Music Marketing [dot] com

How to Get Other Musicians to Promote Your Music (and Send You Big Licensing Checks)

Your content is more valuable coming from somebody else than it is from you.  For example, your song being played on a radio station is worth more to you than the same song on your own site and a good review is worth more in Rolling Stone than it would be on your blog.

Why?  For one, the "reach" of other outlets if better will get you in places you couldn't have done on your own.  You'll also have an "endorsement" though and that helps a lot when it comes to the increasing positive perception of what you're doing.  In short, social proof sells things.

Just got an email from a band I interviewed on Music Business Radio, Computer vs. Banjo.  They don't tour, yet have done very well with music licensing.  They've licensed songs to MTV's "The Hills",  "The Real World",  "Road Rules",  "Parental Control", and "Sex with Mom and Dad."  You've also heard their music on "Weeds", "Keeping Up With The Kardashians", "Living With Lohan", and the film "The Sharp End."

And they've gotten some great press...

Wired said, "Everything from guitars, drum machines and banjos to dobros, synths and mandolins are thrown into the musical blender. The result is a series of tasty digifolk jams from a band who doesn’t need a weatherman to tell it which way the zeitgeist is blowing."

NPR said, "The computer tends to win the battle on the group’s self-titled debut, but countless computerized samples of more traditional instruments give the record an eclectic, genre-bending sound."

How does this happen?

They're just released a second album and here's what they're doing to get the word out.  This may seem like a ballsy move, and I'm sure it will scare plenty of short-term thinkers, but remember what I said about how the value of your content increases when it's consumed in places other than your own. 

Everybody these days had a "free download" available, but going beyond that and giving people access to the raw tracks makes that 10x more powerful, since they'll be able to use what you've got in coming up with their own music. 

Doing this goes way beyond simply generating interest for your music though...

If something happens to the new music that is created, who gets part of the copyright and licensing fees?

Smart move.  It's like having all your music creation, licensing, and promotion outsourced.

At the very least, they'll get enough "new" material to release another album.

Here's the email they sent out.  Since they're letting you borrow their music, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you swiped this too...

Greetings from Computer vs. Banjo!  We are very excited to announce the release of our second full album.  This time around we are doing things a bit differently and we wanted to kick it all off by reaching out to those of you who supported the release of our first record.  Here is the scoop:

After a widely acclaimed 2008 debut album, Computer vs. Banjo is back with their sophomore release Riverboat Swing.  Embracing the current music climate and culture of FREE, all tracks AND multi-track versions of each song, will be made available for free download at the band’s web site. These multi-track files are intended for djs, artists, songwriters, engineers, Garage Band hobbyists, etc… to remix and restructure however they see fit. The band encourages everyone to send their creations to band(at)computervsbanjo(dot)com and they will be posting submissions on their blog in order to share the results of this open source music making experiment.

So download it, share it, re-mix it.... www.computervsbanjo.com

Post your thoughts on the concept and ways to improve or customize it below...

For more information on Computer vs. Banjo, check out computervsbanjo.com or their interview on Music Business Radio.

Pirated Copy vs. Legal Copy

When I was a Freshman in college, I was walking through the campus with a friend, more or less, sticking to the well-established sidewalks. Suddenly, he broke off to cut through the nicely maintained grass, showing total disregard for the signs asking people to stay off.

"This is how they figure out where to put sidewalks," he said.

And he was right... The general public is lazy.  If you're ever unsure of the easiest way to do something, throw it out to the general public and they'll show you how to cut corners you didn't even know existed.

When you're running a business that sells to the general public, this is important to remember.  If you want to stay in business, you must make things easy on them.  If you don't, they'll go somewhere else.

Always ask yourself, "How can I make things easier on my customer?"

Selling hamburgers?  Don't make people get out of their cars to get them!  Install a drive-thru.  Or better yet, deliver the burgers to their homes. 

I could give you dozens of examples, from every industry imaginable, but you get the idea... 

Here's the first "big idea" of this post though...

If you want to make money in the digital entertainment world, whether it be movies, music, or anything else, you have to make it easier to buy than steal.

iTunes is within days of selling it 10,000,000,000th track.  How are they doing it?

HINT: Read the "hamburger example" above.

People are cheap.  People like to get things for free.  Laziness trumps both these things though.

iTunes is winning the digital music game and has revolutionized the recorded music business because Apple knows this.  Paying $.99 is nothing when you can hit a button and get something instantly.

There is one problem though...  People hate DRM. 

And now for the second "big idea" of this post...

