TuneBlog

TuneBlog News: Monday, July 19th Edition

2010-07-19T15:32:00.000-04:00

"Your Band Is A Virus" Aims To Demystify Independent Music Marketing

Canadian Music Collective Independent Music Promotions Recently Celebrated The Release Of The E-book "Your Band Is A Virus", Focusing On Viral Promotion Techniques.

Announcing 'Music E-Blast,' A Direct And Economical Way For Artists To Reach New Fans

Musicians are always looking for ways to increase their fan base. With MySpace's popularity teetering out and Facebook becoming overcrowded and cost-prohibitive on which to advertise, email marketing remains an effective and economical way for both artists and labels to reach a targeted group of potential fans.

TheIndie.biz Launches "Social Buying and Selling" for Its Independent Music Site

TheIndie.biz launched today its much-awaited social buying and selling feature allowing independent music fans to tag and feature their favorite songs as well as sell them through their Twitter, Facebook, Bebo, and MySpace accounts. This unique social buying and selling opportunity will also give independent bands a vast and exponentially growing network of virtual sales points for their music.

Ditto Music Announce 24 Hours iTunes Delivery Time As Standard

Ditto Music, the distribution specialist for unsigned artists, has announced improved iTunes turnaround times of just 24 hours. Whilst the standard distributor turnaround is 4/5 weeks , Ditto Music artists will have their content live on iTunes within 24 hours of uploading.

Upstart Music Site Becomes Establishment

Early each weekday morning, the indie music Web site Pitchfork posts five new album reviews. Hours later a 22-year-old reader named David downloads them onto his BlackBerry, reads them on his way to work and muscles out a rambling but surprisingly fluid response using his phone’s MemoPad function: no links, no capital letters at the start of sentences, just adrenalized response.

TuneBlog News: Wednesday, July 14th Edition

2010-07-14T17:44:00.002-04:00

Rock Steady Music Announces Expansion

Rock Steady Music (RSM), a leading music label services agency, announced an expansion of its suite of services and staffing changes today.

Jarvis Cocker backs independents in battle of the music labels

In an age of plummeting CD sales, rampant digital piracy and slashed expenses budgets, music executives are rarely cheerful. But today the atmosphere was quietly optimistic at the biggest gathering of independent record labels of the year.

AU Student Wants Your Band’s Songs on MusicFloss, but not Your Money

Either he’s generous or he’s crazy, but David Isaacson’s passion for independent music eclipses any financial incentives. While still in high school, Isaacson created IndieMuse, a blog whose slightly redundant mission is to be “a place where people who are as passionate about music as we are can come together to listen and talk about music.”

How to save the music business

Is Tommy Silverman the smartest man in the music business? There are people who think so, and there’s proof he’s pretty smart.

TuneBlog News: Tuesday, July 13th Edition

2010-07-13T23:14:00.000-04:00

New Band Signs on to Major Record Label – Where Does All the Money Go?

If you’ve been around the copyright debate for a while, chances are, you’ve heard the labels in the debate argue over and over that the artists deserve to be paid. Really, though, if you look at the numbers of where money goes in a major record label when it comes to album sales, maybe the major labels should take that advice and actually pay their artists a decent amount of money for a change.

A copyright ruling no one can like

Legal experts sympathetic to copyright owners as well as those known for supporting technology companies are criticizing a federal judge's decision to lower a jury award in a high-profile lawsuit about file sharing.

TheIndie.biz Launches “Social Buying and Selling” for Its Independent Music Site

TheIndie.biz launched today its much-awaited social buying and selling feature allowing independent music fans to tag and feature their favorite songs as well as sell them through their Twitter, Facebook, Bebo, and MySpace accounts. This unique social buying and selling opportunity will also give independent bands a vast and exponentially growing network of virtual sales points for their music.

TuneBlog News Wednesday: June 23, 2010

2010-06-23T12:51:00.007-04:00

Major Bing Release Brings Free Streaming Music, Games, TV, and Movies

Microsoft's Bing search engine may not be on Google's level, but it's an effective tool that's gaining marketshare. Today's rollout of entertainment features is only going to continue that forward momentum.

