Sound Advice TV with Derek Sivers - youtube.com/ArielPublicity

Derek Sivers is a dear friend of mine and has long been a beacon of light for most of us in the music industry. To celebrate the launch of my new Sound Advice Video Series featuring Derek as my premiere guest, I wanted to share some of his marketing basics.  These are highlights from a talk he gave at Bob Baker’s Indie Buzz Bootcamp.

I constantly like to return to the lessons that Derek teaches. I have heard him speak many times and I always walk away feeling inspired. I am delighted that he is my first guest on Sound Advice TV.

To view a segment of Sound Advice TV featuring Derek Sivers click here

Derek Sivers 7 Critical Marketing Basics Every Musicians Should Know

Here are 7 wonderful lessons, which are great to revisit no matter how strong your marketing muscles are.

But before I dive in I want to start with how Derek got his own music career off of the ground. This speaks volumes about how he achieved his CD Baby success later in his career.  There is a huge marketing lesson in this story…

When he was a student at Berklee College of Music, Derek was attending a music business lecture.  Before the lecture started, he overheard his professor whispering to the guest speaker, Mark Fried from Warner Chappell Music, that there would be no time to eat before the lecture and it was a 3-hour talk. Mark was looking hungry and there had clearly been a miscommunication about eating before the class started. So, Derek slipped out of the room to a pay phone and ordered pizza for Mark and for the entire class.  Forty-five minutes into his lecture, Mark was eating pizza with the class and was extremely grateful to Derek (who was one of many students in the room) who went out of his way to help him.

After the lecture, Mark gave Derek his card and told him to keep in touch, which Derek did for the remaining 2 years he was at Berklee.  When he came to New York he would meet Mark for coffee and their friendship grew.  A week before his graduation, Derek called Mark to ask if there were any jobs at Warner Chappell opening up. Seven days later Derek had a job working at Warner Chappell in the tape room.

Lesson #1 A Marketing Golden Rule: It’s about THEM Not YOU

What struck me about this story is a simple marketing lesson that is also one of the golden rules. Always think about this question: How can I be helpful to other people?  That is what will make you memorable in the long run. It was Derek’s courteous consideration that opened all doors for him in the music business.

The pizza took Derek one phone call and $25 and it secured him a job in the music industry.  There were probably 45 students sitting in that lecture hall that day and he was the one who ended up with a relationship with Mark and in the end…a job.

Lesson #2: Unsolicited Actions Will Get You Nowhere

Derek then went on to explain what it was like in the tape room at Warner Chappell.  It was there he got to see first hand what it looks like from the inside when indie musicians send unsolicited music to a publishing company.  Warner Chappell is a large publishing company that was not looking to sign new artists and Derek saw the packages arrive by the dozen on a daily basis. From this he learned exactly what never to do.

Lesson #3: No One Is Coming To Save You In The Music Industry

Derek points out (and I have repeated this line in my own talks) that no one will come along and be your music business “fairy godfather”, it all has to start internally.  If you hire anyone to be on your team, no matter what they are doing for you, you must understand that that person is your hired partner.  You will both have to work to achieve your desired result. This is especially true in the realm of social media and online marketing.

Lesson #4: Marketing = Consideration

Reach People the Way You Want to Be Reached

Stop thinking of it as Marketing and start thinking of it as creative ways to be considerate. Think of things from the other person’s point of view: Imagine if you called your friend up and screamed into the phone: “THURSDAY COME SEE ME PLAY NEXT THURSDAY!” (HANG UP)

You probably would not show up if you were spoken to that rudely and then hung up on and it was funny to see Derek act this out but his point was: This is exactly the way most musicians speak to their newsletter lists.

If your friends spoke to you the way you speak to them on your newsletter list you wouldn’t be friends. Begin to pay attention to other artist’s messages and notice what works on you. The considerate thing is to be so novel and creative and innovative so that people say: you have GOT to see / hear this musician play!

Lesson #5:  Sharply Define What You Do

You cannot slice through the world’s attention if you are using a blunt knife and you will most definitely be blunt if you are trying to be all things to all people.  Your message must be sharp and pointed. It’s OK to exclude 99% and have 1% worship you! Be unapologetic in your bluntness.

