The Buzz Factor (Do You Give It Away?) Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ October 16, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 30 In This Issue: 1. What Tootsie Says About Self-Doubt 2. Strong Opinions on Giving It Away 3. Music Biz Recommendations and Warnings 4. Guerrilla Music Marketing Workshop Live __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ Welcome! => 1. What Tootsie Says About Self-Doubt Based on what actor Dustin Hoffman says, you're not so special. What do I mean? Let me explain ... Hoffman was a guest on the Today show this morning. Host Matt Lauer asked him about working with veteran actor Gene Hackman on a new film. Lauer was surprised when Hoffman admitted that, after finishing the film, the two seasoned actors wondered if they'd ever work again. When pressed, Hoffman explained that many successful movie stars have that sense of self-doubt all the time. "After years of waiting tables and being rejected at auditions when you're just getting started, you wonder if you're really good enough or if anyone will ever hire you," said Hoffman, who explained how that fear never completely goes away -- even after decades of award-winning work. So if you have doubts about whether your music career will ever take off the way you want, don't think you have a monopoly on doubt and insecurity. You're not special in that regard. When you're struggling (or when you perceive that you're struggling), it can seem like everyone else has been given a secret code for success and you're the only one who's still clueless. Just realize that this is a fear that artists at all levels experience -- no matter how secure they may seem on the outside. That doesn't mean you have to welcome and encourage self- doubt. Confidence in your creativity and operating from a sense of "knowing" that you're on the right path is the state of mind you should always aspire to. But when the nagging voice of insecurity begins sounding, accept it for what it is, realize that you're not alone ... then brush it gently aside and get back to busily pursuing your goals with music! Speaking of motion pictures, many of my early attempts to reach local St. Louis media about my "Guerrilla Music Marketing" book appearing in the movie "School of Rock" were met with silence. However, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a nice blurb about it last week. To read it, follow this link and scroll down to "Don't Blink": http://makeashorterlink.com/?H15F52726 I'm still pursuing some local press for the upcoming workshop series in St. Louis. See #4 below. I'll let you know what happens. __________________________________________________ => 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. Strong Opinions on Giving It Away Subscriber Dave Stone (www.lemule.com) sent in this thought- provoking e-mail. Check it out and see my comments below. "Bob, Got a little bone to pick with ya. I have been a regular reader of your e-zine and other publications for some time. I have found most of your advice to be very sound, but playing for free and giving away your music is NOT a good thing! "Has everyone forgotten how to truly market their material? I WILL give you a taste of my music (a snippet of at least one minute so you can hear a verse, chorus and maybe a bridge), and if you want the whole thing, go buy it! This selling tactic has been used for many years with extreme success. People will not pay for anything they can get for free, plain and simple. Human nature and an economy that is sagging will not get folks to buy our music if you hand it out in total for free. "Another part of this is playing for free. We all did this, but we did it in the street, in the park, at private parties, but NEVER in a paying venue ... Today, kids who have no real product are going into paying places and doing it for free and killing the business for us who have put years into our product and now are told we have to play for nothing or the door (which half the time we get ripped off for) or a reduced rate because they can get these bands for free. "This has to stop or this business is going to go further into the crapper. In California this practice is rampant and in Seattle it is getting worse. And here in Boise it is terrible. Please explain to your readers that this is a business that requires more than just show. It takes hard work if you really want to make it. We need to have more Stevie Ray's, Steve Via's, Joe Satriani's, Carlos Santana's, Eric Clapton's ... in other words, more real musicians instead of a look or attitude! "Sorry if I have preached too much, but I'm really tired of the lack of effort put into music, just how much of an image you put forth. This should be reversed -- put music first then develop an image." Bob's response: Dave makes a lot of good points. To clarify, though, I don't recall ever encouraging anyone to give away all of their music or to play for free in paying venues. Regardless, these topics are worth discussing. Regarding free music samples (a la MP3 