I thought it would be nice to get a view point from someone who has just started on their music career. I caught up with Tina Wallace and found she some interesting things to say about the future of the music industry.....
Tell us a little bit about what you're up to:
Well, currently I’m in the studio and recording my first EP, and I haven’t really decided on what to call it, I’m debating on ‘The Makeup Made Me Pretty’, or ‘Pee Face’, (both of which have a very detailed background). I Am really just getting ready to start sending my stuff out to the public, and have been trying to book some more shows. Now that I’ve graduated, I don’t really have any more school Venues as a crutch to perform. I’m going to have to find some, ahem, ‘real venues’ to play at now.
Could you give your general thoughts on the music industry today?
Personally, as far as the ‘industry’ goes, it’s a really great time to be performing and into music in general, what with downloading destroying record sales, I believe that most upcoming musicians that are just like me—sitting in a basement, recording, writing—are the types of musicians that aren’t looking to get loaded, because really there isn’t much of an industry to get loaded on anymore. I guess one up-side to this whole recession is the fact that I’ve met over fifty really great and genuine musicians that aren’t looking at a label as a primary priority, (Although it would be nice, I’m certain)…As far as what survived the recession, I’m kind of upset that only promiscuous music is making it on the charts, but that is a whole other issue to discuss.
What do you think the future of the music industry will be?
Hopefully it will be full of musicians that care about music and nothing more, yet I have to wake up and smell the coffee, which is currently boiling over with the increasing amount of shitty music. Yes, shitty music. It disturbs me to wake up in the morning and hear that my radio ‘wants to go for a ride on my disco stick’, yet I feel that music will just keep getting more sexy, and people will be trying to push the envelope until everything falls out, and the only way to shock an audience will be to have a full on orgy in a music video. Wait, hasn’t that been done?
How do you see yourself fitting into this New Music Industry (NMI)?
Well, from what I’ve heard from others, I don’t fit into the industry. I am not downing on myself as a person, however I’m not pretty, or skinny enough for an A&R guy to look twice at me. From Taylor Swift to Alanis Morisette to The Spill Canvas, I’ve had a lot of people try to pinpoint what I sound like. Sometimes it sounds like a dying cat, but I’m just basing that assumption off of my neighbors. I feel that if I do make an impact on the physical industry, I want it to be a big one. I plan on being on of the first musicians in today’s day an age that doesn’t depend on their physical appearance to sell albums. I think a lot of people don’t realize that today’s music isn’t really about music anymore. It’s mostly about image, which kind of contradicts itself, doesn’t it? With photo shoots, music videos, interviews, and guest appearances, people seem to fall in love with the image of the musician, rather than the music itself. However, I’m not saying that if someone looks up to me, I’m going to slap them upside the head. I just feel that in music, music needs to be the priority, and in the NMI, I plan on achieving this.
I see the New Music Industry (NMI) as holding great opportunities for the average musician to make a living. What are your thoughts on this?
I disagree, however that’s my opinion. With Limewire and Bittorrent sweeping the nation, I don’t see this industry being the best if you want to bring home tons of bacon every night, but if you do, I suggest being a damn good musician. Music started as a hobby for me, and not a means of salary. Although, I truly am thankful that it has escalated into that. It is always a compliment for someone to want to pay you to perform for them, when you always thought it was something you did for fun on weeknights, but it isn’t a glamorous life that it’s portrayed as within the media. It takes hard work, real hard work, and I’m not even really close to anything renowned yet, but I’ve been working myself silly trying to pull this EP together for everyone
I see the role of musicians changing. There is a need now to create your own career, so aspects of business and entrepreneurial spirit will be just as important as musical skill/talent. Can you describe any other skills you have developed to help create the career you want.
Skills, skills, skills…hmmm. Other than the whole ‘possessing talent’ thing, It seems like it would be a good idea to know some things. What my downfall is right now is my technical vocabulary, a while ago it was pretty much non-existent. I think part of sounding good is your equipment, because I’ve heard some good musicians perform with a shitty mic, and it doesn’t sound good. Making sure that your voice isn’t washed out, and the instruments sounding clear are a big thing, I think. That and I think it is good to have some people skills. When it comes to getting to know ‘fans’ and company reps, if you are a charismatic person who is a pleasure to talk to, things are going to work out, even if you sometimes are bullshitting a little to get a gig. I mean, if you were hiring for a job, say, and it was between a guy who says, “I’m a really hard worker, I’m responsible and I really do put my best foot forward,” or the “I’m good at…stuff” guy, who are you going to hire?
How will musicians make money when so few people buy music any more?
Venues, venues and merchandise are a good way to make money. If you sell a bunch of t-shirts and stickers, congratulations! You can now afford to eat. Honestly, if you are an upcoming musician, (like me) than you really need to put into perspective that you aren’t going to be able to make money until people know who you are.
What's your idea of a successful musician?
A successful musician is a happy musician! Just kidding, but I think that has to play a part. I personally think if you are out touring, maybe have a cd out, and generally are in a state of happiness, then that makes you successful. Maybe I’m a little cheesy, but I think that regardless of cd statistics and all that jazz, as long as you are performing isn’t that what being a successful musician is all about?
…That and winning a Juno.
INTERVIEW WITH CEO OF SLICE THE PIE
If you don't know, Slicethepie is a website every musician should know about. Slicethepie takes the record company out of the equation and puts you directly in touch with your fans. By getting enough fans to invest in you, Slicethepie will fund your album, bridging the gap between Myspace and the 'traditional' record company. I caught up with the head of Slicethepie to find out more.......
How did Slice The Pie come to be created?
In 2005 we saw an opportunity in the structural challenges being faced by the traditional music industry, which, combined with the explosion of broadband and social networking, would enable an entirely new, and more efficient, business model to emerge. Following 10 months intense research and planning, two rounds of investment, and a further 12 months software development, Slicethepie was launched. There is now a team of 10 staff, 23 artists have been financed, and over 3,000,000 reviews have been completed by scouts.
Do you see sites such as Slice The Pie becoming more and more important in the future?
Yes, sites like Slicethepie definitively have a part to play in the future of the music industry. With an historic industry hit rate of around 1 in 20, the financial returns for record labels from the hits are no longer sufficient to cover the misses. This has led to a reduction in signing, developing and marketing new artists. Also, established artists are increasingly exploring new ways of financing projects outside the traditional label structure. This positions Slicethepie well, to act as a stepping stone between being an artist with a profile on MySpace and an artist signed to a major label. And whatever shape the music industry takes in the coming years, as a flexible financing engine, Slicethepie will help artists whether they are looking to sign to record companies, self release or sign their rights to publishers.
You're websi
tes' great and helps tons of musicians, how do you make money for yourself from it?
Slicethepie take a 10% commission on money raised for artists and receive a small royalty from album/single sales.
Could you give your general thoughts on the music industry today?
The music industry is opening its eyes to the web and realising people consume music in many different ways. As technology and the web evolve so quickly, the music industry is finding it hard to navigate its way in this ever changing environment. That said there are some bright people within the industry who are pushing the boundaries and coming up with some ideas. It's an exciting place to be, and we believe that Slicethepie and our sister site, SoundOut will play their part in helping to shape a future that involves fans identifying and being part of music discovery, and offering artists a way to get financed and self release albums.
I see the role of musicians changing. There is a need now to create your own career, so aspects of business and entrepreneurial spirit will be just as important as musical skill/talent. Any thoughts on this?
