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Scott James

5 Sales Tips for Independent Artists

by Scott James August 31, 2010

Sell your music better and you’ll have resources to make more music, better-sounding music, and get more people to hear it. Here are five tips to help you generate more sales:

1. Believe In Your Product
It’s difficult to look someone in the eye and ask them to buy something that you don’t believe is a good deal for them. If you’re trying to sell a CD to someone for $10 that you believe is worth $5 then you’re going to have a hard time selling it. The idea is to focus on ‘giving’ them something that’s valuable to them at a fair price. You can always tell when someone is just trying to ‘get’ something from you. Don’t underestimate the intelligence and intuition of your fans. Read more…

1 comment

Stop Pushing Buttons and Start Baking Cakes

by Scott James July 26, 2010

cakeDoesn’t it just stink when you do something that seems like it should work, but it falls flat and leaves you more confused and frustrated? This can seem like a way of life for many independent artists. We try to do something to promote ourselves but instead we end up just spinning our tires in the mud and getting nowhere. We want to make something happen but can’t see the relationship between our actions and our results. Read more…

10 comments

Are You Too Old to Make It?

by Scott James June 28, 2010

Most musicians I know hold a dream to someday ‘make it’ in the music business. To play in front of huge crowds and live a lifestyle that they can only imagine. Many of us believe that we’ll someday get there. Unfortunately most of us find ourselves growing older with an ever increasing fear that we’re missing the boat.

We’re conditioned to believe that if we’re going to make it then we have to do it at a young age. I had already started to have this feeling when I was in my early 20′s. I felt like I was slacking because I hadn’t ‘made it’ yet. Read more…

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The Power in Truth

by Scott James June 8, 2010

When you started singing or playing your instrument there was probably a strong reason why you picked it up. You probably had a feeling inside of you that you needed to get out; a drive to express yourself. The only problem was that you probably lacked the skill to communicate what you wanted to express effectively to the rest of the world. Getting from that point to “success” can be a path that’s lined with challenges. Read more…

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20 Ways To Engage Your Fans

by Scott James May 5, 2010

In this day and age there’s a lot of talk about engaging with fans. Technology has changed marketing from a one way street to a two way conversation. So now that we all know that we’re supposed to engage our fans, how do we do it? I’ve created a list to help get you started with some ideas. Read more…

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Music Promotion: A Persistent and Sustainable Approach

by Scott James March 26, 2010

I remember back in the day when I played my first show with my first real band. We were really excited about the whole thing and eager to promote it. This was well before MySpace or Twitter or Facebook and at the time the obvious way to promote was to put up flyers. And put them up we did. We made tons of them. We made some really big ones too. Getting them in very visible or creative places was a source of pride. The theory was that if 0.01% of people who saw the flyer came to the show then we could pack the venue by making sure that 50,000 people saw the flyer. Read more…

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What is a Free CD Worth?

by Scott James March 9, 2010

I recently had someone on the Disc Makers blog ask me about a promotion they were thinking of doing for their upcoming CD. The idea was to give out 50-100 CDs to fans who were willing to recruit a certain number of their friends to join the band’s Facebook fan page. I thought it brought up some things that are worth thinking about. Here was my response:

My first thought is that you might get a better return on investment with Facebook advertising. Read more…

1 comment

Do You Have a Video Policy?

by Scott James February 24, 2010

I recently went to a show at a small L.A. venue called the Baked Potato. The band was phenomenal. One of the best guitar players I’d ever seen. However, half-way through the set he spotted a fan videotaping the show. Apparently he didn’t like that too much and chastised and embarrassed the fan in front of the entire crowd. As much as I loved the band I had to question why they thought it would be a good move to make their fan feel like a jerk in front of everyone for doing something that could help them reach more people. Read more…

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CD Release Tips

by Scott James February 22, 2010

So you’ve put your blood, sweat, time, and money into making your brand new CD. Now what? Do you have a plan to make it successful, or were you just going to “get it out there?”

One of the best ways to ensure disappointing results with your new CD is to release it with no plan for how to market it. You can do better than that! Time and time again I’ve seen artists release CDs by just “making it available.” They just put out a CD and ask people to buy it. They don’t pick a single and they don’t have a good plan to build anticipation for the release. Don’t let that be you! Read more…

43 comments

10 Marketing Basics for Musicians

by Scott James January 20, 2010

With the barrage of new websites and blogs targeting independent artists, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to marketing your music. Information and ideas are everywhere and unless you’ve got a strong marketing foundation it can feel like trying to put together a giant puzzle without being able to look at the box. With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of 10 marketing basics to help expose the underlying structure that makes a music marketing campaign successful. Read more…

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An Interview with David Ellefson

by Scott James December 28, 2009

David EllefsonDavid Ellefson is a man who needs no introduction in the world of heavy metal. For those unfamiliar with his work, David has earned 7 Grammy nominations, multiple gold and platinum records and has been on numerous world tours as a founding member of the band Megadeth as well as with recent bands F5, HAIL! and Angels of Babylon. He also holds a Bachelors degree in business and marketing, has authored a book titled “Making Music Your Business…A Guide For Young Musicians” and continues to educate musicians through his online video series “David Ellefson’s ROCK SHOP”. Read more…

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What’s Your Holiday Plan?

by Scott James December 9, 2009

It’s that time of year again. If you went shopping at all this past weekend you probably noticed that the shelves are full, deals are advertised everywhere, and many stores are staying open late. Nothing unusual for this time of year, right? Can you imagine if Best Buy or Target decided they weren’t going to advertise, put together any deals, or extend their hours for the holidays? How do you think that would work out for them? It doesn’t take a genius to realize that such a strategy (or lack thereof) would be a monumental waste of an opportunity. So why then, do 99% of all bands out there do nothing extra to promote themselves this time of year?! Read more…

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Start Your Own Scene

by Scott James October 26, 2009

I hear a lot of people complain that their band can’t really get anywhere because there’s not much of a scene where they live. However I don’t see a lot of people doing anything about it. If there’s going to be a scene, someone needs to have the vision and initiative to start it. So if you don’t have a booming scene where you live – start your own! Here’s how:

The first thing that you need to do is to scout out at least one good venue. What you want to look for are venues that are: Read more…

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Command: The Difference Between Good and Great

by Scott James September 21, 2009

curtain-thumbHave you ever been to a show where the music was very good and the playing was flawless but…you just didn’t “feel it?” Something was missing but you just couldn’t put your finger on it. Chances are what was missing was command. The artist didn’t have command of the room.

A few years ago I went to see an artist named Jim Bianco at a local club called “The Hotel Cafe.” He sat down at the piano to play a softer song called “Painkiller.” I started to chat with the girl I was with when he began playing. I remember stopping mid-sentence as this wave of energy seemed to hit the room. Read more…

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5 Common MySpace Mistakes

by Scott James September 4, 2009

I encounter a lot of Myspace music profiles. As a web designer who focuses on musicians, I spend plenty of time marketing to bands and artists on Myspace. In my time doing so, I’ve come across some things that a lot of people seem to get wrong. Read more…

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