Indie Advice
Indie DIY Artist Tip: Outsource Your Music Video
Feb0308:53 PM
So my brother outsourced his new music video to Bangalore, India. This is what he got back.
Was I intrigued? Big time.
Was the video going to be a lesson in what not to do? Was it going to become a viral sensation because it was so awful?
OR… was the end product something he could become incredibly proud of?
See for yourself:Click To Read More...
Waging War Against Monotony and Mediocrity
Feb0303:02 PM
This morning Lee sent me another new interview which he thought I might be interested in with Cee-Lo Green, star judge of NBC's hit show 'The Voice' and the man behind such smash hits as Crazy and Fuck You!
Both interviews feature honest, straight-up talk on the business of music and current industry trends. Once again, there are some great takeaways for not only fellow musicians, but also for anyone living and pursuing a creative life.
These sound-bytes are as relevant to an entrepreneur as they are to any artist:Click To Read More...
The Key to Success? The Law of Commonality.
Feb0204:00 PM
But aside from those couple of years, their music really didn't do much for me.
However, I've always respected the band's tenacity and perseverance in the music business. They've never given up, they've always stayed true to who they were, and they always delivered the goods to their diehard fans. Their unparalleled success, in both music and business, is a testament to their keen understanding of marketing and branding.
I just finished watching an intriguing new interview Paul Stanley did with the Wall Street Journal where he made some though provoking comments. I just had to share them with you. The most notable take aways in the interview were Paul's thoughts on his key to success and his philosophy on career longevity.
Words of wisdom from someone who has led a very long and successful career pursuing his creativity and life passions:Click To Read More...
Creative Digital Marketing For Songwriters
Jan3106:20 PM
Here's a free download of a slideshow presentation I prepared for my speaking engagement at Songposium 2012 in Toronto last week.
The slides are a summary of the main "talking points" I was intending to use for my presentation… but unfortunately I ran out of time since I was having far too much fun going over this: Top 31 Ways to Suck at Social Media Marketing.
Regardless, many of the slides are represented by blogs I've already written and posted here on Thorny Bleeder. So if a certain slide intrigues you just do a quick search for it and you'll find more info.
Click To Read More...
The New Music Economy: Demand = Value
Jan2306:33 PM
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!
Click To Read More...
FREE Webinar Announcement: How To Use Facebook To Promote Your Music
Jan2201:13 PM
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...
As You Evolve, So Should The Things That Describe You
Jan1512:50 PM
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.
Click To Read More...
How To Maximize Your Merch Sales At Venues
Jan0711:37 AM
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.
Click To Read More...
Top 20 Thorny Bleeder Marketing Advice Blog Posts for 2011
Dec2902:56 PM
Here's a year-end roundup of the Top 20 Music Marketing Articles I published this year, all of them original and exclusive content to Thorny Bleeder. These are listed in order of the number of views each blog post had, thanks to my Google Analytics data.
1. Change Your Thoughts. Change Your Mind. Change Your Life.
2. Danger! Do Not Use! Words To Avoid In Your Band Bio
3. 8 Ways To Get 100 Visitors A Day To Your Website
4. Here's Why the Number of Facebook 'Likes' Don't Matter
5. Top 10 Ways How To Feel Miserable As An Artist
Click To Read More...
Video: How to Use WordPress for Your Website
Dec2711:50 AM
The Music Biz Weekly Music Marketing Webinar:
How to Use WordPress for Your Website
* How to install WordPress on your server.
* What hosting companies offer the best support for WordPress.
* What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
* Proper configuration on your WordPress install.
* How To Install A Theme (and how that process differs between .org and .com).
* How to enhance your WordPress site with plugins. Which plugins are must have.
* How to setup WordPress to work with Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
* How to format and write effective posts.
* How to do basic, but effective, Search Engine Optimization.
* How to add a email list and configure it to promote your music.
* How to run a contest on a WordPress site.
* How To Create A Music Page for Your Site.
How Do You Grow Your Fan Base? It's Not Rocket Science.
Dec1509:19 PM
If you follow The International Dude Of Leisure's 3 Rules Of Success, there's not much else left to say… other than this:
1. Write some fucking songs.
2. Play some fucking shows.
3. Record some fucking songs.
4. Talk to fucking fans.
5. Make some cool fucking shit to sell.
6. Goto 1.
This is where it all starts and ends.
Other than that, everything else is just in the details.
Click To Read More...
Soar Above The Clouds! Be An All-Encompassing Entertainment Brand
Dec1409:37 AM
Your songs have to rock harder. You have to make people dance more intensely, cry longer, think deeper and love more passionately.
Sure, one or two great songs can give you a taste of success, but beyond that you're going to need something more long term to keep your career on track. To keep people interested, to stay fresh, to keep people talking and spreading the word about you... you need something that goes above and beyond what everyone else is doing.
So aside your music, what else are you doing to rise above the noise of the cluttered music scene? Here's an idea, you need to think of yourself as an all-encompassing entertainment brand, right from the beginning.
Click To Read More...
The Compelling And Powerful Power Of Confidence
Dec1306:04 AM
When I think of bands without confidence, I think of shoegazers for example. You know, those bands who stand on stage and simply stare at their feet, too shy to truly connect with the audience. Too nervous to even look up and be 'present', for fear of being judged.
Click To Read More...
Be Concise.
