Live Music Archive

Who knew Thriller would end up being the best selling album of all time. There has been no way to prepare for its success because nobody saw what has been coming. Yet, Michael has not been able to duplicate studio magic he and Quincy had; the artistic “roll” he has been on; the total awe and submission of the media; the overwhelming force of his presence or the mesmerizing control he’d over millions of fans world wide. Therefore, even though more authoritative than any other entertainer, he never repeated the success of Thriller.

But he may have. Even in the absence of all of the magical ingredients that stimulate ed him make musical history, he may have used the momentum created by Thriller to sale another 40 million albums. All he’d to do was have knowledge of who he sold those 40 million records to. Get it? If Epic Records were smart, they’d have gotten the address and phone number of every person who purchased the Thriller album. Do you understand what that may have meant? That means that they’d have had the ability to “pre-market” and “pre-sale” Michael’s next few albums to 40 million, already satisfied customers!

Whoa! That means they could have sold 40 million plus albums of the next record. The profits would have been bigger too. Why? Since you’re not invest ing dollars on “mass-marketing“, you’re able to cut your budget in half! You are direct marketing to people who already want your product. also, if Epic were smart, and they weren’t, they could have sold Michael Jackson Merchandise directly to those already addicted fans.

They really screwed up. But you can learn from this example. You can easily “eat well” off your music by doing what Epic, Michael, and every other label has failed to do. Capture the name and email address of every fan that visits your website /page. I understand that it sounds too simple. I understand some of you are doing this already. But are you doing it correctly? Every musician on MySpace should have a bare minimum of 1000 audiences that will buy their music. Not MySpace “friends”. I am talking about straight-up audiences, the kind that spend resources. If you’ve been on MySpace for two years, you should have 10,000-20,000 real audiences. Once you reach 100,000 audiences that are willing, at some point, to give you resources you’ll be session ! Your focus will be to make music for your fan base, selling to the same audiences over & over. It is backwards to start your marketing quests over every time you get ready to release a project. Why keep looking for new buyers when you can sell to satisfied customers. As a natural effect, your fan base will grow with little quest on your part.

With the major labels focusing on quick returns rather than performer development and the arrival of downloading music Internet, the traditional record company/artist relationship has become blurred to the point of being obsolete.

Nowadays, being independent has real advantages.

How a lot of times have you heard or read somewhere that the Internet has differ d the face of the music industry forever? I would love a dollar for everytime I heard it.

Still, it is true and there are a number of reasons for this. Two that spring into mind are that:

1. A traditional record company/artist relationship is optional and not a necessity. You might do your all music sales and performer promotion Internet cutting out all of the ‘middle people ‘.

2. websites could turn an artist with a Regional fans into an artist with an international fans. As the Web isn’t ‘owned’ by any one entity the playing field is a lot more even.

To me, being an independent musician means that you are the one driving the bus and being in control over your own affairs.

A lot of talent ed artists and performing songwriters around the world are at this eminently moment waiting for that knock at the door, the opportunity to ‘get found ‘. What is prefer ly to happen is that they will invest their creative lives being eminently disappointed.

If you’re reading this and feel that this is you, consider this…

Where do you think you would be if you managed your career yourself rather than wait for an individual (or some company) to do it for you?

There are a lot of websites out in cyberspace that are there to advocate you take control over your career by spreading practical information about band promotion and the independent music business as a whole, take advantage of these websites and go to as a lot of as you can

Embrace independence today and gain control over your own musical affairs.

(For the purpose of this article I’m going to make a couple of assumptions before I go any further. They are that you’ve a little bit of vocal or musical instrument knowledge and that you also have a fledgling network of friends and contacts)

Starting up a performer is a eminently exhilarating time in a artists life. There’s a fine balance of nervous anticipation and the fear of the unknown that follows the whole process.

A band has a varying dynamic than working as a solo artist. There are other individuals involved, other personal ities, other strengths and weaknesses in character and abilities and because of this it’s really vital that you have several things worked out before you start looking for band members.

