Can a Music Blog Break a Band?

Here's an encouraging story for those who believe in the power of the Internet to level the playing field. This is how an article on MTV.com explains it:

The Hysterics aren't signed to a major label. They haven't groomed a following through a string of indie records. In fact, they haven't even released an official CD yet. So how did the Brooklyn, New York, foursome end up as one of MTV News' picks for You Hear It First? They have their science teacher to thank for that.

That's right, the Hysterics are only teenagers, still enrolled in high school. It was a demo song by the group's lead singer, 15-year-old Oliver Ignatius, that landed in the hands of J.P. Connolly, a science teacher at St. Ann's School in Brooklyn, and started the young group's journey toward semi-fame.

Connolly -- the hip educator that he is -- is also involved in a blog called Music for Robots. After posting a Hysterics demo track called "Mostly Untitled," the response from music fans was instantly strong. I'll let this New York Times article pick up the story from here:

That's where Joseph Patel, an MTV News producer and regular reader of the blog, heard the song. He also loved it, and decided to put the Hysterics on the air, despite the fact that they had done little more than practice in drummer Geoff Turbeville's parents' bedroom.

This exposure has done wonders for both the Hysterics (who are now courting offers from record labels) and the Music for Robots blog.

Lesson: Take advantage of new technologies and creative ways to reach new fans. You never know who might be listening. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a really cool science teacher to help you along the way.

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2005 (So Far)

As we pass the halfway mark of the current year, I thought it might be fun to look back at some of the top posts from this Music Promotion Blog. I based my definition of "top" on a combination of reader comments and my own subjective opinions. If you missed them the first time around, enjoy these posts from January to June 2005:

Who Do You Sound Like? And Why It's Important

Why You Need to Get Off the Fast-Track Mentality

The End of the Music Business as We Know It?

Marketing Lessons Learned from the Grammy Awards

Two Tips for Commercial Radio Airplay

Your #1 Success Tool

Marketing Lessons from an 8-Year-Old Girl

The Power of Personality - Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3

The Future of Music: Flowing Like Water?

Stream Your Music with Webjay

Formulating Your Best Music Promotion Plan

Here's an item from the Buzz Factor e-zine archives. I think this one is worth a second look. And if you're celebrating it in your part of the world, have a great Indie-Pendence Day weekend!

A lot of people who subscribe to my Buzz Factor e-zine, read my books and attend my workshops tell me that once they shift into a brainstorming mode, the self-promotion ideas come faster than Billy Joel behind the wheel of a Mazarotti. My first piece of advice regarding this fantastic state of mind is:

Buy a notebook or journal and capture these thoughts by writing them down. Don't expect to remember everything later. That rarely works. Grab ideas while they're hot.

If you're driving when inspiration strikes, carefully pull over and scribble down your thoughts on a gas receipt, fast food bag or whatever is handy. If you're in a bar or restaurant, use a napkin. If you're in the shower ... well, be creative and find a way to record those great ideas.

Once you have a master list of earth-shattering, career-boosting concepts, things don't get any easier. Now you probably feel as if you have so many options, you don't know where to start. Most music people get so flustered at this point, they do nothing. Or they do a little bit of everything all at once and spread themselves too thin, with nothing to show for all their hard work.

Well, I believe in keeping things simple. Don't overwhelm yourself. For starters, there are two things you should do every week, if not every day:

1) Write, record and perform great music. This is no secret. The most creative promotion ideas in the world will do nothing to help mediocre music. So work on your music making craft constantly. All it takes is one killer song to light a fire that will sustain an entire career.

2) The second thing you should do almost every day is to take steps to connect with and attract more fans. Don't get sidetracked with technicalities and industry connections and stuff that doesn't matter. Keep a constant focus on fans.

Now, what about those specific big ideas you have for getting exposure, selling CDs, etc.? Get out a calendar that covers the next 12 months, and start writing down your best ideas and the times of the year they would work best.

Think this through and move things around on the calendar until you've got one or two great ideas listed for each month. Doing this will give you a promotional roadmap so you know the best ways to spend your time and energy every month. Your efforts will be more focused this way and more likely to generate results.

Don't just wing it and leave things to chance. This is your career and livelihood at stake here. Set priorities. Create an action plan. You can always tweak and alter the plan as you go. But having one in the first place gives you a starting point and a direction ... and a reason to get busy and start promoting your music now.

So formulate a plan -- your ideal plan -- then ... get out there and promote yourself!

Spreading Music Tips Around the World

In case you didn't know it, many of my articles, as well as the posts that appear on this blog, are freely available for use on other web sites, blogs and e-zines. Interested? Get all the details on reprint rights here.

I may start regularly listing some of the many cool sites where my words are being shared with musicians around the world. Here are two new ones from the past week alone:

Australia-based musician Corey Stewart used my "The True Meaning of INDIE" article on his The Bizzo - Indie Music Industry Tips blog. He also runs a nice songwriting tips blog at www.coreystewartonline.com.

