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THE BUZZ FACTOR E-ZINE Music marketing tips, promotion ideas and more June 18, 2002 In This Issue: Five Places to Get Your Music Reviewed Getting Your Fans' Stamp of Approval 72 Free Music Downloads More Tips from Creative Authors and Publishers Read the previous issue here: www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/060302.html See the end of this message for Subscribe and Unsubscribe instructions. ============ Buzz Factor Sponsor ============ Three reasons OASIS CD DUPLICATION should top your list for CD manufacturing: * Free Radio Promotion, oasisCD.com/sampler * Free National Distribution, oasisCD.com/distribution * Patent-pending Eco-packaging, oasisCD.com/packaging Reach Stessie at sc@oasisCD.com, 888-296-2747 or oasisCD.com WELCOME! One of the things I love about The Buzz Factor is that it serves as a clearinghouse of good ideas from subscribers. My job is to act as a human funnel and collect the most useful info and pass it on to everyone through this newsletter. Here's a cool marketing idea from Corey Palmer of the band Monday Conspiracy. Like most club-playing musicians, his band gets booked at venues that stamp the hands of every patron who enters. Most bands don't give this common ritual a second thought. But not Monday Conspiracy. "We had a stamp made that spells out our web site address, www.mondayconspiracy.com," Corey says. "Before every show, we ask the manager if he or she would mind using our stamp at the door. Most managers say yes, which results in the entire crowd being temporarily branded with our web address." And the results? "We've seen our web traffic jump quite a bit since we started doing this. People are less likely to forget our address with it stamped on their hands." If you have a clever marketing idea to share, send it to bob@thebuzzfactor.com. 72 Free Music Downloads Remember the free music downloads directory I talked about a couple of months ago? It's the one that uses the magic of compound cross-promotion to help included acts reach tens of thousands of new music fans online. Anyway, it was just released in the form of "72 Free Music Downloads," a .pdf file with links to the music pages of 72 great indie music artists. Take a look at www.bob-baker.com/freemusic. Not only will you hear some cool new sounds, but the e-directory can point you to some active acts who might make good networking contacts. If you missed out on this one, I'll let you know when I put together the next Free Music Downloads directory. Have a great week! -Bob =========== Recommended Resources =========== GET 7 MUSIC BIZ SPECIAL REPORTS FREE when you purchase the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, featuring hundreds of ways to thrive and prosper with your original music. A Buzz Factor classic! 197 PROMOTION TIPS FOR INDIE MUSICIANS Ideas, tricks and resources to help promote your music. ============= Quotes of the Week ============= "We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them."  -Kahlil Gibran "If you want to please the critics, don't play too loud, too soft, too fast or too slow."  -Arturo Toscanini ========== Bob's Buzz Tip of the Week ========== MORE PROMO TIPS FROM THE BOOK BIZ In the last issue, I shared a few marketing tips from successful authors and publishers, and suggested ways that musicians could "borrow" the ideas. Here are a couple more tips from the book biz to chew on: Collaborate for Media Exposure Some authors team up with other writers or experts and create a roundup article that provides an overview of their field. For example, four science fiction writers might collaborate on a press release in which they examine recent trends with the genre. Smart idea. The opinions of three niche writers means more to the media than a press release from a single author. Again, I ask: Could a musician use this idea? Let's say you're a keyboardist who composes electronic new age pieces. You discover that many of your fans use your CDs for meditation and relaxation purposes. Instead of pitching this angle to the media on your own, you find two other new age acts whose fans use their material for similar reasons. Write a press release or article using all three of you as expert sources. Editors will appreciate you handing them a prepackaged story idea. Keep an Eye on the News The May 2002 issue of "The Writer" magazine featured an article by Jodee Blanco on getting publicity. She suggests that authors find a way to tie into current events and popular trends. "If it's in the news, it's on people's minds," she writes. "Where there's curiosity, there's opportunity." Start watching TV and reading newspapers