Top 10 Music Blog Posts of 2005

Everyone's doing year-end wrap-ups. I might as well hop on the train. Last summer I offered my top 10 blog posts of the first half of 2005. Here are 10 posts that either got the most response from readers or flipped my trigger the most since midyear.

- A New Day for Indie Music?

- One Kick-Butt Music Web Site: Look & Learn

- It's Like Complaining About Gravity

- Keys to the Music Success Kingdom

- Music Biz Headaches: You Need the Eggs

- Outrageous Music Marketing Ideas

- What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

- The Psychology of Crowds

- Create a FREE Music Podcast

- Ask Your Fans for Help

Happy New Year!

-Bob

Planning Your Music Revolution

"Artists used to need a record label to be heard. Now, all they need is a powerful PC and a broadband connection. For any musician with at least a pinch of talent and a desire to perform, the Internet has become a godsend."

So begins a recent article in USA Today. Nothing new here for most active musicians. But it does offer even more evidence that the independent revolution is well under way and gaining ever growing waves of attention.

Hopefully, you're a participant and not just an observer. In fact, 2006 would be the perfect year to make great strides with your music. The best way to make that happen is to set goals and achieve them through focus, accountability, persistence and personal integrity. Check out this resolution planner and web site for inspiration.

-Bob

Another Kick-Butt Music Web Site

I've talked about kick-butt music web site ideas here and there. Well, here's another example of an artist who is making great use of the Web.

Check out Josh Woodward's site, and particularly his My Songs section, where he employs the following features:

• A line that states "Not sure where to start? What kind of music do you like?" Then he lists categories such as "Darker Pop/Rock," "Light Folk" and "Heavy," with suggested songs to check out for each style.
  
  
• Free MP3s of 77 original songs. Not only that, he gives people the option to stream or download the tracks AND supplies the lyrics and guitar tabs to each song. Wow.
  
  
• Links to where you can purchase his CDs (for only $5 each) and his music "sharing policy."

That's going above and beyond to provide benefits to fans. What are you doing to deliver value on your web site?

-Bob

Guerrilla Music Marketing Book #1 on Amazon

Early this year, I was excited to see that the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook had reached the #3 spot on Amazon.com's Music Business Books bestseller list. That's as high as I have ever seen it get. Most of the time it consistently ranks in the top 10, hovering between spots 6 and 10.

Well, today the little book that could hit the #1 spot in the category (and #4,432 among all books on Amazon). Click the image below to see the full-sized screen shot.


I'm thrilled that this title continues to chug along and grow in popularity every year. Hopefully, the same thing will happen with the sequel, Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition, which gets released next month.

Stay tuned as this indie publishing success story continues.

-Bob

The MySpace Value Debate

UPDATE: Since I made this post, I have published a new book called MySpace Music Marketing. Check out my new web site, www.MySpaceMusicMarketing.com, for details.


I recently announced the dipping of my toe into the social cluster [expletive deleted] that is MySpace. I started my page there on 12/3/2005. As of this writing, I have 434 friends and 692 profile views. Respectable numbers, I suppose, depending on what you compare them to.

The jury is still out on how effective it will ultimately be for me personally, but there is a debate brewing over how worthwhile the site can be for indie artists using it as a marketing tool.

Scott Andrew got the ball rolling with this post about a band that was a "featured artist" on MySpace. As a result, the act had its music played 20,000 times with 1,200 friend requests ... and zero CD sales. David Hooper and Joe Taylor Jr chimed in with their doubts about the value of MySpace.

I'll play it safe and not take sides at this point, but here's a comment from pop dance artist JANAJANA, who was apparently inspired to start her own MySpace page after reading my e-zine last week:

"Hi Bob. This was a great suggestion to join here! Since we joined last Tuesday, we have had over 1,100 plays, 1,500 new friends add us, and our CD sales are off the hook (had to get more ordered). The web server is maxed out and we can hardly keep up with it ... all in 7 days!"

I'm sure there are as many different opinions of MySpace as there are artists setting up shop there.

To be continued ...

-Bob

Your Lousy Music Career

Joe Taylor made some great comments last week on his Spinme.com blog regarding ongoing media reports about "lousy" CD and concert ticket sales. He pointed out that a major label's definition of "lousy" can be an indie artist's ticket to a thriving career.

How can that be? Because today's audiences are fractured -- something I touched on early this year with my observations on the Grammy Awards (which I recently turned into a podcast).

Then Joe posed this rhetorical question:

Would the world be more vibrant if one out of a hundred professional musicians made $100,000 per year, as opposed to one out of ten thousand musicians making ten million dollars per year?

Of course, his answer was a resounding YES. These days, there are countless opportunities for artists who operate under the radar screen and cater to niche audiences.

Joe also offered up this bit of reality-check wisdom:

The deflation of the mainstream recording industry as we know it opens up tremendous opportunities for working musicians. And I mean "working." You can't sit back and wait to be discovered -- you've got to go build your own audience. If the labels aren't willing to get out of bed to chase niche audiences and "small" markets, all the better for you.

I agree. The opportunities are there. Are you willing to work to uncover them?

-Bob

Exposure on NPR's Open Mic

Since it began in 2003, NPR's Open Mic segment has showcased nearly 800 independent, unsigned and self-produced bands. It's described as "a virtual stage for aspiring musicians to reach a larger audience with their work and a place to discover music you likely won't hear anywhere else."

Starting last month, Open Mic became a daily podcast. A new song with comments from the artist is featured each day, Monday through Friday.

Who can submit music?

"Anyone who puts out their own music -- from basement tapes to studio-quality recordings -- can submit their work for consideration on All Songs Considered's Open Mic. We are looking for wholly independent artists playing any genre of music."

Read the submissions guidelines and get cracking!

If you're concerned about the wording in the permissions form, check out this CD Baby post for some thoughts on that.

Vinyl Quality Making a Comeback?

According to a Wired magazine article titled "When Hi-Fi Meets the IPod," there's a growing discontent among audiophiles over the lower quality sound of MP3 files vs. the clearer and richer experience of music on CD and, yes ... even vinyl.

A majority of new releases are still printed on vinyl. And many of the same kids who illegally download music for free will actually purchase the LP because that quality can't be found anywhere else.

According to the RIAA, vinyl's percentage of overall sales doubled in 2004, grossing $110 million over 2000's $72 million. This growth came at a time when overall music sales dropped from $14.4 billion to $12.2 billion.

How you can use this trend to sell more music ...

Give away free MP3 downloads from the Web, and remind your fans of the higher quality experience they'll get when they purchase your CD (or vinyl record, if you dare.) This will work especially well, of course, if your music is intricate or textured or in some way sonically detailed.

So freely share your lower quality tracks for exposure, but sell the sizzle of owning the actual thing!

-Bob

P.S. For more tips about online music marketing, check out 50 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Music on the Internet.

Ask Your Fans for Help

I've written about Scott Andrew and his awesome music web site before. And I continue to be impressed with the clear and tasteful way he communicates with fans online.

A newer section of Scott's site worth noting is his How You Can Help page. There fans and supporters can:

• Find out how to link to his site
• Get free Scott Andrew post cards to give to friends
• Learn where they can post online reviews of his songs
• Suggest a venue or media outlet
• Get details on how to present a house concert featuring Scott

Speaking of which, the Host a House Concert page begins "Why wait months or years for me to finally come to your town when you can bring me there yourself? ... Here's how it works, step-by-step ..."