3 CD Baby Artists Who Are Sharply Focused

Eileen Quinn - Create A Niche

One of CD Baby’s all time top-sellers is an artist named Eileen Hoyton. Eileen is from Nova Scotia and she owns a boat.  She recorded her music on the boat and the title of her album is called Songs For Sailors, and it’s a top seller at CD Baby. Why? Because it’s laser focused. It speaks directly to a niche audience. I bet you can find a copy of her album on every boat that you set foot on. Eileen also laser focused her PR and marketing efforts on her niche audience.  Since sailors read boating magazines, she went after reviews and features in boating mags, (she could have cared LESS about Spin and Rolling Stone) and she got publicized to a select group of people she knew would love her music and she sold tens of thousands of albums!

Regina Spektor - Don’t Be Afraid To Be “Out There”

Regina Spektor also understood laser focus but it took time. She did a Tori Amos style thing for years and with those albums, she did OK but when she added the hiccups and the “weird” themes and she started banging on her piano bench with a drumstick while she played people really started to notice her. This is what led her to her record deal and to her popularity.  She really stood out from the crowd.

David m. Bailey - Find A Small Hill To Dominate

David was a lawyer who was diagnosed with brain cancer. Out of that experience he became a top seller at CD Baby. David was given a few months to live and he immediately quit his job and decided to record an album.  He beat the odds and he survived brain cancer.  He is now the poster child of surviving brain cancer.  He has since recorded 7 albums and brain cancer patients often find him online through research, they then logon to CD Baby and buy all 7 of his albums at once.

Ariel Hyatt, Derek Sivers & Michael Laskow at Taxi Road Rally

Lesson #5: DIY Does Not Mean Do It All Yourself - Decide It Yourself

DIY does not have to mean do it all yourself.  Doing it all yourself will surely set you up for exhaustion and will leave you no time to be creative.

Instead Derek recommends that you think of DIY as: Decide It Yourself - you call the shots but you MUST learn how to delegate, put your fans to work and get things off of your plate. If you have a sense of STRESS and UPSET around every decision and everything becomes so important you really miss the point. Just try delegating things and don’t make it all so serious and significant. Start every decision with: Let’s see what happens if… and try it!

Lesson #6: Act AS IF….

“You are whatever you pretend to be.”

-          Kurt Vonnegut

This part of the talk really inspired me….  Most people do not know this: Derek Sivers is an introvert by nature.  His instinct when at a music conference is to retreat to his hotel room. To combat this he ACTS as if he is an extrovert. Pretend to be the biggest extrovert possible for an hour at a networking event or at a party.

Lesson #7: It’s Who You Know Mixed With How You Persevere

Everything major that happens in your career starts with someone you know.  Here’s Derek’s story of how he got the gig touring with world-renowned Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamato:  Derek’s roommate from school was working wrapping cables in a studio and he overheard the musicians saying that they needed a guitar player to go on an upcoming tour.

To prove that he was the perfect guitarist for the gig, Derek got a hold of some of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s music that he was in the process of recording, wrote all of the guitar parts and mixed it and sent it back.

After a few days when he did not hear from Ryuichi he wrote a cello part out of another one of his songs and sent that to the studio.

After the third day he got the call and toured Japan for 2 months in front of 20,000 people each night.

But Derek proves that it’s not only who you know but also what you do once you get the connection.  He demonstrates how to fully take advantage of each situation.

Persevere With People

Get used to staying in touch with hundreds of people with blogs and with your newsletter - it’s a psychological shift in your head but once you can make it you can be very very effective staying in touch with many people.  This is the miracle of technology.

Make yourself meet 3 new people every single week: Do this by picking up the phone - people get hundreds of emails and dozens of phone calls.

TIP: AVOID saying the words “pick your brain” to anyone.  That says: I want something from you….  and when you do talk to people, prove that you have already done your research.  Derek says that people will ask him: So, what does CD Baby do?  And It’s totally disrespectful - you want to let them know that you care enough to have spent some time learning about them before you talk / meet.

To view a segment of Sound Advice TV featuring Derek Sivers click here

Site: www.dailyvault.com
Blog: dailyvault.blogspot.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/dailyvault
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Daily-Vault/13940029846?ref=mf
 

Q: What is your favorite Genre to play?
 

A: All of ‘em. No, really. On any given day my listening habit might include power-pop, progressive rock, jazz, alt-country, soul, classical, blues, folk and the list goes on. The Daily Vault contains over 5,400 reviews of over 2,600 artists and one of the things I love best about the site is that within the universe of music, it acknowledges no boundaries. We’ve done features on punk and Broadway soundtracks, hip-hop and Jethro Tull. We’ve reviewed Japanese New Age artists and Swedish death metal bands and African folk singers. And our writers, past and present, hail from all over the globe — Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Norway, the Philippines, South Korea, and half the states in the USA. I personally listen to a lot of “guitar music,” but for me that extends from Yes to Fountains of Wayne to Montrose to James Taylor to Switchfoot and back. Even so, I find myself frequently using our “Randomizer” button (the Pandora of music reviews) to get inspired to try something I haven’t listened to in a while.
 

