Music Marketing [dot] com

There's Only Way Way to Rock (but Multiple Ways to Earn Money)

Ad Age says that Sammy Hagar is making a killing in Tequilla and related goods and services. According to them, "Mr. Hagar does not disclose sales for his enterprises, but Cabo Wabo executives said he could retire now as a multimillionaire from sales of the tequila and its related businesses."

Hagar created and oversees Cabo Wabo Enterprises, which includes two restaurant/nightclubs, a hot-selling premium tequila brand, a growing entertainment festival, and a budding merchandise line.

Unlike many marriages between brands and musicians, he isn't a celebrity endorser licensing his name. He built his Cabo San Lucas cantina in the '80s because he wanted a place to play music when he vacationed there. He later bought a local tequila manufacturer.

His friends and advisers thought he was crazy, he said, and his accountant quit, saying the ventures were a waste of money. Instead, the cantina flourished and the tequila sold.

And for those that don't drink alcohol, try Nelly's Pimp Juice.

Weblogs - the "Citizens Media"

Advertising agencies (and record labels) are finally realizing what people in the Internet culture have known for a long time-- blogs are powerful.

Intelliseek CMO Pete Blackshaw asks, "Can a wireless provider spending millions to tout customer service escape scrutiny when bloggers can readily provide links to thousands of disgruntled consumers providing evidence to the contrary? Can a pharma company afford to gloss over the fine print in advertisement when bloggers elect to super-size the untold message? Can an auto manufacturer pushing a 'safety' message on TV risk having consumers type their brand into Google and have it punch back a loaded shelf space of contradictory messages by consumers?"

No, Pete, they can't.

And now record labels, companies who have traditionally been against using weblogs and file-sharing to promote their music, are trying to be sneaky and release songs in advance, post fake reviews of their music, and more.

What is this world coming to when you can't trust a huge corporation?

Tips for Indie Artists - The Cleavers and Computer Technology

By Dick Eastman

The Cleavers' debut CD, Television Mind, not only depends on great original music written and performed by the band (even if I do say so myself!), but also computer technology that allowed our band to record and promote this CD with less cost and total control. This melding of science and art has created new opportunities for the independent artist. The Cleavers have been able to master the various tasks needed to record, manufacture and promote this CD by taking advantage of these computer technologies:

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1. Multiple Home Recording Studios:

With home studios equipped with sophisticated yet relatively affordable recording equipment, The Cleavers achieved the same professional results that in the past could only be achieved by paying thousands of dollars to outside studios. The band spent hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours recording Television Mind and simply could not have afforded the costs at a professional studio. Also, several of the band members have home studios that are equipped with the same Yamaha AW4416 recording board (www.aw4416.com), so we didn't need to be in the same location to record. Dave Leeds, the bass player, recorded some of his bass parts in his home studio in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The majority of the CD was recorded at my home studio in Antioch, Illinois, and the drummer, Ron Kaplan, recorded his drums 1,000 miles away at his home in Dallas, Texas. Very often during mixes, we'd send an mp3 file down to Dallas for Ron's review. Thanks to DSL (another important ingredient in this project), it was all done in a matter of minutes. Also, due to a breakthrough in electronic drum technology, Ron achieved the sound of "live" drums with his electronic Roland V-drums (www.rolandus.com).

2. CD Design and Manufacturing:

The unique photographic artwork on the cover and inside the booklet of the CD was discovered on a royalty-free website, www.picturequest.com. Working with a local graphic designer, Barbara Harper of Wilmette, Illinois, we were able to create cover, booklet and CD design over the internet, sending files and e-mails back and forth, until the artwork was just right. Then all the information was downloaded onto a disc and sent to the manufacturer, Oasis in Virginia (www.oasiscd.com).

3. Websites:

Paula Eastman (hardly a technological wiz by her own account) created a website for the record company to promote the project, www.allrightrecords.com, using Site Builder at www.interland.com. Now people around the world can visit the websites to learn about the project, sample the music, download a song, and hopefully buy a CD.

4. Worldwide Web Infrastructure: An entire infrastructure has been developed to sell and promote independent releases like Television Mind. The Internet, DSL and mp3 technology offer The Cleavers the ability to reach out and tell others about the project. The band has sold CDs of Television Mind to people throughout the United States and in England, Australia, Japan, and even Iceland!

