Sure, you probably sell your music digitially on iTunes or Amazon (or both). But do either really give you enough control? Wouldn’t you like a little more flexibility in setting your MP3 prices? Wouldn’t like a bigger cut of the sale? How about widgets that let you easily sell your music on any website, blog, or service were you can…
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Social Media for Musicians
Specializing in online PR, you may think I’d tell you that you have to be everywhere and using everything when it comes to using social media to promote your music. You’d be wrong if you thought that. Social Media Tools for Musicians Before I get into why you shouldn’t worry about trying to use every social media tool you can…
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Do or Die: The Band-Fan Relationship
Recently on my book marketing blog, I talked about why author publicity is more important than book publicity. The same is true in music promotion – the image of the band or artist far outweighs the publicity of any specific album, song, or product, and it relies on the always-important band-fan relationship. Why Build “Relationships” with Fans? The reason I…
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Band Newsletters, Blogs, or Both?
Two common music marketing tools for bands and other independent artists are blogs and newsletters. Given that their purpose is to do essentially the same thing – keep fans up-to-date on your goings on, do you really need to use both? Unfortunately there’s no simple yes-no answer here. While on the surface, they do the same thing, there’s more to…
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Artist Resource: Unsigned.com
Resource: www.Unsigned.com Full Disclosure: The company running Unsigned.com is a past client of mine. The Web gives artists and bands seemingly unlimited resources for promoting your music directly to fans. Unsigned.com is one of those resources you may want to check out. One of the best things? Unlike sites like Myspace where the major label artists encroach on your territory,…
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“Requested Materials” – Really?
I receive a lot of press kits from bands wanting to be featured here (and I’m just talking about print kits – let’s leave online submissions out of this). I hate to think of how many larger sites and print pubs are getting. It’s hard enough sorting through it all, but what really makes me insane is when I get…
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How to Write a Press Release for Your Band
At some point during your career as an indie band, it’s likely that you’ll need to learn how to write a press release. A press release can be used to improve your media relations, by sending newsworthy information about your music to newspapers, TV, and radio stations. The idea is to only send a press release when something is truly…
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Does Your Band Have an Elevator Speech?
Most business owners have what’s known as an “elevator speech.” Does your band have one? You should! So what’s an elevator speech anyway? Definition: An elevator speech is a very short and concise description of who you are and what you do, which you should be able to convey to a total stranger in the time it takes to ride…
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Is Your Band Newsworthy?
If you’re a musician, chances are you’d jump at the opportunity for some good press. But how do you get it? How can you convince newspapers, radio stations, magazines, or other media outlets to not only feature you, but even so much as mention your name? That’s easy: just make yourself newsworthy! Most media outlets aren’t interested in running a…
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Designing the “Perfect” Press Kit
The “perfect” press kit can get your gigs, radio airplay, media mentions and more! But what makes a “perfect” press kit? Here are the basic dos and don’ts for making your kit the best it can be: DO make your kit adaptable. The kit you send to the local clubs’ booking agents may not be the same kit you should…