http://ventvox.com/

We are devoted to the art of complaining, comparing, and discussing stuff. Being idle observers is not enough. We believe that ranting, raving, and whining is a freedom that we should all have and use often. Attitude is not necessarily a bad thing, so gather up opinions- coherent or not- and let us hear them

Q: What are your favorite blogs/audio blogs featuring new music do you like to visit?

A: I enjoy Pitchfork, Each Note Secure, and Aquarium Drunkard.

Q: What inspired you to start the site?

A: I wanted to start Ventvox.com to express my views on music as well as see the feedback that others could provide.  I’m now shocked to find that not everyone always agrees with my opinion.

Q: What do you think is the impact of blogs, internet radio, and podcasts on independent music?

A: I think blogs, Internet radio and podcsts help Independent music reach a broader audience than it previously reached.

Q: When you started your station, did you anticipate that blogs would have such an upscale trend as it does now?

A: I didn’t expect my blog to take off initially because of the vast number of like-minded thinkers.  I differentiate my blog a bit by discussing art and culture.

Q: What are the ultimate goals you wish to achieve through your site?

A: The ultimate goal for my site would to be a larger readership and the addition of more staff to contribute articles.  Making some money through ad sales would also be beneficial.

This is the final segment of a 3 part series that was inspired by a mastermind program I am participating in with Ali Brown who is my mentor in the world of online marketing.

Here’s the recap:
There are three ways to increase your income:

1. Increase your number of clients (fans).

2. Increase the frequency of purchase, how often your fans buy from you. (and you’d better have more than just music to sell).

3. Increase the amount of money that you charge.

Increasing the amount of money you charge poses a problem if all you have to sell is music because music is now widely available for free, and people have proven that they are not willing to pay a premium for music.

However, fans will pay plenty of money for experiences, like a great concert or a chance to be a contribution to an artist, a special memento, or wonderful merchandise that really resonates with your fans.

I found two artists that exemplified this strategy – Jeff Krantz who created a BIG payday in one fell swoop and Phil Putnam who has been slowly increasing his bottom line over time.

Jeff Krantz & The $10,000 Song
http://jeffkrantzmusic.com

Just last night I was hanging out with past Cyber PR client who had a fabulous tale to tell. Jeff launched his singer-songwriter career in Second Life where he has managed to build a wonderful fan base.

Through networking online, he met a man who fell in love with his songwriting and became a fan. This man called up my artist and told him that he was having a big anniversary coming up and he wanted a special song written just for his wife. He asked if he would be up for writing and recording a custom song for her.

Realizing that this was a huge opportunity told his fan that he would present him with some options he began to THINK BIG. So he created 3 packages that this man could choose from with three separate prices (depending on how much he wanted to spend / how involved it would be silver, gold and platinum)

Here’s what Jeff wrote about how it worked:

As part of the Gold package that the client chose, I agreed to write  3 different songs (first verse and chorus) for the client to chose from. Once the client selected the song, Ispent 1 week writing 2 full lyrical options for the client to chose from. Once they had decided on the song, Jeff went into his studio and recorded the song, bringing in musicians to fill out the arrangement. He then sent it to a top studio to be mixed and mastered and 2 weeks later he sent the client the finished song (with the masters). “It took about 60 hours in total but it was so much fun and I made almost 10 grand for the effort!”

The point is because he leveraged just ONE relationship with just one fan he managed to make over $10,000 on ONE song.

Had he not been working on increasing his fanbase by networking online, he never would have had this opportunity present itself to him.

Phil Putnam - How To Slowly Increase Your Value
http://www.philputnam.com

Phil (full disclosure: Phil is a Cyber PR client) wrote back with what he did to increase his prices and overall bottom line.

Yes, I have taken a few steps to increase the amounts I can pull in.

1)  The lion’s share of my new price leverage has come from having a very successful music video on MTV/LOGO.  When you get wide exposure like that, people will pay more to hear/see you.

2)  Make longer albums: my latest record “Casualties” has 16 tracks on it, price point at $11.99 on iTunes rather than $9.99, and it sells better than any of my other records.

3)  Raise my concert ticket price/door charge $2-3.  Ex: from $10 to $12 advance/$15 at door.  I’ve seen an increase in my concert attendance since raising the price, and I also book higher quality venues.

In general, I find that being able to raise your price point is a result of two things:

1) Adjusting the perceived value of your work among your listeners.  We set the pace for how people perceive us.  If we say our show is worth $12 instead of $10, people will pay $12.  And then it becomes our job to give them a better show.

2) Working harder to make better music, give better shows, and build better contacts.  It’s simple business: you want better pay, do better work.  Raising price point isn’t a marketing trick.  You have to earn it.

