So I decided to make a little "testimonial" video. It's not going to be anything fancy, just a short little thing for people to get a vibe for what I'm doing.

And I want YOU to be the star of the video. 
That's right… I'm crowdsourcing baby!

So… if I've possibly taught you some cool new things, or if I've helped you in some way, or simplified your daily routine, or inspired you or motivated you somehow, then send me a brief 10-30 second video message with your testimonial.

And it doesn't matter whether you're a present or past client, a fellow tweeter, a happy facebooker, a blog reader, a  quote lover, a newsletter diehard or a podcast fan. It doesn't matter… I just want to see your smiling face and hear what you have to say! 

So go ahead and hit the record button. Right now. Seriously. If you wait and say you'll do it later… we both know it won't happen.

So turn on your camera (or use your iPhone), say a few short words (no longer than 30 seconds) and then send the file using the form that's right here in this blog post.

On February 15 I'll edit the clips together and air the video we made together right here on this page.

This will be fun! 
I can't wait to see what you come up with.

—Brian Thompson

Follow @thornybleeder
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Tags: Testimonial | Video | Brian Thompson | Crowdsourcing

Today's Topic?
12 Guaranteed Outcomes of Having Photography as a Hobby

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Tags: Brian Thompson | The DIY Daily | 12 Guaranteed Outcomes of Having Photography as a Hobby

Woohoo! Here it is gang, the debut episode of yet another podcast series! Welcome to…


The Music Biz Weekly Presents… The Rock Star Branding Podcast
with your hosts Brian Thompson, Michael Brandvold and author Steve Jones.


Today's Topic?
Lessons From AC/DC: Meeting Your Fan's Expectations



This all-new weekly podcast series will air every Wednesday in all of the usual spots. You'll be able to find it right here on Thorny Bleeder, but of course you'll also be able to find it on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher Radio, The DIY Daily, MichaelBrandvold.com and BrandLikeARockStar.com. 

Follow @thornybleeder
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Tags: The Rock Star Branding Podcast | Brian Thompson | Michael Brandvold | Steve Jones | Music Marketing | Branding | AC/DC

The New Music Economy
Demand = Value

If there's no demand, there's no value.

If you create demand you create an opportunity for monetization.

Without demand, your music is essentially worthless to the public, regardless of what you paid to record and produce it.

Encourage an open environment of sharing around your music.
Sharing creates new fans.
Fans create demand.

Monetize!
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Tags: Digital Strategy | Music Marketing | Perceived Value | The New Music Economy | Demand = Value | Music Monetization

Michael Brandvold and I are excited to announce the next Music Biz Weekly Music Marketing Webinar. This is going to be another great event for everyone, especially considering the topic: How To Use Facebook To Promote Your Music!

Oh… did I mention that it's free? Here's the deets:

When:
February 6, 2012
6pm–7:30pm PST

Cost to Attend Live Webinar:
Free

Recorded Video After the Event:
$5.00Click To Read More...

Tags: Webinar | The Music Biz Weekly | Brian Thompson | Michael Brandvold | Facebook | Music Marketing | Social Media

The Internet as we know it is under serious threat. What's being sold to Congress and the American public as a piece of legislation that will "put an end to piracy", is in actuality Government sponsored censorship (not unlike Internet in China).

To be clear… unauthorized sharing (copying) of content found online could not only have your website taken down without due process, but it could also land you in jail.

For example, if you were to post a version of you performing a Michael Jackson song on YouTube, you could not only have your account removed but you could also face up to five years in prison. That's one more year than the man who killed the man Michael Jackson himself. For singing a song without first acquiring a license to do so.

That Tumblr or Pinterest page of yours where you repost someone else's photo or cartoon or image?
SOPA would kill that.

That song you downloaded and posted on your blog to share with friends and readers?
SOPA would kill that.

But beyond trying to kill the culture of sharing (which is something humans have always done), it will also kill the creation of new art altogether. Any piece of music or art that uses a mashup or a collaboration of existing pieces, without proper consent from the original creators, would be illegal and punishable.

The Stop Online Piracy Act is a misguided solutions to a misunderstood problem. For more information on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), click here.