Q: What do you like to see in a CD that you review?
 

A: There has to be a spark. No matter what genre you’re working in, there has to be something — a line, a riff, an arrangement, an honesty in the vocals — that reaches through my speakers and grabs me. If I had one bit of advice to offer — and really, you shouldn’t listen to me because I can’t play a note! — it would be to make sure that you’re making music that you are completely excited about and committed to. If you over think it or spend your time trying to be “the next” anyone else, your end product is almost guaranteed to come out beneath your potential. Figure out what it is you want to say with your music, and commit to that 110 percent. The more of yourself you can give to the music, the more interesting and different it’s going to be. Spark and commitment, that’s what reaches me.
 

Q: In your long history of reviewing CDs, what is your opinion on what makes a good CD great?
 

A: It all comes back to that spark. Albums that I love — Born To Run (Springsteen), Who’s Next (The Who), Innervisions (Stevie Wonder), Close To The Edge (Yes), August & Everything After (Counting Crows) — are albums in which talented artists reached back for that something extra and blew past the highest expectations anyone had of them at the time. They’re albums that speak boldly and with an almost complete lack of self-consciousness, and that take personal experiences and transform them into universal truths. There is so much artificiality in the world. Any album that breaks through the everyday facade and speaks deeper truths — and does it in an engaging and entertaining way — has a shot at greatness in my book.
 

Q: How long have you been broadcasting, and what made you start?
 

A: I’ve actually only been editor of the site since January 2003, less than half its existence. Christopher Thelen launched the Daily Vault in January 1997 and ran it for the first six years. In the first year he brought on a group of staff writers that included me and a couple of other folks who have stuck around all this time. The reasons why are simple — we love music, we love writing, and we want to help artists and listeners to connect with one another. I personally can’t count the number of artists I first learned about from other Daily Vault writers and who have subsequently become favorites of mine. Plus, I’ve made a lot of friends among our writing staff, our readers and even among the artists we cover. When you’re as passionate about something as we all are about music, starting a conversation is never an issue…
 

Q: What do you think is the biggest pitfall for artists to overcome?
 

A: Despite all the changes we’ve seen recently in how music is delivered to market, I think the core problem artists have to solve is still the same as it has always been: how do you find an audience without compromising your art? Art that compromises isn’t really art anymore, it’s shtick — imitation and gimmickry. And art that’s true and meaningful and resonant will always find an audience, even if it’s only a small, devoted one. Don’t get me wrong — I love a good pop tune and as hard as it is out there, I sympathize with bands who end up making compromises in order to make a living playing music. It’s a dream no one would ever want to give up. But with that said, my entertainment dollar is more likely to go to artists who make the sometimes-difficult choice to stay true to their own voice and let the chips fall where they may. People who make that choice have my complete respect.

http://mikeshotdish.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikeshotdish
 

Are you sick of hearing the same songs day in and day out on the radio? Do you find yourself listening more and more to your existing music collection? Do you wonder where you can find more great music like what’s already in your music collection? There are literally hundreds of independent bands that you have never heard of that would drastically expand your music collection, and Mike’s Hotdish is here to help. Mike looks for music from the hottest heavy metal to the mild (but flavorful) rock and pop. Each show will bring you something new that you can add to your music collection. The best part is, if you loved the song, you can rewind and listen again. If you hate the song, fast forward to the next song. You control what you hear and you can tell us what you like.
 

Q: What is your favorite band and why?
 

A: While grew up with mostly country music, I always liked the music that was a bit heavier. Garth Brooks really filled that ticket real well. Now after listening to all of the independent music I play on my show, I can’t just really pick one. It really depends on my mood. Matthew Ebel is one that really enjoy listening to. His music allows my mind to wander and build my own story with his lyrics. On the hard rock side, I have been enjoying Nick Black and Clawfinger lately.
 

Q: What do you think artists can do to prevent themselves from becoming ‘One-hit-wonders.’
 

A: Don’t release all of your music at once and don’t focus solely on the single, a well done album could be full of great singles. You need to stay in touch with your fans and those that play your music and inform them of your new single. Maybe create a new song that isn’t on any album or send a station ID to shows that have played your music in the past and introduce a new single. Nothing is cooler than a band sending a station ID to a show without having to ask for one.
 

