John Mayer, Augmented Reality, Music & You

Ready for the next generation of computer interactivity? Say hello to Augmented Reality! And start thinking about how you might some day use it to promote your music.
Not sure what it is? Don't worry. It's only recently become a hot buzz word (or phrase), even though the term has been around since about 1992.

Here's the most basic way to describe it: Augmented Reality (AR) involves the combination of real-world, real-time activity with computer-generated elements. It's the merging of the real and virtual worlds.

If you watch pro football on TV, you are probably familiar with the yellow first down line that appears across the playing field on your screen. The field and the players are real. The yellow line is artificially created to "augment" your perception of what is happening during the game.

John Mayer made news last week when he released the first AR music video. If you think this is like those JibJab or dancing elves videos where you insert your face into a motion picture, think again. With those, you take a still picture of yourself that was taken in the past and insert it into a video that can be shared with others.

That can be a lot of fun, but Augmented Reality takes it a step further by inserting people into videos in real time using only a webcam and a simple physical "marker."

Here are the instructions from Mayer's web site:

1. To view this augmented reality, you must have the special Battle Studies icon. You can print this PDF (or open it on your mobile device).
2. Turn on your computer's sound and webcam and turn off any pop-up blockers.
3. Wait for the flash player to load (if prompted, authorize access to your webcam).
4. Make sure the icon on your screen and the image you are holding are completely lined up (and don't move the icon until you see John).
5. Enjoy the experience of augmented reality!

I haven't tried it myself yet, but apparently the live video captured through your webcam becomes part of Mayer's music video -- in real time. (Here's a video that shows a similar process.) Talk about interactive!

Honestly, I'm not sure yet how you go about creating an AR video on an indie budget, or even who offers this service yet. But I wanted to at least bring this technology to your attention.

Here are a few other articles on the topic:

John Mayer’s Augmented Reality Video Puts Fans in Picture

Lost Valentinos Augmented Reality Music Video

How Augmented Reality Works

Wikipedia's Augmented reality page

Augmented reality's time is coming thanks to smarter smartphones

-Bob

The Mike Doughty Guide to Interactive Live Shows

I was all set to enjoy a mellow Sunday night at home, when Pooki got a call last night. It was her son, Matt, letting her know that Mike Doughty was about to play at the Duck Room.

Doughty was the creative force behind the band Soul Coughing (signed to Warner Bros) in the 1990s. In 2004, he became a touring solo act and soon started releasing albums on Dave Matthews' ATO label.

We've become big fans of his gravelly, low-pitched, half-sung, half-spoken vocal style -- therefore, the mellow Sunday night plans quickly went out the window. And I'm glad they did.

It was an intimate show with perhaps a couple hundred people comfortably squeezed into the Duck Room basement bar. Doughty and his long-time touring partner Andrew Livingston put on a good, stripped-down show.

But here's the thing I really thought was cool -- something I've never seen a performing musician do before ...

Mike Doughty is a smart guy with quick wit who knows how to banter with a crowd. But instead of simply winging it or relying on well-worn stories, he asks for questions from the audience.

But most of these questions aren't shouted out. He asks people to write them down on slips of paper he provides and to throw them into a jar on the stage. Every two or three songs, Doughty and Livingston take turns reading a short stack of questions and answering them rapid fire.

The Q&A segments were very insighful and entertaining -- and made for a lot of funny moments. What a great way to personalize each live show (and he has a lot of them on this current tour with nearly one every night in a different city).

Dozens of questions were read and answered last night. How to you think the fans who submitted them felt about playing a small part in the show? You can bet they told their friends about it and are now more likely to spread Doughty's music to even more people.

Another smart thing he does is record each live show and make it available that night on CDs for anyone who wants to go home with it.

That's how you involve your fans and make music personal -- as it should be!

-Bob

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Made-To-Stick Music Marketing

Everybody these days wants to create buzz. They want to grab people's attention on a large scale. And they want to do it sooner rather than later.

Therefore, everyone wants to know the secret steps they can take to ensure their marketing idea sticks -- that it gains traction and reaches the people who need to hear it the most.

