Twitter, FaceBook and Music - 7 tips for bands in Social Media

Lately, many musicians are finally waking up to social media. With facebook and Twitter offering integration with countless sites, they are becoming a strong and almost necessary set of tools in today's world of music. But, many are also lost or are becoming 'lazy' with their social media campaign.

While the integration is good - Twitter feeding Facebook, Facebook feeding Twitter, MySpace feeding both, Reverbnation feeding everywhere, I am seeing to many fail at the most important part - the SOCIAL end of Social Media. Although the ends and outs, the do's and don'ts have been covered time and time again, let me jump on this happy bandwagon and give my take on it.

1. DO integrate - yes, use the feeds from one to the other to the other . My Favorite is the Reverbnation feed. From Reverb, you can keep everyone everywhere up dated with your shows, and by sharing the player with Facebook, increase the number of plays you receive.
2. DON'T Neglect - Just because you are feeding Facebook from Twitter for example, don't think you do not have to pop in there. Try to personally visit each social site at least once a week.
3. DO Promote - Yes - the whole purpose of you spending your time on Twitter, etc is to expose your music, and to increase your fanbase, hence increasing sales, and crowds at your shows.
4. DON'T over Promote - Again, the whole purpose is to build a fanbase, nothing turns people off faster than a barrage of "look at me!" 
5. DO be sociable - It is called social media for a reason - be sociable! - Chat with the people, thank them for mentioning you, sharing your song, and help out other musicians by propping them up and giving them some kudos too. THEY have fans, and no, you don't want to 'steal' fans, but sharing fans is only a win-win for all involved.
6. DON'T be rude - in ANY way. Keep it clean, keep it civil, keep it friendly.
7. DO be YOU - THIS is the most important one. Be YOU. Fans follow artists because they want to 'see' what they are like. Keep it real.

It is simple - relax - have fun - win fans. Just remember, what works in the club on a Saturday night with the drinking crowd is not going to wash for the Sunday morning coffee drinkers.

Be true to you - to quote George Michael's song - you gotta have Faith - faith in you.

Later - Renagade - Renagade offers many services to help musicians grow, including Branding and social media Campaigns.

Feel free to connect with me:
My Social Media spots:
www.facebook.com/renagades
www.facebook.com/renagadesmusic 
www.facebook.com/2wolvesdj
http://twitter.com/renagades
www.reverbnation.com/renagadesusanleak
www.linkedin.com/in/renagade

Tips on Self Promoting your Music

So, you have written some awesome tunes, recorded them, and have the downloads and CDs ready for sale, maybe even have them up on your site available for purchase already. Now What?

Gone are the early days of recording a few tunes and people finding them and buying. The marketplace is far more vast and good music is everywhere. So just how do you drive traffic to YOUR songs?

There are countless ways to do that, but fair warning, this does take time, and work. Countless books, DVDs, pod casts, webinars and seminars are available and some are really good sources of information. There is also a gazillion places on the web to find some information as well. But before you run yourself ragged looking for this, let cover some of the basics here.

Make Google Work For You

1. Be sure your title is the title and your name: People may not remember your CD called “XYZ and ME” , but may remember it is by “The Crazy Hippos” . Be sure your downloads and CD listings have both in title.
2. Is the price right? - Don’t expect to sell YOUR CD of music for $30 when others are selling for $14. Research your prices.

Feed The Beast - The items found on Google are not always found BY Google. They are fed to Google via Google Product Search . Luckily many, many marketplaces such as , Amazon Music, CD Baby and itunes do this for you, that is why they are a good place to set up shop

Help yourself

1. Be Social - Social Media is a goldmine of opportunities to promote your products. You have Face Book, Twitter, My Space, and a ton of Ning Sites, all offering you a way to let a huge audience know about what you sell and where they can find it. CAUTION The KEY word is SOCIAL - BE social. Chat with the people, show genuine interest in what THEY say, and they will return the favor. Above all have fun.
2. Join In - There are countless site to brainstorm with fellow musicians. There are groups on Face Book, My Space, as well as other places such as http://www.linkedin.com/, http://www.musicianforums.com/  http://www.bandfocus.com/ and a wide array of Ning sites. Remember - not only is it good way to find out information, but musicians buy too!
3. Blog it - A blog is and excellent way to promote without actually doing so. Simply by writing about what you like, or telling stories about the band, where youre playing, etc people get to know you a little better, and often will look at the ’Ad’ you have on the side.
4. Add your two cents worth - You are NOT a Blogger? Then try just leaving comments on ones you read. Agree, Disagree, give Kudos, add your two cents! When you add a comment you can also add a url. Why not use your url to where your music is!
5. YouTube It - You Tube is one of the most powerful marketing tools for musicians today. Use it, but use it wisely. Be sure the video is interesting and good quality, both audio and video wise.

