Live Music Archive

Let’s face it, the wildfire spread of web-based portals designed to introduce independent music to the world has created a bewildering array of opportunities and costs. So where do they all balance out? When does the fee of signing up to yet another music promotion service yield solutions? What solutions are we looking for anyway?

The key is to make your Web promotion targeted, systematic and rich.

What’s the central drive for independent artists  encourage  their music on the web? The fundamental incentive for Internet promotion is the occasion to get your music heard by people who might otherwise never know that you exist! If people know you exist they can be come listeners and repeat- listeners. Which of those listeners buy CD’s and downloads? Targeted listeners.

The the majority necessary goal of Web promotion is to attract targeted audiences.

Any independent artist who demonstrates they use the Internet to sell their music has missed the primary target – attracting targeted audiences. Attracting targeted audiences should be every independent  musician’s  1st priority. Don’t forget, you don’t sell your music – audiences BUY your music. It is a buyers market. The more targeted audiences you have, the more sales you make – offer d you’re systematic in getting your targeted audiences.

The best way to get targeted listeners is to be systematic.

a lot of musicians tend to approach their Web promotion thinking that since they have a website and have signed up to a couple of performer showcase website s, that the listeners will just come pouring in. Yes you’ve managed to target some potential listeners, but you still have to shout, “Hey, over here… you will like the sound of this!” A systematic approach to getting listeners to hear your music will attract and maintain their interest. But recall to make sure you’ve the content ready for the listener to enjoy.

Sites rich in content will retain your targeted listener.

In the independent  musician’s  case, the rich content is the music. This could seem like old news, but look at the amount of independent musician websites that give the visitor loads of info about the band but extraordinarily little (or hidden) ear candy. Music should be the 1st thing a visitor gets. At the extraordinarily least they need an clear link to where they could listen to your music. And not just one or two tracks but a variety of your music. Indie musicians have to remember they haven’t had the radio exposure to model the presentation of their music following more well established acts. Listeners need to be convinced they like your independent music before they will buy it.

So the question is how to make your Internet promotion targeted, systematic and rich?

Tips for Targeting.

The optimum targeted audiences on the Web will be those that make it to your website. Locate a way to know who they are. session up a newsletter and make it simple to sign up to it. individuals interested enough to want to receive news about you’re your hardcore Web audiences, keep them happy.

The next best group of targeted listeners are those that hear your music on other website s. Try to select websites that allow listeners to link to your website. If they like your music they can click on that link to visit your website. You can then find out where these visitors are coming from. Locate a wonderful Internet statistics package that lets you know which websites your visitors are being referred from. Take note of those websites and focus your quests with them accordingly.

When picking web sites on which to  promote  your music, check to see Assuming that they offer any individual stats relating to your music. like how many track plays or page views you and your music receive on their web site. This way you might check in periodically and monitor your performance with these web site s.

Systematic Steps.

The key to being systematic is organization. Keep a note of all the web sites you use to  promote  your music, a brief description of what they do and how much it costs. Try to get into the practice of monitoring all of them regularly. Take note of which web sites are getting better results than others and focus your resolutions accordingly. You may pay for minimal promotion on one web site, while another gets you loads of audiences for free. Naturally you will want to put more resolution into updating the web sites that are getting better results.

provide a link on your website and newsletters to all of the websites you use to  encourage  your music. Do not forget your website visitors are your hardcore Web audiences and are the the majority prefer ly to check out and spread the word about your spot on other website s. So  encourage  them to visit your profile on other website s. At the considerably least it raises your stats on those websites – making your music look more popular!

Try to establish a ring of web sites that link to each other though the content you supply. For instance, you can have your music on your own web site and two other showcase web sites – web site A and web site B. Your web site should without a doubt link with web site A and web site B. web site A should link with your web site and web site B, web site B should link with your web site and web site A and so on. What If the se web sites don’t allow you to  set up links to other web site s? Put a Internet address in the areas where they do allow you to supply content. prefer biogs or descriptions.

