..continued..(for part one)

What’s the biggest mistake you made getting started in music business?

Where do I begin? I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’m sure I will make plenty more. However, I would have to say my biggest mistake was doing what I wanted and not what the fans wanted. Ego can be your enemy.

What big mistakes do you see others make?

Artists giving away their entire catalog of music for free with no marketing strategy or model in place. Personally, I think anyone giving away all their music for free is a mistake for most, though there’s nothing wrong making a few available. If you feel the all-for-free route is the way you would like to go, be sure you have some sort of strategy behind it. Otherwise you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping something will stick.

The other mistake I see a lot is when I visit a band’s web site, I have to search for their music. Sometimes I’m even sent to another site (usually Myspace) to hear it. If you’re lucky enough to get an interested visitor, don’t make them work for it. Again, you must think like a visitor to your site. Ask yourself what you like to see when you come to a new band’s web site for the first time.

What would you say is the one more important thing you’ve learned?

That’s a tough question to answer, because I’m still learning everyday. So far, I would have to say the most important thing that will help you throughout your lifetime are your connections. One of the reasons networking is so stressed just about everywhere you turn.

What information do you wish you had when you were first starting out?

Nothing is as easy as it seems. It sounds kind of dumb to me now, but I still fall for it from time to time.

What do you think are the keys to becoming a successful in this day and age?

Don’t give up. Although some of us may have it a bit easier than others, it’s tough for all of us to reach success. As an old business partner of mine used to say, “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.” There is no magic path to success.

What is the difference between you, and all the other music social networking website services doing the same or similar thing that you do?

We’re attempting a slightly different approach. Yes, we have your typical, basic social networking features (friends, favorites, commenting, rating, etc.) and what you would expect from being in control of your own music store (pricing, stream length, etc.). The difference is that we have devised a number of tools to actually market your music and to be sure your efforts don’t go unnoticed. In other words, we have more than just embeddable widgets to entice music fans.

The feature that stands-out above the rest is our “Plugging” feature. This allows music fans to resell (or ‘Plug’) their favorite music and earn a commission for doing so. The idea is to give your fans an incentive to share your music with their friends and hopefully beyond. The artist controls the commissions and has the final say on who can and can not ‘Plug’ their music. Plugola handles all the back-end (billing, payments, etc.).This is an optional feature, so artists do not have to participate if they do not want to.

We have also developed a download coupon system to attract potential new fans to your profile and digital store. Artists can set any number of their songs to free download. A personal promo code is created and artists can print the coupons directly from their account. We figured this is a much more cost effective way to get your music heard by drunk bar patrons, than passing out CDs they have to carry with them the rest of the night; but the code can also be used separately however the artists wishes.

Please share one or two of your favorite, and most helpful resource links?

I find Music Think Tank very useful, as well as Artists House Music. They’re both very informative for anyone in the music industry and they don’t seem to have an agenda

What do you think makes the difference between a success and failure in the music business?

I think success can only really be described in one’s own goals, however a failure would not doing anything about it at all. If you’re an artist just sitting and back waiting to be discovered, that is a failure in my book. If you’re out there hustling, playing live and interacting with your fans; you’re already doing more than most will ever do.

What’s the favorite part of your day running Plugo.la?

Of course, I love when new music is uploaded. Part of the reason I began PLUGOLA is to help music fans discover new music and upcoming musicians. I love checking out new stuff and I have a pretty wide range of tastes, so it’s always a treat for me. As far as the day-to-day operations go, I favorite part is promoting both Plugola artists and Plugola itself.

What’s the least favorite part of your day?

I really do not enjoy the actual business-end; all the boring stuff that MUST be done – meeting with lawyers, finances, etc. I would much rather spend that time growing the community and working on making Plugola better. Hopefully one day I can hire someone to take care of all that for me. *fingers crossed*

What are some realistic long-term and short-term goals for our listeners?

In the short term, I would recommend focusing on building your brand and presence. In the long term, you should aim for the stars. Realistically, only a very few become The Beatles or the Jay-Z’s of the world, but why shouldn’t you be one of them? Or why shouldn’t you be at the top of the food chain in your own scene?

What were some of your goals early on?