Dec0612:14 PM
Don't waste words, don't waste notes. Be economic. This includes songs, intros, solos, blog posts, comments, bios, essays, books, video messages... whatever.
Be careful not to cut a thought or emotion short, but don't over-think it either. It's a fine line that's easy to cross.
Be concise and efficient. It brings focus to your message.
Don't make the same mistake Metallica continues to make. Just because you think a riff is groovy or fun to play, it doesn't mean your fans want to hear you play the same damn thing over and over for 18 minutes.
To quote Shakespeare, "Brevity is the soul of wit".
I hope this wasn't too long.
—Brian Thompson
Click To Read More...
The International Dude Of Leisure's 3 Rules of Success
Dec0504:39 PM
The following three rules were inspired by a conversation I recently had over pints with International Dude of Leisure, Jay Deachman (professional drummer, Theory Of A Deadman, Default, Loverboy). He trusted me with the job to expand on all of the details for you, but only if I gave him proper attribution for the brilliant simplicity of his three-point plan to success.
Drummers, eh? Always wanting credit for something as simple as counting to three.
Click To Read More...
Don't Let Your Past Dictate Your Future
Dec0106:24 PM
Everyone experiences failures. It's a part of life.
The important thing is to learn from the things that didn't work out for you. Take a step back from your failed attempts and try to remove your emotions from the situation. I realize how hard this is, but try to look at things from analytically.
If the same thing were to happen to someone else, what advice would you give them? When you take a subjective look at the situation, be honest with yourself and ask, Why? What was missing? What could have been done differently?
Click To Read More...
Change Your Thoughts. Change Your Mind. Change Your Life.
Nov3009:11 PM
There. I said it.
Or should I say… were nerds. Their exterior may have a new shine to it now; calm, cool and collected. But on the inside, well that's a different story.
Let's face it, many of us became musicians to try and break free from those nerdy chains that bound us. We were introspective, overly shy and awkward kids, not quite knowing our place. But then we found something we loved, music. We embraced a niche that suited our passions, latched on to it and poured everything we had into truly being a part of it.
Click To Read More...
Yeah Yeah, I Know You Can Sing. But Where's Your Other Voice?
Nov2907:58 PM
The word Voice isn't used exclusively to describe the sound your face makes when you open that hole in your head. Voice is also used in a literary sense to describe a writer's style. It's used to convey an author's attitude, personality, and character.
So back to my opening statement. Yes, I know you can sing. But where's your other voice?
The internet's a big place you know. Is your voice only being heard through your music (or the product pictures you have displayed on your website)? The internet is made up of much more than just mp3's you know. So in order to take full advantage of what the online world and its community has to offer, you also have to write. Words.
Scary, huh? I know.
Click To Read More...
People Don't Wait In A Digital Queue
Nov2805:07 PM
Pre-Releases. Advance listening. Singles going to radio a month before they're available. Video premieres before the music can be purchased.
Why do labels and bands still do this? Is it out of old habit? Or lack of marketing creativity?
Seriously though, who are we kidding?
People don't wait in a queue on release day any more. And more importantly, digital lineups don't exist.
Click To Read More...
Danger! Do Not Use! Words To Avoid In Your Band Bio
Nov2704:51 PM
In An Artist Bio Ever, Ever Again:
- molten
- unique
- brilliant
- must-hear
- hailing from
- buzz worthy
- one of a kind
- forged in the...
- fusing together
- up and coming
- critically acclaimed
- eagerly anticipated
- destined for success
- fuses blank with blank
Please?
Click To Read More...
Learn Facebook Page Insights: Training Course & Manual
Nov2512:55 PM
But let's be honest, most people click on the Page Insights link on their Fan Page and get freaked out. Arghh! Too many numbers! Too many graphs! What the hell does it all mean?
Don't worry, I'm here to help. Page Insights are meant to help you optimize your Page publishing strategy on Facebook. And to help you make sense of it all, I've discovered a brand new interactive learning course that will show you how to use this valuable data that Facebook is sharing with us.
To launch the training course, make sure any pop-up blockers on your web browser are disabled. When you click the button, the course will open in a new window.
In addition to the interactive course above, there's also a new PDF manual from Facebook for Page Insights as well, download it below.
Facebook Page Insights: Product Guide For Facebook Page Owners
Download the Manual Here
Click To Read More...
8 Steps To Get Your Band Noticed
Nov2412:31 PM
This is a guest post written by Marty Zylstra
from the Vancouver band Sweetheart.
Recently Sweetheart independently released an EP titled "XOXOX". Over the past few months we've been sending CDs out to press, getting college radio play, and local/regional commercial radio spins.
Using this experience I have distilled a "code" of how to promote yourself as an indie band locally/regionally into this simple formula:
Click To Read More...
New Webinar: How To Use Wordpress For Your Band's Website
Nov2201:01 PM
This next Music Biz Weekly Webinar is titled:
How to Use WordPress for Your Band’s Website
and will happen on December 15, 2011 at 6pm PST.
We’ll be covering the following topics:
Click To Read More...
Conditioning Your Fans And Their Expectations
Nov2110:07 PM
Condition your fans' expectations. Reinforce your brand.
Consider these three things regarding your online behaviour: content regularity, content quality and content frequency.
If you mindfully act upon these three things dependably and reliably, you will condition your fans to return to your website on a regular basis to consume more content (pictures, videos, art, infographics, music, podcasts, advice, blogs, thoughts, poems… you name it).