Q: Is there a reason why you tried to incorporate the idea of food with your blog and podcast? If so why?
 

A: I first started out with a different show. Being inexperienced at the time, I branched that show off so quickly that I didn’t have time to focus on them all. I threw that whole concept out the window. When coming up with a new name, I wanted something that reflected the variety of different things that I would have in the show and have a simple name so it would be easy to remember. But I also wanted something fun and something that would make a person do a double take and came up with the name “Mike’s Hotdish”. Hot dish is a term in the Upper Midwest for a dish that contains some sort of combination of meat, sauce, noodles, vegetables, and cheese. I believe it is also known as casserole in some areas. That really fits my show. It is a combination of various types of music and other things. Whatever appeals to my “taste buds” for that show is what you get. To add to the fun factor, I like to make use of the many puns available to me.
 

Q: What inspired you to become a music critic?
 

A :I don’t think I am much of a critic. I usually play only what I like to listen to. I have little musical background but have always loved music. I usually don’t pay much attention to the details of the band or who is in what band. If I like their music, I listen to it and play it on my show.
 

Q: What do you think is the number one mistake artists make?
 

A: Marketing. Either they are doing it the wrong way, or they aren’t doing it at all. Many times I have had a band just send a message saying something like “Hi, could you play my music?” They don’t make any sort of effort to make it look personalized, even if it is a mass mailing. More often than not, those emails get deleted because I have access to so much music and get so many emails that I don’t have the time to play it all or listen to it all. Make your email catch my eye somehow and I’ll definitely look more into your band. Many times that includes mentioning my show by name or my name. Another part of that is if all they have is a MySpace page, what will happen when MySpace closes up shop? They need their own website with some way to reach out to their fans and it needs to be something they have more control over. I don’t think the band has to have a degree in marketing by any means, but they should invest at least some time in learning some of the methods that work or find some people or fans willing to help them out.

A few weeks ago I spoke at Bob Baker’s Indie Buzz Bootcamp with 5 other music industry vets: Derek Sivers, Nancy Moran, Bob Baker, Tom Jackson and John Taglieri. We all delivered same message: Make great music that is a full expression of your creative self, then go out and connect your expression to people using technology and with a little learned marketing knowledge and discipline you will earn money. John Taglieri delivered an inspiring talk about what he did to go from full time day job to full time musician
 

As a social networking cheerleader who works full-time creating exposure for artists online I often find myself asking in my head: Why all of my artists be more like John? John Taglieri is a rare breed of musician: A natural sales person who understands the importance of working just as hard on his musical craft as he does on his marketing and sales and for him it comes naturally.
 

I know that this is not the case for a lot of artists who can get fully frustrated with the idea of sales and marketing and they “just want to play.” I’ve heard it thousands of times: “I just want to play, I hate doing that online stuff,” if you hold on to this attitude you will be left behind in the dust.
 

You have to be willing to get on the court and learning to play this game takes time and energy, and the rules change quickly so you need to adapt and go with the flow and not crucify yourself when something is not working. This is where John Taglieri excels - he is open to learning new things and trying them - taking the parts that work and discarding the parts that don’t.
 

This stuff is not brain-surgery and the great news is unlike true musical talent (which, in my humble opinion is not a learned skill - it’s a gift) marketing and sales is TOTALLY LEARNABLE…. and there are thousands of gurus to learn from, endless free information to find online and plenty of people to model (yes - copy the ones that have success and watch success come to you - no need to re-invent the wheel).
 

OK - I’m getting off my soap box now and I want to share some of the best nuggets of John’s talk with you because even though I am friends with him and I work with him he shed some light on what goes on in his mind and I was delighted to get a peek into his thinking. I think you will be too…
 

The BIG Three Questions:

When John decided it was time to quit the day job and REALLY go for it in the music business he looked at himself in the mirror and he asked himself 3 key questions:
 

1. What Do You Want? (Be honest with yourself)
2. How Bad Do You Want It?
3. What Are You Willing To Give Up For It?
 

Question 1: What do you want?
He wanted to make it as a full time musician. Period. What he understood by asking himself this question was that he may not get his ultimate dream of being an international rock star and playing huge stadiums and touring the world in a private jet like Motley Crüe but that he wanted to play music full time and not hold a second job to pay for that dream and he was OK with giving up the private jet part of his dream.
 

