Best Music Marketing Tips of 2004

Since we're on the eve of a brand-new year, I thought it would be fun to take a nostalgic stroll through 2004 back issues of my Buzz Factor e-zine. Why? Well, to select what I consider to be the top five music marketing ideas I dished out this past year. Read 'em again and put these concepts to use as you head into 2005.



(Note: Most of these are in the old text format of my e-zine. From now on, most of my tips will be posted on this blog and on TheBuzzFactor.com web site. However, I still encourage you to subscribe to the e-zine for my latest updates, etc.)

• Your #1 Success Tool: Choose Your Thoughts Wisely



• Formulating Your Best Music Promotion Plan



• The Benefits of Scandalous PR (Feeding the Media Beast)



• Second Time's a Charm - The Magic of Follow-Up



• Are Your Music Sales and Marketing Backwards?

Do Your Part to Help Tsunami Victims

This may be off topic, but the recent tsunami disaster is just too significant to overlook. While many are criticizing the Bush administration for its slow response to the tragedy, many companies and countless individuals are stepping up to donate money to the historic relief effort. For an overview, MSNBC and CBS each have a news story on current tsunami relief activities.



You may not be able to help in person, but you can make a donation to any number of organizations that are actively involved. Check out this Google page of tsunami information and donation links. You can also donate to the American Red Cross via this page at Amazon.com, which has raised more than $5 million as of this writing.



Maybe an unthinkable disaster like this will help us all realize that we really are all one.

Pounding the Virtual Pavement in Electronic Musician

If you pick up the December 2004 issue of Electronic Musician, you'll find a great article on Internet music promotion by my pal Ravi. It's called "Pounding the Virtual Pavement" (page 54) and I'm thrilled that Ravi included a quote from me regarding the importance of branding yourself online.



The article serves as a good overview of online music marketing basics: Using e-mail, building a fan-friendly web site, selling CDs and merchandise online, letting people know about your Internet presence, etc. (Sorry, but the article isn't available online.) One of the things Ravi suggests is having a separate section of your web site devoted to your online press kit. He even uses his own www.heyravi.com/presskit page as an example.



Ravi was the touring guitarist with Hanson (yes, that adorable band of brothers) in 1997, the band's peak year of popularity when the group sold 15 million albums. That year Hanson toured the world and performed on all the top TV shows: Lettermen, Leno, Saturday Night Live, The Today Show, you name it. And Ravi was there to enjoy the ride.



When the rollercoaster came to a stop, Ravi pursued a career as a solo artist and also wrote a book for Simon & Schuster about his whirlwind year with Hanson. Today he continues to perform music while also writing and speaking at industry conferences (in fact, we met each other at 2NMC in Nashville last year).



Do yourself a favor and check out Ravi's www.ArtisticIntegrity.org site and e-zine. Here's a description of what it's about:

"We live in a world of diminishing integrity that is losing its ability to recognize true value. Corporate America is turning us into a lowest common denominator society. Artists have the gift to create, inspire, and shape the world through passion. We can encourage free-minded people to think for themselves and rediscover what truly drives happiness. By remaining honest with the audience and true to ourselves, we inspire the public to reach new cultural heights, resulting in a larger audience for artists."

While at the site, be sure to click the links Free Tips for You and Articles by Ravi. Good stuff!

Are You Wired to Profit from The Long Tail?

Still think being an indie artist means you're small potatoes? Think again. An article in the October 2004 issue of Wired magazine has been causing a stir and forcing people to rethink the realities of modern entertainment marketing and sales.



Please read the article, by Wired's editor in chief Chris Anderson, and get a grip on the way indie, small-budget and self-produced products are weaving their way to end users -- while turning a profit!



Here's the gist of the article: The old way of marketing and distribution was based on physical scarcity. Entertainment products (music, books, film and video games) were primarily offered to the public through retail locations. Due to costs and space limitations, only the top-selling titles were stocked in stores. If a title couldn't justify its shelf space, it was eliminated. Hence the creation of lowest-common-denominator hits and bland superstars.



Many creative people and products obviously still found an audience via other means (live shows, word of mouth, creative marketing), but the mainstream sales channels were mostly unavailable to these "fringe" players.



However, in recent years successful Internet-based companies such as Amazon, iTunes, Netflix and others have turned the old business model on its head. While all three of the aforementioned web sites indeed sell the "hits," they also see the value in also offering lesser-known titles to their customers. And by doing so, they've seen some interesting results ...