A fan that consumes more content from you, and has a happy emotional response from it, has a stronger emotional attachment to your product, your art, your brand… you.
A strong emotional attachment is what creates a life long fan… or better yet, a loyal customer and brand evangelist.
It's really not that hard.
So… why aren't you posting and creating regular content?
Click To Read More...
Here's Why the Number of Facebook 'Likes' Don't Matter
Nov1011:51 AM
But the days of mass advertising are long over for small brands. In the worlds of social media, quality trumps quantity. If you aren't engaging with fans on your Page, Facebook will simply filter you out of their status streams.
Did you hear that? If you aren't effectively connecting with your fans, they will no longer see your posts. This is thanks to Facebook's behind-the-scenes algorithm (called Edgerank) which filters and manages your stream from being a complete mess of garbage you don't care to see.So if you ignore your page and don't give your fans content to participate with, these people you worked so hard to acquire will be lost to you.
I've compiled a few examples to showcase why the quality of both your fans is more important than the number of your 'Likes'. To better illustrate this point I've created a simple formula to compare a few Pages with:
'Likes' ÷ 'Talking About This' = Fan Page Comparison Ratio
Click To Read More...
Conversations As Moments Of Conversion
Nov0109:30 AM
The Power of Networking and Engaging in Conversations
Everyone is telling you to step-up your use of social media to connect with fans and to reach them where they congregate, online. Yet many of you don't. You still post nothing but a steady stream of spammy type status updates such as: Listen To This! Buy My CD! Order Now! Like My Page! We're Awesome, Tell Your Friends!
Be honest, when you see postings like this appear in your social stream, how do you react? You don't. You tune them out.
Messages like that are nothing but advertising... and no one likes to be advertised to. Trust me, you won't get anywhere using that type of approach.
Click To Read More...
Rejection Is Not A Four Letter Word
Oct2802:07 PM
By Skip Taylor for SaskMusic's "The Session", www.saskmusic.org. Reprinted with permission.
Click To Read More...
Be Personal. Name Names.
Oct0711:29 AM
Recognize your fans for being the awesome supporters that they are.
Not only will it make someone's week incredibly special, it will deepen the connection they have with you, further enabling the possibility of creating a lifelong fan.
This is a painless and priceless thing to do and it will undoubtedly set you apart from everyone else...
Make a difference. Make your fans smile! Be personal. Name names.
(photo taken from Art Of Dying's fan submitted photos on their Facebook page)Click To Read More...
Staying Relevant and Keeping in the Public Eye
Oct0410:50 AM
Most brands (and bands) find it a constant struggle to remain relevant and current to their customers and fans. But the truth is, it really isn't that difficult. In fact, it's easier than ever before.
What happened yesterday is old news. It's all about real time. It's about right now.
What's happening right now on Twitter? What's happening right now with my friends on Facebook's status ticker? What new music was leaked or just released this morning? What are today's blogs saying about that show last night? What's this week's unexpected viral video sensation?
All of these questions that we seek out in our day to day lives are based in the present. The now. The current and the happening.
Are you playing this game? Are you providing your connected audience with content for them to engage with on a regular basis?
It's not difficult, but it does take a concentrated effort and a focus to create a routine for your online marketing plan.
Let's make it really simple for you. Start with the following two basic concepts and then increase the two key modifiers (frequency and consistency) as you become more comfortable with your new social media marketing efforts.
1. Do something Small (at the very least) once a week.
This can be a blog post, a video blog, sharing a new photo, a gig, an interview...
2. Do something Big once a month.
This can be a live performance video, a free download of an acoustic cover tune or a new song or demo, a contest, a big event, new merch, new cross-promotions with other brands, bands, or charities, a live and interactive streaming video Q&A session. The only limit is your creativity.
You create your own story. Don't let your book remain unwritten.
Create content and engageable actions on a regular basis to give your audience something to chew on and to talk about.Social Media is word of mouth. If you're not giving people something to talk about, you're just simply not in the game.
-- Brian ThompsonClick To Read More...
10 Career Tips From Hank Moody & Californication
Sep2901:16 PM
The show's central character Hank Moody, portrayed by David Duchovny, is an erratic but esteemed writer who frequently becomes embroiled in bizarre, and in some cases, scandalous situations. Yet he's highly successful and everyone loves him, or loves to hate him.
Hank's a messed up guy, yet I still think there's a lot we can learn from his straight forward, no-bullshit attitude towards life.
So here's what I came up with:
Click To Read More...
Marketing via Targeted Connections
Sep2812:02 PM
And by followers, I mean your Facebook Friends, your Twitter Followers, those who have you in a Google+ Circle, and your email subscribers… amongst many others.
Here's a quote I recently heard while listening to the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast with Mitch Joel (sorry, I can't recall which episode it was):
If you don't surround yourself with people who have the potential to care about you and care what you're doing, you're wasting your time, you're wasting your effort and wasting your potential. You have to find these people in a mindful and systematic way.
Truth. Keep this in mind, as this also pertains to who you bring into your inner circle as a part of your team.
So whatever you do, don't just focus your online social media efforts on quantity of connections. Instead, focus your efforts on building a true network of quality fans and influencers.
