THE BUZZ FACTOR E-ZINEMusic marketing tips, promotion ideas and moreSeptember 8, 2002
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WELCOME! Thanks to everyone who responded to my request for gig marketing tips. I was blown away by the dozens of truly creative ideas people submitted. Here are a couple ... Kenny Kinds of Blue Fortune (www.blue-fortune.com) performs what he calls a "guerrilla concert" before shows. He explains, "We find a location near where we'll be performing, like a market or cafe where a lot of people gather. Then we acoustically perform a couple of songs -- just long enough for us tease people, hand out flyers, complimentary CDs, etc." Many of those unsuspecting people, of course, are inspired to attend Blue Fortune's show. Great idea. Here's another ... Nicola of Hot Cherry Records (www.cdbaby.com/nicolanyc) relates that after her set ends, she has "two or three attractive girls -- usually our friends (not to be sexist, since I am a woman myself, but this marketing strategy works best) -- go out to audience members. One will handle the CD sales and one or two will circulate the mailing list and get names, #'s and emails. "Women seem to be less threatening to both sexes than men, and that is why we have found this approach to work best. This enables us to come off the stage and immediately meet and greet people, without having to worry about selling and dealing with paper and mailing lists. It is a great system!" And those are just a small fraction of what I've gathered so far. And I wouldn't mind having more for the special report I'm writing, called "Gig Power: 39 Ways to Get More Marketing Muscle Out of Your Live Shows." (That 39 number will probably be a lot higher by the time I'm finished writing it.) If you supply me with a fresh tip or two on how you promote your gigs and leverage them for promotional value (before, during and after the show), I'll include you in the report and plug your act, web site, etc. I'm not interested in generic advice like "get as much publicity as you can." I need specific details, such as the examples above. Send your best gig tips to bob@bob-baker.com . Have a great week! -Bob P.S. Come and see my live workshop, called "27 Things Every Musician Should Know About Self-Promotion," Saturday, October 12, 3:30 to 4:45 pm. At the Ramada Inn in downtown Nashville, TN. As part of the Nashville New Music Conference. Head to www.2nmc.com for more info. Please introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you! ========== Recommended Resources ==========
GUERRILLA MUSIC MARKETING HANDBOOK "This book proves why Bob Baker remains THE authority on music marketing." -C.J. Chilvers, President, The Association of Music Writers and Photographers
20,000 Music Industry Contacts to get your music Heard, Promoted and Sold Worldwide! Includes Addresses, Phone & Fax #'s, E-mail Addresses and more to Record Companies, Radio Stations, Promo Companies, Distributors, A&R's, Managers, Attorneys, Booking Agents, Music Press, More! ============= Quotes of the Week ============= "A film is -- or should be -- more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning ... all that comes later." -Stanley Kubrick
"An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one." ========= Bob's Buzz Tips of the Week ========= YOUR OWN PORTABLE LISTENING STATION I just found out about a cool offering from Laurel Music that could be used as a powerful retail music sales tool. It's called the SumaDek, a portable display that has space for five jewel cases and a spot to put a standard size portable CD player, plus a 4" x 6" holder for your own custom made display sign. Go to www.sumadek.com to see what it looks like. It sells for $29.95, which does not include the disc player and headphones. With a SumaDek, you could potentially set up shop almost anywhere. Take it to your local coffee house, gift shop or bookstore and ask if you can place one on the front counter, or try setting one up at your next gig. It might be a great way to let people hear your music and, hopefully, enjoy it enough that they'll want to buy a CD right then and there. GET AIRPLAY IN PHILADELPHIA AND BEYOND The "OOT Pipeline Original Music Radio Show" is wanting submissions from artists who are interested in airplay or who would like to be considered for a live on-air interview. The show is heard on two radio stations in Philadelphia, PA -- WNWR 1540-AM (50,000 watts) and WWZK 98.7-FM -- as well as via Internet radio. The show features all styles of unsigned and indie music. For more info or to submit your music, contact: Bullwinkle & Mike Vagnoni, The OOT Pipeline, Box 39040, Philadelphia, PA 19136. E-mail: OOTme2@aol.com or ThePipeline@comcast.net - Phone: (215) 338-3550. ========== Cool Music Stuff You Need ==========
SELL MORE CDs & MERCHANDISE!
197 PROMOTION TIPS FOR INDIE MUSICIANS ========= Bob's Buzz Tips of the Week ========= HOW TO SELL CDs WITH YOUR FAN E-ZINE Your free fan e-mail newsletter (also known as an e-zine) is one of your most powerful promotional weapons? (You do publish one, don't you?) Therefore, you should be using your newsletter to boost sales of your CDs, T-shirts, posters and whatever else you sell. Don't make these sales plugs the main thrust of your content, but do include them. And don't be bashful about it. Remember, your fans enjoy you and what you create. Your music makes them feel good and enriches their lives. Don't deny them the chance of getting more of your feel-good CDs and merchandise. You can also boost sales and make your fans feel even more special by making discount offers that are only available to people who subscribe to your e-zine. More thoughts on plugging your recordings and merchandise ... When planning your newsletter's content, don't overlook your own needs. You aren't just promoting your music for the sake of promoting it, are you? Most likely, you have something to sell: a CD, a T-shirt, your live performance abilities and so on. It's okay to make references to the stuff you sell. It's also a good idea to slip subtle sales messages into your comments about other things. For instance, if you mention how much you like the new Bob Dylan reissue, also note that the third track on your new CD is heavily influenced by Dylan. For more tips on turning your fan e-mail newsletter into a promotion machine, take a look at my new special report: "E-zine Music Marketing: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Music with a Fan E-mail Newsletter." For details, head to www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html ========== Cool Music Stuff You Need ==========
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