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Advice or Tips Online Marketing/Networking/Promoting?


JoshJ

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Greetings...for a while, I've been looking for info online of how one could possibly market themselves online, promote online, and maybe network online...But How do I do that exactly?

 

To be more elaborate on my question: What do I do/how do I do it?

 

I've found countless articles online of "How to promote your music online", only to find the articles indicate the same thing: Get a website, make a myspace, facebook, newsletter, etc....

All they say is create this and make that....But they don't explain or emphasize on a possible or basic example of how to network once you have created online real estate.

Some have said, "tell everyone you know, to tell everyone they know."

I wont lie, I don't have a big social circle, and I hardly have an online presence/circle either...so all though that's, I suppose, the main way of going about it, I have a feeling it won't help much.

 

Here's what i've done so far:

 

1. Created and recorded music Demos(I'm working on an album).

 

2. Created a website

 

3. Created several online profiles (myspace, facebook, ilike, etc...)

 

But that's as far as I gotten, those in my small circle are waiting and wanting to help me out, but I don't know what to do and what to ask them to do other then tell a friend of a friend.

I am completely clueless to it all....

 

I came across this website searching for a place to ask for some insight from experienced musicians and to find out some things they might have done or how they go about doing some networking...so far on this site, I've found useful discussions, like ways to find band mates, and Im still scrounging around looking for info but Im wondering if this community can go about giving me some tips, or advice, or input of how they've tried and done things.

 

 

I know some sites offer promotional campaigns, like last.fm's power play campaign, and myspace offers their promotional ad service, as well as facebook...I'm still looking into those, but has anyone ever tried those?

 

I suppose this also hurts me at this point as well, having these online profiles and even a website, I don't really have content to host. I have some images, and music up, but that's it. I don't have any video or anything to really intrigue interest from a viewer...

 

I understand that marketing tactics/promoting campaigns might differ based on the type of audience you're trying to reach or genre of music you're creating, but I think some insight, if any, would be a great help.

 

 

Thanks in advanced

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Resist the urge to find that "one great thing" that, all you have to do is do it once, it's done forever, & you can just sit back & watch the cash roll in. It's like perpetual motion; it doesn't exist. You've got to use every channel you can find, & keep after them constantly.

 

Be a giver, not a taker. Make sure you give out more in value than what you take in.

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JoshJ,

 

It's hard to give marketing advice when we don't know anything about you or your music. Tell us more about both and you might get more responses.

 

That aside, I'd say that you're putting the cart before the horse. Get the CD done and then you'll have something to pitch. Nothing wrong with setting up a website and the other stuff ahead of time, but 90% of your time right now should be spent on the music.

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Thanks for the replies and input.

 

and richardmac, I think that's solid advice that I strongly agree with:

 

 

That aside, I'd say that you're putting the cart before the horse. Get the CD done and then you'll have something to pitch.

 

 

That being the case, I will put focus on that for sure, finish that up, and then focus on the whole "trying to get it out there" thing later. Thanks.

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You do know everyone with a computer these days can (and has) made a CD?!?!

You want to promote yourself? Go out and play your own music. Live. Give everyone a copy of your (copyright)songs to listen to. The internet is ok but its flooded with people that are doing what you are trying to do.

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http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/digital-music-cant-be-marketed-it-can-only-be-found.html

 

 

http://www.echolouder.com/unsprung_wisdom/2008/7/8/digital-music-cant-be-marketed-the-rewrite.html

 

Promoting a record was a crap shoot in the old days despite the fact that there was a road map solidly in place back then . Lots of labels could drag out examples from there archives of bands that were critically acclaimed , made a great disc , where promoted and marketed well , and , still fizzled ...... This ain't no exacting science .... now even more so ...

 

 

Make the best music you can ( this is where you should concentrate , but also have fun too ) , get it "out there" ( cd baby ect , set up a web site ect .) , have contingencies planning in place , don't take it too seriously ...........:cool: !

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fingerpicker: Yeah, I agree with playing at venues to start it up for sure (working on it - looking for a band)

 

flatfinger: great articles, thanks for providing them, I read on, on, and on; and im definitely going to keep on reading on.

 

Let me ask this, and maybe someone could shed light on this question:

 

I was considering releasing a 3-5 track EP for free (to help get the music out there), and although my basic understanding of copyright is to protect your music and have the ability to fight for it in court, I was considering releasing the free EP under the creative commons license . Considering that I am releasing it for free, to me, it seems like the route to go. There are other factors obviously to copyright and the CCL, but the thing about the CCL, is that, I suppose in summation depending on which CCL agreement you choose, is that you are allowing your work to be freely distributed, shared, maybe even altered for both commercial or non-commercial use AS LONG AS CREDIT IS GIVING TO YOU AS THE CREATOR.

Which sort of makes sense to me to go with the CCL - considering you're going to give your music out for free and it would help for anyone who wants to share it/spread the word about you, will do the marketing for you by giving it to others; does this seem like the route to go/smart move?

