industry Blog and Journals

By Eric de Fontenay (MusicDish LLC Founder & Publisher)
(more articles from this author)
2009-11-12

The music industry in China has significantly changed over the past couple of decades, from a tightly government-controlled propaganda pipeline into an increasingly powerful and sophisticated economic sector. Spearheading the way in China's entertainment industry is Kenny Bloom, music veteran of over 30 years, and Founder and CEO of VisiTek Holdings, Ltd. Born in New York City, Mr. Bloom, at age 56, has accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime, and he has no plans of slowing his pace. To say that his list of accomplishments is impressive would be a gross understatement.

A winner of the Lincoln Center Award for Music Achievement at age 15, Bloom attended both Julliard and Manhattan Schools of Music Prep Departments. He joined Atlantic Records in 1977 (a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group) and launched KB communications in 1984, one of the first entertainment marketing companies. He formed a joint venture with China Film (China's film monopoly) in 1988 and secured the China license for the Warner Music library, which led to the first foreign owned PRC record company since 1949. Over the years, Bloom went on to produce numerous radio shows, television programs, concerts by internationally renowned artists, soundtracks, and Broadway plays. He is widely recognized as a major player in the entertainment industry.

One might wonder if Bloom would be ready to ride on his reputation for a while, coasting through the years to come after having such an illustrious career. But nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, Bloom is moving faster, striking harder with a bold strategy to become a leading content producer. Leading the charge is MOGO, a video site covering the emerging independent music scene in China to the young, hip (undeserved) urban music consumer.

I had an opportunity to interview Mr. Bloom regarding his past, and his vision for the future. It was one of the most enlightening, thought provoking, and inspirational interviews I've ever had the pleasure of doing.

You've had over 20 years experience in the Chinese music business, beginning with the launch of Warner Music China. What are some of the unique characteristics that have shaped its development?

For one thing, massive piracy. The only business left now is ringtones and live shows. That said, there are more artists now then every before. 20 years ago there were half a dozen big pop stars and 4 rock bands. Now there are scores of pop stars and well over 300 working rock bands.

So what's sustaining that growth in the face of piracy?

Basically, live shows. The entire industry is going through a global transition. China is no different in that regard.

There's been a lot of talk about the recent WTO decision opening the Chinese market to more Western entertainment, including music. The RIAA reaction to the decision was to state: "Enhancing the ability of the U.S. creative community to do business in China will generate needed revenue and jobs to the U.S. economy." This seems to fly in the face of the piracy problem. But having said that, do you believe that the decision will at least result in an increase in the international repertoire's share of the overall market?

China's music market has a 98% mandarin language repertoire. It's what they like. The WTO decision is certainly not going to change the musical tastes of the Chinese consumers. And why should China embrace western music in a language they don't understand. Does the West embrace Chinese music? That's a totally open market. This has been an inane concept for quite some time, that every market has a pent up demand for Western culture. In a way, it sends a very disturbing message that "your culture is not as relevant".

Let's discuss the latest western invasion in China - Google's oPhone vs. Apple's iPhone, China Mobile vs. China Unicom... While the iPhone launch in China thus far has been disappointing, it is turning into a new platform being seized by indie bands and labels to release content and manage their fan base. How will the smart phone impact the Chinese music business?

It will be a long time before smart phones are in the hands of the "average" Chinese consumer. They are just too expensive to have a huge impact outside of business applications.

But, the Chinese are super-status oriented and there is an upper-middle urban class. Why, when these products are launched in China, would they not be successful - especially with 400 million mobile users?

Even with 400 million users, you are talking about a relatively small percentage of the population who are upper-middle urban class. Out of the total population, maybe 3% can be classified as such. And they're not necessarily listening to music, certainly not Western music.

Pepsi has been making big moves in China with their nationally televised Battle of the Bands "Vox Rock" and launch of their music label QMusic. Is Pepsi really serious about supporting the independent Chinese music scene? And if so, is this a model that will have legs in China (i.e., might we someday listen to Tsingtao's latest buzz band)?

It is essential that corporate sponsors support the music industry. We are now seeing more of it focused on rock and hip-hop. But we also need local media to embrace those musical styles in order to build the consumer base. Otherwise, sponsors won't be able to quantify their investment in music that is outside of the mainstream.

Isn't QMusic much more than sponsorship? They're talking about developing and launching new bands, like Starbucks Hear Music.

Let's see what they do. It's still too early to make judgments as they have not yet started their operations.