What I like about what Phil did is he increased his momentum at the same time he increased his prices. I’m quite sure that the $2 - $3 he increased his prices by add up to be significant gains over the course of a year or two. Thanks Phil!

But again back to basic principle #1 which Phil leverages excellently: The amount of fans you have, the true fans who are connected and engaged will be the ones who can lead you to bigger opportunities down the line.

Those fans are the ones who will want to engage with you in an authentic way, and purchase whatever it is you are offering even if it costs a few dollars more or give you more than you ever expected because you provide deep value really says something.

I would love to hear how you have managed to add value and get more profit.

Please share

The first piece in this series focused on increasing the amount of fans and how this is a necessary step towards success. Part 2 of the basic three principles is increasing the frequency of purchases.
The cornerstone of this is simple: You can not only sell music.

In order to get the frequency of purchases up you must provide something that actually gets your fans to buy more frequently.

If you are only selling one album or one set of MP3s, it’s pretty near impossible to get this step accomplished because your core fans will only have one thing to buy (therefore making frequency non-existent)

Billboard recently reported that over 2,500 record stores have closed in the US since 2005. This points out to one very clear conclusion: People are buying fewer CDs (of course we already knew this) but think about it - are you only selling music?

I sadly see this all too often. Artists only think about putting out one CD, but to survive and thrive in this industry where music — like it or not — is now widely distributed for free all over the Internet, fans are no longer buying music like they once did.

So, you must create additional products and offerings to sell. At the same time you must be building a two-way conversation with engaged fans.

Remember not to put the cart before the horse here, But if you don’t have a fan base to sell these things to, there’s no reason to build a series of products.

Survey Your Fans

Expert Internet marketers never release products without testing the demand first. Maybe you think you know what your fans want but they might surprise you.

Understanding who they are and what they like/ want becomes critical.

Internet Marketers always ask their core fan group what it is they would like and then they create the products based on their answers.

I have said this may times - that music is a feeling and it’s not like a typical Internet marketing product and its hard to get fans to tell you how they feel about new music that you may be writing but its EASY to get them to tell you what they like.

Is it girlie T’s?

Yoga mats

Special non-leaching water bottles

Or limited edition hoodies?

If you don’t ask them they wont tell you

Online Surveys

Set up a survey online and use your email newsletter list or Facebook page to get fans to tell you what they may buy from you in the future
http://www.surveymonkey.com will allow you to create a free survey that you send out to your fans to ask them specifically what they might like to buy from you and how much they might be willing to pay.

Then make it and they will!

Merchandise That Works for Artists

Here are some great merch ideas to get you inspired.

Family Force 5 created a limited edition T-shirt of the month club. They offered their fans a new T-shirt every single month and it generated thousands of extra dollars for themselves and their fans loved the limited edition shirts.

http://www.myspace.com/familyforce5

John Taglieri, who I talk about often has a marvelous new series of EPs and books called Lives. This new project will consist of four 6-song EP’s, books & graphic novels, as well as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and blogger accounts for the two main characters.

http://thelivesproject.com/

Will Deynes made a Valentine’s Day song, and he would custom record the name of people’s beloveds right into the song. He sold dozens of them to his fan base at Valentine’s Day.

http://www.myspace.com/wildeynes

I met Shelter with Thieves, from Halifax, NS and they gave me an awesome USB drive full of music and special bonuses like artwork and videos, and its wonderful because fans can use the USB drive for school projects or at work.

http://www.shelterwiththieves.com/

Jen Chapin, being environmentally conscious and clear that her fans are too like purchased a few cases of SIGG Water bottles and had them customized. She sent an e-mail to her entire list that she had wonderful, non-leaching, water bottles for sale and she ended up selling many of them

http://www.jenchapin.com/

Carla Lynne Hall is organizing a Bowling Tweetup at The Harlem Lanes near her home just to hang out with friends and fans and bond. He is not selling merch yet but you can be sure that when it comes time for her to sell that extra time she took to make friends with her fans will pay off. Studies show that people purchase from those they like and trust and Carla is building trust.

http://rockstarlifelessons.com/

To check out what’s playing on the Chillcast go to AnjiBee.com

Q: How did the Chillcast get its start?

A: I guess you could say The Chillcast got its start with college radio DJ’ing. After 3 years of doing various shows and working in management at a college radio station, I was pretty well hooked. Then I discovered Internet radio, and started creating both live and prerecorded Internet radio content - including interviews with indie bands like Hungry Lucy and Sunburn in Cyprus. Eventually podcasts were invented, and I put 2 and 2 together.

