Online Music Marketing Diary: May 2009

this is from my main blog over at www.musicmarketingmanagement.com you’ll like it there – just high quality original stuff from me on breaking through to online revenue in the music business – no ratty spun articles, SEO fodder or the like . . .

ONLINE MUSIC PROMOTION ONLINE ARTIST MANGEMENT . . .

many happy music promotingsfor you today

$500 for 3 Months. Comprehensive online music promotion and management. That’s what it is. Email, me Matt -

kurbpromo@gmail.com

THIS WEEK’s top online music promotion plans: Killing it, Websites, Branding, Video Marketing . . .

This week I have been thinking pretty hard about my business. Nothing new there but I was less involved in usual business so I wanted to make sure I was thinking smart about how I was moving forward in general.

See when your operation is small, you can change direction quickly and adapt but you can’t move very quickly.

That’s why when you’re just starting out you can try different things and none of them are easy, but when you’re established, sure things get easier, but you have to plan and execute your creative capital ever more stringently to achieve progressive development.

When I’m thinking, I’m thinking about all sorts of plans but big plans just aren’t real when you’re small time. Just like I’m thinking of sweet automated promotion systems would would take at least tens of thousands of dollars to launch and develop, you’re thinking of having those 1000 true fans each spending over $100 on membership subs and buying $300 limited edition packs and some crazy tie in where you sell some product directly to your fans and get sweet kickbacks from affiliate sales.

You’d like to spend 10k on promotion. I’d like to help,but you don’t have 10k so you’re getting the best help that you can get from for $500.

See those are big ideas off in the distance to be worried about one sweet day when the universe is willing.

In the meantime we have to dig in and get real. Let’s get real together.

>> Where are you killing it? I kill it in CD and DVD duplication that’s where I make my bank so I’ve gotta wonder how we can make BEST = MORE.

Make best, even besterer. Whatever you’re doing right – know you’re doing right – work out how to do it more. Alot of building and marine guys are getting dvd copying done through me because I’m straight up, i’ll put the artwork together for the promo dvd for their new model and give them a good price so it’s no stress for them, so this is all word of mouth.

How can you make your best fans, into your best promoters, by delivering exactly what they want?

>> Website development: Your website is like your career. Online it IS your career. That is, don’t ever think that it’s going to stop progressing and developing. This is particularly relevant to musicians who should be embracing technology as a way to manage fan relationships, it’s not enough just to be able to make sales online and manage a huge emaill list you’ve got to build a more positive experience for your users and fans if you’re really going to break through with something that’s fresh.

Like software. Software could be a game, but it could also be a tool. Software is a way to ineract and bring value in new ways to fans.

>> Artist Branding. Who are you? Seriously? There are just so many people on this planet it’s crazy. What have you got for me that’s new, that’s worth caring about? Because when I’m excited about you it doesn’t matter what you’re selling. Obviously it’s a good thing if  what you’re selling is actually a good thing, but if I’m already interested in you then there’s a good chance I might be interested in finding out more about what you’re selling.

This requires a mastery of subtlety though. Especially in music and entertainment because people are looking for inspiration not a quick fix product. This is what we mean by being authentic, being too eager to promote the proposition and make the sale is not going to make you seem like you’re real and inspirational unless you’ve really got a serious hook to push, like some aids infested african children or something, y’know. We could talk more about antibranding here but we’ll have that talk here at Music. Marketing. Management soon enough.

>> Video Marketing + Branding : I am now getting to the point where y’know gosh eveything I predicted about online video is coming true. Well it’s more subtle than saying “guys who used more video did better than guys who weren’t using opportunities to build with compelling video content” . . . but maybe it’s not.

Video is a great way to illustrate that you have the power to get ALOT of expensive cars with ridiculous additions together witha lot of young ladies with well endowed bottoms who are disposed to shaking and grinding said bottoms but you can actually use video for many more purposes and there are a number of alternative strategies for generating attention and engagement with audiences.

Again with the branding – what can you do thats appropriate for your brand?  If you’re not a top 40 style artist authenticity will win the day, so still make an effort but don’t feel your videos need to feel like hollywood blockbusters.

An honest and straightforward video addressing fans candidly is being authentic. Why not give it a try?

The big thing for me is knowing that the future is about producing more and better content. I’m not setting out to do one more video, I’m on a mission – as should you – committed to doing increasing amounts of video. Every month, to every fortnight, to every week, to irregular days – and then building quality from there.

>> More Branding: I have been back on my artist blog writing about my experiences and inspiration as an artist. I don’t sctually expect anyone to read it, it’s not a promotional effort, more, I am training myself for the need to stay engaged with video, or my blog, or whatever it is that I’m using to produce constant content.

My thoughts are generally around business models that leverage what we do have and insulate us against possible bummers.

I think the conclusion of my thinking was that when you’re small time you can’t make big moves.

