When it comes to your music career, do you ever feel under pressure to do things perfect the first time? Do you believe there's an ideal right way and wrong way to use all the new tools of self-promotion? Do you ever feel strained to find the shortest, surest route to success?
Listen to these wise words from CD Baby founder Derek Sivers for a fresh perspective:
-Bob
Make the most of the world's biggest social networking web site with this great primer on MySpace Music Marketing. Available in paperback or ebook format. Get more details here.
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Okay, so you've been hearing about this Indie Buzz Bootcamp event for months now. If you didn't attend, you may be glad that the music conference has finally passed so I can move on to writing about other things.
Not so fast. I will be writing about plenty of other things, but not before I share what an incredible and life-changing experience this was for all involved.
Then check out all the photos and comments from speakers and attendees on the Bootcamp web page.
I set out to create a new kind of music conference -- unlike any music event anyone had ever attended. We accomplished that and then some. The response from the people who were there was beyond my wildest expectations.
We plan to do another one next year. If you want to join the party and become a member of the Indie Buzz Bootcamp family, visit the page and get on the notification email list.
Because the next one will be even better!
-Bob
Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing.
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What a crazy couple of weeks it's been. On May 25, Pooki and I flew to Los Angeles and had a day and a half to relax before launching into five straight days of book conferences.
Three days at IBPA's Publishing University, where I taught three classes and hung out with some great people, and two days at Book Expo America, the book industry's biggest event in the US.
I just posted some pics from Pub U and BEA on Flickr (including some with Alec Baldwin and Dean Koontz). Go there now to see who I ran into.
Over the next few days I'll post pictures of other people I met at BEA, including William Shatner, Pamela Debarge, and Eagle Don Felder. I drop even more names on my Twitter page.
A big thanks to Luke, Leanne, Dennis, Renee, Lea Marie, Geri and Cynthia for attending my music publicity workshop June 1. We had a blast. It was also great to share lunch with John Braheny and his wife JoAnn.
Next we picked up my daughter Kelli and spent four more days in San Diego, two of them at Sea World. As much fun as we had, it never felt so good to be back in our own bed last Thursday night.
But there would be no rest for us. The next day we jumped into the 48-Hour Film Project and once again hosted the 17-member cast and crew at our house. Another wild ride that was over when our 7-minute film was turned in on time Sunday night.
Time to chill? Oh no. We have this little Bootcamp event coming next week that you may have heard me mention before :-) Oh, then there's a family wedding the weekend after that.
I think I'll sleep the entire month of July to recuperate :-)
Have you ever heard of the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) or the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA)?
These organizations have regional and national conferences in the U.S. where independent, unsigned musical acts of all kinds showcase in front of hundreds -- sometimes even thousands -- of college campus entertainment buyers.
If you do well at a NACA or APCA showcase, you can book dozens of college shows worth tens of thousands of dollars at one time.
But here's the thing ...
Many indie artists don't even know about this hidden market. And those who do are confused and intimidated by it.
Ari Nisman, president of Degy Entertainment, is one of the top college music booking agents in the U.S. He knows the opportunities and pitfalls of this hot market more intimately than practically anyone else on the planet.
In April, my pal John Taglieri sat down with Ari and grilled him for more than two and a half hours. During this exhaustive interview, Ari bared his soul and revealed all of his college booking secrets for the first time.
Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing.
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Ready for more free advice from an independent music expert? Listen right now to the interview I did last night with Ariel Hyatt. During this conference call, Ariel discussed:
Exactly what Web 2.0 is
The top mistakes self-promoting artists make online
Some great ways to build relationships on the Web
The one surprising thing she did a few years ago that helped her triple her income
The entire 85-minute interview is free to download and share with as many people as you like. Our gift to you.
This is the third in a series of free conference calls that preview the Indie Buzz Bootcamp music conference, which takes place June 20-22 in St. Louis, MO. Ariel and several other speakers (including Derek Sivers, Tom Jackson, Nancy Moran, John Taglieri, and yours truly) will be there to mentor you all weekend.
