Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

There's a great interview with music legend Quincy Jones in the January issue of Success magazine. As you may know, Jones is an American music impresario, conductor, record producer, arranger, film composer, and trumpeter. In the article he shares some timeless keys to success.

During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations (with 27 Grammy wins). He is perhaps best known as the producer of Michael Jackson's Thriller album, which has sold 104 million copies, and as the producer and conductor of the charity song "We Are the World."

Here are three gems on success from the article:

1) Combine your emotional passion with concrete work and education

Jones points out that the dictionary is the only place where "success" precedes "work" -- because it's alphabetical. "You have to get off your butt and do it," he says. "You have to have a core skill and study all aspects of it. The emotional side will drive you, but the science is what will prepare you."

2) Let obstacles become your inspiration

Like most success stories, Jones has had his share of challenges -- financial failures, a near-fatal cerebral aneurysm, etc. He says when faced with such dilemmas, everyone has a choice in how to deal with them.

"You can see darkness or light," he says. "I've always chosen light."

3) Success is sweetest if it expands over a lifetime

Jones has immersed himself in a wide variety of roles and styles within music. And at age 75, he has no plans of slowing down. Don't limit yourself to one area of expertise, he suggests. Expand, grow and explore throughout your entire life and career.

Wise lessons from a music industry veteran!

-Bob

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Get your FREE copy of my Music Marketing Secrets special report. It shows you how to get more exposure, attract more fans, and sell more music! Go here to grab your copy now ...

Stop Reading This!

Really. Just close up this page and walk away from your computer.

Why?

Because ... haven't you heard the news? The major media institutions are crumbling because of you.

The Tribune company filed for bankruptcy. Daily newspapers, network television companies, even the almighty Clear Channel is struggling.

And it's all your fault!

Okay, the sluggish economy is causing advertisers to cut back. That's one factor. But there's a bigger reason for this collapse. And it isn't because nobody reads anymore.

The truth: Consumers like you are now getting your news and entertainment online.

That's right. Instead of relying on network TV and cable, you're now watching more stuff on YouTube or downloading it to your iPod or cell phone.

The places you used to get your news (radio, TV, and newspapers) are now being abandoned in favor of a crazy array of new information sources: blogs, podcasts, Twitter feeds, Google News alerts, and more.

Heck, PC Magazine just killed off its print edition and is going to a strictly online format.

So, to stop the madness, the solution is simple ...

Just stop getting informed through all these newfangled channels and go back to what worked in the past -- traditional media sources.

Right?

Or is there another way to look at this? Hmm ...

OK. Joke's over. Pardon my December Fool's prank. But there's a point here:

You need to embrace these changes!

What does that mean? It means you should ...

STOP being obsessed with getting traditional media exposure. If you can get it, great. But make radio, TV, magazines, and daily newspapers just part of your overall strategy.

START getting comfortable with your own place in the online world. Get over the "I don't have time to blog" mentality or the "Twitter is stupid" attitude.

STOP spewing out the "Marketing is expensive" scapegoat. It's not -- IF you embrace the new social media. It takes time and effort, yes. But money, no.

START sharing yourself online and having fun with your marketing and sales activities. Make it part of the creative process, not a sad chore that is required.

So, should you really stop reading this blog? No. Please come back and continue to get ideas and inspiration here.

But if you're ready to get busy and create your own online content for your fans to consume ... By all means, stop reading and go DO IT!

-Bob

Join me for a New Year's Prosperity Plan workshop ...

Coming to these cities:

San Francisco, CA - Saturday, December 27
Los Angeles, CA - Saturday, January 3
St. Louis, MO - Saturday, January 10

A powerful hands-on workshop for songwriters, musicians, authors, writers, artists, actors, and anyone with a creative entrepreneurial bone in their body.

Get more details on the New Year's Prosperity Plan workshop here.

Here's a special audio version of my long-running Buzz Factor ezine. Click the play button as I talk about the various links below. You can also download the MP3 of this audio using this link.


Blip.tv's great tutorial on producing online video. Covers pre-production and planning, shooting video, recording audio, lighting, editing techniques, and more.

Also see Seesmic.com and 12seconds.tv.

The Hype Machine follows music blog discussions. Great site to discover the most prominent music blogs.

