Marketing New Artist In a Changing Industry

Great advice for getting exposure and building a buzz for new artist.

Stay Hip Hop, Peace!

Getting Your Music Heard pt 3 - "Be Specific In Your Search"

Are the songs supplied by the artist and/or the producer? If so, you have a pretty good idea, though not a certainty, that sending songs to this artist is a waste of time. Those few songs you'll see on the Billboard Hot 100 charts with writer names that differ from the artist and producers' names are the ones to analyze for casting purposes. You'll find more of these opportunities on the Country and R&B charts. This information alone gives you a savvy-sounding opener for your industry calls.


Here's a hypothetical example: In Billboard you see Bonnie Raitt's name on the charts with a new single. You don't have any of her CDs yet (you'll buy them today) but you've heard her on the radio and think you might have something for her. You've also read an article about her in which she talks about the songs on her new project, where she got them, who wrote them and about working with her new producers.


Though you've also seen their names listed as writers under the song title on the chart , you've also noticed other writers' names so you know she's open to "outside" songs. You also learn she's on Capitol Records. So you call Capitol and ask for the A&R coordinator. "Hi! This is so-and-so at This and That Music.


Will the same producers be working on Bonnie Raitt's next album? Do you have a numbers for their companies? Who's doing A&R on the project?" Get those names down quick. If you ask them to spell it for you, you're already another step away from credibility with them. They figure that if you're the pro you seem to be, you'll already be familiar with the names. (Look to directories such as the A&R Registry (SRS Publishing) or the Recording Industry Sourcebook to help you out.)


Once you have the name of the A&R person at Capitol or someone in the producers' offices, call them directly and ask about the musical direction of Bonnie's next album and how to go about submitting songs for it. It's a good idea to ask if there's a code you should use on the package. They often use a personal code so their secretaries or mail room personnel know that it's actually been "solicited."


All the trades publish special-focus issues which will contain a treasure of information on specialized areas of the industry. Among them are children's music, classical, heavy metal, alternative, folk, music publishing, Latin, Celtic and film music. They may focus on cities and countries that are emerging as music centers such as Minneapolis, Seattle, Atlanta, Ireland, etc. You'll get information on the movers and shakers in those genres or places, the record labels, publishers, producers, managers, radio stations, booking agents and artists, along with stories about who signed whom and their career strategies.


Following music industry trends is also important. Industry legend Russ Regan, now CEO of Starbound Records, gave me a great bit of advice once. He not only looks at what's on the charts now but what isn't there. Looking at it that way, we shouldn't have been surprised a few years ago when, on a chart full of drum machines and sterile, sequenced tracks, an acoustic-based record called "Fast Car" by a new artist named Tracy Chapman broke through like a breath of fresh air. It's the business of the trades to help the industry predict and follow trends.


Technology is also a predictor of trends, and you can find some useful information in the trades about how new technology will affect the industry. Here are a few examples.


The Billboard Sound-Scan technology revolutionized the industry by providing accurate retail sales and airplay information showing country music to be selling much more than was thought to be true. It's now showing several new country artists on the "Hot 100" pop chart.


CD-ROM projects have opened a new market for songwriters and performers. Live radio over the Internet has opened a new avenue for exposing and selling music though monitoring these performance has presented the performing rights organizations with a new challenge.


- Excerpt from "Getting Heard In A "No Unsolicited Material World" listed on the Songwriters Resource Network.

Getting Your Music Heard pt 2 - "Research The Industry"

Whenever possible, try to find out from the artist's producer, manager or record company if there's a change in the artist's direction. If you're pitching for a new artist, get information from those same sources or find a tip sheet. If you're pitching yourself to record companies as a self-contained artist or group, it's more complex.


The same no-unsolicited-material policies exist here too. You're much better off if you have some performing experience. All the better if you've got good reviews, have been on the road and are used to traveling. Record companies want a band or performer to have been field-tested, if not test-marketed regionally with some success. If they're going to risk (in the case of the major labels) at least half a million dollars to record and market you nationally, they want to know you can handle it.


In this situation too, you need to research the names of companies, producers, managers and A&R reps who know how to market the artists/groups in your musical style. You need to know their names and who they've worked with.
By far, the best advice about doing your research is to read the trade magazines such as Billboard, Hits, Radio and Records, College Music Journal, Music Connection, The Hollywood Reporter (especially if you're interested in film music) and any industry trades that relate to your own musical style.


Call the biggest newsstand in town to find these publications. If they don't carry them, call your local library. If they don't have them, gather a group of others to formally petition the library to subscribe. They may not be getting the music trades because they don't think anyone is interested. Most are weekly magazines and they're very expensive ($250-$300 per year), but if you feel you're ready to begin your assault on the industry, they're one of your best investments.


Trade magazines can provide valuable information such as what records are on the charts in every genre of music and who performed, wrote, produced, published, released and distributed them. For those who want to write songs for others to record, the most valuable information available from the charts is whether or not an artist records "outside" songs.


- Excerpt from "Getting Heard In A "No Unsolicited Material World" listed on the Songwriters Resource Network.

Get Your Music Heard pt 1 - "Getting Through The Doors"

Showing the industry you're serious is the key. One of the most important things you need to do is research. Become aware of the industry people involved in your style of music. Read the credits on the recordings of your favorite artists--find out who produced them, who wrote and published the songs, the record label and possibly even the record company A&R representative who works with that artist. If the A&R rep's name isn't on the package, call the record company's artist relations department or A&R coordinator and get his name.

You can also get the phone and fax numbers of the artist's producer and manager. You should also study the artist in order to "cast" the right song so you can be reasonably confident it will be appropriate. Casting involves knowing the artist's style and, if it's an established artist, being familiar with the artist's most successful recordings. Know their vocal range. Artists will often have a special place in their range that highlights the uniqueness of their vocal sound or style. It's referred to as their "sweet spot;" give them something in that place to enhance their style.