from a marketing perspective. Always ask yourself if there's some aspect of your music or image that is related to a topic in the news. Do the people who make up your fan base represent a segment of the population that's associated with a new trend? If so, contact the media and show how your musical efforts tie into the trend or current event. To help you research trends, here are two web pages that list currently popular search terms: Lycos 50 with Aaron Schatz 50.lycos.com/ Google Zeitgeist www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html And for a rundown of the days top news stories, visit ... Google News Headlines news.google.com ========== Promote & Sell Your Music ========== 10 Places to Promote Your Music Online Ten online publicity sources excerpted from my Online Music PR Hot List. Use these writers, editors and webmasters to get wider exposure for your sounds. SELL MORE CDs & MERCHANDISE! Get serious about accepting credit cards online and at gigs. It's fast, easy and reliable. The Buzz Factor uses this service. So should you. ========== Bob's Buzz Tip of the Week ========== INDIE MUSIC EXPOSURE SOURCES Here are a few sites that may be eager to review your latest music: eMUSe-IC www.emuse-ic.com emuse-ic@emuse-ic.com Jason Perlman runs a music site filled with music he loves -- featuring both major label and unsigned artists. "I cover all kinds of music in all all genres," he claims. "I also like artists to be available for phone interviews so I can mix reviews and interviews." Send your emuse-ic.com submissions to: Jason Perlman www.emuse-ic.com 5579 Valencia Park Blvd. Hilliard, OH 43026 Jazz Review www.jazzreview.com A clearinghouse of all things jazz music related. Here you'll find CD, concert and book reviews, as well as interviews, photography, links and more. The site also promotes monthly free music giveaways (perhaps a good way to get some exposure if you want to contribute some freebies). For CD and news submission details, head to the staff page at www.jazzreview.com/contacts.cfm Muse's Muse Music Reviews www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html Just two people, Ben Ohmart and Eliot Popkin, review CDs for this respected site for songwriters and indie musicians. Visit the page above for submission specifics. Polluteme.com www.polluteme.com/home.html pollutedone@polluteme.com Described as "Your one-stop resource for rock, metal, death, punk, alternative, grunge, hardcore and ska," this site allows you to list your band, venue and show dates. Also features lots of unsigned/indie CD reviews. fm sound www.fmsound.org editor@fmsound.org This site features lots of reviews of mainstream acts, and also has an entire area dedicated to indie artists. DEVELOP VOCAL POWER, RANGE AND PROJECTION Become a better singer with these world-renowned tools. MAKE MONEY AS BUZZ FACTOR AFFILIATE Earn $10 a pop! Get paid twice a month! ============= More Cool Resources ============= Guerrilla Music Marketing Power Course www.bob-baker.com/buzz/gpc.html Indie Music Contact Bible www.bob-baker.com/buzz/icb.html How to Promote Your Music on the Internet www.rainmusic.com/htpma/buzz.htm Branding Yourself Online www.bob-baker.com/buzz/byo.html Get Your Own Domain Name for Only $15 a Year www.bob-baker.com/buzz/url.html MusicMarketingBooks.com www.musicmarketingbooks.com SPREAD IT AROUND Can you think of two or three indie music people who would benefit from Buzz Factor tips? Forward this issue to them. Encourage them to subscribe. It's easy ... and it's free! To STOP getting The Buzz Factor, send a blank e-mail to: TheBuzzFactor-unsubscribe@topica.email-publisher.com NOTE: You must send this message from the e-mail address you originally subscribed with. To START getting The Buzz Factor, send a blank e-mail to: TheBuzzFactor-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com or fill out the subscription form at the top of this page. REPRINT PERMISSION Would you like to run some of the content from this issue on your web site or in your e-zine or print publication? You may do so for free as long as the following credit is added: "Reprinted from Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor, featuring free marketing and self-promotion ideas for songwriters, musicians and bands on a budget. Visit www.TheBuzzFactor.com for free details." (Note: This offer doesn't apply to my GetSigned.com columns. Those are exclusive articles.) Home  -  Free Articles  -  Ezine  -  Bob's Books  -  Other Books Free Stuff  -  PR Services  -  About Bob  -  Order Form THE BUZZ FACTOR is published by Bob Baker PO Box 43058, St. Louis, MO 63143 Phone: (314) 758-7578 - E-mail: info@thebuzzfactor.com