Music Marketing [dot] com

How to Submit Your Music to Me

One of the most common requests I get from readers of this blog, many of whom are musicians and most of whom are somehow involved in the music business, is to review music. My solution is to have people send a CD to this address:

Tuned In Broadcasting, Inc.
ATTN: Music Business Radio
1310 Clinton St. Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203

Yes, send a CD. Yes, via postal mail.

I know attaching an mp3 file to an email is faster. I know it's a pain in the ass to burn a CD, put it in a padded envelope, and go to the post office. I have my reasons though...

The big one is that I need some kind of filter from music that shouldn't be released, because the majority of musicians and writers aren't taking that responsibility upon themselves. They have a "churn and burn" philosophy and will send everything they've got, even if it's not ready to be released, hoping that something will break through the noise. They treat the music business and songwriting like a lottery -- the more "entries" you submit, the better your odds are.

The way to break through the noise isn't by adding more noise. 

I once did a film project and had an offer from a writer to send "1000 songs."

Music doesn't work that way. Less is more.

A good songwriter isn't like a guy on an assembly line, who gets paid by the piece, and can double his money by working twice as much. "1000 songs" isn't worth anything compared to a single great song, because unlike widgets made on an assembly line, songs aren't identical in either quality or earning potential.

Think about this the next time you submit your music for something. Focus on the great, not the average.

And that brings me to my second reason for taking CDs via postal mail...

By not accepting digital files, I'm giving you an opportunity to be great. You can only stand out so much when you submit a text email that looks like what everybody else is sending. But when you send a physical package in the mail, you have an opportunity to get both creative and personal in ways that email can't come close to.

So get your best song together, get your best package together, and send something memorable to me at the address above. I'll play it on Music Business Radio and review both your package and your music on the air alongside one of my music industry guests.

What Do Your Fans Want? (Part 3) - What They REALLY Want

People lie. They say they'll come to your show, but they don't. They say they've purchased your album, but they haven't. They say they're vegetarians when they actually eat fish.

It's not that people are all liars though... Sometimes, like the vegetarian thing, it's perception. Just ask anybody who has been on an online dating site... What people THINK is an honest description of themselves can sometimes be far from "honest."

What does an "average" body type mean?

And what qualifies as "married" anyway?

You get the point...

This stuff can fool even the best marketers. Until you've rolled out your product or service and have people actually handing over their cash for it, you can't be sure. Just ask Coca-Cola.

Fortunately, technology has allowed us to "spy" on people to get information about what they actually spend their money on and where they spend it, not just what they say (or think) they do.

Sites I recommend and why...

1. Foursquare - This is the best way to find out where your fans hang out and can make your job of reaching them a lot easier. If you notice they're all going to certain places, perhaps you need to think about being in those places too...

2. Blippy - Where are your fans spending money? What are they buying? How much did something cost? Blippy knows... Click here for an example of where I'm spending my money.

There are other variations of each of these sites, but these are the big ones for their categories and probably the best place for you to start.

Doing an Interview? Read This!

If you're going to do an interview, you'll have a better opportunity to get your message out if you provide the person interviewing you with two things...

1. A list of "sample questions" to ask.

Yeah, I know that's not your job, but make it your job and you'll have a much better interview experience. You'll get questions you want to be asked, questions you know the answer for, and questions that have answers that will help you further your career.

Not doing this may get you a "boxers or briefs" interview, full of stupid questions, which will annoy you, won't get the fans the info they care about, and bascially be a huge waste of your time.

2. A list of "talking points" or facts about you.

You have a certain way you want to introduced or written about, so let people know. You have certain topics, events, products, and achievements you want to talk about, so let people know.

Here is an example of a "bullet sheet" I got from Warner Brothers recording artist and hit songwriter Jason Reeves...

And here are the show notes from the episode of Music Business Radio I did with him...

Notice any similarities?

Lady Gaga Does Cocaine

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Lady Gaga says that she uses cocaine occassionally.  On the cover, she's in a "meat bikini."

