Beyond MySpace and Facebook: Octopus Marketing

I must be insane. My plate is already full with enough projects, errands and to-do list items to make anyone's head spin. But I've still found time lately to wade into the deeper waters of social networking online.
Sure, I already have a presence on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Ning and Digg. But after months of putting it off, I finally set up accounts at StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us and Meebo. You should consider doing the same. Why? I'll explain in a second ...

On top of that, I just set up a Music Marketing Video Showcase page at SquidVids.com -- a sister site to Squidoo, where anyone can create a "lens" on the topic of their choice. My new showcase page offers a bare bones video list to start, but I plan on adding to it in the weeks and months ahead.

Why all this posting to so many different sites? I do it for the same reason you should: to reach people online in as many ways as possible.

My friend Scott Ginsberg encourages people to think of themselves as an octopus. Why an octopus? Because an octopus has tentacles -- and lots of them.

To make an impact on the Web, you must stretch your promotional arms in many directions. You have to show up in the places where lots of people are hanging out online. You must be seen and discovered by people who are looking for the kind of stuff you create.

So, if you play in a Tex-Mex blues band, set up a Tex-Mex Music Video Showcase at SquidVids.com and link to the best YouTube videos in the genre. Set up accounts at StumbleUpon, Digg and Del.icio.us and link to the best Tex-Mex music sites you know of (including your own).

Write your own blog about Tex-Mex blues music and plug your posts on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. In other words, spread yourself around so Tex-Mex music fans have many places to find you.

Better yet, fans will eventually see your name popping up on several web sites and think, "I see this band all over the place. They must be something worth listening to."

Now wouldn't that be nice?

Hop into the deeper social networking ocean. The water's fine. Just keep an eye out for the octopuses.

-Bob

P.S. Note that the "squid" of Squidoo and SquidVids is another aquatic animal reference. Coincidence? I think not!

Want to create a music buzz online? Check out my special report 50 Ways to Promote and Sell Your Music on the Internet.

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5 Music Web Site Design Tips

There are millions of music web pages across the Internet. Most are poorly designed (and that's being kind), many are serviceable at best, and a rare handful are truly attractive and effective. How does your site stack up?

Use these five music web site design tips to make your pages more appealing and profitable.

1. Focus on the upper left. Eye tracking research reveals that web users look first at the upper left corner of a web page, then work their way down and to the right. So place your artist name or an eye-catching image in this powerful upper left-hand corner.
   
   
2. Give visitors "eye anchors" lower on the page. People generally scan lower portions of a web page. So don't place lots of long, scrolling text on your pages. Instead, use short paragraphs, bullet points and bold sub headlines to draw attention to the things you want people to read, know about, and click on.
   
   
3. Place navigation links along the top. You probably already know that it's a good idea to place your navigation (links to other sections of your site) in the same place on every page. But where? On the top, right side, left side, or bottom? The verdict is in: Visitors respond best to navigation links placed along the top of the page.
   
   
4. Spell out your "call to action." On each page of your music web site, you should have a goal -- something you want a visitor to DO while on that page. It might be hit the play button, subscribe to your ezine, read your bio, purchase a CD, etc. Whatever it is, make that clear and include a "call to action" -- clear instructions to do that thing now.
   
   
5. Watch someone surf your web site. Corporate types might call this usability research. You can call it whatever you want, but you'll learn a ton by simply watching different people go to your web site for the first time. Don't interrupt or make suggestions. Just observe. Then ask and answer questions. This exercise will prove invaluable when it comes to making your music web site better.

December 2008 Update: Want more music web site design tips? Check out the brand new Killer Music Web Sites special report and audio. On it I critique 19 artist and record label web sites and point out in detail what's working, what isn't working, and what needs to be changed. Don't promote yourself online without these music web site design essentials.

For even more web page design tips, visit

10 Landing Page Optimization Tactics

9 Common Mistakes in Landing Page Design

Creating Effective Landing Pages

10-Point Checklist for Landing Page Design

The Best of Eyetrack III: What We Saw When We Looked Through Their Eyes

-Bob


Make the most of the world's biggest social networking web site with this great primer on MySpace Music Marketing. Available in paperback or ebook format. Get more details here.

