Blogs and websites: points for musicians

• Artist Management
• Online Music Promotion
• Auckland Posters – Design and Print
• DVD Duplication
• Cheap Graphic Design
• DVD copying
• Music Marketing Blog
  
• Youtube Promotions

Have Blogs Killed Conventional Websites?

This is a short list i grabbed from the www.problogger.com site discussing the advantages and i guess differences between blogs and websites.

Now this is from the site of a guy who’s sole 6 figure yearly income comes from posting lists and written pieces like this dicussing blogging, and this has kind of been something I’ve been getting at – these guys are getting rich from monetizing free content with advertising.

I guess I would say that blogs are important to musicians because its as easy way to grow your online presence, develop additional benefits such as search recognition, and get you into the kinds of habits you’ll need as a digital entertainer.

But websites still serve as “your place” a place where you make the rules, and you can create the environment you want for your fans, and dictate what gets shown and how commerce is conducted.
1. Websites are clunky and expensive; blogs are lean and cheap.
2. You have to wait for someone to make changes to your website; your blog can be changed easily by you.
3. You have to wait for someone else to set up your site; your blog can be set up by you in 15 minutes.
4. You can update your blog at an airport, while you’re on the run. You have to call your webmaster … and wait … to update your site.
5. You can collect email addresses, and download free reports and bonuses off of a website. Same with a blog.
6. You can use a shopping cart to collect money for e-commerce of a website. Same with a blog.
7. You can set up a press room with all sorts of cool links and forms on a website. Same with a blog.
8. It takes three to six months for the big search engines to find you with a website. It takes two or three days with a blog.
9. You can easily track stats of who has visited your regular website. Same with a blog.
10. The media are more likely to find you on a blog.
11. You can learn more about your audience from a blog.
12. You market automatically with a blog. But not with a conventional website.
13. You can make a lot more friends with a blog.

Warrant of fitness NZ music industry workshops

I’ll be keeping the worst parts of my personality in check: The flagrant self promoter and the know it all kid who thinks he knows more about monetizing content online than teacher -

but I will definately be there to meet and chat, most likely toting a hand out tip sheet of what I feel are the most important ideas artists should be embracing about building their presence online – which should save me having to get into any arguments.

 Lets just hope no one wants to discuss the state of local online music community facilities provided for New Zealand musicians.

Or how visionary NZ on Air/Creative NZ are.

Or . . .

I really hope they don’t end up talking to us like we all have no problem moving 10,000 units like they so often do.

8th February 2008
The NZ Music Commission has confirmed the speakers for the three-city Warrant Of Fitness music industry seminar series in 2008.
 
Featuring music industry professionals currently working in international markets, the sessions will focus on what makes an act internationally roadworthy, the skills and techniques required to work in the global marketplace, and will assist in developing music careers that are export-ready.
 
Here’s the updated schedule – a must-attend for anyone interested in this field.
 

Wednesday March 5
Auckland Room 4, SKYCITY Convention Centre
 
Session 1 – MIDDAY: Managing From Afar
Mike Holdsworth talks about how to establish and maintain international contacts when starting from scratch. He’ll discuss how much can be done without leaving NZ, the degree of planning and progress you should have in place before going offshore, and what tools are ideal to take with you. Other topics will include examining the most important services to pay for (publicity, radio plugging etc) and how much you can expect them to cost.
 
Session 2 – 2:00PM: The Future Of Independent Labels
Mike Holdsworth and Rev. Moose take a critical look at how much the online world has changed the independent landscape. Sales, promotion, and the deals artists strike all work differently now, so what are the most exciting digital opportunities, and how do you prioritise what will make the most impact? They’ll also discuss the best online strategy or strategies they’ve come across and how they fit into an act’s overall plan of attack.
 
Session 3 – 4:00PM: International Touring
Julian Carswell and Rev. Moose take you through setting up a tour from afar. They’ll discuss how it works with (or without) a booking agent or promoter, parts of the world easier or more profitable to tour than others, and whether to be on someone else’s tour or go it alone. Find out what it is actually like out there on the road, the opportunities or problems that can crop up mid-tour, and how you go about dealing with them in that environment.
 
Thursday March 6 – Auckland
Auckland Room 4, SKYCITY Convention Centre
 
Session 4 – MIDDAY: Making Noise Globally
Mike Holdsworth and Rev. Moose discuss how you best going about making an impact in an increasingly saturated marketplace.  With so many avenues to promote music, be they media, websites, or festivals, are there certain places you should focus on where more of the industry pays attention, and how much should you deviate from your plan when an opportunity arises? They’ll also look at how hard it is to get noticed, and whether giving your music away for free to the public actually works.
 
