and conferences over the next few months, and we hope that we see some members while we’re out on the road. Here’s where we’ll be:

SF MusicTech Summit: February 13 in San Francisco, CA

CEO David Dufresne will be speaking on a panel at 5PM called "Social Commerce" along with Tamara Mendelsohn (Eventbrite, VP of Marketing), Jaclyn Ranere (The Orchard, Vice President), Marcus Whitney (Moontoast, Co-Founder & CTO), Mary Ku (PayPal, Director of Product Management, Digital Goods) and Melissa Adair (Spinlet, Senior Public Relations Manager).

A2IM Tech Day: February 21 in New York City, NY

CEO David Dufresne will be participating in panel discussions, happening from 4PM-7PM.

Folk Alliance: February 23-25 in Memphis, TN

CEO David Dufresne and Community Manager Dave Cool will be on hand giving a Website Clinic for artists everyday in the Business Center and Exhibit Hall. For complete details click here.

Memphis Music Foundation: February 23 in Memphis, TN

While in Memphis for the Folk Alliance, CEO David Dufresne will give a website clinic for local musicians during a workshop organized by the Memphis Music Foundation.

SXSW: March 15 in Austin, TX

Founder Chris Vinson will show off his Yoda-like web design skills in the “Website Demolition Derby”, where he’ll review websites live for attendees.

East Coast Music Week: April 15 in Moncton, New Brunswick

CEO David Dufresne will be on the panel “Social Media Mastery & Beyond”

ASCAP EXPO: April 19-21 in Los Angeles, CA

Founder Chris Vinson will be on hand to offer a Website Clinic throughout the conference at the Bandzoogle table, as well as participate in panel discussions.

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We’ll be posting more info about these events in the upcoming weeks, but if you’ll be at any of these events, or simply live in the area and would like to have a Bandzoogle member meet-up for coffee/food/drinks, please get in touch!

Bandzoogle is gearing up to attend lots of music conferences over the next few months, and we know many members will be doing the same thing (get in touch if you are attending any of these events ). It can be expensive to attend a music conference, so this blog post will go over some ways you can try and save some money.

The following post is taken from my eBook “Attending Music Conferences 101”. From pre-conference planning, showcasing & networking, to the post-conference follow-up, it offers a step-by-step look at the music conference experience and how to maximize it from a musician’s point of view. The eBook can be downloaded for FREE: Download eBook

7 Ways to Save Money When Attending a Music Conference

Music conferences are an amazing opportunity to network, meet new people, and move your career forward. But, they can be quite expensive as well. Here are some ways you can save money when attending a conference so that it doesn’t totally break the bank:

1. Volunteer for the conference

If you plan far enough ahead, and if you are willing to sacrifice some of your free time while at the conference, offer to volunteer. Conferences are always looking for good volunteers, and they are often artists. You can sometimes get your conference fee waived, or at least waived on the days that you volunteered.

But be prepared to work hard. If you show up late and you’re tired and/or hung-over because of all-night partying, chances are you won’t be asked back again. Remember, you might be dealing with the very people who could be deciding whether you get a showcase or not at a future conference. Arrive early. Be extremely polite. Work hard. Make the conference proud that they chose you as a volunteer.

2. Split hotel room with someone

This one is a no-brainer, of course. If you’re attending a conference alone but want to save money on the hotel room, try and find someone to share the room with. Chances are that there are plenty of other like-minded people in the same boat.

If the conference has a Facebook page, post on their wall that you are looking for a roommate. Same thing for Twitter, follow the conference on Twitter and Tweet that you’re looking for a roommate, and politely ask if they could re-tweet (RT) to their followers. You could also tag your tweet with a hashtag # for the conference, so other people can find your tweet in a search.

Another option is contacting the conference by e-mail and asking if they know of anyone looking for a hotel roommate. Chances are they have received similar messages and can put you in touch with those people.

3. Bring your own food

One way to save money that your Mom has probably already taught you is to pack a lunch! Specifically, bring lots of snacks. While at a conference, you’ll likely do more snacking than sitting down to eat large meals, as you’ll constantly be on the go. Chips and candies are an option, but healthier choices like nuts, dried fruit, power bars, etc., will help you avoid burning out. Being at a music conference can already put a lot of stress on your system, if you add junk food and high doses of salt and sugar, you’re just asking for a crash.

4. Shop for groceries

When you check-in to your hotel, ask where the nearest grocery store is. Room service can certainly be convenient late at night, however if you plan ahead, you can save a bunch of money and find healthier options at a grocery store. Load up on the aforementioned healthy snacks, plus pre-made sandwiches (to save on time) and lots of veggies.

5. Go to showcases that have food

Run out of snacks? Couldn’t make it to the grocery store before it closed? Don’t worry, you don’t have to go to bed hungry. Many showcase venues/rooms provide food & snacks as a way of enticing people to come check out the showcase. Keep a look out, ask around, and check your Twitter feed, word spreads quickly where to find free food.

6. Getting to the conference: Carpool, Bus, Train

Sometimes travelling by plane is unavoidable. However, often artists will carpool together and make a road trip out of it. Similar to finding hotel roommates, ask around and see if anyone in your town is driving to the conference, or passing through on their way. Every year artists from my hometown of Montreal organize carpools heading to Toronto for CMW or NXNE, and sometimes even a long-distance road trip to Austin for SXSW or Memphis for Folk Alliance. If you’re on a tight budget, this could be a great money-saver.

If carpooling isn’t an option, look for deals to travel by train or bus. Often trains and buses will have free WiFi so you can also be productive on your way to the conference.

7. Stay at a cheaper hotel

Another idea to save some money would be to stay at a different hotel than the one hosting the conference. Use a combination of Google Maps and travel deal websites to find the best options. There will no doubt be other hotels close to the host hotel that are cheaper.

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Have you done any of these things to save money when attending a music conference? Is there anything you would add to the list? Please leave your comments below!

Dave Cool is the Community Manager for musician website and marketing platform Bandzoogle. Twitter: @Bandzoogle | @dave_cool

The “Four P’s” is a term used to describe the traditional Marketing Mix: Product, Price, Placement, and Promotion. Well, I’m going to borrow from that expression and talk about the Four P’s of Playing Live Shows: Preparation, Promotion, Performance, and Post-Show. This series of blog posts will cover the things that you can be doing as a live performer to maximize each show. Part 1 was all about preparing for your show, and in now in Part 2 we focus on promotion

The Four P’s of Playing Live Shows: Promotion

Before getting started, the first thing you need to do is take personal responsibility for the promotion of your show. Chris “Seth” Jackson wrote a great blog post called “How to Promote a Show: Don’t Rely on Anyone Else”. I highly recommend reading it. You really can’t rely on anybody else to promote your show; not the other bands, not the venue, not the booker, not your manager, and not even an outside promoter. To really get the best possible result, you need to do everything you can as a band to get the word out to your fans. Here are some of the ways you can do that:

List the show

Start with the basics: list the show on your website, your ReverbNation page, Facebook page, Bandcamp, and yes, even your Myspace page. Anywhere that you have a profile online, make sure the show is listed. You never know what site your fans are going to look at for details about your next show. You can use ArtistData to save time doing this.

You should also list the show in weekly newspapers, music blogs, and news/entertainment websites that feature event listings.

Blogging

One thing you can do as soon as the show is booked is start blogging about it. You can blog about booking the show, about the other bands performing, interview the other bands, talk about rehearsals, putting together your set list, how the promotion is going, any media you’ve received leading up to the show, and so on. This will not only create awareness about your show, but also drive people to your website, which is always important.

Newsletter

With Facebook’s use of complex algorithms to determine if/when updates are shown to your fans, and the short lifespan of Tweets, your mailing list remains the most reliable way to reach your fans. So be sure to send an update to your mailing list subscribers with details about the show. If you send the newsletter about a month in advance, you could then send a reminder a few days before featuring new content promoting your show (a blog post, video trailer, etc.)

Media & Publicity

If you have a budget, you can hire a publicist to handle outreach to the media, but that could cost anywhere from $500 to over $2000. There are online services like StoryAmp and StereoGrid that can also help you connect directly with the media. But if you’re like most bands, you’ll probably end up doing your own media and publicity. You can use resources like the Indie Bible or Musician’s Atlas to find media contacts.

You’ll want to start contacting media at least 6-8 weeks before your show. Journalists are extremely busy people, and receive dozens if not hundreds of press releases daily, so it usually takes several follow-ups to get a response, if you get one at all. Give yourself enough time to do the proper following up, and in turn, show journalists respect by giving them enough lead time to consider your story.

To help build your media database and keep track of your progress, download this Sample Media Progress Spreadsheet

For some great tips on approaching journalists, I highly recommend reading 5 Tips for Approaching Music Journalists from MusicianCoaching.com

Facebook

Entire blog posts have been written about Facebook promotion alone, but be sure to cover the basics:

• Facebook Events: Create an event for your show and post regular updates on the event’s wall (blog posts, photos, videos, press articles, etc.)
• Regular updates on your fan page: Post the event on your wall, share photos from rehearsals, blog posts, and videos on a regular basis in the weeks leading up to your show to help create some buzz about it
• Ads: Facebook Ads can help create awareness about shows and remind your fans that you have a show coming up. ReverbNation has a great new tool called "Promote It" which makes creating Facebook ads way easier. If you do create ads, set a budget and stick to it, it can be easy to get carried away and spend a lot of money.

Twitter

Once again, entire blog posts have been written about Twitter promotion, but use Twitter to post regular updates on your preparation for the show. Post info about the other bands performing, links to blog posts, links to any press you’ve received, post photos from rehearsals, links to videos, etc.