When you can give up being totally attached to exactly what you thought it would look like miracles begin to happen and John explains that his dream was to play Giants Stadium - he ended up doing that… 10 times singing the National Anthem
 

Question 2: How bad do you want it?
John talked about his inner motto:
 

“I want what I want and you are either going to help me or get out of my way”
 

This meant that he had to disassociate from some friends that were holding him back by telling him that there was no way he could make it.
 

Question 3: What are you willing to give up for it?
Making it takes something.
If you are really not OK with working really hard to get it than this dream may not be for you… Getting there will take a lot of discipline, patience and time.
 

You may have to go out to dinner less, spend less time with your family, wake up an hour or two early to study whatever it is you need to get better at - it will force you out of your comfort zone and it will take going that extra mile.
 

Visualize what you want
Every year for 5 he wrote on his yearly goals to quit his day job - he did it after 5 years. It took strong will and getting out of his comfort zone to achieve this goal.
 

You have to be able to SEE what you want - visualize what you want to do and always focus on moving forward
John talks about a very important distinction: focus on baby steps vs. big leaps. This is not to say that you should not set a huge goal but think in baby steps while you are working for the big goal. When you achieve a small goal don’t forget to celebrate it and acknowledge that you achieved it. The music business is HARD, not easy to make progress so take the wins when you get them.
 

It may not be what you thought
Not everything you want when you get it turns out to be what you wanted when you get it. If what you get is not the right thing its OK to not keep it. Adapt to what feels right for you.
 

Face the crowd for perspective
To help visualize his dream, John would go to concerts and from the audience, he would turn around and look at the crowd burn the image of the crowd into his head and keep that visual of what a crowd of really excited fans looks like.
 

Don’t let yourself be overly structured
John’s tips:
 

- Use a calendar or outlook to make a schedule - set it and forget it
- Have goals and carry over your goals from year to your
- Contact database management
- Prioritizing daily tasks
- Be flexible for changes -things crop up
- Automate the mundane tasks
 

John presets the tasks like changing the filter in the dogs bowl - then he does not need to think about things that can suck his creative time.
 

Create multiple income streams
John has 5 streams of income that all tie together

1. Plays original gigs
2. Plays cover gigs
3. Runs a music studio out of his home
4. Handles sales & marketing for Cyber PR
5. Owns a CD duplication machine and makes CDs for people
 

Have a strong brand
Branding is key in getting people to remember who you are.
 

In this world where niche marketing is key do not be scared to have a strong brand John’s is: If Edwin McCain and Bon Jovi had a baby you would have me. He then set out to ingrain that into your head it’s on all of his sites - MySpace, Twitter, CD Baby and more.
 

Bands Are Small Companies - DELEGATE!
Do not try to do everything on your own - learn to find people who can help you who are in your league - fire people who are not working as hard as you.
 

- If you are delegating YOU are responsible for making sure the people that you delegate to are accountable - give them dates and times to achieve things and by when
- If you didn’t do it - it’s your fault
- Eliminate negative people and situations
- Stay positive
 

And Finally…Don’t Ever…

• Grow Up
• Say I Can’t
• Give Up
• Blame Others
• Whine
• Bitch
• Moan
• Complain

One key thing I have learned over the past few years of attending workshops and garnering techniques from some of the worlds most successful people is: Those people did not get there alone. Success takes support and this issue of Sound Advice will show you how to create a support group that can help you stay on track and achieve your music career success. It’s called a Mastermind Group.
 

I hear it all of the time - musicians call me up and say: “If only I had a manager,” or a booking agent or a record label etc. And I in turn say: It’s hard to get a manager when you are just starting out However its not hard to get some help!
 

For those of you in bands: Does this scenario sound familiar? One person is in charge of doing all of the business affairs and the other members of the band just show up (sometimes they don’t even show up on time!) If you’ve got a band of hired guns, this sadly is your cross to bear. However, if your band is considered an equal team, I highly suggest that you include your band members in your mastermind group. If you are the only active member of your band on the business side that’s OK - you can build yourself some great support with non- band members.
 

What a Mastermind Group is
A mastermind group is a small team of people that meets one to two times per month, sits down, and brainstorms together, creates goals, makes lists, talks about objectives, and keeps each other accountable so that that you will move forward with your goals and achieve them faster.
 

What a Mastermind Group is Not
A Mastermind is NOT band bitch session where you air your dirty laundry and get angry at each other (We call that a band meeting ). A mastermind meeting is a place for goals and a place for action and a place where you can really focus on yourself and your career.
 

