Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ May 8, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 13 In This Issue: - The Power of Musical Focus - Two Great Sites for Indie Musicians - Grow Your Band's Audience __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ UNLEASH THE ARTIST WITHIN Four Weeks to Transforming Your Creative Talents Into More Recognition, More Profit and More Fun More info http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash.html __________________________________________________ WELCOME! There's been a lot of commotion in the wired music world since Apple unveiled its new iTunes Music Store. As you may have heard, the online store lets customers find, sample, purchase and download the music they want for just 99 cents per song, without subscription fees. Here are a couple of news stories on it with more details: http://www.uemedia.com/CPC/article_7740.shtml http://theherald.co.uk/news/archive/7-5-19103-0-19-36.html And here's where you can find the store itself, usable only if you have a Mac, OS X: http://www.apple.com/music/ Yes, Mac users make up a small percentage of the market, but the site sold more than a million songs in its first seven days online. Forget Apple for a moment. What I want to know is, have you had any success selling individual tracks by digital download? If so, I want to hear from you. How do you do it? What success have you had? The premise behind the early success of iTunes is that music consumers are willing to pay a buck for a quality download of a song they want, while the subscription model, previously touted by major labels, is not an attractive option. What's your experience with this concept? Send your music download sales success stories to twocents@thebuzzfactor.com Have a creative, fun and successful 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! __________________________________________________ => THE POWER OF HAVING A MUSICAL FOCUS (In case you missed this one on TheBuzzFactor.com ...) Focus. It's not just something you do with a camera. The kind of focus I'm talking about can be one of the most powerful weapons you use to attract fans. Through the magic of focus, you can transform your musical identity from one that is meaningless and forgettable to one that screams for attention. When you have a strong musical focus, you position yourself as an artist that fills a specific niche and caters to a well-defined audience. The only thing is, most artists don't do this. The average songwriter, for instance, in an effort to craft a hit, creates songs that sound similar to what's being played on the radio. They write about love gone wrong or teen frustration or dealing with lustful urges ... all themes that have proven themselves popular with the masses. There's nothing wrong with this approach. There will always be a need for predictable pop songs. However, since thousands of songwriters are striving for the same type of hit, your struggle to stand out and be noticed will be all uphill. To stand out -- especially as an independent artist -- you have to resist those well-traveled paths and find a distinct road that's all your own. Sure, you won't appeal to as wide a range of people, but the fans who do gravitate toward you will be cult-like in their admiration. Read the rest of this article at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/focus.html => TWO GREAT SITES FOR INDIE MUSICIANS PublicRadioFan.com http://www.publicradiofan.com/ This cool site features program listings for hundreds of public radio stations around the world. Follow the audio links to hear your favorite programs and discover new ones. Each listing also has a link to the program's web page. A great resource for noncommercial radio exposure. Songsalive! http://www.songsalive.org/ A nonprofit public organization dedicated to the nurturing, support and promotion of songwriters and composers worldwide. Founded by Gilli Moon Aliotti and Roxanne Kiely in Sydney Australia, Songsalive! is run by songwriters for songwriters. Now in its sixth year, Songsalive! provides opportunities for collaboration, creates awareness about original music, promotes and educates through a network of programs designed especially for songwriters and original music. => GROW YOUR BAND'S AUDIENCE If you've been reading my writings for long, you should know that I'm big on fans. Musicians are too preoccupied with trying to attract record labels, retail outlets and other cogs in the music industry machine. The focus should be on fans -- the only factor that truly determines your level of success. Author Joe Taylor Jr. get this, and he spells it all out in his fine book, "Grow Your Band's Audience." Througout the early chapters, in particular, Joe challenges you to examine your goals and define who you are as an artist and who your fans are. He then spells out creative ways to gain a following and fill your gigs with bodies so you're booked back again and again. You can read a lot more about Joe's book here: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/grow.html __________________________________________________ => WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT ... "I've been creating and sending out press kits for years for my band Soulpajamas. I never knew if I was sending the right information or how to optimize my kits. Finally, I found 'Killer Press Kits.' Now I have a roadmap and the exact helpful detaiIs I need, all in one place. And at a great low price, too." -Dan Johnson, guitarist for Soulpajamas and co-editor of the Songwriter's Tip Jar More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/presskits.html "Bob Baker's 'Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook' has been his best seller since it was originally released in 1996. It's been updated many times since and is filled with some absolutely invaluable advice for any unsigned musician. This book is well worth the obscenely low price he sells it for. I'm still learning new tips every time I read it. -Marc Gunn, The Bards Crier, www.marcgunn.com More info: http://bob-baker.com/buzz/music_marketing.htm "Bob Baker's advice on harnessing and expressing your creativity comes from someone who's pursued his dreams, made mistakes and shares wise lessons. If you have been putting off a creative project, buy this motivating book and you'll soon get cracking!" -Marcia Yudkin, author, "Six Steps to Free Publicity" and 10 other books More info: http://bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash.html "If you're ready to trade in anonymity for success, Bob Baker has written a terrific handbook to get you started. Not only does he offer an abundance of workable tips and ideas, he does it in a style that is friendly and fun to read. Anyone smart enough to follow his advice will have a huge headstart in the jungle known as the Internet." -Barbara J. Winter, author of "Making a Living Without a Job" More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/byo.html =========== Cool Music Stuff You Need =========== 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 E-zine Music Marketing: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Music with a Fan E-mail Newsletter http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.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! 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 __________________________________________________ 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 |