1. Have a good idea of your own strengths and weaknesses

The band members that you want to get will need to be around the same level of competence as you are. The main reason for this is that you may all grow together rather than have one or two musicians carrying anyone else. This kind of player imbalance causes doubt in the group and doubt is one of the major killers of bands.

2. Know beforehand how the band is going to be run

Is the band going to be run by you or the whole group? The individual ity types of the performers that you choose will need to be agreeable to the way the band is going to be run.

3. What instrumentation is the performer having in its lineup?

This is mainly determined by the type(s) of music that you want to performance but having an idea of what musicians you’re looking for will be of exceptional help.

It’s now time to hunt down some performer members

4. Ask your network of companions and/or contacts

This is always a nice place to start. Ask anybody at all that you know or come into contact with. If you do not have much of a circle of companions and/or contacts this will be a exceptional occasion to wide n it. This is one of the reasons why networking in the industry is so vital, for occasions such as this.

Having a musician referred to you has a much better opening  of working than one that comes from an advertisement. This leads me onto my next point.

5. Post an advertisement

Having said that I’ve had made some exceptional contacts from musicians enquiring from a ‘muso wanted’ ad. The key to effective ads is that they need to be concise, to the point, not too lengthy and put in places where musicians are truly prefer ly to see it and read it prefer in a music shop, a Local/Regional music magazine or a music classifieds web site.

A sample ‘ performer wanted‘ advertisement may read something prefer this:

BASS PLAYER WANTED

To join folk/rock band

Influences include

Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Counting Crows

Some experience prefer red

Own gear and transport essential

Interested?? Give me a call

Corey – (put home and/or cellular phone  number here)

As you may see, the ad is apparent in its intention.

It apparent ly states the musician wanted, the kind of music the band is playing, what the music may sound prefer and that the band has some experience behind it. Make sure you’ve a apparent contact name and phone numbers (if you want to include an email address as well that is cool).

Don’t put in stuff like ‘work waiting‘ or ‘no time has been ters please’. You might judge those sort of things yourself when an interested performer contacts you.

Once you have done that the waiting game begins.

Virtually all individuals would say the 1st thing to do is to find a name for the band. Lets start from there s club we??

The auditions are over, you’ve found your bass player and you all seem to get along really well. The excitement is in the air and you’ve had your first band bonding celebration.

Now its time to start your musical journey together.

Personally, I think that locating a performer name is THE hardest decision that the performer will ever have to make and and so one of the most important decisions as well.

A band name is a  surprisingly vital part of the bands identity. It is the 1st point of contact a punter has with the band.

I cannot recall how a lot of times people have raved about a band to me but cannot tell me the name when I ask them. Right there is the was ted opening  for a band. It frustrates me no end.

This is a best example of how extremely vital a performer name is.

The performer name is the 1st thing that a punter will recall. They will not address the performer by the names of the individuals in it when they talk to their companions (unless they are personal companions of yours) they’ll address the performer by its name.

The perfect way to find a band name is through sheer persistance. Locating a band name that is agreeable by anyone isn’t an easy task.

Here are some performer name get together suggestions:

1. Get every member to write down their personal list of potential band names

This can be the 1st task that the performer might do collectively. session a date for the 1st performer meeting and between now and then do that task.

2. Make brainstorming band names the topic of your first ever band meeting

When anybody at all gets together put all of the lists out on the table and go through each one keeping to one side the names that’strike a chord’ (sorry about the pun) with all of you and getting rid of the rest.

As a group try brainstorming some ideas. This is a amazing way to start formulating what the band is all about, what its image is etc, etc.

3. Establish a competition among all your friends /family/anyone else via email

This is a wonderful way to start compiling the beginnings of your bands email list. List all of your companions /family/anyone else that you want to include and their email addresses and compile them all into one mailing group. Send out an email outlining the competition and be ready for the ideas to come flooding in.

It is important to have a cut off date for the competition (perhaps by your first band meeting) and to have a prize on offer. Of course the prize is totally up to you.

Make sure that when you do find a performer name that you announce it through your email group. You’ve just started email promotion of your band.

Whatever you do have fun with the process and don’t let the quest to find a band name override the other things that you have to do such as writing songs and locating rehearsal space.

