Music Promotion Coach

Get Your Free Music Marketing Video

Learn To Drive Targeted Traffic To Your Music Website And Sell More CDs!

My name viagra Elizabeth,

I have put together a video that explains how to easily find targeted information and resources that are musical genre specific that can help you drive more traffic to your site and sell more CDs.  In the music business, getting the right information can make a big difference.

I am a singer songwriter with a background in professional marketing in the music industry. What I show you in this video is how to use an important free tool to get otherwise hard to find relevant information that will help you set your self apart from other musicians selling music online. It can help you get more reviews of your recordings,  more airplay at genre specific online radio stations and sell more CDs and send more traffic to your website.

If you already have a ton of raving fans and massive traffic coming to your website or a professional team of marketers promoting your music, then this is not for you … but if you are new to music promotion or an artist who could use a little help getting more attention for your music, then you will want to check out this quick video.

Enter your email below, watch the video and start making things happen with your music!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Technorati Tags: marketing, music promotion, Music Website, Sell More CDs, traffic

There are literally thousands of music promotion websites online. There are the sites that sell CDs and downloads, the sites that promote music by having artists and bands set up an “artist page” and there is online radio in every imaginable genre.

There are the major sites like iTunes and Amazon; there are Social Media sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter and everything in between.

But what no one really tells you is that the key to promoting music online is a smart executable marketing plan.  A marketing plan that involves audience development and branding, this is the key to success for online promotion and the marketing of music.

A marketing plan answers in detail the big questions like “How to drive traffic to the artist website” and “How to get the right message in front of the right person at the right time in order to make a sale and create a fan”

It is one thing to be online; it is another thing entirely to have people going to your site and distribution points to purchase your music. It is more than a matter of slapping up a bunch of pages on music promotion and social media sites hoping people will find your music. Marketing music is like marketing any other product, it’s not rocket science but marketing does have its rules.

1. Know your target audience
2. Speak their language
3. Get your message in front of them over and over again
4. Create an on going relationship with those who buy and involve them in your crusade.

I will be releasing marketing information as an ongoing part of this website so stay tuned and feel free to send me your questions.

Technorati Tags: artist website, iTunes, Marketing music, marketing plan, online promotion and the marketing of music, sell CDs, Target Audience

A question that gets asked a lot is “How can I get my music used in a film or a television show”? This is referred to a synchronized licensing agreement.  This applies anytime one type of media such as a film or a television show uses your recorded work as part of their end product. Securing these deals. The details of these license agreements fall into there own brand of legalities and if you get such an opportunity you should contact an attorney that specializes in these kind of contracts to help you make good decisions and secure all of your rights involved. But I am getting ahead of myself.

How do you get such a deal in the first place?  There is more than one way to approach this outcome. There are companies such as Broadjam, TAXI, Song Peddler, MusicSupervisor, Pump Audio, Rumblefish, Music Gorilla, and Song Catalog to name a few that specialize in this service however most if not all charge a fee and often you are left in the dark and don’t have a lot of control or feedback when using them. There are varying opinions as to the effectiveness of these types of services. But they are all unique and worth checking out.

Another approach is to develop relationships through networking opportunities, events and organization with the music supervisors at the production company that is producing shows, films or games that you are interested in..

Before taking either approach, you will need to do your homework. Find out as much as you can about the types of projects you would like your music to be considered for. Watch the credits to gather information about the production companies you are interested in working with and take a professional approach. Don’t harass people, it won’t work and it will ruin future opportunities. Be persistent but polite, professional and prepared but realize that this is really where your music, the song AND the recording quality need to be top notch and appropriately suited. A music supervisor is looking to fill specific needs for the project at hand, your recording may or may not be a fit but don’t let poor recording quality be the reason it is not even considered.

Additionally, make sure you have registered your copyrights and signed on with one of the performing rights organizations, ASCAP, BMI or SEACAC.

Technorati Tags: ASCAP, BMI, Broadjam, Marketing Music for Licensing, Music Gorilla, MusicSupervisor, Pump Audio, Rumblefish, SEACAC, Song Catalog, Song Peddler, synchronized licensing agreement, TAXI

Know Your Target Audience

The best way to find out about your target audience is, first to study your existing customers and make up a list of common characteristics. However, if you are starting from scratch here is an approach that has worked for many artists.

• First – Identify who you sound like – ask you friends to give you feedback and refer you to similar groups.
• Second – Study those acts. Who are their customers? What radio stations are playing their music? Who is following their facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages?
• Third – Adopt what you think applies to your act and pay attention to what works and what does not work. Start to differentiate as soon as you can. Modeling is effective but copycats are boring so make sure to model instead of mimic.

A Website with a domain name that represents you well, this includes a corresponding email account and an email capture function for future promotion.

Press Kit that includes:

• Press photos (b&w and color),
• Bio of the artist or group
• MP3 of your CD on MP3 with a JPG of the Cover Image with suggestions of recommended listens.
• Video clip (if you have it)
• Copies of media review or quotes from industry professionals (if you have it)
• A listing of performances and credits
• Contact information and a cover letter to let them know why you are sending the press to them.

Social Media Sites Set Up

You will want to have set up the following social media sites for your release.