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Automate Your Music Marketing

As you may know, I advocate a personal approach to marketing, especially for independent artists. One-on-one communication with your fans is far better than the mass marketing techniques of the major labels.
But ... there are only so many hours in the day. No matter how passionate you are, you must learn to spend your energy wisely, and focus on the things that will bring the most results.

That's easy to say, but not always easy to do.

What if there was a way to automate at least some of the personal dialogue you have with your fans? Something a lot smarter and cooler than mindless MySpace autobots?

Well, guerrilla marketing expert (and indie musician) Mitch Meyerson and I just put together a free three-part mini course called "Automate Your Music." You can sign up for it now at

www.AutomateYourMusic.com

Each day we give you a quick audio lesson about this simple way to stay in touch with your fans. It's a technique used by hundreds of Internet marketing superstars, but it's rarely used by musicians at all. Until now.

Sign up for the three-part "Automate Your Music" mini course now at www.AutomateYourMusic.com

-Bob

Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing. Get more details here.

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Book More Shows: The 10 Best Music Gig-Getting Books Ever

Wanna play more gigs? Looking for fresh ideas on how to find venues and inspire them to book your band or solo act? These are the best books out there on how to do just that:


How to Be Your Own Booking Agent: The Musician's & Performing Artist's Guide to Successful Touring by Jeri Goldstein

The Complete Guide to House Concerts (and Other Satisfying Alternative Venues) by Nyree Belleville

The Musician's Guide to Brides: How to Make Money Playing Weddings by Anne Roos

More Gigs Now: Concert Booking Secrets of Successful Musicians by Joe Taylor Jr.

The Business of Getting More Gigs As a Professional Musician by Bob Popyk

Getting Gigs: The Musicians & Singers Survival Guide to Booking Better Paying Jobs by Mark W. Curran

The Gigging Musician: How to Get, Play, and Keep the Gig by Billy Mitchell

Making Money Making Music: The Musician's Guide to Cover Gigs by Quint Randle and Bill Evans

The Touring Musician: A Small Business Approach to Booking Your Band on the Road by Hal Galper

Gigging: A Practical Guide for Musicians by Patricia Shih

Have other books on this topic you recommend? Want to comment on the titles listed above? Click the comment link below and post one of your own.

-Bob


Ready for a Major Publicity Boost? Check out the new Indie Music Publicity Bootcamp. Ariel Hyatt and I just released an in-depth home study course filled with insider secrets on how to reach the music media and get the exposure you deserve. Get more details here.

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90+ Essential Music and Audio Web Sites

I've expanded the list of blogs I subscribe to lately. One I've found extremely helpful is Mashable.com, described as "social networking news."
A post titled "Online Music: 90+ Essential Music and Audio Websites" is an indie music promoter's wet dream. Check out the exhaustive list of music web sites on this list.

Even if you think you know it all, you're bound to find some cool music sites you probably never knew existed. Internet radio, music discovery sites, widgets, music sales sites, and more.

Also see ...

Podcasting Toolbox: 70+ Podcasting Resources

Blogging Toolbox: 120+ Resources for Bloggers

Great resources for active online indie music marketers!

-Bob

Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing. Get more details here.

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This Is Your Brain on Success

On the latest Artist Empowerment Radio podcast, you get a quick but potent lesson on how to turbo-charge your music career with a guerrilla marketing mindset.

Why does success seem to cling to some indie artists while it is repelled by many others? Get answers on this episode, which features an inspiring segment from a teleclass I did with Julie Blake of GetMusicSuccess.com.

Visit the podcast page now and start listening.

-Bob


Make the most of the world's biggest social networking web site with this great primer on MySpace Music Marketing. Available in paperback or ebook format. Get more details here.

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TAXI Road Rally in LA: What You Missed

Had a great week in Los Angeles earlier this month. Here are a few photos and captions to show you what happened and what you might have missed if you weren't there.

I was fortunate enough to spend a little time with John Braheny, author of The Craft and Business of Songwriting. He and his wife JoAnn are wonderful people.

TAXI CEO Michael Laskow (white shirt) grills panelists during the A&R panel. I'm the lone indie guy seated on the left under the A.

About 2,300 people attended the Road Rally in 2007. More than half of them crowded into the main ballroom during the A&R panel. Probably the largest crowd I've panelized in front of so far.

Gilli Moon and I presented a workshop in Philip Horváth's fantastic loft space at the Brewery Art Complex in Los Angeles. Cool space, cool people.