The highest quality aim of linking all your web sites is to offer your listeners with a variety of access points to your music, as well as access to the varying ways numerous web sites could deliver your music. Remember to link to your specific page on the web site and not just the web site itself. Your web site linked with a web site that play your tracks on Internet radio, linked with a web site that sells your downloads, linked with a web site that sells your compact disc’s offers for a dynamic mixture of exposure.

Be Rich

in the absence of resources ! That is the challenge that the majority independent performers face. The conventional approach to selling music is that it should not be too readily available to listen to, should the incentive for listeners to actually buy albums be undermined. This has persuaded independent performers that they should limit Web listeners to low-quality snippets of streaming audio.

Independent artists have to recall they do not have the sources and finances to assist the “shotgun approach” of spraying their music across radio and music television. Big artists have ample companies behind them that need to recoup the expenses of mass media exposure, and and so try to limit the extent to which fans might sample their music on the web. Listeners have already heard the music and are trying to find a copy of their own.

Conversely, fans haven’t had a chance to listen to independent artist through conventional media. Therefore independent musicians can’t assume that people will buy their music off of a website If they do not get a chance to really listen to it. If people have already heard an  artist’s  music, and like it, the value they pay for is in owning a copy they might performance whenever they like. If people haven’t already heard an  artist’s  music, the value is in being able to sample as much of the music as possible.

So being rich is providing your listeners with as much of your music as they want to listen to before they buy it. Now you don’t have to make all your tracks available for free download, but you can provide nice quality, full-length streams that impress the listener and increase your sound. Not tight-fisted snippets that lose the listener because they’re lo-fi and over before they attract the listener’s interest.

Being rich is likewise making your music available in a variety of formats for varying fans s. Telling fans that your music can be heard via Internet radio, on-demand streams, mp3 downloads and mail order CD  means you could appeal to fans who like more than one kind of media. You could likewise use your Internet promotion to go beyond freely plays and sales – think about licensing.

Licensing your music for use with television, film, advertising, web site s, video games and other multimedia will open up your listening fans, provide re Club and introduce a degree of professionalism to your career that attracts the notice of industry reps and A&R. Adding this depth to your Internet promotion stimulates to enrich the presentation of your music and retain targeted fans.

So remember : a) maximise your targeted fans, b) be systematic in capture ing them, and c) retain them by making sure your own website and other websites are rich in content.

1) Screen savers - these are really cool because individuals differ their screensavers a lot. And they really spread fast if individuals like them because they’re quickly exposed. You might visit freesaver.com for a range of tools to make them. For Mac users you might try iScreensaver Designer. Screensaver making software does not cost much ( regularly about $29). Definitely value every penny.

2) MySpace layouts – Why don’t you make MySpace layouts for your audiences? This promotes you ample time because everyone who visits their profile sees your band! It’s as cool as an individual wearing your performer T-Shirt. You may not be wonderful with CSS( that’s what is used to make layouts). You may visit http://www.picgames.com/forum/myspace-layout-editor.php or make-myspace.com to produce the layouts and make them downloadable from your website.

3) Phone videos – You know how people like watching little videos on their cell phones. You could effortlessly establish little gig videos (or your music video if you have one) and make them available to your audiences. There many particularly cheap cell phone video converters out there. Just Google the term and you’ll get many choices. Possibly your phone came with a disc that has a converter.

4) Games and widgets – All right, so this one is a bit more complex. You might establish a cool game using Flash (or get a person to do it). individuals might embed it on their websites and profiles. If you upload it to a website prefer newgrounds.com you might literally get thousands of visitors to your performer website in a matter of days!

You might even be the primary hero of the game. Imagine how cool that would make you!

Here are some quick tips to make your viral promotional materials stronger;

Sex sells

This is true but don’t overestimate it. You are selling your music not your body.

Having said that make sure you look attractive in the pictures and videos you use. You may additionally show off your body a little but don’t over do it. It may not give you the solutions you want.

