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Your Music Business Goals

Have been working on a lot of "goal setting" content to prepare for all you New Year's Resolution types...  Decided to go ahead and post some thoughts on goals now though, since it's never too soon to start working on what you want.

Think about your life goals for a moment.  It could be a specific music business goal, or you could think about just general goals in your life. 

Have you ever set a goal and not achieved it?  Most people have.  In fact, it's quite common for people to get stuck in an endless cycle of setting goals and then quitting them shortly afterwards ñ and accomplishing nothing at all.

Why do people do this?  One of the biggest reasons is a lack of commitment to their goal.  Without commitment a goal will gradually shrink in importance, and the temptation to quit will seem much more attractive, especially when obstacles cause setbacks and delays.

On the other hand, if you make a serious commitment and then continually remind yourself of it, you'll be much more likely to persevere and achieve the goal.

Here's how to commit to your goals:

1)    First and foremost, you have to make sure that every goal you set is of VITAL importance to you.

This can be tricky because we so often fool ourselves into thinking we want one thing when we want something entirely different.  Take some time with this part of the process, and be sure that you get to the heart of what you really want.  Why do you want it?  What will it do for you?  What positive things will it bring to your life?  How will it help you?  How will it make you feel when it's accomplished?

Write all of this down and keep it handy so you can refer to it as often as necessary if you feel your commitment beginning to slip. 

Also ask yourself if your goal is worth the effort and sacrifice that will be needed to achieve it.  If you can honestly answer yes, you are on the way!

2)    Think about what will happen if you don't follow through. 

Would nothing much happen if you don't achieve your goal?  If not, then you need to raise the stakes!  You have to make your goal the most important thing in the world, and if you don't do it, you'll deal with negative consequences.  Even if you have to indulge in a bit of 'make believe" in order to do this, do it.  For example, play up the fact that you'll lose respect for yourself if you don't follow through; or you might agree to give up something you love if you don't make it happen.

3)    Then, each and every day, renew your commitment. 

It's easy to be committed you're your goal is new and your motivation is high, but you need to be able to STAY committed - no matter what!  Each day when you awaken, read through the goal you wrote down on the first day, and stress again how vitally important it is to you.  Promise yourself that you're going to do as much as you can to work on your goal that day, and every day until you achieve it.

When it comes right down to it, no one can achieve your goals for you.  If you want to achieve them, you'll have to find the determination necessary to keep going.  Inactivity and procrastination are usually nothing more than bad habits.  Turning those habits into something more positive and productive is as simple as taking it a day at a time and working your hardest to change your life.  The more committed and determined you are to making your goal happen, the more likely you'll do just that.

Good luck!

Rock Band to Donate 100% of Album Sales to Build Habitat for Humanity Home

This is a good idea and can be easily copied by any band or musician.  Great publicity for the band as well as helpful to the community...

I've seen the idea of "charity" come up a lot with musicians, but most are afraid to go balls out like this.  You'll notice that the money being donated is 100%, not 10% or something like that.  Nobody cares about 10%.  They want to see that you're serious and doing this for the right reasons, before giving money to a band they're never heard of in the name of charity.

So, with 100% of album sales gone, how does the band make money?  New people will be exposed to the music, which will generate plenty of money via future album sales, catalog sales, live performances, and merchandising.

Still on the fence about an idea like this?  Think of it this way... You can certainly keep 100% of the money and pay for all the publicity you'd otherwise get for free, probably not getting nearly the promotion result (or the cash) in the end.

So watch and learn...

The Michigan City Vandals (MCV) are releasing their first full length album on November 3, 2007 and plan use 100% of their album sales to build a Habitat for Humanity home in Benton Harbor, MI.

The band feels that recording and releasing this album has become a community effort to help the Benton Harbor Habitat for Humanity affiliate.

“When we decided to donate the money and try to build this house, we realized we needed to come up with the funds to actually record the album. We are not currently on a label and were going to try to pay for it all by ourselves, but then the most amazing thing happened,” explains Bassist and Lead Singer for The Michigan City Vandals, Julee Laurent. “Peak Audio in South Bend donated all the tracking and mixing for four of the songs, our friend Dustin Maust produced and played guitar on those tracks and Tom Jennings and Dave Maki at Czars in Saint Joseph, MI said they would record us live and mix it for us to supplement the studio tracks. It was an incredible feeling to see how this music community comes together and still believes that music can change the world.”