I have one final question for you. Mogo is something of a 21st century MTV-like pioneer in China. You are creating original and professionally produced WebTV content (not user-generated), in support of the emerging independent scene (art, music...). That's difficult enough in the West. What are some of the unique challenges you face – the consumer, the government, advertisers?

It's China's own home-grown music TV station and all parties have been very supportive. The biggest challenge we are facing is finding qualified staff. Every company has problems finding experienced workers. Don't forget, the modern era of China is only 30 years old with most of the development coming in the past 10. The word of the day is "patience". It will all happen, but it will happen on China's terms.

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With a dozen years at the forefront of music PR, Mi2N announced the launch of MI2N-PRESS. MI2N-PRESS provides a complete PR solution for independent artists, labels and music companies, including professional press release writing and the option to combine the service with selected Mi2N Music PR marketing packages.

Everyone knows that the music industry isn't just about music; it's about business as well. Now, more than ever, artists must be able to successfully express their unique brand and convey news about upcoming performances or the release of a new track or CD to their target audiences. As the leading music news source and major online artist marketer, Mi2N has over a decade's experience working with people on both sides of the PR sector and knows what it takes to get results.

"Online PR has proven to be one of the most effective and affordable ways for independent artists and labels to reach out to new fans and industry professionals," commented Eric de Fontenay, Mi2N's Founder and Editor.

Mi2N-PRESS includes:
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What people are saying about Mi2N:

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About Mi2N
Mi2N (Music Industry News Network) is the largest online daily newswire serving the music industry. Since 1998, Mi2N has kept professionals worldwide informed on the latest developments shaping their sector by covering nearly every facet of the industry, from new business models and technological innovations to up-&-coming artists and emerging trends. Through its Mi2N Music PR service, it has become a leading PR resource for major and independent music companies around the world.
http://www.mi2n.com

For more information, please contact:
Eric de Fontenay
Mi2N Founder/Editor
(718) 278-0662
ecfont@musicdish.net

MIDEM 2010 is set to launch an exciting new project: MidemNet Lab, a showcase for cutting-edge industry initiatives, featuring 15 innovative digital companies to be chosen from submitted projects.

"The music industry is continually reinventing itself and so innovation is essential," said Dominique Leguern, Director of MIDEM. "By staging the MidemNet Lab, our aim is to put the spotlight on young companies from around the world that are providing new solutions for the future of our industry."

The 15 most promising companies will be invited to present their business as part of the MIDEM industry market in January 2010. To select entries, MIDEM has joined forces with leading partners in the digital music sector. The start-ups to be showcased will be chosen by UK consulting and research company Music Ally, and a jury of entrepreneurs comprising Mathew Daniel, VP of R2G/Wa3.cn (China); Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify (Sweden/UK); Loic Le Meur, founder and CEO of Seesmic (France/USA); Alexander Ljung, founder and CEO of SoundCloud (Germany/UK); Ian Rogers, CEO of Topspin (USA); and Anthony Volodkin, founder and CEO of Hype Machine (USA).

The jury is living example of innovation. The six members have already launched concepts that have revolutionised the music industry. Founder of Topspin and considered a pioneer in the digital arena, Ian Rogers played a major part in the recent commercial success of the Beastie Boys on the internet. Anthony Volodkin created The Hype Machine, one of the biggest blog aggregators which attracts more than 1.5 million visitors per month. At the head of Seesmic, Loic Le Meur has helped redefine the economic model around blogs with Six Apart.

To obtain more information and to submit your project to the MidemNet Lab, visit the Music Ally site: http://musically.com/midemnetlab

The call for entries to MidemNet Lab is open until 27 October 2009.

Music Xray (aka Platinum Blue Music Intelligence) and Music Industry News Network (Mi2N) have collaborated to offer musicians a unique opportunity to have their music exposed to music industry professionals. With any Mi2N PR Music order, artists can submit a song of their choosing to any of the many industry opportunities offered on Music Xray and the service submission fee will be waived. By doing so, artists can capitalize on the opportunity for exposure to hundreds of industry professionals available through Music Xray, including major and indie labels, producers, career coaches, song critiques, and contests.

Ideal for artists, labels, and promoters, the Mi2N Music PR service provides guaranteed press release placements through a network of newswires, social media, blog communities, and forums. With packages ranging in price from $9.95 (PR Express) to $179.95 (PR Platinum Video), Mi2N offers a PR marketing solution to meet every budget and need. Clients will receive a promo code voucher for one free song submission to Music Xray's platform of top music industry professionals, labels, agencies and producers. Over 150 industry professionals and entities use Music Xray, including major labels and Grammy-winning producers, and thousands of artists have already joined the site.

