Social Media Marketing Works! A Look At The Numbers

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. In many cases, the numbers are intoxicating. Did Coca-Cola really get 86.5 million impressions for a Promoted Trend on Twitter? Did Twelve million people really tuned in to watch a man put an iPad into a blender? The numbers just tell part of the story, but as they say, you can’t argue with the numbers.You can only take issue with how “great” they are.

Have A detailed look at 6 Social Media Campaigns & Their Metrics.

5 Tips To Build an Amazing, Personal Twitter Brand

Leo Widrich | Industry Tips | October 19th 2011

CREDIT: JEFF TURNER ON FLICKR

One of the amazing things with Twitter, Facebook and Google+ slowly gaining maturity is the power coming through it to build my personal brand. What I found most crucial when doing so is that I don’t waste all of my day doing this.

The best part here is that this can become very powerful for many aspects of your life. If you develop a fairly large and engaged Twitter following these are only a few of the great aspects you can leverage:

• Amplify your voice for distributing your knowledge and content
• Find new jobs and projects by interacting with like-minds in your field
• Get feedback on ideas and projects from your followers
• Have quality conversations with people interested in the same fields

Here are tips to build your personal brand on Twitter on the side, without wasting hours each day on it. In fact, I believe these things can be done within 30 minutes of effort each day.

Maximum Management Announces Emerging Artist & New Business Development Services

See what's possible here.
Or contact Brian.Watson@MaximumMusicGroup.com for more information.

Facebook's Musician's Playbook

Facebook recently released a lengthy, detailed guide for building a serious band page. This 40-page guide (embedded below) includes everything from the best top-level approach to debugging details. And, in between, tips on driving better traffic and engagement, managing logins, setting up analytics, and choosing plugins. It's the "Musician's Playbook," and it's a serious guide for building something directly and independently.

Musician's Playbook

Connect with Fans (CwF) and give them a Reason to Buy (RtB). CwF+RtB=$$$

An excellent presentation from Michael Masnick, founder of TechDirt.com, highlighting some real world D2F (Direct To Fan) Marketing success stories from Trent Reznor & NIN to Josh Freese and more.

Direct To Fan (D2F) Marketing At It's Best!

This performance of Atomic Tom was filmed unannounced on Friday October 8, 2010 aboard the New York City B Train, over the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn and edited from 3 iPhone cameras. All footage is performed 100% live and executed in one take.

If you like the tune, it's available on iTunes.

http://facebook.com/atomictomband
http://twitter.com/atomictom

Understanding Record Distribution

• Distributors get records into retail stores and online stores, and record labels get customers into retail stores and to visit online music retailers through promotion and marketing tactics.
• Make sure there is a market for your style of music. Prove it to distributors by showing them how many records you have sold through live sales, internet sales, and any other alternative methods.
• Be prepared to sign a written contract with your distributor because there are no ‘handshake deals’ anymore.
• Distributors want ‘exclusive’ agreements with the labels they choose to work with. They usually want to represent you exclusively. Exception is online distributors such as tunecore.com, iTunes, CDBaby etc.
• You will sell your product to a distributor for close to 50% of the retail list price. Online price for a song is set by each online store.
• When searching for a distributor find out what labels they represent, and talk to some of those labels to find out how well the distributor did getting records into the various types of retailers, both on and off-line.
• Investigate the distributor’s financial status. Many label have closed down in recent years, and you cannot afford to get attached to a distributor that may not be able to pay its invoices.
• For traditional distribution find out if the distributor has a sales staff , and how large it is. Then get to know the sales reps. 
• What commitment will the distributor make to help get your records into stores. Ask them.
• Is the distributor truly a national distributor, or only a regional distributor with ambitions to be an national distributor. Many large chain stores will only work with national distributors.
• Expect the distributor to request that you remove any product you have on consignment in stores so that they can be the one to service retailers.
• Make sure that your distributor has the ability to help you setup various retail promotions such as: coop advertising (where you must be prepared to pay the costs of media ads for select retailers), in-store artist appearances, in-store listening station programs, and furnishing POP’s (point of purchase posters and other graphics).
• Be aware that as a new label you will have to offer a traditional distributor 100% on returns of your product. 
• You must bear all the costs of any distribution and retail promotions.
• Be able to furnish the distributor with hundreds of ‘Distributor One Sheets’ (Attractively designed summary sheets describing your promotion and marketing commitments. Include barcodes, list price, picture of the album cover, and catalog numbers of your product too).
• Traditional distributors may ask for hundreds of free promotional copies of your release to give to the buyers at the retail stores.
• Make sure all promotional copies have a hole punched in the barcode, and that they are not shrink-wrapped. This will prevent any unnecessary returns of your product.
• Create a relationship that is a true partnership between your label and the distributor.
• Keep the distributor updated on any and all promotion and marketing plans and results, as they develop.
• Be well financed. Trying to work with distributors without a realistic budget to participate in promotional opportunities would be a big mistake.
• Your distributor will only be as good as your marketing plans to sell the record. Don’t expect them to do your work for you, remember all they do is get records into the stores.
• Read the trades, especially Billboard for weekly news on the health of the industry, and/or the status of your distributor.
• Work your product relentlessly on as many of the Four Fronts as possible…commercial and non commercial airplay, internet airplay and sales campaigns, on and offline publicity ideas, and touring…eternally touring!