Absolutely. In many ways the industry is currently harder than ever for an aspiring artist. If being able to write and perform great music were not enough the artist must now be web savvy and business minded - an incredibly rare combination of skills. Unfortunately this could mean that the best talent still does not make it for lack of business acumen. The old model is broken, the new one has not been created yet. We are in a transition period and that is hard for everyone. We believe that a first step is to objectively rate and catalogue all undiscovered music, this will then enable consumers (both individual and corporate) to go straight to the music that they want to hear. Right now, there are 50 million tracks on the web but no search engine, so as soon as we get these ranked and sorted the better, then the best artists will be instantly identified and its only then that we will reach the level playing field. Here at Slicethepie we are building that catalog, and our partnership with Bebo will significantly accelerate this process.
If you don't know, Slicethepie is a website every musician should know about. Slicethepie takes the record company out of the equation and puts you directly in touch with your fans. By getting enough fans to invest in you, Slicethepie will fund your album, bridging the gap between Myspace and the 'traditional' record company. I caught up with the head of Slicethepie to find out more.......How did Slice The Pie come to be created?
In 2005 we saw an opportunity in the structural challenges being faced by the traditional music industry, which, combined with the explosion of broadband and social networking, would enable an entirely new, and more efficient, business model to emerge. Following 10 months intense research and planning, two rounds of investment, and a further 12 months software development, Slicethepie was launched. There is now a team of 10 staff, 23 artists have been financed, and over 3,000,000 reviews have been completed by scouts.
Do you see sites such as Slice The Pie becoming more and more important in the future?
Yes, sites like Slicethepie definitively have a part to play in the future of the music industry. With an historic industry hit rate of around 1 in 20, the financial returns for record labels from the hits are no longer sufficient to cover the misses. This has led to a reduction in signing, developing and marketing new artists. Also, established artists are increasingly exploring new ways of financing projects outside the traditional label structure. This positions Slicethepie well, to act as a stepping stone between being an artist with a profile on MySpace and an artist signed to a major label. And whatever shape the music industry takes in the coming years, as a flexible financing engine, Slicethepie will help artists whether they are looking to sign to record companies, self release or sign their rights to publishers.
You're websi
tes' great and helps tons of musicians, how do you make money for yourself from it?Slicethepie take a 10% commission on money raised for artists and receive a small royalty from album/single sales.
Could you give your general thoughts on the music industry today?
The music industry is opening its eyes to the web and realising people consume music in many different ways. As technology and the web evolve so quickly, the music industry is finding it hard to navigate its way in this ever changing environment. That said there are some bright people within the industry who are pushing the boundaries and coming up with some ideas. It's an exciting place to be, and we believe that Slicethepie and our sister site, SoundOut will play their part in helping to shape a future that involves fans identifying and being part of music discovery, and offering artists a way to get financed and self release albums.
I see the role of musicians changing. There is a need now to create your own career, so aspects of business and entrepreneurial spirit will be just as important as musical skill/talent. Any thoughts on this?
Absolutely. In many ways the industry is currently harder than ever for an aspiring artist. If being able to write and perform great music were not enough the artist must now be web savvy and business minded - an incredibly rare combination of skills. Unfortunately this could mean that the best talent still does not make it for lack of business acumen. The old model is broken, the new one has not been created yet. We are in a transition period and that is hard for everyone. We believe that a first step is to objectively rate and catalogue all undiscovered music, this will then enable consumers (both individual and corporate) to go straight to the music that they want to hear. Right now, there are 50 million tracks on the web but no search engine, so as soon as we get these ranked and sorted the better, then the best artists will be instantly identified and its only then that we will reach the level playing field. Here at Slicethepie we are building that catalog, and our partnership with Bebo will significantly accelerate this process.
Effective Myspace Marketing.
Almost all musicians use Myspace as a place to put their music, but the question is really: what do you need to do after you’ve done that? Myspace is a self contained community within itself, and there are many options for getting your music known on the site. With so many avenues available, and a plan has to be created if you’re going to get any benefit from the effort you put in. Before doing anything else, you need to:
1) Work out what you want to use myspace for
2) Work out who your audience is.
3) Work out what your story / benefit is
4) Get some friends
5) Work out which avenues to use on Myspace
6) Create feedback so that you know if it’s working.
1) Work out what you want to use Myspace for:
You might answer; to sell music and make money, dummy, yet that’s a narrow minded view of what Myspace is capable of. Always think of any online marketing (especially Myspace) as sowing seeds for a career. You’re trying to build something long-term, and that means building relationships with your audience. That means not using quick gimmiks to grab attention in the hope of instant attention. Everyone out in Myspace smells a rat a mile away (including you) so why put yourself in the same boat. You’re aiming to get people talking about you, and they never will if you’re message seems hollow. Why would anyone invest time, energy or money in you if they feel you’re not really invested in your career.
Now for the crunch, and this may put many people off the whole idea of Myspace Marketing. You won’t sell any music on Myspace. When was the last time you found some music you really liked, and then went and purchased music from them straight away? Thought not. Remember you’re building seeds here, and this means using Myspace to get who you are across, so that people will be interested in what you’re selling, and they become part of your club. As you’re seeds begin to flower some time down the line, all those meaningful connections with you’re audience will pay of, and some will begin to buy from you. That might be souvenir music or a myriad of other products, but that’s a whole other article in itself. Myspace is a great place to connect with an audience, because it’s full of people like you, people who love music and will occasionally part with money for that love. But to expect people to come to your music directly and to buy is very nieve. Once you align your marketing with the idea of ‘seed spreading’ then your attempts will be far more sustained and effective.
2) Work out who you’re audience is.
Not everyone is going to like you’re music, and even less are going to really like it enough to buy it at some point. It’s at this point that you need to begin thinking about how your audience sees you, not, how you see yourself. It’s a good Idea to write down some core values of your music. Just a few words like true or mean or theatrical or poppy or retro. We’re looking for about three to five words, you want to distil the essence of your music, not have a messy soup of conflicting ideas. Aim for originality, something that’s true yet grabs the attention. Avoid cliches such as honest, heartfelt e.t.c, that’s just empty fluff that doesn’t say anything new.
Once you’re armed with your core words, you have a better idea of who your audience will be. If you represent eclectic violin folk, then you’re going to appeal to an audience who like something new and interesting, not hard line traditional folkies. If you’re a sugar pop drag queen, hip hop acts might find you interesting, but probably won’t further your cause. Your audience needs to consist of people who really really like you, and will talk about you to other people.
3) Work out what you’re story / benefit is.
Your story / benefit is the framework on which you build a fan base. Way back in the Old Music Industry when artists were launched with a massive promotional budget, they were launched with a story, and that story contained a benefit.
Imagine a record company launching a new act with a story like this: Here’s a new band, they play acoustic pop music, it’s nice to listen to their music……
Now imagine the same band with a different story: Sick of Bob Dylan songs, yet in love with the acoustic sound, this band forged a new style: sugar folk, and it feels great to have them after all that serious stuff.
The record company would use the second message. When ever we come to some new music we always ask ‘what’s new here’ and ‘what experience am I going to get from this’. The second message answers with a story that says ‘ there’s something new here, something you’ve not heard before’. The experience is the benefit you’ll get from the music. The second story says ‘you’ll experience a relief from all that serious stuff’. Compare this message to what the first story is saying: ‘there’s nothing new here’ and ‘you won’t get a new experience from this’.
Successful bands/ musicians always have a highly developed story. Think about your favourite musicians, and what their story is. In the past, the record company would develop it for you, but now you have to do this yourself. That’s a great thing because you can create a story that really inspires you. Remember that you don’t have to appeal to the whole world, but your story has to appeal massively to your audience.
Having no story is the same as having a bad story, because both are saying ‘ there’s nothing of interest here’.So before you market yourself on Myspace, create your story. Once you’ve laid down your core values, it’s pretty easy to develop your story because it’s just an extention of those values. Your story doesn’t need to be long, four or five well crafted sentences is fine. Your story isn’t your biography; nobody cares that you started playing guitar at the age of five, because it doesn’t have any benefit for your audience. When your including ‘personal stuff’ into your story, always ask yourself ‘why would this appeal to my audience’.
