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Dexter Bryant Jr.

Music Marketing 2.0: The Digital Brand Manifesto

by Dexter Bryant Jr. October 11, 2010

Every artist needs a fully customized DIGITAL BRAND to succeed. Proper branding requires the following:

  1. A unique web domain separate from an artist profile on the record label website. The artist’s website functions as the central web hub for that artist’s digital brand.

  2. A simplified e-commerce system on the artist website. Easy check-out store supporting various forms of payment (PayPal, credit, debit, etc).

Read more…

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Digital Branding With Music & Mobile Apps

by Dexter Bryant Jr. March 29, 2010

Music-based mobile apps are one of the most powerful tools in a musician’s digital marketing arsenal. Apps are a hot commodity with customers, especially the gen-Y market. Beyond that, apps provide an avenue for deeper engagement with your audience.

In order to maximize your potential for connecting with audiences, your app must be user-friendly and addictive. You do that by providing value to users. Make it simple to use and allow opt-in subscriptions for your podcast(s). Read more…

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Digital Mixtapes: Case Study – Lil Wayne

by Dexter Bryant Jr. March 4, 2010

lil wayneLil Wayne (aka Weezy F. Baby) is a name that most people who know music are familiar with.
Whether or not you like his work is a different matter entirely. Lil Wayne’s pop superstardom in recent years can largely be attributed to his stranglehold on the rap mixtape market.

Since 2006 Lil Wayne has released a seemingly endless flurry of mixtapes. With each one the bond between Weezy and his audience grows stronger. Read more…

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Digital Mixtapes: Case Study – A Hustler’s Spirit Mixtape by Ludacris

by Dexter Bryant Jr. March 2, 2010

A Hustler's SpiritSavvy businesspeople recognize and envision the revenue that mixtapes can generate when marketed wisely. Ludacris, an astute businessman (and my favorite MC), released his A Hustler’s Spirit mixtape in January 2010.

So what’s so special about this particular mixtape?

A Hustler’s Spirit is sponsored by Conjure Cognac–a joint venture between Ludacris and Norwegian cognac house Birkedal Hartmann. Read more…

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Digital Mixtapes: The Future of Music Distribution

by Dexter Bryant Jr. February 19, 2010

Mixtapes have been a staple in hip-hop culture for decades. Artists primarily use them to build buzz for their commercial releases in an effort to increase their album sales. As useful as mixtapes have been for the artists who use them, it wasn’t until relatively recently that their effectiveness as promotional vehicles surfaced in pop culture. Read more…

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Reverse Piracy: Pirate Your Own Music

by Dexter Bryant Jr. February 15, 2010

reverse piracyFace it. Music sales are being bastardized by “pirated” free downloads and the free will of consumers. Sure, the legal digital music market is growing but it won’t pick up the slack for declining CD sales because singles rule the market.

Analyzing the purchasing habits of the music-buying public, it is quite clear that they are much more interested in spending money on singles than on albums. Read more…

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Free Music = Free Advertising = Smart Business

by Dexter Bryant Jr. January 26, 2010

Free music is free advertising. You, as the music creator and/or promoter, need not pay a single cent to get your music into the ears of consumers. This is assuming, of course, that you’re aware of how to distribute and market your music online with social media and web 2.0 tools and you believe in the power of the mailing list. Read more…

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Online Music Marketing: 38 Metrics and 7 Tools To Measure ROI

by Dexter Bryant Jr. January 18, 2010

Using the Internet to market and promote your music is one of the most affordable ways to establish and build a following. The abundance of free tools and music-based social networks has made music marketing more accessible than ever for musicians around the globe. Rather than investing boatloads of cash into advertising, PR, and radio promotion, instead musicians invest their time. Through social networking and direct-to-fan engagement musicians can achieve remarkable results with online marketing. Read more…

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