Facebook Fan page,

MySpace Music Page,

Youtube Channel

Twitter Account (specific to you and your art not just you personally)

Set Up Music Sites for Distribution, Promotion and Sales

There are many of these so you will need to do the footwork and find out which sites best represent you music. The following sites should be included.

• Emusic
• CDBaby
• Amazon
• Reverbnation
• Itunes
• Soundexchange

Book Live Performances

Coffee houses or warehouses,  live performance is an important part of launching a CD. There are many websites and books on this topic so I will not cover it here at length but I do want to include it in the equation. Live performance is essential to the release of a recording

Get The Word Out

There is a lot to be said on this subject but this short list is a good place to start.

• Press Releases
• Online radio promotion
• Podcasting
• Newsletter and post cards

Technorati Tags: Bio, Distribution, MP3, Online radio promotion, Press Kit, Promo Materials, Promotion and Sales, social media, Target Audience, Website

Networking and education are two of the most important aspects of any business. The music business is no exception. Here is a list with links to organizations that support musicians, recording professionals and songwriters. With the changing landscape it is important to stay informed on subjects that affect the music business. These organizations exist to support those in who are involved in recording and creating music. Many of these organizations have educational events that are great for networking and keeping up to date with the politics that affect music and the business of music.

GRAMMY 365 This is the organization that honors achievements in the recording arts and supports the music community. Additionally, they created the most prestigious award in music, the GRAMMY.

ASCAP ASCAP is a membership association of more than 380,000 U.S. composers, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization created and controlled by songwriters and music publishers, with a Board of Directors that is elected by and from the membership.

BMI -  (BMI) collects license fees on behalf of composers, songwriters and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to the members whose works have been performed. BMI currently represents more than 6.5 million compositions — a number that continues to grow. Over the years, BMI has sought out and implemented a number of technological innovations in its continuing effort to gather the most accurate information available about where, when and how its members’ compositions are used as well as ensuring that payment to those whose works have been performed is made in as precise and timely a manner as possible.

SEASAC – SESAC, Inc. another performing rights organization with headquarters in Nashville and offices in Los Angeles, New York,  London, Atlanta and Miami.

California Lawyers for the Arts -  California Lawyers for the Arts was established to bridge between the arts and the legal communities so that: artists gain greater competence in handling legal and business aspects of their creative work; that the legal profession might become more aware and involved in issues affecting artists and the arts community and, the law may become more responsive to the needs and interests of the arts community.

SF MusicTech Summit Brings together visionaries in the music/technology space, along with  developers, entrepreneurs, journalists, musicians, investors, service providers,  and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. They meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive, conducive to dealmaking environment.

NSAI – The Nashville Songwriters Association International  consists of a body of creative minds, including songwriters from all genres of music, professional and amateur, who are committed to protecting the rights and future of the profession of songwriting, and to educate, elevate, and celebrate the songwriter and to act as a unifying force within the music community and the community at large.

WCSA – The West Coast Songwriters (WCS) was founded in 1979 by a few talented songwriters who decided that by joining forces they would be able to write stronger songs, and create more opportunities to market them. Since that time, WCS has grown into a regional force with a 1200+ membership and a full schedule of activities.

AES- The Audio Engineering Society is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology. Founded in the United States in 1948, the AES has grown to become an international organization that unites audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students worldwide by promoting advances in audio and disseminating new knowledge and research.

Soundexchange - SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio (such as SIRIUS XM), internet radio, cable TV music channels and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.  The Copyright Royalty Board, which is appointed by The U.S. Library of Congress, has entrusted SoundExchange as the sole entity in the United States to collect and distribute these digital performance royalties on behalf of featured recording artists, master rights owners (like record labels), and independent artists who record and own their masters.

On December 4, 1877 Thomas Edison became the first person to ever record and play back the human voice. Technology has been driving this industry since it’s beginning and now we find our selves, as musicians and songwriters at an interesting time of opportunity and challenge.

In the last 25 years we’ve gone from analog to digital, from vinyl to 8 tracks to cassette to CD to Digital Downloads. We’ve moved from brick and mortar distribution to online sales. Many musicians have gone from putting their efforts toward getting the coveted “Record Deal” to creating their own Indie Label.  Traditional radio is now a hybrid with online radio, taking local radio to the global frontier.  Independent radio stations are clearly here to stay and I still have not even mentioned social media, a new generation of broadcasting.

No matter where you stand in all of this, there are some basic truths that remain.  The business of music all gets down to the basic fundamental issues of innovation, marketing and getting paid.

Prior to the advent DAW’s (Digital Audio Workstations) recording music was not accessible to most musicians and even if they could get their music recorded, getting distribution and radio airplay were beyond the capacity of most.  Now that the Internet has come of age, all of that has changed.

Many of the “Gate Keepers” are gone but now we have a major traffic jam and the big questions are; how to get heard, how to gain an audience and how to make money as a musician.  The purpose of this site is to provide answers to these questions and offer solutions to these new challenges.

Technorati Tags: analog to digital, Indie Label, make money as a musician, marketing, musicians, online radio, online sales, Record Deal, recording music, social media, songwriters