Those who resist the idea of having a story / benefit often say that ‘the music should speak for itself’. The truth is that the music never speaks for itself. We always judge the music on the artwork, pictures, videos, biography, number of plays, number of friends. As listeners we’re always asking ourselves ‘what’s their story?’
Once your story is formed, everything else on your Myspace page needs to be aligned with it:
A) Biography: This just really needs to be an extension of your story, but still needs to be compelling on the ‘what’s new about this’ test.
B) Pictures: Pictures need to help support your story. If you’re the previously mentioned sugar pop drag queen, you don’t want pictures of you with you’re mum.
C) Songs: Put up your best songs that fit with your story. Save your experimental songs that don’t fit for a different Myspace profile. Yet if you’re story is about being crazy and eclectic, then make your songs a mish mash as well.
4) Go out and get some fiends
Once you’re whole page is supporting your story, it’s time to go out and find people who are going to love your story. When adding friends, don’t use friend adder software, for these reasons:
A) Myspace might delete your account: If you’re regularly adding a thousand friends it might happen.
B) You have to pay for the software: Internet marketing should always be free apart from an investment of time.
C) It's not very effective: Very few of the friends you want to add will say yes because they’ll smell that you’ve used adder software, so will be afraid of being spammed from you.
D) It’s not very accurate: You can search for vague terms to find possible friends, but by going to their page you can get a feel for whether or not
They’ll love your story.
E) It’s impersonal: with adder software you can only send a generic message, and that says ‘I don’t really care about what you want’. Why on earth would they want to become a fan? I know some software says that they trawl the name of the profile for the ‘personal touch’, but given that most profiles are band names, it’s going to seem even more impersonal. Much better to find a first name in the band bio and use that.
F) It’s mindless: Myspace marketing is about building meaningful relationships with people who love your music, who will talk about you to other people. Adder software is never going to help you with that. There’s no point having ten thousand friends if non of them are interested in what you’re doing.
The best way to find friends is to start with friends you have, and start looking at their friends profiles, and add the ones that might like your story and values. Then you can go to your new friends profile and add some of their friends as well. You’re more likely to find like minded people closer to home, but you’ll soon find yourself on the other side of the world, which is the beauty of Myspace.
5) Work out which avenues to use on Myspace.
You could try a little bit of everything and hope that some of it will stick, and that will lead to certain doom. The essential virtue and problem with the net is that there are so many options, that it’s tempting to test the waters and see which will work. When that happens, non of them will work because it takes a little bit of time and dedication to see if your avenue will pay off. I’m not saying just keep blindly trying if it’s obvious it’s not working, but you have to be prepared for trial and error, and for something to not work, which will actually help you in the long run.
You need to formulate a plan. Think of your plan as extension of your story and values, kind of your story in motion over a period of time. The beauty of Myspace is you can let people know what you’re up to in various ways, and you can use that to deepen your story, get people more curious about, and maybe get them talking about you to other people they know. Formulating a plan is not just about letting people know about your gigs, or telling people when you’re releasing new music, although that will be part of your plan. The way you shape your plan will be moulded by which avenue(s) you decide to take to communicate with friends. Here are the options:
Blog: Myspace allows you to blog, adding pictures and embed video. I think blogging can really help you to establish your story in the minds of your friends. Remember the sugar pop drag queen? What would happen if she blogged about meeting other drag queens at gigs? She could take photos of them and put them up on the blog, maybe even have a video of them. She could send them birthday cards. Instead of being the sugar pop drag queen, she’s now the drag queen who has a drag queen club. Doing that is going to deepen her story, and that makes it more likely for other people to talk about her (or him). Whenever you blog it will be sent to anyone who signs up for your blog, but more importantly it will show up in the ‘activity stream’ section on your friends home page. If you give the blog a seductive title like ‘queen juicilicious says hi!’, then that’s really going to spike your friends curiosity.
Bulletins: These are short notices which appear in the ‘Bulletin’ section on your friends home page. These are best suited for shorter messages than blogs. The best bulletin messages are a call to action, like asking you upload gig photos (maybe of drag queens). Bulletins can also embed videos as well as pictures.
Messages: Still the best way to get your story across, because everyone checks their inbox, and unless they have millions of hits, they’ll probably still look at them all. Messages are more personal than bulletins; you have to send them individually, so it takes a little time to send out messages. I recommend having a core base of people to send personal messages to, maybe friends who have sent messages to you, as well as friends you’ve met in real life at gigs you’ve done. Anyone you’ve had some kind of personal contact you want to have on your message list.
Add Comments: Many people add marketing into the comments they put on another page. When they leave a comment they add HTML for a banner that often advertises a gig or a new album. I think comment banners are great at getting people to act and come to your page. Running a fun competition or a cryptic puzzle will get people interested far more than just advertising your gig. When running any competitions or events remembers that they need to fit into your story, and flow well with your core values. Many people read comments, as they’re curious about what other people think about the music, so it’s a worthwhile avenue. Choose musicians who you feel are similar to you, as their fans will probably respond well to you as well. And leave a genuine thought out comment, rather than: ‘hi thanx for the add!’
Activity Stream: This is a relatively new feature, and is similar to the wall on Facebook. It show what your friends are up to when they:
a) Add new friends
b) Post new photo’s
c) Add a new blog post
d) Upload new songs
e) Any new gig listings
The activity stream can be used massively to raise your profile on Myspace, as long as what your doing isn’t unfocused. All your blog titles are shown in the activity stream, so you could publish a blog series as if it was an ezine based around you or your band, and that could build a little buzz for you. Naming your titles well would be critical, as this is shown in bold on the activity stream. What kind of title would get people to have a look? You could often upload new songs. Remember to give them an interesting title to make people think ‘what’s that about?’ It’s fine to upload rough demos (as long as the songs are good, and are consistent with what else you’ve got up there), but you don’t want to be uploading anything just to get noticed on the activity stream. You can always take off songs and upload them again, and rotate the song selection whilst adding new songs to keep the list fresh. That way you’re being seen on the activity stream, but your friends aren’t constantly seeing the same songs up there. Uploading photos can also work well to remind your audience you're out there, but don’t just upload any photos of you, make sure they fit with the story you’re trying to tell.
5) Create feedback so you know if it’s working.
It takes time and consistent effort to raise your profile effectively on Myspace. You can’t do a heavy session of marketing for a few weeks and expect results from that. You going to need 3 months minimum to know if what you’re doing is working. Signs that your audience is really interested in you and talking about you are:
a) Visitors to your page increase without you doing anything new.
b) Friends send you messages saying they really like what your doing.
c) Friends leave detailed comments on your page.
d) People talk about you on Myspace or other websites.
Last thoughts:
Myspace offers massive opportunity to connect with an audience, and one that could become the hardcore of your future fanbase. Everyone on Myspace already loves music, all you’ve got to do is get some of them to fall in love with you. Slow burn works best on Myspace, it’s all about building personal relationships, not slash and burn techniques. Ten dedicated friends is worth more than a thousand uninterested ‘friends’.
Almost all musicians use Myspace as a place to put their music, but the question is really: what do you need to do after you’ve done that? Myspace is a self contained community within itself, and there are many options for getting your music known on the site. With so many avenues available, and a plan has to be created if you’re going to get any benefit from the effort you put in. Before doing anything else, you need to:
1) Work out what you want to use myspace for
2) Work out who your audience is.
3) Work out what your story / benefit is
4) Get some friends
5) Work out which avenues to use on Myspace
6) Create feedback so that you know if it’s working.