Run a contest

One way to get your fans involved and excited about your show is to run a contest. Give away a pair of tickets, a pre-show dinner with your band, backstage access, a post-show party, whatever you feel comfortable with and that you think your fans would enjoy. The more you can get your fans involved in the process and make them feel special, the better.

Photos

Post photos on your website, Facebook page, Twitter, etc. It can be photos from rehearsals, photos of the venue, of the other bands playing the show, a photo of your set list, even photos from soundcheck the night of your show as a last-minute reminder. Try using Instagram to make it even more social (for some great tips on using Instagram, check out Mashable’s 10 Instagram Tips For Bands, By Bands).

Create a video trailer for your show

Another way to get people excited about your show is to create a video trailer for it. It doesn’t have to be the trailer for the movie 300 (i.e. the best movie trailer ever), but it could be a compilation of live footage, a personal message from the bands, a tour of the venue you’ll be playing, etc.

Posters & Flyers

Not too long ago it was standard practice to put up posters in areas around the venue, and some bands still do. But just having a handful of posters to put up inside the venue itself can help create awareness about your show (and some venues still insist on it). As for flyers, besides at music conferences, it’s something I haven’t seen in years, but bands still sometimes hand out flyers at other shows leading up to theirs. If it works for you, go for it, but if you have a tight budget, save the design and printing costs and stick to online promotion.

Email fans individually

Reach out to people on your mailing list individually with a short reminder about the upcoming show. Even if you just do a little bit every day, it all adds up, and this personal touch will no doubt bring a lot of those people through the door.

Pick up the phone

If an artist knows me well enough to have my number and calls to personally invite me to their show, most of the time, I’ll go to that show. It means more to me than a mass email, or a mass invite on Facebook. Part of it is because I probably know that artist well enough for them to have my number, but it also shows a level of dedication to the show’s promotion. It’s always smart to cover your bases.

Send a Hand-Written Note

If you have a person’s mailing address, try sending them a hand-written note (on the back of a promotional postcard is an easy way to do this). For a few album launches I’ve received a personalized, hand-written invitation from the artist, and it’s kind of fun when it happens. So if there are some key people who you want to have at your event, try sending a personal note. Even if they don’t show up, they’ll likely remember the gesture.

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You Have LOTS of Competition

I know this sounds like a lot of work, and this blog post was really just an outline of some of the things you can do to promote your show. But here’s the thing: you have more competition now than ever before. Just take a minute to think about all of the other choices people have when it comes to entertainment:

Dozens of other shows

In my home city of Montreal, there are literally dozens of shows happening on any given night. I often get invited to 5 or more different shows per weekend night, it’s a little overwhelming. To get anyone to your show instead of another, you’re going to have to go the extra mile.

The multitude of other entertainment options

Going to the movies, going to see live comedy, going to the theatre, going to a festival, or simply going out for drinks with friends. These are all activities (along with many others) that people can do rather than go see your band play.

Staying Home

And arguably your biggest competition: staying home. People can simply stay home and watch a movie, play video games on their HD TV, have a house party, spend the night watching goofy YouTube videos, or have a quiet night listening to their favorite music while they relax on the couch reading a book. Let’s face it, it’s a lot easier than driving 10 miles, paying for parking, paying the entrance fee, buying a drink, staying out late, and being tired the next day at work, all to see your band perform live.

Even with all of these challenges, if you put in the work and take the time to make your fans feel special, you can pack the venue. Just make sure that when they do come to your show, you give them a great experience, which brings us to the third “P”: Performance. Stay tuned for part 3 of this blog series, which is all about making the most of your live performance.

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So what did you guys think of Part 2? Did you find it helpful? Is there anything missing? Please leave your comments below...

Hello everyone,

Bandzoogle will have a strong presence at this year's Folk Alliance International music conference in Memphis. Here are all the details for our folkie friends:

Free Website Clinic

We're setting up a Free Website Clinic to give website reviews to attendees of the conference. Here are the Clinic hours:

Business Center: 10AM-2:30PM (Thu-Fri-Sat)
Exhibit Hall: 3PM-6PM (Thu-Fri-Sat)

So come get your website reviewed, or just come by and say hello. And it doesn't matter if you're an artist, manager, agent, festival, house concert series, we'll review all websites!

For more details, check out the New Events at the Conference

Panels

You can also catch Bandzoogle CEO David Dufresne on the following panels:

Friday, 11:00am - Interactive Folkie (Heritage 1)
Friday, 2:00pm - Website Derby (Heritage 1)

For full panel descriptions, check out the Conference Schedule

PLUS:

Come hang out at the Bandzoogle Website Workshop for Breakfast on Saturday at 10AM (Memphis). We’ll give a short demo about Bandzoogle and review websites on the spot, while no doubt enjoying several cups of coffee to recover from a night of great showcases.

Member Meet-up: Friday, February 24, 6PM @ Trolley Stop Bar

Come hang out with the Bandzoogle crew (CEO David Dufresne, Community Manager Dave Cool, and volunteer web-design guru Elida) on Friday, February 24 at 6PM at the Trolley Stop Bar inside the Marriot Memphis hotel. We’ll drink, talk music, and have a good time before a night of great showcases begins.

And the best part? Drinks are on us :)

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Web Clinic at the Memphis Music Foundation: February 23 @ 6PM

For any Memphis Bandzooglers (and non-zooglers, all are welcome!), CEO David Dufresne is giving a web clinic at the Memphis Music Foundation on Thursday, February 23 from 6PM until 8PM, where he’ll talk about websites, social networks, the Big Bad Internet, and the music and money that flows through it all. More details here: http://bandzooglewebclinic.eventbrite.com/

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We hope to see many of you in Memphis this week!

This is a guest post by Robin Davey. Robin is an Independent Musician, Writer and Award Winning Filmmaker. Follow him on Twitter @mr_robin_davey.

In this guest post, Robin Davey brings up an important point about promoting your music on Facebook: Is your content even reaching your fans? Chances are, not all of it is (which is why it’s so important to drive fans to your website). Here’s more about the changes to Facebook that might be negatively impacting your ability to reach your fans:

Does Facebook Have a BIG Problem?

A definite shift has happened to Facebook in the last few months. It appears the introduction of the new “Timeline” has brought in a new set of algorithms that control the content that we each see. Scroll down through your newsfeed and the majority of content is pictures and videos - personal updates now take a backseat.

This is due to Facebooks “EdgeRank” system that determines which content appears in your newsfeed. It also makes assumptions from your previous interactions who your friends are and ranks their importance above others. So replying to random people’s messages makes Facebook think you are best buddies. Hence, there they are, always in your newsfeed.

Sure there are options to somewhat manage this, but setting them for each person is as confusing as it is time consuming.

The problem increases the more friends we each acquire. The 500 million or so users that junk up Facebook every day means that, as you increase your amount of friends, the more susceptible you are to Facebook deciding what you should see. What used to be a personalized experience, is becoming lead by the perceived “majority thinking” of the Facebook population.

In this age of unlimited personal choice, is this not exactly what kills businesses?

The record industry suffered because it was so use to determining what you should hear based on the majority. So when the shift in music discovery and consumption came, the labels just didn't keep up. More and more people are leaving pre-scheduled cable and satellite for on-demand services like Roku. This is because people’s experiences are not determined by the majority, but by the individual, and if they have choice they will take the path that suits them.

Facebook’s heavy-handed managing of you and your friends is making the previously growing world an ever shrinking place.

And this is the problem Facebook now faces - it has just become too big that it has to somehow limit itself.

When Facebook first came along it seemed we had a new selectivity, a more controlled environment. A look at the facebook newsfeed now, and it is visibly becoming more chaotic each day. In fact, the endless photos covered in cheap text and “funny” quotes make it appear a jumbled mess. The neatness and simplicity has been hijacked, the reality is it is sprawling out of control.

Is this not what started Myspace’s demise? The decreased personalization of the experience.

No wonder Facebook is going public, it must be a sign that the end is near, a peak has been reached, and a shift is coming.

The simplicity that Twitter has with its limited characters and chronological timeline is increasingly appealing to those who want a cleaner experience. Though some may have gawked at it in the past as a gimmick, those wanting to see the news of the people they actually choose to follow, may well find it a refreshing and easy alternative to the quagmire Facebook has become. Similarly Tumblr, and now Pinterest, offer a much neater photo based experience. Google+ appears to suffer the same problem as Facebook, in that it is just not a succinct enough engine and already feels like it is failing to remain in control.

The past is a great predictor of the future, and just like we change our cars, phones, and even partners every few years, it seems a change in social networks is upon us too.

Where will you go?

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So have you experienced a lack of response from fans on Facebook? Are you making sure to drive fans to your own website and get them signed up to your mailing list? Leave your comments below!

This is a guest post by Marcato Musician CEO Darren Gallop. Marcato Musician is a web-based artist management software that lets you manage your communications, schedule bookings, stay on top of tasks and deadlines, and more. In Part One of this blog series, Darren talks about how to get booked at music festivals and gain exposure in front of their large crowds of music lovers. For Part 2, visit the Marcato Musician Blog

Musicians: How To Get Booked at Music Festivals (Part 1)

Landing festival gigs is one of the most attainable ways to get your live show in front of larger crowds. Every artist and manager should want to know how to get booked at music festivals.

The fact is, most festival artistic directors start their planning by securing their headliners. Then they start to fill the other slots with up and coming talent, even musicians they’ve never heard of before.

These slots are fairly competitive. The larger the profile of the festival the more competition there is. It’s not uncommon to see as many as 1000 submissions for a small/medium-sized festival and upwards of 20,000 for larger international events. In both cases these submissions compete for anywhere from 20 to 400 performance slots.