Be larger than life

Whatever you do, make sure it is something your audiences can look up to or aspire to be. If you present yourself as “just another person ” that is how you’ll be perceived. I am sure you can contemplate many ideas to make you look even cooler than you already do.

Don’t forget ; in show business perception is reality.

Label your stuff!

Ensure you band name or better still web site address can be apparent ly seen on all your materials. That way, when fans prefer your promotional materials they know where they may get more.

Virtually nothing would be more annoying to you, than getting a lot of downloads and individuals forgetting where they got them from.

Put endeavor into it

People make the mistake of thinking viral marketing is about doing nothing and getting a lot in return.

Your listeners must enjoy whatever it’s you’re giving them.

You furthermore have to make sure you produce stuff that truly represents your performer image. Yes, it will take some time and resolution. If you do not believe in it do not do it!

Be original but a bit “generic”

Your promo materials should stand out but in a way that fits you genre. You know perfect what type of things your fans prefer. Creating images and logos that people naturally drift to in your genre will make your work spread faster.

You may even make screensavers or wallpapers that only contain themes your audiences like and efficiently put your name or Web URL on them!

Promoting your music Internet has never been as simple as it is now. In 2008. And for audiences and performers a prefer, this is incredibly exciting.

Why is music promotion easier now for the average performer, band and songwriter? Why has been it hard before?

There are two key reasons why music promotion has been hard before.

1st ly, music production and distribution was largely the domain of five large record organizations.

Between them they controlled a catalogue of some 3.5 millions songs (2004). This catalogue of songs took over seven decades to compile. And they were only growing their catalogue by a negligible 36,000 or so albums each year.

Secondly, their power was based on controlling an offline based, bricks and mortar music business where fans purchased expensive compact disc’s from record shops.

How easy do you think it has been to get your tunes noticed, produced blockbuster-marketed in those times?

Why’s it easier now?

Mark Vidler, of Go Home Productions in the United Kingdom (UK), summarizes the rewards of the new music environment.

“You don’t need a distributor, because your distribution is the Internet. You don’t need a record label, because it’s your bedroom, and you don’t need a recording studio, because that’s your PC. You do it all yourself.

In just 37 words, a performer has just related you what things have change d.

Web marketing pioneer, Mark Joyner, observes on his easy ology blog that You don’t need a label. You don’t need an agent. You don’t even need a immense budget. Some people do this on a zero-dollar ad budget.”

In just 27 words, a marketing maven has given you three success secrets for promoting your music Internet.

Let us put the experts aside for a second and bring it back to you, the songwriter, the artist, looking to make music to share with audiences.

In the beginning when you’re holding down a day job, scores and hundreds of listeners will make you feel famous.

When you’ve played to hundreds then you will want to play to thousands of fans. When thousands have viewed your videos or downloaded your music, then it will feel normal to shoot for millions of video views, downloads and sales.

And you know what? In the Web age, going for millions of listeners is just that: normal.

Let us look at just one specific Internet development that underlines the new normal.

MySpace started in February 1999. In February 2008, MySpace has musician profiles numbering 13.4 millions. Musicians typically register for three profiles so 13.4 million profiles actually represents around 4.45 millions musicians and bands.

That is quite several.

Each profile provides their visitor an average three tunes to listen to. Which means that on MySpace.com alone, there are about 13.4 million tunes posted.

That is 13.4 million tunes.

Did you notice what just happened? In nine years (less than one decade) MySpace has compiled more tunes faster than the record companies.

Virtually four times more tunes seven times faster!

What a record company nightmare. Worse, this is only one Website that is buried them. What about all the other music web site s?

iTunes for example, are up to a million paid music downloads. Daily.

Has the game vary d or has the game vary d?

Has promoting your music Online just got easier or has it just got easier?

If you are a musician who has released your own album or is getting ready to release an album some time in the future then developing a strategy to successfully market your music Web is absolutely essential.

The music business is changing rapidly and there is wonderful news and there is bad news for the Indie performer.