The idea came to the band when some of its members were in Guadalupe, AZ on Whirlpool’s® Second Annual Building Blocks Blitz helping Jose Molina and his family build their first home. The Building Blocks program, which is a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and Whirlpool®, is a signature program created by the appliance brand to raise awareness of the affordable housing crisis and to help eliminate substandard housing in the United States.

“To stand next to someone and help them build their home is more fulfilling than a record deal or fame. Those things don’t last, this house will. The Molina’s will watch their grandkids run around in it and they will maybe take a second mortgage to send their kid to college and change generational cycles, all because they have a home and a safe place. This is what Habitat does, and I am just glad we can be a part of it in any little way we can. It’s the proverbial pebble in the water causing a tidal wave or the butterfly flapping its wings. In the end, its how we helped other people, not how we helped ourselves,” says Laurent.

The Michigan City Vandals will be holding a record release party at Czars 505 in Saint Joseph, MI this Saturday November, 3 with a South Bend release party currently in the works. They are planning a regional tour for this winter in hopes of raising $75,000 so that they can break ground on the house in summer of 2008. The album is currently available on www.michigancityvandals.com by snail mail or digital download. Individual tracks are also available on myspace.com/michigancityvandals.

Buy the album.

Burnlounge Update - Put a Fork in It!

Believe it or not, I am still getting email about this, so here is an update...

This company started getting press about two years ago.  I first mentioned it here in February 2006.

A federal judge agreed with my post and has called Burnlounge a "classic pyramid scheme."

Former USC running back Rob DeBoer was the guy I spoke to during the meeting I attended.  He is currently having some trouble with the FTC.  In August, he agreed to turn over financial records to federal authorities and not drain his bank accounts for his involvement as a Burnlounge salesman.  Which is good, because at the final hearing a couple of weeks ago, this rumor is it that they're looking at collecting close to $1,000,000 from him.

Thoughts?  There was a time when this place was flooded with Burnlounge supporters.  Are any of them left?

Website Provides Unfettered Interview Exchange For Independent Musicians And Their Fans

Uncensored Interview is a site dedicated to giving independent musicians and their fans a voice through an interactive interface. Via streaming video, Uncensored Interview showcases interviews with indie bands across all genres.

"The truth is, indie music fans just don't have outlets like TV and radio to access the indie musician world," said Marisa Bangash, founder of Uncensored Interview. "Today, the internet is the place for art, ideas and intimacy to be exchanged. Uncensored Interview is the site for indie artists, fans and music aficionados to experience, learn, express, unite, and debate."

Uncensored Interview provides a needed channel for bands to reach to fans, express their feelings and share themselves beyond their music. It is a forum where theplatonicband/fan relationship which thrives in the indie music world is respected and allowed to grow.

Uncensored Interview recognizes that passive is out when it comes to online behavior and encourages users to "talk back" to the bands and share their views via video. The interviews captured highlight the indie artist's opinions and ideas. Then a grassroots, non-linear video conversation becomes the name of the game. The uncensored interviews produced for the site and user-generated content known as "v-sponses" create a forum for the two parties to interact on topics ranging from global warming to sex with fans to the state of the music industry.

"With the major labels failing, airwaves filled with disposable music and cookie cutter artists being pushed as the next big thing - fans need a way to cut through the clutter," said Bangash. "Uncensored Interview is a reference point for people to find the diamonds in the rough."

Artists interviewed also talk about what they know best and why they are recognized - their music. More than just commentary on their own albums, bands converse about everything that affects their lives as musicians, including touring, influences, the music industry, media and challenges they face. Some of the content also serves as advice for aspiring musicians.

Uncensored Interview's videos encompass broader social issues as well since artists develop their work based on their experiences as individuals. To capture what compels each artist and share it with fans introduces a new way for the two parties to connect.

The Interview Process: Step by Step

* Starts with a simple thought shared by the indie artists captured and published by Uncensored Interview producers.
* Videos featuring the indie artist are published online and are ready for viewing.
* Socially aware individuals, indie artists, fans, music aficionados and the bands themselves interact by uploading their own videos in response (the v-sponses) to the original band videos or to other v-sponses.
* The end result - video conversations that are interactive, intellectual, meaningful, ever-changing and uncensored.