It may sound discouraging but 20% to 75% of these submissions are an instant “NO! NOT A CHANCE!” You can avoid being instantly rejected by understanding WHY festival programmers ignore so many applications. It’s usually because these applications or the artists submitting them:

• are not a style or genre that the festival even programs (failure to research the events you’re applying to is a great way to NOT get booked at music festivals)
• are not ready (if you’ve only played shows in your home town and haven’t released a professional recording you are probably not ready to hit the festival scene)
• do not have the tools and marketing collateral to properly pitch
• do not know how to pitch

All of these submissions are automatically and rapidly declined, sometimes even before festival staff has a chance to hear your music.

The objective of this blog series is to educate DIY artists and emerging managers and agents on the tools and processes that answer the question of how to get booked at music festivals and dramatically improve their festival booking success rate.

8 and 1/2 Tips – How to Get Booked at Music Festivals:

1. Be Awesome

If you want to get booked at music festivals, you need to stand out. This means more than just ‘don’t suck’. Your songs need to be great and your live performance has to be memorable. If you’re not there yet you may be better off spending your time writing, producing, rehearsing and gigging in small clubs for a while longer.

I often see bands that have great tunes and play them very well but lack engagement with their live show. I have witnessed Tom Jackson go through the process of producing a band’s live show and I would recommend taking the opportunity to check out his stuff if you get a chance. Remember you are not just selling your music or yourself — it’s really your live show that festival promoters are interested in. Having a killer live show is a great way to get booked at music festivals.

2. Keep Your Bio Short and Sweet

Don’t start off with where you went to school and the life stories of each band member. What is your story? How is it relevant? What does your music sound like? Who are your key influences? What are the most relevant highlights of your career? There are professionals that can write your bio for somewhere in the $150 to $300 range. If you plan to write it yourself, here are a couple of good posts about writing a bio:

• Creating An Effective Bio (Taxi.com)
• How to Write an Artist Biography: A Bio Made Simple (MusicBizAcademy.com)

(Yes, I just Googled how to write an effective musician bio and grabbed the highest-ranking posts. It’s that easy to learn how to do just about anything these days!)

Bandzoogle Note: You can also check out our blog post “5 Key Elements to a Solid Band Bio”

3. Have Really Good Recordings

Having a great recording is an awesome tool. You don’t need a full album or even an EP to get booked at music festivals, a few great tracks can do the job. You want to have these tracks somewhere online (like Soundcloud or Bandcamp) where they can be easily streamed and/or downloaded. If possible, you should have physical copies set aside for special situations. We’ll talk about how to use these tools in the next part of the “How to Get Booked at Music Festivals” series.

Bandzoogle Note: You can of course embed songs on your website or use the site-wide music player to do this.

4. Make Headlines

Recognition in the press is a powerful thing. The more relevant the source the more powerful the article and the more weight it carries when trying to get booked at music festivals. A small community or college paper will not be as significant as a review in Pitchfork or Billboard. A press strategy and publicist can be one of the most important elements of your overall business and marketing plan.

5. Live Audio/Video Samples

This can be one of the most powerful tools you can ever invest in. Even if someone hears your CD and loves it, there’s no guarantee that your live performance is great.

Here is an example from a series of videos that cost me about $2,000 to produce start to finish. I built them to sell an emerging artist for opening slots on major tours and to get booked at music festivals in the Canadian market. It has been about 14 months since these videos where produced and the artist has secured many high profile performance slots (including opening for rock band Heart on a 30-day tour) which has paid for the cost of this video over and over.

I also made an additional series that represented what the artist does live with her full band:

This can be done at a cheaper rate if you have friends that can help or the time and skills to deal with some of the production yourself. The production value does not necessarily have to be this high to achieve similar goals, though if you can afford to spend on quality it doesn’t hurt.

In both of these videos I opted for a controlled environment instead of doing this at a live show because I wanted the ability to do each song a few times and ensure the best camera angles. I also had limited time to work with due to the artists touring schedule. An actual live show in a cool venue with an audience that’s really digging it is even more effective but also creates several variables that are less controllable. I have had bad experiences with other acts where we are doing a live show and then during the song that I really wanted to capture the guitar crapped out and then it kind of fell apart. (I suggest if you are going for the actual live show recording route to plan to record 2 or more evenings to ensure you get what you need.)

5 and 1/2. Be an Opportunist

When we landed the opening tour with Heart, I hired someone to come in with an HD video recorder at a show in a major venue and set up my ProTools Mbox with a feed from the board and a stereo mic pattern in the room.

This cost me $300 and has become another great sales and marketing tool:

Bottom line, having some great live content can drastically eliminate risk from the festival’s perspective and makes it easier to get booked at music festivals.

6. Look Good in Pictures

A few hundred dollars for some professional photography will go a long way to portray a professional image. Unprofessional artists rarely get booked at music festivals! Try to come up with a theme or an idea. Pick a cool location, look the part you’re playing, and look like you are all on the same team. Don’t dress like you are going to your buddy’s house to drink beer and watch football. Live shots can be great too — I recommend a bit of both.

7. Have a Solid Social Media Presence

Social media presence is key in building your music career this day and age, and helps when trying to get booked at music festivals. Many indie labels, major labels, promoters and agents go straight to your online presence. It shows them how serious you are about your success and what your fan base is like. Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR runs a blog and newsletter, writes books, speaks at many conferences around the world and teaches courses on this topic.

8. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

If you’ve ever worked in sales you likely know something about this. If not, it’s time to learn because you work in sales now!

Your product is your band’s live performance and your customers are music festivals. Basically, you are looking for a software system (it can be web-based or desktop), or if you are old school some form of Rolodex or agenda/contact book combination. You can even use the tools you have on your Mac or PC like iCal or Outlook to create reminders and your address book to keep notes of your communication with people.

You want something to keep track of every festival you want to play, the people that you encounter that work at the festival, your conversations with these people and follow-up plans. We will go into more detail on the use of the CRM in the next part of this series.

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We hope you found these tips helpful! For Part 2 of this blog series, visit the Marcato Musician Blog

Submit Your Website for the SXSW Website Demolition Derby!

Bandzoogle is heading south to Austin, Texas for SXSW from March 14 to 18. We’ll be attending parties, checking out showcases, eating some BBQ, and probably have a drink or two.

More importantly, Bandzoogle founder Chris Vinson will moderate the panel "Website Demolition Derby", where he, along with panelists Bob Moczydlowsky (Topspin) and Ethan Kaplan (Live Nation), will review websites live for the audience.

Chris will use his 15+ years of web design experience in critiquing each site's design, organization, content and functionality. Diplomacy will be put aside as reviews will be brutally honest. The panel will also discuss how websites fit with an artist's overall online strategy, and how a website can help achieve certain goals in an artist's career.

Details:

Thursday, March 15
5:15PM-6:15PM
Austin Convention Center
Room 10C

For more info: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_MP10158

Submit Your Website For Review!

Will you be attending SXSW? Send us your website link and Chris just might review your website live during the panel (if you show up, of course).

To submit your website, simply email dcool[at]bandzoogle[dot]com with your url.

Are You Bandzoogle Member Attending SXSW?

Community Manager Dave Cool will also be on hand to tweet and blog from SXSW, so if you’ll be attending and would like to meet up, please let us know in the comments, or email Dave directly: dcool[at]bandzoogle[dot]com

If you’re not attending, you can still follow Bandzoogle’s experience at SXSW on Twitter: @Bandzoogle

This is a guest post by Songtrust. Songtrust gives music makers an easy way to register songs and collect royalties. In this post they go over some effective methods for songwriting within a band dynamic, which isn’t always a straight-forward process. Enjoy!

5 Effective Methods To Writing Songs With A Band

The term ‘songwriter’ often gets misconstrued as someone who:

• Is a solo singer/ songwriter
• Writes songs to be performed by others
• Writes songs for the sole purpose of licensing

Now, don’t get us wrong, a songwriter is very much all of those things, or at least they can be. But the fact is, many songwriters are also band members!

All bands have a songwriting process (or else they would have no original songs), so the question becomes: How do you write songs when in a ‘band’ scenario?

Many bands have a principle songwriter, but others explore more group efforts in their writing efforts. Just as each songwriter has their own process, each band has their own process for putting together songs as well.

The following are 5 common ways that bands approach the songwriting process:

1) Songwriter & critique group

One of the most common ways to write as a band is to have a single songwriter that writes the music and presents it to the rest of the band, acting as a critique group which gives feedback and suggestions to make the song better.

2) Co-writers

Many bands throughout music history have worked with co-writers, and as we discussed last week, many of the best songs ever written were done so by co-writers. This would work similarly to the songwriter & critique group above, with the only difference being that the co-writers present the music to the rest of the band.

3) Multiple songwriters

Simliar to co-writers, this idea would have two or more songwriters in one group. The big difference here is that instead of the songwriters working together, they would work separately and each present their own works to the band. For example: John Lennon and Paul McCartney functioned as co-writers early on, the later era of the Beatles showed the two working very much on their own and each bringing their own songs to the table.

4) Group effort

In this scenario, the entire band would work together throughout the writing process as one collective songwriting group. While the group may lack the direction and vision of a single songwriter, the benefit here is that songwriting process would play to each band member’s strengths, be it melodies, harmonies, rhythm (bass and/ or drums), horn arrangements, etc.

5) Jam session

The most experimental, yet group-involved band-centric songwriting process is to write through a process of jam sessions. The idea here is to simply start playing, maybe using of a pre-determined chord progression, or maybe using nothing pre-determined at all and let the creativity flow. The best way to ensure you capture all of the song possibilities from a jam session is to record each session and then have a listening session afterwards.

