Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

Want to know a simple way to promote your music online? Here's an email I just received that explains how:

Hey Bob,

This is Jordan with The Gorgeous Hussies. Just wanted to let you know that I used another one of your tips out of your Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition book. Specifically, your suggestion to post press releases at www.Mi2n.com. I've been posting press releases there now for months, and they've been publishing our information all over the Web.
I know posting releases on Mi2n.com is beneficial because I have Google Alerts set up (something I think every band should do to gauge their online efforts) to let me know any time "The Gorgeous Hussies" name is published online. Sure enough, sites I never would have heard about are re-publishing our press releases for their visitors to read.

And today I received an email from Mi2n letting me know that The Gorgeous Hussies are featured on the Mi2n home page with our latest press release. This amount of exposure, on the front page of a web site where music industry movers and shakers go often to submit their music news, is great.

Thanks again for another great tip!

Thanks, Jordan. There are two lessons here:

1) Posting online press releases is an excellent way to get exposure online. Not just to reach the media, but to reach fans also, because your news is often picked up by feeds that automatically flow into other music news sites. You can circulate your releases through free services like Mi2n or fee-based ones like Billboard Publicity Wire.
2) There are a ton of ideas just like this in both Guerrilla Music Marketing books (the revised and updated Handbook AND the Encore Edition sequel). If you're really serious about promoting yourself, you can get them and all of my other books at a big discount with this crazy offer.

To your success!

-Bob

P.S. Also check out Killer Music Press Kits: The 29 Most Important Elements in Creating Sizzling Music Publicity Materials.

I'd like to give you the first 19 pages of my Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook. But first, a quick story about the reason why ...
In the coming week I'm going to announce a cool project that I've been developing for a well-known music organization (and I can't wait to tell you about it). I was asked to submit a bio to promote the project, and the editor wrote back saying that I was downplaying my influence and the impact of the book I'm most associated with.

It reminded me of a lesson I've preached to indie artists before ...

You are so close to the things you create, you often don't realize their value. Your familiarity with your music causes you to take it for granted, in the same way I sometimes ignore the reach of my own books.

Don't discount yourself and what you create. Give yourself credit for the things you have accomplished and the value you offer the world. This was a great learning experience for me, and I hope it becomes one for you too.

Here's part of my revised bio:

"Bob Baker is a widely hailed music marketing expert, as well as an author, indie musician, and former music magazine editor ... He is the author of Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, a book that has become the 'Bible' of music marketing -- so much so that it made a cameo appearance in the major motion picture The School of Rock, starring Jack Black."

Sounds pretty cool, huh? To honor this new attitude, I'd like to give you a sample ebook of the recently revised and updated edition of the Guerrilla Music book. Just click this PDF link to open and download the first 19 pages of the book:

www.bob-baker.com/dl/GuerrillaMusicBookSample.pdf

Learn more about this "widely hailed" resource here.

Note: As much as I'd like you to pay full price for the book at my web site, you can get the paperback on Amazon right now for only $19.77 (however, you won't get a personally autographed copy, as you would from my site). Details here.

-Bob

The Nashville-Asheville Tour. Two inspiring workshops in two great cities in one fabulous week! Click here for details.

Do you ever feel like a small music fish drowning in a big music pond? Ever feel like you're at a disadvantage because you don't have the money and backing of a big corporate entity behind you? Wanna know the reason you feel that way?

It's because you have chosen to define yourself by those terms. If you want to feel more empowered, it's simply a matter of making better choices about the way you define yourself.
Here's another way to look at your situation as an independent artist in the modern world. You have an advantage as a hands-on artist that record labels and major acts don't have: the ability to communicate on a more personal level with your fans.

A Deliver magazine article by Linda Formichilli, titled "Keeping It Real: New Media Are Forcing Marketers to Be More Authentic With Their Target Customers," sums this up wonderfully. Here's an excerpt:

Genuine is an e-mail from a person rather than a company. If the lead singer of some band that I like sends out an e-mail to those of us who have registered our interest, that's authentic in a way that a record label sending out an e-mail wouldn't be. If the lead singer responds to his e-mail, that's even better. A MySpace page is more authentic than a billboard. A blog is more authentic than a press release. It's all about having a human voice and re-personalizing the connections.

As an indie artist, you live in an incredible era. It's never been easier to personally interact with people around the world. And as a musician who has only hundreds or maybe thousands of fans, you are able to communicate with them in a much more personal way than an act that has millions of fans.