Then he explains what a house concert is and how to host one. Now that's making smart use of the Web.

Which gives me an idea for some things I can add to my own web site. Hmmm ...

-Bob

My New Space on MySpace

UPDATE: Since I made this post, I have published a new book called MySpace Music Marketing. Check out my new web site, www.MySpaceMusicMarketing.com, for details.


I finally took the plunge and set up shop on MySpace.com. You'll find my new page at www.myspace.com/thebuzzfactor. If you're hip to the MySpace thing, go there and add me as a friend, leave a comment, check out some of my audio tracks and a groovy set of new photos.

Even though I knew the site was a great place for artists to network and gain fans -- from indie garage bands to major label giants -- I've resisted staking a claim there myself. Why? Well, frankly, it seems so many of the people who use the site just mindlessly flirt and post nonsense comments, silly images and more.

However ...

Because so many active young people (as mindless and nonsensical as they are) use the site, MySpace is obviously an excellent online hangout to meet new music fans. And as demonstrated by the huge numbers of profile views, song plays and friends that some acts have racked up, it's been very, very good for a lot of indie artists.

Some of the nicer, high-traffic music pages I've discovered so far include:

Cori Yarckin
www.myspace.com/coriyarckin
930,658 profile views, 90,569 friends, 1,050,787 total plays

Atomic Blonde
www.myspace.com/atomicblonde
220,142 profile views, 31,084 friends, 269,536 total plays

Adama
www.myspace.com/adama
181,194 profile views, 23,108 friends, 90,155 total plays

Tara Leigh Cobble
www.myspace.com/taraleighcobble
19,306 profile views, 3,220 friends, 20,110 total plays

You may know that one of my indie music marketing rules is this: Go to where your ideal fans are. My fans happen to be independent musicians who are actively promoting themselves.

Following My Own Rule

It didn't take me long to figure out that MySpace is where thousands of indie acts are busily promoting themselves. If they're crawling all over that site, I need to have a presence there too.

That's the long version of this short story: I've got a new page at MySpace. Check it out at www.myspace.com/thebuzzfactor.

:-)

-Bob

Podcast Directories & One Cool Player

Here's a followup to my recent post on how to Create a FREE Music Podcast ...

I just discovered a cool Flash-based podcast player called the PupuPlayer from Pupu Studios. It's free and involves no messy installation by you or your fans.

Test it out by listening to my Artist Empowerment Radio podcast now:



Offering an easy streaming option to test your podcast might be a wise move to cozy up to those folks who are still unsure about podcast feeds, subscriptions and downloading.

Click Yourself Into Submission

And here are four directories where you can quickly submit your podcast:

Yahoo! Podcasts (this is new and in beta mode)

Podcast Alley

Podcast.net

Podnova.com

Get busy doing your thing, baby!

-Bob

Creative Commons 365 & Newsweek

Here's a cool idea masterminded by Grant Robertson of Indieish.com. It's a podcast called "Creative Commons Three Sixty Five." Starting Jan. 1, every day it will deliver one song licensed under the Creative Commons.

According to the site:

We're diligently working to build the music library, with a large portion of next year already in the system and ready to feed. If you're a musician who releases music under the Creative Commons and want to be included in the CC:365 calendar, let us know.

Check it out.

Making Their Own Breaks

How did I miss this one? The Oct. 3 issue of Newsweek magazine featured an awesome article called "Making Their Own Breaks" and subtitled "Technology is helping aspiring writers, musicians, artists and filmmakers go from amateur to pro. Who needs an agent when you've got the Net?"

My indie-minded friend Gilli Moon is prominently quoted, as is Buzz Factor patron Dave Cool, self-published author Angela Hoy (who was featured in my Branding Yourself Online book), author Peter Spellman and several other do-it-yourselfers.

Great article. Read it and let their stories inspire you to greater indie heights!

Tag You're It: Amazon's New Marketing Tool

Bookselling behemoth Amazon.com has been adding some cool new interactive features to make its site more community oriented. One of the newest holds the potential to be a powerful online music promotion tool.

Go browse the pages of individual music CD titles at Amazon, and you'll notice a field under the CD title labeled "Your tags." What is this? As Amazon explains ...

Tags provide an easy way for you to "remember" and classify any item on the Amazon site for later recall. For example, you might be shopping for holiday gifts and tag items with the names of the people on your shopping list. At any time, you can review the items you've tagged and make final gift decisions. You might also want to tag items you've purchased in the past. This allows you to organize your collection in any way you wish ...

Because people's tags are (by default) visible to others, a great side effect of tagging is that you can navigate among items through other people's tags. What items have people tagged "gift" or "Tuscany" or "robot?"

How you can use Amazon's tags: Go to the pages of the most popular CDs in your genre and start tagging away. You'll need to log into your Amazon account to do this. Then make sure your personal profile on Amazon is complete. Upload an image and give a compelling description of your music and what you do. Also, be sure to list your web site.

Why go through this trouble? Because your name and tag will show up right on the sales page of every CD you tag. And thousands of music consumers will be able to link to your profile, where they can find out more about you and your music.

Example: Go to the page for Peter Spellman's The Self-Promoting Musician. Scroll down to "Customers who tagged this item" and you'll see Bob Baker, with a link to my Amazon profile page. Just for fun, I even tried it with the bestseller The Da Vinci Code. And there I am.

Hardly anyone knows about this new feature yet, so you'll be one of the first to stand out by doing it. So go to Amazon now and start tagging!

New Podcast, iTunes & How I Goofed

On my latest podcast I admit that I goofed. Yes, I'm secure enough to admit it. And I share a new perspective on how long it should take you to succeed with music. Long term or short term or somewhere in between? Check it out to learn more.

You can listen to it on my own podcast page or at GarageBand.com. Stream it, download it or subscribe to the feed. Whatever you do, just listen! Okay?

Super Cool News

This just in: My Artist Empowerment Radio show is now listed in the iTunes podcast directory. To find it, just go to the podcast page of the iTunes Store and search for Bob Baker. New shows will be automatically downloaded into your iTunes Podcasts folder.

Of course, you can also do the same thing with the "podcatchers" listed here (scroll down and look at the column on the right).

Free Music Downloads: The Truth

There's been a lot of debate over the years regarding the effect that illegal music downloads and file sharing have on actual sales. I've had my own theory on this -- but it was only speculation until a Harvard PhD student named David Blackburn published a paper on it.

As reported in this post on Chris Anderson's Long Tail blog, Blackburn's research concludes that P2P file-sharing "does indeed depress music sales overall. But the effect is not felt evenly. The hits at the top of the charts lose sales, but the niche artists further down the popularity curve actually benefit from file-trading."

The New Music Math

You probably already figured this out on your own, but it's interesting to see the numbers once they've been crunched. The most fascinating factoid is this:

If you took all musical artists and placed them on a graph from least popular to most popular, the 25% of artists on the popular end of the scale would have lower CD sales because of file sharing, but the remaining 75% of not-so-popular artists actually benefit from fans freely sharing their music.