Session 5 – 2:00PM: Market vs Market
Julian Carswell and Mike Holdsworth discuss some of the key differences between various markets. They’ll look at how deals, promotion, trends, and the industry in general may differ from country to country, and which ones may be the best starting points for your act. Some big territories may have tastemaker regions within them, while some countries take their cues from others – but what are they? Learn more about these key differences to best take advantage of them.
 
Session 6 – 4:00PM: The Wrap Up
All three of our guests will take part in this final session, allowing them to emphasise their main points, talk about what they’ve come across during their time in NZ, and share their final thoughts. They will also be asked to prepare a 5 minute plan for an artist presented to them to illustrate some of the topics previously addressed.
 
Friday March 7
Wellington City Gallery Cinema
 
Session 1 – MIDDAY: Managing From Afar/Making Noise
With Mike Holdsworth and Rev. Moose
 
Session 2 – 2:00PM: International Touring/Market vs Market
With Julian Carswell, Mike Holdsworth and Rev. Moose
 
Session 3 – 4:00PM: The Wrap Up
With Julian Carswell, Mike Holdsworth and Rev. Moose

Saturday March 8
Christchurch CPIT Jazz School Auditorium
 
Session 1 – MIDDAY: Managing From Afar/Making Noise
With Mike Holdsworth and Rev. Moose
 
Session 2 – 2:00PM: International Touring/Market vs Market
With Julian Carswell, Mike Holdsworth and Rev. Moose
 
Session 3 – 4:00PM: The Wrap Up
With Julian Carswell, Mike Holdsworth and Rev. Moose

plasticast strikes back 2008: spamming freeconomics

Okay you may remember my concept the plasticast that I launched this time last year.

to me it was really positive because something I’d turned my back on – running a label – had evolved into a new concept, a giveaway CD promoting local artists that would generate contributions from acts that wanted to participate in the cd, and sponsors that would want to associate their brand with the giveaway.

Another concept I have developed is looking to develop a website that would start by combining itunes (retail) and myspace (social) go into competition with amplifier and could grow to cover practically every function of the NZ music industry within 5 years. But that’s another story bound to lurk in the darkness until its moment comes.

But for the plasticast f course the money never materialized and I decided to pursue an interest in spam.

The funny thing is, the more I’ve learned about spam from bad guys as well as listening to “butter wouldn’t melt” type marketers like Seth Godin the more I came back round to proposing value in a remarkable way.

See the problem with spam on myspace was that it was all done by crazy Korean university students sitting round in their undies playing RPGs and 1st person Shooters creating the most ridiculous propositions for penis pills, legal buds, maceys gift vouchers . . .

But even most lay band spammers don’t understand how spam should be used . . . not just to leave stupidly oversized flyer comments about your latest gig or free download . . . spam works on levels that – though annoying and intrusive as they may be – are FAR more powerful.

My rule became that each time I issued a proposition on myspace by means of spam I had to propose value even MORE remarkably than the last time in order maintain my reputation in the NZ music scene as someone progressive with lofty ambitions for NZ music, not just a money grabbing nuisance taking myspace noobs for a ride.

So this time I am planning to go ahead with the plasticast but to fund it out of kurb myself as a unique “hook” concept, a remarkable concept, a positive concept under which to conduct my next spampaign which encourages the following ideas:

- that kurb is committed to promoting local music even where there isn’t a guaranteed profit involved, and leading by example in showing how free content builds brands.

- unknown musicians must be willing to participate in such projects which do not generate revenue in order to create promotional opportunities to gain exposure, while unknown artists expecting to sell cd’s at sold out gigs will be severely disappointed.

- take a business like approach to the development of new models and start ups, that is to put the model into testing before there is any sign of commercial interest.

- and most obviously, kurb and all the bands associated look good and create awareness and exposure doing it.

So yeah that’s it, Plasticast is back on the cards! But because it’s free, I’ll have to work even harder to make sure the music on the CD is quality. Musicians with poor recordings, no engineering and most importantly that are falling out of tune and time all over the place will not make it on to the CD unless it really is a rough gem!

This helps cover another unspoken issue – that a lot of acts just don’t have the talent.

Of course my first consideration will be for my clients, but come May hopefully there will be a new beta version of the Plasticast around Auckland.

If you’re interested lets get those mp3’s through to kurbpromo@gmail.com

i’m busy as remember so you’re not likely to hear back from me for a while.

Otherwise . . . sit tight for that spam!!!!

Kurb website check it out
Real cheap CD/DVD reproduction in NZ
Kurb Promo on Youtube