Soundtrack brings indie music to the mainstream

Twilight: Eclipse, the newest installment in the vampire novel-turned-movie gravy train, has put out one of the year’s best albums and possibly one of the best soundtracks ever. On said album, a bevy of artists — ranging from Muse, Vampire Weekend and The Bravery to lesser-known bands such as The Black Keys, Band of Horses and The Dead Weather — grace the ears of many, many screaming vampire-enthused teens.

Indie Music Website, Boost Independent Music, Celebrates World Cup with Music from Around the Globe

Independent and unsigned music website Boost Independent Music (www.boostindependentmusic.com) is helping soccer fans celebrate the World Cup with one of the world’s biggest catalogues of global music to download.

Now, upload your music on the Web and perform live

It could well be the opportunity Rishabh Srivastava has been waiting for. In a few weeks from now, the 21-year-old will go on stage at the Xtreme SPorts bar in Delhi as the opening act for Parikrama, the Indian rock band.

Trustkill Records Founder Launches Bullet Tooth Records

Known worldwide for founding and running Trustkill Records since 1994, New Jersey native Josh Grabelle has launched a brand new record label and publishing company, Bullet Tooth. Best known for his A&R and marketing successes with hardcore and metal bands Bleeding Through, Hopesfall, Walls Of Jericho, Bullet For My Valentine, Throwdown, Poison The Well, Terror, It Dies Today, Eighteen Visions, and more, Grabelle has sold over 2 million albums worldwide.

New TuneRay YouTube Channel

2009-12-09T00:32:00.002-05:00

TuneBlog News Monday: November 16th Edition

2009-11-16T21:13:00.008-05:00

Links to newsworthy items regarding independent music from around the world!

Mi2N Launches PR Writing Service For Music Industry: Mi2n-Press

With a dozen years at the forefront of music PR, Mi2N announced the launch of MI2N-PRESS. MI2N-PRESS provides a complete PR solution for independent artists, labels and music companies, including professional press release writing and the option to combine the service with selected Mi2N Music PR marketing packages.

Discovering New Music Artists In The Digital Age: Interscope Digital Distribution Reaches Beyond DIY

The promise of the digital revolution in the music industry takes another step forward with the creation today of Interscope Digital Distribution (IDD), by Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records. Through http://www.interscopedigitaldistribution.com/, IDD will work in conjunction with TuneCore to distribute new and independent artists' original music for sale on such leading retailers as the iTunes Store, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3, Shockhound, eMusic, and Napster, among many others worldwide.

Music store offers free guitar 're-string' in exchange for food items

A Springfield music store will be accepting nonperishable food items Nov. 21 in exchange for a free guitar re-string.

TuneBlog News Monday: August 24th Edition

2009-08-25T13:43:00.013-04:00

Links to newsworthy items regarding independent music around the world!

New National Music Company Launches in Norwich - Jigsaw House is a brand new independent music company based in Norwich and operating throughout the UK, with the sole aim of getting good music noticed.

Yahoo’s Launch Wins Court Ruling Over Webcasting Fees - A Yahoo! Inc. unit won an appeals court ruling that may protect Internet radio stations from paying higher music royalties, in a setback to labels such as Sony Corp.’s BMG Music and Bertelsmann AG’s Arista Records.

The Merging of Independent Book and Record Stores - The LA Times reports on some notable shifts going on amongst a handful of book and music retailers. They are seeing more product crossover beginning to happen between independent book sellers and music shops.

How the Internet has brought independent music online - If music is the universal language of mankind, the worldwide web is helping all of us discover the artist within.

Weather Channel Dives Into Digital Music - Launches Site Where Users Can Download Songs Featured On Network

TuneBlog Monday - Indie Music in the News

2009-08-10T20:00:00.024-04:00

Paper + Plastick Records Offers Free Music - Paper + Plastick Records is based out of Gainesville, Florida, home to the University of Florida and a burgeoning independent music scene. P+P is dedicated to bringing some of the best hardcore, punk, ska, and independent bands to the masses. They are a vinyl/digital label and often offer up free music to entice the sometimes unadventurous American music fan into trying something new. P+P also boasts of supporting the visual medium related to music.