Setting Up Your Mastermind Group
I suggest you create a group of four to six people - if you are married or part of couple and you want to set and achieve goals with your spouse or significant other I suggest a group of 3 couples (it’s OK to have different goals). If you are not part of a couple, I suggest a group of three to four others in addition to you. These people do not have to be in the music business, and it may actually be better if they are not. These people also do not have to be reaching for the same type of goals - they will however need your good input to achieve them, and you will need theirs.
 

Steps To Take

1. Choose fellow masterminders to invite that you admire and that you look up to.
2. Choose people who are strong self-starters and who know how to get the job done, who perhaps own their own businesses. Having someone in your mastermind group who runs a business will really help motivate you.
3. Preset a scheduled date and time every month or twice a month. The third Wednesday of each month, perhaps. Or a dinnertime every first and third Tuesday of the month - Don’t break your commitment - you need to keep this set time to achieve results. How you handle this mastermind is critical to your success.

 
Setting Achievable Goals Is Key
Be careful when setting your goals. Start with ones that you can achieve within the first month (redesigning your newsletter, re-writing your pitch, booking one gig etc) so you feel like you are accomplishing small victories along the way.
 

Please read my previous article on how to set goals and achieve them here:
http://www.arielpublicity.com/sound_advice/setting-goals.html
 

At Your Scheduled Date and Time

1. Come to each meeting with an agenda.
2. Don’t make this a social hour - you are getting together to work - Dive in quick and socialize when you are all done with your meeting.
3. Choose a scribe. One person should be in charge of writing down what happened with measurable goals, actions, and results with dates set for each one and the scribe will e-mail the notes after each and every meeting so that everybody can keep up-to-date with each other.
4. Hold each other accountable - Set check in times to stay on track.

 
Between sessions, you should be in touch a few times to make sure measures are being met.
 

Set up a Wiki
A Wiki is a great way that everybody can stay in touch without losing track of e-mails. I recommend
Ning - http://www.ning.com
PB Wiki - http://www.pbwiki.com/
 

Keep a Reading List
Have a reading list of books and links to articles that may be helpful to the group and reasons why you are recommending these books on your group Wiki. Books on Time management or on small business or on how to tour - whatever you are trying to accomplish there is probably already a book or an article out there.
 

Join My New Mastermind Group For Extra Support
I just started a mastermind group that already has 80 artists in it helping each other out with goals. To get a free membership all you have to do is purchase my book: Music Success in 9 Weeks http://www.cyberprbook.com
 

Have Fun
The last piece of advice I’ll give is This process should be fun!
 

This is you creating your career as a musician and it should feel like a joy, not a dreaded homework assignment.
 

I’d love to hear about your Masterminds. Please report them to me at Ariel@arielpublicity.com

BOOK REVIEW:

 

Now Is Gone: A Primer on New Media for Executives and Entrepreneurs by Geoff Livingston and Brian Solis & How It Relates To PR & Marketing In The “New” Music Business

 

“The PR revolution will be socialized. Engage or die.”

 

“Communications have evolved more in the last 10 years, than in the previous 100.”
- Now is Gone

 

Now Is Gone addresses the issues that the marketing and PR world are currently facing in the new world of online social networks, transparent communication and the rise of the customer as the critic. This book struck a nerve that is so close to my own experience as a recovering traditional publicist and I have to share it’s message with you. If you are handling your own PR and marketing this book should be at the top of your required reading list.

 

Incredulous musicians consistently ask why I gave up handling traditional PR (my firm handles online PR only). Over the years I have placed thousands of articles, calendar listings, TV bookings and radio interviews and I was good at it, but the truth is, I began to loathe it. Two things contributed to this:
1. The PR game never changed – it was the same grind every day and creatively I felt stifled.
2.It was getting harder and harder to manifest results for my artists (and creating lackluster results was no fun).

 

Now Is Gone addresses why these 2 things became so real for me. The highlights follow and I have put them into perspective so that they apply directly to the music business and musicians throughout, I have quoted from this wonderful book heavily.

 

Engaging Directly Is No Longer Unprofessional
“Social media is exposing PR’s weaknesses and calling for reform…this is our chance, not only to work with traditional journalists, but engage directly with a new set of accidental influencers, also know as enthusiasts or citizen journalists. We can talk with customers now also content producers directly.” As a musician this puts you at an interesting advantage. It used to be somewhat unprofessional to approach the media without a publicist. The opposite can be the case today if you choose the wrong publicist to represent you online.