Time and time I’ve come back to the music business as the core of what I do, because it’s what I know. I can’t start up in the garage with something I know little about, I’ve got to branch out from already established areas.  Similarly, when you have found things to be working, don’t be changing up the recipe too much.

In the end the branding carries the day, when positive image is connected with a positive consumer experience then the brand grows, and when your brand is strong, and you’re brand driven, that’s a platform for doing what you like.

This is what all this talk about “tribes” is, people need leaders who share their values to bring forward new ideas that are important to them, this is what the brands of musicians and other individuals do for people, provide them with inspiration and leadership in ideas.

And so the right ideas will spread and so will your artist brand.

So that’s about it for now, except to say I think things will be picking up on this blog now that I’ve got the management of my business a little bit more under control. Of course we want to look at ways to make money, but if you just want to make money without wanting to be a real artist than there’s much easier ways.

Myspace + Social Media Marketing

Blog Promotion

Online Promotion

Youtube Promotion + Video Marketing

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Myspace + Social Media Marketing

Web +Graphic Design

Blog Promotion

Online Promotion

Youtube Promotion + Video Marketing

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Now I can only come at this from a business angle because that’s what I do. You’ve got to see your music as business and there’s point getting involved with me if you haven’t already started to put together a business model, a plan to get paid for what you do.

And I don’t mean having a dream about being a big star; you need what I’ve called the “now” money because it’s the least you’re going to need to put back into building your enterprise to give yourself a chance.

There’s a relationship between your artist brand, which the experience you’re building for your fans, for consumers, for potential business partners, and the actual music monetization strategy to fund the brand building to a point you can cash in, cash out, sell out, whatever.

That’s unless you’ve got the money to spend of course and you just want to make it happen. I mean come on – you’re going to have to spend a lot of money building your brand anyway so you may as well get started . . .

But’s that’s not so many people. It’s more than you’d think though, because a lot of people do end up coming to me, paying me out and expecting to head back to the studio or practice room without giving it another thought, but that’s totally the wrong way to go about it.

Great songs are important, but your brand is now JUST as important. For every great artist you can name, I bet I can name an artist who used their brand, not their talent to get over the line. Take Lady Gaga or Marilyn Manson – they don’t exceptional talent or even good looks! They JUST have their brand.

Point being: If you want a career than you must take building your artist brand seriously.

So generally, musicians don’t have pots of money to back themselves so like any business, your first priority is to become profitable asap, so you can plow profit back into the business for the first few years and then start to ride, and I can tell you all about that.

Being shrewd in business as I am, I’m happy to talk to you about where the money will come from – aside from that crazy “leverage” stuff i’m always on about.

See when you do a lot gigs you do a lot of work and you put a lot on the line. You’ve got to take a good look at what you do best, where you’re providing the most value, where that intersects with the technology available to you, and how you can provide the most value at the least expense to meet a demand you know exists.

In other words, make it easy on yourself. I mention gig promotion because a lot of kids – just like me – get suckered into the idea putting on shows and playing lots of shows will make money WRONG you’ll be getting money and great branding opportunities when your very own brand is strong enough that promoters and venues will pay you to play, that’s when you’ve got a business model.

Put on shows by all means – I still do – but don’t expect it to be a money spinner.

So what can you do now? You can make up a post or a plan explicitly detailing the types of performances and services that you can provide for a cost.

How much for a wedding? I don’t care if you’re Satanic Gypsy Noisecore let’s start putting the proposition out there, what can you do and how much can you charge?

What if I want to commission a song, what about that? Soundtrack work? Licenses? What kind of sponsorship arrangements could be on the table? If you don’t frame this stuff how are you going to build an agenda that sees you getting paid what you’re worth for something that your fans truly value?

This is the value of this kind of exercise, it’s gets you thinking about building business propositions into what you’re doing in music. The you can take two step backs and suck it in.

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Is that going to fly? How can you sweeten the deal without making it an extra drag for you?

This is how I run my business. These are the questions I ask every ffffunkin day!

But that’s not the only business thinking you’re doing. Thinking like an entrepreneur is all about raising capital so you can expand.And by expand I mean, step up with more professional marketing to get work your proposition

You’re thinking like a capitalist: Why in the hell would you put all your money into CD duplication, when you’re sinking into an investment that sees your money stuck in these bits of plastic for the year and a half it takes to sell them all one by one making $5 a pop.

That means you have to sell 100 CD’s just to pay me and that’ll take you months.

So there’s two reason why I suggest the key tipping point to investing into music marketing services is that point where you actually have a proposition on which to build your music into a business that’s running.

1: You actually have the money to cover your ongoing investment in maintaining and building your brand

2: When you sit down with me (because lets face it getting one on one personal advice as well as an actual online music promotion campaign and management doesn’t come any cheaper than me) it’s best that we have something to talk about that is actually going somewhere, that is tested, something you’ve actually made sales with or showed serious potential for- that’s somethign we can work with.

That’s when you’re ready to take to the next level and use as the leverage you need to invest in to your artist branding music marketing, your music management, your music career.