Bob Baker's "The Buzz Factor" Delivering music marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and more since 1995 - http://TheBuzzFactor.com/ December 18, 2003 - Vol. 9, Issue 34 In This Issue: 1. Music Marketing Crash Course Warning 2. News and Notes from Around the Net 3. Want PR? Think Visually __________________________________________________ See the end of this message for details on how to get on and off the Buzz Factor mailing list. __________________________________________________ Welcome! => 1. Music Marketing Crash Course Warning It's the holiday season in most parts of the world, so who has time to scour the Internet for music biz news? I know I don't. But with your needs firmly in mind, I ate into my shopping time and dug up some vital facts, figures and details you need to know. See my findings in section 2 below. And in section 3, be sure to read guest columnist Daniel Janal's PR tip on the importance of thinking visually. Any artist should be able to use this angle when pitching the media. Warning (the good kind): Coming very soon will be the release of my newest resource, "Music Marketing Crash Course: 1,001 Ways to Promote Yourself, Make Money & Live Your Dreams." What is it? Well, it's a new CD-ROM (data CD) that features some of my most popular special reports along with many rare and exclusive articles, tip sheets and spoken word audio clips. I also tapped some of the best authors and experts I know and persuaded them to contribute their knowledge to this collection. Combined with several other great surprises, the "Music Marketing Crash Course" will add up to a mountain of super self-promotion ideas and career advice. Stay tuned. I'll give you more details by Jan. 1. Have a great holiday season! Oh yeah ... and get out there and promote yourself! -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. Music News and Notes from Around the Net Guess what well-known band is the latest to go indie? Pearl Jam. Now free from its Sony contract, the band is releasing its new single on Amazon via the site's Advantage for Music program. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3737639/ CD sales may be limp, but music DVDs, which made up 13 percent of all DVD releases in 2002, have gone up this year. DVDs are hot. http://makeashorterlink.com/?M282527D6 However, not all CD sales news is bad. According to Rolling Stone, the holidays have been decent for music sales this year. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=19038 Also on the rise: live concert ticket prices, especially for acts that appeal to Baby Boomers. http://makeashorterlink.com/?J392217D6 It's no secret ... more women are rocking than ever before. So much so that companies are changing ads to target this new market. http://makeashorterlink.com/?J1A2317D6 We're one step closer to the Apocalypse as Bertelsmann and Sony finalize a deal to combine the two companies. http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/ap20031212_1352.html Meanwhile, http://www.downhillbattle.org/ is on a different mission. Founders Holmes Wilson and Nicholas Reville write, "The major labels survive by manipulating fans and musicians. Help us spread the word about why it's time to end the corporate music industry." Also features a great set of links related to the cause. I mentioned the Weed music distribution service a couple of issues back. Here's a press release on the site's progress. http://makeashorterlink.com/?B2C2137D6 With the demise of MP3.com, many sites are rushing to fill the void. For example, MediaPal claims to offer a new distribution system and service with which artists can collect cash for digital downloads. http://www.mediapal.com/mp3.asp Let me know what sites you use to serve a similar function as MP3.com. Whether it's http://www.ampcast.com/ or http://www.garageband.com/ or something else, tell me and I'll compile the best suggestions. Just hit Reply. Apple's online iTunes store has sold 25-plus million songs. http://macdailynews.com/comments.php?id=P2340_0_1_0 We should all live in a city as supportive of its music scene as Memphis. According to a study by a University of Memphis commission, the Memphis music industry had a local economic impact of $367 million in 2002. The commission's goal: to make Memphis the country's independent music capital. http://makeashorterlink.com/?P2D2137D6 Thirty-two million people attend symphonies nationally, and symphony ticket sales are up. http://makeashorterlink.com/?H2F2127D6 The Denver Post says the Barenaked Ladies is a model of independent marketing -- from an interactive web site to relying on fan involvement at shows. http://makeashorterlink.com/?Q123567D6 That's all the news that's fit to e-mail -- for now. __________________________________________________ => 3. Want PR? Think Visually By Daniel Janal If you want to have a successful web site, you need to think interactivity. If you want to have a successful public relations campaign to attract people to your web site, you need to think visually. Here's a case in point. I'm in a hotel room in San Francisco. The TV is on in the background with happy broadcasters talking about local events. Suddenly, my ears perk up as I hear a feature news report about a company named Autowraps that has a new spin on advertising. They pay people to turn their cars into bill- boards. Autowraps pastes a full-body poster onto cars. When these ad-plastered cars drive around town, people see this novel advertising format and gain another impression of the company and its message. Here's the lesson: When you interrupt the expected visual format, you get attention. When you see a car, you don't look. When you see a car that looks like a 5,000-gallon ice cream container, you look. Good advertising you say, but what's the PR point here? The company thought visually to get the story on the air. I'm guessing they pitched the story to the news director by saying "Hey, you want to see a bunch of normal people turn their cars into billboards for an ice cream company?" Who can resist that kind of oddball, man-bites-dog pitch? But the story doesn't end with a good visual. They added extra elements that turned this story into a five-minute documentary. First, the story was shot in the Autowraps garage. Now, garages might not be particularly interesting, but they are a lot more visually appealing than the standard interview set in an office. Again, they interrupted the normal expectations. Then they showed an artist applying the ad to the car. I would have thought that the ad was painted on, but the artist actually applied a bumper sticker-like material to the car and had to cut out spaces for the mirror, light and other problem areas. So, not only was the ad visual, but the application of the ad was visual as well. The reporter conducted a normal interview with the company exec who spouted his company's key messages. He also had interesting info, like "How do you know these people are driving around, instead of putting the car in the garage?" Answer: "We have a GPS device in the car, so we know where it is at all times. We even know how fast they are driving." So we have all the elements here: Good story, good visual, good interview subjects. Now they added another piece to expand the story to the community and other news outlets: They will give the first 10 people who come to their offices a free car makeover today -- and pay them to be driving billboards. If they do their job right, the PR people can expect to see print reporters lining up to interview the drivers! They can create their own original story and take their own pictures for print and electronic publications. All in all, a great PR campaign. Lessons learned: Think visually. Homework: Look at your product or service and see what is visual about it. What elements can you add to make the story even more visual? Now write a pitch letter and start calling reporters! PR Leads founder Daniel Janal is the author of numerous books, including "Dan Janal's Guide to Marketing on the Internet." Contact: dan@prleads.com, http://www.prleads.com/ __________________________________________________ => 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 More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash.html __________________________________________________ "I just wanted to say thank you for the helpful 'Online Music PR Hot List' e-book. It's the best. It's filled with so many helpful web sites, information and hints that are making things a lot easier for me. I am the Street Team Coordinator for a band called Mercury from Pittsburgh, PA. Your publicity resource is helping a lot to move Mercury in the right direction. Thanks again!" -Maria Gadola, www.mercuryband.com More info: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/music_pr.htm =========== 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 Ezine 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 __________________________________________________ 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 |