Market Your Music Through Your Fans

2009-07-01T22:18:00.017-04:00

Grassroots marketing plans are the most economical and effective form of advertising based on the amount spent on your efforts. Artists ask me all of the time how they can effectively get the word out about their music and performances. What most do not realize is the answer is much closer than they think. Enter the world of tapping into your already established marketing coordinators...your fans!

When promoting your music it is important to always look at free music and swag giveaways as investments in your marketing campaign. If you run your own website and/or sell your own music then you should already have a great foundation in your fan and customer database. You will find that fans are just as passionate about your music that you are. Why not tap into that energy to help take your exposure to the next level?

If you do not have an established street team here are a few tips on what you can do to get started in creating one.

1. Determine if you want to use this method to promote an upcoming show or music sales (CD or online). Promoting sales works the same way basically just on a broader scale.

2. If you are looking to score more publicity for an upcoming performance you should filter previous visitors and/or customers to your website by geographical location. If you are going to have a performance in New Orleans, Louisiana it really does not benefit you have someone promote that show who lives in Anchorage, Alaska. Try to utilize fans in that local market that you are playing.

3. It's A Job. Before you contact your fans to gauge interest, you should write out a job description detailing your expectations. The last thing you want to have to deal with is firing a fan who is not working to your satisfaction. * Also be careful as they will be representatives of your work...you should decide carefully.

4. Contact those fans. Send out a general e-mail stating when you plan to perform in the area. In the same e-mail you should put a teaser asking the reader if they are interested in earning free show tickets, CD's or merchandise. It is totally up to you on what you want to offer. Tickets, DVD's and merchandise are just examples on what you can offer in return for their services.

5. In your follow-up e-mail, to those who are interested, you should have a battle plan ready to go. Some promotional ideas include but are not limited to sending them a poster they can print and post around town. Ship some cards with your band name and web address where potential fans can visit to listen to your music. If you offer free digital downloads (highly recommended) you should point them in the direction where they can get the download. Some of these ideas may cost a few bucks but it is still cheaper than traditional media and can be much more effective.

6. Track Progress. Like all advertising and marketing efforts it is extremely important to track your progress so you can repeat the campaigns that work and tweak the ones that did not. It also will help you see which fans are helping you the most in order to reward them properly.

7. Reward Your Fans. Autographed drum heads, drumsticks, merchandise and limited edition recordings go a long way with fans. Offer something limited edition or in limited release and your fans will work for you.

Once you establish these relationships it will be much easier the next time you release new music or tour.

Stay Tuned...

Q & A Friday: June 26, 2009

2009-06-26T16:30:00.005-04:00

It is with true sympathy and regret to see the passing of Michael J. Jackson. One might ask what his death has to do with independent music. The common attribute that all indie artists share with Michael and his brothers is that all mainstream musicians were once indies.

Michael was a visionary that changed music forever...

You will be missed Michael...

Check back Monday for our regularly featured column.

Wednesday Spotlight: Choosik.Com

2009-06-24T17:52:00.012-04:00

Every Wednesday I will begin reviewing bands, artists and/or other places to sell and promote your work on the web. In today's spotlight I am focusing on a great site I came across called Choosik.

The first thing that really popped out at me when reading their FAQ was their mission statement so to speak of what they are out to accomplish. From their website offering practical solutions for:

1) the time it took to find independent music

2) boundaries between mainstream and quality independent artists

3) the high cost of entry for new talented artists.

The folks at Choosik are not funded by any mainstream corporation and is operated and funded by four relatives in the Kansas City area. I like the idea that they are very upfront about their fees...or should I say lack of fees in joining their site. Sure websites selling digital downloads are popping up everywhere and are a dime a dozen. What makes Choosik unique in buying or selling music? They allow the listener to gauge the popularity of a song by having them rate it in return for downloading the song for free. As listeners rate songs they earn points that can be redeemed on future purchases.

How does a rating system help the artist?

The rating system accomplishes a few things with the listener. First and most important it builds a community of independent music lovers. Here is how the rating system works per Choosik's site:

"Every time you login, you are randomly assigned new songs to rate from a pool of most recent songs added on Choosik. The song is ranked on the site with a score of 0-100 (100 is the highest rating). You also receives a “reliability rating” and you are ranked by your rating consistency as compared to the other fans that have rated the same song. So, the rating system prevents artificial high or low ratings."