Podcasting was better than radio because listeners could tune in whenever was most convenient for them - which seemed really revolutionary! My first podcast was actually Chillin’ with Lovespirals, which Ryan and I launched to help promote our 2nd album, Free & Easy. Shortly after, I started getting permissions from indie band friends to create a weekly music show podcast - because you have to understand that at this time the podsafe music movement was barely getting started! Adam Curry had just begun his Podsafe Music Network — which is actually how he and I met and became friends, when Lovespirals joined the site. Adam played us on the Daily Source Code, and then we started talking back and forth on his podcast about Creative Commons vs BMI and all those kinds of things.

To make a long story a bit shorter, I put together a few fledgling episodes of The Chillcast, hosting them on the Internet Archive site and C.C. Chapman, who was really active with PodShow at the time, pitched the show to Adam and PodShow management, and I was signed as one of the first group of podcasters to the new PodShow Podcast Network.

Q: What have you learned from operating on both sides of the broadcasting world, as a podcaster and as a musician?

A: Good question. Podcasting is a great way to communicate with your fans, to give them a sense of who you are as a person, as well as to inform them of your latest projects. You can really build a sense of brethrenship, not only with your fans, but fellow indie musicians and fellow podcasters. Podcasts are more intimate than a newsletter, less time consuming than a forum, and both more immediate and long lasting than a personal appearance. I’m surprised more bands aren’t doing podcasts, actually.

Q: With over one million downloads of the Chillcast, what is the top tip you would give aspiring podcasters in terms of building such an impressive listenership?

A: Consistency. Being consistent with the quality, content, and output of your show is really important. Listeners want to know they can rely on you to provide whatever experience it is you’re providing on a regular schedule. If done well, your show becomes a part of your subscriber’s life that they look forward to, and you don’t want to let them down!

Q: Chillin’ with the Lovespirals was one of the earliest band podcasts, what was the impetus behind such inspiration and foresight?

A: Well I mentioned this briefly in your earlier question, but the idea was to share information about the new album we were releasing, and what better way to promote an album than with the music itself? We had shared audio interviews we’d done with radio stations in mp3 format on music sites for years, so I knew people liked to listen to us talk about our music and band experiences. We have all the recording gear here at our disposal, so it just seemed logical to produce our own audio content and make it available via our site. We had fun doing it, too. At that time, iTunes was just launching their podcast directory, so getting listed on that was a real thrill.

Q: Why should a band be PodSafe?

A: Podcasts are a very low cost promotional tool. Unlike radio, it’s very easy to break into the podcasting world. There are still relatively few bands vying for attention on podcasts. If your music is good, you’re bound to get noticed. And podcast subscribers are truly interested in music. These are the cutting edge people who have sought out an alternative form of entertainment; they’re serious. If they like something they hear on a show, they actually go out and buy it. I get email and comments all the time about buying music from my shows — in fact, I got one this week from a guy who was sad that Sun Dula Amen wasn’t on iTunes yet, because he wanted to buy it! And of course, I know for a fact that I sell my own CDs from podcasts, I see the proof from orders on the Lovespirals Webstore.

http://www.bounceradio.net

http://www.digivegas.com

Q: How long have you been broadcasting?

A: I’ve been broadcasting off and on for the past 20 years. I started at my college radio station in the late 80’s, then earning a BA in Radio, Television and Film. Since then I have worked in various capacities at radio stations, TV stations, recording studios, running live sound for musical theatre, corporate events and live music (my favorite of the three).

I started podcasting in early 2006 with my show DigiVegas. (That’s where I got the name “Paulie Podcaster”) I started at bounce Radio in May of this year as a DJ, became Indie Music Director in July, and Program Director in late August.

Q: In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?

A: First, the instruments have to be in tune, and vocals have to be on key. I can’t tell you how many tracks I’ve rejected because the vocals are off key. It amazes me that people can’t, or refuse to, hear it, whether they are the vocalist, or involved in the musical project in some other way. You’re not doing the band any favors by telling the vocalist that he/she is on key when they are not. You’re wasting everyone’s valuable time and money.

Secondly, the song has to sound like it’s coming from the heart of the performer, not the head. I want to hear emotion, I want to hear the artist reaching out to me on that level. I don’t really want to hear calculated logic. If you simply must put your political or religious beliefs, or whatever, into song, give it to me on an emotional level. Tell me a little story about how it affects you emotionally.

Thirdly, no gratuitous language, sexism, violence, misogyny, etc. That’s my own personal opinion that does find it’s way into how I produce my show and program the station. I have a feeling I may not be the only producer/programmer who feels this way..

Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why?

