From the category archives:

Promotion

Should You Give Your Music Away?
The Great Debate.

by Andre Calilhanna March 12, 2010

No one’s arguing that the changes in the music industry haven’t tipped the scales in favor of the independents. Not only can you forge a path to success without the help of a label, you can choose from a variety of means to achieve it. But that leaves a number of questions on the table, including whether or not you ought to give your music away for free.

As an indie, CD and download sales can be a huge part of the equation in regard to your income. Read more…

0 comments

Promoting Your Next Show

by Disc Makers March 12, 2010

Lets say you have a concert in two weeks. How would you normally advertise such a thing? Word of mouth? Handbills? Posters on phone poles? Ads in newspapers? Text messages to your friends? Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter Posts? An email blast? Writing a blog post?

Self promotion can be a lot of work. Sometimes all we have time for is a few email reminders, a post on MySpace and a text message on the day of the show. 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

Marketing and Exercise – It’s All a Numbers Game

by Steven Spatz March 5, 2010

It’s 5 am and the shrill blast from my alarm clock has successfully propelled me out of bed. Thirty minutes later, I’m on the road to my gym.

Why am I starting this marketing article with a description of my pre-dawn routine? Because while I was trudging along on the treadmill, it occurred to me: Marketing your business is a lot like an exercise program. Here’s how. Read more…

4 comments

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…

1 comment

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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11 Ways to Increase Your Sales on CD Baby

by Chris Robley and Andre Calilhanna February 25, 2010

There are conflicting fundamental truths when it comes to success in the indie music universe.

It’s true, of course, that tools and opportunities exist now that did not in the past. Legitimate worldwide distribution is available through the web, shattering the barriers that existed a scant 10 years ago. Read more…

11 comments

Sell More Than Just Your Music – 9 Quick Tips to Boost Gig Sales.

by Chris Robley February 25, 2010

Your merch display doesn’t have to be attractive, but it has to be ATTRACTING! Whether you’ve pimped out a thrift-store suitcase, constructed a sleek and chic portable display, or simply spread CDs, T-shirts, and candles across one of the venue’s tables, you’ve got to make sure that something besides your undeniable musical genius catches the attention of the people in the audience. Read more…

4 comments

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…

6 comments

How Valuable is Your Database?

by Disc Makers February 23, 2010

Consider this scenario: Let’s say you own a trendy shoe store. To build store traffic, you’ve printed a post card mailing going to 1,000 people. And now you’ve got two equal stacks of addressed mailing pieces in front of you.

In one stack is 500 cards addressed to people on your own list – the marketing database you’ve built customer by customer. You know where they live and what they buy. If you’ve done your homework, you even know how often they come into your store, their shoe sizes, their favorite shoe colors, and whether they buy socks and shoelaces, too. Read more…

2 comments

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…

37 comments

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…

3 comments

Gigging and Touring as an Indie

by Andre Calilhanna February 16, 2010

Playing live gigs is one of the most traditional ways for musical artists to spread the word about themselves, entertaining fans and attracting new ones. And nothing beats gigging as a way to build a band’s musical chops.

Playing gigs also gives you a recurring reason to contact your fan base and promote your act, it’s a great vehicle to collect names for your email list, and it’s the best forum to sell products like CDs and t-shirts. Read more…

6 comments

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…

6 comments

A Few More Thoughts On Jazz Tribute Shows

by Jason Parker February 9, 2010

There’s been some negative talk about jazz musicians playing tribute shows to other jazz musicians recently. Journalist Phil Freeman discussed the idea in this Twitter conversation, jazz blogger Peter Hum took a little shot in this post, and trombonist Vincent Gardner wrote the most extensive piece on the subject in an article for All About Jazz titled “Let’s Tribute Ourselves”. Read more…

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