About 75 people or so packed into my Drivers Ed class on music promotion at theTAXI Road Rally. My one-liners were particularly effective with this lively group. (Perhaps they'd been drinking :-)

Finally got a chance to meet Jason Blume, author of 6 Steps to Songwriting Success and This Business of Songwriting.

Hanging near the famous Improv on Melrose in Hollywood. Believe it or not, 20 years ago I performed there after I won a stand-up comedy competition in St. Louis. They have since erected this fence to keep me out :-)

All photos above taken by the lovely and talented Pooki.

For more photos from this and other music events, check out my Flickr page.

-Bob

Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing. Get more details here.


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How to Sell 15,000 CDs in 18 Months

More than 1,000 people watched this video in the first three days after it was posted. It's an inspiring interview I did on a whim with musician Terry Prince, shot a couple of weeks ago on the Santa Monica Pier.


If the video player doesn't appear above, you can view it here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUfXB5uY9KA

Do the math. He makes more than $8,000 a month/about $275 an hour playing part-time. Some people doubt his sales figures (which would average 27 CD sales per hour). But, according to Terry, "that very doubt will keep them from manifesting the desired results."

It was a rare cloudy and windy day on the pier when we shot the video. Normally, it's sunny and crowded with tourists. When you consider that his tip bucket sits right below his CDs and sales sign (which allows people to drop ten buck in and take a CD while he's playing), he really could generate 25 or more CD sales per hour.

I have no way to verify Terry's claims, but I also have no reason to doubt him. What do you think?

Pardon my hair. The wind was giving me a nice Donald Trump effect :-)

-Bob


Ready for a Major Publicity Boost? Check out the new Indie Music Publicity Bootcamp. Ariel Hyatt and I just released an in-depth home study course filled with insider secrets on how to reach the music media and get the exposure you deserve. Get more details here.

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Fear & Uncertainty at 25,000 Feet

We had only been in the air for about 20 minutes after taking off from LAX. Then something happened that immediately filled me and everyone on the plane with uncertainty -- if not outright fear.
We were headed back to St. Louis after spending an exciting, action-packed week in Los Angeles, three days of which were spent at the amazing TAXI Road Rally.

My girlfriend Pooki and I were talking about the holidays and making notes about the things we needed to do once we got back home. Suddenly, there was a weird clunking sound and a vibration in the plane.

The only thing I can compare it to is the sound made when the cargo door of a plane is slammed shut after the luggage is loaded on. Crunch and shake. You expect that when the plane is stationary on the ground. But not at 25,000 feet.

(I'm sure we hadn't reached our top flying altitude when the unexpected crunch sound came, but we were pretty damn high up there. I'm just guessing it was 25,000 feet.)

Soon after the strange sounds stopped, the plane seemed to lose a little power and made a quick turn to the left. The pilot came on soon after and informed everyone that the left engine (one of only two on the plane) had just gone out.

He did a good job of describing it as a "non-event" but said "they always like us to head back to the airport when these things happen." Since the plane was taking a straight shot back to LAX, he said we'd be back on the ground in less than 15 minutes.

Now I've heard that planes can fly just fine with one engine. The aircraft appeared to be stable in the air. None of the passengers was panicking. But another interesting thing was happening: No one was complaining about the inconvenience or the delay this might cause.

Pooki and I held each other's hand and patiently waited. I wasn't outwardly fretting, but I must admit it was the longest 15 minutes of my life. It was a situation where you feel completely helpless. There's nothing you can do to make it better except trust -- in the pilots, in the only remaining working engine, in the Universe, in whatever it is you trust your trust with.

As we safely landed, I saw right away that this "non-event" had caused dozens of emergency vehicles to line the runway. As we taxied off the runway, several trucks and police cars, with lights blazing, surrounded the plane to inspect the engine and make certain an emergency evacuation wasn't needed. It wasn't.

Within minutes, we had pulled up to a gate and were exiting the plane. Still, no one was complaining about interrupted plans. Within an hour and a half, a new plane was ready and the same passengers, pilots and flight attendants climbed aboard for a smooth, uneventful flight to St. Louis.

Even though we were never in immediate danger, this experience made me think of a lot of things -- in those tense minutes before landing back at LAX and in the days since.