1) Work out what you want to use Myspace for:
You might answer; to sell music and make money, dummy, yet that’s a narrow minded view of what Myspace is capable of. Always think of any online marketing (especially Myspace) as sowing seeds for a career. You’re trying to build something long-term, and that means building relationships with your audience. That means not using quick gimmiks to grab attention in the hope of instant attention. Everyone out in Myspace smells a rat a mile away (including you) so why put yourself in the same boat. You’re aiming to get people talking about you, and they never will if you’re message seems hollow. Why would anyone invest time, energy or money in you if they feel you’re not really invested in your career.
Now for the crunch, and this may put many people off the whole idea of Myspace Marketing. You won’t sell any music on Myspace. When was the last time you found some music you really liked, and then went and purchased music from them straight away? Thought not. Remember you’re building seeds here, and this means using Myspace to get who you are across, so that people will be interested in what you’re selling, and they become part of your club. As you’re seeds begin to flower some time down the line, all those meaningful connections with you’re audience will pay of, and some will begin to buy from you. That might be souvenir music or a myriad of other products, but that’s a whole other article in itself. Myspace is a great place to connect with an audience, because it’s full of people like you, people who love music and will occasionally part with money for that love. But to expect people to come to your music directly and to buy is very nieve. Once you align your marketing with the idea of ‘seed spreading’ then your attempts will be far more sustained and effective.
2) Work out who you’re audience is.
Not everyone is going to like you’re music, and even less are going to really like it enough to buy it at some point. It’s at this point that you need to begin thinking about how your audience sees you, not, how you see yourself. It’s a good Idea to write down some core values of your music. Just a few words like true or mean or theatrical or poppy or retro. We’re looking for about three to five words, you want to distil the essence of your music, not have a messy soup of conflicting ideas. Aim for originality, something that’s true yet grabs the attention. Avoid cliches such as honest, heartfelt e.t.c, that’s just empty fluff that doesn’t say anything new.
Once you’re armed with your core words, you have a better idea of who your audience will be. If you represent eclectic violin folk, then you’re going to appeal to an audience who like something new and interesting, not hard line traditional folkies. If you’re a sugar pop drag queen, hip hop acts might find you interesting, but probably won’t further your cause. Your audience needs to consist of people who really really like you, and will talk about you to other people.
3) Work out what you’re story / benefit is.
Your story / benefit is the framework on which you build a fan base. Way back in the Old Music Industry when artists were launched with a massive promotional budget, they were launched with a story, and that story contained a benefit.
Imagine a record company launching a new act with a story like this: Here’s a new band, they play acoustic pop music, it’s nice to listen to their music……
Now imagine the same band with a different story: Sick of Bob Dylan songs, yet in love with the acoustic sound, this band forged a new style: sugar folk, and it feels great to have them after all that serious stuff.
The record company would use the second message. When ever we come to some new music we always ask ‘what’s new here’ and ‘what experience am I going to get from this’. The second message answers with a story that says ‘ there’s something new here, something you’ve not heard before’. The experience is the benefit you’ll get from the music. The second story says ‘you’ll experience a relief from all that serious stuff’. Compare this message to what the first story is saying: ‘there’s nothing new here’ and ‘you won’t get a new experience from this’.
Successful bands/ musicians always have a highly developed story. Think about your favourite musicians, and what their story is. In the past, the record company would develop it for you, but now you have to do this yourself. That’s a great thing because you can create a story that really inspires you. Remember that you don’t have to appeal to the whole world, but your story has to appeal massively to your audience.
Having no story is the same as having a bad story, because both are saying ‘ there’s nothing of interest here’.So before you market yourself on Myspace, create your story. Once you’ve laid down your core values, it’s pretty easy to develop your story because it’s just an extention of those values. Your story doesn’t need to be long, four or five well crafted sentences is fine. Your story isn’t your biography; nobody cares that you started playing guitar at the age of five, because it doesn’t have any benefit for your audience. When your including ‘personal stuff’ into your story, always ask yourself ‘why would this appeal to my audience’.
Those who resist the idea of having a story / benefit often say that ‘the music should speak for itself’. The truth is that the music never speaks for itself. We always judge the music on the artwork, pictures, videos, biography, number of plays, number of friends. As listeners we’re always asking ourselves ‘what’s their story?’
Once your story is formed, everything else on your Myspace page needs to be aligned with it:
A) Biography: This just really needs to be an extension of your story, but still needs to be compelling on the ‘what’s new about this’ test.
B) Pictures: Pictures need to help support your story. If you’re the previously mentioned sugar pop drag queen, you don’t want pictures of you with you’re mum.
C) Songs: Put up your best songs that fit with your story. Save your experimental songs that don’t fit for a different Myspace profile. Yet if you’re story is about being crazy and eclectic, then make your songs a mish mash as well.
4) Go out and get some fiends
Once you’re whole page is supporting your story, it’s time to go out and find people who are going to love your story. When adding friends, don’t use friend adder software, for these reasons:
A) Myspace might delete your account: If you’re regularly adding a thousand friends it might happen.
B) You have to pay for the software: Internet marketing should always be free apart from an investment of time.
C) It's not very effective: Very few of the friends you want to add will say yes because they’ll smell that you’ve used adder software, so will be afraid of being spammed from you.
D) It’s not very accurate: You can search for vague terms to find possible friends, but by going to their page you can get a feel for whether or not
They’ll love your story.
E) It’s impersonal: with adder software you can only send a generic message, and that says ‘I don’t really care about what you want’. Why on earth would they want to become a fan? I know some software says that they trawl the name of the profile for the ‘personal touch’, but given that most profiles are band names, it’s going to seem even more impersonal. Much better to find a first name in the band bio and use that.
F) It’s mindless: Myspace marketing is about building meaningful relationships with people who love your music, who will talk about you to other people. Adder software is never going to help you with that. There’s no point having ten thousand friends if non of them are interested in what you’re doing.
The best way to find friends is to start with friends you have, and start looking at their friends profiles, and add the ones that might like your story and values. Then you can go to your new friends profile and add some of their friends as well. You’re more likely to find like minded people closer to home, but you’ll soon find yourself on the other side of the world, which is the beauty of Myspace.
5) Work out which avenues to use on Myspace.
You could try a little bit of everything and hope that some of it will stick, and that will lead to certain doom. The essential virtue and problem with the net is that there are so many options, that it’s tempting to test the waters and see which will work. When that happens, non of them will work because it takes a little bit of time and dedication to see if your avenue will pay off. I’m not saying just keep blindly trying if it’s obvious it’s not working, but you have to be prepared for trial and error, and for something to not work, which will actually help you in the long run.
You need to formulate a plan. Think of your plan as extension of your story and values, kind of your story in motion over a period of time. The beauty of Myspace is you can let people know what you’re up to in various ways, and you can use that to deepen your story, get people more curious about, and maybe get them talking about you to other people they know. Formulating a plan is not just about letting people know about your gigs, or telling people when you’re releasing new music, although that will be part of your plan. The way you shape your plan will be moulded by which avenue(s) you decide to take to communicate with friends. Here are the options:
Blog: Myspace allows you to blog, adding pictures and embed video. I think blogging can really help you to establish your story in the minds of your friends. Remember the sugar pop drag queen? What would happen if she blogged about meeting other drag queens at gigs? She could take photos of them and put them up on the blog, maybe even have a video of them. She could send them birthday cards. Instead of being the sugar pop drag queen, she’s now the drag queen who has a drag queen club. Doing that is going to deepen her story, and that makes it more likely for other people to talk about her (or him). Whenever you blog it will be sent to anyone who signs up for your blog, but more importantly it will show up in the ‘activity stream’ section on your friends home page. If you give the blog a seductive title like ‘queen juicilicious says hi!’, then that’s really going to spike your friends curiosity.