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How does your band write songs?

Just as solo songwriters each have their own songwriting process, each band has their own process as well. Let us know how your band approaches the songwriting process in the form of a comment below.

Bandzoogle at SXSW: Websites Demolished, Happy Members and Great Music

Chris and I are back from Austin where we both attended SXSW for the first time, and what an amazing experience it was. We were expecting there to be a lot of music and a lot of people, but even living in a great festival city like Montreal didn’t prepare us for the enormity of SXSW.

The insane number of bands playing throughout the city all at once, combined with hardly being able to walk down East 6th street, even though it is blocked off during the festival, made for a slightly overwhelming experience at times.

But crazy scheduling aside, we managed to carve out our own little Bandzoogle-themed SXSW experience, here are some highlights:

Website Demolition Derby: Successful Demolition

Chris moderated the panel “Website Demolition Derby” where he, along with panelists Bob Moczydlowsky (Topspin) and Ethan Kaplan (Live Nation) reviewed websites submitted by the audience in attendance. It was nice to attend a panel and see some real, tangible/actionable advice being given out.

Here are some of the quotes that we highlighted:

“You have to think about all of the target audiences for your website” - Chris Vinson

This relates to creating a website that your current fans, your potential fans, journalists, and bookers can all use your site in the way they need.

“The hub is your website, the spokes are Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, etc.” - Bob Moczydlowsky

Chris often talks about the “Hub & Spokes” method for your website, and Bob from Topspin brought it up during the panel. Your website should be your hub, and you should use your spokes (social media profiles) to drive people back to your hub.

“If you don’t maintain your site, it looks like tumbleweeds” - Ethan Kaplan

That one is pretty self-explanatory. If you don’t keep your website updated, it just doesn't look good.

“Let me hear it, please” - Bob Moczydlowsky

Bob stated that you should be able to hear music right away once you land on an artist’s website, and we agree 100%.

“Flash does not belong on an artist website” - Ethan Kaplan

One artist that submitted their website for review had a lot of flash elements on their homepage, and Bob immediately told the artist to get down and do 100 push-ups! Ethan then summed it up with his statement that flash does not belong on your website. It doesn’t show up on iPads, iPhones, iWhatevers, and does nothing for search engine optimization.

So Many Awesome Bandzoogle Members

I was wearing a Bandzoogle shirt every day of the festival, and it was amazing how often I was stopped in the middle of the street by a happy Bandzoogle member! Thank you to everyone who came up to me to chat, it was great meeting you.

One event where I met a lot of members was the GoGirls Music showcase night at Trophy’s Bar. Pictured left is Bandzoogle member Tara Craig performing, and you can see GoGirls Founder Madalyn Sklar on her laptop overseeing the livestream of the event.

I also met members Laura Marie, Tish Meeks, and Aly Tadros (The Sweetness) that night, it was a lot of fun!

And besides seeing several Bandzoogle members showcase at the GoGirls night, I also got to see member Todd Snider put on a great performance at the (packed) beautiful St David's Historic Sanctuary in Austin:

NOTE: I’m using “I” a lot (Dave Cool) because I was the lucky one who got to go out and see showcases and network. After his panel, Chris stayed back at our guest house the rest of the conference working on the Bandzoogle 2.0 update. It’s getting so close, we can almost taste it!

And the Funniest Thing We Saw at SXSW:

They’re trying sooo hard.

Canadian Music Week is Next

We definitely hope to be back at SXSW again next year, but for now, we’re moving onto Canadian Music Week in Toronto. I’ll be speaking on the panel "GOING VIRAL VIA SOCIAL: CAN “FREE” HELP SELL MUSIC AND MARKET AN ARTIST?" on Thursday, and will be at the conference Wednesday-Friday.

So if you’re a Bandzoogle member and are going to be in Toronto for the conference, please get in touch: dcool[at]bandzoogle[dot]com or tweet us: @Bandzoogle

6 Essential Elements for Your Band’s Website Homepage

Your homepage is usually the first page visitors to your website will see, so it’s important to make sure that you have the right elements in place to grab their attention, make a strong first impression, and keep them on your site. A well-designed homepage can get you more sign-ups for your newsletter, more sales from your online store, and convert first-time visitors to becoming active and engaged fans. Here are 6 essential elements to have on your homepage that will help you do just that:

1. Great Header Image

Your header image is arguably the most important element of your homepage. It’s likely to be the first thing that people see on your website, so think about what image can best represent your music and who you are as an artist. Having a great photo of your band along with your band name is a classic example of an effective header image. Here’s a nice one from singer-songwriter Tyler Kealey:

From the picture and description, you know Tyler’s name, what he does, and you can probably already get a sense of his music just based on that image.

Your header image can also be artwork rather than a photo, but same rules apply: it should represent your music and who you are as an artist.

2. Short Bio

You should never take for granted that people visiting your site already know who you are or what you do. Yes, your current fans will be visiting your site, but so will lots of potential new fans, and journalists, bloggers, promoters, bookers, etc. Folks you want to impress. Having a short bio, or an “elevator pitch” right there on the homepage will let a potential new fan immediately know who you are and what your music is all about. Here’s a screenshot from the homepage of Ben Cooper:

For this bio, keep it short. A longer version can be saved for your “About Us” or “Bio” page. You can probably stick to the “Who You Are” elements of your bio, like:

• What’s your band name?
• Where are you from?
• What do you sound like?
• What are your influences?

Make it the blurb that you want bloggers and lazy writers to copy-paste in their articles about you. For more tips on creating your pitch, check out this blog post by Music PR superstar Ariel Hyatt: “Creating a Perfect Pitch - Laser Focus Your Message”

3. Music / Video

First time visitors should be able to sample your music in one, easy, obvious click. So the next element you should have on your homepage is a song that people can listen to right away. This can also be an embedded video they can watch. Adding visuals to the experience means that you can grab their attention through both their ears and their eyes. Less chance that they’ll get distracted by their e-mails, Facebook or anyhting else, and you might get their full attention for the whole song. But for both audio and video, be sure that it is your best, freshest track, or a song that you think best represents your band.

In the bio example above, Ben Cooper had a live video showcasing his performance at a festival, but it could be having a site-wide music player available, or you can even call people’s attention to listen to your music, like Tyler Kealey did here:

4. Call-to-Action

Speaking of calling people’s attention to something, the next element to have on your homepage is a call-to-action. A call-to-action is designed to direct people’s attention to something specific that you want them to do while on your website. It could be to join your mailing list, buy your latest album, listen to your latest track, or donate to your fan-funding campaign.

But it’s best to limit yourself to one, maximum two calls-to-action. What your call-to-action is depends on what your goals are for your career. For an emerging band, collecting email addresses to build up your mailing list would be a good goal to have. For a more established artist with a solid fan base, directing people to purchase new music & merch through your online store might be the way to go. If you’re raising money to fund your next album, you can direct people to your fan-funding campaign.

Here’s a good example of a call-to-action from Laura Marie:

5. Latest News/Blog

With this next feature, it can come down to personal preference. Some artists have a full blog on their homepage, others have a news feed with all of their news from the past few months. Just remember that your website should have a blog, but it shouldn’t be a blog. Most people don’t scroll down on a web page (one study showed it was as high as 80% of people), and will only read what they can immediately see on their screens.

So put the top news items on your homepage (maybe 3-5 items), and direct people to your full blog from there to see more. Info about your new album, a new show announcement, or a press article/interview are all things to feature proudly on your homepage.

6. Social Media Links

People might only have a short time to check out your website, so it’s a good idea to give them a quick link to connect with you on social media sites. That way, if they only have a minute, they can go to your Facebook page and “Like” it, or follow you on Twitter, right from your homepage.

Don’t overdo it, you can simply list the social media networks that you are most active on. The goal isn’t to send people away to 10 different places other than your website, but to make it easy for them to keep up with your latest activity.Then you can draw them back to your website with the content you put out through those social media profiles that you are active on.

Here’s an example from Static Cycle’s homepage, where the social media icons are right below the header image:

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Keep it Clean

One last thing to keep in mind is that an overly-cluttered homepage is not a good thing either. You’ll want to stick to these 6 elements for the most part, and use them to direct people to other sections of your site effectively. Otherwise, if people have too many options/links/images to look at, they might simply ignore it all and leave your site.

The most important elements, including your call-to-action need to be above the fold. The fold is the line after which visitors have to scroll to see the content. Keep in mind that the fold is different for different monitors and screen resolution.

If you do decide to make some of these changes to your homepage, you can use your Analytics to measure whether it worked. If you look at your current bounce rate before and after the changes, the bounce rate should decrease after these changes. You should also hopefully get more email sign-ups and sales from your online store too.

Your Website is Home for Your Music

Social media sites come and go (i.e. MySpace, Friendster, soon Google+?), or can completely change, like we’ve seen with the recent “Timeline” changes to Facebook Pages. Although social media sites are a great place to interact with and find new fans, you can’t rely on social media sites as a homebase for your music, and as a hub for your online strategy. You should focus on driving fans to your own website where they can always find your music, sign-up to your mailing list, or shop for music and merchandise directly from your own online store.

Every week, we highlight one of our favorite websites on Bandzoogle.

Who: Jon Hart
What: Guitarist, Vocalist & Beatboxer
Where: London, UK
Why his website rocks: Jon’s site has several great elements, but we especially love his Homepage. The header image is really well-designed, and tells you exactly what Jon does. In his welcome message/bio, he links to internal pages which helps guide visitors to what they’re looking for. Right there on his homepage is a video to immediately showcase his music and fingerstyle guitar playing. He also has a nice call-to-action, latest news, and links to his social media profiles, all well-placed and well-organized. Jon really incorporates the “6 Essential Elements of a Website Homepage” perfectly!