I guarantee that once you’ve agreed on a performer name you’ll all collectively breathe a immense sigh of relief. The hardest part of the journey has been achieved.

Here is could the most vital music industry tip you will ever receive:

Join up and subscribe to every indie music industry and DIY band promotion email list, newsletter and source that you can get your hands on and read everything that you receive.

I mean it when I say that too much information is much better than not enough, if what you have joined up or subscribed to isn’t giving you the information that you need then you may just opt out and un-subscribe.

Most websites that offer these things have the integrity to do as you ask.

Read what you receive, make notes, ask yourself if it is relavent for you and the place you are living in, integrate the information into your knowledge base.

The only way to capture this knowledge is by research, and the Internet is the perfect place to research anything.

Researching on the Web though will only give you general (but  nonetheless  exceedingly necessary ) indie music business knowledge. The real power comes from knowing your Local scene and turning into active in it.

Here are some ways that you may do this:

1. Create reading the music magazines in your area. Local street press is an invaluable tool in letting you know what is going on in the Local industry. Generally these magazines have features/interviews with Local bands, a concert  drive ( exceptional for targeting where to play), industry news and so on.

2. Go and see some Local/Regional bands. Check out your competition (I mean that as a figure of speech the the majority important thing about a Healthy indie music business is the community that builds from the music and the people who play it), introduce yourself, get out there amongst it all and immerse yourself in the vibe. Get familiar with the places these bands play at and know who to talk to when it is your turn to play there.

3. If the re are music associations where you live, join them. Anything that aids indie music on an association level seek it out and join up. If it costs resources to do that then do it (generally its not an expensive exercise). Joining these types of associations instantly gives you a sense of community and solidarity. also the amount of information you will secure about your Local/Regional area will be huge.

4. If the se Regional companies have web sites then bookmark them.

Need I say more on this topic. Most web sites for offline organizations offer more to On-line users of their services. It pays to be an active On-line user. One advantage that comes to mind is the fact that you’re able to participate in forums and messageboards which, in time will become convincing DIY marketing tools for you.

You got to start somewhere and the best place to start is with your own Regional area. As you expand your knowledge base you’ll work out ways to further your career and hopefully a snowball effect will start.

Once it stars, HANG ON!

Having many individuals that know who you are is always a benefit and not a hindrance.

Just the other day I got a call from a person who wanted to find out if I has been available to play bass with their band. I declined due to not having the room to take on another project but I gave them the number of a person else I knew that would fit the bill perfectly.

That day, that performer found a new bass player and so the story goes.

That experience got me thinking that pretty much everything that I do in my dealings with the music industry is based on who I know.

individuals like working with others whom they trust will do the job they want them to do or like recommending others for jobs that they can’t tackle themselves for one reason or another. I know that when this particular performer that has been looking for a bassist finally found one through my network I has been proud of myself. I has been glad to help a person out.

That is what networkings really all about though is not it? Helping people?

For anyone who is just starting out my recommenndation is to find as many individuals and go to as many functions and concert as you can.

Immerse yourself in your Local scene.

The more that people know who you are, the more opportunities that will open up for the taking. Become the squeaky wheel that gets all of the oil. Have that belief in yourself that you are benefit knowing and do not be afraid of knowledge.

One thing that you don’t do nonetheless is to get to know individuals for what they can do for you. Get to know them for who they are as a person. Others can spot your insincerity a mile away (especially us cynical musos) and that is a real turn-off.

Personally I’m chuffed when someone asks me for recommenndation or just wants to have a chat about how things are going for them, but only Assuming that they are genuine about it.

A exceptional place to start networking would be at open mic nights.

Get yourself involved in an open mic and just walk up to a person and say “hi”. Everyone is there for the same reason so there is some common ground. You might perhaps ask them If they’re going to be performing on that night and go from there.

Remember, the more you network the more you will be known and the more you’re known the more work you will get.

In time your ‘little black book’ of names will become your greatest asset.

I have met many performers along my journey and some of those I have gotten to know pretty well. All of them have a similar story as to how they started in the music industry and it goes a bit like this.

