'Pants on the Ground' & the American Idol Meme

Just got back home from an amazing week in Southern California where I attended the NAMM Show, spoke to an enthusiastic songwriters group in San Diego, and sat in with the Agape Choir to back up Chaka Khan and other wonderful singers during a benefit for Haiti.

While I was there the latest season of American Idol started. Even if you don't watch it and don't care, you may have heard the latest viral buzz about 62-year-old "General" Larry Platt. He auditioned for the show with a hilarious original hip-hop song called "Pants on the Ground."

If you missed it, watch it here.

The thing about pop culture memes like this (see this Wikipedia page for a definition) is that they provide great opportunities for smart artists to jump on them and get a temporary exposure boost.

Jimmy Fallon saw the light and did a spoof of Neil Young singing "Pants on the Ground." Funny stuff. See it here.

But what about indie acts? The best example I've found so far was created by DeStorm, who does a great video and audio remix version of "Pants on the Ground" on this page.

He even offers a free download of the track. I'm sure there are others doing this too, but it illustrates the point ...

Keep your eyes and ears open to new trends and hot topics. If there's a way to create something that's funny or amusing or that reinforces your musical identity to new fans ... jump on it while it's hot and buzz-worthy!

-Bob

P.S. Don't forget to wear a belt and ... keep your pants off the ground!

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Welcome to a New Kind of Multimedia Learning Experience for 2010

The Virtual Music Coach

Avatar 3D and Your Multimedia Future

Pooki and I saw the much talked about "Avatar" movie in 3D last night. Usually, when something is that hyped and described by friends in such glowing terms, your expectations are so high, the thing doesn't live up to it.

But the Avatar movie certainly did!

I'm sure the regular movie would have been great too, but seeing it in 3D really opening my eyes (so to speak) to what the future of entertainment holds in store. It was visually stunning and the most realistic computer generated images I've ever seen.

And the plot was filled with something for everyone: action, adventure, romance, anti-war and anti-greed sentiments, an environmental message, and even spiritual themes. Oh yeah, and lots of scary creatures and stuff that blows up!

It's interesting that I saw Avatar on the last day of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), where this year lots of new gadgets were introduced -- including new 3D televisions for the home.

As I mentioned last week, there are also new portable hand-held devices hitting the market that will act as mini multimedia centers. Much like the iPhone and Blackberry, you'll be able to surf the Internet, watch movies and TV shows, read ebooks, listen to audio, record and edit videos, and much more.

Sure, these things exist now, but the technology is becoming even more impressive, powerful and accessible to millions of people.

Are you feeding your fans through these new channels?

That's exactly why I just launched my new Virtual Music Coach web site, where I'm starting to offer online programs that deliver my message in multiple ways: text, audio, and video.

Sure, I'm a writer, and I could stay in my comfort zone and continue to just publish paper books and ebooks. But if I did, I'd miss an opportunity to inspire a LOT more people who prefer getting information by other means.

I encourage you not to get stuck in an outdated mode either. Embrace the new technologies. Use them yourself. See how other artists are using them. And start working them into the way you communicate with your fans.

FYI, here's a list of new gadget highlights from this year's CES.

To your multimedia success!

-Bob

Are You Ready for the Next Little Thing?

The Consumer Electronics Show is taking place over the next few days in Las Vegas. According to an article on MSNBC ...

"After years of being about the Next Big Thing, the annual International Consumer Electronics Show this week is all about the next little thing - small-in-one devices that are blurring the distinctions among tiny netbook computers, dedicated media players, e-book readers and cell phones."

But it was these sentences that really caught my eye:

"... content is the new king. As different people use electronics in different ways, publishers [and anyone who creates "content," like musicians] are under the gun to deliver whatever content people want on whatever devices they have."

So, are you meeting your fans where YOU want them to, based on YOUR idea of what the right platform is?

Or ... are you meeting your fans where they ARE?

Think about the next little thing as you plan your music promotion in 2010.

-Bob

P.S. Put your music marketing on steroids! Visit my new project: The Virtual Music Coach.

3 Keys to Easy Goal Setting in 2010

It's not only a new year, it's also the beginning of a new decade! What a great time to renew your commitment to letting your musical light shine and living to your fullest potential.

There's a good chance you've already set some goals for 2010 and are using a planning system of some type to make sure you stay on track. If so, congrats to you!

If not, that OK too. Getting clear about who you are and how you want to grow is something you can do at any time of the year -- whenever the time is right for you.

Photo by Cliff Muller
But I'd like to share a simple way to look at your life and music career in a way that will make it easier to set meaningful goals. This is something I learned from Jim Bunch when I attended one of his Ultimate Game of Life workshops.

Here's the essence of it ...

All the goals you will ever want to achieve can basically be broken down into three key areas of life:

• Goals that make you happy
• Goals that make you healthy
• Goals that make you wealthy

Jim calls it the Happy, Healthy, Wealthy Game. Looking at my life and livelihood in this manner really resonates with me. Perhaps it will with you too.

Too often our goals are focused on only one or two of the three areas. Some really ambitious people just play the Wealthy, Wealthy, Wealthy Game ... and ignore their happiness and health.

Some people who might be described as "slackers" will mainly play the Happy, Happy, Happy Game ... and downplay their health and ability to make money.

Still others focus on health and their appearance at the expense of the other categories.

The trick is finding a balance between all three. Although Jim says that "Happy" is listed first for a reason. It's the area of life most people overlook in the pursuit of achieving their material goals.