Don't know how? For starters, put Twitter Search to work for you. I recently did an 84 min. webinar on this exact topic (How to Use Twitter to Promote Your Music). Click here to purchase it for only $5, using the following discount code: mbww050.
What methods do you use to connect with potential fans and industry insiders who matter most to you?
Click To Read More...
Engage Your Audience. But what the hell does that mean?
Sep2712:48 PM
I see and hear those words everywhere. And admittedly, I almost always use those same words myself when consulting with clients.
Engage Your Audience.
Its become one of the most overused phrases in online marketing. Yet despite its overuse it remains the most succinct way to summarize the concept of how to successfully market your brand (or band) using social media.
But how many of you actually understand what this marketing lingo actually means? To help you out I've brainstormed 15 Tips on how you can put the word Engage to use in your everyday social media status updates.
Click the Read More link to see my Top 15 Tips…Click To Read More...
Foo Fighters Vs. Westboro Baptist Church
Sep1812:21 PM
This is fucking brilliant.
On Aug. 30th, 2011 Westboro Baptist Church called for a picket of the Foo Fighters show in Kansas City. Well, Dave Grohl and Co. had a little something up their sleeves as a rebuke to their religious hate-speak.
And to you bands and artists out there, remember that blog post I made a few days ago? Looking for Success? 10 Ways To Go Beyond the Usual. This is the shit I'm talking about folks…
Click To Read More...
Success In The Music Industry
Sep1611:16 AM
I've heard the name, but knew nothing about him. But after reading the most recent Lefsetz Letter (from Bob Lefsetz) titled Howard Bloom - Success in Music Industry, I was beyond intrigued about this former music industry publicist, Howard Bloom.
Howard Bloom is an American author. Born June 25, 1943 in Buffalo, New York, he was a publicist in the 1970s and 1980s for singers and bands such as Prince, Billy Joel, and Styx. In 1988 he became disabled with chronic fatigue syndrome. Since then he has published three books on human evolution and group behaviour, The Genius of the Beast, The Global Brain and The Lucifer Principle, which are informed by his ideas about what underlies the success of major rock and roll artists.
These books generalize and extend his ideas about what makes rock and roll artists successful to human nature. According to him: "Everything from the wolf-pack behaviour of music business executives to the lemming-like conduct of hypocritical journalists helped shape my insights" and that "The real magic of rock happens at a concert, where if the performers are successful, individuals ... merge in a pulse of common emotion ... This consolidation mirrors the force that create much of both human good and evil".
Turn off the TV. Hit pause on your music… and watch the video below, it's 6 minutes well spent. There are so many incredible quotes from Howard in this short little video, including:
"There is no such thing as being a genius. Every single day you have to deliver things in wondrous ways to the best of your minimal abilities."
"The trick is persistence… once you get a sense of what you want to do, do it with all your strength and all your might and do it every day…"
What take-aways did you get from this video?
Click To Read More...
Is Social Media a Silver Bullet to Success?
Sep1611:13 AM
There is no silver bullet, no single solution to success in music, the arts, or entrepreneurial startups. But... there is a very well known and proven path.
In marketing, it's referred to as the Sales Funnel, which is as described as simply as this:
Awareness
Connection
Commerce
Now, if we parlay that into Music Marketing Direct-to-Fan terms, here's a formula for you to consider, made popular by technology blog Techdirt here:
CwF + RtB = $$$
defined as: connect with fans + reason to buy = sales
(read more about this formula here)
While social media won't guarantee your success, if it's used smartly and creatively it will begin to illuminate the path to awareness with your target audience. What you do with that connection is up to you.
And that's where it all begins...
Click To Read More...
Looking for Success? 10 Ways To Go Beyond The Usual.
Sep1210:17 AM
1 Dare to be different.
2 Create a stir.
3 Stand out from the crowd.
4 Get people talking.
5 Be consistent.
6 Be real. Be transparent.
7 Be patient and let people discover you on their own.
8 Have some Wow factor!
9 Connect with fans.
10 Pull people in. Don't push.
'Amazing' will spread on its own… but only if you let it happen naturally.
If you focus on pulling people into your world one at a time, rather than cramming your content (a product, a message, a sales pitch) down people's throats, you will find yourself going from gaining ten new fans at a time, to hundreds at a time... to literally thousands.
~ Brian ThompsonClick To Read More...
Grace Under Pressure: Persistence & Perseverance
Sep0803:32 PM
She didn't let it get her down. She didn't give up. Instead, she became even more relentlessly focussed on her goals with a renewed energy to keep working at her craft.
Keep the dream people. Never stop improving yourself. Keep your goals in sight and your time will come. But... you have to be ready for it first.
~ Brian Thompson
Click To Read More...
Top Barriers Limiting You From Your Dream Job
Sep0701:28 PM
In my daily scouring of the net to share articles with you in The DIY Daily newsletter, I stumbled upon this fantastic article and just had to share it with you.
What do you think? What's holding you back from accomplishing your dreams? Chances are… it's you. We are often the biggest obstacles to achieving our own goals.
Ok, here it is…
Click To Read More...
How to Use Twitter to Promote Your Music (free download)
Sep0101:48 PM
How to Use Twitter to Promote Your Music
View more presentations from Brian Thompson
Here's a free download of the slideshow that accompanied last night's Music Marketing Webinar that Michael Brandvold and I presented on behalf of The Music Biz Weekly Podcast.
Did you miss the live webinar?