Begin the process to uploading your song to Music Xray by purchasing an Mi2N Music PR package at http://www.mi2n.com/input.php3.
You can also download a PDF on Mi2N Music PR at http://www.mi2n.com/services/pdf/Mi2N_MusicPR.pdf

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"This system rocks! I'm going to recommend this to absolutely no-one as I don't want other people knowing my secret weapon. And you can use that as a quote from me, mate." Kevin Fetterplace, Mojo Working International

"Eric has an amazing press release distribution and publicity organization for the music industry. It has been easy and effective for our clients...at a great price! We all highly recommend Mi2N PR services to everyone we know!" Kathy Douglas, Indie Extreme

About Mi2N
Mi2N (Music Industry News Network) is the largest online daily newswire serving the music industry. Since 1998, Mi2N has kept professionals worldwide informed on the latest developments shaping their sector by covering nearly every facet of the industry, from new business models and technological innovations to up-&-coming artists and emerging trends. Through its Mi2N Music PR service, it has become a leading PR resource for major and independent music companies around the world.
http://www.mi2n.com

About Music Xray
New York, NY based Platinum Blue Music Intelligence Inc. (Music Xray) is leading the way in song filtering for the music industry and in enabling artists to interact directly with professionals and companies that screen songs for exposure and licensing opportunities. The company has developed, acquired and licensed technologies that uniquely position it to provide valuable services and create more efficient systems for the music business.
http://www.musicxray.com

Email: prsyndicate@mi2n.com
Url: http://www.mi2n.com/input.php3
http://www.musicxray.com/x

I Spy…myself on stage

When was the last time you videotaped or digitally recorded yourself on stage?

When was the last time you watched yourself perform, scrutinizing the playback for performance issues, pros, cons or just an overall review of your stage performance?

Most people never have. Or, if they have recorded themselves, the footage was taken by fans or friends from a terrible vantage point or the cameras were directly on stage for music video footage.

Videoing yourself and your band can be much more than just a marketing and promotional tool for videos, YouTube segments or anything else that shows off you or the band. Self videoing can be a helpful instructional tool to help you in a number of ways: refining your stage presence, tightening your musical technique, even straightening your slumped-over, emo posture.

For the sake of how you appear, how you play, how you stand and act, interact and react on stage, get in front of the lens and record yourself. Learn about your stage show, including all the stage habits you have--good and bad. This awareness and study of yourself on stage can help you present a better show as well as point out problems that may be occurring that you do not even realize till you see them for yourself.

Approach watching the video playback the same way you approach your recorded audio playback. Watch, analyze, learn. It will help you in more ways than you could ever imagine.

Lights, Camera, Action?

For starters, you have to set up cameras in places where there are unobstructed views. Sometimes having a camera on a tall stand that is above the mixing board or somewhere close to someone that will keep people from stealing it will help you greatly.

Having someone shoot you can be helpful, but make sure they understand that they're shooting for your benefit and not the master genius behind some music video. It's also a good idea to have a couple of cameras if you can, or if you only have a single camera, concentrate on different people for each show so you can see all the different elements that are occurring.

Talk to the venue to try to have enough lighting or, for that matter, shoot in rooms that have good lighting so that you can clearly see and review the video instead of squinting at a dark mash up of the stage and some shadowy figures on it.

Basically, use your head. You are recording yourself so you can review your performance. Take into consideration all the aspects of lighting, placements and, most importantly, make sure you or someone is turning on and off the cameras. It sounds stupid, but bad communication and lack of preparation can mean you have some great cameras angled that aren't even turned on. Oh yeah, take off the lens caps, too.

Man, I look good, but what else am I looking out for?

Okay, get over that little ego flare of watching yourself on stage—especially, you, guitarists. Yes, guitarists I am picking on you. Stereotypes are based on truth, and this one's no exception. Okay, end of guitarist rant. I know I will pay for it in some emails, so bring it!

Anyways, after you get over the fun of watching yourself perform, then it's time to get down to watching for the core elements that can help you develop the best show possible.

1st Review – Technique, Posture and Exhaustion.

This is probably one of the best things to be aware of and review. How are you performing with your body and your instrument? How is it effecting your abilities and your performance?

Look for signs of bad posture that might being about early fatigue. Are you moving around like a wild person for the first half of the set and then pretty much stationary for the second half? Then maybe you should spread out how often you are moving or how active you are to be able to have the best level of endurance for the show.