People want to consume things in the easiest and most comfortable way possible.  And for that, they'll do a little more work on the front end.

iTunes tried the "keep off the grass" method, but it didn't work.  You can't tell people to stay on a sidewalk when it doesn't make sense for them to do so.  And while it's kind of a bitch to wear down a new path, as more and more people do it, it gets easier.  New systems are built which compete with the original.

Which brings me to the final "big idea" of this post... When you have the easiest and most comfortable way possible, you can sell more units and do it at higher prices.

Remember this when you're setting up the sales process for your music business.  Had Apple started out with a 100% DRM-free catalog to sell, iTunes could have started at the premium price they're currently charging for DRM-free tracks, $1.29 per track, and they might very well have sold 20,000,000,000 tracks at that price by now rather than just 10,000,000,000, with an average price per track of $.99.  Instead, non-licensed distribution systems like Limewire, Rapidshare, and MP3 Fiesta were born, as well as major legal alternatives such as Amazon MP3, which are all viable alternatives and taking money that could have gone to iTunes, had Apple listened to what the public wanted from the very beginning.

Questions for you:

- Where do you purchase music?

- How are you currently selling your digital content?

- Do you feel threatened by releasing non-DRM content?

- Are you worried about music piracy?

Please post comments and thoughts below...  Like this post?  Please tell a friend.

How to Lose Everything in a Single Day

Let's say for a minute you're in the fitness business and your primary job is helping people to lose weight.  Most of your business is done online, so you drive traffic to your site by advertising on Google.

Things are going great.  You're making a ton of cash.  Every day, you log in to check your stats and there is more money than there was the day before.

Until one day when it all stops...  Everything.  No more traffic.

Sound crazy?  It happens all the time.  Just ask these guys who just got banned from Google.

Sure, there are other options.  They can go to MSN or Yahoo!, but chances are they're already there...and getting only a fraction of the traffic they were getting from Google.  To get things back the way they were, if that's possible, will take some time.

If you are relying on one major source for your leads, traffic, sales, or distribution, take note.  Everything is great when it works, but what will happen if something goes wrong?

This happens in the music business all the time...

For those of you selling music online, what percentage of your income comes from iTunes?

It happens in all industries!  For example, if you're selling books, what percentage of your sales are via Amazon?

Think about offline revenue... If most of your music sales are done via a merch table at live gigs, or most of your income is via the gig performance itself, what happens if you get in an accident and are unable to perform?

I'm not one to get all "doom and gloom" on you.  If you've got something that is working, keep at it.  However, this is something you should be aware of, because it can and does happen...all the time.

WAYS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR MUSIC BUSINESS:

• Licensing
• Live Events
• Live Event Sales
• Online Sales
• Direct Mail Sales
• Merchandising and Non-Music Products
• Multiple Albums
• Fan Club
• Digital Distribution
• Traditional Distribution
• Video
• Songwriting / Publishing

Thoughts?

My iTunes Account was Hacked

I'm an Apple fan.  I'm typing this on a Mac, we record my radio show on a Mac, and I sell both audio books and music via the iTunes Store.  Apple does a lot of things right.  Unfortunately, security of your personal information via iTunes isn't one of them.

Over the weekend, my iTunes account was hacked.  I found this out when I noticed unauthorized charges for iTunes downloads on my bank statement.

When I got on iTunes to see what was going on, I couldn't get into my account.  When I used iForgot to retrieve my info, I found out that not only had my password been changed, my Apple ID had been changed also.  This made their automated password retrieval system useless.

You would think that Apple would let you know when a change is made to your account, especially your email address.  That's a standard security measure, which most sites do.  For some reason, Apple doesn't.

How easy is it to get your iTunes login info?  Anybody with your email address, date of birth, and address can change your Apple ID information.  And since, for me, that information is all over the place online, whether it be Wikipedia's entry about me or the contact page on any number of web sites I'm associated with, that's not hard to come by...

Think it can't happen to you?  Apple security is so bad that a class action lawsuit has been filed, alleging it violates the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by printing purchaser names, addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers on receipts.

Fortunately, I caught the problem early.  After a couple of emails to Apple and a helpful phone conversation with somebody from Apple Cares named Edward, after about an hour of work and conversations with two additional departments, I was back in.  It's worth noting though that Apple refused to refund charges, even when all evidence pointed to its lack of proper security as the cause of this incident.  If this happens to you and you want your money back, you'll need to go to your credit card company and file a dispute.

SECURITY SUGGESTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH AN ITUNES ACCOUNT:

1. Use a fake date of birth.

2. Remove your credit card from iTunes.  If you need to buy something, you'll have to type it in each time, but this will save you considerable hassle should your account ever be compromised.  Do a search for "itunes account was hacked" and you will see several stories of this happening to people.