Download the 84 minute hands-on video tutorial here for only $9.99.
Click To Read More...
Music Marketing Webinar: How To Use Twitter To Promote Your Music
Aug0803:24 PM
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM (Pacific Time)
$49 USD
Michael Brandvold & Brian Thompson, hosts of The Music Biz Weekly Podcast are proud to announce the first of their new Live Webinar Sessions where we'll be teaching music marketing techniques and hands-on instruction for artists to grow their audience and get their music heard.
This Music Biz Weekly Webinar is titled:
"How to Easily use Twitter to Promote Your Music"
We'll be covering the following topics:
- How to setup and customize your Twitter profile
- How to get more followers targeted to your unique musical style
- How to monitor what is being said about you online
- How to talk and engage with your fans
- How to create and find new opportunities in the music industry
Additional topics could be added as time permits.
Our goal is to make sure you leave this webinar with hands-on action items which you can put into use immediately. We'll have also have an open question period at the end of the session.
Click To Read More...
Facebook: The Musician's Playbook
Aug0502:07 PM
Facebook has recently published an incredibly useful tool for everyone in the music industry, an official handbook for how to market your music on the world's number one social media networking site.
But be prepared, this isn't a short read.
It's an in depth 40 page document detailing the ins and outs of everything you'll need to know. It not only teaches you hot to pimp out your fan page, but it also shares valuable insight on how to maximize fan engagement and interaction… which is what everyone's #1 goal should be.
I've embedded the document below, but if you need to see the direct source you can find the document on Scribd here.
Musician's Playbook
8 Ways To Get 100 Visitors A Day To Your Website
Aug0312:24 PM
I received a tweet yesterday from fellow music marketer Chris Rockett from Promote Your Music, asking if I'd like to participate in a mutli-blogger guest post he's putting together for his website.
He had one question to ask and wanted a reply that was around 200 words long. So without skipping a beat I quickly cranked out the following email and fired it off to him.
Stay tuned to Promote Your Music for Chris's complete post with more tips on this topic from other music marketing bloggers.
Question:
What is the fastest way to get 100 targeted fans per day visiting your website on a consistent basis, without using paid traffic?
My Answer:Click To Read More...
Innovate. Dare To Be Different.
Aug0209:23 AM
How to Succeed in Life:
1. Dare to be different.
2. Be passionate.
3. Be curious.
4. Be creative in everything you do.
5. Innovate.
6. Deconstruct the old, build something new.
7. Be the disruptive change in a boring industry.
8. Change the game.
9. Don't play by the rules.
10. Stand apart from the crowd.
...Get Noticed!Click To Read More...
The Music Biz Weekly Twitter Hashtag Event
Jul1811:08 AM
Join Michael Brandvold and Brian Thompson from The Music Biz Weekly podcast this Wednesday July 20th at 5pm PST for their first Twitter Hashtag Event. Michael and Brian will be available to discuss the podcast, questions about past topics, past guests, ideas for future topics and guests. To join this twitter event log into Twitter and do a Search for the hashtag #mbwp and you will be able to follow all the discussions. If you have a question just tweet it with the hashtag #mbwp and it is automatically part of the event.
The Music Biz Weekly podcast has quickly grown to become a must-listen podcast for anyone interested in the music business and music marketing.
Sue Ennis, a teacher at Shoreline Community College near Seattle, recently made the podcast required listening and discussion for her music business class. Sue is also a well respected songwriter, her songs include such rock hits as Straight On, Even It Up and Dog and Butterfly. She has co-written over 65 songs for the rock band Heart.
Be sure to follow Brian on Twitter here and Michael on Twitter here. Join the discussion and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Click To Read More...
What NOT To Do When Marketing Your Band
Jul1611:41 AM
There are many “don’ts” that people are unaware of when marketing to certain audiences. This blog focuses on marketing don’ts for musicians trying to promote their band throughout communities. Some individuals over promote, while others do not advertise enough. Be sure to follow these six steps, because if you don’t you may send current and potential fans away from supporting your music.
Click To Read More...
How Do YOU Fit Into Culture?
May3112:03 PM
Content Marketing: Finding Your Niche
How Do You Fit Into Culture?
Not your band.
Not your music.
YOU.
The individual behind the music.
You are unique. You have individual tastes, interests, passions, and hobbies. Now... think for a moment. If you were to talk about a diverse subject matter on your blog (rather than just your music), and in your videos, in your photos, and in your tweets… you can attract an entirely new audience, which you never thought you could have access to.
People search the web to find answers to their questions. Perhaps YOU have the answer they're looking for! But they'll never find you if you don't blog about it. Or tweet it. Or make a video and post in on YouTube.
Examples:
Well... talk about it and share your knowledge and experiences!
Did you just whip up a batch of a killer homemade BBQ sauce? Share the recipe on your blog.
2. Are you an origami expert?
Blog about it! Create some instructional How-To YouTube videos (with your music playing in the background).
3. Do you have a pet hedgehog?
Cute always wins online.
This is Content Marketing.
This is Inbound Marketing.
This is how you enable potential fans to stumble upon your music... while they're searching for answers and info in Google Search.
Now that you've enabled fans to discover you... now it's time to turn the tables and for you to find them! If you want to enable fan-discovery, you need to search the web and dive into conversations surrounding the topics that interest you in your life. You’ll be amazed at who you meet and what they do!