Not making a judgment on either, but I will say that this is "shocking" to a lot of people.

Some questions for you...

How far will you go for publicity?

Are there some things that you wouldn't do?

Should an artist with a "young" fanbase censor herself more than one who appeals to an older demographic?

Discuss...

Your Press Kit is Crap!

This guy comes off as a total nut, but he's got some really good advice on the subject of business cards, which also applies to press kits...

Here are two big lessons from this video that you can use when creating a press kit...

1. Tell people what you're doing to do for them.

Instead of making your press kit all about your, with press clippings, your life's history, your astrological chart, or other assorted stuff that has no meaning for the recipient, customize each package to show exactly what you're doing to do for the person receiving it.

Are you going to bring a ton of people to his club?

Are you going to sell a lot of records for his label?

Are you going to make the guests at the party dance and have a good time?

Whatever it is, focus on it, then back it up with proof of how you've done it before.

2. Make it Memorable

Remember, "It doesn't fit in a Rolodex because it doesn't belong in a Rolodex."

Throw in something people will remember and want to show to their friends.  Here's a great example from Armed Forces Entertainment...

If you get creative enough with what you include in your press kit, it could very well end up on the recipient's desk.  And who will he think of every time he looks at it?

Share your press kit tips below...

Free Music Publicity via Google

Don't you just love it when you're watching something on the news and some idiot is behind the on-scene reporter making funny faces?  Annoying, yes, but also hilarious...at least to a guy like me.

What would happen if you did something like that, but instead of making funny faces, you held up a sign telling people to go to your website? Annoying, yes, but also good exposure for you...maybe.

But take that idea and do it dozens of times, using a service like Google Maps, which photographs, or seems to have photographed, just about every street in North America, and you've got something that goes beyond just getting your face in front of a bunch of people...you've got a story the mass media will pick up on.  And that gets your face and the name of your band in front of even more people...

That's what Saskatoon musician Nate Heagy did.

"When Google announced that Street View was coming to Saskatoon, a light bulb went on," he said. "I just thought Street View would allow anyone on any corner to be seen by any number of people anywhere."

So when he saw the fine folks from Google driving around, taking pictures, getting on a corner is exactly what he did.

But Nate is a guy who thinks big, so he didn't just stop with one corner...

Following in the footsteps of a fellow Canadian, hockey star Wayne Gretzky, who once said his success was his ability to "anticipate where the puck was going to be," Nate used the same skill on Google's car.  He figured out its pattern, drove ahead, and waited...and then he did it again...and again.

Did Nate sell any records because of this?  From what I can tell, no.  Still though, it's something he can leverage to make something like that happen. 

At the least, it's a foot in the door and a way to develop rapport when he calls a booking and asks, "Remember that guy all over the news for promoting his music via Google Maps?" 

And at worst, I think it's a great story of getting music publicity in a way that wouldn't have been possible even just a few years ago.

Electronic Press Kits - Worth the Effort?

A few days ago, I posted an interview with music publicist Jim Della Croce.  In it, he made a few comments about electronic press kits, which I felt would make a good discussion here.

Listen to Jim's comments here...

My question...

Do you use electronic press kits?  If so, what have your experiences with them been?

If you're not using them, I'd like to know why also.

Post thoughts below...

Taylor Swift - Will You Produce My Record?

21-year-old Ryan Laird moved from Ontario, Canada to Nashville with the hope of kickstarting his music career.  He then found out that lots of people do the exact same thing...

So he spent his "life savings" on a billboard that read "Hey Taylor, I LOVE your music. Will you produce my album? — Ryan."

What it looked like...

More on the story...

What happened because of it? Check out this video at the 1:35 mark.

Gotta give Ryan credit for going balls out like this. He didn't put a tiny classified as in a free newspaper, he didn't get a bus bench, and he didn't try to save a few bucks on the art design.  He went big and it paid off.