Watch for the technical aspects of whatever instrument you are playing as well. How is the posture of your drumming if you are the drummer? Are you finding that you are tiring out too fast or can barely finish the set? Maybe your posture or certain flourishes are actually detrimental and extra exhausting when you are playing live. Reviewing from this prospective can help you with your performance, your technique and your endurance. Whether you are holding your bass too low or jerking your neck while singing, this first review can help clean up and fix that.

2nd Review – Appearance, Interactions and Reactions.

How do you look on stage to each other? How do you look on stage to the audience? Do you look like you are having fun? Do you look like you are interacting with the members of the band and the members of the audience? Is the stage balanced? Is the main action centered? Does every part of the stage get played throughout the performance?

Sometimes having a camera pointed from behind the drum set and out to the audience can help you gauge how the audience is interacting and reacting to your performance. Watch for when they are most connected and try to figure out why. What songs are getting the best reaction? Which ones are getting the worst? When as a whole does the audience look disinterested and when are they hanging on every note?

Watching the audience can help you design better set lists or become a little more aware of when things are seeming to move too slowly. Remember, you want to keep the audience involved and connected. Sometimes it is hard to take stock or be aware of when you might be losing them or when you have them hanging on every note. The videoing will help you dial in how you are reacting and appearing with each other as performers and how you are reacting and interacting with the audience.

3rd Review – Eye Contact, Reoccurring Technical Issues, Marketing and other Miscellaneous things.

The last review is the overview including eye contact, watching out for common and repeating technical issues, as well as marketing and anything else that might be an issue.

Watch where you are looking. Are you connecting with the other members and the audience? Are you always looking down, closing your eyes or looking in one certain direction. In this last review, watch for both good habits and bad habits that might be occurring from eye contact to marketing.

Watch for technical issues as well. What constant or common problems have to be addressed with your equipment or your set up on stage? What can be streamlined, adjusted or taken care of before a show to keep those time wasters down to a minimum. Again, this is a great time to watch and really identify those issues.

And what about marketing? Are you saying the name of the band? Are you promoting while you are on stage? Are you keeping it short and sweet and keeping the motion of the show moving? Do people know where to buy merchandise or where to sign up for a mailing list? Make sure you are not talking too much or for too long. Watch for moments that slow down or hasten the pace of the show. Analyze them thoroughly. Again, this can help refine your performance and keep an audience connected with you from start to finish.

In Conclusion

Just like you review your audio to ensure you are delivering the right sound, review the video so you can make sure you are delivering the right performance. Most artists perform a great deal more than they record, so it is absolutely necessary to review all aspects of your stage presence. A great deal of bands are not taking that step, so it becomes one more thing you can do to step up and stand out a little stronger. Lights, Camera, Action--then Review. Make the play back work for you by increasing your awareness of what's happening on-stage. Use that knowledge to heighten and tighten your show and deliver the best possible performance.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s book “The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in late fall 2009. 

The band is coming around the corner as far as a song is concerned. The overall mix is just about there for the song. All the levels are right, all the instruments are balanced the way they are desired and the song is basically done. Is it time to save that mix and move on to the next song?

Not if you want to get the most out of your work. Investing time in the songs now, while you're still in the studio has the potential to reap big rewards in the future. You will create both opportunities for yourself and avenues to maximize the song's potential success and profit.

Artists and bands need to take and invest the time in to each song and every mix to create the most opportunities and avenues for success and profit for each song. These are things that have to be planned for in studio time and in preproduction.

Analyze every conceivable scenario of promoting and soliciting a song for potential profits and then plan for it. These ideas and approaches will occur out of the studio and after the songs or album is completed. However, in order for these opportunities to emerge, you must plan for them before you even set foot in the studio.

How many mixes should a group have for each song? I like to have at least 5 different cuts and a consolidated version of the track as a whole.

While a song is being mixed down, the concentration and bulk of time should go to the song as a whole. Make sure all the levels are balanced, everything is equalized, all volumes are right and the tune sounds the right way as a whole. Once you get to that point though, take a few steps back and get the extra mixes too.

Mix 1 – The full song

The track that will go on the album. This is the full version of the song. This is the mix that everyone always gets.

Mix 2 and 3 – Two 15 to 25 second samples of the song.

While you are in the studio, find two segments of the song that you want to showcase. While you're in the studio, you'll be able to cut or fade in and fade out of the sample you want to have. These can easily go on demos that you will send out for the album or put up online.