A: I’ve always been a big fan of indie music, regardless of style or genre. I’ve always been a big fan of the underdog, the unsung hero. I get a kick out of finding some really cool band or song that no one else has heard of yet. I like to be the one to give it to people first, and even gloat a little bit when everyone else jumps on the bandwagon (”I was listening to these guys way back when…”. Either that, or I just don’t like being spoon-fed the music, being told by some corporation what I’m supposed to like simply because they say so.

Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have effected you most?

A: The biggest thing to affect me is reading in the news about how certain private citizens have been prosecuted for having a few “illegal” mp3’s on their hard drives. Remember that one where the mother was facing tens of thousands of dollars in fines and maybe even a prison sentence because her kids downloaded some “illegal” mp3’s? “It was her computer, she should have known and controlled what was going on with it” was the prosecutor’s argument. That’s complete B.S. IMHO. Lighten up people. Yes, piracy is wrong, and every artist should get paid for every copy of their work that’s made, but come on. Go after the right people.

I make sure I cover my behind… legally, that is. Bounce Radio is a fully licensed station and essentially, we can play anything we want. As far as the podcast is concerned, I have to be very careful to attain the artists’ permission before I play anything. I rely on services like Ariel, Podsafe Music Network, and even the direct, written permission of the artist before I play anything on my podcast. It’s one of the reasons I do an interview show. I highly doubt someone will turn on me and say they never consented to have their music on my show when they consented to an interview and sent me their tracks to play

Q: A recent study found blogs to be more effective than MySpace in generating album sales, do you feel podcasts have the same power?

A: No. I might say that if this were 2005 or 2006. I feel as if podcasts run the risk of going the way of 8 track and cassette tapes if we’re not careful. I quickly discovered, after producing my own podcast for only a few months, that unless you were one of the fortunate ones who got in on it on the ground floor, like Adam Curry, Fr. Roderick, or C. C. Chapman, you were facing an uphill climb to get your podcast noticed. All too quickly, everybody and their brother was producing a podcast.

There are now thousands and thousands of podcasts starting up, and fading, every day, offering a huge variety of content. It’s extremely difficult being a podcaster trying to stand out as a gem in a giant bin full of junk. It’s extremely difficult for the consumer these days to sort through all these podcasts to figure out what suits them. All too often they swing and miss, and get something of low quality, or content that doesn’t measure up to their tastes or standards.

Think about it, it takes time and effort to download a podcast. How likely is someone to take a chance on one they have never heard of before? After a few sessions of fruitless searches they give up on podcasting all together. That, I think, is causing podcasting to be passed over as a legitimate, viable, first tier medium. Sure, they will always be here, and they do serve their purpose, but I think they have quickly taken a back seat to more timely and immediate mediums such as streaming media, blogs, social networking sites, etc.

http://www.myspace.com/ucradio

http://www.ucradiopodshow.com

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a podcaster?

A: Growing the audience. I find myself at least a couple of nights a week staring at the ceiling at 3am trying to figure out new ways to drive more listeners to The UC Radio Podshow, as well as Pacific Coast Hellway which I co-produce with Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff.

Honestly, I’m incredibly fortunate to have a listener base that hasn’t left me, which is fairly uncommon in podcasting. And not only have they stuck around, but they’ve spread the word and been incredibly supportive of the bands that I’ve played by going to shows, buying albums and visiting their sites. I’ve also been lucky in that I’ve formed some excellent relationships with bands. I like to think it’s because I know what they go through daily trying to make it so we speak the same language.

That’s led to some exclusive tracks and pre-release album give aways from some amazing bands worldwide. I’ve got a couple of bands that wear my t shirts when they play and promote the show for me from the stage by handing out stickers and the now world famous UC Radio promotional guitar picks. That’s huge and I can’t thank them enough.

Q: How has the programming and format of UC Podcast evolved over the course of the shows history?

A: The show started out with me playing about 30 minutes of music and pretty much doing the DJ thing, simply introducing the music and playing songs back to back, as many times a week as I could squeeze in. I got a lot of feedback from early listeners asking that I give more info about the bands, upcoming shows, but more importantly, listeners started asking me why I liked the songs and who I thought the bands sounded like.

The end of the first year is really when the show changed. After listening to a number of my shows back to back, I realized that it wasn’t quantity, but quality and production that made certain shows really stand out. I cut back to two shows a week, started only playing bands that I actually want on my iPod, and started to ditch the DJ act and just be myself. The difference in the shows was immediate and the numbers started going up.