What is also great is that the more visitors rank your music the easier your music can be found.

Here are the quick facts you should consider as an artist:

- Set-up and membership fee: $0.00 - FREE

- You have the flexibility to set your sale price between .25 cents and .99 cents.

- Choosik only keeps .25 cents per sale giving artists one of the highest payouts (based on a .99 cent sale) on the net.

- They have an established network with MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and imeem

- NON-EXCLUSIVE - Sell your work wherever you want!

- Artist decides how often they want to be paid via PayPal

- Offers a great venue listing that cross-promotes artists in their respective local markets (venues can also sell music)

I really like this site. It is clean and easy to navigate. It does not slow your computer down as some sites do trying to showcase too much at one time. One thing I really like is that the music that you select to listen to continues to play even if you go to a new page. Nice touch!

TuneBlog Rating:

1 - Bad
2 - OK
3 - Good
4 - Great
5 - EXCELLENT

Stay Tuned...

Q & A Friday: June 19, 2009 Edition

2009-06-19T13:49:00.006-04:00

Being an artist that wants to promote my music, I currently have both a myspace and a private domain website. Which is a better platform for me to use?

- Brian H - Nashville, TN

Brian,

In a simple answer...both. When promoting your work online you should decide on a "home base." This could either be your own personal domain, MySpace page or Facebook. The more outlets you have showing off your work, the more exposure you have to gain.

Setting up your profile on all of the social networking websites will be time consuming but will be worth it. Of course you would rather be in the studio laying down new tracks instead of uploading pictures and songs, but the time you invest will be well worth spent. The key is to use those sites to funnel visitors to your "home base" site. It may help with your search engine optimization having big sites like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook linking into your site to improve your search ranking.

My advice is to see if your name or band name domain is available to purchase. I recommend GoDaddy.com for easy affordable web domain registration. In acquiring your domain name it is important to keep a few things in mind. If your band has a long name you may want to select an alternative that is short and catchy. Here are a few tips to consider before launching your site.

Shorter is Better - If your band name is long like the "Merriweather Allstar Groupies" you may want to shorten it to MAG.com or MAGMusic.com or something similar. Try to keep it simple so fans can easily remember it.

Are you ready? - Make sure your website is fully functional before you launch. If your site has a lot of dead links (links that do not work) or missing files then promotion of your site is fruitless. Imagine how you feel when you go to a site that has dead links or missing files. Do you ever go back?

Keep it Fresh - Keep your content new and ever changing. Fans want to know the latest and you have to give them a reason to keep coming back for more.

If you do not have any experience in building websites then have no fear. If you do not have a web domain still go and get one. This will help drive traffic to your site. How will it drive traffic you ask? Because Go Daddy allows you to forward your domain name to another site. Simply purchase and register your domain name and then forward it to whatever web page you have designated as your "home base."

We had our first summer concert and the turnout was great. We are not sure if the work we put in promoting the concert worked and not sure how to make sure the people come back. What should we do?

Jackson L. - Memphis, TN

You need to keep your momentum going. I am not sure if you have a series of performances in a defined local area or a nationwide tour but there are many things you can do to sustain popularity. If you are playing in the local area then I would recommend encouraging interaction from your fans and keep them hyped about your next gig.

An easy way to do this is use your website to drive folks to your shows and use your shows to drive folks back to your website. This creates a perpetual process that will assist in gaining momentum for your concerts. Here is a scenario that may help you out.

On your website you should have your entire performance schedule posted readily available and easily seen. Include pictures, video and music clips to give visitors a sense of what they missed and/or have to look forward to next time. Once fans arrive at the show give them a reason to go back to your site once they get home. Offer them the opportunity to purchase a download from the show they are attending or throw out guitar picks and or drumsticks emblazoned with your band name, logo and website. InTune Guitar Picks was listed on Google and seem to do a great job on customizing picks that you probably need anyway. Why not buy them to throw out during the show?

Keep it simple and keep this in mind...use your website to promote your live performances and use your live performances to promote your website. Good luck!

