Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ December 9, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 33 In This Issue: 1. The Death (and Resurrection?) of MP3.com 2. Bob's Rolodex of Music Biz Connections 3. How One Artist Got Great Local and International Exposure __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ Welcome! => 1. The Death (and Resurrection?) of MP3.com Where did the time go? I can't believe it's been three weeks since the last issue. Obviously, I've been indulging in way too much holiday cheer. Not to worry. I'm back with a vengeance ... and just in time for the holidays :) In that last issue I promised you a collection of names and numbers. Like the Santa Claus of indie music, I deliver those presents in section 2 below. RIP MP3 I'm sure many of you are mourning the loss of MP3.com. In case you didn't know, the well-known music site was purchased by CNET and is no longer active. If you have links on your web site to a page on MP3.com, you should remove them because they no longer work. CNET promises a new site next year at http://music.download.com/ that will pick up where MP3.com left off. Right now, the page offers the following explanation: "So now we're hard at work building a free music download site that will address the needs of the independent artist community and the music downloading community. Launching in early 2004, music.download.com will offer artists free file hosting and a presence on the Web, and will give music fans free access to a universe of downloadable songs." Having Fun with Your E-zine As you may know, I'm a big proponent of using free fan e-mail newsletters. I also encourage artists to have some fun with their e-zines and let their personalities show through them. My friend Leslie White (www.trixiedelight.net) did this a couple of months ago to promote some Halloween shows. Here's what she sent to fans: "Do you constantly torment yourself wondering why YOU didn't come up with the idea for pumpkin-face leaf bags? Are you tortured by the memory of your mother forcing you to wear your dorky winter coat over your Superman costume that one year? Are you haunted by guilt over that seance you had in the tree house with the Ouija board when you scared the bejesus out of the neighbor kid and he had to be put in an institution? It's true, we all have unfortunate recollections like these, but you can purge yourself of them by coming out to celebrate Halloween with Trixie Delight! Get out your costumes and don't forget to bring us some candy. Here's where we'll be: ..." Funny stuff. Don't just list dates, venues and times. Give your fans a little more. For more of my thoughts on e-zines, head to: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html Remember, you can read two year's worth of Buzz Factor back issues at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/pc.html along with other subscriber-only goodies. It's all on the Buzz Factor Premium Content site. -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. Bob's Rolodex of Music Biz Connections You want names and numbers? You got 'em. Note: This list is far from comprehensive. I just put together a collection of contacts who I know personally and feel I can recommend to my friends. Also, don't expect these folks to give you hours of free advice. Most charge for their services. If you need people with expertise, these are the people worth hiring. Legal help from an entertainment attorney Danica Mathes http://www.entertainerlaw.com/ dlm@bks-law.com (314) 863-0800 Artist management and consulting Kari Estrin http://www.kariestrin.com/ kari@kariestrin.com (615) 262-0883 Radio promotion Bryan Farrish http://www.radio-media.com/ airplay@radio-media.com (818) 905-8038 Fan club management John DeMezzo http://www.fanfactory.com/ johnd@fanfactory.com (973) 316-0316 Vocal lessons in the Los Angeles area Steven Memel http://www.stevenmemel.com/ steven@stevenmemel.com (818) 789-0474 Web design and site hosting Corey Schaaf and Derek Bemis http://www.cdkweb.com/buzzfactor.php cjs@cdkweb.com (314) 583-4202 Online songwriting classes Sara Light and Danny Arena http://www.songu.com/ feedback@songu.com Other Key Resources ... E-mail newsletter publishing system Ezine Director http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2C9122C6 Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Multiple state listings http://www.vlaa.org/resources.asp Online CD Sales ... CD Baby http://www.cdbaby.net/ Amazon Advantage Program http://makeashorterlink.com/?N2D9352C6 Accept online payments ... http://PayPal.com/ https://www.paypal.com/mrb/pal=EEMHX6UMW26FW http://ClickBank.com/ http://hop.clickbank.net/?buzzfactor http://2CheckOut.com/ http://makeashorterlink.com/?L1E9322C6 ============================================= => 3. How One Artist Got Great Local and International Exposure We can all learn from subscriber Alishia Smock, who sent me this note: "Hi Bob. I am a professional harpist in Des Moines, IA. I have been reading your e-zine for nearly a year now, and I want to tell you how helpful it is. Your tips remind me that marketing is an ongoing thing. Because of your newsletter, I have been able to quit my part-time job and focus on music full-time! Let me give you just one example of how it's helped ... "My local paper recently added a section that features various parts of the city. I noticed a blurb in it that asked for stories about interesting events, people and places. I wrote a quick e-mail and let them know how interesting I am. And I gave them the lead they wanted: "Iowa girl comes home," and they loved it. You see, the hot topic here in Iowa is trying to get young people to come back home. I had moved back from Chicago two years ago, so I was the perfect example of that. "The day the article came out, I immediately got a call for a gig, and my notoriety has skyrocketed. People stop me on the street and tell me they enjoyed the article and welcome me home. However, it didn't stop there. The article was also listed on www.harpa.com, a world-famous harp e-zine, in its U.S. news section. It was incredible to have my story listed there. "Thank you for your great ideas, and for helping me to think out of the box!" Congratulations, Alishia! None of that good fortune would have come your way if you hadn't taken the initiative to pursue it. I'm sure you'll inspire many other indie acts to do the same thing. Until next time, have a great holiday season! Oh yeah ... and 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 "Bob's 'Guerrilla' book is the most directly applicable, start-tomorrow, creatively inspiring book I've ever seen on promoting your music!" -Derek Sivers, president of CD Baby, www.cdbaby.com - 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 "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 - 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: 101 Publicity Sources http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/music_pr.htm "Some professionals hide their secrets. Not Bob. He's generously given independent music people the keys to the Publicity Kingdom. His 'Online Music PR Hot List' supplies the *exact* web site and e-mail addresses for submitting your news. Start here when you're ready to launch your online media promotion wave." -Jeffrey P. Fisher, author of "Ruthless Self-Promotion in the Music Industry" - Ezine Music Marketing: Powerful Ways to Promote Your Music with a Fan E-mail Newsletter http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/quiz.html - 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 |