I started talking more about the influences I was hearing in the music, comparing bands to mainstream acts that people would recognize. I began answering listener emails on the show, which led to people asking about my political stance (don’t even remember how that started), my opinion on social topics etc. so the show became about half music, and half me just talking about whatever came to mind or was in the news that seemed to interest the listeners. I’ve also done over 75 classic album referrals in the last year and a half. That has been a big hit and I wish I’d thought of it earlier. As far as I know, I’m still the only podcaster out there doing album referrals on a weekly basis.

Two other things had an incredible impact on the show. The first was the realization that people were actually listening and that I had more of a responsibility to them to produce a better show which led to some outlay of cash on things like compressors, mixers, mics and software and as the show started to sound better, my confidence grew exponentially. The second was the fact that I started getting email from places like Iraq, Afghanistan and other places where we had soldiers getting shot at for us.

These guys somehow had found the show and were thanking me for putting them out there for their entertainment, as a little blast from home. That’s pretty humbling and it made me think of the impact that my show could have in an entirely different light. I mean think about it. Here I am, safe and sound in Hollywood, doing something I love, listening to music and talking about it, while half way around the world some poor kid is huddled in a hole trying not to get shot while listening to my show. Then, when he gets ten minutes off and some computer time, he emails me to thank me. I swear, I get those emails once in awhile and just shake my head in disbelief.

Q: What was the reason for hosting the show on PodShow rather than its own site?

A: Just to be clear, I do have my own site. You can find shownotes, GoDaddy sponsorship details and a lot of other info about me and the bands I play at www.bitemefcc.com

As for hosting, I hosted my show off my own server for the first two months, then I went to Libsyn, which is a great company. About 14 months in, I was offered a contract by The Podshow Network and I haven’t looked back. Not only is the distribution reliable, and they’ve helped me get sponsorship from GoDaddy for the show, but the talent that I get to work with daily and have access to, the minds that are defining and shaping New Media and looking well beyond what’s happening with podcasting right now, blow me away on a daily basis. I’m really proud and honored to be associated with The Podshow Network.

Q: For aspiring podcasters, do you have any tips for growing their listener base?

A: Work your shows. Develop content that is interesting, well produced and that will speak to the listeners in one way or another. Don’t just play bands, play bands you like so when you talk about them, that comes through. Don’t do a show about cars just because you think they’re cool and you know how to drive. Don’t talk about politics if you aren’t willing to spend the time to really get under the hood. Figure out what moves you, what you’re passionate about, then do a show about that. I guarantee you there are people out there that will share your feelings.

Most importantly, take ownership and be passionate about your shows. Use urban guerrilla tactics to spread the word. Stickers on menus, gas pumps and in record stores. Give away T Shirts to hot girls because you know that guys will look at them and go to the site expecting to see the girls there (make sure your logo is chest high). And don’t take yourself too seriously.

Have fun with your show and the listeners will have fun listening. Some of my best shows were done when I had nothing planned other than the bands I was going to play, or I was sick as a dog and hopped up on Nyquil and Theraflu. I like to take the David Lee Roth approach to podcasting. When you’re doing the production, promotion and distribution, it’s all work, but when you’ve got the mic in front of you, if you’re not having fun, how can you expect anyone else to?

Q: Where do you plan to take the show in the coming year?

A: Well, I just resurrected my second show, “Sonic Wallpaper” at sonicwallpaper.podshow.com, which is where I play 8 of the most commented on songs from the UC Radio Podshow in the previous month. It’s like a greatest hits show, if you will. I don’t talk much, just intro the bands and give you 35-45 minutes of good solid rock. As for UC Radio itself, I just did my first interview with the band Urbansnake and it was a huge success.

Listeners loved it, and the band thought it was great so I’ll be doing more of that. My hope is that I’ll be able to get one interview in a week, on the Monday shows, and do an album referral on Thursdays shows as it is now. I’d also like to start doing more live interviews with bands around Hollywood, so you can look for that as well.

Mostly, I’m hoping to start developing more offshoots from the show, maybe a show with just interviews, or just album referrals, but UC Radio is my baby so it will always be the central character in my play. I like to say that it’s my therapy and my addiction which keeps the whole thing spinning in a slightly out of control circle, and I like it that way.

Tuesday June 2, 2009
6PM-9PM

New York City

With Ariel Hyatt, of Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR
And Debra Russell, Artist’s EDGE Success Coaching Get ready for a fascinating evening with two Experts in the Music Industry.  Debra and Ariel will interview each other to discover what you need to truly succeed in the Music Biz!

We will talk about how to break through fears and things that may be stopping you from getting what you want and we will look at ways that you can connect more effectively to communities of fans who will support you, help you get where you want to be and Buy your music.