Try to determine what it is that makes the artist's music successful and make sure you have that quality in your writing. Is their attitude positive, negative or spiritual? Do they sing about lost love or hopeful love? Are they victim songs, songs of strength, rebellion, sarcasm, cynicism or alienation? Look as much for the absence of these as you do for their presence.

Another thing to remember in casting is that there may be a couple of years before an artist's next album so you don't need to copy their current production style or your demo will be dated. Try to imagine how you'd like to hear the artist develop in their next album and produce your demo accordingly. This is tricky, but creative.

- Excerpt from "Getting Heard In A "No Unsolicited Material World" article on Songwriters Resource Network 

Attraction Sales - Give Your Music Sex Appeal!

Melyssa Ford

The tendency of most people who have something to sale is to run right out and tell the whole world about it; followed by a 30 minute lecture on how great it is and why the world needs to buy it right now. The problem with that is, its the exact opposite of what they should be doing. They think hey, I have this great product or service for sale, but no one will know if I don't tell them. This is true, unless They Ask You about it. And that's the real secret to good marketing. Getting the right people (people who want to buy what you're selling) to come to you. That's what Attraction Marketing is all about, and it works.

Why? Because people don't care if you have something to sale unless there's some benefit in it for them. Think about it. Have you ever bought anything that didn't benefit you? Would you? No, you wouldn't, and neither would anyone else. You buy a house, the benefit is a place to live. Buy the latest Hip Hop, R&B, or Pop album, the benefit is entertainment. Everything you buy benefits you in some way. So in order to sell something to someone, first you have to get them to see how they will benefit from buying it.

To do this you must understand who your customer is, because benefits come in different forms. They can be the solution to a problem, informative, entertaining, or some combination of these. Simply put, benefits are the wants, needs, and desires of your customer. Once you know what these are, you build your marketing strategy around it.

So how can this be applied to marketing your music as an artist or producer? We know music is entertaining, but in what other ways does your customer benefit from your music? What wants, needs, or desires does your customer have that you or your music can satisfy? Maybe its a chance to win a dinner date with you, or a free ad on your website with the purchase of a track. Be creative! Kanye West gave away a bunch of music before the release of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". The result, the album had the highest projected first week sales of his last three. The point is to provide something of value (a benefit) other than what your selling to your customer who will in turn provide something of value to you, money. Remember, Features Tell, Benefits Sell, and as always,

Stay Hip Hop, Peace!

Search Engine Optimization - Amp Up Your Music Marketing!

Wuz good Hip Hop Nation! Today's topic is all about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Because whether you're a music producer, rapper, or pop artist, if you're using the internet to market your music then the better you understand SEO the more you can get your music heard, which means a better chance of getting discovered, and more unit sales.
 
SEO is the process of improving the visibility of a website. It utilizes both on-site and off-site strategies to improve how the website ranks in search engines like Google. By high rank I mean on the first or second page, or at the top of the page verses the bottom. The higher a website ranks in the search results the more visitors it will receive. More Visitors = More Listeners!

SEO can be very technical, and there are many companies out there that provide SEO services, but if you're a D-I-Yer (do it yourselfer) trying to get your music out there on a tight budget, there are some things that you can do without being an HTML expert.

1. Provide quality content that is up to date and relevant to what your audience is looking for.
2. Make sure that your content includes frequently searched keyword phrases. For example, if your site deals with Hip Hop related topics then you want to make sure your using phrases like hip hop songs, mixtapes, underground hip hop, and hip hop videos in your content. 
3. Building up the number of back-links or inbound-links that point to your site.
4. Cross-linking between different sites that you have or with the sites of friends.

Doing all of this doesn't guarantee your site will end up on the first page of Google, but its a big step in the right direction, and if you stay consistent you will improve your  ranking over time. As Always,

Stay Hip Hop, Peace!

Where You At!

Whether your business is music, or selling rice crispy treats on the corner of a busy intersection, marketing will play a HUGE role in the success of your business. Simply put, how well you market your business will determine how much money you make!

So what is marketing? Marketing is the process by which companies or individuals create customer interest in their goods or services, and how they sell those goods and services.

How does this apply to your music? If no one is interested in your music you can't sell it, and you can't create interest without exposure. This is true whether you’re a DIY (do-it-yourself) kind of person, or if you’re trying to get signed by a major label. But how do you get exposure? Of course there are all the traditional ways. Doing shows, shopping for radio spins, selling CD’s out of your car etc... All of these ways can and do work and should be used, but in today’s music industry, if your not taking advantage of the Internet you're not even in the game. 

So how do you use the Internet to get exposure? Set up a MySpace page or a website, upload some music and wait for the world to find you. That’s exactly what most people do, and it doesn't work! There are just too many websites and MySpace pages out there. You might as well be on a raft in the middle of the ocean, hundreds of miles from land in the dark of night with no signal flares. Because getting discovered on the Internet will take a little more than that. Unless you get lucky, Soulja Boy! But if you want to take control over your destiny here are a few things you should know about. 

1. Attraction Marketing (Benefits vs. Features)

2. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

3. Keyword Research

4. Building Backlinks

5. Understanding Your Target Market

6. How To Use Forums

Over the coming weeks I’ll be discussing these and other marketing topics in more detail, and if you find this stuff beneficial or you want to add something, or you have a topic you’d like to discuss leave a comment or two. I’d like to know what you think. Even if you think the blog sucks and I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, I want to know that to. Just make sure you tell me why. Until then,

Stay Hip Hop! Peace.