 

Participation Is Not Optional
The good news is it has never been easier to create a community around your brand. There are no more gatekeepers; there are now self-appointed gatekeepers who contribute to their communities in a real way. You must participate and this book argues that: “If you want to survive in this economy, you can’t just sit on the sidelines, those who participate genuinely, will succeed. Everyone else will either have to catch up or miss the game…. Participating here is not optional, how effectively you participate (online) will determine the success or failure of your company in the long-term.”

 

An NYU study that came out this past February proved concisely that if a CD is reviewed or mentioned 30 times before its release on blogs, it will sell 3 to 4 times better than if its not mentioned. This is a powerful and direct argument to begin participating online and get directly engaged with bloggers. One key piece of advice to keep in mind: “Once you send your pitch, let it go. That means do not follow-up or harass the blogger/content creator at all. Pressure equals bad write ups about your organization.” So if you get no response after your try to reach a blogger move on. There are 80 million more to choose from.

 

Observe Before You Dive In
“If a marketer is bent on exploiting anything, it will likely bite him in the ass,”
says Todd Defren, principal at SHIFT Media. This was always the case of course, but
in the social media world, the difference is that you’ll be found out more quickly,
and the punishment can be harsher and more long lasting. My advice is to start any
social media campaign by listening and quietly participating as a user, not a
marketer.”

 

Press Releases Don’t Work Anymore
“…As a society, we’ve gone from the era of mass production, mass merchandising, and mass marketing to one where customization is key . . . as far as most reporters and editors are concerned, [press releases are] over-produced, they lack differentiation, they generally aren’t relevant, and they vast majority are not worth coverage.”
- Sally Saville Hodge

 

Publicists were trained to do PR in a certain way: write a press release that tells the story and send it around to the media. Journalists will then pick up on the story the release and Voila! (This, of course is a way simplified summary).

 

In the last few years journalists have been receiving too many useless press releases that contained information that was not useful to their readers. “The online environment changed into a truly socially interactive world, where content users or readers have just as much impact as content makers. In this new era, social media networks with Wikipedia, Facebook, YouTube, and the asset of blogs are constantly evolving and changing the way people perceive communications.”

 

The Commodity Online is Time
And now the bad news: This takes WORK. Social communities take time to build up. People will not trust you and follow you overnight. This is where many artists have deep frustration with social networking. Stick with it. It may take months and even years in some cases.

 

“In order to reach people, we have to figure out who they are and where they go for information. You’ll quickly discover that a magic net doesn’t exist.“ This is an amazing point. It takes trial an error to discover how to connect and who to connect to.

 

“Content creators must diligently engage the community with appealing content for the life of the new media initiative, not just for the first few months.” So stick with it. Regular and consistent contribution is key.

 

Part of participating in a social network is investing the necessary time
to create valuable information for the network.

 

Let It Go
“You must be prepared to give up control of your message, know the community you intend to participate in, commit resources base business transparency in full.” Musicians tend to like to be in control of their art which makes sense – BUT be warned Social networking is not your art or your music – let it go and let people have it, comment on it, use it and it’s OK.

 

“Companies risk brand reputation by not participating, but at the same time they risk brand perception if they approach new media with a mindset of message and brand control without regard for two-way conversations.”

 

It’s NOT About You … It’s About THEM
“Inspire your community with real exciting information. Don’t waste their
time with product details.” I learned a HUGE lesson when I launched Cyber PR – I was spending a LOT of my time explaining the way the site worked and how it worked to both artists and journalists and then I realized: Nobody cared…. They wanted to know what was in it for them and that’s what everyone wants to know at every moment when engaging online. So, answer the question: What’s in it for them?

 

“Part of participating in a social network is investing the necessary time
to create valuable information for the network.” and I realized all I needed to do was consistently deliver value.

 

“One of the biggest sources of corporate failures in new media is treating the media form as a propaganda mechanism.” This is why your Hey check me out messages that you are blasting on MySpace are falling on deaf ears. You must say something about THEM first to engage. Get your self-hype out of your head and be a contribution.

 

New media destroys the idea of targeting your audience. Why? Because there is no more audience. The single notion that one message inspires everyone is absolutely ludicrous in the new world of community marketing.

 

“Blogging mostly has indirect effects. You are building an online resume
for yourself that is going to reward you in ways you really can’t predict. Honor
your readers’ time, give them great stuff to think about.”

 

“Customers today expect to be understood and they expect to be listened to.” So make it a two way street. Make SURE that people can comment back and let their voices be heard.

 

Goals & Measurement Are Key
“It is important to know what the team is trying to accomplish, and that means creating measurement goals for the content; knowing how many readers you want, how many views you need, what image you hope to convey.” If you are working alone that’s OK begin to set goals for yourself so you can achieve benchmarks to help motivate you and keep you in momentum.

