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Is music more important than the quality of your artist brand?

music brand scaleIs this a trick question?

I asked my brother (artist/songwriter/producer) the same question a couple weeks ago and without hesitation he voiced music. Logically he gave a perfectly valid and rational answer. If an artist’s music is top notch, fans should instantly take notice and through word of mouth and social media channels will soon be rewarded with a huge following. Right!

Wrong! The problem with that scenario is… we are not ‘logical’ creatures at all. And at times we can be led astray by our emotions and senses. Our irrational thoughts and behavior can sometimes border on insanity. To make the ends justify the means, we will force 1+1 to equal 3. If we believe it to be so, then damned to anyone who says otherwise!

It would be like trying to explain Ms. Kardashian’s brand. Logically it shouldn’t exist, but love it or hate it; she believed in it enough to be so.

What is the reason? Soon the why and the reason are gone and all that matters is the feeling. This is the nature of the universe. We struggle against it, we fight to deny it; but it is of course a lie. Beneath our poised appearance we are completely out of control.

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Why your Facebook Friends Hate You!

facebook unfriends dislike You know that Facebook page you always check in on? The one that has interesting updates, good videos, great blogs and cool pictures? You know that one that even if you don’t see an update on your main page, you will still type in that page just to check in?

Now how about this for another set of questions…you know that page you can’t stand? The one that puts up the worst stuff, over posts, has those multiple repeat posts of the same updated two to four times, spams you with show schedules, invites to groups over and over again, excess hype and other annoying updates?

And for whatever reason, you have you have not unfriended them. Whether it is being nice or feeling guilty or maybe you have unfriended them and they added you again and you accepted them. Maybe you keep them as a friend but you block them and honestly have no idea what they are up to.

Now the real question.

Which one are you?

You know those people and hopefully you aren’t one of them…The ones that brag about having this many followers, this many friends and this many connections and yet they wonder why they aren’t getting people to their shows or selling their music and merchandise?

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Independent Artists: It’s Still About Networking and Promoting

If you’re trying to find a new band member, promote your latest release or your upcoming gig, expanding your network and promoting is the key to success. You can’t be content with your current fan base or the current venues you play in if you want to be heard.

What can you do to keep your music career moving forward?

Have an aggressive plan on social networks: Build a bond with your fans who are the core of your success on Facebook or Twitter. Let them know day-to-day events or ask them where they would like to see you play. The time you spend online can go along way with music fans.

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Music Producers Leading a Revival in the Music Industry

Interest in the music production arts, recording technology (software and hardware) and artist branding is at an all time high and is slowly revitalizing ‘music making’ in the industry.

It’s hardly unexpected when you think about it. The old model was based on control. The powers that be purposely limited things on the supply side, which naturally increased demand for new music by a handful of branded artists and bands.

The result…limit the supply and human nature kicks into high gear. We instinctively want a piece of what we can’t have! Scarcity rules!

stage dive - chaosHowever, digital music changed this and for the past 10 years there has been a veritable online digital orgy of the masses converging on new technology to become the next big thing or simply get hands in on a small piece of the free pie. And to the dismay of powers that be, you can’t limit supply in a digital world.

Eventually the laws of economics (supply and demand) decided to crash the party, bringing order back from the grips of chaos. Now in an oversaturated market, where much of the music has very little value (or is free), many artists are now faced with a conundrum. How do we make music profitable again?

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Plan for the divorce before the wedding with your band, producer, studio or recording project

prenup agreementI have a series of questions for you and the members of your band, your producer, the studio where you might be recording in and anyone else from managers to agents, labels and so on that is directly involved with you, your music or your revenues, both existing and the potential ones.

Lets play the happy go lucky best case scenario game first….

What would happen if the album you are recording made a million dollars?

How do the profits break out for everyone involved?

What debts have to be paid before anyone gets paid?

When it comes to band debts, who is owed what?

Did you get free work from… a studio, a producer, a mastering engineer, a session musician or anyone else and do they get a cut?

What happens if the song goes in to a commercial, a movie, a TV show or what if the song is sold to some one else or a label that records it with another artist?

Then some of the rougher questions…..

What if a band member quits? What does he or she get down the line or not get? Does this now ex-member get a buy out or their portion of band debts paid back or not?

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What is the Future of the Music Industry? Or is it Already Here?

It is obvious that over the past twenty years the landscape of the music industry has fundamentally changed with:

  1. The invention of the internet (decades earlier) spawning the world wide “web” and the social mobile web we use today.
  2. The rapid rise of the mp3 as the web standard for music sharing.
  3. The transition of full-length albums to music singles.
  4. The plummeting cost associated with creating professional sound recordings.
  5. New software and hardware that removes many of the technical barriers associated with creating great songs and music videos.
  6. A new generation (or two) under the age of about 30 who accepts that free music has become the model for consumption.
  7. Social networks giving artist access to an array of promotional/ publicity services, and music professionals in the industry.
  8. Social media bringing back the word of mouth ole school peer to peer networks on steroids.

future of music industryWelcome to the future of music where we are now experiencing the birth of a DIY music generation of artists who will only be bound by the limits of the imagination, and are free to create and market music in entirely new ways.

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What would you say? Your bio and one liner being most effective for the music business.

So in coming up with the bio, the tag line, the one liner or any aspect of a description of your band, your sound or your live show, what do you say and even better yet, do you say that regardless of who you are in front of?

I'll be back one linerA great deal of the consulting I do for artists on the promotional content level often starts with the bio. The bio is a pain, creating a strong professional and solid one is even more of a challenge.

There are a few basic rules about using the right keywords, the right comparisons and the right bullet points to attract people and the press to you, but the ground work and foundation comes from the continuity and finding that right phrase, tag line, bio or whatever to stand by across the board. You want to be confident, assertive and strong but an excess of arrogance and and ego can hurt you in the end.

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Are you soliciting yourself to booking agents, clubs, talent buyers?

Are you soliciting yourself to booking agents, clubs, talent buyers or whoever is hiring you or your band in the best way?

email inboxConnecting, contacting and networking is a large piece in getting your name out there, gaining representation or booking gigs in the music business. In the last 10 years alone we have shifted from those big promo packets that used to have to go out to emails and today even download cards the size of credit cards thats can hold all the information needed to book or hire a band all in the palm of your hand.

Although certain aspects of reaching out have become worlds easier with emailing and the internet in the last decade, it has also become that much easier for so many others as well. It comes down to not just standing out but delivering and getting your point across in the best way as fast as you can and make the best impression possible.

Here the the couple key make sure you do and make sure you don’t points:

1. Make sure you include an opening that is individualized. Make the note to that club, to the contact person and give it a sense that it personalized.

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