Anderson writes, "The Long Tail implications of this are pretty clear. For the majority of artists further down the tail, free distribution is good marketing, with a net positive effect on sales. Which is yet another reminder that the rules are all too often made to protect the minority of artists at the top of the curve, not most artists overall."

Take-away marketing lesson: If you're not on the Billboard charts, don't be so tight-assed with your songs. You won't sell more by hoarding your recorded music. Give a few of your best songs away to any fan who will listen, and encourage them to share and spread the word.

Despite the old music business cliche, it's not who you know that matters -- it's who knows you!

The Psychology of Crowds

It's the day after Thanksgiving -- widely known in the USA as one of the busiest shopping days of the year. And it's always amazed me. Why do people go out in droves to crowded malls and risk trampling just to save a few bucks on a DVD player or crock pot?

One answer has everything to do with crowd psychology.

I learned this lesson years ago as I watched people file out after comedy shows. (Yes, in a former life I performed stand-up comedy and music parodies regularly.) I sold my own comedy tapes and usually parked near the exit to catch anyone who wanted to buy the recording I had plugged onstage.

One show in particular stands out. The audience was about a hundred people strong. Nearly half of them marched right past me. Then one person stopped to buy a tape. Then another.

One of the buyers noticed I had a stack of promo photos and asked how much it would be for an autographed copy. No one had ever asked that before, so I said, "If you buy the tape, I'll give you an autographed picture free."

The other buyer overhead the conversation and said, "Then I'll take one too." By then, other patrons who were filing out had stopped to see what was going on. I heard a number of remarks along the lines of "What's going on? Oh, he's selling tapes. Let's stop and get one." Within minutes, there was a long and growing line. Each person saw that I was signing photos and wanted one too.

It was an eye-opening experience. What was so appealing to the second half of the audience that the first half couldn't care less about? You know the answer:

They were at first curious just to see what all the commotion was about, then interested in getting a piece of what so many other people were enjoying.

Mel Torment of Finger Records writes, "The packed house, frothing crowd mentality creates a sheep-like response, and when everyone suddenly thinks a band is cool, it is automatically assumed that so and so is the only band that matters ..."

And Stephen Bucaro writes about the importance of "consensus" when selling: "Consensus involves getting prospective customers to believe that 'everybody's doing it.' Everybody is just waiting in line to purchase your product. Everybody can't be wrong, so the product must be fantastic!"

This topic may be worth covering over a number of blog posts. So check back for more thoughts on the psychology of crowds.

In the meantime, start thinking about ways you can stimulate curiosity and attract a crowd feeding frenzy.

Indie Music News: Feed Your Head

If you're like me, you know the benefit of keeping up with the latest ideas and news stories related to music -- especially independent music. But maybe you don't visit the sites and blogs you need to be reading as often as you like. Perhaps you haven't taken the time to set up a free news reader like Bloglines and subscribe to your favorite blog feeds.

Regardless, you should check out the new Indie Music News Feed page I just set up on TheBuzzFactor.com site. There you'll see the latest headlines and summaries from some of my favorite independent music promotion blogs.

I used a new service at FeedDigest.com to set it up. It's pretty cool. Maybe you can use it to create a news feed on your own site focused on your particular genre. Check it out.

On another note ... Have a great Thanksgiving! I hope you have a true "attitude of gratitude" toward all of the things your life has handed you -- the good and the bad. It's all part of the evolution that is you.

I am sincerely thankful for your support and encouragement. Big hugs to you!

Artist Empowerment Radio Podcast #5 Is on the Air

I'm testing a new shorter version of the podcast. Hopefully, by making each show shorter, I'll be able to post a new one more often. This time I share some ideas on how the Grammy Awards teach us an important lesson about music marketing -- one that indie artists in particular should be aware of.

You can stream it, download it or podcast it from my own podcast page or GarageBand. Enjoy!

Let's Get Metaphysical

"Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into." -Wayne Dyer

It was just a few years or so ago when I apprehensively dipped my toe into the pool of writing about it. I tried to slip it into the conversation when readers were looking the other way.

I'm talking about the expanding core of what I write and speak about. It's evolved from talking about marketing tactics (such as press kits, cover letters and package design) to encouraging musicians to embrace positive thinking. Now I also touch on concepts that border on being "metaphysical" or "spiritual" in nature.

The good news is, I'm no longer alone in writing about this stuff. Joe Taylor Jr wrote last week about Music Miracles and the Power of Intention, and today David Hooper responded with Manifesting Music Business Success.

Don't think for a second that these guys are, as my daughter says, "copying off of me." Not at all. What's most amusing to me is that three different people located in different parts of the country, who spend a lot of waking hours thinking about music career success, have come to similar conclusions: We live in an abundant world, and with the right mindset, we can tap into its many gifts and rewards -- while giving back at least as much as we take.

If you've seen the movie What the Bleep Do We Know? or read books by Wayne Dyer or Deepak Chopra, you know what I'm talking about. This isn't about promoting a religion. In fact, it's not about religion at all. I don't sit around and burn incense and meditate all day. I don't pretend to have all the answers to life's great mysteries.

I'm just a regular guy who has learned to open his mind to the possibilities that everyone has access to. And that's probably the biggest thing that has influenced my writing in recent years: understanding that answers, solutions and opportunities aren't "out there" somewhere. They reside within, and it's up to each one of us to stop searching high and low for the Holy Grail and look under our own noses for the real keys to success and happiness.

This philosophy dovetails perfectly with the "do it yourself" movement that is sweeping the planet. People are learning that they no longer have to rely on gatekeepers or lucky breaks to influence their progress.

Hot tip: Want to connect with the most powerful person who can impact your music career? Look in the mirror.

"All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination. Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth." -Napoleon Hill

Indie Music Success Stories

Here's more wood to throw on the independent path fire, courtesy of two items posted recently at GarageSpin.com.

According to this post on the Prefix Mag blog, indie band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah -- based in Brooklyn and Philadelphia -- has sold 17,000 copies of it self-released debut, all thanks to word-of-mouth.

"And while major-label artists make only about a buck a record, the Clap guys are making a whopping eight dollars per disc -- putting their take so far at more than $130,000. Not too shabby for an album recorded for less than ten grand and distributed by the band itself via countless trips to the post office."

And across the pond, this story in The Telegraph:

"Traditionally, bands have been forced to use radio play and record company marketing to create a buzz around their music, but the Arctic Monkeys, a Sheffield-based guitar band, built a committed following of young fans well before being noticed by the music industry."

Yup. Musicians are taking their music to the people like never before.

What have you done today to create music worth getting excited over ... and to find the people most likely to be excited by what you create?

Create a FREE Music Podcast

If you're hooked up with GarageBand.com, you may already know that the site just announced a new free service. Take a look at Gcast.com and you'll see that you can now create and host your own podcast via GarageBand.

I went ahead and tested the service by setting up a page there for my Artist Empowerment Podcast. I posted one of my earlier shows plus a newer one with more marketing tips material along with some killer songs by GarageBand-hosted artists Chris Gallagher, Heidi McCurdy and Denny Blake.

The GarageBand podcast deal is pretty quick and easy to use. In addition to basic podcasting, you can also record podcasts by phone, encourage other sites to embed your podcast onto their pages, and have fans sign up for email alerts.

