Bob Baker's Indie Music Promotion Blog

News, notes and ideas on music marketing, self-promotion, artist empowerment and more

October 21, 2004

e-Teams and Working with Other Artists

Found some great indie marketing tips on the Rampant Hosting web site. Here's an excerpt:

"Create an e-Team. An e-Team is a group of fans who work together to help spread the word about a band online. This means talking about you on message boards, chat forums and via e-mail, etc. But a word of warning: EVERYONE hates spam, so don't encourage your street team to spam on your behalf. It's unlikely to win you any fans!

"Join Forces. Another idea is to approach other bands and suggest you collaborate and produce a compilation CD. This is extremely useful, not only for reducing costs but it also means you'll all benefit by getting heard by each others' audience, thus increasing your fan base.

"Create an angle to market this compilation. Will it be a showcase album for local artists or would you prefer to include bands of a similar genre to you? Go and see as many local bands as possible. If you like them, approach them with your idea. Remember, by all means, cut costs but NEVER cut corners when it comes to quality."

Read the entire list of tips at rampanthosting.com/rcms/news/getStory/22

I'm pretty sure the advice above was written by U.K. artist Jane, who sold more than 2,000 copies of her debut album, Close Up and Real, after practically giving up all hope of doing anything significant with her music. Check out these encouraging remarks from her online blog:

"I'm delighted and astonished by the response I've had. Let's face it, I'm a thirty-something mother of three, hardly 'rock star' material, yet it doesn't seem to matter. In the current climate of an image-dominated music industry, I never believed I would stand a chance. Yet, given the choice, people really don't seem to care that much about age, looks or status. They just like the songs and it's brilliant ... exactly what music should be about."

Find out more about Jane at Janemusic.info

posted by Bob Baker @ 8:50 PM   1 comments

October 12, 2004

Instant Download's Gonna Get You

One of the newest players in the crowded online digital download horse race is the U.K.-based KarmaDownload. According to a statement on the site, "We will be presenting the best new music from the independent sector, featuring unsigned talent to music from some of the leading independent record labels around the world. We'll also be featuring exclusive downloads you won't find anywhere else, including exclusive compilations, remixes and live gigs."

KarmaDownload does not charge indie artists to join its service. The deal is simple. KarmaDownload sells each MP3 download for £0.99 and shares 50% of the money generated with you after a 15% handling fee (to cover credit/debit card charges, hosting fees, etc.) is deducted. Check it out and get more details here.

In case you haven't been paying attention in recent years, you might want to know that eMusic, one of the early music download sites, is entirely focused on serving the needs of independent music fans and labels. The site sells only music from 3,700 independent labels, a total of a half-million tracks, via subscription plans that start at $9.99 per month for 40 downloads. The aim is to help fans locate the small, the obscure and the eccentric, and help musicians find their fans.

Note: It sounds like eMusic works only with independent labels and distributors and NOT indie artists individually. However, if you sell your CD through CD Baby, you can make your songs available on eMusic (and other major online music services). Get details here.

posted by Bob Baker @ 8:46 PM   0 comments

October 06, 2004

Music Marketing Channels: Too Little or Too Much?

Robin Spielberg of play Mountain Music makes a lot of good points in her MusicDish article called "Gum at the Wall Marketing Approaches and Why They Don't Work."

In one segment, she talks about the senselessness of trying to make your CDs available everywhere:

"There is no need to be in every store in every state, or on every web site that sells music. Keeping our invoicing streamlined is, for us, the way to go. It can actually be HARMFUL to be in too many stores. Why? Because that means your inventory is 'all over the place,' and after six months, it may very well come back to you cracked, chipped, broken, stickered ... and all at your expense. Rotating distribution outlets, for us, makes a lot more sense. Believe me, if your fans are looking for your music, they will find it. And if stores are getting repeated requests for your music, the distributors will find YOU."

Good advice ... Focus. Keep things simple. Prioritize your promotion and sales options, and pursue the short list of avenues that will provide the most bang for the buck!

posted by Bob Baker @ 8:34 PM   1 comments