Read full article by Christopher Knab at Music Is My Business

5 Social Media Trends Artists Need To Understand

For musicians, proper marketing and networking using social media can be tough. The possibilities are seemingly endless and as such, musicians are likely to spread themselves too thin. But not all forms of social media will give you the big pay-off. In fact, some methods are a complete waste of time for musicians looking to grow their fanbase, sell more albums, tracks and tickets, and who are ultimately achieve enough success to sustain a viable career within the industry.

It is very important for musicians not to get caught up in the semantics of every new thing, yet is just as crucial to follow and understand the current trends of social media so that their efforts are not in the wrong place. Why is it important to follow the trends? Simply put, the bigger the trend, the more likely it will be that you see quicker and more significant advancements within.

The following are 5 current trends in social media that all musicians NEED to know about. Not every trend will apply to every artist, but not understanding and assessing if they are right for you is a wasted opportunity:

1) Fan-Funding Campaigns:

Finding the funding for an upcoming project can be an extremely difficult process, as more than ever before, labels are only looking to invest in artists and bands with proven high-volume sales records. Tom Silverman, founder of Tommy Boy Records, has stated that the 10,000 units (albums) sold mark is called the 'obscurity line' - upon this achievement, you are no longer seen as an obscure artist within the industry, and it is not until this point that labels will take an interest in you.

This new trend in social media is one that absolutely every musician should take a look into. Fan-funding (or crowdfunding) is the simple concept of empowering the fans to raise money for you- to FUND your project. Typically this is done through an incentive system, in which the artist will set a monetary goal, and has a set amount of time to reach said goal. There are then different levels of rewards that vary based on the amount a fan contributes towards the project.

A fan-funding campaign is an excellent way for emerging musicians to create a grassroots marketing campaign around their next passion project. But be forewarned, this takes both significant amounts of time and effort in preparation and execution. Most fan funding platforms, such as Kickstarter, Pledge Music and Rockethub, require that the entire goal be hit before the artist sees any of the money.

2) Metrics:

The internet has made it easier than ever for artists to make effective, informed decisions about who, when and where to target their audience. But a bunch of analytics/ insights start-up companies have set out to make this process even easier and effective, by giving artists the ability to obtain actionable data about their music and their fans.

Each start up offers a slightly different variation, but the goal is to supply artists with analytical data based on fanbase growth, fan engagement and/ or online music streams across multiple platforms. Many of the services can even track the geolocation of the plays and/or fans helping artists understand where their fanbase is the strongest. Tip: This is HUGE for when you are preparing your first tour. Some of the most popular music analytical services are:

- Band Metrics
- Next Big Sound
- GigsWiz
- Music Metric
- RockDex

3) Social Currency:

Social currency is the evolved idea of giving music away for free. The myth that giving away music for free would garner new fans has been (somewhat) busted, as more often than not, the music will be given away, yet the new 'fans' will never return. The exchange was off-balance.

With social currency, musicians create an even-exchange by 'charging' for their music through an exchange of a track or an album for a tangible return that will increase their reputation and reach, rather than their bank account. The most ideal choice of social currency is to exchange music for an email address (and location if possible -this will come into play next), as it gives artists a direct connection to their fans. Bandcamp does an excellent job of facilitating this exchange for artists.

Other forms of social currency that have recently become popular are tweeting for a download, and a similar idea of a Facebook wall post for a download. Both of these options have the pitfalls of being less beneficial for the artist in a long term sense, and are unfortunately seen by many as just a new form of spam. A few popular tweet-for-a-download services are Tweet For A Track and Pay With A Tweet.