Bulletins: These are short notices which appear in the ‘Bulletin’ section on your friends home page. These are best suited for shorter messages than blogs. The best bulletin messages are a call to action, like asking you upload gig photos (maybe of drag queens). Bulletins can also embed videos as well as pictures.
Messages: Still the best way to get your story across, because everyone checks their inbox, and unless they have millions of hits, they’ll probably still look at them all. Messages are more personal than bulletins; you have to send them individually, so it takes a little time to send out messages. I recommend having a core base of people to send personal messages to, maybe friends who have sent messages to you, as well as friends you’ve met in real life at gigs you’ve done. Anyone you’ve had some kind of personal contact you want to have on your message list.
Add Comments: Many people add marketing into the comments they put on another page. When they leave a comment they add HTML for a banner that often advertises a gig or a new album. I think comment banners are great at getting people to act and come to your page. Running a fun competition or a cryptic puzzle will get people interested far more than just advertising your gig. When running any competitions or events remembers that they need to fit into your story, and flow well with your core values. Many people read comments, as they’re curious about what other people think about the music, so it’s a worthwhile avenue. Choose musicians who you feel are similar to you, as their fans will probably respond well to you as well. And leave a genuine thought out comment, rather than: ‘hi thanx for the add!’
Activity Stream: This is a relatively new feature, and is similar to the wall on Facebook. It show what your friends are up to when they:
a) Add new friends
b) Post new photo’s
c) Add a new blog post
d) Upload new songs
e) Any new gig listings
The activity stream can be used massively to raise your profile on Myspace, as long as what your doing isn’t unfocused. All your blog titles are shown in the activity stream, so you could publish a blog series as if it was an ezine based around you or your band, and that could build a little buzz for you. Naming your titles well would be critical, as this is shown in bold on the activity stream. What kind of title would get people to have a look? You could often upload new songs. Remember to give them an interesting title to make people think ‘what’s that about?’ It’s fine to upload rough demos (as long as the songs are good, and are consistent with what else you’ve got up there), but you don’t want to be uploading anything just to get noticed on the activity stream. You can always take off songs and upload them again, and rotate the song selection whilst adding new songs to keep the list fresh. That way you’re being seen on the activity stream, but your friends aren’t constantly seeing the same songs up there. Uploading photos can also work well to remind your audience you're out there, but don’t just upload any photos of you, make sure they fit with the story you’re trying to tell.
5) Create feedback so you know if it’s working.
It takes time and consistent effort to raise your profile effectively on Myspace. You can’t do a heavy session of marketing for a few weeks and expect results from that. You going to need 3 months minimum to know if what you’re doing is working. Signs that your audience is really interested in you and talking about you are:
a) Visitors to your page increase without you doing anything new.
b) Friends send you messages saying they really like what your doing.
c) Friends leave detailed comments on your page.
d) People talk about you on Myspace or other websites.
Last thoughts:
Myspace offers massive opportunity to connect with an audience, and one that could become the hardcore of your future fanbase. Everyone on Myspace already loves music, all you’ve got to do is get some of them to fall in love with you. Slow burn works best on Myspace, it’s all about building personal relationships, not slash and burn techniques. Ten dedicated friends is worth more than a thousand uninterested ‘friends’.
Musican Kole Talks About How He Makes Money From Music (And Enjoys It)
I'm always searching for stuff to write on the blog that inspires me, and the other day I stumbled across Kole. At the tender age of 22 he's already built himself a great career in music. Kole has taught guitar clinics around the USA. His debut album has been featured in the new version of Fame (remember the old one...'I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly!), which will be released late 2009. I (virtually) caught up with kole and this is what he had to say: Tell us a little bit about what you're up to, and how you make money from music?
I'm always searching for stuff to write on the blog that inspires me, and the other day I stumbled across Kole. At the tender age of 22 he's already built himself a great career in music. Kole has taught guitar clinics around the USA. His debut album has been featured in the new version of Fame (remember the old one...'I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly!), which will be released late 2009. I (virtually) caught up with kole and this is what he had to say: Tell us a little bit about what you're up to, and how you make money from music?I'm currently working on several different projects at this time including: A few instructional courses for guitarists and composers, working with an up and coming pop artist "Olivia Somerlyn," and composing for media. Along with this, I also teach Guitar and Songwriting/Composition lessons privately and to small classes.
I make money from all these different avenues of music and I believe it's important for musicians (who aren't already stars) to keep the "door" open for other opportunities at making some money through their unique musical skill set. Whether that be teaching, performing with artists, licensing your songs, or even appearing in a film as a musician (this is what I did for the 2009 Feature Film "FAME"). With that said, it is also quite important to understand your strengths so you can prioritize that which you spend the most amount of time doing.
Could you give your general thoughts on the music industry today?
The industry today is truly open to everyone and this is mainly because of the internet/social networking sites. It's now almost mandatory for an independent artist/band to not only be familiar with these social networking tools, but also use them to their advantage in creating/maintaining a loyal fan base.
Labels still carry a lot of weight when it comes to promotion and distribution; however it is now completely possible to make a living as a musician without being signed.
What do you think the future of the music industry will be?
Good question. As technology progresses I eventually can see the industry turning into something where one of the world's most famous artists is a guy who isn't signed and performs/records directly from his house (we already see this a bit w/ youtube and other sites). Digital distribution will be dominant, internet promotion will rule, and the independent artist will be completely empowered.
I think a few big labels may still be around, but most of them will be replaced by small internet business that offer promotional/distribution services.
How do you see yourself fitting into this New Music Industry (NMI)?
It works perfect for me, as I am very picky about who I trust (especially when it comes to my music career). I can see myself fitting in well and taking advantage of the technology made for independent artist empowerment.
I see the New Music Industry (NMI) as holding great opportunities for the average musician to make a living. What are your thoughts on this?
Absolutely. I mentioned a lot about what would be available for artists above, but I think that other musicians (session guys, producers, etc.) will be able to take advantage of the advanced technology as well. We're already hearing great music created by people who live nowhere near each other (Record in their own studio, send it to the next guy, etc.). So I can only see this growing to a point where the artist/session guys/engineers etc. don't even have to meet face to face to make a record.
I see the role of musicians changing. There is a need now to create your own career, so aspects of business and entrepreneurial spirit will be just as important as musical skill/talent. Can you describe any other skills you have developed to help create the career you want.
Becoming educated on business matters is very important for every single musician. If you're not up to speed, then you are truly hurting yourself... so I agree with you there.
As for other skills, I believe it is absolutely essential that you are Passionate, Persistent, and Patient.
You must be absolutely passionate about what you do, so it doesn't feel like work. Trust me, you will spend many many more hours at "work" than many of your friends who work 9 - 5 jobs. You also must be very persistent in your thoughts and actions, no matter if that means keeping in touch with old business partners or constantly promoting your latest album. Last but not least it is essential to be patient. That doesn't mean you do 1 thing and then wait for it to come to fruition, but instead you must understand that everyone in this industry is very busy. If you send an e-mail to a musical supervisor about licensing one of your songs and don't hear back from them in a week, that doesn't mean they hated what you sent them. It just means they are very busy and haven't had time to get to your submission... a week or two later it would actually be very appropriate to check back with them to see if they've had time to listen.
How will musicians make money when so few people buy music any more?
It is true that pirating has negatively impacted record sales, but it is still very possible (if not more so now!) to make money as a musician. You can teach, do session work, compose/license for media, make instructional products, and record/sell your own music but promote it in a unique and more valuable way!