To give you a taste of the types of beautiful music that would cease to exist if SOPA were passed… I present to you the following mashup videos created by Pogomix (illegally of course).

This Is The Type Of Art SOPA Would Kill:

Upular (Pixar Remix)

Info:
Video for the track 'Upular', composed using chords, bass notes and vocal samples from the Disney Pixar film 'Up'.

*see more examples by clicking Read More below*Click To Read More...

Tags: SOPA | PIPA | Copyright

I'm excited to finally let you guys in on something that's been in the works ever since Michael Brandvold and I recorded Episode 34 of The Music Biz Weekly Podcast with our special guest, author Steve Jones.

We had such a great time recording that podcast and had such a tremendous response from it that we decided to do some brainstorming to see what else we could possibly do together. Well, it quickly dawned on us… why spoil a good thing? Let's do more podcasts together!

And so… a new series was born:

The Music Biz Weekly Presents… The Rock Star Branding Podcast
with your hosts Brian Thompson, Michael Brandvold and Steve Jones.

This all-new weekly podcast series will air every Wednesday in all of the usual spots, with the debut episode airing on Wednesday, January 25. You'll be able to find it right here on Thorny Bleeder, but of course you'll also be able to find it on iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher Radio, The DIY Daily, MichaelBrandvold.com and BrandLikeARockStar.com. Click To Read More...

Tags: Brian Thompson | Michael Brandvold | Steve Jones | The Music Biz Weekly | Brand Like A Rock Star | The Rock Star Branding Podcast

When people ask what it is that I do, I sometimes feel my response is a bit muddled and not as focussed as it should be. 

When I do branding consultations I tell clients they need to have a clear and well crafted elevator pitch that accurately conveys the message of who they are and what they're all about.

Your elevator pitch needs to be the essence of you, distilled down into a carefully concocted piece of prose. And If you're not happy with it, then you need to refine it. It needs to evolve, in tandem with you.

And so it dawned on me that I needed to heed my own advice.
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Tags: Brian Thompson | Rock n' Roll Branding Architect | Idea Development Engineer | Consultant | Digital Strategist | Music Marketing

Join Michael Brandvold and myself, Brian Thompson, for this weeks 42min. episode as we bullshit about various music and marketing topics such as Van Halen, Facebook Subscriptions, MOG and Spin Magazine Tweets Album Reviews.

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Tags: Brian Thompson | Michael Brandvold | The Music Biz Weekly | Music Marketing | Facebook | MOG | SPIN Magazine | Van Halen

Guest Post by Skip Taylor 
for SaskMusic's
"The Session". 
Reprinted with permission.

Things have changed drastically in the music business in the last 10 years. Physical CD sales have continued to spiral downwards and musicians have been forced to adapt and become smarter at how they handle all areas of their business to survive. More and more, merch sales have become a larger part of the average independent artist’s overall revenue plan.

Merchandise sales has become an area of great innovation and increased efficiency for those artists trying to maximize revenue. As the industry has gone through great transitions, many different business models have emerged. In this article I am going to be discussing some general “best practices,” but depending on your business model they may or may not be right for you. Ultimately, you will have to decide what is right for you and your business.
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Tags: Merch Sales | Marketing | Promotion | Guest Contributor | Skip Taylor | Sask Music

January 28 is quickly approaching and that's the day I'll be speaking on Digital Marketing at Songposium 2012 in Toronto. The event is also being live streamed to Halifax and Winnipeg, so if you're a musician in any of these areas I hope you'll take advantage of this amazing day of information.

BUY TICKETS HERE:
Toronto
Halifax
Winnipeg

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Tags: Songposium | Brian Thompson | Speaking | Social Media | Music Marketing | Digital Strategy | Songwriters Association of Canada

This is our final episode of The Music Biz Weekly Podcast for 2011, Episode #39! Thanks so much for listening everyone, it's been an amazing first year for this podcast.

Click play below to listen to our end-of-the-year discussion on Music Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2012, inspired by this blog post from Bob Baker.

From myself and co-host Michael Brandvold… Happy New Year and all the best for 2012!
—Brian Thompson


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Tags: Brian Thompson | Michael Brandvold | The Music Biz Weekly | Music Marketing | Trends | Predicitions | 2012