4) Geolocation Marketing:

In the past year, the use of geolocation has become one of the most important advancements in social media. Through services such as Four Square, Gowalla and more recently, Facebook Places, users can 'check in', leaving an update focused on their current location rather than their current activities. While most geolocation based social networks include some form of gaming component, rewarding long-term use and excessive exploration with unlock-able badges and the like, it would be easy to overlook the benefits that these services offer to musicians.

Two of the most popular mailing list services, Fan Bridge and Mail Chimp, have both included a geolocation feature called Geo-Targeting, which allows artists to send out location specific announcements/ updates. In other words, if you have a show in NYC next week, you can send out an announcement of the show or special offer to those on your mailing list who are located within and around the NYC area.

Geolocation marketing also gives artists new opportunities for fan engagement. The idea that an artist or even the fans can now 'check in' when and where they arrived at a specific location creates new possibilities for the artist to engage with the fanbase through competitions (i.e. first 10 people to check in at a specific location gets a free album), scavenger hunts for free tickets, and even unannounced concerts.

5) Streaming Video:

The Youtube craze has been sweeping the emerging music community for quite some time now, but streaming video, through services such as UStream and LiveStream, is a trend that is just starting to explode. There are numerous ways that artists can use real-time streaming to offer additional value for fans, such as streaming live performances for fans who cannot attend, stream jam sessions or intimate acoustic performances from the comfort of their own home, or even engage directly with fans through a real-time question and answer session or even a fan request performance.

By Jonothan Ostrow of Hypebot

The Great Music Marketing Void

Artists have enough hammers and nails to build a mansion. But where are the architects, the developers, the people who used to sit in marketing and A&R development departments at the labels? The answer is they've been fired, went back to law school, switched to a different industry, or are now just listening to music for fun.

Welcome to the great music marketing void. Mike Doernberg at ReverbNation got in front of artists recently at New Music Seminar and doled out endless pearls of wisdom. This is one of the experts, but Doernberg can't hold your hand the whole way. In fact, Doernberg himself calls DIY 'crap,' as bluntly as that.

And doesn't that say it all? The guy who would love nothing more than to create a magical marketing button is telling artists that ReverbNation is simply a distribution tool, not a marketing brain. And that was echoed throughout the event.

Ariel Hyatt may have been preaching "1,000 True Fans," but that sounds like one lonely lottery ticket. Instead, most regarded DIY as an early-stage vehicle out of abject obscurity, at best. A more developed career involves serious marketing pros, real resources, and sharing the resulting profits with musical and marketing partners alike. Everyone is taking a risk, and putting a lot on the line, and mostly likely, suffering along the way. And even then, the chances of serious, sustaining success are slim.

Say what you will about the label system. But labels - both major, major-distributed indie, or pure-play indie - specialized in developing marketable artists and songs, and then selling the resulting content (mostly albums) for a profit (imagine that). They were critical to the marketing ecosystem, and created downstream successes for everyone else to enjoy.

Of course, there are a million problems with a label contract - big or small - but at least there was a division of labor and an infrastructure for making an impact. There was investment. And every so often, it really worked. At its best, a good label would allow an artist to write music, tour for free, and enhance the lifestyle and imaging aspects that are oftentimes critical to connecting with audiences. In other words, specialize.

But who are these marketing pros today? Well, there are actually plenty of brilliant people who are trying to make sense of it all, including managers, remaining label people, and even publishing groups. There are incredibly smart people trying to re-engineer the upside-down economics of the modern-day music industry. And, trying to pluck that rare, talented artist and actually create a real success story.

And what a strange time to be one of those talented artists! On one hand, direct-to-fan platforms offer the ability to reach out and touch fans. How liberating! But typically, the discussion ends with a paltry check from CD Baby - or ReverbNation, TuneCore, Bandcamp, or whomever. And this includes seriously talented groups. There's just too much competition, too much noise, too much media saturation and distraction.

But there's also a business rebuilding itself, and slowly figuring out how to develop serious artist careers. This is not about sticking it to the man, uploading content onto iTunes or playing a corner coffeehouse. This is about rebuilding an entire marketing infrastructure, a totally new set of best practices, and making the numbers make sense again. And for those willing to struggle through the disruption, this is also about serious opportunity - to fill the great music marketing void.

The DIY Problem Is That People Think It's DIY For Life - It's Not...