Stewart writes, "I am an Aussie singer-songwriter who just wants to network worldwide, develop a sense of community (something that is missing in our society) and help people out along the way by getting all of the info I have collected over 15 or so years of active musical service and putting it all on the web."

Cheers to that!

Also, my recent "Internet Music Promotion Principle #1" post was just published in Guitar News Weekly, a discussion forum for guitar players.

It's very gratifying to know that good people are spreading the word. Thanks!

Avoid One Potential Problem with MySpace

My pal Joe Taylor Jr posted a good piece of advice on his spinme.com blog regarding the ever-popular MySpace.com -- which more and more musicians are using to create a home on the Web and network with fans.

Here is part of his post:

Yes, MySpace is a pretty efficient way to quickly build a web presence. Many talent buyers still have a problem with the way that bands over-rely on it for draw, but if you don't have a web guru on your team yet, it's a simple way to get online fast.

However, if you're only giving out your MySpace.com address, you're risking a lot. For example:

* What happens if the bandmate who starts the MySpace account leaves/gets kicked out? One of my clients is going nuts trying to get this account back, especially since the ex-bandmate is now using the "friends" to slag off the old band and get folks to come out to see the new one.

* What happens if something ever happens to MySpace? Folks may laugh, but there was a time when lots of us thought MP3.com and IUMA would be eternal.

Joe's solution is registering and promoting your own domain name (something you should do anyway, especially considering it costs as little as 8 bucks a year) and directing it to your MySpace URL. You can even "mask" it so your domain name continues to appear in the user's browser even when they're on the MySpace site.

As master of your own domain name, you can point it wherever you want. And while the final destination might change, your web address remains the same.

Great advice!

Internet Music Promotion Principle #4: Focus on the Most Important Factor That Determines Your Success

This is the final blog post covering the four most important principles of Internet music marketing. If you missed the first three, you should probably read principles #1, #2 and #3 first.

Musicians venture onto the Web for all sorts of reasons. Some put up a web site just because everybody else is doing it or because they think it's the best way to impress industry people. Others establish an Internet presence because they think search engines will list their site and drive traffic to it while they sleep.

What's the real reason you should promote yourself online? Here's my best answer, and you should apply this concept to just about every action you take to promote your music, online and off:

Your main focus should be to attract and start relationships with a growing number of fans. No other factor will influence your level of success like a large and enthusiastic fan base. It doesn't matter how impressive your record label, attorney, manager, publicist or radio promotions person is. None of that means squat if fans don't connect with you. However, you can have no label deal, attorney, manager, etc., and still be a huge success if you have fans -- and lots of them.

Fans are the only thing that count (along with the quality of your music and your integrity), so put a priority on courting them. Use the unique interactive qualities of the Web to communicate with people interested in your music. Get to know them. Allow them to get to know you and the intimate details that led you to create the music they enjoy so much.

Forget all the hype and distractions and put your focus where it needs to be the most: on fans!

Internet Music Promotion Principle #3: You Feelin' Me, Dawg? Tap Into the Mind, Body and Soul

To effectively promote yourself on the Internet, you must "sell" yourself. That doesn't mean you have to "sell out" and degrade your integrity. But it does mean you must reach out and communicate who you are and why people should care.

So what's the best way to do that? How do you get the attention of fans? Do you accomplish that by announcing where you're from, who produced your CD, how many music awards you've won, and what process you used to master your latest recording?

No. Those details can help persuade some people, but most folks will become fans for a reason that has nothing to do with the facts and features of your musical product. They will be attracted to you because of the way your music and personality make them feel. That's right, feel.

The most powerful response you can get from someone is based on emotion and the way your music affects them physically and mentally, and sometimes spiritually. In the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, I refer to this mysterious phenomenon as a "state change."

Your most hardcore fans will react to your music in a way that makes them feel different (and usually much better) while they listen to your music. Their heart rate and body chemistry will actually shift when they hear your songs -- and sometimes, after they know you, the shift may occur when they only see your picture, hear you speak or read about you. Like Pavlov's dog, they salivate when you ring their bell (so to speak).

It's your job as an independent self-promoter to understand the powerful effect your music has, and to use that knowledge to spread those great feelings to even more people.

For example, you could announce, "We're a four-piece band from Kansas City. Our new CD is getting airplay on 12 stations in the Midwest." Or you could say something more "state change"-oriented like, "Our blend of rap and rock is for you if you crave an adrenaline rush with a touch of humor. Feel the edge and a good belly laugh at the same time."

See the difference? From now on, always use this principle to attract more fans.

If you missed them, be sure to read Internet music promotion principles #1 and #2. Note: These posts are excerpts from the special report 50 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Music on the Internet.