How to Make a Name for Yourself as an Artist

What can you learn from a guy who's been wearing a nametag 24/7 for more than 2,400 days straight? A lot when that guy is Scott Ginsberg (who just got some great national media exposure when he appeared on ABC's 20/20 last Friday night). Watch as Scott and I explore what it takes to stand out in a crowd:


If you like that, watch this other cool video clip I did with Scott at the same venue.

-Bob

Join the YouTube revolution. Read How to Use Video to Promote Your Music Online. Learn how to create, promote and profit from your own low-cost music videos.

BurnLounge Burning Out?

People have been telling me about BurnLounge.com for years. And I've always resisted getting involved or even writing about the service. Something about the multilevel business model never sat well with me.


Here's part of an article from Digital Media Wire (one of many news stories making the rounds online):

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a complaint in a California federal court against BurnLounge, alleging the digital music store is in fact an illegal pyramid scheme.

New York-based BurnLounge charges users between $30 and over $400 a year for subscriptions to its service, which allows them to create their own digital music stores.

But the FTC said the company provides payments mainly for recruiting new participants, rather than on the retail sale of products -- which the FTC alleges would result in most participants losing money.

I know this is a hot issue, depending on which side of the fence you sit. So I don't want to get side-tracked debated the pros and cons of BurnLounge. Just read up on it and make your own decision.

-Bob


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Movies & Music: 48 Hour Style

For the third year in a row, I participated in the 48-Hour Film Project. It's an annual adrenaline rush where teams of filmmakers pull a genre out of a hat and are then given a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue they must incorporate into a short film. Then the clock starts and everyone has 48 hours to write, shoot and edit a 5- to 7-minute film.

This year I formed a team with my old pal Lee Mueller. We co-wrote the plot and script. He did all the camera work and editing, and I directed. We had a fabulous cast and crew. It screened last night in St. Louis and got a great response from the audience.

Check out the YouTube version below. And keep your ears peeled for a great original song written and sung by Matt Logan, who took our crazy plot line and crafted the perfect song for the soundtrack. (Matt also did the voice of the doll and appears as the guitar player on the back of the truck.)

Here are the details we had to work with:

Genre: Road movie
Character: Ryan Coccinelle, entomologist (an insect expert)
Prop: A doll
Line of dialogue: "Don't look now, we may have trouble."


This was one of those awesome group efforts that everyone who participated will remember for years to come. Want to get involved? The 48-Hour Film Project takes place in cities across the U.S. and around the world. Check the web site for upcoming cities and dates.

-Bob

Join the YouTube revolution. Read How to Use Video to Promote Your Music Online. Learn how to create, promote and profit from your own low-cost music videos.

Is Payola Settlement Good for Indies?

I guess I must have been sleeping in March when news broke that four major radio companies -- Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Entercom and Citadel -- agreed to pay a $12.5 million payola settlement with the FCC.

Jonathan Adelstein, an FCC Commissioner and amateur musician, has been credited with working out the settlements. "I love music and I want radio to sound fresh, dynamic and real," he said. "But payola gets in the way of authenticity because money drives the music, not its quality."

Another FCC commissioner, Michael Copps, said pay-for-play "cheats radio listeners and will not be tolerated." Radio, he said, is "supposed to be our pipeline to exciting, local undiscovered acts -- not more nationalized pablum from big media companies."

Wow. Is this really a government bureaucracy talking? I'm floored!

Here's an interesting side note: In a separate deal with the American Association of Independent Music, the stations pledged to give 4,200 hours of free airtime to independent and local artists.

This is an encouraging development. During my two trips to Nova Scotia I was impressed by the way the Canadian government supports homegrown talent and requires radio stations to play a certain percentage of Canadian artists. It looks like some version of that principle is coming to the U.S.

What do you think? Is it the dawn of a new day for radio? Or just a Band-Aid to temporarily fix a broken system?