For example. You're a relatively unknown artist and just finished your first album. Great, but why would anyone want to buy it if they haven't heard you? Well, they wouldn't at first, but if what your selling is more valuable than 10 songs, then the person will be more inclined to buy it. Why not add some merchandise to each purchase of your album? Perhaps you could give out a free lesson via Skype w/ each purchase?
There are a million things you can do to not only sell your album, but create a database of loyal happy fans. Once they buy, you can keep in touch with them and they will be more interested in your future releases. Its a fact that most business comes from repeat customers.
What's your idea of a successful musician?
My idea of a successful musician is very simple. Someone who loves what they do. It doesn't matter if the piano is a hobby or your main vehicle for making money. Success to me is happiness.
Thanks to Chris for this interview and Tom Hess for helping mentor me in the world of music business.
To find out (even) more about Kole, go to www.kolemusician.com
To find out (even) more about Kole, go to www.kolemusician.com
Make Money teaching music!
This is a great way to make money from music, and for me it's how I earn my living. I got into teaching as a 'stopgap' onto bigger things, but very soon it turned into something I wanted to pursue as a career full time. I reckon anyone can teach, but you need to ask yourself if it's right for you:
1) Are you patient? I love teaching people, no matter how many difficulties they have to learning. If you're only interested in teaching advanced players of you're instrument, you'll only find a very small market for that, as almost everyone comes to lessons as a beginner.
2) Are you just interested in the money? Students will smell that a mile away. only teach if you're prepared to the dedicate the energy it needs. If you're really only interested in performance and playing, maybe just focus on that. Having said that.....
3) Music teaching and other music projects work well together. Once your business is up and running and you've developed a teaching style you can free up time to develop other projects such as recording. I'm developing a video site with three other people, and I wouldn't really have the time if I had a full time job.
4) Teaching can be an easy way to moving from a non-music job into the music industry. You can begin teaching after work or on weekends, and slowly phase out your work as you build a student base.
Teaching gives great financial support to develop a career in music, but more than that, it shapes the way you play your music, and develops so many skills needed in other areas of your career.
This is a great way to make money from music, and for me it's how I earn my living. I got into teaching as a 'stopgap' onto bigger things, but very soon it turned into something I wanted to pursue as a career full time. I reckon anyone can teach, but you need to ask yourself if it's right for you:
1) Are you patient? I love teaching people, no matter how many difficulties they have to learning. If you're only interested in teaching advanced players of you're instrument, you'll only find a very small market for that, as almost everyone comes to lessons as a beginner.
2) Are you just interested in the money? Students will smell that a mile away. only teach if you're prepared to the dedicate the energy it needs. If you're really only interested in performance and playing, maybe just focus on that. Having said that.....
3) Music teaching and other music projects work well together. Once your business is up and running and you've developed a teaching style you can free up time to develop other projects such as recording. I'm developing a video site with three other people, and I wouldn't really have the time if I had a full time job.
4) Teaching can be an easy way to moving from a non-music job into the music industry. You can begin teaching after work or on weekends, and slowly phase out your work as you build a student base.
Teaching gives great financial support to develop a career in music, but more than that, it shapes the way you play your music, and develops so many skills needed in other areas of your career.
Slice The Pie
If you haven't heard of slice the pie, it's a music website that's been going strong for a few years. Here's what it's about:
1) If you're an artist you can upload your music, get reviews and also get monetary backing from your fans (or anybody who thinks you're worth investing in) to record an album
2) You get massive exposure on the site.
3) You can get (very small amounts) of money reviewing new music on the site.
3) If you're on the other side of the equation, you can invest in a band. For that you get a copy of the record (if it's recorded), your name on the sleeve, and a share of the profits made from the sale of the album.
4) Once you buy an investment, you can trade with it in a virtual stock exchange.
The earlier you see great talent, the better (before everyone else finds it, after they get lots of good reviews), so being a 'scout' and reviewing music is the best way find bands to invest in.
I don't know how much money has been made, but several albums have been recorded, and £150 000 has been made from 'scouting' money since it's launch in 2007.
Putting music up there is really a great way to see how the public react to your music, so you can get a feel for the type of person that's attracted to your music, which will benefit any promotion or marketing plan you have. If you get fans investing, then you could use them to generate more interest in you (by getting them to talk to their friends about you).
I think funding to make an album is great, but maybe a little outdated, as single song downloads are becoming the norm. Maybe they could fund more musicians to make singles or a couple of tracks? For me the best aspect of this site is in exposure and creating a fan base, which (who knows) could last forever.
If you haven't heard of slice the pie, it's a music website that's been going strong for a few years. Here's what it's about:
1) If you're an artist you can upload your music, get reviews and also get monetary backing from your fans (or anybody who thinks you're worth investing in) to record an album
2) You get massive exposure on the site.
3) You can get (very small amounts) of money reviewing new music on the site.
3) If you're on the other side of the equation, you can invest in a band. For that you get a copy of the record (if it's recorded), your name on the sleeve, and a share of the profits made from the sale of the album.
4) Once you buy an investment, you can trade with it in a virtual stock exchange.
The earlier you see great talent, the better (before everyone else finds it, after they get lots of good reviews), so being a 'scout' and reviewing music is the best way find bands to invest in.
I don't know how much money has been made, but several albums have been recorded, and £150 000 has been made from 'scouting' money since it's launch in 2007.
Putting music up there is really a great way to see how the public react to your music, so you can get a feel for the type of person that's attracted to your music, which will benefit any promotion or marketing plan you have. If you get fans investing, then you could use them to generate more interest in you (by getting them to talk to their friends about you).
I think funding to make an album is great, but maybe a little outdated, as single song downloads are becoming the norm. Maybe they could fund more musicians to make singles or a couple of tracks? For me the best aspect of this site is in exposure and creating a fan base, which (who knows) could last forever.
One Easy Thing You Can Do To Make More Money From Music.
Here's something easy and free you can do today that's going to create you more money, and you don't have to sign up for anything!
Relax
Most musicians view marketing themselves as dirty work that they would rather get someone else to do. Many put in time and effort but are really counting the day until someone else will do it (record company, manager...). That's probably never going to happen, so how do you make marketing yourself exciting and interesting? I'm serious here. If you're committed to being a full time musician, you'll be marketing yourself all the time. If it's something you hate, it's only a matter of time until you give up or sabotage your own attempts to market yourself.
So how do you turn 'ahh not this again!' into 'this is exciting and interesting'? The answer lies in how you see yourself as a musician. Are you thinking about your needs first when getting yourself out there. A self centred view will cause lots of worry, because it becomes you versus them. In this mindset it's easy to see the public as something to be conquered; you want people to know how great you are, and you think you need to show off to get noticed.
The answer is to relax your worldview. Once that happens you begin to see what your audience finds great about you, not what you think is great, or what you think would make you cool. A lot of musicians shy away from marketing, because the more you do it, the less self centered about your music you become. The great thing is that once you stop thinking about yourself, marketing becomes more like an adventure. Once you take yourself out of the equation, everything becomes more playful, and you don't feel you have to constantly defend your identity. Enjoying yourself when marketing will mean:
1) You'll do more of it and your efforts will be more sustained.
2) It'll be more effective because you'll consider what your audience want.
And that's going to make you more money in the long run.
Here's something easy and free you can do today that's going to create you more money, and you don't have to sign up for anything!
Relax
Most musicians view marketing themselves as dirty work that they would rather get someone else to do. Many put in time and effort but are really counting the day until someone else will do it (record company, manager...). That's probably never going to happen, so how do you make marketing yourself exciting and interesting? I'm serious here. If you're committed to being a full time musician, you'll be marketing yourself all the time. If it's something you hate, it's only a matter of time until you give up or sabotage your own attempts to market yourself.