Be your biggest fan

1. Become a Walking Billboard - Have a Custom T- Shirt made with your Logo. Or a tote bag, bumper sticker, window decal, you name it. Sell these or give them to your fans.  They will spread the word for you.
2. Address the issue - Make some address labels that not only have your Name or BAND name and Address BUT your URL on it! I use them on everything, even my bills I pay.
3. The 3 foot rule - Use the 3 foot rule. Simply put, anyone that comes within 3 feet of you will know you are a MUSICIAN. Find a way when ever possible to talk about songs. And if you follow this up with a business card, you just may get a sale or a Gig out of the deal.
4. Get Reviews - ask around for reviews of the album. Just be sure to go with those that understand your genre. A country artist is not going to fare well with someone who prefers rap.

I Don’t have the time

1. You don’t have the time to market. Many musicians don’t. Then consider hiring someone to handle your PR and Marketing. There are many good firms and freelance people that can do this for you. But WARNING: you must research them. As many good ones are out there, there are those that are scams. And remember size and price does not mean quality.

These are some of the basic steps you can take to try to drive more people to your site, and hence, make more sales. Be creative, be social, and become your biggest fan. Above have fun. It is not rocket science it is common sense. Remember common sense equals dollars and cents.

Feel free to add your two cents…. What works for you? (and lets see if you paid attention)

Renagade
Renagade offers PR and marketing for good quality Indie Artists

If Not For Dreaming creates a Joyous Rush

Every once in a while, an artist tosses me something that Wows me within the first few seconds.
Damien Cripps grabbed my my heart with the first notes of Pictures, Monk touched my soul with the reflective Fill the Emptiness , now If Not for Dreaming captured my spirit with their debut video of Joyous Rush.
This video is suberbly filmed and edited, flowing along with the song like a leaf flows down a stream. It give you a wonderful look into the stage presence of Amity and the band, as well as the creation of their music.

Joyous Rush, from their debut album If Not For Dreaming, is an excellent song that creates a visual when listened to, but to see Amity and Pats vision for the song gives you an insight into the spirit of this band. The thing that gives them A Joyous Rush is writing and performing together.



If Not For Dreaming's first video release, "Joyous Rush"!
Video shot and edited by Dustin Schultz and Steve Fiore

If Not For Dreaming is:
Amity Wahl - vocals/guitar
Pasquale Russo - guitar
Jay Jerz - bass
Carl Goding - drums

Find more music at http://www.ifnotfordreaming.com/


Video shot at Trod Nossel Studios, Wallingford, CT
Amity's makeup by Lauren Anne Page
Additional thanks to Stephanie Jerz

If Not For Dreaming is a member of Renagades of Music. Visit them at www.renagadesmusic.com/ifnotfordreaming.htm

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Do and Don'ts for Musician's Blogs

One of the best ways to keep in touch with your fans and to gain more is a blog. Fans love finding out more about their favorite musicians and bands and a blog offers you a way to give them an inside peek into your life. There are some basic rules to follow though to keep your reputation in a good light:

1. Use spell check. - Be sure the spelling is correct. Type out your blog in word first, check spelling then copy and paste in.
2. Use proper English - Don’t sound like an uneducated thug
3. DON”T cuss - leave the f-bombs, “N” word etc out of it.
4. Give some inside scoop - what is the next song about. Your favorite gig spot. What happened before the show, etc.
5. DO NOT brag about getting drunk, high, or having sex. - Not you or any of your band members.
6. DO give praise- to a fan, a fellow band member, another artist.
7. Include extras - Song Lyrics, Videos, background of song, Pictures, etc
8. Avoid lots of fancy fonts etc - And be sure the colors make it easy on eyes

Update Often - You don’t have to do it everyday, but don’t let it get stale either
By keeping it clean, informative and fun, you will be winning the hearts of your fans and building upon your Web presence.  It is a great way to promote yourself as well.
Now get started!
Later…. Renagade

www.renagadesmusic.com  - where good bands build great reputations

Should Indie Bands just give it away?

To give or not to give, that has been the question plaguing many bands, especially the Indie bands for quite some time. One side says " We spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours on our music we need to make money!" The other side says " We spend thousands or dollars and thousands of hours on our music and we want it heard!" Who is right here?

Well they both are. Many people are clueless to the fact making music costs a lot of money and a lot of time. Bands, especially Indies, foot this bill out of their own pocket and rarely make it back. Many people think it is 'only' a song, why cant I have it for free? And some will not pay for a album if they have NO idea of what they sound like, and rightfully so. But what is the solution?
In my opinion, a recent article on www.discmakers.com blog hits the nail on the head. In Free Music = Free Advertising = Smart Business, Dexter Bryant makes the valid point: Songs are the best advertising tool any musician has and a select few can and should be used to advertise. And yes, this means GIVE them away.
As soon as bands see that their songs are the best product sample, business card, advertisement that they have, they will see an increased fan base, and increased in actual sales.
Kudos to Mr. Bryant! Great to see someone plainly state Free Music = Free Advertising = Smart Business
Now, what say you? SHOULD Bands , especially Indies, just give it away?
Have you or will you buy from those who do so?