People are willing to explore and try new things. Using posted review comments, ratings charts and personal recommendations, consumers are discovering new music, films and books they would have never found in a retail store.



And -- gasp! -- these fringe titles are profitable. Sales reports indicate that nearly one-third of these sites' revenues come from selections that fall well below bestseller status.



It's a fascinating read. Check it out here. Writer Chris Anderson is working on a full book on the subject. Read his Long Tail blog for updates.

Three Simple Words That Can Dramatically Improve Your Marketing Efforts

Here's a fresh idea that I think will give you a healthy perspective on your music career and marketing activities.



While reading an article a few weeks ago I came across a phrase that caused alarm bells to go off in my brain. I was so inspired, I wrote down these three simple words so I wouldn't forget them: "Recognize your uniqueness."



In the article (sorry, but I forgot where I originally read it), the phrase was meant to motivate people to take a look at their own talents and qualities. As I'm sure you're aware, people (perhaps you?) often don't give themselves the credit they deserve when it comes to their individual attributes and accomplishments.



But it also occurred to me that this is exactly what effective music marketing is all about, only you must shift the focus away from yourself. In other words, self-promotion is about inspiring other people to "recognize your uniqueness" as a musical artist. And it's the "uniqueness" aspect of that effort that makes all the difference.



Many musicians make the mistake of simply trying to get the general public to recognize them as musicians. That's a start, but it doesn't complete your ultimate mission, which is to connect with the music fans who are most likely to be blown away by the specific type of music you create.



So when you promote yourself, always ask if you are communicating who you are clearly enough that people will immediately "recognize your uniqueness."



However, there's another all-important side to this equation. For you to communicate your uniqueness, YOU must have a firm understanding of it yourself. If you are fuzzy about the kind of music you play, how can you ever convey the essence of who you are to others?



That's the problem with most of the shoddy music marketing campaigns that litter the promotional roadway. Artists are sometimes too close to their own creations. They assume people will just "get it" on their own. But that's not the case. Music fans need solid clues. More than clues, they need clear descriptions, obvious indications and specific details about what you play and how they'll benefit from it.



So from now on, make sure you help both yourself and others "recognize your uniqueness."

Sell Your CD at Aware Records' Online Music Store

You've probably heard of Gregg Latterman and Aware Records, the indie label he started in 1993. What started as a series of compilation CDs led to the advancement of a number of regional acts into the mainstream, most notably Five for Fighting, Train and John Mayer.



Well, the label also runs an online music store at www.awarestore.com which welcomes submissions from independent artists. Please note that Aware Store is pretty picky and does not accept every CD submitted. But if you want to give it a shot, send your CD and press kit to:



AwareStore.com

c/o Submissions

2336 W. Belmont Ave

Chicago, IL. 60618-6423



According to the Aware Store web site, "Feel free to include any kind of press info that will help us get a better idea of the artist. Make sure to include contact info. If you have any questions, please contact us at 800-AWARE-65 or by e-mail at submissions@awarestore.com."



To learn more about the history and philosophy of Aware, read this Star Polish interview with founder Gregg Latterman at www.starpolish.com/features/article.asp?id=514

Links to Free Sales and Marketing Ideas

The Power of People (by Derek Sivers of CD Baby)

www.marketingyourmusic.com/show.php?idea=18



Confessions of a Master CD Sales Woman

www.bardscrier.com/articles/music_marketing_20020114.shtml



5 Tips for Keeping Track of Your CD Sales and Inventory

www.galaris.com



42 Telephone Sales Tips You Can Use to Get More Business and Avoid Rejection

www.businessbyphone.com/telemarketing-tips.htm

How to Boost Your Music Sales

Here are three simple steps you can take to sell more of your CDs, tapes, DVDs and other music merchandise:



1. Identify your most profitable selling areas



To double your CD sales, you must know where and how to concentrate your energies. First, consider if geography will play a part. Will you most likely sell more CDs locally? In the Midwest? Along the East Coast? In Denmark? Next, consider the method of sales: mail order, retail sales, distributors, sales at gigs, the Internet ... which ones will work best for you?



2. Understand who your ideal fans are



Determine what type of person is most likely to spend money on you: young or old, men or women, lavish tastes or budget-minded, hyper or mellow? Other questions to ask:

• Do these people have the money to buy your CDs?
  
  
• Is this segment of the population growing in number or shrinking?
  
  
• Are there any other ways of positioning your music to also appeal to a different group of people?
  
