Posts tagged as:

Promotion

The Tip Jar Effect

by Scott James November 15, 2011

The Tip Jar EffectRemember the Seinfeld episode where George goes to give the guy a tip at the pizza place, but the guy doesn’t see him put it in the jar and he tries to reach in and take his money back?

It’s funny because most of us can relate to it (well, hopefully not the part about reaching back into the jar!). If we’re being totally honest, when most of us give someone a tip we want them to see us doing it. We want them to feel like they’re getting hooked up and a part of us wants to be acknowledged for making a contribution. Read more…

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Setting Your Goals

by Ariel Hyatt July 1, 2011

In any aspect of your personal or professional life, setting goals is an empowering way to set the stage for success. In regard to your music, taking the time to visualize your goals can help you pave a personal roadmap for defining and achieving success with your career, whether you consider music your hobby or you are making a living out of it full-time. Read more…

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10 Questions to Ask a Potential Band Member

by David Hooper July 1, 2011

It’s like a job interview, but so much more. A band member isn’t just doing a job – they are joining your creative family. You want to be sure of their technical ability, and you also want to be sure they will blend with the rest of the band. Success for your group depends on a synergistic blend of personalities. Here are ten questions you can ask a potential band member to ensure they will be exactly what you need to take your band to the next level. Read more…

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An Innovative Approach to an Album Release

by Disc Makers June 17, 2011

Kaiser ChiefsWe are always on the lookout for new album release strategies. Here’s the latest from Billboard.biz and the Kaiser Chiefs:

U.K. guitar group Kaiser Chiefs is taking an innovative approach to the release of its new studio album, “The Future is Medieval” (Fiction/B-Unique Records), by allowing fans to choose their own track listing and album artwork.

Read more…

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Re-Energize Your Career

by Scott James June 7, 2011

Do you ever feel like you’re just going through the motions? Like your shows are not quite as fun for you as they used to be? Has your audience started to shrink and lose interest? Then now might be a good time to take a step back and reflect on where you are and what you can do to change.

If your audience has started to dwindle then chances are you’re feeling anxious, depressed, sad, etc. Not exactly the right frame of mind to put off an attractive energy that’s going to make people want to forget about whatever else is going on, get in their cars and pay to come see you play. Read more…

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Sell the Story – Not the CD

by Scott James April 26, 2011

flannel ballIn 2009 Rob Walker and Joshua Glenn tried out a little experiment. They spent $128.74 on a bunch of yard sale junk and hired professional writers to draw up interesting stories about each item. Then they put everything up on eBay with the stories that they created to see what happened. Read more…

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Are You an Artist or Just Someone Who Plays Music?

by Scott James March 31, 2011

Many of us use the term ‘independent artist’ or ‘recording artist’ to describe ourselves, but are we really artists, or are we just people who play music?

To answer that question we need to decide what it means to be an artist. Many of us grew up in an environment where we were only taught what art means at a superficial level. Maybe our first definition of an artist was someone who was really good at making realistic paintings or drawings or maybe someone who made weird abstract creations that were supposedly only understood by special people. Read more…

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Combining Forces = WINNING!

by Scott James March 17, 2011

Combining ForcesBeing an independent artist doesn’t mean you need to take the word ‘Independent’ too literally. Chances are, you’re missing big opportunities to take your career to new levels if you’re not actively looking for chances to join forces with other artists and industry pros. A piece of something big is worth a lot more than all of little or nothing. If you feel like you’re bashing your head against the wall trying to get people to your shows or to buy your music on your own then changing your approach can make all the difference in the world. Read more…

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The Album Release Schedule Is Back!

by Disc Makers February 24, 2011

CD Baby and IndieGuide.com have put together a very interesting and helpful album release schedule – updated for 2011.

Back in the late-90s at Sony Music Entertainment, we had these incredibly detailed setup schedules for albums. That included everything from getting artwork approvals, passing elements to distribution, setting up artist interviews, the works.

Read more…

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Join us at the New Music Seminar – February 14-16

by Disc Makers February 3, 2011

New Music SeminarAre you looking to get signed as an artist? Come see the Presidents of the Indies and Major Labels explain how! Are you looking to make more money as an artist, manager, label or agent? See the 22 18-minute presentations from the CEOs of the top companies explain how! Visit one on one with 24 mentors at the NMS Mentoring Sessions or the Songwriting, Voice and Producer’ Workshops, and find for your next business partner. Then network with over 80 of the top CEO’s and others speaking over 3 nights and 2 days at the New Music Seminar in Los Angeles February 14-16. Read more…

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BookBaby makes distribution to Kindle, iPad easy for independent writers

by Disc Makers January 20, 2011

There’s a new addition to the CD Baby family: BookBaby! BookBaby throws open the doors to the electronic publishing and distribution world for independent authors, offering the highest pay-out rate for eBook distribution in the industry. Authors will receive 100% of their net sales revenue – paid weekly – generated through all BookBaby’s retailer network, including all the majors retailers including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Sony, and soon, Google. Read more…

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Leverage Your Way to Success

by Scott James December 16, 2010

Scott James concertIn the course of your journey as a musician there will be some things that go right for you. What you choose to do about those things will go a long way towards determining your success (or lack thereof).

The concept of leverage is all about finding your opportunities to capitalize on the things that will give you the best return for your efforts. Read more…

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@ – A Simple and Powerful Social Promotion Tool

by Chris Robley December 6, 2010

There is one character that should appear in most of your Facebook posts and tweets. No, not YOU, silly! I’m talking about the “at symbol” (@). For many of us, it resides on the same keyboard key as the number 2. And now that we know WHERE it is, let’s look at WHY you should regularly use it in your social media communications.

The simple answer is that the @ symbol has the ability to create a linkage between your social media profile and that of another person’s. Read more…

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What’s the Best Time to Release Your Album?

by Disc Makers November 19, 2010

All too often, musicians rush their new album’s or EP’s release without considering what the best time-frame for that release may be. Just because your album is done doesn’t mean you have to rush it out – there are numerous factors to take into account before you confirm your release date.

Here are some tips on how to schedule and promote your album’s release: Read more…

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10 Great Tips to Help You Fail as an Independent Artist

by Scott James October 14, 2010

10 Great Tips to Help you Fail as an Independent ArtistWe’ve all seen and read posts and eBooks about how to ‘succeed’ as independent artists and to be honest, I’ve even written a few. But what about those of us who are bent on failure? Those of us who would like to know how to shoot ourselves in the foot as efficiently and painfully as possible? Those of us who would like to be more unsuccessful and confused? Well this post is for you!

Some of these things I’ve done myself, and I can assure you – they work amazingly well! Read more…

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