Stay Tuned...

Q & A Friday

2009-06-12T13:17:00.008-04:00

I was scheduled to play at a local club a few weeks ago and my set was canceled due to weather. My performances are a major contributor to my livelihood through bookings and small cd and merchandise sales at those mentioned performances. Is there anything I can do to secure a booking fee in the event my show is canceled due to something like weather?

- Mark C. - Jacksonville, FL

Mark,

First I would like to say that I am not a lawyer nor am I qualified to give you legal advice. What I advise you to do is to either hire a lawyer familiar with contractual law or at least do some research and create a contract of your own. There are many places on the internet that will give you an idea of what an agreement might include.

One item you might include is a "rain out" clause or something that will protect you in the event of a cancellation that is due to something beyond your control. Some artists or bands will have a clause like this in their agreement that will ask the venue to pay them 50% of their agreed paid amount in the event their show is canceled due to weather. This, like any other requirement, is negotiable with the venue. The worst they can say is no and then it is your decision to play...or not to play. Good luck!

It seems the latest trend in the indie music universe is to give your music away. How can I make a living off of giving my music away?

- Jessica H. - Houston, TX

Jessica,

The trend of giving your music away has gained quite a bit of momentum over the past few years especially with the growth of popularity in digital downloads. Unfortunately it has become a nature of the beast in music promotion. First let's look at why it has become a necessity to give away some of your music. You want to give as many people a sample of your work. Sure you could give them a 30-second sample however you and I both know that a snippet of a song never really gives the listener the full experience. This is where your flexibility and commitment to fan relations comes into play. Your willingness to give a full song away not only gives a listener the full representation of your work in that song but shows that you are about your fans. Now sure you may be doing this just for money but you have to connect with your potential fan base in order to secure the longevity of your future career. Fans appreciate a full download rather than a small sample.

Don't look at it as you giving away a free song that could make money. You should consider the potential money made from that song as part of your advertising budget. In better words...look at the money not made as money you would have spent in marketing your music. Those free downloads should be viewed like an ad you would spend money on in the paper or commercial. Remember that offering the free download is just a very small piece in getting your music heard. The real work is promoting your music and getting people to actually download it.

Free downloads can and will encourage listeners and fans to purchase more of your music and attend more of your shows resulting in more sales.

If you have questions you would like answered please submit them to: tuneblog@tuneray.com

Stay Tuned...

Your Music...You Decide

2009-06-08T16:13:00.006-04:00

Over the years I have received the question many times on how artists can maximize sales and get the most exposure as possible. Well, that is a tricky question indeed. That question can have thousands and thousands of answers and cannot be answered effectively unless you narrow your search and decide what exactly it is that you want. For instance if you are interested in music as a hobby you may not utilize an online music service like TAXI however you would be crazy not to if in your eyes the sky is the limit.

Before you shoot out of the gate and join every online forum and submit your music to every music outlet you need to set a few goals. Of course setting goals is not as fun as selling music but you cannot do one without the other. Here is a quick list to get started on what you should know and do before you begin and continue marketing your music:

What do you want? Do you want to be the next American Idol? Do you want to create and perform your music as a hobby? Do you want music to be your livelihood? These are all great questions to answer that will help determine which path you will take in marketing your music. Before I continue I would like to clarify that "marketing" music does not automatically put all artists in the same category of wanting to be the next rock star or pop idol. Even if the limit of your music performance is playing Saturday nights at the local coffee house you still need a certain level of marketing. Once you determine to what extent you want to promote yourself and your work you may continue to the next step. Being focused and organized is important no matter what you decide to do!