Check it out at www.jonhartmusic.com

Bandzoogle is heading to Hollywood! Once again this year we’ll be attending the ASCAP EXPO in Los Angeles from April 19-21. We’ll have a kiosk where we’ll be giving attendees free website reviews throughout the conference, but we’ll also be back with the Website Demolition Derby.

Moderator Allison Shaw (Manic Monkee Mgmt/Jakprints) will lead a panel including Bob Moczydlowsky (Topspin), Ethan Kaplan (Live Nation Labs) and yours truly (Dave Cool), where we will offer live critiques of EXPO attendees’ websites. The panel will assess each site's design, organization, content and functionality, as well as discuss how websites fit with an artist's overall online strategy.

Chris was supposed to lead the panel as he did at SXSW, but he’s going to stay back to continue working on the Bandzoogle update. That means I’ll be in charge of representing Chris’s Yoda-like website design knowledge at the Demolition Derby, and I’ll be getting intensive website review training from him leading up to the panel (no word yet if I’ll have to carry him on my back during the training).

Website Demolition Derby Details:

Saturday, April 21
1:10PM-2:10PM
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
Hollywood Ballroom #2, 2nd Floor (Mezzanine)

For more info, visit the ASCAP EXPO website.

Attending the ASCAP EXPO? Submit Your Website For Review!

PLEASE NOTE: You must ATTEND the panel to have your site reviewed.

If you’re courageous enough to submit your website for our scrutiny, send your url to: dcool[at]bandzoogle[dot]com

WARNING: At the SXSW Website Demolition Derby, Bob from Topspin ordered an artist to do 100 pushups because they had Flash on their website! You have been warned, this panel is not for the faint-hearted.

Are You Bandzoogle Member Attending the ASCAP EXPO?

Several members of the Bandzoogle team will be in Los Angeles for the conference, so if you’ll be attending, please let us know in the comments, or email dcool[at]bandzoogle[dot]com. Would be great to meet up for drinks or a bite to eat while we’re in town!

If you’re not attending, you can still follow Bandzoogle’s experience at the ASCAP EXPO on Twitter: @Bandzoogle

Michael Brandvold is a music industry marketing consultant, speaker, and author based in California. He co-hosts the Music Biz Weekly and Rock Star Branding podcasts, and has been invited to share his knowledge at conferences like SXSW Interactive, California Music Industry Summit, Canadian Music Week, Driven Music Conference, amongst many others.

Michael has extensive music industry experience, but it was KISS Otaku — his KISS fan site launched in 1995 — that would change his fortunes forever. In 1998, Gene Simmons of KISS discovered KISS Otaku and personally tapped Michael as the Director of Web Services at Signatures Network, a Sony/CMGi company, where he built from scratch, managed and grew KISSonline into a multi-million-dollar enterprise with over half a million visitors per month.

Michael just released a free eBook for musicians called “KISS School of Marketing: 11 Lessons I Learned While Working with KISS” to highlight some of the most important lessons he learned during his time working with the band KISS. Here’s an excerpt from the book:

Lesson 5: Not Everything You Do Will Succeed

Gene Simmons understands that everything he does will not succeed. That does not stop him. He keeps putting out business ventures, KISS product, tours and albums. He knows that some of these will succeed and they will be remembered. Our attention spans are so short today that we will quickly forget the failures.

Don’t stress them; learn what you can and move on to the next idea. Got a content idea for your website? Try it. If your fans don’t get excited, move on to something else. That last contest didn’t work? Try a different contest.

Paul Stanley: “The lessons of success are a lot sweeter, but without failure, you don’t appreciate success. Failure is a reminder that you’re not perfect and that you can be better. If you don’t learn anything from failure, you probably aren’t going to succeed.”

To Download the complete eBook, visit: www.michaelbrandvold.com

Follow Michael Brandvold on Twitter: @michaelsb

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Do you have any stories of lessons learned after something didn’t work out in your career? Please share them in the comments section below!

Dave Cool is the Director of Artist Relations for musician website and marketing platform Bandzoogle. Twitter: @Bandzoogle | @dave_cool

The “Four P’s” is a term used to describe the traditional Marketing Mix: Product, Price, Placement, and Promotion. I’m borrowing from that expression to talk about the Four P’s of Playing Live Shows: Preparation, Promotion, Performance, and Post-Show. This series of blog posts will cover the things that you can be doing as a live performer to maximize each show. In Part 3, it’s all about your performance:

The Four P’s of Playing Live Shows: Performance

What makes for a great live show? A concert is a very subjective experience, so the answer really depends on who you ask, and genre of music can be a huge factor as well.

So when thinking about this third “P”, I tried to come up with a few universal characteristics that contribute to a great live performance, that can (maybe) hold true for every genre:

3 Universal Characteristics of a Great Live Performance

“Are you delivering something with enough authenticity and passion that people demand you do it again for their friends?” - Seth Godin

1. PASSION
Play like it’s your last show, ever - A lesson from Charles Bradley

“I sing every time like it's the last show I'm doing.”- Charles Bradley

It’s hard enough to launch a music career in your 20’s, let alone your 60’s. But at the tender age of 64, soul singer Charles Bradley launched his solo career with his debut album "No Time For Dreaming" on Daptone Records. Charles Bradley realizes how fortunate he is, and takes advantage of every show he plays by treating it like it could be his last.

Although it might sound extreme, when you think about it, the only time that exists is the present; there is no past, and there is no guarantee of a future. So if bands treated every show like it could be their last, the energy and passion that would come through would no doubt help make for a great performance.

2. SPONTANEITY
Don’t Be Afraid to Embrace Spontaneity - A Lesson from Dan Mangan

“those truly memorable moments of gig beauty can only come at the intersection of vulnerability, honesty and spontaneity” - Dan Mangan

I first saw Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Mangan at the OCFF conference in October 2010. I’ll never forget that at one point during his showcase, Dan jumped down from the stage and started singing while walking through the audience, encouraging them to join in. It was a risky move, because the room wasn’t filled with hundreds of his fans, but with industry types who might not go along with him. He was leaving himself incredibly vulnerable, and it could’ve easily backfired.

But his gamble paid off, and the crowd clapped and sang along, and before you knew it, 200+ music industry people were helping to create a truly magical moment at his showcase, and a conference highlight for many who were there.

3. INCLUDE THE AUDIENCE
Get the Audience Involved - A Lesson from Rich Aucoin

This ties into the previous point, but deserves special attention: audience participation. It can take form in many ways; a sing-along at a folk show, clapping at a gospel show, waving your arms in the air at a hip-hop show, or handing the audience hundreds of glow sticks at an electronic music show.

But I witnessed a truly unique form of audience participation at the Osheaga Festival in Montreal a few years ago. There was a small tent along a dirt path between two sets of larger stages where artists were busking to raise money for War Child. With the distraction of mobs of people and lots of other music going on at larger stages, many people walked by with barely a glance at the tent. But not when Rich Aucoin performed.

He poured so much passion and energy into his performance (point #1), even climbing a tree that was next to the tent while continuing to sing (point #2). But the real highlight was when he broke out a parachute and had the audience hold it up and dance underneath it. Remember doing that when you were a kid in gym class? Yeah, good times.

I saw a lot of big name acts at that festival, but I ended up talking about Rich’s performance more than any other.

Improving Your Performance

This all begs the question: how do you know if you’ve given a great live performance? Obviously, much of it can be instinctual; getting a feel from the crowd, sensing whether you’re connecting with them or not. But here are a few ways to get feedback and insight on your live performance that can help you to make improvements:

Ask Your Fans

Talk to fans right after the show, send a survey by email, or create a poll on your website asking their opinion. You can even set up a Twitter hashtag for the show and get real-time feedback from the audience.

Record the Show

You never know how you really look onstage until you see a video of it. It can be a painful exercise for many artists (many feel uncomfortable, similar to how some actors can’t watch their performances in movies), but the potential payoff is huge. There are no doubt lots of ways you can improve the look/dynamic and performance on stage, and seeing the performance on video is one of the best ways to assess and make those adjustments.

Get Feedback from an Objective Source

Ask the bartender, the booker, or other staff at the venue about your live performance, they might offer some great insight that others might not. You can also talk to your manager, booking agent, label, or even friends & family. Just be sure that the person you’re asking can tell you the truth without sugarcoating it, or on the flipside, without being mean about it.

Whichever way you get feedback, you’ll likely find some of it helpful, some of it less helpful, but there might be recurring themes that you can pick up on, and those are the things that can help you make tweaks to your show.

Practice, Practice, Practice

This one is a no brainer. If your band isn’t rehearsing, your band isn’t improving. And if there is any question within your band whether you should be practicing or not, please refer to this chart.

Get Outside Help

On an individual level, every musician can improve the performance of their own instrument, be it guitar, drums, or your voice. Practicing on your own is of course one way to improve and stay sharp, but getting outside advice or formal lessons from a teacher can make a huge difference in your technique, endurance, and ability to improvise.

There are lots of great resources out there on each instrument, but for all the singers out there, Cari Cole has a lot of great resources on her website, and offers great tips through her twitter feed.