So how do you turn 'ahh not this again!' into 'this is exciting and interesting'? The answer lies in how you see yourself as a musician. Are you thinking about your needs first when getting yourself out there. A self centred view will cause lots of worry, because it becomes you versus them. In this mindset it's easy to see the public as something to be conquered; you want people to know how great you are, and you think you need to show off to get noticed.
The answer is to relax your worldview. Once that happens you begin to see what your audience finds great about you, not what you think is great, or what you think would make you cool. A lot of musicians shy away from marketing, because the more you do it, the less self centered about your music you become. The great thing is that once you stop thinking about yourself, marketing becomes more like an adventure. Once you take yourself out of the equation, everything becomes more playful, and you don't feel you have to constantly defend your identity. Enjoying yourself when marketing will mean:
1) You'll do more of it and your efforts will be more sustained.
2) It'll be more effective because you'll consider what your audience want.
And that's going to make you more money in the long run.
What Gigs Are Good For
There's a lot of talk these days about how all the money is in gigs. This is true if you're Madonna or Prince, but for the unknown musician gigs still don't bring in much money. Just because fans will pay a lot to see their idol, doesn't mean that extends to everyone else. Gigs are pretty much loss leaders that have other benefits. What they are really good for is:
1) Getting fans to sign up for your ezine/mailing list. The best way I've seen someone do it was to pass out the list during the gig, and all the names would be put into a competition to win a CD. What also works are postcards with a teaser like: sign up to the mailing list at our website, free prizes every month, including MP3 player (hey why not!).
2) Getting them to buy CD's. Gigs are the only place people really buy CD's. If you make an impression on some people they'll easily buy because they're feeling great after seeing some great music. Get them to sign up for the mailing list when they buy, so they know of any future music or products. You can also offer a teaser to get the 'maybe's' to buy, competitions free added extras's e.t.c
3) Getting them to your website/myspace. The people who didn't buy a CD or sign up there and then to the mailing list need to know your address. The best way is to put a huge sign up behind you when you play, or the affor mentioned postcards.
The most succesful musicians look at gigs as ways of gathering fans, but those fans have to be contactable and reminded of stuff. I guess the english attitude to this is it's a little pushy, yet the way I see it is that there are people who would love to see you again, but if you don't bother trying to get their names, they'll miss out on you.
There's a lot of talk these days about how all the money is in gigs. This is true if you're Madonna or Prince, but for the unknown musician gigs still don't bring in much money. Just because fans will pay a lot to see their idol, doesn't mean that extends to everyone else. Gigs are pretty much loss leaders that have other benefits. What they are really good for is:
1) Getting fans to sign up for your ezine/mailing list. The best way I've seen someone do it was to pass out the list during the gig, and all the names would be put into a competition to win a CD. What also works are postcards with a teaser like: sign up to the mailing list at our website, free prizes every month, including MP3 player (hey why not!).
2) Getting them to buy CD's. Gigs are the only place people really buy CD's. If you make an impression on some people they'll easily buy because they're feeling great after seeing some great music. Get them to sign up for the mailing list when they buy, so they know of any future music or products. You can also offer a teaser to get the 'maybe's' to buy, competitions free added extras's e.t.c
3) Getting them to your website/myspace. The people who didn't buy a CD or sign up there and then to the mailing list need to know your address. The best way is to put a huge sign up behind you when you play, or the affor mentioned postcards.
The most succesful musicians look at gigs as ways of gathering fans, but those fans have to be contactable and reminded of stuff. I guess the english attitude to this is it's a little pushy, yet the way I see it is that there are people who would love to see you again, but if you don't bother trying to get their names, they'll miss out on you.
What Can The Little Guy Do?
Here's a great article on the changing music industry, talking about how large record companies are falling e.t.c
Yet the real question on every musicians lips is 'how do I make a living'. When it's little old me (or you) faced with these titanic changes, it can seem liberating, but it can often feel overwhelming. How do you make a start in such a massive market as the internet. Years ago I was at a party talking to a guy who knew Andy Sheppard. Years before that Andy had asked the same question to the guy I was talking to; his answer was the same for both of us: you just start. I've spent a lot of time trying to second guess my actions, asking myself 'is this where I should invest my time and energy'. The problem is I would jump from one idea to the next, not really investing in anything. All it did was leave me frustrated.
I think in truth it doesn't matter too much what you invest your time and energy in, as long as you do invest it, and give it time to grow. The great thing about the net is that it's a level-ish playing field where dedication to something does begin to pay off. The old music industry was about having a massive hit, or nothing; now it's about slowly and steadily carving a niche for your music, service or product.
Here's a great article on the changing music industry, talking about how large record companies are falling e.t.c
Yet the real question on every musicians lips is 'how do I make a living'. When it's little old me (or you) faced with these titanic changes, it can seem liberating, but it can often feel overwhelming. How do you make a start in such a massive market as the internet. Years ago I was at a party talking to a guy who knew Andy Sheppard. Years before that Andy had asked the same question to the guy I was talking to; his answer was the same for both of us: you just start. I've spent a lot of time trying to second guess my actions, asking myself 'is this where I should invest my time and energy'. The problem is I would jump from one idea to the next, not really investing in anything. All it did was leave me frustrated.
I think in truth it doesn't matter too much what you invest your time and energy in, as long as you do invest it, and give it time to grow. The great thing about the net is that it's a level-ish playing field where dedication to something does begin to pay off. The old music industry was about having a massive hit, or nothing; now it's about slowly and steadily carving a niche for your music, service or product.
Work Out A Plan For Your Music Career
Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will a career in music. The key to making money from music is simple: work out what you want, and then create a plan to get there. The thing that most people find difficult is to stick to the plan. We all have days when we feel that our plan is not working, so we feel tempted to jump right into another thing. It's easy to become addicted to that thrill of a new project, when it all seems perfect and easy with non of the messiness of real world challenges. The trick is to begin to establish habits, and that means doing things when you don't really feel like doing them.
So go of and email ten promoters, call another few venues. Doing something today, no matter how small, is worth it, because your still establishing the habits that will reap rewards in the future. Me, I'm going to go of and get a few more people to read this blog.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will a career in music. The key to making money from music is simple: work out what you want, and then create a plan to get there. The thing that most people find difficult is to stick to the plan. We all have days when we feel that our plan is not working, so we feel tempted to jump right into another thing. It's easy to become addicted to that thrill of a new project, when it all seems perfect and easy with non of the messiness of real world challenges. The trick is to begin to establish habits, and that means doing things when you don't really feel like doing them.
So go of and email ten promoters, call another few venues. Doing something today, no matter how small, is worth it, because your still establishing the habits that will reap rewards in the future. Me, I'm going to go of and get a few more people to read this blog.
Running Online Music Lessons
Recently I 've been considering the idea of online lessons more. There's relatively few teachers running online lessons, but there's massive potential there to teach one to one or in groups (often called teliseminars). There are many people running teleseminars, but there all about....how to run teleseminars. It's a lot more difficult with music, but imagine the potential! You could have session musicians running masterclasses with hundreds of students attending online (either by telephone or skype). The students can interact by sending messages or emails asking questions, so the experience is more interactive than a you tube video. The great thing would be that you could charge a really low price because of the potential numbers involved.
Ask yourself what your niche in music could be? Maybe your an experienced promoter, so you could offer that as a seminar. Or maybe if you're an opera singer, you could teach the basics of opera technique! My niche would be teaching people how to play guitar and sing at the same time (that's my real world teaching speciality), and I would also love to run seminars showing musicians how to make money from music in fun and intersting ways.
