So here we have it, the final part of my Berklee assignment a few weeks ago that discussed the good and bad sides of a strong internet identity, based on this article from the NY Times. In this final section we discussed how to apply the lessons learned to your own music career promotion, and I thought these would make good tips for you to follow too. Just in time for the Holidays!

Adhering to learn from this article and the example artists given, I feel revitalised in my Indie stance and very positive about the online marketing possibilities. It reinforces some of what i do already, and has helped me ‘brush up’ on how I can achieve further. I will be careful regarding the personal depth of my blogging, and try and strike the right balance between the ‘exclusive’ information that my fans want, and not ‘ruining the aura’ that an artist should have. I will aim to achieve, as Thomson described one artist’s approach, “a nuanced ability to seem authentic and confessional without spilling over into a Britney Spears level of information overload”.

I like the ideas that both Coulton and OK Go embraced; their ’song a week’ and ‘treadmill-dance video’ respectively. While it would not be good practice to copy these too closely, I feel that what they do preach to me is the importance of how viral the internet can be, and it’s possible subsequent explosion in fan numbers. This is something I aim to use in my career for certain, and i see it as a vital part of a low-budget musician’s armory.

Something else to take away from the article, is when Thompson states that of the artists he interviewed, “many of them also said that staying artistically “pure” now requires the mental discipline of a ninja”. This kind of need for focus and discipline is something I consider myself to be currently good at, maybe even approaching a trainee ninja level, and it is something that I intend to maintain in the future.

One comment that Thompson made really hit home for me; “It seems likely that the artists who forge direct access to their fans have the best chance of figuring out what the new economics of the music business will be”. I see this as ringing very true, as these artists are adapting and evolving with the music industry, and collaborating with new media entrepreneurs and technologies all the time to produce fresh, innovative ideas and business plans. Proof of this is even included later in the article, as it mentions that Coulton has set up deals without any record label contract involved, and “uses a growing array of online tools to sell music directly to fans”. Various online companies offer opportunities to not just distribute the music digitally to popular online stores, but they can also store physical CDs, process credit card payments and then ship the CD out. Interaction between forward-thinking artists and companies like this shows that an online promotional route really can be a successful one for Indie artists.

This new route to success is only achievable when “the artist has the correct emotional tools”; I believe that I have, and I aim to project myself as part of the new breed of empowered independent artists (Lee Jarvis 2.0 ?), fully embracing the new wave of internet consumers and contributors, along with the opportunities that it provides.

Happy Holidays, and check back in the ’09 for more blog posts from the UK Music Jobs team

Lee Jarvis.

Following on from last week’s post discussing the pros of internet marketing from a NY Times article by Clive Thompson, here are a few of the cons that are worth considering when you promote your music career online…

One of the drawbacks that interested me most from this article, is the fact that artists could be “ruining their own aura by blogging”. I can definitely see the validity of this point – rock stars have often been ‘untouchable’ and the pedestal on which they perform is part of the reason that fans adore them. Remove this, and all of a sudden they are a bit less rock-n-roll and a bit more tea-n-biscuits. One interviewed band member even goes as far to say that “the intimacy of the Internet has made post-show interactions less intimate and more guarded”, speaking after one comment to a fan was later quoted online and spread like wildfire. Being burnt from this interaction, he now keeps his comments muted and possible more ‘banal’.

Obsessing over the numbers after a successful online campaign can drive you crazy. The belief that if 10 people commented on one record and no-one did on the follow-up means that the latter track was a failure can torture an artist. Coulton would “rack his brains trying to figure out why people loved those particular songs so much”, and the pressure of trying to achieve the same numbers would “sort of ruin me for a few weeks” he says. Sticking with Coulton and his promotional peaks, his biggest spike in traffic to his Web site was after he appeared on NPR’s ‘Weekend Edition Sunday’, something that he thinks “proves how powerful old-fashioned media still are”. He has a very good point, old-fashioned media aren’t completely dead, and maybe “there’s no way to use the Internet to vault from the B-list to the A-list. If A-list celebrity status is what you are after, then you could consider this another drawback of online promotion.