Mainly, I realize more than ever that I have a lot to live for and a lot to be thankful for. Which made Thanksgiving Day extra special this year.

I'm extremely grateful for Pooki, my daughter Kelli, other members of my family, and my many friends. And I'm incredibly thankful for you, dear reader, for continuing to give me a reason to write and speak about the topics that are so important to me.

Just yesterday, on Thanksgiving, I got this heartwarming email from someone I've never met:

This Thanksgiving
I am thankful for ...
YOU
Your amazing writing
And all the great resources you put in our hands.

Hope your Thanksgiving is merry and bright, Bob.

Your random fan,
Erin

www.erinivey.com

Thanks, Erin. And thanks to all of you who make my life brighter in so many ways!

-Bob

Are You a Crap Magnet?

Here's a quote that may very well change the way you think -- and increase the amount of money you make with your music!

I found it in T. Harv Eker's Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. I've heard about him and this book for years, but only recently got my hands on a copy. The first time I flipped through it, the book randomly opened to page 58, where one of his "wealth priciples" jumped out at me in bold type:

"When you complain, you become a living, breathing crap magnet."

What an awesome quote. Wayne Dyer expressed the same idea years ago when he said "What you focus on expands in your life." But I have to admit, Eker's version packs a more potent slap to the face.

Whenever I bring up this "law of attraction" stuff, I know there will always be a group of people who write it off as "positive thinking nonsense." If you feel that way, then this message is not for you.

But if you have an open mind, think about this: Your outer world is a direct reflection of your inner world. As Eker points out, your mental perspective is like the roots of a tree -- a crucial but unseen part of who you are. The tree is the visible result of the root system. Sick roots lead to an unhealthy tree.

Your brain works the same way. Crap in, crap out.

Enough preaching. You get the idea.

-Bob

Coming Nov. 12 to Los Angeles: Gilli Moon and I will co-present a workshop called "How to Build a Successful Career in Music (and the Arts)." Get more details and reserve your seat here.

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Wampus Packs a Wallop

Who knew I'd find such a gem in an unexpected email?

Like most people who write about music online, I get tons of email announcing new bands and CD releases and music services. And I don't even review music. Most of these messages get deleted within seconds of being opened or aren't opened at all.

But something about this one from Wampus Multimedia caught my eye. It had everything to do with this lead-off description of a new CD release:

It isn't about image. It isn't about entertainment. Great rock is about movement -- of the heart, the mind, the feet. The May Bees, a scrappy, uncompromising duo from The Netherlands, understand this instinctively. They want to make a good impression, sure, and they want to amuse and engage you. But mostly they want to move you, to change you, to leave an indelible mark upon you.

What an awesome way to introduce potential fans and reviewers to a new band! Read that paragraph again. It isn't a dry reading of facts and features about the band. It's an intriguing description that puts the focus squarely where it should be: on the reader (the fan) and what you'll get from hearing the May Bees' music.

Plus, it's a great lesson on how to promote music using emotion -- engaging the imagination and painting word pictures that stimulate the senses.

Wampus Multimedia (a music label, ebook publisher, recording studio, and marketing communications company based in Virginia) is the brainchild of Mark Doyon. Check out his blog, where he has some great things to say about the value of music -- included this rant:

If quality = value (and it does), why not talk about the value of music? Who else on the planet but recording artists are expected to devalue their work for some amorphous promise of deferred compensation? Doctors? Lawyers? Plumbers?

The reigning nonsense about giving away music now so you can fill stadiums later is little more than "trickle-down" economics -- a Reaganesque delusion that "a rising tide floats all boats."

Does anyone really believe Salvador Dali would have stood on a street corner giving away paintings to people who didn't care enough to pay for them, just so people would like him and talk about him? Would Apple do that? Would Target? Would Barack Obama? No great artist is going to do that -- unless, of course, money is no object.

Great stuff from Mark Doyon and Wampus.

-Bob


Ready for a Major Publicity Boost? Check out the new Indie Music Publicity Bootcamp. Ariel Hyatt and I just released an in-depth home study course filled with insider secrets on how to reach the music media and get the exposure you deserve. Get more details here.

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Why Chicago Music Rocks

No, not the band from the '70s. I'm talking about the city. Yes, the Windy City - which I'm now calling Indie City. That's what it felt like last Sunday at the Chicago Actor's Studio when I presented the "7 Secrets to Low-Cost Music Promotion" workshop to a full house.