Ariel has spent the last several years studying both Social Media and Internet Marketing and she has a clear understanding of what artists can do to increase their fan bases and make more money using the Internet. Her company Cyber PR manages online PR and social media campaigns for over 50 musicians and her book Music Success in Nine Weeks is swiftly selling.

Debra Russell, Certified Results Coach, works with professionals in the Arts and Entertainment Industry to help shape their success in their chosen field.  As a business coach, Debra specializes in the performing arts working with performers, composers, venue owners, agents/managers, producers, engineers, and executives.  In addition to working with private clients, Debra, owner of Artist’s EDGE, has developed several innovative programs for entertainment industry trade conferences including Folk Alliance, Western Arts Alliance, ArtsNW Booking Conference, TAXI Road Rally, and West Coast Songwriter’s Conference.

We look forward to spending time with you at this special event

Schedule:

6:00-7:00 Networking, Schmoozing and Making Contacts
7:00-7:30 Debra interviews Ariel Hyatt
7:30-8:00 Ariel interviews Debra Russell
8:00-8:30 Q&A from the audience
8:30-9:00 More Networking, Schmoozing and Making Contacts!

Location:

Gordon & Carole Hyatt’s Home (Ariel’s parents)

7 West 81 Street – Apt 6A
New York NY 10024
(between CPW & Columbus)

Early Bird Registation - $15
Register online by June 1, 2009 for the discount
http://artists-edge.com/2009/05/artists-success-salon/

Cash only at the door - $25

Subway Directions:
Take the B or The C train to 81 Street
or the 1 to 79th & Broadway

As many of you know Cyber PR is a hybrid of Internet Marketing, Social Media and PR. I am an avid Internet Marketing student and I gather the nuggets I learn from my studies for musicians.

I recently spent two intense days in Los Angeles, where I attended an Internet marketing retreat led by my mentor, Ali Brown.  I belong to her mastermind group and participate in her yearlong program.

It was a whirlwind, and the core principles I learned were both basic and critically important.

There are three ways to increase your income:

1. Increase your number of clients (fans).

2. Increase the frequency of purchase, how often your fans buy from you. (and you’d better have more than just music to sell).

3. Increase the amount of money that you charge.

Okay, none of these three things is brain surgery, but from a musician’s perspective, it brings up some interesting points.   In my last article about Internet marketing, I point out that music sold online cannot be treated like a diet product. So, marketing music from a straight-up traditional Internet marketing approach is, in my opinion, not entirely possible. The reason why I think this is: Products that sell very well online tend to solve people’s problems.  (Like Losing weight or making more money). I am captivated by how musicians can use some of these basic principles, to increase their own bottom line in the digital space. I’m going to break each one of the three principles down from a musician’s perspective, and my next three posts here will focus on each one.

This issue of sound Advice / blog post will focus on #1.

So How Do You Increase your number of clients (fans)?

I am always shocked when musicians I work for at Cyber PR, are desperate to reach more and more potential fans without really focusing on the fans that they already have. These fans don’t need to be found, because they are already your fans.

Studies have proven that it is much harder to make a new client and get them to purchase something than it is to get a client that already knows you and trusts you to purchase from you over and over.

I always suggest that, in measuring fans, the best place to look is at your social networks and at your mailing list.

Your newsletter list is the only place where you can directly engage with your fans on your own terms. Not Facebook’s terms, and not Myspace’s terms, and this is a key cornerstone to what I have been studying with Ali Brown.

Here are 10 fail-safe ways to increase / engage with your fanbase by pulling from fans that you already know and have who trust and like you!

1. Get serious about your newsletter.  Use BandLetter.com or ReverbNation.com and send your newsletter one time per month.  Track your effectiveness by monitoring your open rates.

2. Mine your inbox and outbox for names and addresses to add.  Ask all of your friends if it’s OK to add them to your list, otherwise you might be considered a spammer.

3. Bring a clipboard to each and every live appearance.  Invite people onto your mailing list with a raffle or giveaway from stage, and collect e-mail addresses.  During your performance, hold the CD up on stage and than give it away, you’ve just inserted a full commercial into your set without feeling “salesy” and you’ve excited one of your fans by giving them a gift.

4. Include a special offer on your home page with a free exclusive MP3 or video. Use the Reverb Nation Fan Collector or  Free Download widgets to deliver it.

TIP: Make sure this download is not available anywhere.  Not streaming on your MySpace page, and nowhere else on your Facebook widgets.  Only on your website.

And of course it can also be available for purchase on your CD, but make sure that no one can get it anywhere else online. This will motivate people to sign up to your mailing list!

5. Follow 25 new people a week on Twitter.

6. Send out e-mails to your most engaged fans through MySpace and ask if you can have their e-mail addresses for your newsletter.  This is a bit arduous but the results will pay off.