I think I'll combine this new Gcast page with my own hosted Artist Empowerment Radio podcast page (which I also publish for free using a combination of Blogger, FeedBurner and OurMedia), along with a streaming version at Live365.

You should probably do the same with your original music podcasts. The more places people can access your songs, the better your chances of connecting with fans.

Meet Obstacles (and Go Around Them)

I'm a big fan of Curt Rosengren and his Occupational Adventure blog. A couple of months ago, he wrote two great posts on overcoming fear and steering around obstacles -- a topic that most musicians can learn from.

In Fearless choices, not fearful choices, he writes ...

It's so easy to stop with the assumption that it can't be done. Rather than assuming that [our goal] is forever out of our reach -- based on either past experience or beliefs we have absorbed along the way -- we can stop and ask ourselves, "OK, if it doesn't work this way, how else could it work?

And in a post titled Develop a 5 to 1 habit, Curt explains ...

When I talk to people about pursuing their passions in their careers, I often encounter an endless litany of "reasons why I can't." It seems to be wired into us to look for obstacles and declare them reality.

One of the ways to change that perspective is to develop a 5 to 1 habit. For every obstacle you recognize, commit to writing down five ideas for getting around that obstacle.

Great attitude. Roadblocks are rarely eternal or insurmountable. Most of what holds creative people back comes from within -- a false perception, a weak belief, a negative expectation.

These disempowering ways of thinking can be deeply ingrained. So you may at first have to force yourself to think in more optimistic terms. Stick with it and you'll eventually think less fearful thoughts automatically.

Thought nugget: Don't buy into the music biz obstacles you encounter. Find another route. If you can't work your way through or over a speed bump, find a creative way to drive around it. And keep going.

A Different Way to Tour

I just received an e-mail from a realtor pal and it got me thinking about unique exposure opportunities for musicians. It seems a number of houses in the same neighborhood have just been renovated and are now on the market for sale. To draw potential buyers, the realtors involved are having a house tour.

But the focus of this tour isn't only on the houses. To make things interesting, each house will host an exhibit by a fine artist and live music from an area musician. Cool idea.

Thought nugget: Anywhere that a group of people gather, it's an opportunity to get your music into the ears of potential new fans. Don't think about nightclubs, coffee shops and traditional venues only. Think in terms of opportunities to reach groups of people.

What other events and venues might apply? How about singles events, bingo nights, haunted houses (since we just celebrated Halloween), tenant appreciation parties at apartment complexes, art exhibit openings, or strip mall sidewalk sales?

The possibilities are limitless. Think about it. Then act on your ideas. Talk to people, make some calls, and make things happen!

Name That Tune

Your mission: Create a name for Werner John's distinctive style of music. That's the challenge being issued by my friend and fellow author Marcia Yudkin on her new web site, Named At Last.

The reward: If your entry is selected as the best new name, you'll win $100 and a shot at becoming a professional namer. The best name will sound great, fit the music, convey its intended essence and make a positive connection with the target audience.

Anyone, anywhere, any age may enter. And you can submit as many name candidates as you like. The contest closes at midnight, Dec. 31, 2005. Marcia will choose the top ten entries, and from these Werner will select the winner.

So visit NamedAtLast.com/contest.htm and start naming names!

Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition

Posts to this music promotion blog will be light for the next few weeks. Why? For the next month or so I'll be focusing my energies on finishing up the sequel to my most popular book, the "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook."

The new book is called "Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition: 201 More Self-Promotion Ideas, Tips & Tactics for Do-It-Yourself Artists." It will be filled with 200-plus pages of innovative and inspiring ideas -- an entire collection of creative, kick-butt marketing tactics that I've written since the first Guerrilla Music book was published.

The only thing is, none of this newer material has ever been available in book form. Until now.

Here's the cool part (if you're interested) ...

If you pre-order the book by November 4, 2005, you'll get your name and web site (or band/company name) listed in a special Indie Music Supporters Section of the book. Which means you'll be exposed to thousands of people who will read the book for years to come.

Plus, to show my thanks, I'm springing for shipping (to the U.S. and Canada), personally autographing each copy, and throwing in a couple of extra cool music marketing titles to boot.

Complete details can be found at

www.bob-baker.com/buzz/encore-music.html

I'm really excited about this new title. That's why I want you to know about it and have a chance to get your hands on the book as soon as it rolls off the presses.

To your success!

Still More Outrageous Music Marketing Ideas

In the first part of this post (which was actually a followup to an earlier post on creative promotion ideas) I shared a few "outrageous" ideas on music marketing. Here are a few more examples to get your mental wheels turning.

My pal Lee Mueller points out that more artists are releasing CDs with bonus material. "I know that Wilco featured a bunch of QuickTime videos, documentary stuff, live performances, as well as a launch to their web site with a code that allowed the consumer to download four extra songs," he says. "Kings of Leon and Flaming Lips both had similar multimedia bonus material."

Lee continues, "A nice treat would be for an artist to offer a 'guest list' pass. On the CD, there would be a web site launch that would take me to a page where I would put in a unique code -- verifying my purchase, of course. I would enter my name, city, etc., which would match my location with an upcoming tour, notify me of the dates, and then verify my name will be on the guest list. That would rock."

Indeed! Three more cool ideas:

Lynn Julian (aka Cookie Cutter Girl) wrote a song called "Get the Picture" that is basically an Internet dating ad. "I run a contest every gig to win a date with me," Lynn explains. "Fans must sign up on my mailing list. The single is on over 500 TV and radio stations, so they feel like it's a big prize to win too."

Jimmie Vestal has written songs that reference certain restaurants and tourist attractions in the southeast U.S., and even a gourmet steak sauce called Bald Head Diva. Of course, he makes these establishments aware of the exposure and tries to set up promotional opportunities with them.

Finally, Pixie from the band Cuir Bleu posted this blog comment: "My band does electronica with a fetish slant, so we're planning a corset fashion show for an upcoming gig." Great example. Find a way to add an extra dimension to your events -- a dimension that reinforces your identity and the type of music you play.

Lots of smart ideas here. So, are your wheels turning yet?

More Outrageous Marketing Ideas

You asked for it. And now I'm delivering. Because, as you know, I aim to please. A few weeks ago I wrote about Outrageous Music Marketing Ideas, and the response was tremendous. So here are some more out-of-the-octagon concepts to get your self-promotion wheels turning.

Stimulate the five senses. Don't think of yourself as someone who only creates music. You're an artist who also creates experiences for your fans -- especially when it comes to your live shows. One way to make an impact and truly reach people is to involve as many of their senses as possible.

You probably focus on the audio quality of what you do more than anything, which makes sense if you're a musician. Next, you probably think about your visual appearance. Of course, you want to look good, professional and appealing. But what else might you do with the visual impact of your shows? For instance, how might you spice up the stage or your sales table?

And what about the other senses: smell, touch and taste?

I recommend you organize a See-Hear-Smell-Taste-Feel event. Your act (and perhaps others) can supply the sound. Invite artists and photographers to exhibit to feed the eyes. Maybe incense or aromatherapy to tickle the noses in attendance. Including food vendors will take care of both smell and taste. Maybe having a massage therapist or a fashion designer with clothes to try on would satisfy the sense of touch.