A. Internet Sales: In addition to selling the CD through their website, www.allrightrecords.com, using Paypal, the band also offers Television Mind through www.cdbaby.com, the leading internet seller of independent music. CDbaby will soon be making digital downloads of the songs available on iTunes.

B. Internet Radio: Hundreds of Internet radio sites are playing independent music. One of the songs from Television Mind, "Jungle of Love," is in rotation onwww.aiiradio.net, an internet radio station based in Essex, England, and has climbed their charts to #2 during the week of July 5, 2004.

C. Internet Communities: There are communities of people who are listening to and discussing all different types of music on the Internet. Ron Kaplan used his contacts from the Yahoo message board regarding the Yamaha AW4416 to help the band master the recording process. An informative site about promoting and selling on the Internet is www.musicbizacademy.com. Also, Television Mind has been accepted for inclusion on these pop music websites: www.webcds.com, www.koolkatmusik.com, and www.notlamerecords.com.

Our project, Television Mind, probably could not have been accomplished five years ago. Now the timing is just right for the independent artist to be able to record and promote music that fulfills the artist's own unique vision using recent advances in computer technology.

Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © Tag It 2004 - Republished with Permission

Smile

Smile is inarguably the most long-awaited album in modern pop history. It's been more than 37 years since the title first appeared on a label release schedule, intended as the January 1967 follow-up to the groundbreaking art-rock of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. But Smile never made its initial release date. Today, this album is not a mere reconstruction of past performances, but something entirely new, a serious summation of a project that has been gestating for nearly four decades.

8 Ways To Attract More Orders

1. Create a free music directory on your specific genre of music. People will visit your web site to find out about new music and may see your banner ads and links.

Another slant on this is to create a fan site for an Existing band. For instance, if your band sounds like Culture Club, put up a fan site about them.

2. Turn part of your web site into a members only web site. Instead of charging for access, use it as a free bonus people who purchase your music.

Within the member area, you can put unreleased music for download, photos from gigs, or a section where you personally answer fan email.


3. Add a free classified ad section to your web site just for bands in your genre of just for “Culture Club related sites.”

Encourage people who get a link from your site to place place a reciprical link back to your site.

4. Create two versions of your newsletter so people can choose if they want HTML or plain text messages.

You’ll have to test your response rate to see whether HTML or plain text works better for you, but giving people a choice in the matter will almost always get an increased response since they are choosing their delivery method.

5. Publish your newsletter only on your web site. Have people subscribe to a "new issue" e-mail reminder. This will bring peple to your site and could really increase your traffic and sales.

6. Sell advertising space in your product package. You could sell inserts, flyers, brochures, and booklets for related bands and companies or give the space away in trade for access to their customers in return.

7. Offer daily or weekly visitor bonuses such as a new music download. This will increase your repeat traffic and sales because your visitors will visit regularly to get the visitor bonuses.

Need help? See the Music Virus for a program which will automatically attach your promotional message to mp3 clips.

8. Allow people to download music from your web site at no cost. Just ask your visitors in return if they'll refer their friends to your web site.

Kathode Ray West

I'm moving to Los Angeles.

Well, not really. I will be there for three weeks next month though. Doing some speaking engagements as well as some media interviews to promote my upcoming audio book, CD Release Party Strategies.

I don't get to California much, so I'll be doing a lot while I'm there. Definitely something in LA and right now working on Santa Monica as well as San Francisco appearances.

Hoping to do a free customer appreciation seminar, probably in LA. To make sure you get hooked up on the details, get on my mailing list.

Hendrix estate cuts off rock star's brother

By Severin Carrell

A bitter family feud over the estate of the rock legend Jimi Hendrix has ended after a judge ruled that the guitarist's brother has no right to a share of the star's royalties.

The surviving members of Hendrix's family have been fighting over the legality of a will worth some $80m (£45m) written by the guitarist's father, Al, who inherited the star's lucrative back catalogue and vast reservoir of unreleased material.

Hendrix died, aged 27, at the height of his fame and powers on 18 September 1970 after collapsing at the home of his girlfriend, Monika Danneman, in a flat off Ladbroke Grove, west London.