A major negative is the “relentless and often boring slog of keyboarding”. Coulton “hunkers down for up to six hours of nonstop and frequently exhausting communion with his virtual crowd” pretty much everyday, and I can certainly relate to that kind of commitment to maintain my online presence, without as big an established crowd (simultaneous yet smaller fan-base DJ / producer / pseudonym producer / remixer / blogger / marketing careers will easily eat up my working week). It certainly is tiresome, but a necessary evil if you will. It could be argued that this keyboarding is taking time away from the artist being creative, and possibly even eating away at their creativity itself. Many would agree that it is “precisely the sort of administrative toil that people join rock bands to avoid”, which voices another well raised point in this article.

Having called it a ‘necessary evil’, it is also addicting in an empowering way. Retaining ultimate control over your career is a strong pull, and as Coulton states “I think I’m addicted to running my own show now.” This addiction could also be seen as a positive or a drawback, depending on how much you enjoy the control / dread the responsibility / what kind of day you have

Finally, next week, I’ll discuss how you can apply the lessons learned by the artists in the article to your music career and develop a strong online strategy ready for success in 2009!

Lee Jarvis.

There was a discussion posted over at the Berklee Online Music Marketing course the other week that really struck a chord with me (no pun intended). It resulted in a rather lengthy reply, but of some value (it earned me an ‘A’ Grade so I assume there’s some good content here). We were asked to read this article over at the NY Times and then asked to consider all of the Internet tactics used by the artists featured and discuss what we felt to be the most positive aspects of online music promotion covered, along with the drawbacks of Internet promotion and in what ways we could you use some of these techniques to market our own music. Much of it is relevant to the advice on Music Jobs, and in part 1 here I mainly discuss the positive aspects of a strong online strategy. Enjoy…

One of the big positives of online promotion is the interaction an artist has with their fans. In the past it was rarely possible to connect with them as often or as strongly; it was mainly a passing comment or autograph at a show. Nowadays, fans think it nothing to send their idols an email or blog comment, sometimes simple but sometimes quite deep and meaningful. As Coulton realised, “his fans do not want merely to buy his music. They want to be his friend”. The connection with fans can be inspiring and give an artist creative (and other) motivation. I think there is another very important positive here because, as Thompson writes, fans can be a “promotion department” for an artist. They record videos at shows and distribute them online, they re-blog and link to digital stores in order to assist record sales, they tell friends on social networking sites about upcoming concerts. Having a good relationship with fans also enables new strategies such as Coulton’s “flash mob approach to touring”. Playing at lesser known towns that not only have a strong local following, but are also a good mid-way point between other cities with additional fans, means that he can play one very good gig and earn well from it, rather than a possibly financially uncertain, and sometimes unrewarding long drawn-out tour schedule.

Online media may be a relatively new thing, but it has fast become the norm with the young ‘Generation-Y’ music consuming public. “Fans aren’t hearing about bands from MTV or magazines anymore; fame can come instead through viral word-of-mouth, when a friend forwards a Web-site address, swaps an MP3, e-mails a link to a fan blog or posts a cellphone concert video on YouTube”. I feel this statement shows just how important it is to be a part of the change in the industry; fans are in online chatrooms swapping links, no longer at a record fairs swapping notes in notebooks. It really should be a key part of any artist’s marketing strategy, and it has certainly created “a fresh route to creative success”. Thompson writes, regarding the rapid success of Scene Asthetic on Myspace, “This sort of career arc was never previously possible. If you were a singer with only one good song, there was no way to release it independently on a global scale — and thus no way of knowing if there was a market for your talent”. Myspace provided that platform, and the band embraced it. This success, although rare, is completely possible of all online artists, and a very good argument for the positives of online marketing.

Another plus of the online promotion route is the cost. Although the article doesn’t directly mention the fact that the online social networks are a great free tool for hardworking newcomers, it does point out that “This is not a trend that affects A-list stars. The most famous corporate acts — Justin Timberlake, Fergie, Beyoncé — are still creatures of mass marketing, carpet-bombed into popularity by expensive ad campaigns and radio airplay.” As we have all learnt by now, this type of marketing approach is not viable or effective for new artists and extremely expensive.

Check back soon for part 2 and the negative impacts that you should be aware of!

Lee Jarvis.

I’ve covered a bit recently on AC/DC dropping iTunes because of Apple’s requirement to sell album tracks individually and the band’s belief that this is wrong. Well, assuming that you aren’t a rock supergroup that can strike up a great physical distribution deal, iTunes could be on your list of download sites, and using it to sell your records, possibly through a digital distributor, could be a great way to boost your digital sales. A site that has sold over 5 billion songs cannot be ignored.