I don’t know how I started really, I just sort of fell into it and before I knew it I was in a band

Sound familiar? It does to me. That’s how I got started.

I did not have a plan, did not have a clue and did not have any idea of what I has been getting myself in for let alone what I wanted to get out of it.

I wanted to be a “rock star” so I could “meet girls”.

I was only fifteen when I made that decision and thinking back on it I cringe and laugh at the same time but it does show me the importance of getting prepared ahead.

It’s extraordinarily simple to get swept up in the hype of it all and before you know you are in the same place that you started but ten years have gone by and you are left wondering ‘where did it go’.

Before going any further you need to ask yourself some questions. The questions may be (in no particular order of importance):

1. Am I going to write tunes or not?

2. Am I going to be a solo artist or performance in a band?

3. Am I going to sing, performance an instrument or both?

4. Am I prepared to practise, drill and rehearse my craft?

5. Am I going to find my own work or do I leave that up to a person else?

I think you’re getting the idea of where I am going with this.

You might be thinking that these questions might seem very easy and straightforward and in essence you are right however, I am never ending ly surprised how a easy question such as “am I going to be a solo performer or performance in a band” might distract someone from actually moving forward.

I’ve seen it happen to many artists and have experienced it myself.

Before you start have a apparent knowledge of what you want to do and what you want to get out of it. Ask yourself these categories of really easy questions and from those answers a series of paths will be presented to you.

All you need to do then is to pick which path you take.

Working to a plan will make your journey a lot easier to undertake.

Traditional radio airplay, standard brick and mortar distribution and being signed by a major record label are no longer the only means of getting your music noticed. Thanks to digital distribution and the massive appeal and simple access to the Web, unknown musical skill now has a opportunity at real success. Additionally the indie musician is not stuck with the costs of making an entire compact disc. They could make a single and post it on the Web, gaining huge success from one song.
With a little know how and marketing sensibility any upstart musician or experienced musical act could now achieve success, amazing success in fact on their own. Recently, while a guest on the Sirius Satellite Radio Show The Good Life, I spoke with the host who related me that his two teenage boys get most of their music off the Web and never listen to regular radio anymore.
Why? Because they could capture music from acts they wouldn’t be allowed to listen to on traditional radio. They’re tired of the same old artists and singers being played over and over again. “ Most do not have any skill ; they’re just showpieces.” This isn’t the 1st or the final time I have heard that statement from teenagers and adults a like.
For the indie artist who wants to reach a broad er market (and you must have a wonderful product) and receive more exposure for their product on the Web, the 1st thing you need to do is market, guerrilla market and then market some more. How do you do that? There are a lot of ways that I mention in my book, The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money, but here are several simple suggestions:
* Join music boards and start in on the discussion. At the end of each of your posts make sure to put who you are and your web site. Add something to the conversation, do not spam. Write endorse ful hints and post them on the boards, etc. If the boards do not allow tags but they do allow you to post your email address, make sure it’s something with your web site at the end. Have a real email address but DON’T use your main email because it will be spammed. Something like mine: raeofhope@jacirae.com
* Establish networking at local/regional musician meetings and songwriter/ musicians forums in your region. You could find them on the Web. These meetings host musicians such as yourself who event on a regular basis to discuss the music scene and present their latest creations. It’s furthermore a amazing place to get the pulse on performances you could join in on and new marketing ideas.
* You know all that annoying spam snail mail you receive with pre-paid postage envelopes inside? Why not save the envelopes and put a little note inside that states since they were kind enough to share their information with you, you are returning the favor. furthermore, with any bill or any correspondence you send out that is official, include a one sheet or little card that has a blurb about you and your music (watch the weight; you do not want to add more postage). Ensure to put your web site on whatever material you have.
* Establish your own podcast and post it on all the podcast web site s.
* Why not send your music to diverse podcasts. Ask permission 1st. Send them to your web site where they could hear a sample or two; and If the y are receptive to playing your music on their podcast, send it along. If the y use your music in their podcast, you could have gained new fans and sold more compact disc s.
The most important thing you could do is to play live. Go to Wal-Mart, Starbucks and other local/regional shops and ask if you could put on a free concert there. Anywhere and any place that will let you play, do! Ensure to have a sign up sheet where people could sign up for your newsletter. Then create a newsletter and send it out once a month at the most. This is a form of “Buzz Marketing” furthermore known as “Viral Marketing.” At the end of the letter make sure you include your webpage of course. Tell your fan base they could pass it along to whoever they want.
This is a truly very tiny list of things you could do. The time for the indie musician is now. Take advantage of it!
Jaci Rae’s grit and determination have brought her from an impoverished childhood to a career as an award-winning singer, No. 1 best -selling author and entrepreneur who has toured around the world. Jaci shares her down-to-earth recommenndation as the relationship advisor/expert/dating coach for igniteromance.com, savvymiss.com, lovingyou.com, loveisgreat.com and lsinglescafe.net
She is the author of The Indie Guide to Music, Marketing and Money, as well as Winning Points With The Woman In Your Life One Touchdown At A Time, Shop for a Day with Jaci Rae How to Get Nearly Anything for Free (not published yet) and Collista’s Search for the True Meaning of Christmas (not published yet).

