Music Audio Tips on Snocap

I just opened a Snocap account and loaded it up with some of my best spoken-word tips and advice. You can listen to 30-second samples, then purchase and download individual MP3 tracks.



If there's a demand, I'll add more. Let me know what you think.

-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.

Everything You Need to Know About Music Marketing

Confused about music marketing? Read this and you won't be ...

Last month, Mark Cuban posted some thoughts on the changing music industry on his blog. These two sentences really caught my attention:

"Music is not just entertainment, but a tool for people to describe themselves to those around them. We use music in our ring tones, on MySpace pages, blasting through the windows of cars to let people know something about who we are."

It's true. The type of music a person listens to speaks volumes about who they are. In much the same way that hair styles, clothing choices, car models and body piercings indicate who someone is.

So, let's get introspective about this for a moment. Ask yourself: "What does my music say about the people who listen to it?" What kind of socio-economic vibe does your sound plug into?

It is earthy and rugged? Sexy and grooving? Smooth and sophisticated? Hard and heavy? Upbeat and bouncy?

And if we compare music to other shopping choices that people make, where do you fit in: Neiman Marcus, Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Winn-Dixie, Barnes & Noble, Sears, or Dollar General?

Fans are attracted to music that either resonates with who they already are or reflects the type of person they wish they could be.

It's about hopes and dreams and aspirations and finding one's place in the world. It's about using music to support self-image and express your personality to the world.

In other words, music is personal.

When marketing music, we may talk about niche markets and target audiences, blogs and podcasts, radio and TV, retail and online sales, etc.

But all it's ever really been about is one thing: Connecting with real people through your music in a very personal way.

Always remember that and you'll never be confused about marketing again.

-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.

June 2 NYC Music PR Workshop, 2nd Session Added

Every seat for the June 2 "Indie Music Publicity Bootcamp" I'll be doing with publicist Ariel Hyatt sold out in just a few days. So we decided to add a second session later the same day, from 3 to 7 PM, at the same midtown Manhattan location.

If you're in the area and interested, secure your seat fast -- because they won't last long. Just go to this page:

www.bob-baker.com/buzz/nyc-music-pr.html

Hope to see you there!

-Bob

11 Reasons Not to Sign With a Major Label

Lefsetz is at it again, this time with his latest blog post, Reasons Not To Sign With The Major Labels. Here are my favorite parts:

3. They don't pay you. Oh, they'll give you an ever-shrinking advance. But royalties? No one sells enough albums to go into royalties anymore. And they own the rights to the recording. Terry McBride's got it right: You want to control all the rights, so you can license INSTANTLY! So you don't have to get someone on the phone to say YES to YOU about YOUR music!

Oh, they'll give you money to get started, but it's like making a deal with the Mafia. They own you, forever.

8. They only want you once you've proven yourself independently. If you've created the base, why give up control now?

11. They specialize in saying no. Music is now about inspiration, made by the seat of one's pants. You have to do business the same way. In this fast, ever-changing world, you need to take risks, you've got to make snap decisions, you've got to be able to say yes, QUICKLY! The major is against innovation, it's hard to get an answer AT ALL, never mind YES!

You want to give your new track away for free? No! They won't even let you SELL IT if it competes with the track they're working at radio/in the marketplace. It's not about artistry, but commerce.

Lefsetz sums it up with this gem:

But, if all you care about is commerce, if you want all your money up front, if you want to whore yourself out to corporations, do whatever it takes to sell your lame, paint by numbers, built by committee music ... then sign with the major label. I hope you achieve your goal and get instantly rich, because after this instant, you'll be done.

Brilliant! Still want a record deal?

-Bob

Is There a Book Inside You?

If you read this blog, you obviously have a song inside you. Or you have a need to share what you have to say through music. But a growing number of people also want to express themselves through a book -- and do so by publishing it themselves.

As you may know, I've been actively involved with writing and publishing for many years. And over the past four years in particular, I've made a good living exclusively from the sales of my self-published books, reports, audio programs, and more.

It's how I plan to spend the rest of my days, as I truly feel I've found my right livelihood.

I know first-hand the sense of personal satisfaction that comes from putting out your own book. I also understand the deep sense of purpose and meaning a book can give you when it touches people's lives in ways you never imagined.

I've benefited greatly from my pursuit of do-it-yourself book publishing, and now I'm on a mission to empower others to enjoy the same thrills as I have.