Videos on Uncensored Interview are classified into several channels, delivering content based on the user's preference; whether by genre or by area of interest. Interviews take place in locations where the artist feels most comfortable - a favorite bar, rehearsal space or even a toilet seat. From here, artists speak in an unrestricted environment, enabling their fans to get a voyeuristic glimpse into their worlds. Uncensored Interview doesn't string together pieces of the interview to create an enhanced image of the artists; but instead provides raw, truthful moments as they happen. For more information, visit www.uncensoredinterview.com.

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Content provided by the
Copyright © MusicDish, LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission
click here for free music content for your site or blog

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Musicians Earn More Money Than Non-Musicians

At least the ones who aren't doing it fulltime... ;)

A poll by Harris Interactive, an independent research company, showed that 88 percent of people with a post-graduate education were involved in music while in school, and 83 percent of people earning $150,000 or more had a music education.

Why? 

"Part of it is the discipline itself in learning music, it's a rigorous discipline, and in an ensemble situation, there's a great deal of working with others. Those types of skills stand you well in careers later in life," said John Mahlmann, of the National Association for Music Education in Reston, Virginia, which assisted in the survey.

Your Email List - Do It Right

If you're sending people emails about your music, and you should be, do it right.

1. Get a service like Aweber to send for you. 

They'll handle managing the list and making sure that your messages get through.  Not using something like Aweber can get you banned by your ISP.  And many ISPs limit the number of messages you can send.  You may think you're saving a few bucks, but it's costing you when your messages don't get through.

2. Have an unsubscribe link. 

Don't tell people to "respond with unsubscribe in the subject."  People don't want to hurt your feelings.  But if they're just junking your emails, ignoring personal emails from you, or hitting the "spam" button, you're wasting your time and may be worse off than if you didn't send them.

Aweber handles unsubscribes with one click as well as address changes, by the way.  Again, worth the money.  You're in the business of music, not list management.

3. Don't sign people up, let them do it.

I'm sure you'd be pissed if I sent you something that you're not interested in.  And that is how people feel about emails you send regarding your music.

It's amazing how many bands think that I want to get their updates.  I don't...at least not to my main email.  I send all mailing lists I'm on to a special box, so I can go through everything and look for good marketing ideas and things to post here.  Clogging up my main box gets your on my ignore list, because I know I didn't sign up for what you're sending. 

4. Have your list segmented.

There is no reason to let somebody in Nashville, like me, know you're playing this weekend in Los Angeles.  Again, this is another thing that gets people to ignore you.  It's like activating your turn signal a mile ahead of the exit you want.

Music Business Conference Dos & Don'ts

by Allen Johnston

Music Conferences today have become big business for the individuals and companies that put them on. Almost every conference created has an educational component, a seminar, panel discussion or technical workshop. Here lays the problem: Why pay good money to come to a conference with positive seminars and not attend? Every conference I have attended in the United States this year has had more nighttime attendees for parties and performances than daytime seminar attendees.

MusicDish Network Sponsor

In Europe it is the complete opposite. Conference attendees come for business during the day in droves. Panels are packed and private meetings are scheduled.  Let me give you a few ideas on how to become more productive at your next conference.

Rules To Work Conferences

1. Research Your Conference: Know who is going to be at the event you will be attending. Read the schedule in advance and determine who you want to meet and WHY you want to meet them.

2. Schedule Meetings: Try and reach companies, executives, publicists and other artists prior to the event and schedule private meeting times to discuss your MUTUAL interests. Email works when used properly for communication, so please spell correctly.

3. Speak Correctly: Leave the urban street-based conversations at home. This is a business and professionals will be attending and speaking on the seminars. Lose the phrase "You know what I mean?" and the phrase "You feel me?" Say what you mean upfront and be prepared to explain yourself. The way you speak in the "trap" is not going to get you anywhere in the entertainment BUSINESS environment.

4. Take a Shower: Partying the night before is NOT an excuse to have bad breath or body odor. Make the effort to bathe BEFORE you come to the seminar. You never know who you will be standing next to. By the way, dousing yourself in perfume or cologne is NOT bathing.