Are you a musician, singer, songwriter or artist thats wondering how you could make money with your Indie music before you even get a record deal? Well if you have, you are reading the write article. In this series I’m going to share with you a couple of ways you could make money with your music and your furthermore going to learn several strategies to endorse you make even more money with your Indie music.
Let me start off by telling you that the best way to make money with your Indie music is by selling it directly to your fans instead of trying to get distribution into the music stores or selling on iTunes (by the way, you will want to get distribution and sell on iTunes), I’m just saying selling direct to fans is better and you get more money doing it this way (which is important, right?).
So now you are wondering, How do I sell straight to the fans? It is not like you have your own store, right? Well, here is a hint, its staring you in the face right now…. that is right, the Web ! The Web is the  greatest  way to make money with your Indie music! Here are several reasons why the Web is such a amazing vehicle to use to sell your Indie music.
1. You have a group of people who will instantly buy your compact disc  when released
2. You could have your compact discs selling with al most no resolution on your part, just collect the money and ship the compact disc.
3. You get more bang for your buck, advertising and marketing wise.
4. You could have other people sell your compact disc  for you and only pay them when they sell the compact disc s!
How amazing is that! Those are just several of the amazing things about selling your music On-line using the Web. By the way, you do not even have to have a complete compact disc  yet in order to this. Of course it would be better if you did have a whole compact disc, but what Im, saying is that you could sell the singles as you complete them.
To find out what you need to get started selling your compact disc  On-line, check my other article titled What You Need to Make Money With Your Indie Music On-line. Till next time.
What is everybody’s favorite radio station?
Answer — W.I.I.F.M.
What’s In It For Me? What do they get by being your fan? Your client? Your Media people are going to want to know why they should book you. fans want to know why they should continue aid ing you and buying your discs. Your booking agents want to know why they should continue to find performances for your band. The best way to keep ‘em hooked is to tell them What’s in it for them.
Most people are inundated with massive amounts of information. In order to keep them tuned in to your message is to
1) remind them you exist and
2) to Keep it tell them what they’re going to get.
The majority of people in this world are motivated by two things: Fear and Greed. Fear of losing something and the Greed of gaining something. The trick is to keep it short and sweet and above all simple. K.I.S.S. Keep It simple Stupid.
You’ll have a diverse message for your fans. Possibly more entertaining, light hearted, fun. Your Agents are going to want to hear something professional, responsible, business- like. Your Media and Press contacts will want to hear a new twist, public relations, something everybody could use to reach the broad st readership.
Here is another way to keep your reader interested: Use the word “You” instead of “I”.
For example: “I could really get a lot of people to your club if I could get booked there next month” doesn’t work as well as “Your fans will be on their feet and screaming for more when you book our popular performer now selling out rooms thru out the Midwest.”
An additional idea would be, “I’ll get a brand new DVD out in the mail tomorrow” may be vary d to “You’ll be receiving your free DVD as soon as you fax back your info.”
These may be just semantics but when you start using them, you will see an increase in your responses. This will create momentum. When you start getting more calls, u will eventually get more gigs. amazing performances will bring in more fans which will get you better performer bookings from the agents. could you see it?
When you start finding better gigs, two things will happen. You’ll be able to charge more on every performance and you will be getting so a lot of performances able to turn down work.
We’ve all been around the block once or twice without our Mommies here. Or as the saying goes “You could not Dazzle me with Brilliance nor Baffle me with Bull”. Cut to the chase. Give it to me straight. Please do not think that I’m really going to believe you are ready to take the music world by storm if you are playing pool halls and coffee shops. Keep it real. Base your articles and publicity material in the Real World. You and I are not going to fall for B.S. What makes you think everybody out there is any diverse? Tell it like it is. Just add a little sizzle to the steak. Keep your marketing and press statements inspiring and entertaining.  all of us  are in the business of fun.
Feel free to be a little wild and outlandish. It’s okay. people won’t mind. We’re in an industry where people are looking for an escape. Let them have it to take their minds off of things. It keeps us in business. Just keep it real. Take your picture with a donkey for promo. Just do not be the donkey.
Commit to at least six months to any marketing campaign
Do not think you are going to hit a homerun every time. Build slowly and look to just get on base. A walk is as wonderful as a hit. You need to give yourself time to find out what works. Once you do, then do that over and over. Just be sure to try as a lot of diverse marketing pieces as you could afford. Try postcards and Google Ad Words at the same time. See which one works better. Change your message to fit diverse demographics and target markets. Use your creativity to get their attention. There was a performer that sent me their promo. I had about 50 artists sending me stuff for this festival and I opened theirs’ 1st because it was not like all the other packets I was getting.
It was kind of lumpy. Inside was a Nerf Ball with the band’s name on it. Only it was really small and when you got it wet it got really big.  all of us  were whipping this thing around the office and throwing it at each others’ heads. One time  all of us  named the performer following the promotional item  all of us  had in stock. It was a refrigerator magnet made of knotted ropes in the shape of the letter ‘Y’. So  all of us  called the performer “Why Knot”. A bottle of aspirin inside and envelope could accent your opportunity headline that could something along the lines of, “Did that final performer you hire give everybody a headache?”
Be sure to stay within the bounds of the law and there is no limit to what your fertile imagination could come up with to hook ‘em. These suggestions for booking performances and creating better paying music career are found in the breakthrough new book available at our Website. Just look at the link below. There you will find a step by step formula for creating music gigs.
We would love it if you check it out. Either way, I certainly hope you thought of ways you could find performances that pay the most money doing what you love – making music.