For a start, no-one makes as much noise in the technology scene as Apple. Their keynotes and conferences attract huge interest and will be live-blogged a hundred times over. Even when they announce some relatively small changes to the iPods and iTunes, people are engrossed. A large number of people WORSHIP iTunes, and the brand is recognisable to millions of computer users worldwide. Additional plus sides of this instant recognition, are ease of use and trust. Unless you make it as easy as possible for people to download your music within seconds, their attention wavers, it’s the way of the Digi-world. An online store that I’ve not heard of, where I have to set up a new account, find a confirmation email and add payment details is going to be a drag to some people, whilst asking me to purchase a track from Bob-a-Job’s download store makes me think twice about my credit details being safe. It may not be the right way to think, but we are talking about the masses here.

Marketing your sounds alongside similar sounds will help to increase sales from browsing music buyers. For instance, if you make smooth, soulful grooves, then a page on your website listing your favourite artists such as D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Maxwell and Raphael Saadiq will help fans of those stumble across your sounds. Applying this theory to iTunes, the new Genius Sidebar will list you alongside similar artists. If you are considered by to be of the same ilk when users submit their library and playlist information, then it will suggest your music to fans of these artists. It (mostly) works too. This can be a great promotion tool, and potentially reaches a huge number of fans of your style.

Where AC/DC differed, is that they have a hardcore fan base that they’ve established over 30 years of world tours. They are ‘old-school’ in that sense, so an old school physical deal and mass advertising worked for them. Most artists will not be able to follow the AC/DC route, and it would not be in your wisest interests to. To re-emphasise the point of my last post, the important thing is to be aware of these strategies and why they work. The iTunes path may or may not be the best one for your style / core group of fans / marketing abilities, again, I’m just throwing it out there for you to chew over. Selling your own CDs is another route that i will cover very soon. Being aware that all different ideas could succeed, means that you will recognise a good opportunity when you work your way into it.

Lee Jarvis

Tim Donaldson is the Technology Operations Manager for Global Radio, the home of the UK’s leading commercial radio brands including Heart, Capital FM, LBC, Classic FM, Gold and XFM.  

Here are Tim’s Top Tips for getting an applicaton noticed:

”I cannot emphasise how important your first approach to an employer is, and you have to give it your absolute best shot.  If you mess it up you won’t get a second chance.  Adopt an approach adapted from Formula One (where the only question that’s important is ”Will what I’m doing make the car go faster?”), and ask yourself at every stage of preparing your initial email or letter ”Will what I’m doing give me a better chance of getting noticed?”.  Remember that the employer has what you want (a job), but he/she knows NOTHING about you, and so he/she needs to know that you want to have it (as well as, of course, knowing that you are suitably qualified for it).”

(1) Read the advert.  That sounds SO basic, but I am amazed by the number of applications I receive where it is blatantly apparent that the writer has not done so.

(2) Respond to the advert.  Don’t use a generic email application that could have been sent to anyone. It’s so transparent and will get binned. If you have an automated system for applying for jobs, don’t use it.  You might be lucky enough to find an employer who’s courteous enough to reply and clarify, but I suspect they’re few and far between.

Editor note – When applying for jobs through UK Music Jobs do not forget to tailor your covering letter and CV. You can now add as many CVs to your profile as you like and then chose which one accompanies your tailored covering letter.

(3) At least TRY to tailor your initial response to what the ad says. Pick out a few points and write about how well you would meet them. Remember, you have to tell your prospective employer the story of who you are, and, in the end ’sell’ yourself.

(4) Spell check carefully.  Don’t rely on your computer to do it for you.  Read and re-read your initial approach before you send it.  Spelling and punctuation errors make your application look sloppy and, whatever you might like to think, it really makes a difference.

(5) Make it ABSOLUTELY clear what you are doing in your initial approach – are you applying for the job there and then, or are you asking for more details? I would always advise the latter – job adverts are often no more than thumbnail sketches of what is contained in the Job Description. Your application should therefore be based on the longer document.

Editor note – Following the job description is always best however always take note of what the employer is requesting in the particular advert.

(6) Make sure that you can provide evidence for everything that you put in your application as you may be asked for it.  If you tell lies you will be found out sooner or later.  For example, if you say you are confident and outgoing and turn out, at the interview, to be shy and monosyllabic, or if you say you have skills which (it later transpires) you don’t you will have wasted your time as well as that of your potential employers.  You won’t be invited back next time there is a job going.