3. Make the answer to your "Security Question" something that nobody will be able to guess. 

Using a Mac or iPhone?  1Password is a great solution to the issue of online security.  It can create strong, unique passwords for you as well as remember them.  You simply remember a single, master password.

PC users, try RoboForm for a similar solution.

As many of the readers of this blog, like me, make money selling content via iTunes, I hope Apple will improve iTunes security and start doing a better job looking out for its customers.  Not only is this is nuisance if it happens to you, it can also cause people to lose faith in iTunes and stop spending money there.

Google's New Music Service

According to TechCrunch, Google will soon launch a new music service.  More details are here.

Personally, I see Google as one company who can actually pull something off that competes with iTunes.

Thoughts?

Want Your Music in Rock Band? Here's How...

The Rock Band Network is a revolutionary system which will allow bands, studios and record labels to create and sell playable game content from their master recordings using the same professional tools used by the game's developers.

You will be able to upload and submit your tracks for review by the Rock Band Creators community.  These experienced "rhythm game" players will critique your music and approved tracks will become available in the Rock Band Store and on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.  You'll get a cut of every purchase.

More details...

Banned Books and the Music Business

We're in the middle of "Banned Book Week" and this quote just came across my desk...

"Don't join the book burners.  Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed.  Don't be afraid to go to your library and read every book..." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

This got me thinking about the music business and how some of the "powers that be" are handling the issue of new technology.  Rather than look at the good it can do, they see the problems-- file sharing, piracy, etc.

You don't have to agree with something to learn from it.  And denying it's a problem will only delay your ability to turn that problem into an opportunity.

For every "problem" file sharing has caused, there have been multiple opportunities...

Let's take a look at basic distribution to press outlets, for example...

How much did it used to cost to get somebody a quality copy of your music?  How long did it take?  How many trees, pieces of plastic, and people were involved to make it happen?

File sharing changed the way the game is played and made distribution better.  For example, let's say I'm doing a last minute interview for Music Business Radio and need to get some broadcast quality music and more info on the act I'm talking to be prepared for it... 

Current technology will let that happen within minutes...not hours or even days.  And this opens up a lot of opportunity to do things, where there might not have been time before.

And taking that same concept of a "digital copy" that can be sent anywhere, almost instantly, think about how you connect with fans.  In the old days, you'd have to go through a writer, who would have to deal with an editor, who would have to deal with a printing deadline, and then work with the postal service to get your message to your fans.  Not only would it take a while, you'd also have the limitations of space, with only so much paper and ink available to you.

These days, it's not a problem.  You can set up a web page, or go on Twitter, or do any number of things which will get your message out, as you intend it, almost instantly.  And since it's in a digital format, you don't have the "lack of space" issues you once had.  Just keep typing until you run out of things to say...

Or post an audio clip, so people can hear what you're saying and really get a sense for the emotion behind it.  Or maybe video is more your style...

And think of how much less this new method costs?

Bottom line is that there is good in everything.  Focus on the opportunities and make the technology work for you.  Learn about it, even the "bad" stuff like file sharing, so you can use it to your advantage.  If you don't you're going to be left behind by somebody who is.

How are you using technology to advance your music business career?  Post thoughts below...

Kiss Sells Out...Again!

Kiss is the latest act to do a big deal with Wal-Mart.  "Sonic Boom" will be released exclusively at the store (and Sam's Club) on October 6th. It will include a CD of the band's first new music in 11 years, re-recorded versions of famous Kiss hits, and a live DVD.

Other acts which have released albums through Wal-Mart include the Eagles, AC/DC, and Foreigner.

Thoughts?

Illegal Art

What would you think about an entire album made from sampled music?

How about an entire album made for sampled music that hasn't been cleared?

Check out Feed the Animals by Girl Talk.  Not only is it a great example of The Speed of Hip-Hip (and Leverage), it's also a great example of where music is headed.

Say what you will about samples, but they're here.  Kids today have access to technology we never dreamed about when we were that age.  There is also less music education than ever.  Yet, the desire to make music continues...

Thoughts?

Are Record Stores Worth Saving?

Let's face it, people are consuming music in a way that is totally different from the way they did even just a few years ago. Still, there is something about buying music at a physical record store that you just can't get from buying music via download or mail.

Are record stores worth saving? More thoughts...

Interesting in hearing what you think. How do you purchase music? Are you still making physical albums or are you releasing everything digitally? Let me know below...