  

Write answers to these questions, brainstorm and zero in on fans who will buy your music.



3. List ways of getting access to your fans



Once you know exactly what type of music fan you're going after, make a list of various ways to communicate with these specific people.

• What magazines and newspapers do they read?
  
  
• Where do they hang out?
  
  
• What radio stations do they listen to?
  
  
• What retail outlets do they frequent?
  
  
• What web sites do they surf to?
  
  
• What e-mail newsletters do they subscribe to?
  
  

List every conceivable way of reaching these important folks. Then design an action plan to make the most of these avenues.



The tips above are a very brief excerpt from the new 22-page special report Double Your Music Sales (in 90 Days or Less).

My Own Little Indie 500

Pardon me while a do a little horn tooting. I just received an e-mail from Live365 congratulating me on surpassing a milestone of 500 listening hours since the debut of my Artist Empowerment radio show. It's great to know that so many people have tuned in and taken in my spoken-word advice in recent months.



If you're not familiar with the show (or if you sampled only a small portion of it previously), now is a good time to right that wrong. Find out more about Artist Empowerment radio and stream it directly to your computer for free. I hope to have a new one-hour show up soon, so be sure to listen to the current show before it's replaced.

Geoff Byrd Uses Buzz to Soar as an Indie Artist

Have you heard of Geoff Byrd? If not, there's a good chance you'll be hearing a lot more about this Portland, Oregon, indie artist soon. I discovered Geoff by accident last month when I was checking out random tracks on GarageBand.com. He was all over the top of the site's pop charts, and I was instantly jazzed by his hooky songs and awesome voice. Little did I know this guy has been on a steadily increasing buzz train that appears to be leading to mainstream success.



Byrd is a former school teacher who credits one experience in the classroom as a defining moment in his career. "I was before the class one day going off on a tangent about following dreams at all costs. A student raised his hand and said, 'Mr. Byrd, we don't want to lose you as a teacher, but seriously, are you really following your own advice?' I knew he was right," Byrd says. "It was one of the most profound moments of my life."



Since then, Byrd has performed as a solo act, formed a band, recorded a CD called "Candy Shell" and created a buzz that has led to his songs being used in TV shows and played on radio stations across the country. GarageBand.com has been most responsible for spreading the digital buzz online. In fact, the site, wanting to be associated with Byrd's success, has gotten behind the artist in a big way.



This is a great example of an artist who has people talking primarily because they are excited by the songs. It's word-of-mouth marketing at its organic best. However, Byrd is no dummy. He realizes the power of his fanbase and deliberately asks for their help in spreading the word. Check out this "Help Me" page on his web site: www.geoffbyrd.com/helpme.htm



You should consider making the same request of your fans and supporters. In the meantime, keep an ear out for Geoff Byrd's catchy pop songs. Read more about him here.

Buzz Gives Power to the People

More about buzz ... Here are some interesting observations from the book "Buzz: Harness the Power of Influence and Create Demand" by Salzman, Matathia and O'Reilly:



"Buzz marketing is effective because ... it enables consumers to experience a brand rather than simply use it ... Whereas the old system required advertisers to pick their audiences, part of the value of buzz is that the audience picks itself. Once buzz gets going, its flow is natural and free. It reaches those who are open to it and passes by those who are not."



I agree. And with this realization comes some good news and bad news.



The bad: There's only so much you can do to steer and manipulate word of mouth. You can encourage it, but it is ultimately up to your fans to get excited about you and share that excitement with their friends and networks.



The good: Effective indie music marketing is all about targeting. You shouldn't waste your time communicating your musical identity to people who are not predisposed to liking your style of music. Buzz takes care of that for you, since it only "sticks" with people most likely to become longterm fans.



More thoughts from Salzman, Matathia and O'Reilly: "In essence, buzz marketing gives power to the people. Every individual in a buzz chain has the freedom to accept or reject the message ... It is the commercial incarnation of natural selection. Only the fittest messages survive."



Do everything you can to make sure your musical message is fit and buzz-worthy! Download an excerpt from the Buzz book here.

Creating Customer Evangelists

As you know, this site is all about creating a buzz over your music -- hence the name "The Buzz Factor." That's why I was so intrigued to find the web site of Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, authors of the book "Creating Customer Evangelists."



McConnell and Huba write, "When customers are truly thrilled about their experience with your product or service, they can become outspoken 'evangelists' for your company. This group of satisfied believers can be converted into a potent marketing force to grow your universe of customers."