I love that idea. Because you're sense of joy and well-being gives you the juice to pursue the other areas of your life -- and music career.

Here are some examples from my own Happy, Healthy and Wealthy goals for the new year:

Happy

- Meditate every morning and enjoy the benefits of a clear mind
- Spend meaningful time with Pooki, my daughter, and good friends every week
- Write, record and/or perform one new song every month

Healthy

- Hit the treadmill and make a health shake every morning
- Do some strength training for 20 to 30 minutes three times a week
- Get up from the computer once every hour to stretch and move

Wealthy

- Write, publish and promote two new books this year
- Go through my audio and video archives and create at least five new info-products this year
- Pay off the Visa card bill and home equity loan

Now get out a notebook or journal, or open a new document on your computer. Type in the three category headings: Happy, Healthy and Wealthy. Then start adding meaningful goals in each of the three areas. And make certain there's an equal balance between them all.

Do this -- really do this! -- and you'll have a happier, healthier and wealthier year in 2010.

-Bob

P.S. Would you like a virtual music coach to inspire you with new marketing ideas? If so, check out my new venture here ...

New Holiday Music Videos From Me to You

As we head through this week leading up to Christmas, I want to share with you two new holiday music videos from a recent live performance.

In this first one, I sing my favorite rendition of "White Christmas" (from the Elvis Presley Christmas album) as Pooki gracefully does a hula dance. It's beautiful and funny all at the same time.


We keep the Hawaiian theme going with our version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" -- with musical help from my daughter Kelli and her friend Brianna.


These two new videos are different from our popular family holiday videos of the past. We still haven't been able to top this one from 2007:


Have a great holiday season, and whatever you do, have fun with your friends, fans and family. It's what makes life worth living!

-Bob

10 Music Links Worth Tweeting About

Do you ever run out of things to tweet about?
Beyond telling people what you're eating for lunch and plugging tonight's gig, one effective way to use Twitter is to share useful and inspiring links with your followers. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that's exactly what I do several times a day -- every day.

For your tweeting convenience, here are ten quick blurbs and links to recent blog posts and podcasts of mine (that easily fit into the 140-character maximum). Just copy and paste as many as you want, whenever you want, into your Twitter account.

Of course, you can also post them on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, and more too :-)

7 Ways to Destroy Your Music Career http://bit.ly/80PZX via @MrBuzzFactor


Great Podcast: "How to Create a Buying Frenzy" http://bit.ly/uqny3 RT @MrBuzzFactor


12 Keys to Building a Thriving Music Career http://bit.ly/4ys2PZ via @MrBuzzFactor


Made-To-Stick Music Marketing http://bit.ly/3TcL9L via @MrBuzzFactor


7 Simple But Effective Steps to Reaching Your Music Career Goals http://bit.ly/46qkDK RT @MrBuzzFactor


Podcast: "How to Get Motivated When You're in a Slump" http://bit.ly/8ZuQEl via @MrBuzzFactor


Great Question for Musicians: What Are You Pretending to NOT Know? http://bit.ly/68D4Hm via @MrBuzzFactor


FREE Sample of "55 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Book on the Internet" at http://bit.ly/2jLpAy RT @MrBuzzFactor


Is Your Music 'Findable' Online? http://bit.ly/9RbUW via @MrBuzzFactor


5 Music Career Success Questions You Need to Answer http://bit.ly/3b4BDM via @MrBuzzFactor

Happy tweeting!

-Bob

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What Are You Pretending to NOT Know?

Seriously. How are you deluding yourself ... and what is it costing you?

In the 1990s, back when I published a local music magazine in St. Louis, I remember feeling so frustrated at times. Especially when certain businesses wouldn't advertise in my publication or sponsor music events I put on.

"What's their problem?" I would whine. Didn't they see all the work I'd put in to create a great resource? Can't a guy with a good idea get a break in this town?

Of course, I really knew the answers.

In some situations, the business and the event simply weren't a good match. I may have wanted their participation, but from their perspective, they needed to allocate their limited marketing dollars to other things. There was a part of my brain that realized that, but I paid no attention to it.

In other situations, I simply hadn't put in the time to develop the relationships that other media people had. Therefore, I didn't get those ad dollars. I even told myself many times how I needed to get out and meet with more potential advertisers and sponsors. But I rarely acted on it. And as a result, I lost out on some business.

I knew what the problems (and the solutions) were. But I chose to ignore them, get frustrated, and chalk it up to other factors that were out of my control.

In other words, I was pretending to not know something ... when I actually knew it all along.

So, what are YOU pretending to not know?

For instance, you know ... people are easily distracted and that it can take a number of follow-up attempts before you get a response from somebody.

Yet ... you give up after one attempt to reach someone and complain about the lack of response.

You know ... what inspires you and your friends to support a new artist and buy their music.

Yet ... you act as if you have no idea how to promote your own music and connect with fans.

You know ... the importance of spending time practicing and writing new material.

Yet ... you settle for mediocre performances and songs that "will do" when you put out new music.

You know ... how you like to be treated and communicated with when someone has something of value for you.

Yet ... you pretend to have no clue about how to leave a voice mail message or send an email to someone who can help you.

I guarantee, you know way more than you give yourself credit for.

So, I ask you again:

What are you pretending to NOT know?

-Bob

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Get a Sneak Peek at My New Project for 2010

The Virtual Music Coach