-Bob


Check out the revised and updated edition of Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, with four new chapters on Internet music promotion. Get more details here.

Music Marketing in the Digital Age

A recent article on the Digital Media Wire site offered a short list of tips for promoting music in the digital age. Here are my four favorites:

• Utilize MySpace and other web sites to their full potential and don't be afraid to give your music away for free. If one million people listen to your songs online, don't see it as you just lost $1 million in potential sales. See it as you just got radio play in 100 markets.
  
  
• You have to learn new ways of viral marketing, including widgets and blog search engines. And don't be afraid to experiment with putting your music in new places and contexts.
  
  
• Look at what the most progressive record labels are doing with their artists, like Canadian Nettwerk and Barenaked Ladies, and try to copy it.
  
  
• Good music is still good music. Content is still king. True talent will prevail somehow. You just have to keep an open mind about it.

Solid ideas to keep in mind as you find your place on the digital music frontier!

-Bob

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

Co-Create With Your Fans

Are your music fans active partners with you in creating your music and promotion? If not, they should be.

In chapter 5 of the new Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook I write about the importance of co-creating with your fans. It's a new, interactive world ... so you'd better embrace it. Gone are the days when consumers were passive absorbers of marketing messages. More and more they're becoming hands-on participants.

Case in point:



Last week I asked subscribers to my Buzz Factor ezine to send me photos, video and/or audio of them endorsing my books. Something more concrete than the traditional text-only "I love Bob's book." -Jane Doe.

Steve Dockendorf took the idea and ran with it. First, he sent me the photo above. Then he recorded a simple video and posted it on YouTube at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7moUCE56oKU
(Be sure to turn up the volume to hear it.)

Watch it and see how he cleverly plugs his own music and web site and asks for listener feedback. Also note that, by promoting my books, he gets a bonus boost of exposure from me talking about him!

Here's another one -- a digital pic of Scott Macmillan enjoying my Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook:



Scott is a renowned instrumentalist, composer and conductor from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since he took the trouble to pose for this picture and send it, you can bet I'll plug his web site as well.

See how this co-creation thing works? Make this same kind of offer to your fans.

And, if you'd like to see your image and link on these pages, send me your best digital photos or a link to a video of you saying something nice about my books and ideas.

So ... get out there and co-create!

-Bob

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

The Power of Face to Face

I was reminded of a powerful principle this past weekend. A principle you can use to further your music career.

I spent five action-packed days in New York City cramming an insane amount of activity into a short time frame. I attended and spoke at PMA's Publishing University, walked the endless aisles of booths at Book Expo America, and spent more than eight hours giving two indie music publicity workshops with PR dynamo Ariel Hyatt.

Yes, it was tiring. And yes, just thinking about airports and shuttle buses and luggage makes me cringe. But the people aspect of all this frenzy made it all worth it. (Check out my Flickr page to see some of the highlights.)

I hope you feel the same way about connecting in person with your fans and music business friends. Face to face interaction is vital!

For several years, my primary connection to the public was online. I spent hours on my computer at home spreading my words and ideas across the Internet. I still do. And that approach was proven to be very effective.

But it will never beat speaking with real, live human beings in person. I traveled more in the past year than I did in the previous five years combined (thanks in large part to the encouragement of my girlfriend, Pooki). And the experiences have been invaluable.

If you attended last weekend's publicity workshop, you know what I mean. We all learned more from each other in a live group setting then we ever could have through any high-tech "virtual" setting. Meeting people I had only known before through email was priceless.

So, make the effort to attend music conferences and workshops. Spend face time with your fans. Introduce yourself to people at networking functions. You know the drill.

Nothing is on the schedule at the moment, but keep an eye on my travel and speaking schedule. Hopefully, I'll get to meet you in person soon at an event near you.

Happy travels!

-Bob


Check out the revised and updated edition of Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, with four new chapters on Internet music promotion. Get more details here.