7. Do the same with Facebook.

8. Start a blog and start sharing photos and stories and thoughts.

9. Start a podcast or a vodcast and interview other artists with big followings.  Ask them to share your podcast with their fans and followers.  It doesn’t have to be a big production.  It can be a small, informal video at YouTube.  Click here to see mine.   http://www.youtube.com/arielpublicity

10. Ask your fans to review your music at CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon.  Ask them to make iMixes and Amazon Listmania! lists, and include your music on them.

My next blog post will attack principle number two, increasing the frequency of purchase.  I would love to hear how you build your fan base.

http://www.thelinkradio.org

A family friendly station with a wide blend ranging from Contemporary Christian to Christian Rock.

Q:  How long have you been broadcasting/blogging?

A:  All together my wife Angie and I (Merton) have been broadcasting for a year and 3 months. We started out as a mix station with Teen pop and Christian music mix but quickly realized that our listeners wanted more. So as we prayed about it we felt that God wanted us to go more toward the Adult Contemporary Christian direction.

So we have just let God take things over. As a result he has blessed this station in ways that we could never have done on our own.

Q:  In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?

A: Wow that is a real good question. First of all I feel that it starts out in the needs of the person. Some people feel that as long as it has a good beat the words mean nothing  and that is a great song. But to my opinion a good song is like a great restaurant. When you go out to eat at a fast food place you just remember the chain but not that specific restaurant. But when you eat at really good restaurant you leave full and happy.

It moves you  to want to come back. That is how I feel a good song should be. One that not only has a good beat but is composed of words that relax or even change your heart. One that fills you up and makes you want to come back for more. If it doesn’t move you then it really isn’t one that stays with you and you won’t come back.

Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why?

A: As far as Genre is concerned that is easy. I think that is why we are having no trouble programming this station. We both love Adult Contemporary Christian music and that makes it both easy and enjoyable to us. As for favorite bands/artist Michael W. Smith ranks way up there with me and Angie is a big fan of the Newsboys.

Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have affected you most?

A: The new laws have affected everything we do but I feel the worst area it is affecting us is in the area of special features. If you want to do a feature artist or a special show that involves multiple songs by the same artists, For instance; New artists intro show or even the countdown when it has multiple songs by the same artists in the countdown you have to put in fillers just to make it able to play.

Q: A recent study found blogs to be more effective than MySpace in generating album sales, do you feel that that is a true statement?

A: We are really new to this field. In fact we just now set up a website www.thelinkradio.org that has the option to blog on it.( We haven’t set that part up yet but it will be real soon). But that actually makes sense though. It brings a more personal touch between the Band, Artist, etc … and the person interested.

By Cassie Petrey – CrowdSurf.net

How To Set Up Your YouTube Channel

Anyone can set up his own channel on YouTube.  When you register an account on the site, you are automatically given your own page.  The URL for your channel will be www.youtube.com/username.

When you go to set up your own channel, be sure to keep these ideas in mind:

Step 1. Think About Your Channel Name

Make your user name something that is easy to remember.  It would be ideal to make your user name your band’s / artist name.  If that name is unavailable, add something like “music” or official” into your user name.  This lets YouTube users know that this is an official account, and it makes it easy for your fans to find you.

TIP: Your YouTube name should match your URL & your MySpace

Step 2. Specify “Musician” Account.

To do this, all you need to do is:

- Login to your account

- Click on “Account” in the right top corner

- Select “Edit Channel” - this is located in the “Overview” tab

- Go to the “Channel Type” section & select “Musician”

Step 3. Design Your Channel!

Go into the “Account” section and click on “Channel Design.”  This will give you the option to select different colors, upload a background image, etc.  It’s really easy to use, and within a few clicks you can spice up your Channel’s look.

Here are a few channel design tips:

- Try to make your channel look somewhat similar to your website & your MySpace, Twitter etc.  You always want to keep your artwork consistent on all of your sites so people can recognize that its you all over the net.

- Make sure that you make the text and links on the page easy to read.  I would recommend keeping the table colors white, text color black, and the links blue or another dark, readable color.

- Don’t add too many sections (i.e. Group Links, User Uploads Box, etc.) if you currently don’t have any activity on your page.  Having these blank sections on your page will make it look cluttered.  If you decide to start using these options, you can always come back and add them later.

Step 4. Text Populate Your Channel

Did you know that you can add information to your YouTube Channel just like you do to your MySpace and Facebook pages?

Here are tips for text content to your channel:

- Click on “Account” and then select “Performer Info.”  This will give you the option to fill out basic information about yourself/your band.

