Marketing your music in the new media ... suggestions for our fellow artist

Introduction: The music industry has been turned on its head in the last five years.

The former market model was to have a phonograph, record, 8-track, cassette, and then CD to sell to consumers. Musicians would try to supplement and promote sales of the album through airplay on radio stations and live performance.

The new model, in my opinion, is to distribute your music freely and to earn money through ticket sales to live performances, merchandise sales, and through publishing and licensing your music.

Licensing: The right, granted by the copyright holder, for a given person or entity to broadcast, recreate, perform, or listen to a recorded copy of a copyrighted work.

Publishing: Collecting royalties for use, placing songs in other forms of media such as movies and commercials.

Examples of the new model:

∑ July 16, 2007 – Prince releases 3 million copies of new CD in London’s Sunday newspaper; proceeds to sell-out 21 concerts in London; over 400,000 tickets

∑ December 2007 - Radiohead releases new album “In Rainbows” independently and invites fans to pay whatever they want. According to their theory, if they earned a minimum of $2 per CD they’d be making more then if they were on a record label

∑ March 25, 2008 - R.E.M. releases new album for free on social networking site

∑ April 28, 2008 - Coldplay releases new single for free

One popular perception among many in the music community is that a good song will sell itself and in turn the artist or band will benefit. I don’t think this is true and I think marketing and promotion is most important to distinguish you from other artists.

Additionally, as a result of computer technology artists are able to record and promote themselves cheaply and independently. They don’t need to be signed to a record contract as long as the proper marketing is in place.

You will benefit greatly from a new media marketing campaign including a complete overhaul of your website in addition to the creation of profile pages on social networking sites like myspace, facebook, bebo, etc. Similarly you will benefit from having your music licensed to websites such as Pandora, a site that creates a radio stream of artists you may not have heard of that sound similar to your musical preference.

One of the biggest trends in the new music landscape is interactivity and social networking, which should be a cornerstone of any music related marketing campaign. Above all, sites should be highly interactive and fresh so people keep coming back.

Social Media and Website

1. Overhaul website.

A. Personalize it with a bio, message board, and/or guestbook
B. Update photos both live and in studio. Create photo gallery of past performances, etc.
C. Make press-kit available online
D. Provide links to CD Baby, myspace, facebook, etc.

2. Develop myspace, facebook, and blog and update regularly. Make sure social media are linked.

3. Update content on CD Baby account. Should streamline with website and social networking pages.

4. Post videos of dynamic performances on youtube. Make sure links to video exist on website and social networking pages.

5. Create html code for online fliers promoting your new album and/or future concerts you can post on social networking sites and people can copy and paste.

New Album

Put the “brakes” on the release of album until the proper marketing strategy has been defined and key elements have been put in place.

A timely release of album coinciding with prior adoption and development of social media will result in full utilization of promotional tools.

Going through with a CD release without marketing strategy presents a wasted opportunity to utilize new promotional web tools and therefore limits the impact of the release.

Performances

Consider weeding out wine shops and house parties (or at least not featuring them so heavily on your web page). It has the appearance of amateurism.

Perform at top venues only.

Focus on building (or re-building) media contacts. Send out informative and well written press releases at least three weeks prior to an event.

Work on building audience regionally. Festivals are most appropriate. Legitimate venues or corporate events are also acceptable.