Ariel Hyatt founded Ariel Publicity nearly 12 years ago. Her New York City-based company has publicized thousands of dates for touring bands, hosted hundreds of special events, and launched countless record release campaigns. An aggressive cheerleader for independent musicians, Ariel Publicity built its reputation by working primarily with indie artists.
In 2007 Ariel transformed her company into a 100% digital service called Cyber PR. The company gets bands exposure on podcasts, Internet radio stations, zines and blogs. Her staff matches artists to specific criteria based on genres (and locations for touring artists). Each campaign comes with an 8-week course on how artists can boost their own careers online and off.
-Bob
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This was one of the liveliest, most informative interviews I've ever conducted. Nancy and John, who had never met before, weaved their way through a ton of useful tips and advice for indie artists. It was fun, educational ... and inspiring!
But listen for yourself. The entire interview is free to download and share with as many people as you like. Our gift to you.
To download the file, place your cursor over the title below and right-click your mouse. Then select "save target as" or "save link as" to save it to your hard drive. Mac users: Control-click and select "Download link to disk." Note that the file is 20 megs.
You can also listen to Part 1 online now, without downloading, using this streaming audio player:
This is the 2nd in a series of free conference calls that preview the Indie Buzz Bootcamp music conference, which takes place June 20-22 in St. Louis, MO. Nancy, John and several other speakers (including Derek Sivers, Ariel Hyatt, Tom Jackson, and yours truly) will be there to mentor you all weekend.
Nancy Moran is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter and co-owner of Azalea Music Group. She has released four solo albums, toured from Boston to Austin to Anchorage, and has received radio airplay on over 100 stations across the US and abroad, including XM Satellite Radio. One critic called her "a major creative force to be reckoned with" while another described her as "nothing short of a [modern-day] Joni Mitchell." She's a member of the rollicking ensemble The Four Bitchin' Babes and regularly coaches indie artists and speaks about music marketing, songwriting and creativity.
John Taglieri is one of the hardest working men in indie music. He's sold more than 12,000 CDs over the past several years, tours regularly, runs his own record label and publishing company, teaches, and more. John is the king of generating multiple streams of music income. He's the co-author of "How to Make a Living as a Full-Time Indie Musician" and has a music career work ethic like no one you've ever met. He's even landed sponsorships with Ovation, Marshall and Curt Mangan Strings. John will be an inspiring addition to the Bootcamp speaker lineup.
Want to create a music buzz online? Check out my special report 70 Ways to Promote and Sell Your Music on the Internet.
Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing.
Ariel Hyatt founded Ariel Publicity nearly 12 years ago. Her New York City-based company has publicized thousands of dates for touring bands, hosted hundreds of special events, and launched countless record release campaigns. An aggressive cheerleader for independent musicians, Ariel Publicity built its reputation by working primarily with indie artists.
Nancy Moran is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter and co-owner of Azalea Music Group. She has released four solo albums, toured from Boston to Austin to Anchorage, and has received radio airplay on over 100 stations across the US and abroad, including XM Satellite Radio. One critic called her "a major creative force to be reckoned with" while another described her as "nothing short of a [modern-day] Joni Mitchell." She's a member of the rollicking ensemble The Four Bitchin' Babes and regularly coaches indie artists and speaks about music marketing, songwriting and creativity.
John Taglieri is one of the hardest working men in indie music. He's sold more than 12,000 CDs over the past several years, tours regularly, runs his own record label and publishing company, teaches, and more. John is the king of generating multiple streams of music income. He's the co-author of "How to Make a Living as a Full-Time Indie Musician" and has a music career work ethic like no one you've ever met. He's even landed sponsorships with Ovation, Marshall and Curt Mangan Strings. John will be an inspiring addition to the Bootcamp speaker lineup.