The Bad News: The bad news is that the music business is turning into more competitive than ever. Music retail chains are closing left right and center and major labels are signing less and less un found artists. This leaves less opportunities for artists to find a label to distribute their music and for those few who are the lucky ones there are even less opportunities to sell it.

The Good News: The nice news is that the changing major label environment is occasion up new opportunities for the independent musicians to carve out niche of their personal. While this might mean that there are less and less million dollar record deals out there, it also means that there are more and more ways to generate five, even six figures a year recording and releasing music on your own.

Still, despite what you may have heard, marketing your music successfully On-line isn’t as simple as creating a MySpace profile, throwing up a few tunes and watching the sales roll in. No, instead you need to develop a smart strategy to successfully market your music On-line. Music marketing is an art form in its own right but with a little research and a bit of hard work you may just be the next artist to cease their day job and to realize your dream of being a full time artist.

If you’re clueless on how to sell your music Online you came to the right place. You’ll find answers on what you need to get started.

Build your own performer web site

If you want to have credibility you need to have your own performer website. Register one as soon as possible; alternatively a person else will. I know one artist who achieved major success and now has to fight because somebody else owns the domain name.

It’ll likewise be easier to build your own mailing list. If you ever tried placing a sign-up form on your MySpace.com profile, you know what I mean. There is an annoying message that comes up anytime someone tries to join your list.

The message is standard ally a warning that is supposed to protect MySpace users form getting their password stolen. Even though they mean well, it can really hurt your sign-up rate.

For cheap domain names go to GoDaddy.com. I use them myself.

If You Sell Your Music On-line – Do It On iTunes

Tunecore.com is a service that will get your music not only on iTunes but on all other major Online music stores as well.

It doesn’t cost  profoundly much to  set up and is  profoundly easy to use.

You ought to furthermore list your music on CD Baby.net. This website is the number one place to  encourage  your CD  Web. CD  Baby gets a huge number of visitors every month who are looking for new music to buy.

Promote your music.

Don’t just sign up for these services. You need to energeticly  promote  yourself if you want to succeed Web. If all you do is to wait for something to happen you will could end up exceedingly disappointed.

You must truly devote yourself to succeeding if you want to make a living from your music.

The secret to marketing music successfully Web is to first get organized. Develop a music business plan that outlines how many much resources you need to generate in sales, how many albums you’ll need to sell to reach your goals and how much resources you can justify invest ing to market your music. Assuming you are on a limited budget I have outlined a few easy strategies you can use to  promote  your performer or music Web.

1. Optimize Your web site : Most artists receive dozens, even hundred of visitors every day to their web site. But the reality is that most individuals do not buy albums after only one visit. Do whatever it takes to get individuals to sign up to your mailing list so that you may continue to communicate with them, obtain familiarity and best ly sell them your album at some point down the line.

2. MySpace.com Marketing: MySpace.com is amazing but it is not to be relied upon as your sole means of marketing your music successfully. However, be sure to send out regular bulletins promoting special provides and get togethers. As much as you can, try to drive people back to your official web site where you may get them to sign up your mailing list.

3. Forum Marketing. Find a number of active music forums that allow signature links. Create a signature that promotes your band. Go into these forums as usually as possible and add value to the discussions. The more people value what you have to say, the more prefer ly they are to click through to your band’s Web site.

Music marketing is an art form in its own right. These are just several easy tips to marketing your music successfully on the Web. With a little bit of know how and a bit of hard work you ought to start to see an increase in album sales in no time.

Ideally each page of your web site ought to serve a specific purpose. The primary purpose of the sales page for your cd is to sell the cd.

If have a page with Google Adsense, the primary purpose is to generate money by to get people to click on the advertisement. If its not an vital part of the process, don’t load up the page with unnecessary things like animations or sounds. This will only distract visitors from achieving the task laid out for them, ie. buying your product.

Following are some pointers to include in your website and the primary purpose of each.