Having the samples straight from the mix will keep them at the highest quality. Many artists pull samples off of a CD or an MP3 which has already been compressed. Compressed tracks are not as high quality as getting them right out of the track in the studio. These uncompressed samples will be at a higher quality and you can very quickly set a place to fade in and fade out that sounds top notch and much more professional than most.

Having a second disc of just the samples of your album can be a great marketing move. If you send out a disc to industry people that has twelve tracks that are each twenty seconds or so, there is a much greater chance someone will take the time to listen. Remember: time is expensive. An industry professional is more likely to invest four minutes in a sample demo disc than an hour or more in a full album.

Tease with the samples. Make them want more. Fade in at a strong point and fade out right before a chorus or a hook. Leave them wanting more and maybe they will go to listen to the full song or album.

Mix 4 – No Lead Vocal Track with Backing vocals still in.

Have a mix with everything except the lead vocals. This track can be used for potential television or live radio shows. This can also be used when you perform, but do not have a back up band or have the ability to support a full group.

Having this track ready can open other opportunities for performances that may not be able to occur otherwise. If you make the industry aware that you have these tracks available, it will in turn make you available for more performance opportunities than most other artists.

Mix 5 – The No Vocal Track

When you are mixing, lose all the vocals for one mix down of the song. Have a version of the song without vocals or backing vocals, but with all of the instrumentation.

A no vocal track can be used in certain TV shows, movies, commercials and other media outlets. Having a version ready to go with no vocals will not only showcase your professionalism, but also prove that you are prepared to meet the needs of the industry. Many times, artists are asked if they have a version of a song with no vocals and they don't. They scurry around getting the files and someone to mix it down without the vocals, then getting the track sent to where it needs to go. Remove the stress and replace it with opportunity by having that no vocal mix ready to go for anyone requesting it.

The no vocal track that is well recorded can also be used for another artist in another country to sing over the performance tracks. You also allow for the opportunity to sell or license the song to a label or an artist to perform or record their vocals over your music. There are many ways you can use a no vocal track to your benefit and profit, so make certain you have a mix of it done.

These five mixes can only work in your favor; make the time in the studio to mix them. They will help you move forward in your marketing and solicitation of your music through all of the channels possible to make you profitable and sustainable.

Other Mixes?

If they don't have a band, some people will go a step further and do a few minus one mixes. These are mixes that are mixed down without a certain instrument, like the guitar or the drums. These can be given to potential touring players or new players you may have in the group. This is more for single artists who do not have a consistent band. For a second purpose, these minus one mixes can be sold to fans that might want to play along with your songs. You could even hold a contest and have people record themselves and send it in to your website. Call it the guest guitarist contest or something along those lines. Again, do something a little different that might drum up some media attention and excitement by doing something most aren’t.

The Back ups

So you have all of the mixes and you're ready to take these songs to the industry in as many ways possible. Take the final step to make sure you have your back-ups organized. Make copies and save them in different locations. Make hard copies and keep them in a different physical location, like your parents' house or your Aunt Laurie's guest room closet. That way, if anything were to happen to your hardware and your copies, you still have a back up somewhere else.

I also recommend having downloads available on private pages or password protected pages of your website so that if something is requested, it can immediately be sent.

Having DVD backups of the album as a whole and backups of each song can make things much faster if you receive requests for the studio tracks. That means having a separate back-up for each song so you can send the discs for just that song. If you really want to be prepared and have a good amount of web space on your website, have a compressed file of the song so that someone could download it after an agreement is made for licensing is a very professional approach. In the very least, have the tracks ready for FTP. When you show how professional you are, as well as how prepared you are with all these different mixes and then can top that off by delivering immediately, you are standing a few steps above most.

Stand out with the music and your professionalism. Make sure you are inviting the most opportunities for your music. If you just mix down a song in one way, you are minimizing your chances for success. If you have a series of different mixes and have those mixes organized, backed up, prepared, uploaded and available, then you are allowing for a number of opportunities and ways to make the most out of every single song.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

www.braingrenademusic.com

Watch out for Loren Weisman’s book “The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in late fall 2009. 

Were adding a new feature to Inklings to spotlight all the different people in the industry and we want to hear from you.
If youre an artist, music fan,  or industry person, please fill out the short questionnaire below and send it in:

Youll be featured along with some of your favorite artists and all of the people that help make up this industry!

INKLINGS: INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
(please send to spotlight@inklings.tv with an attached photo)

Name:
Nickname (if any):
Job/Position:
Hometown:
Top 5 current albums:
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1st concert attended:
1st album purchased:
1st song you memorized:
Childhood dream job:
Worst job youve had:

First Impressions, more important now than before.