This week's New Music Seminar was an absolute overload of information for attendees, a large percentage of whom were aspiring artists. The tips were flowing strong, and those taking notes probably have a year's worth of information to sift through. In some ways, "you had to be there," but there were some important themes that should not be missed - by artists, labels, marketing teams, managers, and everyone in-between.

Here are five to ponder...

(1) DYI is not DTF, and DIY has its limitations.

DIY - or 'do it yourself' marketing for the uninitiated - was widely viewed as an early startup approach during the sessions. ReverbNation CEO Mike Doernberg called pure DIY "crap," though at the earliest stages it can help an artist get some initial traction. "The DIY problem is that people think it's DIY for life - it's not... you cannot do it yourself," said Steven Van Zandt. "All the best records ever made were made by an army of people."

By contrast, DTF, or direct-to-fan, is highly related but ultimately something different. The marketing team surrounding Amanda Palmer, for example, is going direct-to-fan. But Amanda is not doing it all by herself.

(2) Consider Consolidation.

When looking for a direct-to-fan partner, consider the advantages of putting multiple services under one roof. The reason is that different platforms and initiatives are frequently interrelated, and harder to analyze independently. For example, a package that includes analytics, store distribution and email management can provide lots of coordinated intelligence that would be harder to understand independently.

So, the one-off widget can be isolating. Then again, more developed teams and labels can easily 'roll their own' and do the analysis and strategy on their own. But someone is coordinating and analyzing the bigger picture, not swimming in the flotsam and jetsam of disparate partners and services.

(3) Control Is Good: Think More Data, Better Cuts, More Flexible Pricing.

Artists have more control than ever over transactions with their fans. But, the preferred transactions are ones that give artists the most data, the best percentages and the greatest pricing flexibility. So, while artists are wise to put their content on iTunes, the better sale happens on the artist site.

(4) Quality Is the Beginning of the Conversation...

You've heard this one before, though it was the source of considerable discussion at the event. Amidst all the marketing tips, platforms, and strategies, the assumption throughout is that the music is something people really want to listen to.

There was a wide range of opinion on the matter. The definition of quality is incredibly subjective, though most agreed that the real judges are fans. Either they're reacting and nodding their heads, or they're not. And once the judgement is made that the music is great, fans become evangelists as a rule.

But what resonates? Just Blaze urged artists to focus on originality, while making sure all the creative juices are still accessible to audiences. He also urged artists to "focus on one lane," and focus on their strongest genres or styles.

Steven Van Zandt told artists to focus a lot more on their creative process and musical chops. That means putting activities like arranging, composing, and performing before recording and instant-uploading. Little Steven also urged artists to dig into the roots of their music - 50s and 60s for rock n' roll, early 80s for hip-hop - and to work out the kinks at a smaller venue. "The closer you get to the roots, the better your expression will be," Van Zandt said.

(5) Consider "FQ," or the "F*&k-ability Quotient"

So who won the NMS band competition? Hotspur, a group of great-looking guys with lots of sex appeal. Or, as Kelly Cutrone referred to it, "FQ" for or the "F*&k-ability Quotient". "Hotspur has FQ in spades," Cutrone quipped to the delight of the crowd.

Sounds hilarious, but Cutrone correctly noted that some of the most successful acts in history - from the Rolling Stones to the Jonas Brothers - appealed to girls based on great looks and on-stage charisma. So what was that about quality again?

Feeling Overwhelmed?

Anybody who tells you they've got a grip on today's landscape, that they know everything, what's truly going on, is full of shit. I doubt anybody even knows all the sites name-checked in this video.

But that's the point...It's overwhelming!

Meanwhile you DIY artists out there, never forget most people start these sites with money in mind. They say they want to help the artist, but after they're helped first. Which is why they suck and so often don't get traction. Because the concept is lame. The concept is how can I get rich? Whereas if the concept is about the art, then you truly have got a chance of getting rich.

In the end the truth comes out...

The Music Must Be Good and It's All About One Fan At A Time.

You're in the music business, not the album business - another case for "growing in public".

Albums are for fans, singles are for newbies.

Don't make an album expecting to reach a new audience. If you want to reach a new audience, focus on the single.

I'm baffled by those who make a full length project the basis of their marketing campaign. Hell, I'm baffled they've got a campaign at all. You mean you want me to stop and listen to this much bad music? Okay, okay, don't get offended, but it seems that so much is shite, wading through the crap is a full time job, and I'm only gonna listen if a buddy tells me to and then only one track. If you're incredible, I'll want more, but only in bits and pieces. It's not like I go to Ben & Jerry's, order a cup of Phish Food and decide I like it so much that I go back to the counter and order TEN! I might buy a pint at a later date, but that's it.