Better yet, drill down the results even deeper by using: http://search.twitter.com
Use the extended search option to hyper-locate people discussing keywords surrounding your subject goal.
Search relevant Hashtags on Twitter, and then follow the key communicators on the topic… and talk to them! Create conversation and create a new relationship, that's what being Social is all about.
Use Google Blog Search. Use Technocrati Blog Search.
Find the blogs who specialize in these topics and start connecting with them!
Open yourself up to a whole new world. Be yourself, share yourself... and communicate with likeminded people! You'll be blown away at the results.
Trust me.
~ Brian Thompson
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Top 10 Ways How To Feel Miserable As An Artist
Mar0610:08 AM
(Or, What Not Do Do)
1. Constantly compare yourself to other artists.
2. Talk to your family about what you do and expect them to cheer you on.
3. Base the success of your entire career on one project.
4. Stick with what you know.
5. Undervalue your expertise.
6. Let money dictate what you do.
7. Bow to societal pressures.
8. Only do work that your family would love.
9. Do whatever the client/customer/gallery owner/patron/investor/ asks.
10. Set unachievable/overwhelming goals. To be accomplished by tomorrow.
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Storify: Making Stories From The Social Web
Feb0309:59 AM
Every time I see a new social media tool, utility, service, app or website I just have to try it out. You never know which one's going to be the next big thing and you can't really trust all of the hype, reviews and press releases that flood the blogs. So whenever I see one that catches my eye I immediately sign up, dive in, and just try things out for myself.
This approach has led to some pretty spectacular tools in my social media arsenal. There are tools I can't live without such as Evernote and Instapaper, and then there's great Twitter management tools like Tweepi, Klout, and Twitter Grader, and of course there's always a plethora of new music sites which offer great potential, with my most recent favourite being Viinyl.
I was on a popular news site not too long ago when I noticed...
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DIY Artist: Let Your Fans Ask You Anything
Jan1209:30 AM
Have you checked out the latest popular social media site, Formspring?
It's a site which simply allows users to ask you anything, even anonymously, with no limits to the length of your reply. Fomspring encourages people to find out more about each other in a simple and fun way. Responses can range from straightforward to surprising and can lead to understanding something more about the people you know or find interesting.
This social website is growing very quickly, especially within the under-20 demographic, and already has over 20 million users.
Last Friday I created a profile for myself, and in just a few days I've answered 41 questions from fans & followers across my networks.
One of my artists, Billy the Kid, created her Formspring page the following day here. And since Saturday, she's answered a whopping 162 questions from fans! And with each and every reply she makes, she strengthens the bond between artist and fan.
If you want to truly embrace the social web, connect with fans and peers, and open yourself up to new potential, don't ignore Formspring. It's a powerful tool for building a lasting relationship with your most ardent supporters. With Formspring you can have fun, share insights, and relate to fans in a completely new way.
Note: Tumblr blogs also have a "Ask Me Anything" feature, although it does have a different demographic.
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Don't Be Lost in a Crowd, Leave Digital Footprints
Dec0911:37 AM
One of the fundamentals of marketing is to know who your customer is and understand their behaviours. But, do artists and their teams really grasp this concept?
The biggest struggle any developing artist faces is figuring out how to reach new fans. But rarely do they approach this hurdle from the right mindset.
Every artist needs to spend some serious time understanding and decrypting the behaviour of a music fan and how they discover new music. You can learn an awful lot about how to market and promote your own music by simply learning the importance of how to build fans, by being a fan.
So let's take a look in the mirror shall we? As a self-confessed music junkie myself, I need to reflect upon how I stumbled upon my most recent musical passions. Admittedly, the process is different with each and every artist. The more resources an artist has behind them, the easier it is to discover them through traditional media (radio, magazines, TV, film). But time after time I've discovered new independent artists by stumbling upon an online trail of their digital footprints. And these new artists who I've become fans and supporters of are just as cash-strapped as yourself.
Wait a minute. Digital footprints?
Let me explain.
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Music & Marketing Q&A: Watch It Live @ 7pm PST
Aug3102:44 PM
** UPDATED POST **
The video below is now the pre-recorded version from the live event.
Tune in tonight...Tuesday, August 31 at 7pm PST (10PM EST), to take part in our very first Live Video Q&A Session with Thorny Bleeder's Managing Partner, Brian Thompson, on the music industry, marketing, and any other questions you might have. And of course, it's 100% free!
Watch the live video & interactive chat right here on this very page. Just login with your Twitter, Facebook, AOL or MySpace login and you're good to go! I'll see you tonight...
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19 Essential Artist Advice Blogs You May Have Missed
Aug3001:59 PM
We know, it’s summer and you don’t want to stay indoors all day everyday, staring at a computer screen and reading blogs about how you can improve your career in music. Well don’t worry, even if you missed some of our columns while relaxing on the beach, we’ve put together a great list of our previous Indie Artist Advice columns on The Bleeder Blog so you can get you all caught up.
Summer is almost over and Fall is quickly approaching. If you're an independent artist, now's the time to dive in and refocus your efforts for the last quarter of the year.
If these articles leave you hungry for more information and ideas, we do private one-on-one consultations. Maybe we can help you out! Even if you're not in our area (Vancouver), we also do sessions via Skype. Feel free to send us an email if you're interested: brian@thornybleeder.com
Ok, let's get to it. Dig in and enjoy...