What if you combined all of these into one stimulating sensory event? Call it the Five Senses Festival or the Five Senses Celebration or Tour. On a smaller scale, you could simply throw an art-music-film-book-food house party.

Earlier I wrote about turning your CD into an interactive trivia game. Here's another idea: A drinking game based on your music. (Although you might get some understandable flack for encouraging alcohol consumption.) This would work like the old Bob Newhart show game. Only instead of sipping after every "Hi Bob," players would take a swig whenever a certain lyric (such as "yeah" or "baby") is sung.

Or add some mystery by announcing that there's a secret message to uncode within your lyrics, song titles or CD liner notes -- a la "The DaVinci Code." Make a game out of it and you just might get an infectious buzz going.

More outrageous ideas still to come.

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

It's the age-old question you've probably been asked repeatedly since you were old enough to recite the alphabet: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Comedian Paula Poundstone once quipped, "Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they're looking for ideas."

Joking aside, it's a reasonable question, but considering the context in which most people ask it, it's not completely accurate. The real answer that people are looking for is "what do you want to do" when you grow up -- meaning what job title you will carry, what type of company you will work for, what type of duties you will carry out in a career.

You've no doubt encountered this thinking when well-meaning friends and relatives try to steer you away from music and in the direction of a traditional day job.

Again, these are understandable questions. But they miss the real point of finding one's ideal vocation.

According to Sam Keen, "There is no easy formula for determining right and wrong livelihood, but it is essential to keep the question alive. We have to stop pretending that we can make a living at something that is trivial or destructive and still have a sense of legitimate self-worth. A society in which vocation and job are separated for most people gradually creates an economy that is often devoid of spirit, one that frequently fills our pocketbooks at the cost of emptying our souls."

So how do you determine the best way to fill your soul? Answer: Ask better questions. Instead of "What do you want to be or do?" ... answer these two questions:

- How do you want to feel most of the time?

- What type of person would you like to become?

Your emotions are a great indicator of when you're connected and in the flow, as opposed to when you're disconnected and frustrated. The key is to identify the feelings and states of being that make you feel the most purposeful and alive. Your ideal vocation will be directly linked to the activities that generate these positive feelings within you the most.

Tip: Although these states of mind make you feel good, they are rarely only self-serving. They almost always come from doing something that serves others -- such as creating music that touches people in meaningful ways. But these feelings can just as easily come from teaching children, tending a garden, writing a novel or play, etc.

The second question above will also lead to a better understanding of your right livelihood. When pursuing a purpose and activities that are in line with who you truly are, you grow as a person -- far more than you would in a job you tolerate to pay the bills.

Who you become as you invest your time and energy into a worthy pursuit makes all the difference. Again, this is far more than a job title such as "lead singer" or "artist manager." Who you become can also be described with such words as respected, trusted, creative, determined, passionate and happy.

What words describe who you want to become?

Let's examine one more quote, this time from poet Robert Frost: "The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the office."

There are times when you have to take on a brain-dead "real job" to make ends meet. No doubt, you must take care of your basic needs in whatever way you can. But as you think about your life long term, focus on how you want to feel and who you want to become.

Because that's where you'll find the true path to what you should be when you grow up.

Stupid Mistakes Musicians Make

Sometimes the most important things you can do for your career advancement are the simplest things. This e-mail provides a case in point ...

"Hi Bob, it's Beau Wadsworth with the Rude Street Peters. I'm a big fan, bought your books, etc. Anyway, you have talked in the past about how important it is to put contact info on ALL of your materials -- every single piece. So I thought you would appreciate this."

Beau sent me this forwarded e-mail from the Film Music Network mailing list:

"We received a CD from a group for a documentary that I'm supervising and there is no contact information on the CD. I'm interested in licensing one of their tracks."

Later in the same message, the mailing list moderator added:

"This music supervisor is ready to license this music, but the band failed to put contact information on the CD. Putting it on the tray card or case is not good enough, especially if the CD gets separated from the case. SO ... if you're the band who submitted it, please contact (details left out for privacy reasons) and we'll get your info to this music supervisor."

There's no need for me to elaborate on this much further. The point is clear. Don't take anything for granted. Assume the items in your promo kits will get separated, stepped on, mutilated and run through the ringer. Package them securely and make sure EVERYTHING is labeled properly and clearly.

Don't miss out on a great opportunity because of a simple, stupid mistake!

Why Your Audience Needs You

I just read something that literally gave me chills as I absorbed the significance of it. In a recent blog post, Joe Taylor Jr. described how many of his clients had expressed a feeling of insignificance after watching all the events related to Hurricane Katrina.

Musicians asked him questions like "Why is anybody going to listen to my music when they're glued to CNN?" or "Will anyone even come to my show if they're spending all their money on overpriced gasoline?"

Joe explained that these are all understandable questions to ask. Then he issued the following challenge:

Your audience needs you today, more than they have ever needed you before.

You possess gifts that deserve to be shared with as many people as possible.

This week, like the weeks that try us all in private or in public, should remind you that your talents are more rare and more valuable than you believe. Sure, you might surf every indie music weblog and bulletin board around, and maybe everyone you hang out with is a musician just like you. I know that it can sometimes feel like everyone is trying to do the same things as you are.

Pull back to the satellite view with me for a minute.

Very, very few people on this planet understand how to play an instrument, write a song, or even stand in front of an audience. You didn't get these gifts by accident.

Now, more than ever, is the time for you to share those gifts.

Send that newsletter to express your sympathy for audience members and loved ones touched by tragedy. Unite your audience to help relief efforts. Show them -- by your example -- that the world keeps spinning.

Later in the post, Joe adds this wisdom:

Finally, entertain your audience. Let them escape into your world through your music, your lyrics, your art, and your craft. If you sing about the world and political affairs, let your audience use your shows to share their grief and their anger. If you sing about love and fun and happy days, let your audience come to you for a well-earned respite from the depressing and bizarre news of the world.

As with all things about your music career, the relationship with your audience is the most crucial factor. Putting aside all of our usual discussion of achieving success and breaking away from a boring day job, your audience needs you right now. If you take the time to read this note, you are a beacon, a leader, and a shining example to at least ONE person in your audience -- whether you believe it yet or not.

Awesome! Thanks for this important reminder, Joe.

Music Biz Headaches: You Need the Eggs

At the beginning of the movie "Annie Hall," Woody Allen's character, Alvy Singer, tells a joke about a guy who goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, my brother's crazy. He thinks he's a chicken." The doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" And the guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs."

At the end of the film, the joke comes full circle when Alvy ties it into the roller coaster ride of a relationship he's had with Annie (played by Diane Keaton):

"I guess that's pretty much how I feel about relationships. You know, they're totally irrational and crazy and absurd, but I guess we keep going through it because ... most of us need the eggs."

Funny stuff -- and more true than many are willing to admit. The same sentiment can be applied to the music business. Can you relate?

Have you ever been frustrated by the actions (or inactions) of a booking agent or club owner? Ever felt like pulled out your hair over a stubborn singer or guitar player? Ever been disappointed by the amount of money you spent or made doing something music related?

Of course you have. And you probably wondered if it was all worth it. You may have even considered chucking the whole thing and accepting the idea that you're not cut out for this business.

Then what happened?