Of course, my original goal in the music industry was to be a “rock star”. At one time I truly believed that to be my destiny. After a few years of reality, my goal really just turned into being be able to make a comfortable living doing something I love.

I hear the term “networking” a lot. What does it mean and how does it effect our listeners?

For me, ‘networking’ means connecting, helping and sharing with like-minded individuals. It’s important because you never know where that opportunity or break is going to come from. One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was not keeping in touch with contacts, even when moving into a different industry. I don’t how many times I have thought of someone that could help me with something, but I haven’t talked to them in 5/10 years. Even if I knew where to reach them now, what would I even say? “It’s been 10 years, but I need a favor”.

What’s the first thing you recommend our listeners do after they’re done listening to this call?

Sign up with Plugola, of course. =) But if you’re not interested in that, I would say you should begin by getting involved with your scene; both online and off. Take advantage of all the free social media tools available online. They’re your friend. Offline, just be a part of the scene. When you’re not playing go to the shows, go to the parties or wherever your fans and peers are. Remember what they say, “Out of site, out of mind”.

Who are the people that inspired you and why?

The people whom inspired me most in life is Benjamin Franklin, Robert Kiyosaki and my father.

What did you learn from those people that you’d like to pass on to our listeners?

They taught me to think smart, think outside the box and to never give up on my dreams.

What do you see as the next big trend in music consumption?

It’s hard to say with certainty, and no one is quite sure, but I see streaming music becoming part of the norm. Services, such as; Pandora or Spotify, I see eventually phasing-out radio altogether. As far as actually purchasing music goes, I’m curious how the public will embrace the new album format(s). There’s also a lot of talk about iPhone apps saving the day, but it’s too soon to see if it’s just a passing fad or if they are here to stay.

As we wrap things up, what should our listeners be doing for the next 30 days, 90, and 1 year to accomplish there goals and aspirations?

Set mini-goals for yourself, all the while leading up to your main goal. As cliche as it may sound, taking baby steps helps you accomplish much more. Not only that, but you also feel like you’re actually accomplishing something.

What final words of wisdom would you like to pass on to everyone who’s reading this?

When marketing/promoting your music, try to think like one of your fans. Would you visit your site? Would you download your music? Would you pay for it? Don’t ever underestimate your fans.

Where can our listeners find out more about you?

Plugola Blog

Plugola twitter

Erik twitter

Erik Facebook

Thank you Erik. From all that get the value out of this..

I did an interview with Plugo.la front man, founder, president Erik Peterson. For those of you that don’t know about Plugo.la (pronounced Plugola), Plugo.la is a social music community and marketplace for indie music artists and their fans.

I love Twitter. Reason? Because, that’s where I found this brilliant resource for you all.

This interview is pretty long, so what i’m going to do is split it into 2 sections. You’ll get the first part today and the next and final part tomorrow.

So, without further ado, let’s get on with the show…

Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?

My name is Erik Peterson and I’m the founder of Plugo.la (Plugola); a social platform and music community where independent musicians can promote, distribute, share and/or sell their music and videos; and music fans can be part of the fun and even earn a commission for participating.

How did you get started?

I got my start playing in bands back in the late 80’s thru the 90’s; first as a guitarist, then switching permanently to drums. In the early 90’s, after getting fed-up with the politics involved with being signed to a label, I began my own. It was fairly short-lived, mainly because I had no idea what i was doing. I learned a lot from my mistakes in that venture, though. Unfortunately, a major change in my life led me away from the music industry for a few years. Not long after, I began marketing online as a full-time profession.

I attended this big reunion/anniversary show with a line-up of bands I grew up with and played with when I was part of the scene. After hearing all the live music and seeing everyone again just reminded me how much I loved that lifestyle. The next day I was searching for a way to become involved with the new generation of music. I eventually started a video/mp3 sharing site for indie music, modeled after YouTube, called; Jamphetamines. This helped me see what musicians needed and wanted to promote themselves, and what music fans wanted in order to stay at the site longer than a few seconds. During this time I took all the knowledge I gained about digital marketing, social media, SEO and the record business and began developing Plugola.

How should our listeners gauge if Plugo.la, is right for them?