Check out these photos, then read more notes and thank you's below. (The first four images were taken by Matt Dolinar of GetMadBaby.com. The last two were taken by Pooki.)

Pictured (l to r): producer (and all-around gracious human being) Michael Freeman, super networker and PR gal Helena Bouchez, me, Pooki, and Randy Chertkow, co-author of the forthcoming book The Indie Band Survival Guide.

Attendees were obviously mesmerized by my hypnotic hand gestures at the "7 Secrets" workshop in Chicago.

Every last seat and stool was taken at the Chicago Actor's Studio for the "7 Secrets to Low-Cost Music Promotion" workshop.

My longtime author pal Jeffrey P Fisher wowed the "7 Secrets" audience in Chicago with his best music success tips.

Choking up across the street from the legendary Wrigley Field in Chicago, at the intersection of Clark and Addison.

Once we saw the name of the place, we couldn't resist stopping by the Buzz Cafe in the Oak Park area of Chicago. Cool place, cool people.

A big thanks to Helena Bouchez, the best PR-minded supporter an author could ever have. She worked her tookus off to spread the word in Chicago. For that I am extremely grateful. Thanks, Helena! (And, I hear she's a mean bass player.)

Thanks also to indie musician Phil Circle, who helped book the Actor's Studio venue. It was great seeing old pals Rob Gillis (of Waterdog Records), producer Michael Freeman, and Chicago Mike Beck. I really enjoyed meeting Dennis Snipe and being a guest on his FocusTalk radio show.

Met some new friends on this trip, including Maureen Herman of Fuzz.com (former Babes in Toyland bassist, who was a guest speaker), Randy Chertkow, Jason Feehan, Matt Dolinar, Paul Taneja, and Ian Narcisi.

In all, a great weekend in Chicago!

-Bob

P.S. Check out this video clip from Chicago:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKkNwTW3ltE

Shocking News About the Music Industry

Are you feeling down because CD sales keep falling and the traditional music industry is tanking? Well, you shouldn't be.
As Chris Anderson writes in this blog post:

"It's a big mistake to equate the major labels and their plastic disc business with the industry as a whole. Indeed, when you stand back and look at all of music, things don't look so bad at all."

His research indicates that every part of the music industry, except the sale of compact discs, is up. Here are his stats:

• Concerts and merchandise: UP (+4%)
  
  
• Digital tracks: UP (+46%)
  
  
• Ringtones: UP (+86% last year, but probably just single-digit percent this year)
  
  
• Licensing for commercials, TV shows, movies and videogames: UP (Warner Music saw licensing grow by about $20 million over the past year)
  
  
• Even vinyl singles (think DJs): UP (more than doubled in the UK)
  
  
• And, if you include the iPod in the music industry, as I'd argue a fair-minded analysis would: UP, UP, UP! (+31% this year)

I don't particularly agree with Chris Anderson's "most music will soon be free" prediction. If you have an audience that truly gets value from your music, they will pay for it.

I do embrace the notion that music should be free in the sense of unencumbered and "free" to flow digitally where the marketplace takes it. But that doesn't mean all music should be free (as in no cost) just because it can circulate that way.

YES, you should give away some of your music to create awareness and build a fan base (or all of it, if that's what you want to do). And NO, you shouldn't waste your time with digital rights management (DRM) and suing people who share your files for free.

BUT don't make the mistake of thinking that no one buys music anymore. If you make music that matters to your fan base, and if you establish bonds with your audience, they will reward you with money. And there's nothing wrong with that!

-Bob

Coming Nov. 12 to Los Angeles: Gilli Moon and I will co-present a workshop called "How to Build a Successful Career in Music (and the Arts)." Get more details and reserve your seat here.

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Free Oct 23 Teleclass on Profitable Music Niches

What can you learn from a man who wears a kilt and promotes a CD called Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers? A lot when that kilt-wearing man is Marc Gunn.
Marc is a master of online music marketing and finding gold in the strangest musical places. During this call you can find out the true story behind his hilarious Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers and other secrets for finding riches in musical niches.

The phone lines will be open at the beginning of the call, and I'll open them at different times throughout for questions. Please introduce yourself and jump into the conversation.