On a group level, you can look into hiring a live music producer. A live music producer essentially does for live shows what a record producer does in the studio, which is to help bring out the best in the artist. Probably the best known live music producer is Tom Jackson, who has helped pioneer the concept. His website is definitely worth checking out: www.onstagesuccess.com

Don’t Forget to Do These Things During Your Show

Before ending this post, here are a few small things, outside of your performance, that you can do during your show that can help make a positive impact on your career going forward:

Ask People to Sign Your Mailing List

When you have a captive audience, don’t forget to remind them to sign your mailing list before leaving that night. Email is still the best, most reliable way to stay in touch with your fans, so be sure to promote your list from the stage.

Promote your merch

Same goes for your merch. Have a new CD? Mention it while on stage. New 7” vinyl? Mention that too. Fancy new girly tees? Mention those. You don’t have to be a used car salesman, but there are creative/funny ways to remind the audience that every little bit of support helps, especially if you’re on tour.

Thank the soundman, staff, booker

While on stage, it’s always a nice touch to thank the soundman, bar staff, and booker for having you at the venue. A little appreciation goes a long way.

Have fun

And finally, don’t forget to have fun on stage, because at the end of the day, this is all about playing music. Because if you’re not having fun, chances are the audience won’t be either.

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Is there anything you would add to the “3 Universal Characteristics of a Great Live Performance”? How about ways to improve your performance? I’ve no doubt forgotten something, let me know in the comments!

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Dave Cool is the Director of Artist Relations for musician website and marketing platform Bandzoogle. Twitter: @Bandzoogle | @dave_cool

Every week, we highlight one of our favorite websites on Bandzoogle.

Who: Alex Vissia
What: Singer-songwriter
Where: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Why her website rocks: Alex’s site has a professional photo as her header image, which is combined with a custom background that matches her album cover for a consistent look and brand. Her homepage looks great and has all of the essential elements, but it’s her Press/Media page that really caught our attention. Alex has a nice example of a digital press kit on her site, which includes everything a media person needs: a downloadable version of her press kit, a high-res photo, bio, one-sheet, press quotes, and info on how to get a digital copy of her album. Well done!

Check it out at: www.alexvissia.com

Another element you should have on your website is a sign-up form for your mailing list. Email sounds pretty old-school, but the reality is that a mailing list is still the best way to stay in touch with your fans. Here’s why:

Top 3 Reasons to Have a Mailing List

1- You own it

Remember all those fans you had on MySpace? Well, MySpace owned their data, not you, and chances are if you didn’t get them signed-up to your mailing list, you lost contact with many of them.

Facebook? Same deal. They own the data, and they too can disappear. Or, as it seems to be happening, it gets too crowded and noisy. Statistics regularly show that only a very small percentage of people actually see your updates. So if you have important news to announce, your mailing list is your best bet to reach most of your fan base.

Twitter? Same issue with data, and tweets only last for a few hours, so again, it’s hard to tell how many of your followers are actually seeing your updates.

Bottom line is that social media sites are great tools for interacting with current fans and finding new ones, but you’ll want to get them signed-up to your mailing list so you can stay in touch with your fans over the long-term, regardless of which social media site is popular at the time.

2- It’s the ultimate permission marketing

An email list is the ultimate in permission marketing. Once a fan gives you their email address, they’re telling you that they want to hear about your career, that they want to know about your latest album, your next show, your new merchandise, etc. That’s an incredibly powerful thing, and those email addresses should be treated like gold.

Note: Don’t ever, EVER add people to your mailing list without their permission. Spamming people can do irreparable harm to your career, as you will likely lose those people as potential fans forever.

3- Best way to sell to your fans

And finally, when it comes to cold, hard cash, both inside and outside the music industry, email newsletters are still the best way to convert fans to paying customers.

As noted artist manager Emily White has said, an email list “is an artist’s retirement plan”.

Where to position your sign-up form

So where do you place your mailing list sign-up form on your website? Right on the Homepage, “above the fold”; which is to say visible right away, without having to scroll down. In fact, you should make your mailing list sign-up your primary call-to-action on your website.

If you’re an emerging artist, focus on building that mailing list before anything. Don’t worry so much about selling music & merch just yet, build a strong mailing list and over the long term it will be worth much more than trying to get that 0.99$ download right away when people visit your site.

Offer an incentive

And finally, don’t forget to offer an incentive to the person who will be giving you their email address. Getting the “latest news” or “inside scoop” on your career is nice, but offering a little something more might be the difference between getting that email or not. It could be as simple as a free MP3, and even better would be an exclusive track that can’t be found anywhere else.

Some bands use their live recordings to offer up a free/exclusive Live EP in exchange for an email address, and I’ve seen some even give away a free download of an older album. Use your creativity to find something unique, exclusive and fun that will give a potential new fan no choice but to hand over their email address.

For some great tips on writing effective newsletters, definitely check out Ariel Hyatt’s blog post "How to Write Engaging Newsletters”

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Do you have a mailing list sign-up on your website? Is it your main call-to-action on your homepage? What are you giving away in return for the email address? Let us know in the comments below!

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Previous Website Quick Fix posts:

Musician Website Quick Fix #4: Make it easy to listen to your music

Musician Website Quick Fix #3: Focus on one Call-to-Action

Musician Website Quick Fix #2: Lose the Intro Page

Musician Website Quick Fix #1: Turn off auto-start music

This is a guest post by Songtrust. Songtrust gives music makers an easy way to register songs and collect royalties. You can get 10% off your first year with Songtrust by using this link.

In this post, they talk about about how to collect royalties for your live performances. Enjoy!

How To: Collect Live Performance Royalties

For songwriters and bands performing their own material, there’s an opportunity to earn additional royalties from live performances. All three US Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) can pay royalties from live performances at bars, clubs, restaurants and other music venues.

In order to collect these royalties, each PRO requires writers to alert them of live performances. Below is the best way for writers affiliated with ASCAP, BMI or SESAC to maximise their live performance royalties.

ASCAP Plus

The ASCAP Plus Awards program is available to writers who received less than $25,000 in domestic performance royalties in the previous calendar year.

To be considered for an ASCAP Plus Award, each writer must submit an online application via Member Access. The application must be submitted annually and reference achievements of the previous calendar year.

More info: ASCAP Plus

*Bandzoogle is headed to the ASCAP EXPO this week, if you’ll be there, let us know!

BMI Live

To sign up for BMI Live, songwriters should log into the BMI Live section of bmi.com and register their set lists, with the date and venue where they performed. They will then be eligible for quarterly royalty payments for the public performance of their original songs and compositions.

For Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users, BMI Live can be accessed from the BMI Mobile app, while Android users will find BMI Live on the BMI Mobile website. BMI Live’s mobile platforms offer all the same services that are available online via laptop and desktop computers.

More info: BMI Live

SESAC

Register your sets via your publishing account on SESAC Affiliate Services. Once you’ve logged in, complete live performance forms for any live gigs.

You’re able to create a set list (e.g. Fall Tour 2011) and copy / paste it into each venue. You’ll need each venue’s address, date of show, venue capacity, if there was a music charge and the list of songs to submit.

More info: SESAC Live Performance Royalties

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Bandzoogle note for Canadian musicians:

SOCAN offers a program for collecting royalties for live performances, more info here: http://www.socan.ca/jsp/en/pub/music_creators/gettingPaid.jsp

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Are you collecting royalties on live performances? Did you know that could even do that? Let us know in the comments!

(photo by Flickr user Simon Hucko)

I’ve been having many discussions recently about music and money, with friends and with musicians (and with musician friends !), where, like a broken record, I find myself going back to an analogy that I used in a Hypebot interview that was published almost 2 years ago, right after I joined Bandzoogle.

I thought it would be a good idea and timely to tweak it and repost here. I’m curious to hear what the extended Bandzoogle family thinks of it.

Is Your Music in an Art Gallery, or at Ikea ?

Imagine an image, a painting that you really like. Imagine that you see this painting for the first time at an official opening in an art gallery (think a fancy, somewhat pretentious art gallery…). You like this image, the colors, the technique, etc. Beautiful. You’re impressed. Damn, you love that painting.

Also, it would look awesome in your living room, wouldn’t it ? You have a chat with the artist, where she explains the concept and the process behind creating the painting, the materials used, what it means to her, what inspired it. She tells you a bit of her life story, and how and why she became a painter. You have a glass of wine; you discuss the painting with a few more people. They also like it a lot. Wow. Amazing art.

At that exact moment, this image, on that wall, might be worth hundreds of dollars to you. Maybe even thousands. If you really wanted it for yourself, and had the means, that’s what you would have to pay, and you know it.

OK. Stop. Now, forget the art gallery. Think of the exact same image that you liked a minute ago. But imagine if the first time you saw it, it was on a wall at an Ikea store, on a busy Saturday morning, surrounded by shopping carts and loud kids. You went because you needed new bed sheets. And there are 22 frames of that exact same wonderful image, lined up in a bin underneath it, for $29.99 each. No mention who the artist is. The picture is framed in something that could be either plastic or wood. Probably plastic.

You might still think the image would look great on your living room wall. Yes. But at that moment, it’s definitely worth a maximum of $29.99 + tax to you. Or, maybe you love the image, but you don’t ever want Ikea frames on your walls (you big snob)... so for you, right now it’s worth something like $0.00... even though you really love that image! Sorry, but your “wall real estate” is worth more than the frame.

So ask yourself, how can you explain the difference in perceived value for the exact same image at the gallery opening, and at Ikea?

Many possible answers here:

• the perceived scarcity (only one original available at the gallery, and others might want it too)
• the personal connection with the artist
• the setting (fancy gallery, the free wine, other art lovers around)
• the narrative, the back story you’ve associated to the art
• the materials (the original vs. the copy)
• the branding (maybe for you Ikea = cheap... but this artist and this gallery = cool and eclectic)

The list could go on. All of this is the context. The artistic content (the image) has little value by itself. But, content put into context, it becomes part of an experience. This experience can be worth a lot (buying original work straight from a cool artist on opening night), or it can be worth something, but a smaller “something” (buying a frame at Ikea).