People should know that Plugola was developed to help musicians sell their music and videos. It’s not just another site for artists to add their profile, upload a few songs for free download, link to their myspace profile and leave it. It was designed to give the artist (and music fan) options and to continue the trend of sharing music/videos, but in a more controlled environment. We also incorporated incentives and tools so both artists and fans can get the most out of using Plugola. Our focus isn’t only musicians, but music fans, too.

How long did it take you to get you to where you are now, and what would you say to our listeners who are already tired and frustrated?

It took way longer than I ever anticipated and I still have quite a way to go. I’m not trying to discourage anyone. I’m just saying it has taken a lot of work, persistence and patience; just as it would for most. Hang in there! Nothing worthwhile is built overnight. Use that frustration to fuel the fire to keep going. You may need to change things up a bit. It is said that the key to great writing is rewriting. Perhaps there are some areas that could use some tweeking.

What information do you plan to pass on to our listeners today? Please just give us a quick walkthrough.

I will be giving a basic overview of what independent musicians should be doing online to successfully market their music.

What are the top 5 areas should an indie concentrate on when promoting/marketing music? Could you give us a step-by-step breakdown?

Since my focus is really online and digital content, I can really only give it to you from that point of view. (in no particular order)

• Engage Your Fans: This is increasingly becoming an extremely important part of marketing your music/brand on the web. Yes, your music is important, but your fans also want to know about you, what goes on behind the scenes and how you create such an incredible sound. You can keep your fans updated all the time and for free by using web tools and the fans are expecting it more and more these days. Some of them even want to help you and just be part of what you’re all about. Give them easy ways to spread the word and your music.

• Stick to your niche/genre only: It’s natural for musicians, or anyone really, to want mass appeal. But with so many options available these days, targeting just your niche will help you develop true fans much easier. True fans are the ones who will talk about you, buy your merch/music and come to your shows. If you’re destined for mass appeal, these will be the people who bring you there.

• Good Design/Layout: I know there’s a lot of cool technology out there (mainly Flash) to make a web site look really slick. As great as they look, they’re not very effective in terms of marketing and/or branding. For one, it’s important for your fans to be able to find you in the search engines and a Flash designed web site is almost like search engine repellent. Also, our eyes are not trained to take in valuable information on such a design. You may get the wow factor, but as humans, we need text and the boring stuff to be able to understand what’s going on and have it sink in. You must think like a visitor to your web site when coming up with your design and layout. Keep it simple. When a new visitor comes to your site, you have maybe 1 or 2 seconds to grab their attention enough for them to stay and see what you’re all about. Humans are lazy and we don’t want to have to click around or search to find what we’re looking for. You want to grab their attention immediately, but without being annoying or obtrusive.

• Web Presence: Be everywhere & active. One of the downsides to today’s Internet is that fans/surfers expect updates and if you don’t update regularly you’re really risking losing your fans and followers. Do your best to keep everything updated. This means, your blog, all your profiles, twitter feed, etc. There are tools and services to help you update these profiles & sites all from one place, making it much easier.

• Make it Easy: A big mistake I see a lot when coming to a band’s web site is that I have to look for the information I’m seeking; usually the music. This kind of goes back to your Design/Layout, but it’s important enough that it stands out on it’s own. Keep the scrolling and the clicks to your music/content to an absolute minimal. If there too many steps, there’s a very good chance your visitors will give up before getting to their destination. Plus, rarely do people want to be taken to another site. If you’re operating your own e-commerce store, again, be sure to try to keep them on your site with as few steps as possible.

In your experience, what’s the absolute easiest or best way to market a band/label/artist?

There’s no real easy way to do it. Believe me, I wish there was secret to it that we all just haven’t found yet, but that’s just not the case, unfortunately. However, I can say the Internet is absolutely wonderful for promoting your music and/or band. I’ve spent the past 9 years or so marketing both physical and digital goods online; trying different approaches; and I have found that these techniques are keys to marketing success online:

- Exchange traffic/visitors: I can not stress this enough. Exchange links with similar sounding musicians. These links should be placed in a visible spot on your site and not buried on some ‘links’ page. Not only will this help you increase your search engine rankings, it will also help create a steady flow of targeted visitors to your site. This is the best way to attract interested music fans to your site. It says, “If you do not like what I have to offer, try these other guys”. If the “other guys” are doing the same thing, you will also get some of their visitors and maybe new fans.