(7) Most jobs are in a particular location.  If you live miles away, make it clear that you are happy to relocate.

(8) If you are foreign applicant, make sure that you have the right work permits to work in the host country, and say so in your initial approach. Questions about this left undealt-with head on at the outset only present your possible future employer with a problem when he/she wants only solutions.

(9) If English is not your first language, ask for help in preparing your application, or get it checked.  A letter written in poor English will not reflect well on your undoubted abilities.

”Finally, the jobs that I, as a very specific type of employer, have rely on team work and communication as key skills.  It is useful (and something that I look for) that you demonstrate those.  Team work can be demonstrated not only by your past employment history but also by your hobbies and interests.  I am naturally going to be more attracted to someone who plays in a band, a football team or who does amateur dramatics than someone whose interests are more solitary.  That’s simply because people who take part in team based activities know better how to pay their part to a greater goal, and can understand how to take direction, again for the benefit of all.  If you don’t have such an interest take one up!!”

From Guns n Roses to AC/DC! Yes, we really are keeping up with the times! It’s funny how these, ahem, ‘mature’ bands are leading the way with their music strategies.

Anywho, I thought I’d report on the Young Brothers and co, because they recently took a stand against iTunes. They believed that an album should not be able to be broken down and purchased as individual tracks. Something that Apple is very sure should be able to happen, and something that I am sitting on the fence about. If you are going to make a ‘proper’ album (and I wouldn’t do it any other way), then the songs really should come as a package. There’s the mixture of styles, tempos and the interludes and the way it all moulds together to make an album something a bit more special than a compilation. There’s also the fact that many albums I have bought and immediately assumed ‘I don’t like track 3’, only for it to evolve with me and a couple of years later I realise that my favourites are the unknown and once disliked tracks. If, however, you are a current major label pop starlet and you are going to throw together 2 hits and a bunch of fillers in order to get something out in time for Christmas and your album would normally become the staple of car-boot sales around the country, then I can see the appeal of shortening the pain and just purchasing the two tracks. Although, to be honest, you could shorten the pain for all involved by not recording a bunch of rubbish in the first place (that rant is going to continue in a new blog post, I can tell you…).

So, AC/DC’s ‘Black Ice’ album would not be available on iTunes for the above reason. The result? Over 780,000 sales in it’s first week in the US. That’s also thanks to an exclusivity deal with Wal-Mart and strong promotion on their part. I the UK, they outsold Kaiser Chiefs two to one, and I believe that sales hit around the 120,000 mark. Ultimately, they hit the number one spot in an incredible 29 different countries!

Am I saying that we should all now ditch the digital revolution and just sell physical albums? Of course not. AC/DC is in a unique position and can strike up such a deal because of their strong history. Ultimately, the physical only strategy was to their greatest benefit. And I AM saying that you should explore all options to find the greatest benefit to you. Maybe that is physical releases, maybe that is an exclusive digital deal with Stompy, maybe you should give your music away. You decide, I’m just here to open you eyes

Lee Jarvis.

Ok, I’m not entirely sure where I’m going with this one, but ride it out with me… Over the last couple of days I have received emails and feeds reminding me to vote in the US Election from people such as MTV, OM Records, and many, many more. In fact, MTV news headlines are dominated by election predictions and results.

What has all this got to do with the changing face of the music industry? Directly… nothing. Indirectly, the thing that has struck me, and that you should really think about too, is that the way that both the political parties and neutral organisations are using the internet and new media to encourage people to vote in incredible numbers. National Geographic have reported that voter turnout could be the highest since 1908!

Yes, the high voting numbers can often be born from times of despair, but I also think that this has something to do with the way that the world communicates today, and how it differs from 8 years ago. A new media marketing success can reach an unbelievable number of consumers, and it often hits a high percentage of young, affluent, responsible US citizens. These are the people who should really be concerned with their vote, and have been missing from previous elections altogether.

Viral videos have been a huge contribution to this, as they can use humour to make their point hit home with great effect.

Wassup 2008

Is viral marketing something that you can tap into for your band promotion / record label / concert venue? I think you should seriously consider the way the world communicates, and how it is evolving. While I do plan to share lot more about the changing music industry over at my personal blog, one guy who really knows what he’s talking about is Bob Baker. Head over to his blog and read a few of his wise words.