That's not to say you won't some day have millions of followers. But in the meantime, don't beat yourself up for not being at a "higher level" in your career -- whatever that means.

For now, embrace and be grateful for your independence and current status. It is allowing you to build meaningful relationships with fans -- the kind of bonds that will last a lifetime and lead to a stronger, more satisfying music career in the long run.

-Bob

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Want to create a music buzz online? Check out my special report 50 Ways to Promote and Sell Your Music on the Internet.

Here are seven lighthearted links to start off your weekend right ...

17-Year Locusts Can't Believe Red Hot Chili Peppers Are Still Around

Hip-Hop Name Generator

Clubbo Records
Fictional label with audio clips and bios for its equally fictional artists.

The Archive of Misheard Lyrics

CreateBands.com
Manufacture your own rock band online.

Dictionaraoke.org
Karaoke meets the dictionary. Audio clips from online dictionaries sing the hits of yesterday and today.

Humor & Music T-Shirts and Gifts

-Bob

Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, my classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing. Get more details here.

I'm a big fan of Brian Clark's Copyblogger site. I don't refer to it much here because it's mostly geared toward bloggers and marketing copywriters (although you'd benefit greatly from reading it). But Brian's latest post is perfect for indie music promoters of all kinds.
It's called The David Lee Roth Guide to Legendary Marketing, inspired by the recent announcement that Van Halen will be going back on tour with Diamond Dave. Here are some of my favorite parts:

The key to legendary marketing is to give people what they really want, rather than what you think they should want ... David Lee Roth told people a story he knew they wanted to hear, and then he lived the story full tilt ...

Sell Something Big

At first blush, it might seem that the product a rock band sells is music, but that's not entirely true. These days, the abuses of the recording industry are well known, so it might not surprise you to learn that despite selling tens of millions of records, Van Halen remained dirt poor for several years after breaking out big.

Bands make their money from concerts and merchandise, because the labels are not involved. Roth handled Van Halen's entire merchandising strategy, and he knew the band needed to sell something bigger than music. His persona helped fuel the strategy. Most bands can sell a few t-shirts to fans, but you don’t achieve the success enjoyed by the ubiquitous Van Halen logo in the late 70s and early 80s with just the tunes.

Roth knew you have to give people something to believe in that they desperately want to associate themselves with. You've got to sell something big, and Roth knew no other way ...

This sentence in particular is gold:

The key to legendary marketing is not what you say about yourself, but what your fans say about you.

Do yourself a favor and read Brian's entire post. Then check out the Roth Army site for an example of what fanatical fans can do (including the hilarious Sammy Hagar random insult generator).

So, what are your fans saying about you? And, what do your fans want, and how are you delivering it to them?

-Bob

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Make the most of the world's biggest social networking web site with this great primer on MySpace Music Marketing. Available in paperback or ebook format. Get more details here.

On Monday, August 20, join me and my guest, Christine Kane, as we deliver a teleclass called "The Empowered Artist: How to Build a Music Career On Your Own Terms."
Christine is the living epitome of a full-time empowered artist. She is a singer-songwriter, performer, teacher and writer. Her career in music and the arts has been dynamic and multi-faceted. The Washington Post called her "a petite powerhouse of a singer."

She regularly headlines at major events such as the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, Kate Wolf Festival, and Chattanooga's Riverbend Festival. Her songs have been recorded by country diva Kathy Mattea and Nashville Star finalist Casey Simpson.

During the Aug 20 conference call, Christine will share her experiences of becoming a songwriter and performer, and of starting her own business to manage her growing career. We'll discuss ...

• the importance of intent, inspiration, and action.
• how to move through doubt, fear and other obstacles that hold musicians back.
• developing a music career action plan and multiple streams of income.
• how to take control of your career instead of being a victim.
• letting go of the "security" myth that keeps people stuck in unfulfilling day jobs.
• how to use creativity to design a more artful and abundant life.

For a sample of Christine's philosophy and attitude, here are a couple of inspiring blog posts you should check out:

Getting Discovered, Getting Discouraged, and Getting a Clue

How to Play for 5,000 People Who Have No Clue Who You Are

The call will last an hour or so and have segments for caller questions and interaction. Here are the call-in details for the free teleclass:

Starting time: 9 PM Eastern (6 PM Pacific, 8 PM Central)

Dial-in number: 1-218-339-7800 (a Minnesota number)

Access code: (enter this number when prompted) 37251

There's no cost to access the call. Only your regular long distance charges will apply. The number of participants is limited, so call in near the top of the hour to make sure you get in.