 

To Sum Up
Social Networking and building relevant communities are critical in this brave new online world. Those who participate will benefit deeply. Those who don’t will get left in the lurch scratching their heads wondering what happened. Get in the game but do it with some strategy. To blindly dive in is not the best advice. Follow the new rules and reap the benefits.

 

Buy Now Is Gone
Amazon Link

Read The Ongoing Conversation by The Authors

Buzz Bin
http://www.livingstonbuzz.com/blog/

 
PR 2.0
http://www.briansolis.com/

Man Behind the Monitor: Jason “Macedonia” Smith

Radio BSOTS : Both Sides of the Surface

http://www.bsots.com
 

BSOTS: A cyberspace archive of life commentaries and music reviews written between 1999-2005, as well as a portal to artist and record label sites and online music stores, also the home base for the Radio BSOTS podcast playing electronic soul, funk, and hip-hop.
 

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a podcaster?
 
A:  My biggest challenge is (and continues to be) successfully navigating my way through this world of new media and social networking.  I consider myself an old head using new technologies in order to express my love for music and support for its artists.  I am flesh, blood, and bone, but to be a part of the podcasting game you must learn the language of ones and zeros to some degree, whether it’s RSS feeds, tagging blog posts, search engine optimization, or whatever new social platform will premiere in the next five minutes.  All of these things fight for my attention; as a result, time management and prioritizing become rather challenging.  Never mind that real life demands that you go to your day job, make sure your child gets to day care, etc.  I can only speak for myself:  I do not have a mind for marketing or metrics.  I do, however, have a mind for music.  My passion for music drove me headfirst into podcasting.
 

Q: I’ve noticed you tend to feature on your podcast more unknown and indie hip hop artists what’s your reasoning behind that?
 

A: Radio BSOTS was created because I had so many friends that were making great music - MCs, DJs, producers, and beatboxers.  I just wanted to be a platform for them, an avenue for them to get some exposure.  So right from the beginning, championing the unknown and independent artists was key to the show.  In my opinion, their efforts can stand alongside and even outshine so much of what’s being released within mainstream circles.  Soul, funk, and electronic sounds add to the musical makeup of the show, but hip-hop remains at its core.  To be honest, I didn’t even realize how much of a hip-hop head I was until I started doing this podcast.
 

Q: Any words of wisdom … anything you’ve learned so far in podcasting that you’d care to share?
 

A: What’s true for an artist goes for a podcaster:  this has got to feel good to YOU, first and foremost.  Podcasting is too much work for it not to be fun, so what got you excited about it in the first place has to remain present in order for you to continue doing it.  All artists go through their creative slumps or feeling of apathy about their craft.  However, if those times start to outweigh the good times, you seriously need to reassess your situation.  Beyond that, there is no “right” way of doing this.  Since August of 2005, I’ve been podcasting on a dial-up modem and a computer that still had Windows Millennium Edition on it.  I just got a new computer in the past month, but the dial-up situation remains.  I didn’t let that stop me, though.  When you have something that you’re passionate about, you find ways to make it work.
 

Q: I see you are very active in the Twitter world. Why do you think Twitter is important for a Podcaster, Internet Radio Station, etc.?
 

A: Honestly, it was the simplicity of Twitter that got me hooked.  It’s a microblogging tool that’s perfect for a person like me who’s constantly on the losing side of time.  With Twitter, you’re forced to get your point across quickly and in a limited number of characters.  Somewhere along the way, I started notifying people whenever a new episode was posted.  A number of my followers tend to go check it out within minutes after that.  For a musician, blogger, or podcaster, that’s valuable real-time feedback from people who have a vested interest in your content.  And if you’re involved with communicating with your followers, it’s only a matter of time before relationships build into something more tangible.  What you have is a potential community.
 

Q: What’s next for Radio BSOTS?
 

A: Right now, I just want to continue putting together the best shows possible.  There’s so much incredible music out there it’s almost overwhelming.  As much as I like putting together freeform shows, I see more genre-specific episodes in the future, as well as shows dedicated to one record label’s output.  With the summer coming up, it’s a great excuse to put more continuous mixes together as well.  The month of August will mark the third-year anniversary of Radio BSOTS and I’ve been trying to figure out how to celebrate.  Maybe I’ll unveil some “behind the scenes” recordings or audio collage craziness from my college days, who knows?  What’s next is more music, more episodes, and more reasons to spend your cold hard cash in support of talented artists so that they can continue doing what they love.