downloads), there is a school of thought that says sharing your music with as many people as possible can lead to wider notoriety. The more fans you have, and the more people who know about you, the more potential you have to sell CDs and collect cover charges at clubs. Some acts choose to give away all of their music digitally in order to get that widespread exposure. Personally, I think the best bet is to use Dave's sampling tactic. Either give away free song samples, or perhaps two or three full songs from a CD -- then encourage fans to order the CD to get the whole collection of 12 to 15 songs, artwork and other goodies. As for paying gigs, I'm frustrated by the devaluation of live music, too. But how you handle this issue all depends on your goals. Are you solely interested in making money, or are you mainly interested in playing opportunities that expose you to your ideal fans? Each artist needs to weigh that decision. I encourage acts to think outside the typical venue box. Established clubs aren't the only places to perform. Think about where your target fans hang out. Find ways to perform at places that will get your music in front of people most likely to embrace you. If that venue (whether it's a coffee shop, art gallery or car show) won't pay you, you still may determine it's worthwhile to pursue. As for look, attitude and image ... I agree with Dave that image shouldn't come before music. In fact, I'm not crazy about the word "image." However, I believe every act should be aware of their "identity." Your identity is a natural extension of your music. Describing and communicating your identity is crucial to promoting yourself, attracting fans, selling CDs, getting paid for shows -- all those things Dave advocates. Even Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton and other similarly "pure" artists have an identity. It's your job to understand what your identity is and use it to attract enough fans so that you'll never have to give away your music or play for free again. __________________________________________________ => 3. Music Biz Recommendations and Warnings Looking for a good source of custom web site design services? I highly recommend you check out my friends Corey and Derek. In addition to the basics, they can help you set up Flash, streaming media and more. (Just don't use a big Flash file on your home page. Please!) For more info, go to http://www.cdkweb.com/buzzfactor.asp Need nice-looking business cards cheap? I just ordered cards from http://www.vistaprint.com/ and they look great. You can get 250 cards for only $5.25 in the U.S. For long distance calls, go to http://www.1010987.com/lb/ Pay only a 39 cent connection fee and 3 cents a minute in the U.S. (and to Canada and Western Europe). Now some sad news. For nearly three years, I used and promoted CD Street as an online payment processing option. Many of you have signed up with them over the years. For many months now, you haven't seen links or mentions of this service in my e-zine or on my site. To find out why, read these posts: http://cdbaby.org/stories/03/09/01/4833045.html __________________________________________________ => 4. Guerrilla Music Marketing Workshop Live Wanna catch my highly acclaimed Guerrilla Music Marketing Workshop in person? Here's where and when you can: Saturday, November 1 Musicians Expo 2003 Bloomington, Minnesota Monday, November 3 Regional Arts Commission Building St. Louis, MO Visit http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/boblive.html for details on how to attend. Here's a description of the workshop: Bob Baker, author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," walks you through 9 steps to widespread exposure, sales and success as an independent artist. Learn how to stay motivated, get clear about your identity and pinpoint the best ways to build a following and boost your music career to a higher level. I hope to see you at one of them! Until next time ... Get out there and promote yourself! -Bob __________________________________________________ => Most Popular Books and Reports at TheBuzzFactor.com Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook: 201 Self-Promotion Ideas for Songwriters, Musicians & Bands http://bob-baker.com/buzz/music_marketing.htm Unleash the Artist Within: Four Weeks to Transforming Your Creative Talents into More Recognition, More Profit & More Fun - http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash.html Branding Yourself Online: How to Use the Internet to Become a Celebrity or Expert in Your Field http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/byo.html Online Music PR Hot List http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/music_pr.htm Killer Press Kits: The 29 Most Important Elements in Creating Sizzling Music Publicity Materials http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/presskits.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) 963-5296 - E-mail: bob@thebuzzfactor.com http://www.TheBuzzFactor.com/ (c) 2003 by Bob Baker - All Rights Reserved |