-Bob

Did you enjoy this blog post? Subscribe now and get all of my newest ideas delivered by email or RSS feed. Learn how here.

Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, my classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing. Get more details here.

You're struggling with your music career. That means you need a good manager or publicist, right? Not so fast. Listen to the latest episode of the Artist Empowerment Radio Podcast to get my unusual take on this.

New Podcast Call-In Line

I want your audio questions and comments. Call (214) 615-6505, ext 4844 #. Leave your best music success tip or ask a question related to music promotion or your indie music career.

Listen to the podcast for details, but basically I want to use the best tip line comments on upcoming shows. So pick up the phone and start dialing!

-Bob

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Are You Ready for a Complete Crash Course on Music Marketing and Artist Empowerment? Save 20% when you visit this special discount page. Do it now, before you get distracted.

It seems to defy logic. But when you find out what's really going on, it's inspiring. Check out the beginning of this article from the New Times in Florida:

... CD sales are in the toilet, distributors, outlets, and even major chains like Tower Records are closing all over the country ... anyone who's even thinking about opening an independent, bricks-and-mortar music store could probably do better by answering a Nigerian letter. The indie shops that haven't succumbed to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Circuit City stand to get whacked by file-sharing and the digital era.
Yet a handful of little local music retailers from Miami to Delray Beach is somehow hanging on. And if that's not quixotic enough, there's this: Fort Lauderdale's Radio-Active Records, formerly known as CD Collector, is expanding.

As it turns out, some smart indie record store owners aren't buying into the doom and gloom trends of major music chains. They're making the best use of what they have to work with and getting back to basics.

"We took a look around and saw that there aren't any record stores that are throwing really cool in-store events any more ... and decided it was time to change that," says Radio-Active's general manager, Mike Ramirez.

Lauren Reskin, owner of Miami's Sweat Records, concurs. The trick is to sharpen the local edge.

"Our biggest strategy is community involvement," she says. "It's why Virgin [Megastore] couldn't survive down here: They don't pay attention to what music locals are interested in. I go to the clubs, I see what people are dancing to, and I order that stuff in the store. If you don't pay attention to the local market, you're isolating yourself, and you're not going to make it.

"We're more of a boutique, a culture outpost, rather than a music store to make money. The majority of our inventory is stuff you can't get anywhere else in Miami -- and that's important."

That's what I love about this story. It demonstrates people making their own circumstances instead of settling for being victims. It shows the importance of focusing on a small slice of the music market instead of aiming for the whole pie.

What can you do to create your own little thriving niche in the music world?

-Bob

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Are You Ready for a Complete Crash Course on Music Marketing and Artist Empowerment? Save 20% when you visit this special discount page. Do it now, before you get distracted.

Want to stand out in an overcrowded, noisy music marketplace? Try this ...

Yes, you write introspective love songs or body-moving dance tracks or lushly orchestrated masterpieces. But I'll bet you also feel not enough people are taking notice or appreciating your artistry. Am I right?

Consider creating a music project based on a theme.

Example A: Graham Smith produced an album called "11: A Musical Tribute to Apollo 11." These electronic instrumental tracks were inspired by one of man's greatest achievements -- the mission that successfully landed a man on the moon in July 1969.

Smith, an independent artist, has sent copies of the CD to NASA and to a prominent author who wrote a book on Apollo 11. He's got the album set up on CD Baby, iTunes, Last.fm and more. He's scheduled to do an interview about the project with the BBC.

And, if he continues to build momentum with the project, he'll be in a great position to promote it two years from now, on the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

Example B: Harry and the Potters. Yes, this indie band plays music inspired by the smash hit book and movie series. The band's summer tour has the members doing about 60 shows in 90 days, mostly at public libraries and community centers.

Important note: You don't have to base your entire music career around a single theme. You can still do your more generic pop or hip-hop or R&B music, while also having a specific theme project on the side.

The thing is, your theme CD or web site will bring you more recognition than any one-size-fits-all approach. So you can use your specialized project to draw attention to your more general music.

-Bob

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Good. Because what I reveal on this page isn't for everyone ...