Since then, the company set up to market the guitarist's catalogue, Experience Hendrix, has re-released "authorised", remastered versions of his most famous albums, including Electric Ladyland and Axis: Bold as Love, as well as compilations of material left unpublished when Hendrix died.

The frequently vicious feud erupted when Hendrix Snr died in 2002, leaving everything to his adopted daughter, Janie, and cutting his other son, Leon, out of his will.

Leon Hendrix had claimed that his father had been influenced by Janie into rewriting an earlier will but was too old and senile to realise. The earlier version of the will, written in 1996, would have seen Leon inherit 24 per cent of the estate. But on Friday, Leon's long battle to overturn his father's will ended when a judge in Seattle ruled that the document was legal and binding.

Time Management for Musicians, Songwriters, and others in the Music Business

We live in an extremely busy world.  It seems that you can't have five minutes to yourself before the phone rings, your spouse starts nagging you, or something else happens that needs your attention.

Here are a couple of techniques you can use to deal with this and get more done.

1. If it's going to take you less than a couple of minutes to do, finish it off and be done with it.

People waste a ton of time worrying over things that they're going to have to do anyway.  And even if you're not somebody who worries, you still have to go back to the task, finish it off, and get back to what you were doing.

Resist the temptation to answer emails later rather than now. Return calls promptly.  Not only is speed your greatest asset against the big boys, you'll also get more done.

2. Work with a timer.

This sounds crazy I know, but if you'll invest a few bucks in an egg timer, you'll get more done.  Set it for 20, 30, or 45 minutes (whatever you can spare) and go at it without any interruptions.

For example, if you're working on a press release, don't answer the phone, don't stop to look at email, and don't take any breaks until the timer hits zero.  You'll be amazed at how much you can get accomplished.

Have kids or others who need your attention?  They can live without you for 45 minutes.  Make sure they know you're doing "prime time" and don't want to be disturbed.

Try these two techniques and let me know how they work for you.  I think you'll be amazed at how much you'll be able to accomplish.

"That Damn Britney!"

2NMC just ended and I've been spending time finishing up all the loose ends. Found something from somebody who came last year that I thought would make a great article here.

This lady was about 50 or so...maybe a little younger. Had an solo act where she'd play piano and sing. She was a last minute replacement for somebody who cancelled.

But instead of being happy she was there performing, she kept bitching about the younger artists who were having success.

"That damn Britney! She has no music talent," she said. And then she talked about everybody else under the Sun and why they didn't deserve to be where they were.

What a waste. Rather than concentrate on her own success, she spent all her time worrying about the success of others.

And judging by her music, she wasn't spending a lot of time there either.

Yeah, what's on the radio sucks. Yeah, some "musicians" don't play instruments, don't write songs, and care barely sing. Who cares?

This is the entertainment business. Nowhere is there a rule where people who entertain us have to do anything more than catch our attention.

Just checked out this lady's web page. Copyright notice is 2002 and she hasn't updated it since October of last year.

Britney may not have "music talent," but at least she's working. And she's selling CDs, making money, and doesn't care what you think.

Burning Bridges in the Music Business

Once there was an artist at a Warner Brothers party. He was invited, but not really aware of who else was attending.

As he was helping himself to some food and drink, he kept joking around about "having a drink on Bugs" and how the company was footing the bill. He started talking to a man beside him and with each statement, he put his foot in his mouth more and more.

Finally, after talking and talking, he came up for air to ask the guy beside him what his position at the company was...

"I'm President of the company," he replied.

Ouch!

A similar thing happened recently when I was talking to a Christian artist at a networking event. She was really difficult and no matter how hard I tried to shed some positive light on the situation being discussed, she kept hammering away at how bad things were.

When she left, a guy walked over to me.

"I've been watching her for a while and was just about to make the introduction to a friend in A&R at Goatee Records," he said. "But there is no way I'm going to do that now because they want people who are easy to work with."

Take this entry for whatever it's worth. You don't always have to be positive, but I do think it helps to see a positive side of things. Nobody wants to deal with people who constantly find fault with something.

But even if you don't buy that, keep in mind that you never know who is around...especially at an industry function.