Music is the same ! For a fan, music is content. But, what its context ? The amazing song you just wrote wouldn’t have the same value if your name was Dave Matthews (or Kanye or whatever) and wrote the exact same song. Before anyone else has engaged emotionally with it, and had an enjoyable experience with it, I’m sorry but it’s only worth something to you. So, think about how your music can be valued, in terms of narrative, personal connections, perceived scarcity, branding, etc. Technology can help, by helping you create a narrative and a branding on your website (your bio, your design, your pictures) that make fans interested to hear more of your music.

Streaming services like Pandora or Spotify can help create contexts where new fans will discover your music. Communicating with your fans using your mailing list, blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. can help create personal connections that make your fans attach even more value to your music. You create great experiences when you put on an amazing live performance, and promote it using online and offline tools. So, you need to be creative in making art, but also in creating contexts, and letting others create many and diverse contexts in which this art can be part of enjoyable and valuable experiences.

Put more simply, your music, by itself, isn’t worth much. It’s when put into context, when it becomes part of your fan’s enjoyable experience, that it becomes valuable. That can mean someone buying 2 CDs, a t-shirt and a poster at the merch table, or it can mean someone buying one track for $1.29 on iTunes.

Art gallery or Ikea? The role of technology tools is to help you multiply those possible contexts, and monetize them when you can.

The "Website Quick Fix" series of posts are written by musician website and marketing platform Bandzoogle

When we do website evaluations here at Bandzoogle, there are two broad categories we look at: Design and Content. With poor design, it will be hard to find interesting content on the site. With great design and poor content, there is little reason for fans to visit. With that second category in mind, let’s talk about blogging.

Why Should You Blog?

There are plenty of reasons for musicians to blog on a regular basis:

Drives people to your website

First and foremost, blogging is one of the best ways to drive people to your website. Every time you create a new blog post, it’s an excuse for you to invite fans to check out your website. Some artists create a blog separate from their website and host it on one of the various blogging platforms, but why give traffic to a site that you don’t own?

Instead, host the blog on your website that you own, where you can collect valuable data to know where those fans are from, what songs they listened to, how long they stayed on your site, etc. And by using your call-to-action, get them to sign up to your mailing list, or shop in your online store.

Gives you content for social media

Many artists struggle with what they should talk about on Facebook and Twitter. Creating new blog posts gives you great original content to push out to your social media profiles, and in turn, drives people to your website.

Shows that you’re active

Blogging is one of the best ways to show that you are active in your career. If a potential fan visits your site, enjoys your music (which you made easy to listen to), and then sees that you have months of regular blogging under your belt, they might click on a few posts to get a better sense of your personality. If they really like what they read, you might have a fan for life.

Note: If you do decide to start blogging, it’s really important to keep it up to date. Just as an updated blog can show that you’re active in your career, if your last post is from a year ago, it can create a negative impression. Focus on regularity, rather than trying to make each post perfect.

Creates stronger connection with your fans

Blogging is a great way to show your personality and give insight into your career, allowing fans to get to know you better. This can help turn a casual fan into a super fan by creating a stronger connection with them.

For the fan, reading about you and about your art on your blog adds some context to the music, and that’s how they’ll come to value it more. They might be fans of your music already, but if they become fans of you on top of that, then the music gains an increased perceived value. Our CEO David Dufresne likes to make the comparison of having your music in a gallery versus at IKEA.

Mike Masnick, of the blog Techdirt even turned it into a formula:

Connect with Fans (CwF) + Reason to Buy (RtB) = The Business Model

Blogging is great for SEO

Improving your SEO (search engine optimization) is another great reason to blog. Simply put, the more you blog, the more Google can find you, and the higher in the search results you will potentially appear based on the keywords, titles and content of your blog posts.

For example, let’s say you’re a ukulele player, and besides blogging about your career you also blog about how to tune a ukulele, how to repair a ukulele, what to look for when purchasing a new ukulele, etc. Chances are, people who are passionate about ukuleles might stumble on one of your helpful blog posts, and while they’re on your site, they’re exposed to your music, your personality, and you might gain a new fan.

Where to place a blog on your website

Your blog should ideally be part of your main menu navigation with it’s own section, and not a sub-menu item. You’ll want people to be able to find it easily if they want to find out more about you.

Many artists put their blog right on their Homepage. You can do this, but instead of putting the entire blog there, offer 2-3 entries, then direct people to your full blog on a separate page. You’ll want to use your Homepage as a welcoming page for potential new fans to give them a taste of who you are as an artist, and focusing their attention on your call-to-action.

Note: Although a blog should definitely be one element on your site, remember your website should not simply be a blog.

Blogging ideas

Not sure what to blog about? Here’s a quick brainstorm of 10 things you can blog about that might help trigger even more ideas:

1. Preview an upcoming show
2. Review a recent show
3. Stories from tour
4. Blog about rehearsals
5. Stories from the studio
6. New gear
7. Talk about other great bands/musicians in your genre
8. Stories from your personal life (if you’re comfortable with it)
9. Talk about your crazy pet(s)
10. Talk about a passion outside of music (maybe you’re a big sci-fi geek, or have a favorite sports team)

Photos & Videos

Some of you might be thinking “Well, that’s sounds great, but I’m not good at writing blog posts”. That’s ok, your blog posts can contain mostly photos, or can even be videos. Whichever method you are most comfortable communicating with, go for it. The important thing is to post new content on your site on a regular basis where fans can gain some insight into your career and who you are as an artist.

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Do you have a blog on your website? How often do you post? What do you blog about? Share links to your blogs in the comments below!

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Previous Website Quick Fix posts:

Musician Website Quick Fix #5: Add a Mailing List Sign-Up

Musician Website Quick Fix #4: Make it easy to listen to your music

Musician Website Quick Fix #3: Focus on one Call-to-Action

Musician Website Quick Fix #2: Lose the Intro Page

Musician Website Quick Fix #1: Turn off auto-start music

Brian Thompson, aka Thorny Bleeder, describes himself as a Rock n' Roll Brand Architect, Idea Development Engineer, Digital Strategist and Music Marketer. He co-hosts the Music Biz Weekly and Rock Star Branding podcasts, and curates the DIY Daily, a daily newsletter offering marketing advice, music industry news, social media tips & tools, tech, apps & gadgets, inspirational & motivational thoughts. In this thought-provoking guest post, Brian talks about some of the intangible benefits of going out on tour. Enjoy!

Musicians: Touring Isn't Just About Ticket & Merch Sales

Touring isn't just about ticket and merch sales.

It ignites conversations.
It gives people a reason to talk about you.

It sparks the fuel that enables your career to catch aflame.

It's about giving influencers a reason to play you on their radio show, to print a feature in their local entertainment paper, to publish a blog about you, to feature you on their podcast or to run a ticket contest in their local indie record store.

Touring isn't just about ticket and merch sales. It's about being a part of the local What's Happening conversation. It's about being newsworthy. It's about being remarkable (worth remarking on).

Touring sets you apart from every other band out there, because it's YOU who's in town tonight... not them.

Touring puts you in the local limelight... before, during and after your performance.

Even those who missed your show will feel compelled to listen to your songs after reading that glowing review of your show.

Even those who missed your show hold the potential of being a new fan after clicking on their friend's Facebook links (who won't shut up about how great your show was).

Touring is an investment in your future.
It's not just about the immediacy of your nightly collections from the door.

Quit analyzing every dollar that is, or isn't, immediately "recouped" on your first few tours.
There's more to it than that. Look at the big picture.

The music industry is nothing more than a world of recommendations.
In order to survive you need to be talked about.

Ignite the global conversation.

Get your ass out on the road... as often as possible (and make sure you have some cool shit to sell while you're at it too).

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You can read more blog posts by Brian Thompson on his website: www.thornybleeder.com

Follow Brian on Twitter: @thornybleeder

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What do you think Zooglers? Is touring about much more than ticket and merch sales? Have you experienced these intangible benefits that Brian talks about? Tell us your tour stories in the comments below!

This is a guest blog post by Matt Urmy, CEO of Artist Growth. Artist Growth is a mobile platform that puts the business of artist development directly in the artist's hands. You can manage your gigs, finances, track daily tasks and coordinate team projects, all from the phone in your pocket. In this post, Matt discusses the importance of collecting data for today’s musicians, and how they can leverage that data to advance their careers. Enjoy!

Musicians, Got Data?

In Today’s Music Business, what’s most important?

In my humble opinion, it’s the same thing that’s always been important: Great Music. What’s the next most important thing? …how about getting it to the people?

But then what? How do you create a career…create a team that can help you spread your music and make a living? Well, in today’s world, to do that you have to have data: Touring history. Sales. Fan-Base Size. Social Media Impressions...the list can go on and on...

Anyone involved in business today bases the majority of their decisions upon data analytics, and if they don’t, they should. Just about every organization demands data to back up claims on performance...whether it’s the IRS, a promoter, or record company executive...it’s just today’s reality.

If you are a songwriter, a musician in a band, a manager of an artist(s)...if you are engaged in the process of developing a career in music (yours or somebody else’s), then you have be able to use data and analytics to move the needle of that career.

In the last several years, there have been several online services that have launched, and each of them offers artists and their teams a little bit of insight into how well their careers are progressing, how well their businesses are performing. Whether it is digital sales data, website analytics, or social media traction, the tools continue to be designed.