Most likely, you worked your way through it and found the ideal final member to round out the band. Or finally played the big show you've been dreaming about. Or got the CD recorded and released. Or landed the big article in the local newspaper.

And it was then that you felt fantastic and realized the journey was totally worth it. The ups and the downs. The joys and the frustrations. It's what you have to go through to reach meaningful goals and enjoy your passions.

And that's true whether we're talking about romantic relationships, music business success or just about anything else in life that's worth doing.

So get busy pursuing your goals. Because, admit it ... you need the eggs!

Make Money Selling Digital Downloads

Being the hip independent music person that you are, you're already well aware of the growing number of consumers who are buying digital downloads of their favorite songs and even full albums. Just check out these news stories to brush up on the latest trends.

Perhaps you've already signed up for CD Baby's Digital Distribution deal, which makes the songs you select available at the biggest online sellers, such as Apple iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, MSN Music, AOL's MusicNet, Yahoo MusicMatch, Sony Connect, MP3tunes, etc.

But there are a number of smaller sites popping up that offer music downloads for sale to the public and encourage indie artists to join them. Here are some that I found. Inclusion on this list does not imply an endorsement. In fact, I encourage you to leave comments on your experiences with these and other download sites and services.

Jamzilla.com
Mperia.com
DownloadMusicMart.com
MyGlobalSound.com
IntoMusic.co.uk

And here are a couple of sites that can help you set up your own secure download sales system on your web site.

Tradebit.com
Payloadz.com

Your turn. What's worked and not worked for you? Just click Comments and start posting.

Help Hurricane Victims

The news coming from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida is devastating. Hurricane Katrina did a number on many coastal cities and a lot of people are homeless and hurting. Check out these pages at NetworkForGood.org and FEMA to learn about ways you can help.

Musicians are stepping up and putting together benefit shows, as you'd expect from the creative community. And here's a pretty cool e-mail that Derek Sivers from CD Baby just sent out to artists who sell their CDs on the site:

If you'd like to donate all profits of your CD sales to the Red Cross disaster relief fund, to help the hurricane victims, I set up an easy way for you to do this at CD Baby.

Log in to your CD Baby artist account here:
https://members.cdbaby.com/login

After you log in, click [YOUR ITEMS], up top, then [EDIT ALBUM INFO] next to your CD, then click next to "Giving profits to charity." It will explain more about how it works, there.

If you choose to do it, it will put your CD into a special section of cdbaby.com, linked from the front page, of other artists who have chosen to give their CD profits to the Red Cross.

Tomorrow morning I will email over 1 million CD Baby customers, telling them about this special promotion, encouraging them to buy some CDs from this special section.

You may think that a few sales won't help, but with thousands of musicians banded together to do this, I think it will help a LOT of people get their lives back together after this disaster.

Do your part and help out any way you can.

Sell More Music CDs Offline

Here are some cool ideas and tools you can use to sell more of your CDs in the real world (as opposed to the online world).

Jeff Kartak is a working musician who created a new point-of-purchase CD display and sales generator called The CD Seller. It holds 12 CDs, has a locking cash box with a slot for cash and checks, a sign holder and a fitting that allows it to be mounted on any standard mic stand. Visit TheCDseller.com and read this posting at CD Baby for more details.

Over at David Hooper's IndieMusician.com blog, a reader named Hog Whitman shares his unique story of using a Suma Dek display to sell CDs at a local gas station. (Scroll down to the Comments section.) He also lists tips for setting up a similar sales arrangement in bars.

Some other places to purchase affordable retail displays are DiscMarket.com, CounterDisplay.com and CardboardDisplays.com.

Remember, these ideas and tools amount to nothing until you put them to USE.

Outrageous Music Marketing Ideas

I'm not sure exactly what triggered it. Maybe it was the jet-lag of flying back from San Francisco (more on that awesome trip later), but my mind started popping with creative, off-the-wall ways to promote your music. So I jotted down some notes last night and am sharing them with you today.

Okay, so maybe these aren't truly "outrageous" ideas, but they certainly aren't the traditional things that most musicians think about when they do marketing. Ready? Here we go ...

Outrageous Music Marketing Idea #1
Turn Yourself Into a Happy Meal

I definitely advocate that indie musicians *not* try to emulate the same tactics as the major labels. However, there are times when you can take one of their ideas (or an idea from a related entertainment industry) and give it a small-scale spin.

You know how the major film studios promote their new animated features by tying into fast food chain kid meals, such as the McDonald's Happy Meal. Most likely, you won't be able to land a nationwide Happy Meal deal. But you might be able to do something cool with a local deli or restaurant.

I know a couple of radio disc jockeys in my town who have sandwiches or special meals named after them at certain eateries. Why couldn't you do that? Especially if you perform regularly at a particular coffee shop, bar or restaurant. For example, if your band is called Sweet Potato Sunrise, approach a manager with the idea of offering a Sweet Potato Sunrise omelette, or a Sweet Potato Sunrise latte, or a Sweet Potato Sunrise daiquiri?

You get the idea. The special name would get you exposure at the establishment whenever it's open (hopefully, you're item will be listed on the menu). Plus, you can use the unique promotional angle to get mentions in the local press.

Outrageous Music Marketing Idea #2
Become an Instant Cult Classic

The success of the film Napoleon Dynamite has me thinking. The movie itself is still growing on me, but I'm fascinated by the buzz it has among people who really connect with it. Most of my friends who rave about it have seen it numerous times and claim that the more they see it, the more they appreciate and enjoy it.

What a nice position for a filmmaker to be in. Admittedly, a lot of people don't like the movie and its flat characters at all. But those who do appreciate the film like it a lot -- and preach about it to their friends, memorize lines, encourage theatres to have midnight showings, etc.

How can you tap into that? It's hard to manufacture cult status, but here's an idea: What if your music CD came with an accompanying trivia game? And what if the game tied directly into the theme, style and lyrics of your music? The game instructions could be included in the CD sleeve or delivered separately to everyone who bought one. Or, to make a greater impact with the trivia game idea, you could package the CD in a DVD case or even a small retail box.

To make this work, you'd have to come up with a cool, interactive game idea and have a CD filled with interesting or funny or insightful lyrics and music. But if you can get people examining the nuances of your material and sharing notes with other people who are memorizing your stuff, you might have some powerful buzz going for you.

Check back for a couple more outrageous ideas I jotted down. Hopefully, these will get your wheels turning in the meantime.

The Success of Self-Reliance

This should be quite evident to you by now, but just in case it isn't, here's further evidence that we live in an era of self-expression and self-empowerment. This time it comes from Associated Press reporter Justin Glanville in an article titled "Music Acts Forgo Industry Traditions."

The piece focuses on a New York-based pop band called The Churchills, which landed a major-label deal in 2000. After spending $270,000 of the label's money on a debut album and having high hopes of surefire stardom ... nothing happened.

Glanville writes ...

Countless other bands have found themselves in a similar quandary: Signed to a major label, with promises of widespread distribution and big promotional budgets, yet going nowhere. They are casualties of an industry increasingly geared toward acts who can reliably sell millions of albums at a time.

As a result, a growing number of artists who do not fit that paradigm are going independent -- financing their own records and tours, securing distribution deals and serving as their own publicists.