Everyone is tired of that same old phrase "you only get one chance to make a first impression". It is repeated ad nauseum from business schools to beauty pageants and everywhere in between. As much as I would rather say to throw away the stuffy old phrases, parables and sayings, this is one that seems to grow more and more true every day. Especially in the music industry.
Of course it is important to make that strong initial impression, that is first and foremost. Second, having all the music, assisting materials, image, business elements and the presentation of these pieces in place is paramount and required. Third is knowing how to individually and specifically present to the person, company, or agency, and doing it the right way.

This last paragraph represents the gold standard that has been a requirement of the industry for years. The musicians that move forward are those that have all the elements in place. If they don't, they might want to hold up on their forward motion and get those elements in order.

The main reason the first impression is now more important than ever is because of the internet-based outlets like websites, social networks like MySpace, and online sales systems like CD Baby and iTunes, just to name a few. Because of all of these resources, a new level of saturation has been reached. Years before every band had a website, a MySpace and other online perks, it was a smaller consolidated market, in which musicians had to work a hundred times harder to find a wider audience. Back then, we had mailing lists that we actually had to mail out. Yes, we spent hours putting stamps on postcards. Now the mailing list is actually an emailing list that can reach tens of thousands, and doesn't really cost a dime.

The main point is that with the growth of the internet and the growth of the number of bands with such increased presence, combined with the decline of labels and deflation of the conventional music industry, it is definitely more important than ever to give off an impeccable impression. Industry professionals are seeing and being contacted by more musicians and groups than ever before, both amazing musicians and total hacks. The industry is being overwhelmed by "up and coming" artists, and many of these artists are doing more damage for the artists that are more prepared.

If it wasn't hard enough, add in all those directories, lists and books that you can buy to get the phone, email, website and address contacts to thousands of industry contacts. The amount of music and promotion being sent both physically and digitally to people is at an all time high. Gone are the stories of Johnny Cash staking out the back door of a studio, to tens of thousands of artists mass emailing everyone they can with their music files and information. The staking out still occurs too and has in fact increased, thanks to all the contact lists that print addresses. You can find that "up and coming" artist with 15 cd's on her waiting outside the building that she cant get in to, ready to hand off her disc In response, many companies now have altered their physical addresses to a post office or Mail Boxes Etc. box, just to avoid this onslaught of people.

Back to that first impression again. Frankly, it has to be incredible. You as an artist have to present yourself in a top-notch way that makes you stand out, while presenting materials that are also top-notch. The market is over-saturated with truckloads of artists, labels, managers and agents, and the bulk of them are unprofessional, arrogant, and unaware of what is required, as they base their presentation off the MTV dream. The more unprofessional you appear, the faster you are going to be viewed as just another hack band. Even if the music is of the highest quality, and you have something that truly is marketable and industry-ready, you can easily blow your chances. If you are the artist walking around with a boombox, thrusting it into peoples' faces…stop. Whatever you do, you most likely are not going to be heard first. Your first impression is going to be basd on your ancillary materials. That strong first impression will be the critical step to get people to be motivated to listen to your music.
As much as you think everyone is going to listen to your music, many industry professionals will toss promo packages and discs before they listen to them, because the first impression is terrible. It's not their job to listen, and with so many people sending so much music, there is no time to listen to it all.

So, what can you do to stand out? What can you do to deliver the best package that will make some one want to open it and listen to you in the sea of promo packages, discs and emails they have received in just that day? When you think in the mindset that every person or company you are sending anything to is probably receiving a thousand other packages, emails or discs that look just like yours, then you can step back, organize the right way, and regroup. Think how you can stand out in the crowd and present in a way that is going to bring attention in the best possible light. Think about everything from the cover letter to the envelope you are addressing. Think about your bio, your tagline, the content and information written about the band and the music. Make it right. Make it professional. Make it stand out. Make that first impression so much stronger than the bulk of others, so you can get them to listen to your music and get the second impression you really want them to have.

© 2009 Loren Weisman
Watch out for Loren Weisman’s book “The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business” coming in late fall 2009.

Leading music industry news portal Mi2N relaunched its Music PR Service, expanding the packages offered at prices meeting any budget. Ideal for artists and labels, as well as supporting promoters and agencies, Mi2N's Music PR Service provides guaranteed press release placements through a network of newswires, eGroups, blog communities, boards and forums, as well as MP3 and video distribution.