Recently I 've been considering the idea of online lessons more. There's relatively few teachers running online lessons, but there's massive potential there to teach one to one or in groups (often called teliseminars). There are many people running teleseminars, but there all about....how to run teleseminars. It's a lot more difficult with music, but imagine the potential! You could have session musicians running masterclasses with hundreds of students attending online (either by telephone or skype). The students can interact by sending messages or emails asking questions, so the experience is more interactive than a you tube video. The great thing would be that you could charge a really low price because of the potential numbers involved.
Ask yourself what your niche in music could be? Maybe your an experienced promoter, so you could offer that as a seminar. Or maybe if you're an opera singer, you could teach the basics of opera technique! My niche would be teaching people how to play guitar and sing at the same time (that's my real world teaching speciality), and I would also love to run seminars showing musicians how to make money from music in fun and intersting ways.
Develop Multiple Music Projects
Over the weekend I had time to ponder over the best strategies for the New Music Entrepreneur (NME). I believe the best way to build a career in music is to develop multiple projects which will generate multiple streams of income. They do say follow your dream, yet I think it's much better (and more fun) to follow lots of little dreams. If you've got 'one big dream' there's massive pressure on you to make it work, and it might not. You can never be sure what will work best, and when it will work best, or you can only prepare the groundwork up to a certain point. Then you have to wait and see...
Think of your career as spokes on a wheel. If you've developed a spoke for performing and playing, how can you translate that spoke into another one? Teaching? Books? Managing? Promoting? For me I've got a big spoke for teaching in the real world, but that has given me time to start projects with others including an online video lesson site, corporate workshops as well as establishing myself as an Internet expert on playing guitar and singing at the same time. I've also got the blog which will probably develop into books that will help musicians prosper in their careers. You get the idea, but the idea has to be put into practice. The New Music Industry is a little like the wild west. It's all out there but you have to go out and claim it for yourself.
Over the weekend I had time to ponder over the best strategies for the New Music Entrepreneur (NME). I believe the best way to build a career in music is to develop multiple projects which will generate multiple streams of income. They do say follow your dream, yet I think it's much better (and more fun) to follow lots of little dreams. If you've got 'one big dream' there's massive pressure on you to make it work, and it might not. You can never be sure what will work best, and when it will work best, or you can only prepare the groundwork up to a certain point. Then you have to wait and see...
Think of your career as spokes on a wheel. If you've developed a spoke for performing and playing, how can you translate that spoke into another one? Teaching? Books? Managing? Promoting? For me I've got a big spoke for teaching in the real world, but that has given me time to start projects with others including an online video lesson site, corporate workshops as well as establishing myself as an Internet expert on playing guitar and singing at the same time. I've also got the blog which will probably develop into books that will help musicians prosper in their careers. You get the idea, but the idea has to be put into practice. The New Music Industry is a little like the wild west. It's all out there but you have to go out and claim it for yourself.
Tired Of Promoters....Have A Gig In Your Living Room!
I was talking to a musician friend of mine Elliot Hall about the woes of getting gigs and the problems of getting numbers. Many places in Camden will stop a gig after the soundcheck if you haven't brought enough people in....harsh.
A new take on gigging, and one that is beginning to take on are living room gigs. The way I see it, these kind of gigs have a lot of potential. Firstly you don't need to find a venue, you already have it! Secondly, the potential to make money from it is greater than 'normal gigs'. If you charge on the door, you get all the money. You might super-promote a pup gig, but only get a slice of the money made, and some promoters won't give you your fair slice. If you put a living room gig on, you know that that any work you put into it, you're going to get all the monetary benefits. There is also the potential for maybe selling drinks, cakes, tea and coffee on the night(or day?) and making more money there.
Some musicians might not want strangers in their living room, or they might not have a good place to play. The best solution might be to get together with other musicians in your area and form a network of living rooms, doing all the promotion centrally, have a website......
looking around there's a site that does just that... www.concertsinyourhome.com
there's another site offers a PDF guide to house concerts (another term for living room gigs)
I get the impression that living room gigs are more popular in the states than the UK....but there's a lot of potential there for those willing to find it....
I was talking to a musician friend of mine Elliot Hall about the woes of getting gigs and the problems of getting numbers. Many places in Camden will stop a gig after the soundcheck if you haven't brought enough people in....harsh.
A new take on gigging, and one that is beginning to take on are living room gigs. The way I see it, these kind of gigs have a lot of potential. Firstly you don't need to find a venue, you already have it! Secondly, the potential to make money from it is greater than 'normal gigs'. If you charge on the door, you get all the money. You might super-promote a pup gig, but only get a slice of the money made, and some promoters won't give you your fair slice. If you put a living room gig on, you know that that any work you put into it, you're going to get all the monetary benefits. There is also the potential for maybe selling drinks, cakes, tea and coffee on the night(or day?) and making more money there.
Some musicians might not want strangers in their living room, or they might not have a good place to play. The best solution might be to get together with other musicians in your area and form a network of living rooms, doing all the promotion centrally, have a website......
looking around there's a site that does just that... www.concertsinyourhome.com
there's another site offers a PDF guide to house concerts (another term for living room gigs)
I get the impression that living room gigs are more popular in the states than the UK....but there's a lot of potential there for those willing to find it....
Goodbye Old World......
We are at a stepping stone in the music industry. The old music industry is getting smaller and less influential, and within the next 10 years will be over taken by the New Music Industry (NMI). I'ts hard to believe, but there will be no more Take That's (hey that's not such a bad thing!), or Madonna's or Radiohead's. There will be musicians who are just as good, they just won't be nearly as famous. Gone are the days when a musician will be backed by a media machine and a record company, so all they have to worry about is making music and doing inteviews. In the NMI musicians have to be entrepeneurs, learning how to produce and market their music, and get it out to the people who love it. Yet in the NMI that's only a small part of the story.
So what's the New Music Industry (NMI), and how will musicians make money from it? Two words just about sum it up: multiple incomes. The quicker we let go of the old model: one income from performing and recording, the better. the NMI industry is about seeing yourself as a flexible musician. You can offer your music knowledge as teaching ebooks, videos, DVD's, e.t.c. You can promote online, start a radio station, market and sell other musicians. You can pretty much do anything, including starting a blog that gives people the ideas and support they need (what a great idea!).
The NMI is scary. The old music industry (OMI) was more about signing to a label, or get a day job. Now anyone with desire and effort can turn that into a great music career. But it's wide open, and it's overwhelming. How do you make a mark in the internet, so many others are doing it. The answers come down to planning and persistence and flexility in what being a musician entails.
We are at a stepping stone in the music industry. The old music industry is getting smaller and less influential, and within the next 10 years will be over taken by the New Music Industry (NMI). I'ts hard to believe, but there will be no more Take That's (hey that's not such a bad thing!), or Madonna's or Radiohead's. There will be musicians who are just as good, they just won't be nearly as famous. Gone are the days when a musician will be backed by a media machine and a record company, so all they have to worry about is making music and doing inteviews. In the NMI musicians have to be entrepeneurs, learning how to produce and market their music, and get it out to the people who love it. Yet in the NMI that's only a small part of the story.
So what's the New Music Industry (NMI), and how will musicians make money from it? Two words just about sum it up: multiple incomes. The quicker we let go of the old model: one income from performing and recording, the better. the NMI industry is about seeing yourself as a flexible musician. You can offer your music knowledge as teaching ebooks, videos, DVD's, e.t.c. You can promote online, start a radio station, market and sell other musicians. You can pretty much do anything, including starting a blog that gives people the ideas and support they need (what a great idea!).
The NMI is scary. The old music industry (OMI) was more about signing to a label, or get a day job. Now anyone with desire and effort can turn that into a great music career. But it's wide open, and it's overwhelming. How do you make a mark in the internet, so many others are doing it. The answers come down to planning and persistence and flexility in what being a musician entails.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