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LIVE Q&A on Music & Marketing with Brian Thompson
Aug2501:25 PM
Hey folks, I had a random little idea this morning and decided to waste no time and throw it into action immediately. And that's the beauty of the world we live in today, you can make anything happen almost instantly!
So, here it is. Starting this coming Tuesday, August 31 at 7pm PST (10PM EST), I'm going to launch a weekly Live Video Q&A Session on the music industry and marketing. And of course, it's 100% free.
So in order for this test to work, I need you to mark down this date and time in your calendar and show up on time...otherwise I'll just be sitting there staring blankly at an empty chat window, twiddling my thumbs.
It's an open forum, so feel free to ask me anything you like: advice, tips, suggestions, experiences, thoughts, ideas...you name it!
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Top 10 Ways To Break Up Your Band
Jul0910:52 AM
I've worked with tons of bands over the years and one thing remains constant, they almost all breakup eventually. Sure, some can go the distance and outlast the others, but what sets them apart from the bands that just can't seem to keep it together and fall apart?
Well, if you hate the music you play and you want to break up your band, here's a quick checklist for you:
- Leave the business side of things to just one band member.
- Don't have regular band meetings.
- Don't educate yourself on marketing and promotion.
- Don't make a list of goals (and never revise them if you do).
- Don't utilize the power of social media and online networking tools.
- Don't take your band seriously as an entrepreneurial business.
- Don't network with other bands and industry people.
- Don't build a team of passionate and experienced people around you.
- Assume that potential fans, blogs, press, radio stations, labels and agents will find out about your band just because your music is so damn awesome.
- Don't respect your fans, and don't interact with them in the way "new media" empowers you to.
Top 10 Ways To Sell More Merch
May2711:42 AM
I remember reading an interview with the band D.R.I. many years ago, who said that if it wasn't for t-shirt sales they wouldn't be able to exist as a band. As a kid, I was shocked that a band wasn't able to survive on music sales and performances alone. And that was many years before music's digital revolution.
So here we are in 2010 and band merchandise is more import than ever. As an artist, independent or signed, merch is your lifeblood. It's your store front. It's where you make your money. It's where you connect with your fans. It's what gives your band a face on the streets.
Your merch table is your music career survival kit, and it deserves to be treated as such.
As a former music buyer for one of Canada's largest music chains, I spent many hours analyzing consumer behaviours and how people react to product placement, display techniques, and their affect on sales. It's not a hard thing to grasp, much of it is common sense: Make your shit look good and put it in a highly visible location.
So let's get to it. Here's my list on how you as an artist can make the most of your merchandise...
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Watch It Grow: An Experiment In Digital Busking
May0702:59 PM
If you're a regular reader of The Bleeder Blog, you'll remember a blog we posted in late April titled: Vancouver Musician Cultivates Earth Day Interest. On Earth Day, April 22, Victoria singer/songwriter Scott Valentine hit the streets of Vancouver and handed out 19,000 digital songs via free download cards.
It's a little grassroots street level marketing campaign which I've decided to call Digital Busking (or if you prefer, Busking 2.0). So if you happen to hear this term pop up anywhere in the next couple of years, remember that you heard it here first!
Continue reading for exclusive photos and feedback from the event...Click To Read More...
How To Break Your Band: Social Media
Apr0210:22 AM
The following video is from social media marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuck from Wine Library TV, who I've mentioned before here. This guy is doing everything right with social media and he's created an amazing brand for not only himself, but his company too.
In only 4 minutes he successfully explains why you must embrace and exploit social media now to grow the profile of your business. While his thoughts are directed towards businesses, we all know that as a DIY artist in an independent band you face the exact same hurdles; reaching a new audience, gaining new fans, and monetizing your new followers to grow your business.
Watch this video, there's some important lessons here for everyone!
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Top 31 Ways To Suck At Social Media Marketing
Mar2912:46 PM
If you want to truly SUCK at using social media, please follow this list closely and you'll be guaranteed limited exposure and zero online buzz!
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Persistence Leads To Success
Sep2302:00 PM
As an artist you are just like any other entrepreneur, hoping that your passion and talent will lead to a sustaining career. But as with any entrepreneur, simply having a great product isn't enough.
How will people hear of what you have to offer? How will you develop a buzz around your music?
Creating a solid business and marketing plan with a clearly defined goal is the first step. But as you work through your plan and make all of the necessary calls, you'll undoubtedly be confronted with many closed doors and unanswered emails. This is where the majority of bands falter and begin to lose their way. They give up far too early and aren't prepared for the countless hours of working the finished product...your album.
So what sets successful artists and entrepreneurs apart from the rest of the pack? Persistence and perseverance. It may sound like an overused cliche, but it's the truth: Persistence leads to success.
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How To Make Successful YouTube Videos
Sep0411:18 AM
I had a conversation with someone this morning about how to create successful viral vidoes for your band, so I figured I might as well share my thougths with everyone on The Bleeder Blog since it's something that most artists can improve upon.
In a world of expensive marketing and promotion campaigns, creating online video content for your band is a no brainer. It's inexpensive, quick and easy, and more often than not it leads to a source of discovery for new fans.
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Metadata And The Name Of Your Band
Aug0504:46 PM
There's a new, major label Canadian band that just popped up recently, a product of Universal Music Canada and Much Music's "reality show" disBAND, and they're called Stereos. Their name actually sounds kinda cool. It's almost daring, to boldly name yourself after such an archetypical item of pop culture is risky.