• Link to Everything: Anytime your music is reviewed or you’re mentioned on another site, good or bad, link to it to show your fans who else is talking about you. Again, this will also help generate new music fans to your site. This where social bookmarking comes in handy.

• Lead the Way: Tell your fans and visitors where to get your music or merch. Even it’s obvious, tell them where and (if necessary) how to purchase. A banner or embeddable widget usually isn’t enough. Show them the way. Also, remind your fans that you have music available. You would be surprised how many people need reminding. Just be sure not to go crazy and get labeled as a spammer.

• Update and Build: Like I mentioned above, try to keep your social/online profiles updated on a regular basis. I’ve found it easiest to set certain days aside for certain online duties. Also, keep building your presence in every corner you can find of the Web. This can mean fan sites, lyric sites, merch sites, other social networks, whatever – just as long as it’s part of your overall goal to dominate your niche. Then, link all those sites together and continue. The more ways there are to find you, the better. These are called “feeder sites”, where they feed targeted visitors/ fans to your main site/store.

• Be Completely Honest: One of the most important qualities to succeed online is trust. Especially when it comes to purchasing anything. You may be the most honest person in the world, but to a typical surfer there’s a chance you’re trying to scam them. So just be honest and make your fans feel comfortable about pulling out their credit card. Word spreads very quickly online, you don’t want to suffer any irreversible damage by being known as “shady”.

Do you have a formula for releasing music?

We really have no formula, per se, since we have put the control into the artist. However we have devised Plugola so artists can release one or two songs for free to attract fans to their store where their full album is available for purchase/download.

What are some pitfalls that our listeners should be on the lookout for, and how can they be avoided?

Don’t get caught up in the hype. All this nonsense about how the sky is falling for the music industry is simply just that — nonsense and hype. Although the industry is changing significantly, as long as people still like music, it isn’t going anywhere. Just try and be logical when taking in all this new information you may be reading from music biz/tech blogs. Some out there have an agenda and no business dictating how musicians should be conducting themselves….

Click here for part 2…

I made a 5:24 minute video below (scroll down to the bottom to view), that answers a question I got from Louis. He asks ” where do I take it next (the recorded music) so it can go to the next level..”

What I think he means is that when you’re starting out and you have just finished and polished up your new music, what do you do next?

Well the video below explains what you should do next.

Basically, you need to get your music to a tastemaker so that you can get some feedback and input on what you have produced.

What is a tastemaker? A tastemaker could be one of many influential music industry types. From a well respected A and R, to a DJ.

In this case, I’ll refer to the radio/club DJ as being the person who to target. Why? Because this is the method I used when I was starting out and I have used this approach on may occasions.

DJ’s have their ear to the streets and could let you know if your music is a “hit”, “miss” or a “grower”. They could get to test your music and see what the response is like first hand via radio airplay (if they can choose what gets played) and in the clubs.

I have to apologize if your genre of music doesn’t fit this method. In that case you will want to find someone that has similar influence in your genre.

Tweet This Post, Please!]]> http://independentmusicstartup.com/440/how-to-get-a-tastemaker-to-take-your-music-to-the-next-level/feed/ 4 http://independentmusicstartup.com/340/5-steps-to-getting-your-record-label-artwork-done-with-99designs-com/ http://independentmusicstartup.com/340/5-steps-to-getting-your-record-label-artwork-done-with-99designs-com/#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:06:11 +0000 Trevor T http://independentmusicstartup.com/?p=340

On quite a few occasions I get asked about how to get logos and artwork done for a record label.

Where I have been lucky enough to have found several good designers to do art jobs for me in the past, I know it could be difficult to get the right person to do the job quickly and professionally.

So, I made a video for you that gives you a quick overview of how to use 99Designs.com, a freelance website where you get to post a contest/job to get your logo or artwork design done for you.

Further below, I have listed the 5 step process that will help you get your artwork done.