I've done that for the past three years serving as president of the St. Louis Publishers Association. And now I'm taking things a step further with the release today of my new audio/ebook package called "Self-Publishing Success Secrets 101."

It's an ideal resource for first-time authors and other self-publishers wanting to kick-start their book publishing efforts.

What's different about this guide? A lot of the popular publishing manuals out there are hefty and cover a lot of ground. But the sheer volume of technicalities causes confusion and information overload for many aspiring authors.

That's why I created this guide. To give you a quick crash course on the most important things you need to know to become a successful self-published author -- and to share some of the untraditional methods that got me where I am today.

Anyway, take a closer look at
www.bob-baker.com/self-publish-book/ebook-audio.html

I'd love to hear what you think.

-Bob

P.S. Do you prefer to read, or listen to books on your iPod or CD? I love doing both. That's why "Self-Publishing Success Secrets 101" comes as a 25-page ebook AND 50 minutes of MP3 audio files. Print it and read it, or burn it and listen on the go. You'll have multiple ways to soak up these self-publishing tips and advice.

How to Hit a Marketing Home Run

I just received this email from Jordan Olsen of The Gorgeous Hussies:

Hey Bob, I was reading about the marketing techniques of this minor league baseball team owner on different ways he attracts people to games by not being a marketing "purest." Reading the story, I instantly thought about your repeated suggestions to market outside of the box. So I thought I'd forward this to you.

Thanks, Jordan. What a great idea starter! Here are just some of the creative promotion night themes that minor league teams have used:

Awful Night - Attempting to produce the worst atmosphere ever at a baseball game, the Altoona Curve had music by William Shatner and Milli Vanilli, a gate giveaway of a 12-inch square of bubble wrap, pregame autograph sessions with non-celebrities, and a special presentation to the 1962 Mets -- baseball's worst team ever.

Silent Night - The Charleston Riverdogs went for another record against the Capital City Bombers when they tried to play the quietest game ever. For the first five innings, there was no talking. Fans wore duct tape over their mouths and held placards that read "YEAH!," "BOO!" and "HEY BEER MAN!" Also, ushers were replaced by librarians and golf marshals held up "Quiet Please" signs.

Richard Nixon Bobblehead Night - The Nashua Pride decided to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the Watergate break-in by giving out 1,000 Nixon bobbleheads. Anyone named Woodward or Bernstein got in free, and there was 18 1/2 minutes of silence recognizing the gap in the Watergate tape.

Ted Williams Popsicle Night - When Williams' body was cryogenically frozen, the Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings gave popsicles to the first 500 fans.

I encourage you to read the entire article, on the Sports Illustrated site, here or here.

I've long advocated looking to other industries and forms of entertainment for marketing concepts. Good ideas can always be borrowed and customized for your particular situation. You have to admit, you could easily use the same line of thinking as these minor league baseball teams did to add a special twist to all of your upcoming gigs.

Which announcement would be more likely to bring people out?

"Hey, we're playing again at the Corner Bar this Saturday. Please stop by."

Or ...

"Come help us celebrate George Costanza Night this Saturday at the Corner Bar. Make sure you're there at 11 PM for the George Costanza look-alike contest. The winner will get a half-eaten eclair and a double-dip chip."

Use your creativity and have some fun! You do that with your music. Why not with your marketing too?

-Bob

4 More Music Sites You Need to Know About

They're growing like weeds. New web sites that cater in some way to indie musicians, that is. Here's the latest batch that came to my attention ...


MVSpy
http://www.mvspy.com/
Artists and record labels upload their videos to this web site, where users view and vote on them. The top-voted videos each month are then aired on MVSpy TV, available in over 11 million homes nationwide as part of the Comcast On-Demand Network.


Phone Sherpa
http://www.phonesherpa.com/
This site allows you to turn any MP3 file into a custom ringtone and sell them. You can also embed a custom web store on your web site or blog. Customers browse and buy content without leaving your site. Free and paid options.


Phling
http://www.phling.com/
A mobile music community service that connects you to all the music, podcasts, and pictures stored on your PC, to your friends, and to everyone in the Phling community. All from your mobile phone.

Scriggle
http://www.scriggleit.com/
Using Scriggle Mail, you can easily send email campaigns to your fans and use "geo-location" to target fans by area. Choose from a plethora of email templates. Also includes mobile text message marketing and more.

That should keep you busy for now.

-Bob