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The Problem with Drag Queens (and the Music Business)

I have access to more music than ever before.  I subscribe to five satellite radios, I have a Pandora subscription, and I have probably 3000 CDs.  I have two big ass hard drives full of music, two iPods, an iPad, and a phone that plays music.

And I get music in the mail daily...from promo lists I'm on and from musicians contacting me directly.

So why am I so bored with music? 

You'd think with the ease that people are able to record a great album, there would be some really great stuff out there.  You'd think that the tight playlists on radio stations would mean that only the best stuff actually makes it on the air.

Was thinking about this over the weekend, with "Black Friday" sales on Amazon discounting recent albums to as little as $1.99 and iTunes having a huge blowout for $6.99. 

I grew up around the music business.  I play guitar.  I have a degree in music.  I love music.

How come I'm not buying any, even when it's $1.99 for an entire album and I can get it instantly, without getting up from my chair?

I think I've figured it out...

As a marketing guy, I'm fascinated by what makes people tick.  Because of this, I love documentary films. And there is a great film called Paris is Burning, which follows a group of urban drag queens in the 1980s, that I think does a good job of explaining this major "problem" of the music business today.

During the film, one of the older drag queens is being interviewed about the performance attire he and the others wear while on stage.  This, for the most part, consisted of high-fashion items that were very pricey and a stretch from what the majority of people in Harlem, where the film was shot, could afford.

Many of the drag queens would "borrow" (a.k.a. shoplift) their outfits.  This guy didn't.

Why?

"You can tell the people who steal things," he said.

In short, the people who got their outfits through theft didn't want them as much as the people that had to work for them.  And that "will to succeed" was missing from their performances.

Could it be that the music industry is suffering from the same issue?

Think about it... It used to be that you'd have to really work to get good equipment.  But quality equipment keeps getting cheaper and cheaper.  And it's easier than ever to find exactly what you want and have it shipped to you.

And recording is even easier than ever...

And making videos is even easier than ever...

And communicating with fans is even easier than ever...

And distributing music is even easier than ever...

And taking money from fans is even easier than ever...

In fact, almost everything in the music business is easier than ever.

The only thing more difficult is cutting through all the noise, because everything has become so easy that the music business has been flooded by people who would have been wiped away 10 or 15 years ago, because they don't have the passion that it takes to look up venues, get the booker on the phone, book a show, promote a show, get a van and drive to the show, perform live, and do whatever it takes to repeat the process again and again, until somebody "inside the gate" notices.

So is the music business really better off because of new technology?  You tell me...

Be a Good Hooker

Being a musician is a lot like being a hooker...

For one, if you're good, you've got a lot of clients, but you have to act like you only have one.  Or, if it's obvious you've recently been with other people, you have to act like they were lame

The bottom line is that nobody wants to think that what you did last night is anywhere close to the awesomeness that you're unleashing tonight.  How could it have been, since your current audience was doing something else last night?  The only thing that matters is who you're with right now because everybody (in the audience) knows that your current audience is the best one you've ever had...ever.

But that's not really true, is it?  Your current audience is often the musician equivalent to a fat bald guy that smells like an highway rest stop.

So how can you be a "good hooker" and fake it?

STEP ONE: WARM THEM UP

The first step is to let your audience know how great they are and that you're going to do something a little extra, something you don't do for anybody else, just because they're so great...

And that, even though the audience might feel small, it's not the size that counts...

STEP TWO: KEEP THEM HOT

People forget things and this includes how awesome they are and how much you like them.  Once you get them warmed up, you've got to keep bringing up that this is first time you've ever done something like this, and you normally wouldn't do something like this, but you're making an exception for them because they're off-the-chart awesome...

And that's not lying!  "We haven't played this one in a long time," simply means, "We haven't played this one since last night. And you weren't there, so it doesn't count!"

Last night's show was pretty lame, actually.  Bands use totally different stage banter for shows like that...

Well, ok.  Maybe not.  But that was just to practice for the current show.  A couple of nights ago, I'm sure he said something different...

STEP THREE: THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE

Paul Stanley does the exact same thing you do in that he goes on stage for 90 minutes and plays music.  So how come he makes a bajillion dollars more than you do?

The difference isn't the music itself, but the "girlfriend experience" that comes with it.

How do you do this?  First ask for feedback from the audience, then remind them that this isn't a job for you and there is no way in hell you're watching the clock...all the time while running down the time you have left on the clock by getting everybody worked up a bit. 

Like this...

STEP FOUR: EXTRA CREDIT

When you get good at the above techniques, try putting some of them together...

Want to hear more from Paul Stanley? The bootleg "People, Let Me Get This Off My Chest!" has 70 stage rants that I know will inspire you!

Indie Label 101

Used to teach a college class on music marketing.  Had a student who would come to class in a suit and tie, carrying a briefcase.

One time he asked me, "Do you think I should get a Range Rover?"

I asked, "What do you need a Range Rover for?"

"To carry clients around," he said.

My response... "You need clients before you need anything to carry them around in."

Sounds pretty funny, but a lot of people fall into the same trap.  Outward appearance doesn't mean anything if you don't have the "inner game" to back it up.