1. Sign up for an account at 99Designs.com

2. When you have decided what you want designed, write a brief describing what the job/contest is and choose how mush you want to pay for the design. To have a successful contest, make your contest as appealing as possible to attract the best designers.

3. Over your specified time period, you should have received several designs submitted from designers all around the world.

4. During this time you can rate the submissions and provide detailed feedback. Stay involve in your contest, give praises where praises are due – and also remember to keep it detailed.

5. At the end of the contest period, you choose the design you like pay the contest winner (or the designer) and you get the design transfered over to you.

Go and check out 99Designs.com and view the other contests that are posted.

Please leave your comments, thoughts or questions below. It will be much appreciated.

I often get asked how to effectively network in the music industry. I get the feeling that a lot of people get their time wasted by meeting shady time wasters.

Believe you me, I’ve been there many times. But, how do you sort out the wheat from the chaff? You need to meet people, but how do you build up a network of reliable contacts without wasting your time and energy, while at the same time moving up to the next level?

Well, hopefully, I’ve answered that question for you in the video below.

I take you through the 3 ways that have worked well for me over the years in this 12:55 second video that spell out to your how I leverage:

1. Networking at gigs and shows
2. Networking at music conferences
3. ..And networking online using social media

Download the mp3 by right clicking and saving - Get Your Music Heard – 3 Ways How To Network Effectively (Audio mp3 version)

Please leave your comments and insights below.

How do I raise money for my record label? That is one of the most asked questions I get asked from someone starting out.

Well, below I have done a 11.55 minute video for you that will give you 5 ideas on where to start.

I cover bank loans, savings, P and D deals, larger label subsidiary, and tapping into arts councils.

I also tell you the pros and cons of each of the different methods.

DISCLAIMER: The content in the video is by no means to be taken as legal or accounting advice. You are old enough (or you should be) to seek the advice from a professional and make business decisions yourself.

I found an interesting article in the New York Times and it confirms what I have been saying for the past few years. As the music industry (or should I say entertainment industry) has changed or is still changing, file sharing, social media and the like has blown the doors right open for independent artitst, labels and bands to take creative control and power to live out their dreams, while not being reliant on the majors.

The opportunities are endless in these times, you just have to be creative and think out of the box and come up with new concepts for marketing and connecting to potential fans.

The internet has made it a level playing field with all the different social media networking sites, which could enable someone in their bedroom reach out and connect with thousands of people throughout the world with websites like Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, etc.

If you haven’t seen my previous post about the new music business model, you should. It will get your creative juices flowing.

A proposition got put to me the other day to start a new record label. And even though I haven’t said yes or no yet, my thoughts are that if I do, It will have to be a “internet record label”. Why? Because cost to do marketing can be kept lower than it was in the past and the potential reach is global and not just local.

Yep, I know labels and artists have been doing this for a while now, but with some creative thinking on how to rise above the noise of what everyone else and their dog is doing, I feel that with the right artist I could have a pretty good crack at it.

Tempting as it is, at the moment I have a lot on my plate, so I’ll get back to that!

Anyway, back to the article I read in the NYT. What it says to me is that artists are thinking that getting signed is not all they should aim for (unless you create a huge buzz around yourself before hand, selling your goods while opening and touring on the back of well established artists like what happened to Drake from Young Money), but that their are other ways to get funding to do things independently.

That’s another reason I wrote about and showed you a tool that will help you build a mailing list.

If you create “that” buzz around you, build up and communicate with your fan base on a regular bases, stack the odds in your favor ’till you have the choice of getting signed or getting sponsorship or even going it alone.

Rest assured, whatever choices you make, the future looks bright for indies.

Please leave your comments below to let me know your thoughts on this.

Tweet This Post, Please!]]> http://independentmusicstartup.com/323/going-independent-vs-major-record-deals-you-choose/feed/ 2 http://independentmusicstartup.com/330/how-to-get-radio-airplay-the-gorilla-tactics/ http://independentmusicstartup.com/330/how-to-get-radio-airplay-the-gorilla-tactics/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:35:59 +0000 Trevor T http://independentmusicstartup.com/?p=330

When trying to get radio airplay, especially when you’re starting out, you should always start with the smaller radio companies first.

