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email marketing

Study Shows Prospects Prefer Discs

by Disc Makers December 13, 2010

According to a study sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association and DiscMail Direct (as reported by Direct Marketing News), 91% of respondents said they would rather open a mailer that contains a DVD or CD than one without. The study, released at the DMA 2010 Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco, also found that three-quarters (73%) of the 800+ respondents said they played the discs they received in the mail on their computer. Read more…

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10 Things Bands Can Do to Book More Live Shows

by Chris Bracco November 16, 2010

10 Things Bands Can Do to Book More Live ShowsAssuming that you have strong songs and an kickass live show, here are ten simple things you can do to get more gigs:

1. Create a YouTube channel for your band.
Upload a live performance video on YouTube that represents your band at its best. Read more…

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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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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…

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Creating a Budget for Your New Album

by Disc Makers August 6, 2010

creating a budgetCameron Mizell, freelance guitarist, producer, and consultant in Brooklyn, has written yet another excellent article for independent musicians. This article comprehensively details the time and costs involved in creating a new album. Mizell put together “a realistic cost scenario for every stage of creating a new album,” which could serve as an indispensable guide for those about to embark on the process. Read more…

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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…

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Indie Resolutions

by Jesse Gray November 23, 2009

10 ways to stay focused and build your independent music empire.

As we roll into the New Year it’s time to make those ever-famous (or infamous) New Year’s resolutions. But have no fear; our list doesn’t require cutting out chocolate or getting up at 5AM to run. We want to help you where it really counts – your music career.

So how did we come up with this master list of goodness? We asked. We solicited answers from working musicians far and wide, as well as tapping into our own staff (we have a few hundred active musicians working here). After we sifted through the rubble we found ten diamonds that kept getting mentioned over and over. And now, here for your career-enhancing pleasure are the best of the best. Read more…

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Creating The Perfect Pitch

by Ariel Hyatt September 23, 2009

ArielHere is a key lesson in branding yourself that can really set you up to have a major breakthrough for your musical career. What you will create here will define you in the minds of your fans and potential fans. Read more…

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Don’t just monetize, maximize.

by Tony van Veen September 2, 2009

Tony van VeenThere’s no shortage of information online about how to monetize your music: sell CDs in stores and online, downloads, merch, synch licensing, live gigs, etc. There’s not nearly as much written about how to maximize your revenues once you’ve made use of the above selling opportunities. Here’s a quick list of some common sense things the average artist can easily implement (and which will show instant results): Read more…

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Interview with Ariel Hyatt

by Disc Makers July 15, 2009

What can you do to build your music business or brand?

Ariel Hyatt, Indie Music Publicist and Author of Music Success in Nine Weeks is interviewed by Carla Lynne Hall of The Rock Star Life Lessons about social media, PR, and marketing for the indie artist: http://cli.gs/341reR.

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The Digital Toolbox

by Scott Kirsner June 16, 2009

Fans, Friends, & FollowersThe way the music industry worked for most of the 20th century involved artists striving and gigging and hoping to get discovered, and then letting someone else worry about everything else. Today, most of the responsibility for marketing, promotion, and building an engaged fan base falls upon you – even if you are lucky enough to get signed to a label. Take a band like OK Go, signed to Capitol Records. The band members say that the way they’ve achieved a global reach is by coming up with their own clever tactics to connect with fans, like making cheap, homemade music videos and posting them on YouTube. (OK Go’s video for “Here It Goes Again” has been seen more than 45 million times on YouTube.) Read more…

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Harness Your Fanpower

by Daylle Deanna Schwartz June 16, 2009

Seven tips to get your street team organized and mobilized

Street teams are a great way to spread the word about your music to potential fans. They can effectively generate a buzz for your CD before you even release it. If you have the budget, you can hire street marketing companies to put them together in any market across the country — that’s what large labels do. If you can’t afford it, create one from fans, which can be the single most valuable tool you can cultivate to market your music. Street teams made up of fans that love your music become a very productive marketing campaign. Think about it. Which might pique your interest more, an advertisement for an act you don’t know, or fans enthusiastically telling you why they love an artist? Enthusiasm is contagious. Hiring street teams often doesn’t get the same bang. Fans are happy to help when asked to, and they’ll go to many lengths if you show appreciation for their efforts. Read more…

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