A good lesson on this topic comes from musician Paul Hipp. Check out his YouTube music video called "We're Number 37" -- which, as of this writing, has nearly a half million views.


It's a rockin' original song that tackles the current health care reform debate in the US with a decidedly liberal slant. And it's been seen by a LOT of people.

You may think you know where I'm going with this, but I guarantee there's an unexpected twist coming. So stay with me here ...

If I were to ask you why this song has been watched by so many people, you'd probably say because it's a decent tune about a timely issue. Plus, it features some clever editing and funny moments throughout -- which makes it more likely to be enjoyed and passed on by those who watch it.

Correct! You can't go wrong with songs about current events, especially when they are done in a creative way that elicits a reaction from people who are exposed to it.

But here's the thing ...

This is not the only music video Paul Hipp has posted. He has several others, most of which also deal with current events from a liberal perspective. And those have respectable numbers -- from 1,000 to 18,000 views each. But they pale in comparison to the half million views that "We're Number 37" has earned.

Here are three lessons we can learn from this:

1) You have to throw a LOT of stuff out there to find something that sticks. Sure, some people hit on something big right out of the starting gate, but that's rare. The usual pattern with artists who create popular viral videos (or songs, blog posts, ideas, etc) is a history of trial and error.

The more active you are in creating a volume of content to share with your audience, the greater your odds of producing something that will spread on a larger scale. So stay busy creating new stuff!

2) Regular output hones your craft. "We're Number 37" is Paul Hipp's 18th and newest video. Look through his previous clips and you can see an evolution. His most popular video is his best one, because he learned by creating all the ones that came before it.

Learn as you promote yourself. Consider it a living, breathing classroom.

3) Being bold and specific helps. "We're Number 37" is not a generic rockabilly song. It's about health care reform -- a polarizing topic being hotly debated these days -- and Paul makes it clear where he stands on the issue.

Don't be afraid to take a stand or directly appeal to a specific slice of the population with your art.

Another quick example comes from Maria Andros, who has posted 47 YouTube videos on social media marketing and other topics. Most of her videos have between 50 and 25,000 views each. Not bad.

But one stands out at 151,000-plus views. The title? "How to Get Rid of a MIGRAINE Headache."

Who knew? I'm sure she didn't.

So ... Throw a lot of stuff out there, hone your craft as you go, and don't be afraid to be bold and specific!

-Bob

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12 Most Popular Musicians on Twitter & What You Can Learn From Them

Yep. It seems everyone is using and promoting Twitter these days. And for good reason. It's the easiest social networking tool to set up and use on a regular basis.
In addition to actors, authors, and politicians ... a LOT of musicians are using Twitter to stay in touch with their fans. Here's a list of the 12 most popular music people on Twitter, based on the current rankings at Twitterholic.

I can hear you now ... "You call some of these people 'musicians'?" I'm simply reporting the rankings of Twitter people known for their music-related activities here. I make no judgements as to the value of what they offer.

As you can see from the list, old school pop stars are in abundance. They still have the biggest platforms.

You may not get to a million followers on Twitter, but ... you CAN take a look at how these celebrities are using the service and learn from them -- both what to do and what NOT to do.

So take a peek at the various Twitter streams below and see what ideas you can borrow and use to connect with your fans -- regardless of how many of them there are right now.

1) Britney Spears
3,330,629 followers

2) John Mayer
2,299,576 followers

3) Diddy
2,018,633 followers

4) Miley Cyrus
2,006,200 followers

5) Coldplay
1,923,552 followers

6) Ashley Tisdale
1,892,961 followers

7) 50 Cent
1,675,703 followers

8) Mariah Carey
1,658,698 followers

9) Ashlee Simpson Wentz
1,588,340 followers

10) Dre'
1,568,410 followers

11) Pete Wentz
1,505,220 followers

12) Lily Allen
1,481,838 followers

Note: Some acts that fell just short of making this list include MC Hammer, Sara Bareilles, Mandy Moore, and Taylor Swift.