5. Be on Time, Awake, Attentive and Prepared: Walking into seminar fashionably late shows disrespect for the other attendees and to the seminar speakers. It also says that maybe a professional does not want to work with you because you didn't think enough of their time to hear them from the very beginning.

6. Take Notes: Just like you were back in school. This is how you remember some of the information that will be disseminated. Plus, this is how you can keep names and numbers straight while you write down any questions you may have.

7. Have Business Cards Available: Name, email, website, phone number, mailing address and a representation of what you do. (logo, business name, etc)

8. Receive Business Cards: When you give a card, receive a card. Take the card in both of your hands if possible; read it before you put it away. This business card is the beginning of your entertainment industry database, treat it with esteem.

9. Carry a Camera: Take photos of the panelists to help you remember who was who. And take as many photos with other people as you can. Email them back to the person and use this as a starting point for a great business relationship.

10. Be Polite and Courteous: You want and need to advance your career, the worst thing you can do is to disrespect and upset a professional. This means NOT telling a DJ off for not playing your music. DJ's TALK TO EACH OTHER and so do distributors, store buyers, publicists, record exec's, club owners and almost everyone else who is a professional.

11. Follow Up: Email, telephone, regular mail and do ALL of these things consistently. It is true that the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

12. Have an Online Presentation: MySpace is good for starters however you do need your own website that allows viewers to find out more about you and your talent. You should also create MP3s of your material for sending and for downloading. If you have a visual talent, create video for web usage.

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Content provided by the
Copyright © MusicDish, LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission
click here for free music content for your site or blog

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Why Musicians Fail...

Can't tell you how many demos I get from bands and musicians who sound just like somebody else.  If you want to hear some great examples, check out the Demo Derby segment on any episode of Music Business Radio, where we review music which has been sent in.

Rarely do people succeed by being copies of somebody else.  It's great to have influences, but if people wanted something that sounded just like a certain artist, they'd go directly to that artist and not elsewhere.

There are hundreds of people trying to sound like Elvis (or Frank Sinatra, or U2, or Green Day, or [insert musician here]) and nobody has heard of any of them.

Be yourself.

Advice to Striking Writers

Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner says to blame Steve Jobs of Apple.

According to Eisner, the studios "make deals with Steve Jobs, who takes them to the cleaners. They make all these kinds of things, and who's making money? Apple! They should get a piece of Apple. If I was a union, I'd be striking up wherever he is."

What a dumbass.

Steve Jobs gave the music industry a digital music model that works...after several attempts by others has failed miserably.  And he's doing the same for the movie and television industry.

I support the writers when it comes to this issue.  Writers are where it all begins and they're the people who make everything happen.  They deserve to be paid for it.  But a big part of the reason that "new media" is doing so well is because of Steve Jobs.  And the fact that Eisner (and others like him) can't see this is one of the big reasons the major label music industry is in the toilet right now.

Swedish Band Gets 100,000+ Downloads in 24 Hours

Bit Torrent tracker Pirate Bay has "sponsored" the Swedish glam band Lamonte and has featured them on the front page of thepiratebay.org.  Within the first 24 hours, more than 100,000 people downloaded the band's tracks.

Whether or not this will make any money for the band, nobody knows, but this kind of publicity is worth a ton and it's a good demonstration on the value you can get from giving away your music.  But according to Lamonte, they're a "live band."  This kind of promotion might not be a good idea if selling music is your only income stream.

Then again, you have a better chance of going broke because NOBODY is aware of you than going broke because 100,000 people downloaded your music for free.

More info from the band...

Debut Album Downloaded More Than
100 000 Times the First 24 Hours it Was Released

We are very proud to say that we finally released our debut album 'The Golden Daze'! It's been lots and lots of work, both in the studio and in the office but now we finally made it. And it's very nice to see that so many of you (fans, media, boys and girls) like it so much! As you probably know, we are supported by the Pirate Bay. Right now they have a campaign on their front page, encouraging their users to download our album and buy the record. After 24 hours more than 100 000 people downloaded the entire album and our video has been viewed so much that the host viddler.com crashed and they had to install more servers!

In December we will tour Sweden (and one show in Finland) and since we're mainly a live band we hope that you all come to our shows! We're not playing concerts, we're having parties on stage with our audience and you are all very welcome to join the party!