For Artists Releasing Their Own Music Or For Those Starting Their Own Label

So I just got back from the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference that was held at MTSU and I was one of the three co-chairs. I will talk about the conference a bit later. Anyway, I was did a panel on Acting as Your Own Record Label and I just got an email from Carley Wolf asking about the same thing as she is about to release her new album on her own (BTW, she is great, check out her music at Carley Wolf, I saw her at Folk Alliance and SXSW this year).

Anyway, here is a bit of what I wrote (much credit goes to Al McCree from Altissimo Records, who I did a panel with at MTSU for Omega Delta Psi and he is world famous for this George Bush moment):

You have to put the same amount of energy, time and passion you put into marketing an album that you do writing and recording the album. So keep the same schedule that took you through the recording stage into the marketing stage.

There are three stages to releasing a record, think about it this way, just like you did when you made the record (preproduction, basic tracks, overdub, mix, master):

1. Creating Awareness - communicating the artist’s identity to an audience and that you exist and have a new CD out
2. Making The Connection - start and maintain relationship with fans, media and industry contacts. Two areas of focus – indirect (via the media and industry) and direct (fans / the public)
3. Asking For The Sale - create incentive for fans to spend money

There are eight areas of focus, think which ones you can afford and access then make the most of them, remembering job number one is connecting and communicating with your fans:

1. radio / TV
2. touring
3. retail price and positioning
4. publicity
5. the internet (blogs, streaming media, website, RSS, etc)
6. tradition advertising
7. direct / targeted communication with your fans / likely fans
8. creating word of mouth

From the "That was a smart move" department

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/us/05charlotte.html

"In Raleigh, executives at RBC Bank canceled the parachuters that
were supposed to appear at the grand opening of its new headquarters,
saying it was not an appropriate time to have people jumping off a
bank building."

Sorry, sorry, sorry

I have been a bad blogger, I know. I have been at 3 conference in the last 2 weeks - Arts Midwest, PAE and IBMA. I have a GREAT new post I am working on about career / life tips. It is culled from a discussion I had with actor / musician Ronny Cox last week at PAE while watching the Presidential debates. It really is inspiring / thought-provoking words of wisdom from him and some less insightful thoughts from my little pea brain.

Good Advice

Good Advice

Very insightful article about what it takes to attract the attention and interest of a record label, specifically an indie label. But, in all honesty, this applies to anything - what it takes to attract a publisher, manager, agent, even job / internship - because in all cases you are asking someone to take a risk on you.

I Think They Get It

Last Thursday I was asked to be a part of a panel by Omega Delta Psi on the subject of Independence in the Music Industry. I am always mixed about doing panels as most of the time it is just the panelists talking about themselves and doling out contrived and predictable advice, but this one I have to say in my 15 plus years was one of the best (the Phili Music conference I did with Jack Ball are still the best - I will write about them later - you'll all crack up - pure theater).

For over three hours over 60 college students sat engaged in our discussion about the recording industry and it' current state of flux. Yes, three hours - not that we planed on going that long - maybe an hour or so, but to look out at their faces and that they were all still into it was unbelievable. Having taught for 10 years now, you know that you can't keep anyone attentive the whole time

While it is easy to simply cry the blues about the state of the industry, these students listened and understood that while maybe the old way of doing things is changing lots of opportunities exists out there especially for those willing to do their own thing. They get that this is a time for change - opportunity to do your own thing, carve out your own piece. Waiting to get the ticket into the club 'entry level job' so to speak, is not what you can depend on...I didn't and my learning the ropes on my own was most attractive to future employers.

CD sales are bad, the music business as a whole are good, just changing and new opportunities get it and rather than bitch about the change, these kids, got it, roll with it and see it as a big opportunity.

Ride The Lightning

Was at Best Buy yesterday to get some ink for my printer and noticed that it was Metallica week - their entire discography for 9.99 each. 9.99 to me is about what a catalog item should be priced at and I never converted my LP collection to CD - so I bought 5 of their first releases - didn't have Kill Em All and I didn't get And Justice For All - never liked that one. Popped in Ride the Lightning today and was transformed back to being a dorky teenager. What a great - raw, pure metal album. To me, it is the best of their releases and of the era of what was then termed thrash metal. Funny how it doesn't sound as 'hard' as it did back in the 80's - when that came out it was the loudest, rawest record out there - there was nothing like them at the time - the hardest you could get were the British metal bands - Priest and Maiden granted there was Motorhead, but people didn't know who they were, really, until Metallica started talking about them around their Garage record.

I am looking forward to the new album which comes out this week - got to imagine they leaned their lesson from St. Anger, which is officially the worst album ever made by a 'big' band. You can't try to be a purposely be raw - not when you spend over a year making a record. Thank goodness they released that documentary, otherwise that album might have been unforgivable.

Reminds me of a funny story - a friend of mine, Vinny, had to turn in a poetry assignment for English in 6th or 7th grade. He forgot to do it, so he turned in the lyrics to "Trapped Under Ice."

I don't know how to live trough this hell
Woken up, I'm still locked in this shell
Frozen soul, frozen down to the core
Break the ice, I can't take anymore

Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under the ice

Crystallized, as I lay here and rest
Eyes of glass stare directly at death
From deep sleep I have broken away
No one knows, no one hears what I say

The English teacher gave it to the middle school headmaster - I went to a conservative, Yuppie private school - and he called his parents in - not because of the plagiarism, but because they were concerned for his mental well-being - now Vinny is a high school English teacher.

Let's Rock

Apple will be making one of their big to do announcements this Tuesday. My industry's biggest retailer and some say savior, will be once again be taking the stage and laying out new technologies and business plans.

Let's Rock

Some say it will be the long awaited subscription model or social networking music site, maybe an all you can download plan, that will be the eventual future of digital retail. I maybe the guy who said TV is a passing fad, but I don't think that is in the cards just yet.

Why? You think the major labels would have been screaming about that if that were come to bear on Tuesday. Apple only has a download deal with the Big Four and us little guys. Now when the big boys want their prices to go up on iTunes, do you think word wouldn't have leaked out that they were agreeing for the prices or their revenue to come potentially come down?

I think it will be more about better and cheaper technology they will introduce - nothing revolutionary...yet.

All you can download looks like the inevitable end game for this industry - but there is still a market for physical goods like CDs and LPs, still a market for a la carte purchases for those people not needing to fill all 60 GBs of their iPod.

The bottom line is that the more variety of ways the music industry can offer the consumer to interact with their product and at the end open their wallets the better. One size does not fit all. Every other consumer product industry offers a variety of sizes to purchase. You can buy soda by the 12 ounce can, 20 once bottle, 2 liter bottle, 6 pack, 12 pack and case - imagine Coca Cola said to their consumer - we are only selling soda in 2 liter bottles and that is it.

Myself, I am hoping Steve Jobs in the short term, offers a cheaper iPod Touch with more storage for folks like me who don't want to have to lug their laptops around, but at the same time don't want / need to buy an iPhone or Blackberry.