The major labels pump a hell of a lot of money into getting their  music aired. So, note that your competition will be fierce!

But, it can be done.

The first thing you want to realize is that commercial radio stations make their money from advertising. Because of this, they  need to attract the biggest advertisers that pay big bucks! So, for the stations to make money, they have to appeal to the biggest market which will inevitably be the popular music fans – or “pop” for short!

If you don’t make “pop” music, how are you going to attack this? Well, this is the “Do-It-Yourself” 6 step guide to getting your music on radio:

1. 1. Before you even contemplate contacting any radio station,  make sure you have your marketing plan In place. What this means is to have your bio, tour dates, release schedules, press coverage, etc, etc. It is no good you saying that “you just seeing how it goes”, or anything like that. You won’t  get any brownie points for that! Have it all on one sheet of paper. Nice and professional looking
2. Choose the right radio station that your music will fit the  criteria with (no point submitting hip hop on a classical music radio station)!
3. Find out who the programming director (who programs the shows) and the music directors (who decides what, listens to the music and recommends what gets heard) are. On smaller stations, they are  usually one and the same (person that is).
4. Either send your single (meaning don’t give them a choice of choosing a song) on CD, your bio, etc, by Fed Ex or hand deliver it to the PD/MD.
5. Whether or not you can pitch in person, make sure you come  across professionally. Show the stations that you know what you’re doing.
6. Have the mentality of ignorance when it come to the larger  commercial radio stations. If you break through and get heavy  rotation, great. If you get light rotation, great, but don’t be down  hearted if you only get spot rotations on the specialist shows. Most indies don’t get any commercial airplay at all.

The good thing about the above plan is that you can use it for all the different types of radio stations. In fact, I will advise you to start with the smaller local, internet,  college stations and build momentum, before moving up the  ladder to the medium and larger size stations.

At the same time keep records of the airplay you receive, as  you can use it when you pitch for the big commercials’.

What do you think of this tactic? Leave your comments below…

This is a 25:55 minute video that takes you though a free tool that will allow you to get a bit of code and insert it into your website, myspace page and a couple other social networking websites – and build a mailing list.

Watch the video below, as I give you an overview on how to signup and it’s features (please note the video may take a little while to upload – but it will be worth it)!:

The reason why you will do much worse than use a tool/service like this, is because you can either use it on the web, or at your shows.

What I also like about this tool is that you can import the contact details you collect directly into your account by uploading them from a csv file (or excel spreadsheet).

Click here for the link to the website Scriggleit.com

IMPORTANT NOTE: It has come to my attention to which I have to admit I missed the terms of service, but scriggleit.com isn’t entirely free. It states that in they offer a NON-FREE service as well as free services. The Scriggler fan data collection utility and the Scriggle Kit electronic press kit feature are free only up until the trial period has ended. After which your account will stop until you pay for the subscription, if you wish to continue.

To be quite honest, this is a lesson to always read the small print.

To read the terms of service click here.

Non the less, this is a valuable tool.

If you have any questions or thoughts about this, leave your comments below. Your feedback is always appreciated.

I’m going to write a quick post about the formation of record companies and protecting your label.

You may not be at this stage as yet, but, this information will be relevant to you in the future.

This is part of the reply I gave to one email I received regarding what is the simplest way to incorporate a label…

“..There are few ways to do this. If you just want to register your  company name you can go down to the appropriate office in your local county. Counties vary in their procedures as well as to how much they charge.

“Check in your local phone book under the listing for your local government offices. Often a business certificate is issued through  the county clerk’s office. Also, get an application for a business license, follow the instructions, fill in and pay the fee..”.

The above answer applies to the US. Similar for the UK, Canada and Australia, however, the rules differ slightly. And it is also the  more time consuming way to go about getting it done.

Use the resources below. They will have all the useful info you’ll  need. Plus, they can also incorperate your company up for you.

USA - Incorp.com
UK - UK-plc.net
Canada - Bdc-canada.com
Australia - Incorporator.com.au

Disclaimer: Please bare in mind, that you should also consult your accountant and lawyer regarding this matter.

If you would like to find out how to register you record label in a step by step way, click here to learn more.