Don't get me wrong.  I love the guys who jump in head first, going balls out with top-shelf recordings, the best photographers, great art direction, and whatever else it takes to give the appearance of success.  If you're got the "inner game" in order to back this up, I think it's great.

But before you make a big investment in something, ask yourself, "Is this going to make me money?"

There are times when a nice vehicle, such as a Range Rover, definitely will.  For example, if you're meeting an attorney for lunch, do you want to see him pull up in a nice car or something that is falling apart?  In cases like this, the outward appearance of success can really help propel what you've got to a new level.

But don't be an idiot about it.

It's a fine line that you'll have to figure out for yourself.  Some people have a higher tolerance for risk than others.  To them, a big ass car payment isn't anything.  For others though, that same payment could put them under so much pressure that they start to make decisions out of desperation...and that is not a good place to be making decisions.

Here's a video to help give you some perspective.  NOTE: This video uses language which may offend some and is NSFW.

Questions for you...

1. How detailed is your plan?
   
   
2. How do you decide where to spend your money?
   
   
3. Do you have any financial decisions that you regret?  If so, what were they?
   
   
4. What are the good financial decisions that you've made?

Answer below...

How to Write a Hit Song (and Sell Anything)

As a marketing guy, I think it's really important to "keep tabs" on how the people I market to think and feel. If you want to sell something, you've got to understand the people you want to sell to and why they do what they do.

This is especially important for songwriters.  To write a song people will love and relate to, you've got to know your audience like you know yourself.  What are their biggest dreams?  What are their biggest fears?

This is why Taylor Swift is killing it right now.  She is her audience.

But what happens if you're not your audience?  For that, I suggest going where your audience goes, reading what they read, etc.

Hank Williams did this.  Merle Kilgore, perhaps best known as the writer of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", once said this about him...

"He would read True Romance comic books. My sister had True Romance comic books, and I'd say, `What do you read those sissy comic books for, Hank?' And he said, `Sissy, hell! Where do you think I get my ideas from? Listen to this line, `Why I can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart.'"

And what happens when you lose touch?

Like it or not, as evolving people, we all do...eventually.  And as musicians, one of the worst things that can happen career-wise is for us to forget what it's like to be a fan of music.

As a musician, it can be difficult to think back to a time when you didn't play music, but wanted to.  Or maybe just thinking back to a time when music was something more to you than a way to make a living is tough. 

Does this sound like you?  If so, I highly recommend that you check out The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz.

This book will take you into the mind of a "superfan" who has a life centered around music-- exactly the kind of fan you want and should be reaching out to!

By the way, Yvonne Prinz is the owner of Amoeba Music, the world's largest independent record store.  So the knows a little something about music buyers...

I found out about this book from my friend Wendy, who is in the publishing business and has a blog dedicated to young adult fiction.  She did an interview with Yvonne Prinz, which I've linked below.

Get The Vinyl Princess on Amazon.com

How do you stay in touch with the needs of your fans?  Post thoughts below...

Girl Talk Lawsuit? Not Likely...

Mashup artist Girl Talk released his fifth album this week (download here) and this article by Joe Mullin has some of the best reasons I've seen on why he hasn't been sued yet.

Among the reasons...

1. He'd be a ready-made hero for copyright reformers and would likely have some of the top copyright attorneys in the country willing to represent him for free.
   
   
2. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which believes sampling music falls under fair use, is jonesing to get involved with a case like this.
   
   
3. In the big scheme of things, most people have no idea who Girl Talk is.  If he wins a case like this, it would open the door for bigger, more popular arists to sample music for free.  That would kill a valuable source of licensing income for the music industry.

See my posts on Illegal Art and how Copying Expands the Music Business for more thoughts and feel free to leave your own in the comments section below...

How Radio Promotion Works

The following videos on radio promotion were sent to me via a reader.  They each contain some good information, but also a lot of misconceptions.

The main takeaway I feel is most important for the majority of indie musicians is that radio costs money and if you're not making that money back, which probably won't happen unless you have several other aspects of your business in place (distribution, touring, etc), it's "bad business." You need to have money coming in if you want to stay in business and simply having a record played on the radio, assuming your promotion makes that happen, isn't usually enough to do that.  Radio play is a single part of the more complex, multi-part promotion it takes to sell music.

Something else I feel is important to keep in mind is that you need to be aware where the advice you're receiving is coming from.  Obviously, people are going to have different opinions on radio promotion and other aspects of the music business, and there is nothing wrong with that, but the nature of the Internet is that it's very easy to mistake opinion for fact, especially when things can be passed around and accessed so easily.  We all need to remember that just because it's on YouTube, a mailing list, or a discussion forum, doesn't mean it really exists.

If you want more information on radio promotion, I have done several interviews with radio promotion people over the past few years.  These guys have been in the business for several years and can tell you how it works.

The "New" MySpace - Does Anybody Care?

It's here...but does anybody care?

Watch the video and post your comments below.

A Formula for YouTube Success

The video below is a great example of one way to get your music (and an offer to buy it) in front of people...

The Fomula:

1. Collect a bunch of popular YouTube clips.

2. Put the clips together in one video.

3. Use your music as the background track.

4. Make an offer to buy your music.

Discuss below...