Here are the call-in details for Tuesday, Oct. 23:

Starting time: 9 PM Eastern (8 PM Central, 6 PM Pacific)

Dial-in number: 1-218-339-7800 (a Minnesota number)

Access code: (enter this number when prompted) 37251

There's no cost to access the call. However, please note that your regular long distance charges will apply. The number of participants is limited, so call in near the top of the hour to make sure you get in.

This call is part of my Indie Music Marketing Insiders Club teleclass series. You can join us on the live call, but you have to be a member to access the MP3 download of this and all previous teleclasses. Learn more at www.MusicMarketingInsiders.com.

-Bob

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Seth Godin on Radiohead & the Mediocre Middle

Radiohead, the Eagles and Madonna were all over the news last week with their various ploys to shun the major record labels they used to depend on. With it came a common response from many aspiring musicians:

"Sure, they can get attention and succeed doing those things because they are already household names. How's a lowly indie act like me supposed to compete with that?"
Good question.

The answer: You don't have to compete on that level. Borrow the idea and apply it to whatever situation you are currently in.

You may not persuade Wal-Mart to be the exclusive seller of your next CD, but you might make a special sales arrangement with a single indie record store in your town. It's not the grand scale that counts. It's how you position yourself to connect with more fans -- whether the number of fans is 1 million, 10 thousand, or 10.

In this post, Seth Godin points out that forward thinking indie acts have been giving away MP3s and asking fans to pay what they like for years. It's only now that well-known acts are jumping on the bandwagon.

He writes:

Most industries innovate from both ends:

• The outsiders go first because they have nothing to lose.
  
  
• The winners go next because they can afford to and they want to stay winners.
  
  
• It's the mediocre middle that sits and waits and watches.

The mediocre record companies, mediocre A&R guys and the mediocre acts are struggling to stay in place. They're nervous that it all might fall apart. So they wait. They wait for 'proof' that this new idea is going to work, or at least won't prove fatal. (It's the impulse to wait that made them mediocre in the first place, of course).

So, in every industry, the middle waits. And watches. And then, once they realize they can survive the switch (or once they're persuaded that their current model is truly fading away), they jump in.

The irony, of course, is that by jumping in last, they're condemning themselves to more mediocrity.

So, do you want to be mediocre and complain that you don't have the clout to compete? Or ... would you rather innovate, experiment, and have fun promoting yourself in new and daring ways?

Go for it. You just might find yourself with a growing audience -- on a scale that is just right for you.

-Bob

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Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing. Get more details here.

Me in E! Online (or Bob and Britney, Together Again)

As Ariel Hyatt and I discuss in our Indie Music Publicity Bootcamp, effective PR is not just being proactive about contacting the media. It's also being ready and responding quickly when the media contacts YOU.

Such was the case yesterday when I got an unexpected voice mail from a reporter for E! Online doing a story on -- of all people -- Britney Spears.

Apparently, Jive Records is moving the release of her new album up two weeks. The reporter wanted opinions on the release date shuffle from two "experts." She found me while doing a Google search online.

You can bet I was surprised as anyone to be asked to comment on the troubled pop princess, especially after spending years building a reputation as the "indie" music marketing guy.

But here was an opportunity for exposure on a well-read web site (albeit tabloid-esque) run by the same company that produces the E! Entertainment channel and the Style Network.

I had to act quickly. The reporter left just enough details on her voice mail to allow me to formulate some ideas before I called her back about 15 minutes after she left the message.

I decided to take a stand and deliver an opinion with a little edge to spice up the story. The conversation didn't last long. But before I hung up, I asked if she could identify me as the author of the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook (my most widely known title).

Well, at the moment, "Britney's Label in a Hurry" is the lead story on the site's home page. Here's one of the quotes she used:

According to Baker, the problem is of Jive's own making. "To me," Baker said, "it seems like another pathetic ploy by the traditional music industry. It shows their desperation -- in the same way she was rushed into the VMAs."

The only other person quoted in the story was the director of charts at Billboard magazine, who took a more polite stance. And, sure enough, I was identified as "author of the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook."

Lesson: By all means, be proactive and pursue media exposure. At the same time, be ready when it comes knocking on your door. And respond quickly with something the journalist can use.