Also check out this ridiculously comprehensive list of Artists Using Twitter.

-Bob

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Is Your Music 'Findable' Online?

Last week I read through Mark Penn's book, Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes. It's a fascinating read based on some in-depth research, but one microtrend in particular caught my eye ...
It's a category of consumer that Penn refers to as "New Info Shoppers."

From the book:

"A whopping 92% of respondents said they had more confidence in information they seek out online than anything coming from a salesclerk or other source. They believe the information they find, not the information that is spoon-fed to them ..."

Consider that again: Smart consumers these days trust what they find -- or discover -- on their own first and foremost!

Another passage from Microtrends:

"An astonishing 70% of Americans now say they consult product reviews or consumer ratings before they make their buying decisions."

Admit it, you often do this yourself before spending money on a product or service. Which begs the question ...

How 'Findable' Are You Online?

When someone searches for your band name, your song or album titles, or your genre ... what do they discover?

Here are just some of the ways savvy customers find the info they're looking for today:

• Google (or Yahoo or Bing) search results
• How other music lovers rate it on CD Baby, TheSixtyOne and Amazon
• What they find via Google Blog Search or on Technorati
• What other shoppers are saying on photo- and video-sharing sites like Flickr and YouTube
• What their immediate circle of friends think about it on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, and more.
• What they uncover on music wikis and other online forums

Finally, what steps can you take today to improve the odds that you'll be found and revealed in a positive light via the online avenues listed above?

Your mission: Go forth and make yourself and your music findable!

-Bob

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Get an Earful of Ideas & Inspiration

I don't know about you, but I love reading books, magazines and blogs. But I'm also a big fan of using audio for learning. If I'm driving, exercising or just wanting to get some inspiration before drifting off to sleep, listening to useful spoken word audio content rules in my book.

For a few years now I've been producing my free Artist Empowerment Radio Podcast. And lately I've been creating shorter episodes and posting them more regularly. I encourage you to listen, download or -- best yet -- subscribe to the podcast feed.

In fact, if you have iTunes open on your computer right now, click this link. It will take you right to the Artist Empowerment Radio page, where you can hit the Subscribe button and get every future episode automatically downloaded.

Here are the most recent podcast episodes and topics:

1000 True Fans to Make a Living?

Music Publicity: What's Your News Hook?

The Millionaire Mind for Artists

Electrify Your Soul With Dan Kimpel

Florence LaRue of the 5th Dimension

Multiple Streams of Music Income

Happy listening!

-Bob

5 Ways Google Can Help Promote Your Music

If you think this is going to be about search engine optimization or a Google AdWords campaign ... think again. Here are five things Google offers that you should consider using to connect with fans and promote your music:

1) Display your live show schedule with Google Calendar. Most people use this popular feature for personal appointments and scheduling. But you can also choose categories on your calendar to make public -- and even embed them on your web site ... AND make it easy for people to add your events to THEIR personal calendars. Visit this page for more details.

2) Help fans find your gig venues with Google Maps. This popular application is the next best thing to having a GPS system in your car. You can use it to find places you drive to, of course. But a really smart idea is to include Google Maps links to each venue you perform at, not just the club address.

Sure, fans can "map it" themselves. But why not save them a couple extra steps and provide a direct link? Learn more about Google Maps here.

Tip: Look up a venue address on Google Maps yourself first. Then click on "Link" just to the right of "Print" and "Send" to get the code.

3) Turn your web site into a social networking playground with Google Friend Connect. Make it easy for people to join your community of fans using the cool features of this Google tool. Read more about it and watch the video here.

4) Add your albums and merchandise to Google Product Search. It's kinda like Google's version of Ebay -- but there are no listing fees. Learn more on this page.

5) Power up your communications with Gmail. I've been using Gmail for more than four years and love it. Lots of features and gobs of storage space to archive years of email exchanges. You can filter and label messages, send canned responses, and so much more. Go here for more info.

Google has a lot more up its sleeve. In fact, a big one is coming later this month (more on that soon). In the meantime, investigate these five Google features and see how you can use them to promote your music better online.

-Bob

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