Mi2N's Music PR Service offers 6 packages to choose from, ranging in price from $9.95 to 179.95. In addition to guaranteed PR placement, the packages provide exposure through the Mi2N website and daily newsletters sent to over 30,000 music professionals across the globe. A new addition to the service is MP3 and music video distribution, leveraging a network of video and audio sharing sites to reach a broad audience.
http://www.mi2n.com/services/

Since its launch in December 1998, Mi2N (Music Industry News Network) has grown into the leading and most complete news destination for industry professionals & executives worldwide. Through its daily newsletters, Mi2N provides an in-depth analysis of the ever changing and evolving music industry, from major and independent labels to the latest technology and copyright battles. Over the years, Mi2N as served as a content provider for leading brands such as DMX MUSIC and Nescafelive, and currently serves over 35 music websites through its private label newswires. Mi2N has distributed nearly 500 press releases over the past two years.
http://www.mi2n.com

About MusicDish, LLC
Since 1997, MusicDish LLC has served as the bridge between the music industry and the artist. Through its extensive online presence, MusicDish provides artists with an edge over the ever-prevalent competition the music industry entails. MusicDish gives the artist the opportunity to take advantage of several different services: a creative approach to artist development and representation; online press release distribution & marketing; publications disclosing all the latest information involving the music industry; and even a indie music video channel.
http://www.musicdish.net

Delaying instant gratification for sustainable gratification.

Many musicians labor with such meticulous effort and attention to detail when it comes to the production, recording and creation of a song or an album in the studio, but then abandon that work ethic once the album is done in exchange for instant gratification. These musicians make sure that when it comes to recording all of the pieces are in place from start to finish. In my opinion, this is the best way to record and the best way to approach music. However, if the goal is a successful and sustaining music career is the goal, then this diligence must continue long after the final recording and initial release of that album.

It takes a special kind of patience to work on those few measures of a song or listen to a section repeatedly until it is performed in the way the best reflecting the artist's intentions. Many who are not accustomed to this type of painstaking work will learn it in the production process and immediately see how it can be effective and productive when they listen to the final product. They will learn that, while concentrating on the small things along the way may not immediately produce the most favorable results, those efforts will create a solid foundation for the finished product, a product that, in the end, will be much stronger and everything the artist wants it to be.

But here's where it gets strange. The album is done. The details have been precisely sorted, the i's are dotted, the t's are crossed, the p's and q's are minded, the ducks are in a row, the house is minded, etc., etc, and then, suddenly, the artist switches gears to an “instant gratification approach.” The artist who worked so hard now begins to cut corners by skipping crucial steps. They do not take the time to create the best promotional package; they do not research the best date to release the album; they do not organize the marketing and branding materials; they do not formulate the most effective long term plan to create a sustaining and solid success for the new release. This new album is like a baby that must be nurtured if it is to grow to adulthood and succeed in this very scary music world.

I come across many artists who do this: throw their diligence out the window in exchange for instant gratification. Now, in the defense of these bands, because so much work has gone into creating the recording, they just want to get it out into the world, preferably yesterday. They want to start selling it as soon as the boxes arrive from the disc manufacturer. They go to book the first gig as soon as possible and try to push things at a lightning speed.

Many times, the action of that moment can prove effective. But it is only effective for that moment. When you are only creating a solution or plan for a single event, you cut out the effectiveness of how this planning or work can effect the next event or something in the next month or even the next year.

On or around the day of the album being scheduled for release, I see bands put out these albums without websites in place. I see bands go public without a solid press release. I see bands still pulling together the basic items of their promotional kit and marketing materials in a weak and poorly managed way. In the end, they are now taking what was an incredible project and strip away the potential for its success and its ability to achieve long term and sustaining success.

Yes, it can feel good to sell two hundred CDs in a week. It can feel great to fill a room with five hundred people and maybe do an interview with a local newspaper or magazine. However, these circumstances will oftentimes deter artists from finishing the marketing work they know they need because they begin to think:

“This album is just going to take off!”

“I know I will be signed or picked up any day.”

And, my personal favorite, “I don’t need those extra promotional items or organizational plans. I mean, look what just happened in the past two weeks!”

Fast forward this artist and this release a month or even two. They're selling one CD a day if they're lucky. They're trying to score another gig at the place where they played the CD release party hoping to bring people out again. Nationally, since there was no big press release or press push, it just dribbled out and drooled off the radar of a couple of online music sites and a few music magazines. The arrogance, complacency and ego of those first frenzied weeks have long since passed. In fact, it was that arrogance, complacency and ego that that ended up ruining the chances for the album to make a mark. In the end, it just became another album being released on another day by another band.

