Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ May 1, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 12 In This Issue: - Is Your Retail Distribution Philosophy Backwards? - Sneaking Into Commercial Radio Exposure - Free Handouts for Your Association, Studio or Store __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ ONLINE MUSIC PR HOT LIST 101 places to submit press releases, get reviewed, uncover PR connections and promote your music on the Internet http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/music_pr.htm __________________________________________________ WELCOME! Are you part of a local or regional music association? Do you run a recording studio or music store? Or do you simply network with lots of other musicians? If so, here's one way to make a valuable contribution to other like-minded music people: Share some useful information with them. I just took one of my most popular articles, "Four Ways to Attract a Music Fans Faster," and tuned it into an attractive, two-page handout. You're free to download a PDF copy of the file and make and share as many copies as you like with others. Your local quick print shop may be able to print right from the PDF file. Download yours now at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/pc.html Take printed copies to your next association meeting or set some out on a counter or table in your studio or store. I'll be converting other articles to this appealing handout format in the weeks ahead. FYI: The web page above is also the Buzz Factor Premium Content site, featuring special subscribers-only articles, e-zine back issues and other goodies. Take a look around at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/pc.html Since I know there are thousands of you who just subscribed to this e-zine in the past year or so, I decided to dip into the Buzz Factor archives with this issue and share a few great tips from the past that many of you have never seen. Take in some thoughts on retail distribution and how a couple of ingenious artists landed commercial radio airplay. Have a great week! -Bob __________________________________________________ SPREAD IT AROUND Forward this issue to your friends and music associates. Encourage them to subscribe. It's easy ... and it's free! __________________________________________________ => HOW TO GET YOUR CDs OUT OF RECORD STORES As you may know, I'm a big proponent of fine-tuning your attitude and mental perspective. When it comes to marketing your music, these abilities are every bit as fundamental and important as tuning your guitar or warming up your vocal cords. Our thoughts have a big influence on how we act, and vice versa. So what's my point? Indie musicians frequently approach me with questions about retail distribution. The most popular question is "How do I get my CDs into record stores?" That's a reasonable question, but it puts the focus on simply placing music merchandise in a retail environment. A noble goal. But a far better question to ask is this: "How do I get my CDs out of record stores?" Retail distribution is not an end-goal itself. It's a means to reach your ultimate goal: getting your music into the ears of a growing number of new fans. Your music could sit on the shelves of every record store around the world and you may still not accomplish that goal ... if the CDs continue to sit. Distribution is something you can pursue as you create a demand for your music. Unfortunately, too many bands worry about the retail aspects of promotion before they've done anything to create demand. Don't fall into this trap. Start putting your priorities in the right order. Generate interest in your music and, when you think about going after record store placement, think: "How do I get my CDs out of record stores?" => RADIO SUCCESS STORIES REVEALED A couple issues back I asked for your best radio airplay tips. The response was great. Here are two that overlap so well, I had to include them side by side. These stories illustrate that there are creative ways to sneak in through the backdoor of radio airplay. First off, Alice from The Alice Project, writes: "I wrote a song called 'Bob' that appeared on my last CD. (Actually, you should hear it!) Anyway, I sent it to WSBG FM, a greatest hits station. Their news guy's name is Bob. I pointed this out in a note to the morning guy. They began playing the 'Bob' song as an intro to the news as a joke. The lyric starts with 'Bob, you're out of the picture now.' "I then drove two and a half hours to sing it live on the air. The morning guy changed the lyric to 'Bob, your late for the news again.' I sang it and recorded it for the station. I then played another song off the CD live and have become a welcome guest whenever I want. They play tracks off my new CD, do whacky call-ins and promote my shows for free." => RADIO AIRPLAY SUCCESS STORY #2 George Speropulos chimed in with this story: "I play in a band from the Boise, Idaho area called Sparky Parks and the Aardvarks. One day while listening to a popular talk radio show, the DJ started coughing on the air and made the comment that he had 'an aardvark in his throat.' A friend suggested we call the station, introduce ourselves and tell him that we were sorry about the aardvark thing, etc. "We began an on-air relationship where we would call the station on a regular basis and talk about the band's new CD release and our upcoming gigs. We sent them a copy of our CD and the music is played as intros throughout their shows. They even have Aardvark Friday once a month now! This is a 50,000-watt, clear-channel station and is the No. 1 talk radio station in this area reaching thousands of listeners every day. "From that exposure came airplay on their sister stations, college radio, various stations around the U.S. and a show that played the band's new CD on another talk format. It also led to being introduced to television media, our new agent and thousands of new fans. You couldn't afford to buy this kind of publicity! People began to approach us daily and tell us they heard us on the radio. The station calls us their 'house band.' Is it good to be the house band on an all-talk radio station? Absolutely!" __________________________________________________ => WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT ... "If they allowed ten stars, I'd give it ten. I bought Bob's 'Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook,' and in less than two months, I've done more to energize the mechanisms to promote my new CD, and previous three CDs, than I've done in the past four years combined. Bob Baker really got me going. More than that, it crow-barred a self-convinced 'I hate promotion' guy out of his stubborn old habits and into enthusiasm -- which is no small feat!" -Dan Oakenhead, www.oakenhead.com More info: http://bob-baker.com/buzz/music_marketing.htm "When I picked up 'Unleash The Artist Within' my intention was to read it when I had the time. Ha! I started reading it right away and I simply could not stop. I finished the book in nearly one sitting. What a great book!" -Lee Silber, author of "Self-Promotion for the Creative Person," www.creativelee.com For more info: http://bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash.html "'Branding Yourself Online' hits the branding nail smack on the head. Loaded with wisdom served up in an exceedingly readable style. If I was king of the universe, I'd make Bob's book mandatory reading for every person who owns a computer." -Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series of books, www.gmarketing.com More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/byo.html "Your 'Ezine Music Marketing' report came out at just the right time. I have always understood the importance of e-zines, but never put a lot of thought into their preparation. All that changed after I read your special report. Now I feel that I'm in a much better position to succeed." -Steve Wickenton, Melbourne, Australia More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html =========== Cool Music Stuff You Need =========== Killer Press Kits: The 29 Most Important Elements in Creating Sizzling Music Publicity Materials http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/presskits.html Guerrilla Music Marketing Power Course http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/gpc.html For the go-getter who wants it all -- more than 600 pages of marketing ideas and self-promotion tips. Three powerful resources, one awesome discount! 2003 Windrift Music Songwriting Competition http://www.windriftmusic.com/2003 Earn Cash as a Buzz Factor Affiliate Make 40% on every copy sold through your affiliate link! http://www.bob-baker.com/af/BuzzAfil.html Get Your Own Domain Name for Only $15 a Year http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/url.html __________________________________________________ REPRINT PERMISSION Would you like to run some of the content from this issue on your web site or in your e-zine? You may do so for free as long as you add the following credit: "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 details." __________________________________________________ To START getting The Buzz Factor, send an e-mail to subscribe@thebuzzfactor.com with the words "Subscribe Buzz" in the Subject line. Or visit http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ __________________________________________________ The Buzz Factor is published by Bob Baker PO Box 43058 - St. Louis, MO 63143 Phone: (314) 758-7578 - E-mail: bob@thebuzzfactor.com http://www.TheBuzzFactor.com/ (c) 2003 by Bob Baker - All Rights Reserved |