Manhattan Marketing Ideas

On my latest video short, I highlight some of the great marketing ideas I found on the streets of Manhattan during my recent trip to NYC. Warning: You won't believe what I found in Times Square.

Watch Manhattan Marketing Ideas on YouTube here.

More NYC videos coming soon.

-Bob

Should Your Bits Be Free?

Cory Doctorow is a successful science fiction author and co-editor of the popular Boing Boing blog. In his online bio, he may be writing about books, but his perspective provides food for thought for indie musicians, as well:

I write science fiction novels -- three published to date ... These novels sell well, win awards, and are published by Tor Books (novels) and Avalon Books (collection). They're also given away for free on the Internet as Creative Commons-licensed downloads. They can be freely shared, and in some cases, remixed or translated and sold in developing countries.

I believe that we live in an era where anything that can be expressed as bits will be. I believe that bits exist to be copied. Therefore, I believe that any business-model that depends on your bits not being copied is just dumb, and that lawmakers who try to prop these up are like governments that sink fortunes into protecting people who insist on living on the sides of active volcanoes.

Me, I'm looking to find ways to use copying to make more money and it's working: enlisting my readers as evangelists for my work and giving them free ebooks to distribute sells more books. As Tim O'Reilly says, my problem isn't piracy, it's obscurity. Best of all, giving away ebooks gives me lots of key insights into how to make money without restricting the copying of bits. It's a win-win situation.

The quote I especially like is: "My problem isn't piracy, it's obscurity." In fact, that whole third paragraph holds a lot of wisdom. In so many ways, you have to give to get.

What do you think?

-Bob

When iPods Attack

This is funny. From Wired magazine's blog via The Simpsons.


A citizen of the future laments: "If only we'd known that iPods would unite and overthrow the very humans they entertained ..."

-Bob

Get the Music Tips You Want

In my early days on the Internet, there were basically two ways you could get my free music marketing ideas.

1) You could read them on web pages (on my site and many others)
2) You could subscribe to my ezine and get them delivered by email

Well, you can still do both of those things, but now you have a number of extra options to get the music tips and inspiration you want. In addition to online articles and this ezine, I now publish a blog, a podcast and video clips -- all free, and all filled with advice and tools you can use to promote yourself better.

Yes, you can enjoy all of these things by visiting the old-fashioned web pages they sit on. But one cool thing about the ever-changing Web is a little thing called RSS feeds.

If you subscribe to a blog or podcast, you probably already know what feeds are and how they work. If you don't, pay a quick visit to this page or this one for a primer.

Even though you can use feed readers like Bloglines, My Yahoo and even web browses like Firefox to manage your feeds, one option I just started using was Google's personalized home page feature.

Just set up a free Google account, click Personalized Home, then click Add Stuff on the right. Near the top, to the right of the Search box, click Add by URL, and enter the feed address of the blog or podcast you want to subscribe to. Add as many feeds as you want and arrange them on the screen to your liking.

Once set up, every time you go to Google, you'll see the latest headlines from all your favorite blogs. It's a great way to get only the news you want.

Your Music Tips Delivery Options

My Music Promotion Blog
Read it on the web here:
http://www.bob-baker.com/musicpromotionblog/
Subscribe to the feed using this address:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/MusicPromotionBlog
Get my blog posts delivered by email here:
http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=59785

Artist Empowerment Radio Podcast
Access it on the web here:
http://www.bob-baker.com/podcast/
Subscribe to the feed with iTunes or another "podcatcher" using this address:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/ArtistEmpRadio
Get my podcast updates delivered by email here:
http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=59864

Note: You can also email any blog post or podcast description to your friends. Look for the "Email This" link at the end of every post.

Other Ways to Reach Me Online

The Buzz Factor Video Channel
http://www.youtube.com/mrbuzzfactor

The Buzz Factor on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/thebuzzfactor

My event and travel photos on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bob-baker/

Lots of options. Hope you choose one or several of them and stay in touch!

-Bob

Ice Storm Music Marketing Video

A winter storm brought lots of headaches to the Midwest. But I managed to find a music marketing lesson amidst the downed trees and ice-covered cars. Watch the new video below -- complete with bloopers at the end ...


I created this video clip using a Canon Elura 100 digital camcorder and Windows Movie Maker to edit. Years ago, I did a bit of video production in college (back in the tedious analog tape days). I'm having a great time playing with all the new digital video tools, and using them to deliver more promotion ideas to you.

-Bob

P.S. If you haven't heard about it yet, be sure to check out my new report, How to Use Video to Promote Your Music Online.

New Buzz Factor Ezine Online

If you don't subscribe to my Buzz Factor ezine (or if you do and the email got lost in your Inbox), you can read the latest issue online here:

www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/120506.htm


In it, you'll discover how to ...

• Get the Music Tips You Want, When You Want Them
  
  
• Meet Me in New York City This Weekend
  
  
• Offer Music Downloads -- The Smart Way

It's all ready for you to read online at
www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/120506.htm

Please consider signing up to get it by email, if you don't already.

Cheers!

-Bob

The Power of Taking Action

Here's an inspiring email I got recently from a Vancouver musician. Her success story says a lot about the power of simply taking action.

I'm Robin, the front woman singer/songstress for the band RUBY RED. I have been reading your tips for years and wanted to thank you for all your great info and guidance.

I remember the first year playing in this band and thinking how slow it was going. Then, the next thing I know, I'm taking your advice and walking around downtown Vancouver determined to find something -- ANYTHING -- to make this thing GO.

So I'm standing in this little wine shop waiting to speak to the woman at the counter to ask about coming in to do some acoustic stuff. I overhear her talking to another woman about a big concert she's promoting.

She leaves and I ask the counter woman who she was, and she gives me her name and number off the card she left. So I call and she says, "I'm so glad you called. We are looking for an original local band to open both days for this festival." And the headliners? Eddie Money the first day and Eric Burdon & The Animals the second!

We had to audition for it and they came to see us at a small club the next week. We rocked their socks off and they hired us on the spot. Then a company called FanBoy Pictures found out we were opening and came to see us. They loved us and asked if they could do a five-camera video shoot of the event.

Then came the concert -- a huge event with a giant stage and a board bigger than I had ever imagined. The newspapers were writing all about it. FanBoy shot two songs during sound check. The videos turned out great -- you can see them at www.rubyredmusic.com.

Eddie Money loved us so much, he wanted to have a picture taken with us! He asked for a CD. We were thrilled. We played a stellar show both days, and it was the launching point for so many things we have done since.

I just wanted you to see that you really DO help people OUT THERE -- in more ways than you could ever know! I probably never would have walked out that door that day and gone into that wine shop if it hadn't been for YOU!

FYI, here's part of an email I sent back to Robin:

Thanks for the awesome email and for sharing your story. You made my day!

I'm flattered that you credit me with motivating you to act on your passion for music -- but make no mistake, it was YOU who took the action. And for that, and all that's come because of that first step, you should be proud.

-Bob