http://www.musicbizacademy.com/
http://www.indiemanagers.com/
http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Music_Industry_Resources/
http://www.nzmusic.org.nz/default.cfm
http://www.useyourears.co.uk/music-services/music-managers/music-managers.php
http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/antimusicindustry/
http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/index.html
http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/freestuff.html
http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/new.html
http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/articles.html
http://www.bob-baker.com/musicpromotionblog/index.html
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/articles/index.htm
Here are three more brainstorms I culled from the book Jump Start Your Book Sales by Tom and Marilyn Ross:
Many authors create a quiz or top 10 list based on information in their books. For instance, a guy who wrote a book on little-known tax deductions might put together a one-pager called "Ten Things the IRS Doesn't Want You to Know." He then uses this list to get write-ups in the press and uses it when he appears on radio shows.
Couldn't musicians use this PR technique just as easily? A quiz or list could be based on an artist's genre, lyrics, CD theme, etc. Examples: "10 Things You Need to Know About Jazz" or "Test Your Jazz History Knowledge: Take This Quiz." The media eats up this kind of stuff -- and will give you a plug when they use it.
Are you not getting enough media interviews? Then interview yourself and put together two or three Q&A pages to include in your press kit. Have some fun with this. Imagine your ideal interview. What questions would you be asked? What sort of fascinating answers would you provide to amaze and inspire readers?
Write out those fantasy questions and answers. Just remember, don't ramble about everything under the sun. Stay focused on your musical identity and why people should care about you and your songs. Make your responses lively, interesting, and maybe even a little shocking and controversial. By including a Q&A in your press kit (or as a stand-alone item sent to the media), writers may very well use your quotes in their articles about you.
Lesson: Look to other industries for fresh marketing ideas. Oh yeah, and always think outside of the box.
Expand Your Definition
of a Live Performance
by Bob Baker
(The following article is excerpted from my new audiobook, What Every Musician Should Know About Self-Promotion.)
Let me ask you ... What has to happen for a person to be converted into being a fan of your music? There are a number of possible answers, but at the most basic level, one thing has to happen: The person must hear your music.
And there are only so many ways someone can hear your music: on the radio or on television, on the Internet, in a dance club or a retail store, from a friend on a home or car stereo or ... during a live performance.
Let's focus on that last one, because even with all of the advancements in technology, live performance continues to be one of the best ways to connect with fans, sell CDs and prosper as an artist.
Hopefully, your marketing plans include a heaping helping of live shows. But what type of live shows do you plan? The problem is, many musicians get stuck in live performance ruts and fail to think outside the box. For instance, most rock bands flock like lemmings to nightclubs. Most acoustic singer-songwriters obsess over coffee shops and folk venues. That's fine, but they end the thought process there -- and then complain that there aren't enough gig slots for all of the acts who want to play.
The solution: Redefine your live performance goals. And ask yourself the right questions. If you only ask, "How can I book more shows at clubs?" you'll rarely look outside that possibility. But if you ask, "How can I reach more of my ideal fans through live performances?" then your list of potential venues is suddenly wide open.
Where can you play in front of more potential fans? If nightclubs is one answer, great -- continue to pursue that. But what about community festivals, neighborhood block parties, grand openings, rallies, auto shows, craft fairs, the finishing line of a city marathon, a public beach on a sunny day ... anywhere that large groups of people gather is fair game.
Sure, not every option will have the logistics for a sound system, a stage, etc. But any glimmer of an idea along these lines is worth looking into. And I guarantee you, the number of other acts competing for a spot at one of these offbeat events will be much less than the number you find at the traditional live music venues.
So ... expand your definition of a live performance, ask yourself empowering questions, and open your mind to the many new ways you have to reach fans through live performances.
The Power of Having a Musical Focus
by Bob Baker
Focus. It's not just something you do with a camera. The kind of focus I'm talking about can be one of the most powerful weapons you use to attract fans. Through the magic of focus, you can transform your musical identity from one that is meaningless and forgettable to one that screams for attention.
When you have a strong musical focus, you position yourself as an artist that fills a specific niche and caters to a well-defined audience. The only thing is, most artists don't do this. The average songwriter, for instance, in an effort to craft a hit, creates songs that sound similar to what's being played on the radio. They write about love gone wrong or teen frustration or dealing with lustful urges ... all themes that have proven themselves popular with the masses.
There's nothing wrong with this approach. There will always be a need for predictable pop songs. However, since thousands of songwriters are striving for the same type of hit, your struggle to stand out and be noticed will be all uphill.
To stand out -- especially as an independent artist -- you have to resist those well-traveled paths and find a distinct road that's all your own. Sure, you won't appeal to as wide a range of people, but the fans who do gravitate toward you will be cult-like in their admiration.
Singer/songwriter Brad Belt is a good example of an artist who is using focus to his advantage. "A few years ago I was in Nashville at a music conference. In one of the sessions, a songwriter on the panel mentioned how important it is to write about topics you know a lot about. It got me thinking."
Belt continues, "Since I love golf and play as often as my wife lets me, I figured maybe I should write a golf song or two. I started taking the humorous situations that have happened to me and others while playing and pieced together some golf songs."
After a couple of years of doing this without any particular game plan, Belt realized that he had assembled enough golf songs to do a CD. He did some research on the Internet and found that very little had been done in the genre of golf music. He recorded and mixed the songs in his home studio. Before long, Belt's new release, called Golf Is a Cussin' Game, was born. It features 10 original songs that portray the humorous side of golf and those who play it.
"I had my CD release party at the local country club, where I performed some of the golf songs and told a few jokes," Belt reports. "About 80 people showed up and I sold about 800 dollars worth of CDs and cassettes. I sell them locally at coffee house shows, at golf events and on the Internet at my web site (URL?), Amazon.com, cdbaby.com and cdstreet.com. I'm looking for more golf events to do shows at. If I can establish a reputation, I think I can sell a lot of these CDs. I think niche marketing is a great idea."
Why does this offbeat angle work? Wouldn't Belt have better luck releasing a CD filled with songs that everybody can relate to? Isn't he limiting his reach by having such a narrow range of fans -- golfers?
Not at all.
There are a million other artists clamoring for the attention of people who enjoy radio-friendly pop songs. But there are very few, if any, artists who cater to golfers exclusively. In essence, there's no competition. And it doesn't hurt that golfers can be easily reached through country clubs and golf course events, that golfers are often passionate about their sport, and that they tend to have disposable income to spend on recreational purchases.
Marc Gunn, of the Brobdingnagian Bards, has a similar story. His ensemble performs Celtic music -- traditional Irish and Scottish folk songs. Recently, the Bards found that they were being invited to play at a growing number of Renaissance festivals. These events celebrate the culture of 16th century Europe (think Robin Hood era).
"At long last, we are focusing our music even more by putting out our fourth album, called A Faire to Remember, which features our favorite Renaissance faire songs," says Gunn. "It took a while for us to develop this focus, though. When we started, we just recorded music that our fans loved. But more and more faires are hiring us, so we decided to focus our music by having a CD specifically catering to faires."
Armed with a CD filled entirely with Renaissance faire music, the Brobdingnagian Bards will surely get hired at many (and perhaps most) of these events. By performing smack dab in the middle of hundreds of Renaissance-era fans, the group stands to sell a lot of CDs to this niche market.
Having a musical focus means having musical impact. So ... what's your focus?