Selective Marketing vs. Shotgun Effect - All marketing can be good marketing but not necessarily smart marketing. Sitting at the bus stop or walking in any downtown we have all seen stickers or temporary graffiti pimping a band or an artist. I am not promoting vandalism but this type of guerrilla marketing can get an act a lot of exposure but the problem is that it is not easily trackable. You may ask yourself "why should I care to track it if people are coming to my show?" Well the answer to that is because you have no idea if they are coming to your show due to the bumper sticker on the park bench, by word of mouth or by some other means of it being communicated to them. This is important because a lot of artists may be on a fixed budget and need to be smart about where they spend their time and money. Time can be more valuable than money itself. Would you rather be in your studio mastering or creating new music or going around your town or city putting up fliers? This is where selective marketing comes in to play knowing your target market and demographic, how to approach your fans and executing your plan. Do a little homework. Selective marketing techniques allow you to track your efforts and will tell you what works and what doesn't. Would the money spent on stickers to post everywhere downtown be better spent on an ad in the local paper showcasing your band? Online social networks are a great way to use the shotgun effect but also allows you to track the traffic to your shows. Get creative. For instance why not offer a free digital download at the door if you mention Facebook. Work with the venue and create a special cover charge discount when they mention or bring in your ad from the paper. Why does this matter? Because you will quickly find out if your marketing effort worked and if it did you know that is where you need to continue to spend your efforts.

Network - Word of mouth is the cheapest and most effective way to get the name out about your work. If you are visiting a potential performance venue as a guest, remember you are always working. It does not hurt to get some business cards or business card CD's that contain a few tracks of your music. Keeping a good relationship with venue owners go a long way in your future bookings. Live performances will turn into sales. Look at your shows as live commercials for your merchandise and music.

When Digital Downloads aren't Digital Downloads

2009-06-04T23:33:00.000-04:00

So while browsing my daily feeds for indie news a TuneRay #1 fan e-mailed me about an interesting promotion selling digital downloads. Now before I begin I know there has been debate in the indie community about digital downloads versus albums and cd's. Some may feel that digital downloads are the future and is a great way to get economical tunes fast. On the flip side there are the old time purists and fans that want the artwork and liner notes included in album sleeves and jewel cases. There are no right or wrong answers just opinions and preferences.

The "good" people over at Good Magazine recently published an article about a new label and website known as "Friends of Friends" and their take on an innovative way to sell digital downloads. When the digital album is purchased the listener will receive an art-inspired t-shirt (100% organic) and a digital download card made of "seed-paper." Once you have redeemed your songs you simply plant the card and listen to great music while watching your flowers grow.
Picture Copyright 2009 - Patrick James

Reading this I can already see criticism by a few saying that this is not innovative nor is it unique. Sure, there have been many promotions to get people to purchase cd's, dvd's and video games. How many people really need a batarang with their next video game purchase? The point is that Friends of Friends took a common concept and made it unique. Can the batarang grow flowers? Maybe out of the dust it collects after a few years on the shelf. No you cannot get a free batarang for purchasing music but the point is that these promotions do exist and have existed since the dawn of marketing time. It is not the promotion itself that raises eyebrows but the focus on the target market(s).

What the Friends of Friends folks have done is fulfill the wants of both the digital age and the purists giving both of them the best of both worlds. This is where they deserve credit of being cutting edge by addressing two very different markets and "killing them with one stone." If there is a digital purist that wants just the music they do have the power to purchase "Friends of Friends Volume 1" through itunes. That still does not take away the fact that this product is appealing to both "digitalites" and "tangiblewants."

You are reading this blog so their marketing has worked. There are plans for a second volume, however even though the accompanying swag may not be a t-shirt with a seed-card I am sure the recipe will remain the same.

You can purchase "Friends of Friends Volume 1" by clicking HERE!

Stay Tuned...

Welcome to TuneBlog!

2009-06-04T19:39:00.001-04:00

Welcome to TuneBlog the sister website of TuneRay.com! TuneBlog will serve as a multi-purpose forum to help independent labels and musicians market their music and help them achieve their vision.

So what makes TuneRay and TuneBlog an expert on marketing music? Years of research and experience from owning my own music portal to working for major corporations in the entertainment industry, I have experienced the entertainment business from all sides.

TuneBlog is a series of unique and exciting idea postings about what labels and musicians are doing to promote and sell their music. In addition to these overviews, I will also host a weekly Q & A with common challenges musicians are having and how they can be helped. E-mail those questions today to TuneBlog@tuneray.com.

You can also use the previously mentioned e-mail address to forward any comments or suggestions of what you would like to see on TuneRay.com or TuneBlog.

Stay Tuned...