With the over saturation of Myspace, artists of all levels, all around the world are releasing recordings without that attention to detail and the patience to create a release that will truly stand out in a market where so many bands, albums and sounds just bleed in to each other, it just ended up as a basic flop. All the work put in to that album was put in vein to getting a quick fix of sales, a show and a couple interviews.

This is the story of so many artists and so many albums that come out every day and come out the wrong way. The right way comes down to two simple things.

One

Activate a plan that will look to work for the short term as it also prepares and plans for the long term. Every action should affect three other actions and avenues to make the event work, which will continue to affect other events and create further opportunities.

Two

Apply the patience, the planning, the attention to detail and execution method to make the release, the shows, the promotion, the marketing, the branding and the soliciting able to give you the attention you are looking for from the people you already know or the fan base you already have. This will sustain you as you build the means to reach new listeners, fans and industry people over an extended period of time.

So what am I suppose to do?

Step 1 – Finish the album correctly or album is completed.

So the album is done and done correctly. What should you do instead of rushing it out?

Simple…Take your time and do it right.

Think smart. Think about every action and execution. How can it effect the immediate present, the near and then the far future. When you think in that mindset, you are going to address every issue, assignment and task with an effectiveness that will make the hard work you do end up working better for you.

Is your branding together? Do you have your logo, your font, your tagline and your bio for the group and the recording all together and prepared?

These elements alone should—and I stress really should--be on all your materials. That means on your CD, on every page of your promotional materials, on your website, on anything that is related to you. This is called uniformity and it creates branding for you and your product, which will increase your recognizability. Apply it.

I see too many artists do a quick hasty and careless CD design and send it off for manufacturing before establishing their branding. This does not connect your branding across all of the spectrums that comprise you and your product. Big mistake. While it won't effect your current friends and fans who will inevitably buy the disc in those first couple weeks, it will effect the people you solicit and the people who you will be reaching in the long run. Seriously, do the math. Do you want to deal with a flurry of sales in the first couple weeks or--wait a second--get it all laid out correctly and have the engine in place to produce more consistent sales over a longer period of time? You want a disc that will highlight your professionalism and branding to industry professionals as well as a broader fan base.

Then, after the branding is laid out, go after the organization. Begin to prepare the press release for the album. Make sure that your entire promotional kit is ready to go. Make sure your websites and networking sites are up and working. Make sure you have generated a list of music magazines to solicit reviews, a list of potential agents, managers or, if you are choosing to go to a label, all the contact information and the requirements of what they want in a submission.

If money is short, then wait until you have the money together. Don’t cut corners. That’s right, Virginia, one more time: do not cut corners!

If you have your product ready, your branding in place, your technical documents and promotional packages ready to go and, finally, the list of all the people you are going to reach out to, then it's time to figure out a date and generate your press release.

Make sure that your press release goes out six weeks before the release. This will give you the best chance at getting stories done on the album and the band, as well as provide you with the biggest chance for optimal promotion.

Also, make sure you buy a press release through a reputable press release service. I cannot say enough about Send2Press and Chris Simmons. Buy the big package. The extended blue national package will get your news out to thousands. Yes, thousands. That means it is much greater than the mass emails you are sending out to local papers and radio stations and, with Send2Press, your releases are being sent by a reliable source.

Make sure that your press release does not coincide with a big news day. Most music releases come out on Tuesdays. Just make sure that it is a Tuesday that's not right after a major sporting event, political event or in the middle of a large news story. In the end, you will just be buried under mass of news that has nothing to do with you.

Upon the release, work on your contacts. Send out the release yourself to the different media contacts that you are researching each day. Send out the release to music reviewers each day. Send out emails asking for reviews in different online and physical media organizations and make sure you're sending it to the correct person. Take the small steps to make the release a big event that will give you what you want immediately in the short term while setting you up intelligently and effectively for the long term.

As you've probably guessed, there is a great deal more to all of this. This is the longest phase. This is the time when you must continue to promote, promote and promote. This is the phase where you must reach out and continue to build a solid foundation to increase your recognition, your branding, your fan base, your sales and your contacts. Taking the patient attention to detail approach that you applied to the production of your album will guide you on the path to a longer, sustaining and productive chance at keeping the growth of your sales, your audience, your recognition and your chances at sustainable success actually continue to grow and thrive.

© 2009 Loren Weisman

The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business by Loren Weisman. Coming in Fall 2009.