Members richardmac Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 Just read an article on music think tank (link at end) - 10 things every musician should do online every day. I admire the author's enthusiasm, but it just looks like a big crock of {censored} to me, and I AM a techie - I work on a computer all day long and have no problem doing so. I'm just not buying into this whole social media marketing scheme. Yes, it works for Imogen Heap, but if you're not her, you're probably wasting your time. It just seems to me that the best use of your time hasn't changed - either spend it writing songs or spend it playing gigs. Or I guess getting gigs. I think we are training a whole generation of musicians to keep in touch with an imaginary fan base that they don't really have. Your web site is important, posting your music is important, being on iTunes/CDBaby is important, yes. But if you're on Twitter or Facebook for more than 10 minutes a day, you need to make sure you're not spending too much time talking about music and not enough time writing or performing it. Then again, I guess that's exactly what we do here. But we're not here to try to sell to each other. We're here to bitch about the music biz, err, discuss ways to succeed in the music biz. http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/10-things-every-musician-should-do-online-every-day.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flatfinger Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 Once again I have to say it ; Jack of all trades , Master of none . All these musicians coaching guru/Idiots are selling the snake oil that all you need is a good publicist . Sell the sizzle and don't provide any steak with it ....yada , yada , yada. You are your own publicist along with the ten other hats you're wearing . I recently saw a episode of FRONTLINE (PBS) where they went to M.I.T and all the students had blackberries or some smart phone and the laptop open whilst at the lecture and on the cell phone via a bluetooth earpiece or were texting ! They surveyed a bunch of them and all were universally confident that they could multitask and not be compromising anything . Then they gave them test for retention of the facts and they were all missing big chunks of information .... Technophiles are running rampant ! ; I like gizmos too ; but sometimes you have to be able to command all of your focus on a singular task and the debate on the show was about wheter folks who are scattershot serial multitaskers are going to ever be able to develop the ability to truly concentrate ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 Just read an article on music think tank (link at end) - 10 things every musician should do online every day. I admire the author's enthusiasm, but it just looks like a big crock of {censored} to me, and I AM a techie - I work on a computer all day long and have no problem doing so. I'm just not buying into this whole social media marketing scheme. Yes, it works for Imogen Heap, but if you're not her, you're probably wasting your time. It just seems to me that the best use of your time hasn't changed - either spend it writing songs or spend it playing gigs. Or I guess getting gigs. I think we are training a whole generation of musicians to keep in touch with an imaginary fan base that they don't really have. Your web site is important, posting your music is important, being on iTunes/CDBaby is important, yes. But if you're on Twitter or Facebook for more than 10 minutes a day, you need to make sure you're not spending too much time talking about music and not enough time writing or performing it. Then again, I guess that's exactly what we do here. But we're not here to try to sell to each other. We're here to bitch about the music biz, err, discuss ways to succeed in the music biz. http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/10-things-every-musician-should-do-online-every-day.html I have always thought these guru's meant that we should be doing all this online bull{censored} AFTER we put in our 10K hours of practice, writing, etc..ie..WHEN WE ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO EVEN HAVE FANS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted February 13, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 Yeah, you may be correct about that, but it's BS. No one needs to be told to communicate with their fans. What everyone wants is the best way to make NEW fans online. And since MySpace died that's something that no one seems to have the answer to. Any moron can say "Have a contest on your website - have your fans upload pictures of them at your gigs, and the craziest picture will win an autographed copy of your new CD." There are good articles out there, like how to advertise on Facebook, how to do live concerts in your living room using uStream, and so on. That's cool stuff. I'm interested in doing some live shows from my house via the web. I'm usually not doing anything else on a Friday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flatfinger Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 Yes , But even after we are good enough to have fans , it isn't just some time doing the pub and networking stuff....... It's doing a plethora of extra stuff that falls to the musician cause when the money is removed from the sales of recordings , then you cannot hire others to lighten your load and thus attempt to do the herculean task solo.. In addition , missing out on any collaboration and start to succumb to forest through the trees syndrome..... Making you the perfect mark when the Coach "guru" shows up with magical solutions ! It's quite extrodinary how often the solution is to spend more time with your butt parked in front of your PC or staring at a mobile gadget. ! ( LIVING ONLINE??) Tour permanently with your studio in tow and prolifically compose , write all lyrical content , record , mix , master , promote , advertise , keep the books , attend to half a dozen blogs or social media aspects including a little web mastering , perform live and pour your heart out , be the camera operator, edit the video , and drive and wash the tour bus too !!! Only lazy wimps would scoff at the opportunities presented by the new paradigm. Multitask or multi-masochist ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poker99 Posted February 14, 2011 Members Share Posted February 14, 2011 LMAO Music Think Thank is a stupid blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shades990 Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 I spend too much time talking and not enough doing. But I really don't care, because... DO I spend too much time online? I'd rather work on my songs a couple/few hours here and there than get burnt out. I'd rather keep one song idea and make it work than write hundreds per year and only keep the 'good ones'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 17, 2011 Moderators Share Posted February 17, 2011 ^ February 2011 Award for this month's 'rambling non-answer to the original premise posted'... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shades990 Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 ^ February 2011 Award for this month's 'rambling non-answer to the original premise posted'... OP: But if you're on Twitter or Facebook for more than 10 minutes a day, you need to make sure you're not spending too much time talking about music and not enough time writing or performing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 17, 2011 Moderators Share Posted February 17, 2011 yes, but the premise is about time spent on line, not the quality of the music...you never state if you spend too much time specifically on line ('talking not doing' is rather non-specific)... since you're new here, allow me to introduce myself...I'm the local constabulary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shades990 Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 yes, but the premise is about time spent on line, not the quality of the music...you never state if you spend too much time specifically on line ('talking not doing' is rather non-specific)... since you're new here, allow me to introduce myself...I'm the local constabulary... I love a man in uniform... that is, unless they make me angry. Good to meet you, I'm an almost-21 Kansan in the middle of Kansas-land where there's not much music going on, for a college town. Now, isn't this even more off topic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flatfinger Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 I love a man in uniform... that is, unless they make me angry. Good to meet you, I'm an almost-21 Kansan in the middle of Kansas-land where there's not much music going on, for a college town. Now, isn't this even more off topic? Less distraction = So much the better!! Now concentrate and focus your energies on what matters and compose !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shades990 Posted February 17, 2011 Members Share Posted February 17, 2011 Less distraction = So much the better!! Now concentrate and focus your energies on what matters and compose !!!!I'm doing it right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khem1cal Posted February 18, 2011 Members Share Posted February 18, 2011 I have always thought these guru's meant that we should be doing all this online bull{censored} AFTER we put in our 10K hours of practice, writing, etc..ie..WHEN WE ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO EVEN HAVE FANS... This^^^^^^ If your music is good, people will become interested, getting the ball rolling and keeping them "hooked" is your job though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted February 18, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 18, 2011 Or, get 2,500 people following you online. If you can't, you might as well not be online. If you can, you might be onto something. Might be true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted February 18, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 18, 2011 Really, after reading a great article on this that others have dogged, I'd say that maybe put stuff out weekly and monthly. You don't need to live online but you do need to stay in touch. But you do need to get the fans first. Which means you need to make the great music first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flatfinger Posted February 19, 2011 Members Share Posted February 19, 2011 Which means you need to make the great music first. Oh ya , we almost forgot about that part !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cliftonb Posted February 19, 2011 Members Share Posted February 19, 2011 I'm still impressed with those OFWGKTA kids. They started self releasing free albums and mixtapes in '08 and now they just got finished performing on the Jimmy Fallon show. All without a label. Same thing with Lil b releasing 3000 free songs in three years and getting worldwide popularity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted February 19, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 19, 2011 If you produce music that other people enjoy, it should in theory be easier than ever to establish a fan base. Yet this is what we struggle with. Some folks here think that getting 1,000 online fans means absolutely nothing and you'll never convert them to paying customers. Some folks think you CAN convert enough of them and it's the way to get things done. I think the whole thing is really interesting and I'm sort of sitting on the fence. It obviously can be done because it has been done. But of course getting the nation's attention for 15 minutes of fame is one thing, and having an actual career is another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted February 19, 2011 Moderators Share Posted February 19, 2011 I'm still impressed with those OFWGKTA kids. They started self releasing free albums and mixtapes in '08 and now they just got finished performing on the Jimmy Fallon show. All without a label. Same thing with Lil b releasing 3000 free songs in three years and getting worldwide popularity. Hey, if I gave away everything, I could be popular too...and broke. This is about business, and business is about money, not how many people like taking your freebies. No matter how many times these people get on TV, if it doesn't put money in their bank accounts and food on the table, it is simply self-gratification, not a career and not a business model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cliftonb Posted February 20, 2011 Members Share Posted February 20, 2011 Hey, if I gave away everything, I could be popular too...and broke. This is about business, and business is about money, not how many people like taking your freebies. No matter how many times these people get on TV, if it doesn't put money in their bank accounts and food on the table, it is simply self-gratification, not a career and not a business model. They're selling out shows. And Tyler just got picked up by XL records. I respect their hustle - it's impressive. I'm gonna try to catch them when they're in NYC again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RickGoetz Posted February 20, 2011 Members Share Posted February 20, 2011 Thing about online is it is a great way of amplifying what you do offline. If you aren't doing anything offline that means you are tweeting about being on twitter which means you fall into that same category of jackass as the stoner who does nothing but smoke dope and talk about smoking dope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kenny Scott Posted February 21, 2011 Members Share Posted February 21, 2011 social media blast online presence but doesnt mean you have to be on it for most of your time, maybe just spend some free time..though its really helpful to get a good presence via internet where you can reach out more people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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