1) Main Page – The main pages is a general landing page to funnel visitors to varying areas of your website. Create a clear and easy navigation process linked to the other pages of your website. *If you use Javascript for navigation, place text link at the bottom. This ensures that search engines will be able to spider your website properly. You could furthermore use this page to feature your cd, music samples and other offer s.

2) Order Page(s) – Start a sales letter for each item that your are selling. Tomorrow we will go over some copywriting tips to build a successful order page.

3) Press Releases – This section is where visitors might read 3rd party articles published about you, growing your credibility and exposure.

4) Contact Information – This is so individuals can get a hold of you to book shows, ask questions about products, collaborations, interviews or other opportunities (you never know). Include as much contact information as possible, like your phone, cell, mailing address, email etc.

5) Privacy Policy – Complies with privacy laws if your are collecting any of information about your customers/visitors. This also stimulates to build trust and individuals will give their information more freely. Here’s a link to a privacy policy generator. http://www.the-dma.org/privacy/creating.shtml

6) Electronic Press Kit – This is where you refer the media to conveniently download an information package about you. Here is some tips on what you may include:

*Biography

*Demo tunes

*Pictures

*Reviews/Testimonials

*Sideshow Of Photos

*Video or Film Footage (Windows Media or Quicktime format)

Establish a biography with pictures in .pdf format and make it available for download. You might use the Writer program contained in the free Open Office Suite http://www.openoffice.org to do this. Open then program type (or paste) in your biography and insert pictures. When your done go to File > Export As PDF.

7) Lyrics – Allows fans to get more familiar with your music. additionally adds content to your web site which will get select ed up by the search engines if it has an incoming link form your central page or somewhere else.

Biography – On your bio page sections listeners read about you and see your pictures. A sideshow of your photos at times adds a good touch.

9) Concert Listings/News – Keep your audiences and website visitors updated with the latest news about your performance s/shows, interviews, appearances ond other topics of interest.

It’s a safe bet that, since the arrival of cognitive human beings on this earth, music has, in some form had a meaningful effect on their lives. The 1st sounds, other than speech, were might produced by hitting something; wood, stone or hide; and ancient individualss must have appreciated the sounds of the world around them; of water, weather and animals; and were the sounds of a rippling stream or a gushing waterfall music to their ears? And when they stood at the seashore did the crashing waves and the suck of the tides move them in some way?

There is something deep within our psyche, which reacts and ‘ remember s’ music. It is more than probable that sounds relating to music and rhythm came long before sounds relating to communication and speech. Today, this theory may be tested by noting a baby’s reaction to a lullaby as compared to speech. If you’re lucky, humming might soothe the the majority fractious child and even send them to sleep! Music, in the form of rhythm was used by a lot of individualss as a way of sending messages to out of sight recipients; contemplate the jungle drums of Africa or the Alpine horn, the Aboriginal didgeridoo or the use of bells as a warning of attack.

The days of learning our lessons by rote have, mostly, disappeared. This is because it has, rightly, been recognised that we don’t necessarily absorb the content of what we repeat over and over again. But, as an support to memory, music still has its uses. tunes we have learnt in childhood may be recalled far later in life than mere words. Music is a well known and much used therapy in illnesses that involve memory loss; Stroke, Alzheimers etc; and not only as a recall support but additionally as a re-learning tool. Speech therapists use music extensively when trying to teach stroke victims how to speak again. The rhythm and melody of a familiar tune will often ‘trigger’ a positive response, when no amount of visual stimuli has an effect.

And then there is the cohesive quality of music; from the singing of a country’s National Anthem to a football crowds chant; from carol singers to brass bands. Musical participation has been used in every walk of life. The chain gangs of America’s Deep South would use music to get through the day and produce a rhythm to mundane physical labour. Sailors would pull a hawser or’sheet’ in unison while singing a familiar ‘hornpipe’ or reel; The amazing gospel sounds that poured from the wooden churches of the Southern states black population were a potent community tool to  encourage  and celebrate their culture; a lucky offshoot has been the inspiration of much of our modern rhythm and blues. Nowadays factories all over the world use ‘piped’ music to soothe the workers; if you are doing a humdrum task music might make the time go faster.

