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.

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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!

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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 :-)

Build Your Music Brand Online

Want an earful of Internet marketing tips? Deborah Harper of Psychjourney.com interviewed me by phone two days ago on the topic of my book, Branding Yourself Online. And thanks to her, you can listen to the whole thing free.

While her audience is primarily made up of therapists and mental health professionals, we had fun discussing a wide range of general self-promotion strategies that can also benefit self-empowered musicians like you.

Click here to listen to the 40-minute interview. Also visit Deborah's Psychjourney Book Club to see and hear interviews she's done with several other cool authors and experts.

How to Boost CD & Merch Sales

Carlo, a blog reader and member of the Filipino hip-hop group Audible, sent me the following e-mail regarding Monday's post on Top CD & Merch Sales Tips. He asks some questions that I'm sure have crossed the minds of many self-promoting musicians:

"I know that if you don't ask for the sale, you won't get it. But let's say you've announced CDs and merchandise for sale before, during and after your performance. You deliver a great show and people approach you afterwards, but the amount of sales is nowhere near what you expected it to be. What do you do? Do you go approach the audience and ask 'em if they want CDs? Or just stay where you are and let people come to you?"

Great questions. I'll give a few of my own suggestions and then encourage the smart people who read this blog to post additional comments below.

Yes, take it to the people. In addition to having a merch table that fans must go to, some artists also have "helpers" who work the crowd to inspire mailing list sign-ups and CD sales. And they actually carry the CDs with them while wearing a band T-shirt.

On his Bards Crier site, Marc Gunn covered this when he highlighted Sharon Wothke and The Rogues. Here's an excerpt:

We started from the very beginning employing the use of a roaming basket. It is very effective and other groups have successfully copied our approach. Our sellers walk around holding up the product so people can see them. Our sellers try to blend in with the show and not be pushy, just visible. I personally enjoy interacting with the crowd, spoofing off of what is being said on the stage and telling jokes to make the audience laugh. And I will talk and be nice to everyone, even if they don't buy a CD, simply because I enjoy people and I am trying to be an ambassador for the band. They may not buy today, but chances are they will think about it and buy a CD at another time.

But there are also ways to entice more people to visit the merch table area, such as:

Set out free candy or snacks, available to anyone who walks over to the table.

Hold a drawing. To enter, people must put their business card or form into a bowl, which of course sits on the merch table.

But at the core of Carlo's e-mail was the question: How do you get people to actually buy instead of just browse? One great way is to make special offers. Have a regular price that people pay if they buy from your web site, then a special "live show only" discount price.

You can have some fun with this, too. When I saw Kim Massie in St. Louis recently, she joked that the normal price of her CD was $9,999. But if you bought it that night, it could be yours for only $9.99. People in the audience laughed ... and bought a lot of CDs that night.

These are just a few thoughts. Again, I encourage you to post your own ideas for inspiring sales. Just click the Comments link below.

Top CD & Merch Sales Tips

Back in May I posted a request for music merchandising tips. And did the readers of this blog respond! I'll be posting some of the best tips over the coming weeks. Some great ones came from Laura Kist, who handles PR and merchandise sales for Bomb Squad, a funk-rock act based in New York City.

"The band received the 2003 New Music Award and performed live at the American Music Awards," she says. "They have two CDs out and a lot of merch, which I sell online and at live shows. I've learned quite a few things, lugging bins of merch from gig to gig."

Here are some tips Laura picked up along the way:

Location, Location, Location: Often, club owners/managers will want to stick you in a dark corner out of the way. However, you won't sell any merch that way. You need to make sure you are set up either next to the music (wear earplugs!) or by the door. By the door, no one coming or going can miss you.

What You See Is What You Get: Clubs are dark. Make sure there is enough lighting so fans can see what they might want to buy. I use a small battery-operated lamp so people can read the CDs, check out the tees, etc. It's also helpful when counting money.

Change Is Good: Definitely make sure you have change. If you make the customer go to the bar to get change, s/he may spend that $ on a drink instead. Also, price merchandise so you and the customer aren't fumbling with singles. I keep it to the 5's: $10, $15 and $20. Also, offer deals: 2-fors or "Buy this CD, get a free t-shirt" (I raise the price of the CD a bit.) It truly increases sales -- people love free stuff!

Organization and Presentation: I keep my t-shirts in plastic bins (get 'em for a couple of bucks each at Kmart). I separate the girls styles from the boys and sort them according to size. It makes it much easier to give the customer what they want, especially if it's a packed house.

Ask for Help: When I know Bomb Squad is going to sell out a venue, I make sure I have someone to help me. I have lost sales because I literally couldn't get to the customer.

Up with the Times: I pay attention to what people are wearing. When trucker hats came back in style, we got trucker hats with the Bomb Squad logo.

Get Creative: I discovered that t-shirts and other merchandise don't have to be limited to the band's name. One of our best sellers is our "Sophistafunk" baby tee, named after the title track of Bomb Squad's first album. It is so popular that I often have guys asking for it for themselves! (I really have to get on that ...)

Ship Online Orders Promptly: This is so important when it comes to online sales. I am practically best friends with my mail clerk as I'm in the post office every week. When I get an order online, I make sure to take care of it within a couple of days.

Thanks for the great tips, Laura!

Connecting With Music People Who Matter

If you don't know my indie marketing philosophy by now, here it is in a nutshell: Your #1 priority is to connect with fans. The more the merrier. Your #2 priority is to connect with people who can help you connect with even more fans.

Of course, other success factors include great music, a great live show, dedication, passion and integrity. But all of these factors and priorities will be greatly affected by the quality of your people skills -- your ability to communicate and establish meaningful relationships (and I'm not talking dating here :-)

For some tips on this topic, I'll turn to my friend Scott Ginsberg, author of The Power of Approachability. In one of his recent articles, he discussed the Top Ten Ways to Maximize Your Approachability.

Here's Scott's advice on breaking the ice when meeting someone new at a networking function:

In the event that one of those Fruitless Questions like "How's it going?" "What's up?" or "How are you?" comes up, don't fall into the "fine" trap ... A great technique is to offer a Flavored Answer to a Fruitless Question. Instead of "fine," try "Amazing!" "Any better and I'd be twins!" or "Everything is beautiful."

Your conversation partner will instantly change his or her demeanor as they smile and, most of the time, inquire further to find out what made you say that answer. Because nobody expects it. And offering a true response to magnify the way you feel is a perfect way to share yourself with others, or "make yourself personally available" to others.

So what if you're a social and promotional introvert? Scott says "have no fear" regarding the negative thoughts that go through your head:

They won't say hello back to me. They won't be interested in me. I will make a fool of myself. This is the number one reason people don't start conversations. However, practice will make this fear fade away. The more often you you start conversations, the better you will become at it. So, be the first to introduce yourself or say hello. When you take an active instead of a passive role, your skills will develop and there will be less of a chance for rejection. Also understand the gains vs. losses. For example, what's so bad about a rejection from someone you don't even know?

Finally, Scott stresses the need to give people communication options:

Your friends, colleagues, customers and coworkers will choose to communicate with you in different ways. Some will choose face to face, some will email, others will call, while others will do a little of everything. The bottom line is: make all of them available. On your business cards, email signatures, web sites or marketing materials, let people know that can get in touch with you in whatever manner they choose. Sure, you might prefer email. But what matters most is the comfort of the other person and their ability to communicate effectively.

Great advice. Use it to meet more fans -- and the people who can help you meet more fans.