Blogging
Yeah Yeah, I Know You Can Sing. But Where's Your Other Voice?
Nov2907:58 PM
Filed in: Indie Advice
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.
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New Webinar: How To Use Wordpress For Your Band's Website
Nov2201:01 PM
Filed in: Indie Advice
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...
8 Ways To Get 100 Visitors A Day To Your Website
Aug0312:24 PM
Filed in: Indie Advice
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...
Episode 12: The Music Biz Weekly Podcast
Web Tools To Make You Stand Apart From The Crowd
Jun0202:07 PM
Filed in: Podcast
Our 12th episode! Listen to Thorny Bleeder's Brian Thompson and Michael Brandvold from Michael Brandvold Marketing as they have an uncharted, unscripted, straight-talkin, no-BS chat.
For this podcast we had no preplanned topics at all, we just hit "record" and went for it!
We start off by talking about Lady Gaga's response to the Amazon 99 cent album promotion, and then we shoot off into a discussion about new web tools to help bands market their music and to stand out from the rest of the crowd. We chat about Soundcloud, Tumblr, Soundrain, Minno, VYou, and then close the episode with some tips on formatting your blog posts.
Be sure to follow Brian on Twitter here and Michael on Twitter here.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and share your own tips and tricks with us!
Click To Read More...
For this podcast we had no preplanned topics at all, we just hit "record" and went for it!
We start off by talking about Lady Gaga's response to the Amazon 99 cent album promotion, and then we shoot off into a discussion about new web tools to help bands market their music and to stand out from the rest of the crowd. We chat about Soundcloud, Tumblr, Soundrain, Minno, VYou, and then close the episode with some tips on formatting your blog posts.
Be sure to follow Brian on Twitter here and Michael on Twitter here.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and share your own tips and tricks with us!
Click To Read More...
How Do YOU Fit Into Culture?
May3112:03 PM
Filed in: Indie Advice
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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Persistence Leads To Success
Sep2302:00 PM
Filed in: Indie Advice
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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Hapa-Ning.com > Music Spotlight on Thorny Bleeder
Aug1309:13 PM
Filed in: Music News
We just got featured on Hapa-Ning.com, Vancouver's Restaurants, Bars, Clubs & Music Guide. We're going to be featuring Thorny Bleeder artists on their site on a regular basis, so make sure you bookmark their site or subscribe to their feed.
Check out the article on TBR at the following link:
http://hapa-ning.com/2009/08/13/music-spotlight-vancouvers-thorny-bleeder-records/
Click To Read More...
Noel Gallagher's Bar Tab
Jan2811:33 AM
Filed in: Music News
haha, this is priceless. Who said rock n' roll was dead? Click To Read More...
The Power Of Blogging
Jan1909:30 AM
Filed in: Music News
I'm a huge supporter of blogging for the independent musician. There's a zillion articles on the internet espousing the benefits of blogging for artists, fans, and businesses.
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