Given that client eSnips has a great new music widget that allows independent musicians to upload, share, distribute and sell their music on any site or blog, the music panels, parties and events seemed like a logical place to hang at SXSW this year. The majority I spoke to had no idea how easy it was to create a widget and hey, for free, what a great deal for any creator wanting to promote their music.
I attended one panel where Skarakis, Eventful’s Glazier (formerly with eBay), Zisk, Zihnel (CD Baby) and Jeff Price spoke about ways independent musicians and creators could promote their creations, websites, tours and CDs, etc.
The panel said to audience largely made up of independent musicians, “Everyone wants you right now, you have a commodity that everyone needs. You have more of a shot than ever before. You can establish relationships with people you want to meet simply by being interesting.”
Their overall suggestions: “interact and cultivate relationships with your fans. Post comments on blogs, engage in the dialogue and the conversation. Fans want to do things for you and they will do a ton of great things for you and it then spreads. And be creative when you’re small. Put out an ad for a sax player who is also a web designer, etc. They will be much more engaged and passionate about it.”
So true and when musicians do that, fans are touched. I blogged about a few musicians who played at the recent TED Conference in Monterey and it is not the only year, I heard back from them, i.e., thank you, we appreciate the love. That personal touch means a lot to fans.
When you go on tour, reach out to your fans and ask them to put out stickers everywhere. With blogs and personalized sites, you can reach out to your fans in ways you never could before.
More advice from the panel, which is not unlike we hear from other social media industry folks who encourage bloggers and marketing execs to be authentic and rather than pitch or sell, engage in the conversation. While you’re at it, be up front and transparent.
Then there were the obvious things that some people still forget: if you’re going to add someone to your mailing list, make sure you get their permission, i.e., opt in. For major fans, give them a back stage pass and say, “see you when you’re next in town.”
Services are thrown out – services musicians can tap into today. Brightcove, MySpace, Revver, YouTube, eSnips, the list goes on from the obscure to the more well known. So many services exist today to reach out, promote, and connect directly with fans and customers.
There’s also a tighter personal connection with fans if they can buy a ticket directly from the musician rather than from a Ticketmaster. If they can connect with you or feel that they are directly connecting with you in a way they never could before, they will become even bigger fans.
The industry used to be album-centric; media over an extended period of time. Advice to musicians: “consider a cover version of a song. Put up a video of you screwing around, put up a fun song, put up a letter to fans, put up a bunch of different kinds of media over the course of a twelve month period. ROLL OUT MEDIA over time opposed to rolling out an album once.”
Also, they suggest registering with PPOs, and continue — as always — to get your music played on radio stations and podcasts. MP3 Blogs can make a difference in musicians’ careers because they can reach so many people.
The next trend will be mobile devices and what they can create. They encouraged musicians to make their musician available on whatever platforms they can afford. “Jump on that bandwagon; be there when they start so you’ll have a good start early on.”
Some bands are starting to do performances in Second Life. As a musician, if you can create that demand, people may start requesting you to do a concert inside Second Life.
Other suggestions: “make your site really easy to navigate. If your website is complicated to get into, you are putting up a barrier. Have great and easy access to data, particularly things like photos for press, etc.”
Someone brought up Snowcap and to be careful as some lines in the fine print apparently take some of your rights away. They can track your music that is being used. Note to the audience: make sure you can cancel your contractual agreement or that you can opt out later on if you upload your music somewhere.
It was a great overall panel with some useful suggestions, tips and insights, particularly for the smaller independent musician.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