For these so-called Do It Yourself artists, securing a major-label deal is no longer the object of their aspirations. They have either become disillusioned with the majors based on past mishaps or never saw a place for themselves within the establishment to begin with.

Sound familiar? Glanville implies that the DIY route "only recently" extended beyond the underground punk-rock approach of the 1970s. I'm not sure how he defines "recently," but I've been preaching this philosophy since the early to mid '90s. You might say I was DIY before DIY was cool :-)

But this isn't about me. It's really all about you and how much you're willing to give yourself the power to steer your own music career.

The Churchills self-released their first album, "Here Comes the Sharp Things," in 2002. The CD won favorable reviews and got the band noticed by New Jersey-based indie label Bar/None, which released the band's follow-up, "Foxes and Hounds," in May.

Glanville continues the story ...

Still, the band -- like all DIY bands -- does not rely on its label to sell it to the public, as have bands of the past. Nor does it hire "outsiders" to do its legwork.

"What's the point of seeking out certain people who would have half the passion, take twice as long to get the job done and are not as invested?" lead vocalist Perry Serpa said. "We tend to outsource only when it's completely necessary."

But if the bottom line becomes irrelevant -- or at least de-emphasized -- what defines success among artists who choose to do it all themselves?

"The beauty of it is that the ideal of 'success' can be defined by each individual artist," Serpa said. "If you manufacture 1,500 records with the intention of selling them all on the road over two years' time and you achieve that, then that is success. The deal is that you really no longer need the bottom-liners to define that for you anymore."

I know I may be preaching to the choir here, but those words sound great to these ears. Can I have an amen?!

More Profitable Music Sales Tips

We already covered CD and merchandise sales ideas, some additional tips to boost sales, as well as a few great comments from blog readers. On top of that, Hugh DeNeal, co-founder of CheapShirtsForBands.com, offers these helpful pointers for selling more merchandise.

Give Away Free Stuff with Each Purchase. "You can get stickers, buttons, matchbooks, etc., for less than 50 cents each. Giving it away with a $10 or $15 sale of a shirt or CD may just be what pushes the customer into buying. Plus, it's one extra piece of promotion for you," DeNeal explains.

Have More Than One T-shirt Design. "Sometimes, if you have one or two simple designs, plus an elaborate multi-colored design at the same price, it will make the fancy shirt appear to be worth more. People like to think they are getting a deal, even if you paid almost the same wholesale price for the shirt. However, other people will prefer the simpler designs. Try to satisfy both needs."

Keep It Simple. "Avoid too much variety in shirt and ink colors. It's best to have a design on a light shirt and a dark shirt. Do your best to keep your sizes well stocked."

Display Your Merchandise Attractively. "You don't need to display every shirt size you have. Put one of each shirt design on your table along with your CDs and mailing list sign-up form. Print a price sheet with your prices and shirt sizes available. Also, if you have stickers or handbills listing your upcoming shows, invite people to take them."

Seek Outside Help. "It is best to have someone selling your merchandise who is not in your band. People like to talk to the performers and often you will get caught up in conversation while fans are waiting to buy your stuff."

Don't Forget the Low End. "Invest in some less expensive can huggers, embroidered patches, magnets, etc. Some people will come to your shows with just enough money to pay the cover and have a few drinks. They might support your band with only a couple of spare bucks. Two-dollar can huggers and one-dollar refrigerator magnets are a good option for the broke but supportive audience member."

Thanks for the excellent tips, Hugh!

Music Ads: 6 Steps to Powerful Promotion

I'll be the first to tell you that print and online ad space should not be the first place to invest your money. There are many creative no-cost and low-cost ways to market yourself that you should focus on first.

However, there are times when precisely placed and timed ads could benefit a promotional campaign. With that in mind, here's a short excerpt from the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook to help you make the most of advertising if and when you do use it.


Six Steps to Creating Powerful Music Ads

It's sad to say, but most music marketers approach advertising in a shoot-from-the-hip, spontaneous manner. That quality is great for jamming, but it does little to make the best use of your ad dollars. Whether you're designing an ad for a print magazine or web site, here are six principles you should use to generate real results from your advertising efforts.

1. Have a purpose for every ad

If you're running an ad just because everyone else is, or because you have a new release coming out and it's the thing to do .., slow down. Beyond that, what's your real objective for advertising? Is it to get people to go to stores and buy your new CD? Add people to your mailing list? Solicit mail order sales of your recordings? Promote a live show?

Don't expect an ad to work miracles and accomplish multiple objectives. Pick one purpose for each ad. Then make sure its design works toward that end.

2. Remain consistent with your theme and design

Choose a look and attitude that will stay the same for many weeks and months to come. Having a consistent design and feel to your ads burns an impression of your music into the minds of consumers. And that's exactly what you want to do! Think of the Coca-Cola logo. It's changed very little over the decades. And it's one of the most recognized images in the world. Bottom line: Consistency rules!

3. Start small

Don't think your ads have to be bigger than the other guy's or gal's. A lot of marketers let their egos steer their ad decisions, not rational thought. A series of small ads run regularly over time will have 10 times the impact of one or two full-blown, full-page ads that people never see again.

4. Make the offer prominent in your ad

After you decide on the marketing objective for your ad, create a corresponding offer that will inspire readers to take action. Examples: a free download, a $3 discount, free CDs for the first 50 people, etc. Then make sure that offer is prominent in your ad. Don't bury it.

5. Stick with a budget

Figure out how much per month or per quarter you can budget for advertising and then stick to your plan. There are two reasons to do this:

• So you don't go nuts and blow your whole bank roll on advertising, and
  
  
• So you don't get side-tracked and skip advertising when you need to be.

Again, I don't think you always have to be running display ads. But during those months when it's in your best interest, make sure there's a system in place so you don't miss publication deadlines and lose out on the exposure.

6. Include complete contact info

There's no excuse for leaving out your street address, phone, e-mail and web site info. If you have them, list them!

Before you rush to slap together another ad, look over these music advertising tips. You'll be glad you did.

GarageSpin Delivers the Music Goods

Looking for another great source of helpful music news? (Besides this Indie Music Promotion blog, of course :-) Take a gander at GarageSpin.com.

Editor Michael B is a vocalist-guitarist who has worked as a product manager for RealNetworks and in licensing and business development for The Harry Fox Agency. His regular GarageSpin blog posts point readers to the latest developments in podcasting, digital home recording, music marketing and more.

Here are some recent items that caught my eye:

The Podsafe Music Network. Adam Curry, "the PodFather," just launched this new site. Calling all musicians -- Submit your music immediately. Basically, the network is a library of "podsafe music" (i.e. music allowed to be downloaded freely and/or used in podcasts) submitted by independent bands and used by podcasters everywhere.

Music Plus TV: Independent and Unsigned Music Videos. Plus TV has launched its independent and unsigned Internet music video channel. Their focus on commercial-free, independently funded content may win them a psyched fan base. A cable network will follow in January 2006. Unsigned musicians can submit music (as well as videos, short films and animations) for review and possible broadcast.

Interview With Nathan Albee of HotLocalMusic.com. A Q&A session with the CTO of HotLocalMusic, about the company and the mobile marketing services it provides, including ring tones, text messaging, e-mail management, blogs, etc. According to Michael B, "It's a cool example of technology being made available to indie artists, enabling them to empower themselves and promote their music to a targetted audience."