Actually, I love Phish Food, and I buy pints on a regular basis. Imagine if they only made the ice cream once every two years. And I had to keep up with the marketing to know it was out. I'd have to be one hell of a fan to care.

In other words, if you're putting out an album every couple of years you're reinventing the wheel, you're marketing from ground zero over and over again. You've even lost touch with your fans. You need a steady stream of product to keep people interested. But the main point is do not release ten tracks at a time for ten bucks, that's positively archaic thinking based on the CD and major label profitability schemes.

Think of it this way. Do you constantly worry about the size of your hard drive? Do you think about coming up with a bevy of files that fit it perfectly? That's what making an album is like. In a world of unlimited storage, you're still trying to fill a floppy disk. It's a ridiculous pastime.

Concentrate on making music. Focus on making the best music you can. And release it when it's ready, don't hold it back as a result of some sales scheme. Once again, that's major label thinking for dead bands. That's how they sell the Stones or the Beatles or... All that hype about the "Exile On Main Street" anniversary set... Have you heard anybody talk about it recently? It's set in amber. Whereas the music of a working band must be in the ears of listeners on a regular basis.

The flaw in this thinking is especially prevalent in the work of classic acts. They finally put out an album and no one cares. They think it's still the seventies. That radio is waiting and everybody is listening and visiting the record shop every Saturday thumbing through the new releases. They're baffled when their album stiffs.

Usually, the music is not great. But there might be one gem included. Why not put out only that? Something that good has a chance of being spread via word of mouth. You might get some traction. Otherwise, it's the best player on a losing team. It's like being a bad baseball club with one superstar, playing in Iowa, with little or no media coverage. Your album is a team. No one wants to play with a loser. But unlike in sports, you don't need nine or eleven members on the team to play the game, in music you only need one!

We're getting there. At some point artists will catch up with the audience. But for a decade now, not only have labels been behind, so have the music makers.

Look at the statistics for new acts. They sell singles more than albums. Katy Perry's album sales are anemic, she stands on the strength of her single hits.

Oh, that's right, you're an "artist". Show me where in the manual it says an artist makes music in sixty minute chunks. Or that people listen to it that way.

I've got no problem with you combining ten tracks and selling them as a CD at your concert. Or as a double vinyl package. That's about selling a souvenir, not music.

But please, stop making albums. It's a waste of money. You lose momentum between projects. No one listens to most of the music. You're in the music business, not the album business.

And the music business is about three or five or even ten minutes of glory. An experience that cannot be denied. Concentrate on constructing that. Then you'll grow fans.

Or just make albums for the few people paying attention. But don't expect to be much bigger than you are now.

Is SXSW really worth it?

We all know that SXSW is one of the most important conferences in the music industry. With over 12,000 annual registrants and the highest revenue-producing event for Austin's economy, it's clear that those who are serious about their music careers are making the trek to Texas every March. What was once a regional artist showcase has now become a platform for musicians, filmmakers, tech start-ups and even corporate brands to make some noise and reach key influencers across industries and the media.

But has anyone stopped to think if it's all really worth it?

Wow, YouTube Really Thinks We're That Stupid...

Sorry, the gig is up on free music. It isn't making bands rich, or even making ends meet, for that matter. If you need proof of this, check out this discussion thread about Spotify - it contains real numbers and testimonials about how paltry the payouts on free access are. It's not just Lady Gaga that's getting the shaft.

(full article)

DIY is not D2F

Of the 94,000 albums released last year how does one rise above the clutter of the thousands of other releases? Just because you can easily record and release your music with a click of a mouse, doesn't mean you should. Is DIY the answer? DIY is not DTF, and DIY has its limitations.

DIY – or ‘do it yourself’ marketing for the uninitiated – was widely viewed as an early startup approach during the sessions. ReverbNation CEO Mike Doernberg called pure DIY “crap,” though at the earliest stages it can help an artist get some initial traction. “The DIY problem is that people think it’s DIY for life – it’s not… you cannot do it yourself,” said Steven Van Zandt. “All the best records ever made were made by an army of people.”

By contrast, DTF, or direct-to-fan, is highly related but ultimately something different. The marketing team surrounding Radiohead, Trent Reznor or Arcade Fire, for example, is going direct-to-fan. But "they" are not doing it by themselves.