When we think about it music is not just a pleasant pastime that’s either passively listened to or actively produced. It has a much deeper, more fundamental purpose. Our reactions to outside get togethers can be completely altered by music. It could make us happy, sad, frightened, elated, thoughtful . . . the list of feelings it engenders are as long as their number. And words are not important to produce this ambience; for instance, how would silent movies have worked in the absence of the music? Those Keystone Cops in the absence of the frenetic piano plinkity plonk; the doe eyed heroines in the absence of the sobbing strings; the very large sweeping epics in the absence of full orchestral back up? They just would not have worked. Nowadays, with the proliferation of world music, we listen to and enjoy music in many disparate languages, in the absence of necessarily understanding a word the singers say; much as opera has been once listened to as the fashionable ‘world’ music of its day; just another example of the emotive power of music.

Now,it’s fair to say that music has an innate basis in our evolutionary makeup. all of us have could used it since homo sapiens 1st walked the earth. Other animals do use sounds in their day to day living (frogs croak, dogs howl, sheep bleat etc.) but, with the possible exception of birds, all of us are the only species to find pleasure in making melody out of sound. We’ve utilised every viable tool, from the human voice to electronic tones, to establish ever more varied compositions. Wouldn’t it be intriguing to discover how soon into our evolution the power and beauty of the human voice was appreciated? As the centuries have passed musicians have been, rightly, feted for their skill to move us with song, melody and rhythm. Once musicians were revered as priests, interpreting the sounds of the gods. Nowadays all of us are more pragmatic; but all of us still need that harmony in our lives; even if it’s only our mobile telephone  ringtone!

Creating a loyal fan base on MySpace.com will endorse your music career in many ways. If you generate enough fan enthusiasm, record labels will check out your page to see what all the buzz is about. Still another reason audiences are important is that they’re the ones who pay to see your shows. If you have a loyal following, more invites for gigs will start rolling in – record labels will definitely take notice then.

While you have could done all of the usual MySpace marketing like register your profile page and uploaded music, if you’re not taking advantage of other tools on the website, then you may not be creating that buzz you’re looking for. Sure, some listeners will find you through their friends, other artists, or from searching for music that resembles your, but to truly create a fan base that will stick with you, you need to connect with individuals so they’ll be able to share not only your music, but part of your musical life.

There are a lot of ways to produce a loyal fan base on MySpace.com including:

Forums and Blogs – These are places where you might speak directly to audiences. Participating in forums and writing a blog will enable audiences to find your profile page much easier than doing a genre search or other keyword search. Earning the friends hip of audiences will make them loyal to your music.

Cross-marketing - If you have other musician friends who are using MySpace.com to get noticed by fans and record labels, partner up with them. You may swap profile page links, information about upcoming events, and mention them in blogs and forums.

This is a wonderful way to increase exposure in the absence of having to do too much. If a record label visits one of the profile pages, they may want to check out other performers listed.

Fans will also want to see who their preferred artist listens to, which will generate more traffic for the both of you.

Upload Photos and Video – fans love to see photos, video, and more from their preferred performers because it makes them feel closer to them. Candid photos and video footage of rehearsals, behind the scenes at get togethers, and personal photos of you writing songs or playing the guitar are what fans want to see.

Upload Covers of Other songs – In addition to adding your own songs, why not cover a few classics? This will demonstrate for you r listeners that you’re diverse and willing to take risks. If possible, record a song that is out of your usual genre. Reach new listeners this way and endorse record labels see just how skill ed you really are.

As you might see, creating a loyal fan base is not c hall enging. The tips above are wonderfully easy to in corporate into your profile page. Getting the word out there will be your toughest challenge since MySpace.com continues to grow each day. Word of mouth is still one of the perfect ways to get noticed, but uploading new material, showing audiences more of your personal ity, and making connections with others will advocate you stand out from the rest and advocate you find even more audiences.