Despite this trend of emergent digital music services, there has not yet been a total paradigm shift in the consciousness of artists around the world. So many artists still suffer from the disease of:

“Someday somebody will hear my song and ‘get it’ so much that they’ll make me famous.”

The short and simple reality is this: If you want to build a team of professionals that will help you reach the height of your potential as a successful artist, after you show them that you make great music, you have to show them:

1. That you understand the basic principles of business (Profit and Loss, Accounting, Marketing, etc.).
2. That you have already begun to put those principles to work, on your own.

The fastest way to demonstrate both to a potential business partner = data.

Some managers and labels would rather receive a business plan from an artist than a demo. What does that tell you?

Today the tools that exist to help you record and market your music are great…however, with every new solution comes a new set of challenges.

Too many logins to manage, data is spread thin over a myriad of different online services. Not to mention the box full of old receipts (when you remembered to save them), the crumpled email sign up sheets in the trunk of your car...sound familiar? The list goes on and on.

One of the greatest challenges in any business is tracking each small piece of data. So much falls through the cracks. In music, we work in places where most everyone is drinking, and at all hours of the night…and are constantly moving from one place to another…it’s so challenging when your office is a car, van, or tour bus.

It’s also so competitive. How do you make yourself stand out from the rest of the crowd? While you are proving that you make great music, prove that you understand the value of data in business at the same time.

Run Your Business Like You Mix A Record

Noise, Noise, Noise. There is plenty of it in music these days.

You have to filter out the distracting frequencies. You have to balance the landscape.

Mixing a record is about putting every sound in its place, to create the truest and most accurate rendering of the performance of your songs…you have to do the same thing with the performance of your business.

Plain and simple, we built Artist Growth to be a mixing console for your music career…the business side of it. Instead of a master tape, you get quantified data. You get the proof that you are growing.

It’s designed so that the business to-do’s don’t take too much energy away from your creative life.

Yes, you eventually need a team around you. A manager, A booking agent...etc. BUT, in the meantime (if you don’t have that in place yet), you can build a portfolio of data that shows you are an artist that is worth making an investment in.

Two things you have to have to be able to build a great team today:

1. Great Music. This is a must.
2. Data that supports the claim that you are a good business investment.

The tools exist that allow you to make both of those happen completely on your own. You are in control if you want to be. It’s never been a more exciting time to be an artist, if you really believe in yourself, and are willing to do the work...

It’s your life. Your dream. Don’t fuck around with it…and certainly don’t let anyone else fuck around with it. It’s your music business now.

We always say that your website needs to be the hub of your online strategy (and we mean it). But, when people visit your website, they might only have a short time to check out your content. Also, let’s face it, social network sites are amazing tools to engage with fans and create frequent, short-lived interactions with them.

If you add quick and easy ways to connect with you on your social media profiles, it will capture even the most casual fans. That way, even if they spent a minute on your website, they can quickly “Like” your Facebook page or follow you on Twitter. Then, you can draw them back to your website with the content you put out through those social media profiles.

Where to place widgets and icons on your website

Widgets:

Social media widgets work best right on your Homepage. If you’re active on those networks, you can place a Facebook “Like” box, as well as a Twitter Feed on the sidebar (left or right side of the page), so people can find and connect with you right away when they land on your site.

Here’s an example of a Facebook “Like box” from Bandzoogle member Sara Tindley’s website:

And here’s an example of a Twitter feed from Bandzoogle member Alex Vissia’s website:

Facebook Like box: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like-box/

Twitter feed widget: https://twitter.com/about/resources/widgets (if you’re a Bandzoogle member, there is an option to add a Twitter feed through your account, as Alex Vissia did on her website)

Note: Having these widgets on every page of your site isn’t necessary. Just placing them on your Homepage would be enough.

Social Media Icons

Another option to get people to connect with you on social media through your website is to display icons that link to the various social media sites you’re most active on.

Here’s an example from Static Cycle’s Homepage, where the social media icons are right below the header image:

These icons can be displayed throughout your site, either running along the top of the page, sidebar, or footer. But besides your Homepage, another section of your site where you want to be sure to have social media links is on your Contact page. Often people click on a Contact page to see how and where they can connect with you, so it’s a good idea to have your social media links included in that section.

Note: If you’re a Bandzoogle member, this is easily done using the “My Sites” feature, which has 32 different sites to choose from, as well as several different icon styles.

Don’t Over Do It

You should simply link to the social media networks that you are most active on. The goal isn’t to send people away to 10 different places other than your website, but to make it easy for them to keep up with your latest activity.

Chances are, people will click on the link to the social media site that they themselves are most active on, so if they see a page that hasn’t been updated for months, it will create a negative impression. Don’t feel like you have to put a link to every social media site that you’ve created a profile for. Your website isn’t a display for your collection of website profiles! If you’re most active on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, you can simply display those links.

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Do you have social media widgets on your website? Where are they placed? Which social media sites do you link to? Let us know in the comments!

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Previous Website Quick Fix posts:

Musician Website Quick Fix #6: Host Your Own Blog

Musician Website Quick Fix #5: Add a Mailing List Sign-Up

Musician Website Quick Fix #4: Make it easy to listen to your music

Musician Website Quick Fix #3: Focus on one Call-to-Action

Musician Website Quick Fix #2: Lose the Intro Page

Musician Website Quick Fix #1: Turn off auto-start music

So you added a blog on your website, posted a “Welcome to my blog” post and it’s been collecting dust ever since huh? Between making music, practicing, setting up gigs, promoting your music, and (possibly) sleeping, who has time to maintain a blog right? Well I’m here to tell you it’s easier than you may think. It will take a bit of time and dedication, but once you commit to it, it will be a great addition to your marketing tool belt.

Remember the goal of a blog is to drive traffic to your website. To do this you must add inviting content often, get others involved, and generate interest. Non-artist types delight in reading about the life of a musician regardless of how un-glamourous it really is. Fans want a behind-the-scenes pass to you, your band and your music.

Your blog posts don't have to be long or involved. Sometimes a short five or six line update is all a fan has time to read anyway. You can post many short updates and then add more in-depth blog topics bi-weekly or monthly. As mentioned above, you are already making music, practicing, setting up gigs, promoting your music, so why not document it along the way? This will not only bring fans into your world, but will give you a nice record of your musical journey as well.


Here are 5 ideas to jumpstart your blog today.

The making of your album - The most obvious way to draw fans in is to give them access to your music making process. If you have a songwriting session, commit 20 more minutes to update your blog about how it went. Maybe share one verse as a sort of 'sneak peek' of what's to come. Write about your inspiration for the song and how the idea came about.

When you're in the studio take pictures and videos and blog about it. Share the funny little things that happen in the booth. Or the frustrations of a bad session. Good news or bad news - it's all news that fans are interested in.

Blog about the process of choosing your CD title, what songs made the cut (or didn't make it ) onto your album, choosing your cover art, etc. Give each of these their own post so you have many posts spread out over a few days.

2) The band – a retrospective. This is the type of post true fans crave. Gather up those old childhood photos of you playing in the 6th grade honor band, or you singing in the church choir and post about your humble beginnings. Fans want to know where you came from, how you got started, how the band came up with their name, and all the other details of the Making of the Band. 

To capitalize on this idea you could even do one post a week highlighting each band member, then a final piece about the forming of the band. Even if you're a solo artist, producer, label owner, or other music executive - people want to know your story.   Pinto and the Bean covers this well in a couple posts: The Birth of Our Band and 93 Band Name Ideas We Had Before Choosing 'Pinto and the Bean'

3) From the stage. Similar to the 'making of your album' idea, this blog topic puts the fan on the other side of the action. Instead of just being a spectator, you can take them backstage and on to the stage by writing about it from your perspective. Have a crew member or friend snap some shots from the stage so you can include your 'view' while performing. And who knows....a few fans may even see themselves in the crowd photo and Tweet or re-post that blog to other potential fans. (remember....it's all about driving traffic and creating interest!).

LA Music Blog as a great example highlighting one band's performance from the stage. Although written from a fan perspective, you or your band can do the same thing but in your own blogging voice. Piano man Tyler Kealey does a great job of this in a recent post on a Christmas time performance.   



As well as indie rock band Dexter Jones for a recent After Race Concert.


4) Respond to an opinion article. There are many music industry blogs spouting opinions, predictions and rants about the state of music today. Find one (or more) and either write a post in support or opposition to it. Comment on the original post with a link to your post. Then make sure to link back to the original, especially if you are adding quotes from it in your own post. Here are a few popular music industry blogs to start with:

Hypebot
Music Think Tank
Digital Music News

5) Interview another like band or artist in your area. If you've been around the local music scene for awhile I'm sure you're familiar with other players in your area. You may have even shared the stage or a few beers a couple times, so why not work together? Offer to post an interview with a 'like' band or artist in your area. Hopefully they are the blogging type as well and they will return the favor. If so, this will create instant crossover fans because the people who listen to the other band will most likely enjoy your music as well.

Here are a few other musician bloggers to watch who continue to post interesting content often:

Raiatea - Hawaiian Singer/Songwriter posts of performances, fundraisers, interviews, and her community support by reading to local children.

Jennifer Grassman - Vocalist/Songwriter who keeps her blog full of intersting content both musical and personal. 

Amanda Palmer - Punk rocker with engaging and real deal commentary (with a bit of R-rated content to boot)

Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Review - Great blog keeping fans updated on upcoming events, past performances, new songs, and more.

Lera Lynn - Country/Folk singer who takes her readers on the road with her tour updates.

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What are some other blog topics you've found to spark your fans interest? Post up your blog links if you are doing any of the above - we'd love to read about it!