Cool Band Names. All about choosing the perfect name, including links to random band name generator web sites and band name registry sites.

Keys to the Music Success Kingdom

I received an inspiring e-mail last week from Jordan Olsen of the band Old Man Johnson. I asked Jordan if I could share his note with you -- not to show how cool I am, but to make a point about having the right attitude concerning your music career. Here's the e-mail:

Bob, I've been getting your Buzz Factor e-mails for years. I just wanted to let you know I really appreciate your tips and positive reinforcement as I go along this music business road. I've by no means met my goal of playing music full time, but it's a goal I'm constantly working towards. But more importantly, you've helped me redefine what I want out of my music career.

In my early high school years I thought "making it" was playing to arena-sized crowds, backed by a big label budget. Now in my mid-twenties, I believe success for me can be found simply performing to a packed club. I now have realistic goals that I can achieve on my own, where before only "luck" would be able to grant my wishes. I'm in control and a large part of this attitude can be attributed to your work.

I appreciate Jordon sending me these kind words of praise. But I have to tell you, he's giving me too much credit. Through my written words, I may have provided some mental stimulation to nudge him, but make no mistake: His ability to empower himself and take control of his place in music was there all along. He just needed to become aware of the power he already possessed.

My mission as a writer and author isn't to instill (or install) a little inspiration in you and temporarily pump you up. My real goal is to wake you up to the awesome capacity you already have to decide what you want, pursue it passionately and make it materialize on your own terms.

Too many music people put the focus outside of themselves -- on a record label, a manager, a contract, an agent, a sales chart, a program director, etc. But that's *not* where your true power lies.

If you want the keys to the Music Success Kingdom, look in the mirror. Because your ultimate level of accomplishment (however *you* define it) starts and ends with ... YOU!

Meet Bob in San Francisco Aug 20 & 22

My upcoming (and first-time) trip to San Francisco is already proving to be fruitful. I'll be speaking at three diverse venues and events. I hope to meet you at one of them. Here they are:

Saturday, August 20, 8:30 pm
Epic Arts
www.epicarts.org
1923 Ashby Ave
Berkeley, CA 94703
(510) 644-2204

This will be a brief and intimate talk/audience Q&A about indie music promotion and artist empowerment. Immediately following, the spoken word/music ensemble COPUS will perform. The band is described as "classical with a beat, rap without violence, hip-hop with a degree, jazz with lyrics." Visit www.copus.net for details.

There will be a $5-10 donation request, all ages, doors open at 8 pm. I'll start talking around 8:30 pm. Special thanks to Royal Kent of Copus for giving up some of his band's performance time to allow me to speak.

---

Monday, August 22, 7-8 pm
The Canvas Gallery
www.thecanvasgallery.com
1200 9th Ave
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 504-0060
Inner Sunset Neighborhood, across the street from the Golden Gate Park near the Japanese and Botanical Gardens.

This is a very cool place with a creative environment. My topic will be "Unleash the Artist Within: The Self-Empowered Path to Becoming a Successful Artist, Writer or Performer." My presentation starts at 7 pm, followed by a casual discussion.

Free admission. You can just show up and most likely get in, but if you want to RSVP ahead of time and get on a list at the door, e-mail events@colbornestreetcreative.com.

A big thanks to Rachel Bates of Colborne Street Creative for setting this one up for me!

---

Saturday, August 20
San Francisco State University workshop
"Guerrilla Music Marketing: The Independent Path to a Successful Music Career."

UPDATE: Sorry, this event has been cancelled and will probably be rescheduled for spring 2006.

The Music Biz Success Factor

Want to get a handle on your odds of reaching success with music? Well, don't tell anyone, but one of the best predictors is -- ready for this? ... your mental attitude.

I know, that's not as sexy as sold-out stadiums or red-carpet walks or having your photo taken on a beach with either Brad or Angelina (or both). But the cold truth is, your mental outlook will make all the difference in the world when it comes to your chances for reaching true success.

On Monday, I talked about Madalyn Sklar and the views we share on positive thinking. Today I want to point out another indie music supporter who also shares our enthusiasm for "the mental game" of the music biz. I'm talking about David Hooper of IndieMusician.com.

In a blog post called The Right Mental Attitude, David describes how optimism prepares you for life's inevitable speed bumps:

A positive outlook is necessary to see change coming, to be able to work with the change, and to make the most of whatever change comes down the pike in your life. If you expect change (but not from a vending machine!), you'll be in a better position to accept it and make the most of it.

In Developing a Magnetic Personality, he talks about more benefits of an upbeat mental outlook:

It's amazing how people gather around a person who exudes confidence. Someone who believes in himself and sees the potential in others around him. A man or woman who perseveres, continuing to put one foot in front of the other until success is attained.

How does a person develop such a magnetic personality? She chooses to be enthusiastic and develops the positive attitude of "knowing no defeat." Think about it. How many successful people do you know who have gloom and doom personalities?

And the importance of enthusiasm and a good sense of humor can't be overstated. Whenever you lose your ability to laugh, your physical and emotional health start to decline rapidly. Don't you enjoy being around someone with a genuine laugh and fun sense of humor? It really is one of the characteristics of great personalities.

Two other blog posts from David worth reading are:

A Remarkable Source of Self-Confidence Revealed

You Have Today in the Palms of Your Hands

So, whether you're walking the red carpet or just jamming in your basement, I ask you: Are you happy and enthusiastic doing what you're doing?

Positive Thinking: The Ugly Truth

I first met Madalyn Sklar at the 2NMC conference in Nashville about two years ago. She's the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, described as "the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians." I immediately liked Madalyn and her positive vibe.

A recent visit to her IndieMusicConsulting.com blog made it clear why I sensed I had met a kindred spirit. Madalyn considers herself an optimist and is unapologetic in wearing the label. Check out one of her recent posts:

I live my life being an optimist. Do you? When you are sitting down, writing your goals for your music career, are you thinking in a positive light?

Positive + Goals + Focus = Success! That is what I believe. Be positive. Set goals. Stay focused. Achieve success. Yeah, it's really that easy. But, are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you take responsibility or do you blame others?

Stay strong. Stay on track with your goals. Have fun. Inspire someone. Inspire yourself.

Madalyn has a great attitude. Sadly, it's a frame of mind that seems to be in short supply -- especially among aspiring musicians. Too many creative people prefer to buy into the struggles of the "real world" and discount all the "positive thinking stuff" as delusional mumbo-jumbo.

Here's my philosophy on this: I choose to believe that every human is born with an innate ability to live effortlessly, happily, abundantly and creatively. But, too often, people lose touch with their natural connection to this positive flow. Through fear, worry and other negative thoughts over time, they get disconnected from their true potential.

(I know all about this, because like most people, I've spent a lot of time in that disconnected mode throughout my life.)

One way to reconnect with the flow is to regularly remind yourself of more empowering thoughts and ways to process the world around you. It took a lot of pessimistic thinking effort on your part (not to mention discouragement from others) to block the connection, so it usually takes a little work to unclog it and get back to your natural state of living life to the fullest.

Is it worth the effort? Absolutely! And that's my reality -- whether someone wants to call it mumbo-jumbo or not. And I'm sure Madalyn would agree with me :-)