How to approach radio stations

For Indies trying to keep costs down, they discover they must do most of the footwork themselves. This can include handling their own promotions and bookings. One of the best promotional tools can be getting actual radio airplay. This can be an overwhelming task, one that I myself is trying to learn.

Through a fascinating forum discussion, I met a gentleman who, through handling his wife’s singing career has got the process of approaching radio stations down to a science.

With his permission, I am able to share this with you here:

Getting your music heard

First, when building a database of contacts part of the research is in defining your "targets". Our radio station database is broken down first by format, then by market, and we can also filter it for Arbitron ratings and other criteria. Our media database is similar and even includes notes about reporter's/reviewer's preferences. As for performing related databases we have one of promoters, one for touring related services, and another for concert venues which includes theatre seating capacity, links to technical plans, and even sound and lighting plats. The point is we spent well over a year building these databases so when we send out promos and press kits they are going to exactly the right people. We're not sending out any of those $6 kits to magazines that don't cover our format. Wastes their time and our money.
One of the two recording/performing artists I manage released an album three years ago, before he came to me, and the promoter he hired to do his radio promotion sent out 297 promo/media kits to radio stations on a list they bought. He got almost no airplay or exposure. When I saw the list they used I knew why. Out of the 297 stations they mailed them to only 21 were legitimate for his kind of music. A large number went to automated network affiliates where no local programming is done, others went to stations in the wrong formats, and still others went to stations that have centralized programming offices and they never got sent up the pipeline to the right PD's. Let's see, 276 x $5 each...... That's why you do the research!

The second thing I wanted to touch on is the "unsolicited" part. Nothing leaves here "unsolicited". Every radio station, every reporter and writer, and every theatre manager is contacted, almost always by phone, and "introduced" to what will be heading their way. In other words we are opening the door, alerting them to keep an eye out above the others for ours, and we are starting to establish a relationship with them.
When a promo kit leaves our offices a followup flag goes in the database and two weeks later the followup calls start. We keep calling until we make sure they have received the album and that it is in front of them. If they haven't listened to it yet we politely ask when they think they can get to it and then another follow flag goes back in the database. We keep calling until they have listened. From there if its a radio station we find out when they expect to add it it to their rotation and then through our radio monitoring service we can track them to make sure they do it and we can keep an eye on their rotation levels. If its a media contact we can then discuss arranging interviews, provide additional material that might be needed, and get projected air or publishing dates and do whatever is necessary to assist them. With promoters and theatre managers we can start any negotiation process that might be needed.

This is what managers, promoters and agents do. I understand individual indie artists probably don't have a clue about any of this, and I'm not saying they should, but this is what goes on in the background when you're making a run at a market, be it local or global. Had I not lived on the phone calling PD's at stations all over the country back in May and June of last year I can guarantee you HOTEL LAFAYETTEwould never have topped the national A/S airplay charts as it did last August. It's not that it didn't deserve to be there, but being an unknown independent how much attention do you think many of those PD's would have paid to it when they're getting new albums from big stars and big labels every day? It would have gotten shoved into a pile of "someday I may listen" CD's. I had one PD even thank me for alerting him to the album for that very reason. That's how its done!

One more bit of advice primarily aimed at the beginning artist just starting to break into this crazy business. It is not enough to just know who to send material to, and even the diligent follow ups are still not enough. If you are trying to break into this business and get noticed above all of the others there is one more critical ingredient; you damn well better have the product to back up all of this work. I'm sorry for the language, but that's how important it is.

I know every single aspiring musician thinks he/she is the greatest. I know every one thinks he/she/they SHOULD be heard. I know they all believe their song or album is the best ever. That's cool and that kind of passion is what makes artists produce new music. The reality though is not everyone else is going to share that opinion. Before you send anything out do your own sort of "focus grouping". Don't rely on friends' flattery, you know what that's worth. Go seek out people and experts that will give you a serious and perhaps painful critique. Listen and adjust as needed. As an up and coming artist your material is your calling card and introduction to the media and promoters, not to mention the fans. Throwing something together that isn't of the highest quality possible at best won't get you noticed, and at worst could permanently damage your image and reputation.

When you do an album don't cut corners on the technical stuff; the mixing and mastering. Don't use cheap synthesizers to add instruments that will sound cheap. Don't think that one or two takes in the studio will be sufficient. And Don't burn your music on a cheap CDR and stick it in a box with just a business card!

Do it right and give everyone what you are rightfully bragging about!

Adrian Brigham -  www.denisebrigham.com

Thank you Adrian, for sharing your knowledge and experience with all!

I encourage all to visit  www.denisebrigham.com  and read my review on Hotel LaFayette with Denise Brigham gives a five star performance