From their research into the best practices of some of the most forward-thinking companies with legions of evangelists who spread the word, the authors have discovered these six basic tenets of creating customer evangelists:

1. Listen to your fans: Continuously gather customer feedback.
   
   
2. Napsterize knowledge: Make it a point to share knowledge freely.
   
   
3. Build the buzz: Expertly build word-of-mouth networks.
   
   
4. Create community: Encourage communities of customers to meet and share.
   
   
5. Make bite-size chunks: Devise specialized, smaller offerings to get customers to bite.
   
   
6. Create a cause: Focus on making the world, or your industry, better.
   
   

Check out the Creating Customer Evangelists web site at www.creatingcustomerevangelists.com. McConnell and Huba also have a nice blog at customerevangelists.typepad.com.

e-Teams and Working with Other Artists

Found some great indie marketing tips on the Rampant Hosting web site. Here's an excerpt:



"Create an e-Team. An e-Team is a group of fans who work together to help spread the word about a band online. This means talking about you on message boards, chat forums and via e-mail, etc. But a word of warning: EVERYONE hates spam, so don't encourage your street team to spam on your behalf. It's unlikely to win you any fans!



"Join Forces. Another idea is to approach other bands and suggest you collaborate and produce a compilation CD. This is extremely useful, not only for reducing costs but it also means you'll all benefit by getting heard by each others' audience, thus increasing your fan base.



"Create an angle to market this compilation. Will it be a showcase album for local artists or would you prefer to include bands of a similar genre to you? Go and see as many local bands as possible. If you like them, approach them with your idea. Remember, by all means, cut costs but NEVER cut corners when it comes to quality."



Read the entire list of tips at rampanthosting.com/rcms/news/getStory/22



I'm pretty sure the advice above was written by U.K. artist Jane, who sold more than 2,000 copies of her debut album, Close Up and Real, after practically giving up all hope of doing anything significant with her music. Check out these encouraging remarks from her online blog:



"I'm delighted and astonished by the response I've had. Let's face it, I'm a thirty-something mother of three, hardly 'rock star' material, yet it doesn't seem to matter. In the current climate of an image-dominated music industry, I never believed I would stand a chance. Yet, given the choice, people really don't seem to care that much about age, looks or status. They just like the songs and it's brilliant ... exactly what music should be about."



Find out more about Jane at Janemusic.info

Instant Download's Gonna Get You

One of the newest players in the crowded online digital download horse race is the U.K.-based KarmaDownload. According to a statement on the site, "We will be presenting the best new music from the independent sector, featuring unsigned talent to music from some of the leading independent record labels around the world. We'll also be featuring exclusive downloads you won't find anywhere else, including exclusive compilations, remixes and live gigs."



KarmaDownload does not charge indie artists to join its service. The deal is simple. KarmaDownload sells each MP3 download for £0.99 and shares 50% of the money generated with you after a 15% handling fee (to cover credit/debit card charges, hosting fees, etc.) is deducted. Check it out and get more details here.



In case you haven't been paying attention in recent years, you might want to know that eMusic, one of the early music download sites, is entirely focused on serving the needs of independent music fans and labels. The site sells only music from 3,700 independent labels, a total of a half-million tracks, via subscription plans that start at $9.99 per month for 40 downloads. The aim is to help fans locate the small, the obscure and the eccentric, and help musicians find their fans.



Note: It sounds like eMusic works only with independent labels and distributors and NOT indie artists individually. However, if you sell your CD through CD Baby, you can make your songs available on eMusic (and other major online music services). Get details here.

Music Marketing Channels: Too Little or Too Much?

Robin Spielberg of play Mountain Music makes a lot of good points in her MusicDish article called "Gum at the Wall Marketing Approaches and Why They Don't Work."



In one segment, she talks about the senselessness of trying to make your CDs available everywhere:



"There is no need to be in every store in every state, or on every web site that sells music. Keeping our invoicing streamlined is, for us, the way to go. It can actually be HARMFUL to be in too many stores. Why? Because that means your inventory is 'all over the place,' and after six months, it may very well come back to you cracked, chipped, broken, stickered ... and all at your expense. Rotating distribution outlets, for us, makes a lot more sense. Believe me, if your fans are looking for your music, they will find it. And if stores are getting repeated requests for your music, the distributors will find YOU."



Good advice ... Focus. Keep things simple. Prioritize your promotion and sales options, and pursue the short list of avenues that will provide the most bang for the buck!