The Buzz Factor (Feeling the Vibe) Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ August 13, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 23 In This Issue: 1. Hot Off the Presses with Vibe! 2. The Lost Music Marketing Q&A 3. Who Do You Love? 4. What They're Saying About ... __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ This issue sponsored by ... The Call to Arts! Youth, Visual Arts and Song & Music Contests culminate on Aug 16th at the Call to Arts! Expo at Cal State Fullerton. Thousands are coming together to MAKE CONNECTIONS and MAKE A DIFFERENCE with art and music. Musicians: not sure your songs are up to snuff? You can also register for the Longest Open Mic Showcase west of the Mississippi -- Songwriting pros Harriet Schock and Jai Josefs will give critiques to those who ask nicely :) See www.CalltoArts.ArtistsHelpingArtists.org for all the details on the Contests, Expo and Open Mic. __________________________________________________ Welcome! => 1. Hot Off the Presses with Vibe! Check out the latest issue of Vibe magazine (September), in stores now. I'm thrilled to be quoted in this month's "the biz" column on page 134, which covers the importance of attracting fans. Vibe columnist Carla Hall weaved me into some good company. Also quoted in the one-page piece are Mary J. Blige, CD Baby president Derek Sivers and "Grow Your Band's Audience" author Joe Taylor Jr. And this isn't your average issue. It's a "special 10th anniversary collector's edition." Cool beans, baby. Pick up a copy. And like special issues of TV Guide, there are a few different covers to choose from. I'm happy to get exposure, but I also like giving it away. I'm gearing up to write more articles for GetSigned.com, and Buzz Factor subscribers always give me the best examples and success stories to use in my columns. Right now I'm looking for innovative PR tactics. Tell me something clever you did to get the attention of the media. Or how you got a busy editor or writer to notice you. Anything you did to get publicity that's worth noting. Send your comments to 2cents@thebuzzfactor.com -- I'll use some of the best stories in my columns (or in future books and Buzz issues). Be sure to include your name, your band/ business name and your web site. Since we all have to give a little to get a little in life, I'm slowly revamping the Free Stuff section at the Buzz site. Go there now and you'll find six free excerpts from my "Unleash the Artist Within" book and a sample chapter from "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook." It's all at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/freestuff.html Look below to read some of my comments that didn't make it into the Vibe article. And in section #3, check out some great promo tips from guest contributor David Anderson. Have a fun-filled, giving-and-getting kind of week! -Bob __________________________________________________ => SPREAD IT AROUND Forward this issue to your friends and fellow musicians. Encourage them to subscribe. It's easy ... and it's fr-ee! __________________________________________________ => 2. The Lost Music Marketing Q&A I know from being a former music magazine editor, you always gather more info than you end up using in an article. While only a sentence or two of mine ended up in the Vibe column, I sent some pretty detailed answers to several questions by e-mail months ago. So they don't go to waste, here are some of my responses that didn't make it into the Vibe magazine article: Q: Why do artists (indie or otherwise) need a web site? A: An artist needs a web site so he or she can give fans, media people and others a quick and convenient way to connect. Musical success is all about exposure and getting fans to experience an artist's music and personality. A web site can not only be effective in reaching people, it's pretty darn cheap compared to paid ads, physical mailings and long- distance phone calls. Q: What's the bare minimum that artists need to have on their sites? A: First, the home page should have a clear indication of the artist's name and what type of music he or she plays. In fact, since people sometimes enter a web site for the first time via pages other than the home page, I suggest putting the artist's name and a short description of the music at the top of every page on a site. Artists and web designers are so close to the music, they often forget to view their web sites (and other marketing tools) through the eyes of someone who may be hearing about them for the first time. And that's why so many web sites are vague and confusing for first-time visitors. They don't spell out why the site exists, who the artist is and why fans should care. Beyond that, other music web site essentials include audio samples of your songs in either streaming or downloadable formats. Another great thing about the web is its ability to make audio files available to anyone, anywhere, who wants to hear them. Don't squander this opportunity! Also, artist photos, a bio and excerpts from any press the act might have received are also important to include on a web site. __________________________________________________ => 3. Who Do You Love? by David Anderson (www.burnlikenero.com) Who are your favorite musical acts? Mine are Joy Division, Bauhaus, Japan and Fischerspooner. We all have definite tastes in music. And we can use those tastes to find new markets for our music. One of the best things you can do for your band is to find out as much as you can about your potential fans. What sort of music do they like? What web sites do they frequent? Which e-mail lists do they subscribe to? The first step is finding out what bands they might like. You probably have a good idea who your band sounds like. Even if you sound nothing like anyone else, you have influences. Ask your band mates to list their influences. Ask your friends and current fans to describe your band in terms of other bands. Write all this down. Then go to these two web sites: http://www.gnoosic.com/ http://www.gibney.de/MusicMap/ Gnoosic is a nifty program written by Marek Gibney that will recommend bands based on three bands you like. The results are nothing short of amazing. With each suggestion, you can tell Gnoosic whether you like it, don't like it or don't know. With each new recommendation, Gnoosic further tunes the results. MusicMap is a similar program from the same author. This one, however, attempts to show how closely related various bands are. The band you're interested in is shown in the center of the window with bands that are similar appearing closer and bands that are not as close a match further away. Each band name is a link, so you can follow increasingly bizarre chains of connection for hours. Use both programs to find bands that are similar to yours. Write all those band names down. When you're done with that step, it's off to Google (or your favorite search engine). Search for web sites that mention the bands you've found. If the band has a home page, make note of the URL. Check out each of the related sites. Open a web browser to LinkPopularity.com and find out who's linking back to each band's web site. These are places where you (and your fans) can go to drop your band's name. If you come across bands you've never heard of, order their CDs. Review them on your site and let each band's publicist know about it. Read the reviews of their music, too. If it's favorable, then it's probably someone you want to send your CD. Bob's note: David, thanks for the great tips! __________________________________________________ => 4. What They're Saying About ... "The 'Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook' is the most directly applicable, start-tomorrow, creatively inspiring book I've ever seen on promoting your music!" -Derek Sivers, president, CD Baby, www.cdbaby.com More info: http://bob-baker.com/buzz/music_marketing.htm __________________________________________________ "The strength of 'Unleash the Artist Within' is that it gives you specific actions steps to follow on a daily basis. When you have a dream, even if the destination is clear to you, the most difficult part is breaking it down into little workable steps, and Bob helps you do that." -Cady "Caddy" Finlayson, Spirited Irish Fiddle, www.violincady.com More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash.html __________________________________________________ "I just finished reading 'Branding Yourself Online.' You did a marvelous job of really spelling it out for the marketing- challenged, and the year-long list of marketing activities at the end is nothing less than inspired! I'm so charged up to go out and put many of your tips to use. So big thanks!" Suzanne Falter-Barns, author of "How Much Joy Can You Stand?" www.howmuchjoy.com More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/byo.html =========== Cool Music Stuff You Need =========== E-zine Music Marketing: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Music with a Fan E-mail Newsletter http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html 197 Promotion Tips, Tricks and Resources for Indie Musicians - http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/197.html How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet http://www.rainmusic.com/htpma/buzz.htm Earn Cash as a Buzz Factor Affiliate Make 40% on every title 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 addme@thebuzzfactor.com with the words "Send Me the 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 |