- Be sure to include website and MySpace links.  You can’t use HTML in the performer info section, but you can create a hyperlink by using the full URL (this must include http:// before your website address).

- You will be given three spots for album images and buy links in your profile - use them!  Don’t have three albums out yet?  That’s OK, Create an icon that links out to your merch page or website.

- Add your tour dates to the page by selecting the “event dates” tab in your account backend.  You have the option to include a buy link for each tour date - be sure to use it if you can to sell tickets to your shows if they are available online.

Step 5. Upload Your Videos

I know, it seems simple, but there’s more to uploading videos to YouTube than just clicking the yellow “upload video” button in the top left corner of the screen.

Title Properly

Make sure that the title of each of your videos includes your artist or band name, song title, and any other relevant information.  The title of your video is the first thing that will be seen in the search results, so make sure it’s easy to identify.

Use the Description!

You have a lot of space here to describe your video in depth, so if you couldn’t put everything you wanted in the title, you will have the opportunity to add it here.

TIP: Remember, you can put URLs in the description as well, so be sure to add links to your: MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, CD Baby etc.  You have to include the full website address for the link to be clickable i.e. http://www.arielpublicity.com

Select a Proper Video Category

This will more than likely be “Music.”

Tag Thoroughly

Use as many different tags as you possibly can.  Be sure to include your artist/band name, song name, any related artists names (especially if you add a cover), similar artists (so that when people type in an artist they like they will come across your video), genres of music, hometown, names of all band members, producer, themes in the video and anything else that makes your video more searchable.

Broadcast Options and Sharing Options

Don’t change these options. `They are already set for maximum viral exposure.

Uploading the Actual Video File is The Easiest Part

YouTube pretty much accepts all video formats.  You just need to make sure your video is under 1000MB and you are ready to go.  However, I would recommend that you keep each video under 200MB if possible.

Step 6. Become a Frequent YouTube User

A lot of people don’t know this, but you can interact with other users on YouTube.  It’s actually very similar to the way people interact on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.  And it’s an effective way to get more people interested in your videos and channel.

TIP: This is something that will need to become a part of your daily online marketing routine.

TIP: Use Precaution

Please be careful, YouTube moderates user activity and spamming very closely.  Everything will have to be done in moderation, and if you receive a notice to stop sending messages, adding friends, etc. - PLEASE STOP or else your account will be deleted.

Subscribe to Channels

This can help you go a long way:  Start off by subscribing to channels of similar artists or artists that you like and sound like. The easiest way to do this is to type in the artist’s name in the search engine, and related channels will be the first ones that pop up.

After you have subscribed to your favorite artist’s channels, start subscribing to their to their fans’ channels by going to the artist’s channel and locating the “Subscribers” box.  This will be a good place to start adding friends.

Watch Videos

This is how you get the word out about your own channel.

A Few Things to Do While Watching Videos:

Rate Videos

All you have to do is click on the stars under each video. It literally takes 1 second.

Add Videos as Favorites

Love the video?  Just click on that little heart.  Keep in mind that these videos will be added to your “Favorites” section on your channel.

Comment on Videos

And respond to other people’s comments.

Rate the Comments

You can click on the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” - this also takes one second for each rating.

Make a Video Response!

Feeling really compelled?  Make a video response!  Just click on the link right underneath “Statistics & Data” to post it.   Sometimes making your own acoustic cover or just a speaking response to a popular video can bring traffic to your own channel.

Add Friends

You can add people as friends just like you can add friends on MySpace and Facebook.  Add you need to is visit their channel and click on the “add as friend” link in their contact table located in the left column.

Comment on Channels Too

Not only can you comment on videos, but you can also comment on people’s channels as well.  The comments section is generally located at the bottom of the right column on a user’s channel.

Step 7. See How The Pros Do It & Emulate!

Here are some recommended artist channels to look at

Ariel Publicity – www.youtube.com/arielpublicity

Ashley Tidsale - www.youtube.com/ashleytisdale

Blake Shelton - www.youtube.com/blakeshelton

Greg Holden - www.youtube.com/gdholden

Jonas Brothers - www.youtube.com/jonasbrothersmusic

Lady Antebellum - www.youtube.com/ladyantebellum

Luke Bryan - www.youtube.com/lukebryan

Savannah Outen - www.youtube.com/savannah7448

Simple Plan - www.youtube.com/simpleplan

SouljaBoy - www.youtube.com/souljaboy

The Black Year - www.oyutube.com/theblaqkyear

Tokio Hotel - www.youtube.com/tokiohotel

Subscribe to Ariel’s Sound Advice Weekly Video series -

http://www.YouTube.com/ArielPublicity

And of course come comment and friend us too!

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