Lee.

Does it still happen? Well, no.

It may SEEM like someone gets a lucky break now and then, but trust me, that particular gig where the (insert national newspaper) reviewer pops along and likes what they hear – that’s because it’s your 1052nd gig and they are there because you’ve contacted them through the whelm of social networking sites. They checked out your UK Music Jobs profile (which is in all your signatures) before replying, which was up to date with info, press shots, new music and carefully crafted branding. Someone in their office had actually heard of you already because you are always chiming in on (insert blog) with insightful comments and linking back to your own regularly updated tour blog. Their friend had won free tickets to your last gig that you’d offered to the local radio station (along with a CD and biog for the specialist genre DJ there).

Here’s the good news, and the bit to focus on. Your career is now in YOUR hands. You don’t have to rely on the top A&R gurus listening to your tape and throwing the other 1,000 away on that particular day.

YOU record your own ideas, dreams and emotions. YOU build your fan base. YOU start your own label and YOU sell the records through YOUR website. YOU do the marketing, publishing, live performances and cost scheduling.

It’s hard, but in today’s model, it’s all very achievable. You may not get it all right first time, and you may need to research for some advice. That’s where I come in

The internet is incredible, and web 2.0 is all about providing free content. There’s hundreds of helpful blogs providing expert help and advice, here’s a few I recommend;

www.leejarvis.blogspot.com (The Digital Revolution, Music 2.0 and tips for Indies and Freelancers; we all get one free plug, don’t we?!)
New music strategies (Does what it says on the tin. Change the way you think if you want to make it in the future music industry)
Berkleemusic (Top US college with some amazing tutors, offering help on all kinds of music careers. Alumi include Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock)

Now that you have control over you own career, go make it happen! Ooh, but before you go, leave a comment and check back soon

Lee.

I reported the leaks on Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Chinese Democracy’ album recently, and now it’s finally getting a timely full release. Yesterday’s official statement from Best Buy and Geffen Records gave us a street date of November 23rd for CD, vinyl LP (with a free digital download) and digital album versions, and pre-orders have already begun today.

The title single from the album was yesterday sent to radio stations, and they immediately started airing it and eagerly listening to fan’s thoughts. Many US station reps have shared their thoughts over at Billboard.com.

Is it any good? Well, Steve Kandell at Spin.com says, “Once the overture of muffled voices, ominous drums, and plinky Edge-ish guitar gives way to a thick, muscular four-chord riff and that Axl banshee wail, only the most stubbornly jaded will manage to suppress the goosebump reflex”

Want to make your own mind up? You can listen here – add your views in the comment section.

It has been an incredibly long wait for the new GNR material; their first album since 1991’s seminal ‘Use your Illusion I’ & ‘Use your Illusion II’ releases. It’s been such a debacle that soda company Dr Pepper once offered to “provide a free can of the soda to everyone in the U.S. if the album drops this year” (today they kept their promise and made plans for the free deal).

Was it worth the wait? Did the band gain anything by waiting this long? Does anyone still care about the album? Let me know your thoughts…

Lee Jarvis.

Girls Aloud No 1 with 'The Promise'

Girls Aloud are all set to score their 4th UK number 1 on Sunday with ‘The Promise’.  Cheryl Cole’s wildly popular role as the new judge on The X-Factor and her band’s live performance on last week’s show has paid off in droves. ‘The Promise’ also marks the girls 19th consecutive top ten hit record.

Also sure to make the top ten are Razorlight with their excellent new track ‘Wire To Wire’, while Alicia Keys & Jack White’s collaboration  ‘Another Way To Die’, the theme for the new Bond movie ‘Quantam of Solace’, will hit the top 20.

Chart Predictions: New entries/High climbers Sun 26th October

Number One

GIRLS ALOUD – The Promise

Top Ten

RAZORLIGHT – Wire To Wire
GURU JOSH PROJECT – Infinity 2008
KATY PERRY – Hot N Cold

Top Twenty

ALICIA KEYS & JACK WHITE – Another Way To Die

Top Forty

JOHN LEGEND FT ANDRE 3000 – Green Light
FALL OUT BOY – I Don’t Care
KARDINALL OFFISHALL – Dangerous
BLOC PARTY – Talons