Of course, if you're going to do something like this, you have to be able to back it up with good music.  Check out Ryan's MySpace page and just that for yourself.

Thoughts?

Send Me Your Music!

Send me your demo or album so I can play it on Music Business Radio and have it reviewed by guys like this...

Send CD to:

Tuned In Broadcasting, Inc.
ATTN: Music Business Radio
1310 Clinton St. Suite 200
Nashville, TN 37203

Interview with David Hooper (2002)

Just found this  interview I did with Nashville City Paper's "City Confidential" series on October 1, 2002.  As somebody who is often on the "asking" side of interviews, I thought it was interesting.  Definitely gave me some good ideas for questions to use on Music Business Radio.

The reason I'm posting it here is because I think it's good for all people, regardless of profession, to evaluate where they are, where they've been, and the plan for where they're going.  And since I do that myself, I'll be posting something tomorrow with my current thoughts on these questions and the interview in general.

But for now, the old interview...

David Hooper

Master marketer reveals the man behind the Web site, music, book David Hooper has made a living for himself helping musicians find an audience. At 29, he�s already a marketing wizard and knows the ins and outs of the tumultuous music business from the perspective of an artist as well as savvy scene hound. After being involved with a band that was well promoted but lacking musically, he has since written a book on how to make money as an independent musician titled How I Make $100,000/year in the Music Business (Without a Record Label, Manager, or Booking Agent) and is the point person for the second annual Nashville New Music Conference (2NMC) to be held in October.

INSIDE INFO

What dreams have you had to let go of or put on the back burner?

I don't know that there are any. People change and so do goals. I have a lot of stuff on the back burner now because I think of new projects almost constantly, and there simply aren't enough hours in the day to get them all done right away. I have a lot of patience though.

What CDs are currently in your player?

Best of Con Funk Shun Volume 2, Gap Band IV, Dag Nasty's Four on the Floor, a CD-R I burned of white label dance mixes from Gnutella, and an audio book about marketing called Unleashing the Idea Virus.

If you could invite three celebrities for a slumber party, who would they be?

I've met a ton of celebrities, and most of them are pretty shallow and I get bored really easily. So I'd have to get some that I know could entertain me for the night and wouldn't be airheads. I'd love to have Jesus over and also Paul and Jan Crouch from TBN. Jesus and I could then start asking the hard questions like how is it that she is able to cry on command and who paid for their $5 million home.

Finish this sentence, "I'd rather be drug through cactus naked than ___."

Punch a clock.

If you could have a talent you don't already have, what would it be?

Can't think of anything. I got this goal planner about a year ago and started filling it out, but I only got about three pages in and realized that there really isn't anything that I'm in need of.

What should the title of your autobiography be?

When it comes to books, I always think in terms of Amazon.com and what people will be searching for. My first book was called How I Make $100,000/year in the Music Business (Without a Record Label, Manager, or Booking Agent) because I wanted to get as many search words in the title as I could in order to grab people who were looking for something like "music business" but had never heard of my book. So, I'd have to come up with a title that used a lot of really popular words in order to get the most people to at least be aware I existed. It would be something like 10 Stupid Things 7 Highly Effective Rich Dads Do While Making Chicken Soup for the Poor Dad's Soul.

How do you reconnect with your soul?

Lots of yoga and meditation.

What is the strangest thing you eat?

Wild Oats has these really good, vegetarian Rocky Mountain oysters. They use couscous and soy protein instead of testicles. It's really good with a little hot sauce.

How do you want the world to remember you?

This isn't something I'm worried about. I'll be dead.

Who should play the part of you in a movie?

I'm a behind-the-scenes guy, so it would have to be one of those documentary type films where you hear the guy, but never see his face. Any voiceover guy could handle the part, I'm sure.

What do you worry about?

Nothing.

I've learned that I'm not in control over much and it's all inevitable.

What is your greatest success?

I wake up every morning and I can't believe people pay me to do what I do.

Person David Hooper

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