With the major labels focusing on quick returns rather than artist development and the arrival of downloading music On-line, the traditional record company/artist relationship has become blurred to the point of being obsolete.
Nowadays, being independent has real perks.
How a lot of times have you heard or read somewhere that the Web has vary d the face of the music business forever? I would love a dollar for everytime I heard it.
However, it’s true and there are a number of reasons for this. Two that spring into mind are that:
1. A traditional record company/artist relationship is optional and not a necessity. You could do your all music sales and performer promotion On-line cutting out all of the ‘middle people ‘.
2. web sites could turn an artist with a local/regional fans into an artist with an international fans. As the Web is not ‘owned’ by any one entity the playing field is a lot more even.
To me, being an independent artist means that you are the one driving the bus and being in control over your own affairs.
A lot of skill ed musicians and performing songwriters around the world are at this truly moment waiting for that knock at the door, the opportunity to ‘get discovered ‘. What is like ly to happen is that they will spend their creative lives being truly disappointed.
If you are reading this and feel that this is you, contemplate this…
Where do you think you would be if you managed your career yourself rather than wait for an individual (or some company) to do it for you?
There are a lot of web sites out in cyberspace that are there to endorse you take control over your career by spreading practical information about performer promotion and the indie music business as a whole, take advantage of these web sites and go to as a lot of as you can
Embrace independence today and capture control over your own musical affairs.