 

The question is -

"For giving out a free EP, would it be a good or bad idea to release the tracks under the CCL instead of regular copyright?"

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I'm not sure that I would advise the CC route ;

 

Here's the rub ................... If you google a you-tube up of allot of popular songs from the legacy catalog , you're going to find a {censored} load of free music aren't you ?? ( and even a video image of the album cover !! Hey ; that makes it a video:facepalm: !!)

So every half tech smart individual knows how to take it from there to the Ole I-doodad!

 

There are hundreds of links from forums all over embedding those videos .

 

My point is this ; CC is supposed to increase the chances of exposure by not "scaring" folks off from sharing ......

look around and you will see that most aren't scared even the least bit . It's only every once in a while , when someone with some cabbage to burn sicks a shark and gets a cease and desist order do some of those links go dead ...... only the big acts that are presently a hot item ever bother to get them brought down... they are the only one where the cost/benefit ratio is worth sending in the legal eagles ....

 

( google ain't shaking in there boots , and has begun to put there music service into motion whilst there are negotiations with the labels ongoing ............... sorta like pouring the foundation on a piece of land during the purchase negotiations for that land !!!)

 

 

I basically think that a plain old U.S. copyright at least gives you some leverage with sync stuff if your ever so lucky to get it in a movie soundtrack or TV .

 

 

In short , you don't need some fancy new neutered, tech sector designed sorta-of-a-copyright to give your stuff away now .....

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Remember ,

If you are the copyright holder , you can post a link , say here it is free , I'm giving to you .

 

If you change your mind a year later and say , now I want $.01 per song , all the folks who you gave it to previously don't owe you anything ... only the new DL'er are required to pay .... point is it's YOUR intellectual property and IN THEORY you're supposed to have controll over it and do what you want with , when you want too !!!!

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We ponder this constantly.

Obviously, you need something to happen, but how?

Viral video? Great, again, how?

Sorry we can't answer this for you, because, honestly, there is no one good answer.

 

 

Agree

 

I don't think there's a whole lot more to be said than what others have already said. Tell as many people as you can, play at shows and have a twitter/facebook/some social network where they can hear more and follow what you're doing... and be consistent. People will take notice.

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flatfinger: I can understand that, and it makes sense. I was just strongly considering the CCL because of what you said, "exposure" and how it's suppose to not scare anyone with the copyright thing -- which you brought up a valid point; no one is scared even with copyright.

I saw it as a way to protect the tracks online while also possibly using the CC to help market the music using the online communities. When I thought about it, I figured it the same way, just different perspective.

Even if I got it copyrighted, people who feel it was worthy enough to share were going to do it anyway online, and if that was the case, why not just go with the CCL - it brings exposure no matter what the people want to do with it. It all will eventually (hopefully) lead back to me...as far as the free EP went anyway. But that's how I was looking at it, give it for free under the CCL (just the EP) let the online people do what they want, and hopefully after that, they'd be at least willing to come to the actual source and see what else there was to offer.

 

I'm agreeing with you on the copyright thing, but did that make sense?

 

 

 

ApolloRoyalin: Yeah, and not that I expected any of this to be easy, I was just asking if there were basic established methods, basic plans, slightly detailed starting points.

Like the networking idea, "tell as many people as you can", I was asking about online methods because online, you have the ability to reach the world rather than a small local audience, so how would one possibly go about do that online?

I understand that locally, if you want to spread the word about your music, playing live would do that - if people like it, they will show interest and you will grow a local fan base.

When I thought about it, not everyone, let's say at a club you might be playing, will get into your music - especially if you as the musician play a "unique" style of music (just saying as a point).

So, locally its somewhat restrictive (as far as market/networking to find an audience) then online networking would be, and it also would be easier too (in theory).

 

The most basic, annoying method of marketing/networking I've seen online are the random post on top musician profiles or most viewed youtube videos with comments like:

"Hey I have awesome beats, come check them out" or "Hey, cool video, come check out my vids and music", or the most used of them all on myspace, "Hey, cool music! Come check out mine and tell me what you think."

 

I suppose I'm talking more about networking then marketing.

The twitter, facebook, and the other social things that you mentioned, about posting stuff and whats going on -- yeah, but other than locally announcing that, how do you go about telling people online?

 

But, yeah, you've all already answered that, no simple answer....just find a method that works.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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Agree


I don't think there's a whole lot more to be said than what others have already said. Tell as many people as you can, play at shows and have a twitter/facebook/some social network where they can hear more and follow what you're doing... and be consistent. People will take notice.

 

 

I agree. Being consistent is the key. You can't do a lot of promoting for a month and then just stop. I've seen a lot of local artists fall off that way. When you think you've done enough... do some more.

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  • 2 years later...
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It's really seems to be a great idea which can even challenge many big warehouses if get the good promotion.

 

Regarding the marketing I would suggest to go for an SEO of the website, so that they can help you to list few good keywords on the TOP of the results and you can get some traffic from search engines. The other way of marketing are Video Marketing, Article submissions, Press Release, Social Networking, Social News tagging, Classified postings, SMO etc.

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