-Bob

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Ready for a Major Publicity Boost? Check out the new Indie Music Publicity Bootcamp. Ariel Hyatt and I just released an in-depth home study course filled with insider secrets on how to reach the music media and get the exposure you deserve. Get more details here.

New 'Music PR Secrets' Podcast

"Insider Music Publicity Secrets" is the title of my latest Artist Empowerment Radio podcast. It features audio clips from the Indie Music Publicity Bootcamp I did with NYC publicist Ariel Hyatt.

Also check out Angela Stevens, the new voice-over talent for the podcast. She gives the show a whole new sound.

Listen to it now at www.bob-baker.com/podcast

-Bob

What They're Saying About ...

"I've been a member of Bob Baker's Indie Music Marketing Insiders Club since the day it was launched. Bob is always finding new ways and fun tools to help me market my web site -- and never a 'clinker' in the batch." -Dave Jackson, Musicians Cooler (www.musicianscooler.com)

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Create an Experience for Your Fans

If you've ever seen performance coach Tom Jackson give a workshop, you've heard him talk about the importance of creating "moments" -- those special times during a performance when you make a meaningful connection with the audience.

Tom's gift is helping musicians use song arrangements and stage presence to create those moments. But there are other ways to add value to your live shows and create experiences that your fans will rave about to their friends and remember for years.

Two places I visited last weekend in Kansas City drove this point home. One was the KC Renaissance Festival, where atmosphere and interaction run rampant. Check out this video which spells out the important marketing lessons I learned there:


The Limeybirds (pictured below) were one of many saucey musical acts that entertained the throngs at the KC RenFest.
After a long day at the festival, we headed to the T-Rex restaurant for dinner. What an experience this place was -- an eatery with a dazzling prehistoric theme.
My daughter Kelli enjoyed petting a mechanical moving Apatosaurus as we ate.

What's the point? I realize you may not be able to resurrect Jurassic Park at your next gig. But you could create a vibe, choose a theme, promote a costume night, or add some similarly fun element to spice up your live show.

Don't just show up and go through the motions at your next gig. Make it an experience -- one your fans will thank you for and tell their friends about.

-Bob

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Radiohead & the Set Your Own Price Debate

Radiohead is the latest high-profile band to not renew a major label contract and continue on as an indie. The band will release its 7th album, In Rainbows, on Oct. 10. The entire album is available as a digital download from www.inrainbows.com for whatever price the purchaser wants to pay.
Here's a great observation from the TechDirt blog, which points out that there's more going on here than just free downloads.

Rather than just offering up the content, [Radiohead is] also trying to give people a reason to actually buy something else. In this case, it's a "discbox," which will include the new album on both CD and vinyl, as well as an additional CD of seven extra songs and photos, artwork and lyrics. The whole thing will be packaged in a nice container.

In other words, the band is following in the footsteps of folks like Trent Reznor, in realizing that the music is promotional for other stuff -- and you can still sell stuff if you make it worthwhile. In this case, Radiohead isn't really selling the "music." After all, you can get that for free. They're selling the full collection of stuff that comes with the music. Funny how it's the musicians, and not the record labels, who seem to realize that adding value and getting people to pay for it is a business model that beats suing fans.

Also worth reading is this other TechDirt post:

With Radiohead's new business model getting so much attention, we're hearing a bunch of folks start to claim that this kind of business model only works for big, established bands. Funny thing is, when we point to smaller artists doing similar things, people say that such a model may work for no-name artists, but couldn't possibly work for big pop stars, who would inevitably lose money.

The fact is that a business model that involves using the music as a promotional good can work for both small and large bands if you understand the economics of infinite goods and how to apply the appropriate business model based on the stage of the musician's career.

The simple fact is that these types of business models allow some less well known musicians to have a career in music in the first place -- whereas in the past they may have been forced out of music into another job. It's opened up plenty of new possibilities for ways to make a living by growing a fanbase and charging them for additional (scarce) products.

Thanks to indie musician Alun Parry, who was the first to make me aware of this Radiohead story. He's been using this "choose your own payment plan" method for some time now. He cleverly calls it Buskernomics.

Parry, a former Liverpool Echo Busker of the Year, says, "When I was a busker I made my music freely available and bought my first guitar with the proceeds. So why not do the same now. I let people decide how much they want to pay, whether that be free or whether that be lots more. It's up to them."

-Bob

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