Personally, I can't stand the band. Their music makes me angry. They're a young, hipster, tattooed band in skinny jeans and dayglo t-shirts that tries to look rock, yet they sing with a digital vocoder/auto-tuner thing, not unlike all of the poppy hip-hoppers. You know, that damn voice modulation thing, that dreadful device originally brought upon us by Cher (you know the song I'm talking about).
But the point of this post isn't to bash their music or their style (I'll save that for another post). The point I want to bring up and discuss is their name, Stereos, and whether it's a wise choice considering the time we're in, the age of Web 3.0?
The Online Artist Report Card
Jun1708:48 AM
Some of the things I discover online are far too important to just send a quick little tweet about, and this is one of them. In today's world of Web 2.0 and the development of independent artists, what you do in the online world is quite possibly the single most important aspect of your career.
Are you hunkering down at the computer every day, connecting with fans or trying to find new ones? Are you easy to find online? Is there enough interesting content about your band to keep fans interested and excited about what you're doing?
I found this Online Artist Report Card on the music marketing and social media blog Way Cool Jnr at this link, which was originally developed from Native Digital.
So if you're pursuing a career in music, take the following quiz and see how you measure up with 'Social Media Marketing'.Click To Read More...
Show Success Before Asking For Help
Jun1112:17 PM
Regardless of how everyone is probably sick of hearing all the press and buzz about Twitter, myself included, I continue to use it daily to spread music industry related news and articles, free mp3's, and tips for music marketing and promotion. To the uninitiated, Twitter is an over-hyped, social web-thingy that doesn't really make any sense. But if you give it a chance, and 'follow' the right people with similar interests, you'll find a wealth of information and knowledge that would otherwise be lost.
Here's an example of the type of thing I send out on Twitter: http://sivers.org/success-firstClick To Read More...
Top 5 Touring Tips for Artists
Jun0809:16 AM
Martin Atkins, drummer from Public Image, Killing Joke and Nine Inch Nails wrote a book called Tour Smart. A video was just posted online at New Music Strategies where Andrew Dubber gives him a quick interview and he shares some touring tips with everyone.
See the video interview below, followed by another video of Martin Atkins talking about his book:Click To Read More...
3 Axioms of 21st Century Music Biz
May3110:59 AM
The following summary regarding the marketing and promotion of music in the twenty-first century comes from James Lamberti, VP Of Marketing & Artist Services for Topspin Media, a new technology startup.
These three tiny bullet points summarize the business perfectly for today's artist and content owner. Of course, it does over-simplifiy things greatly as none of these steps are simple to excel at, and each requires a tremendous amount of time to successfully develop. Click To Read More...
Give 'Em What They Want
May2702:02 PM
To be a successful business you need to understand your customer, how they relate to your product, and what they want from your product.
Is the music business doing this? Are you doing this?
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Podcast: Media, Gatekeepers, Fandom, Gaming & More
Mar2304:23 PM
Have a spare hour to listen in on a captivating discussion from music industry insiders?
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Twitter Music Promotion and Marketing Guide
Mar1110:44 AM
Are you on Twitter yet? Is your band?
It can be confusing at first, regardless of how simple it may appear to be.Click To Read More...
Five Tips for Musicians to Engage Their Fans Digitally
Mar1110:25 AM
In today's wired marketplace, musicians have to forge a personal relationship with their audience to keep their fans' interest. And for many, that means creating opportunities for fans to have an inside look into all aspects of an artist's life.Click To Read More...
6 Hot Tips For Building Your Fan Base
Jan2006:24 PM
Our special guest contributor Kimberley Bjorklund, from K&B Management/Consulting in California, weighs in with some great tips for the independent artist.
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Building Your Fan List
Jan1911:24 AM
What's the most important part in Music, that has always been there, and always will be, but is the most Ignored?
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Why Give Music Away For Free?
Jan0603:28 PM
I've had a lot of people ask me recently why The Bleeder Blog and Thorny Bleeder Records would give away music for free. As I approached bands for our Get Thorny free album download, you can imagine what some of the reactions were.
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A Band As A Brand
Jan0512:50 PM
When the word "brand" comes up in indie music circles people are often turned off, insisting that the branding of music dilutes creativity and reduces artistic expression into a commodity, devoid of expressive merit. But what is a brand? Is having your band as a "brand" that awful of a thing?
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Music. Life's Bookmark.
Jan0209:46 AM
It's a wonderfully strange world we live in. Our time on earth is such an incredibly short footnote in the history of mankind, yet our memories still seem to escape us. They're stashed away and filed into the dark depths of our memory, often lost forever and never to be recovered. However, we do have a unique emergency backup to recover our lost memories - our senses and their amazing memory recall abilities.
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The Power Of Goal Setting
Dec3010:26 AM
Are you in a band committed to making music your full time career?
If so, do you have a 12 month plan? a 24 month plan? What goals have you set for yourself, other than "playing lots of shows and selling lots of CDs"?
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5 Key Elements To Success
Dec2106:33 PM
I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what the key elements to success are and I've come up with this list of traits that should be an essential part of your every day life. These aren't intended to be exclusive to a musician's career, they're for anyone pursuing a goal in life, business or otherwise.
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