RockStarLifeLessons.com is an awesome blog from my friend Carla Hall. Check out the Reading Room and these posts:
A Hustler's Guide to Gig Promotion
How to Leave Your Day Gig
Motown's Secrets of Success - DIY Style

iGoogle dashboard article by Christopher Penn

Google's new Friend Connect - turn your site into a social networking center. Watch the Google Friend Connect video

New on Artist Empowerment Radio Podcast:

Jana Stanfield on Getting Paid What You're Worth

Wedding Gigs and Lucrative Niche Markets for Musicians

Bob's New Year's Prosperity Plan workshop coming to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, MO.

33 Social Media Music Sites - includes iLike, PureVolume, Last.fm, iMeem, ProjectPlaylist, and more.

NPR article on Dallas Green: Boosting Music Sales, one blog and MP3 file at a time

The Slow Build Approach to Book Marketing

FullTimeAuthor.com - for writers, authors and independent book publishers

Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook

Killer Music Web Site Design

Ask Bob Music Marketing Teleclass - Nov 2008

70 Ways to Promote and Sell Your Music on the Internet

Killer Music Press Kits

Crash Course packages on Music Marketing, Music Publicity, and Internet Promotion

3rd annual Holiday Video from Bob, Pooki and Kelli. Embarrassing? You decide. (Watch the high quality version, if you can - look for the link under the screen.)

The much-loved 2007 Jingle Bell Rock video

The 2006 family holiday video that started it all. (Look how young Kelli looks there.)

Thanks for listening and clicking.

I hope your holiday season is filled with joy, laughter and love.

-Bob

Thanks to the following bloggers and webmasters who mentioned me, quoted me, or reprinted one of my articles last month:

How to be a Smokin’ Hot Piece of Brain Candy

7 Reasons to Go Indie!

Advertising Tips for Using MySpace, Part 3

Voting, viral marketing and Music 2.0?

I'm back!

The Bob Baker Experiment

What's Wrong with 'American Idol'?

Firmly resolving ...

The Slow Build Approach to Book Marketing

How to Finish and Publish a Book

Why Book Promotion Is Like Dating

Bob Baker: conseils

I appreciate the link love!

-Bob

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

This just in ...

I'm hitting the road right after Christmas and bringing a powerful new hands-on workshop to the following three cities:

San Francisco, CA - Saturday, December 27
Los Angeles, CA - Saturday, January 3
St. Louis, MO - Saturday, January 10

I'm calling it "Your New Year's Prosperity Plan: How to Beat the Recession, Reach Your Creative Goals, and Thrive in 2009!"

Who should attend? Well, songwriters and musicians, of course. But this event will also boost the careers of writers, authors, artists, actors -- in fact, anyone with a creative entrepreneurial bone in their body.

Please help me spread the word by sending your creative friends in the area to the 2009 Prosperity Plan workshop page.

Hope to see you in one of these three cities in a few weeks!

-Bob

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Get your FREE copy of my Music Marketing Secrets special report. It shows you how to get more exposure, attract more fans, and sell more music! Go here to grab your copy now ...

During my weekly Berklee music marketing class chat session last night, a student made me aware of The Road Hammers. It's a Canadian band that plays country rock music for truck drivers and people who love life on the road. To give you an idea, some of their songs include "Girl on the Billboard," "East Bound and Down" and "Heart With Four Wheel Drive."


A band that serves a niche audience like this is interesting enough. But what really impressed me was The Road Hammers' web site. It has so many great elements, including ...

• Simple, clear, one-word site navigation links right under the banner at the top.
  
  
• Tasteful use of Flash-based elements within the page, such as the top banner and the video player further down the page. (Note: Too many music sites abuse Flash.)
  
  
• The "Submit Your Own" fan photos section. Nice interactive touch!
  
  
• An email list sign-up form near the top of the page
  
  
• Clear sections for the band's latest blog posts, news, and tour dates.
  
  
• And short spoken word audio clips that sound like a trucker speaking over a CB radio.

Overall, a great home on the Web for a band that cleverly stands for something. Visit The Road Hammers' site and see for yourself.

-Bob

P.S. Want more music web site design tips? Check out the brand new Killer Music Web Sites special report and audio. On it I critique 19 artist and record label web sites and point out in detail what's working, what isn't working, and what needs to be changed. Don't promote yourself online without these music web site design essentials.