Ariel Publicity

In this brand new blog series, CyberPR artists have a unique chance to get some answers from gurus on the cutting edge of the music industry. Not only do we want to showcase those who are doing some great work; we also love the idea of stumbling upon some fun new insights from the perspective of the artist. Today’s real answers come courtesy of CyberPR artist Pheroze and Dave Cool of Bandzoogle. Enjoy!

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P: You reach a decisive proposition at the end of your 2006 documentary, “What Is Indie?“, which explores the notion of defining oneself as an indie artist in the music industry. Now, 6 years later, do you think the definition you attained is still conclusive or has it changed?

DC: The funny thing about the conclusion of the film is that it was very much open-ended. I think being independent still is today, maybe more than ever, about being in control of your own career. With the lines between what’s a label/indie label/major label now even more blurry, I’m not sure it really matters anymore. It really comes down to having control over your own career, whether you’re unsigned, signed to a small label, or signed to a larger label.

P: In the days of MySpace dominance a lot of artists were content to place the full efforts of their online presence into their MySpace page in lieu of their own website. While people have largely moved away from

MySpace, I’ve noticed a lot of today’s artists are still doing the same thing by putting a large percentage of balance on general social media like Twitter and Facebook and music specialized social media sites like ReverbNation or SoundCloud. Do you see any kind of recurrence of abandonment of these networks similar to what happened with MySpace? What can social media networks do to stay relevant to an artist’s long term career and how can artists keep on top of the shifts?

DC: I think that we’ll continue to see social media sites come and go. Many argue that Facebook is quickly losing its significance because it has simply become too big/too noisy/too buggy, just like MySpace was, and I don’t disagree with that notion. And unless they find a way to get people to spend time on their platform, I think Google+ might come and go very quickly. Then there’s Tumblr, and now Pinterest gaining a lot of traction.

But this just reinforces what we talk about a lot on the Bandzoogle blog, which is the need to have your own website. When artists spent several years trying to gain as many friends as they could on MySpace, many of them were probably lost if they weren’t getting those fans signed up to their mailing list or driving them back to their website and developing a stronger connection with them there.

As for staying on top of the shifts, I’m not someone who believes that every artist should jump onto every new social media site that pops up. You should definitely sign-up to new services to reserve your name in case you do decide one day to use that account, but you need to spend time where your fans are. Right now you could probably get away with simply being on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. There have been some success stories with artists using Google+ to gain attention for their career, and early adoption of new services usually brings in success stories like that, but you can call me a Google+ skeptic, as I just don’t think is gaining significant traction, at least not yet.


P: Services like Ustream offer artists a way to live stream their shows with pretty basic equipment creating potential for a hybrid of an in-person and online experience for fans. Are there any creative ways that you would suggest that an artist can bring their website and social media into their live show?

DC: Definitely, and you just mentioned one yourself, which is to live stream your show. You can send people to Ustream, but you can also embed the stream on your own website, so that way fans can interact with you on a site that you control, and where they can sign-up to your mailing list and learn more about you.

As for social media, there are lots of ways to interact with fans during a show, the easiest being through Twitter. I’ve heard of bands setting up a #hashtag for their show so fans can react to each other during the show, or other bands taking requests live from fans through Twitter. You can also post photos throughout the performance using an app like Instagram and sending it to your Twitter & Facebook.



P: Bandzoogle enables an artist to easily create their web presence and customize it to their ‘brand’. Are there still web best practices that you feel an artist should know even when using Bandzoogle?

DC: Oh yes, there are lots, and we regularly blog about website best practices. But the most important page of your website is probably your Homepage, where most people will land on your site. For your homepage you’ll want to have:

- A great header photo
- A streamable song and/or video
- A short bio
- A call-to-action (to sign-up to your mailing list, download your latest song, shop at your online store, etc.)
- Latest news: a few of your latest news items or blog posts
- Links to your social media profiles

With these 6 elements in place on your homepage, you’re giving yourself the best chance to keep fans on your site and exploring more about you and your career.



P: What are ways an artist can use to gauge the health of their online presence?

DC: I think the first step you can take is to do a quick Google search. Your website should be first, then your social media profiles. With your website, you can take a look at your analytics and see what the bounce rate is for your homepage. If a lot of people are leaving quickly after getting to your website, then you might want to think of tweaking the design or having a better call-to-action, which is the one thing you want people to do when they reach your site (could be to sign-up to your mailing list, download a new MP3, visit your online store, etc.).

With social media, again it can be a numbers game, but not necessarily quantity. If you have 1000 likes on Facebook but nobody is reacting to/commenting on/sharing your posts, then you might have to think about your messaging and re-tool your strategy. On the flipside, if you only have 250 likes, but are getting lots of feedback/comments/likes, then you’re doing great and should just slowly keep building your following.


P: How did you reach out and meet the people you interviewed in “What Is Indie?” and what were their reactions to the finished documentary?

DC: I honestly just sent people emails. It was mostly musician friends of mine to start off with, and after we had filmed a bunch of interviews, we cut a short trailer. Then I started emailing the trailer to people who I didn’t know so they had an idea of what the project was all about.

I think most of the people in the film enjoyed it, but like with all artistic works, some enjoyed it more than others, and some not at all. But some people really championed the film to their networks and helped it reach so many more people than it would have, so I was thankful for that.
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That’s all for today! We’d like to thank both Pheroze and Dave Cool for this interview. Did you learn anything that you found interesting? Let us know in the comments!

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Some of the best tools to promote your music can come (free!) straight from the Internet, however sometimes diving into the world wide web can be scary. What blog site should I use? What do I write about? Is anyone even reading what I’m writing?? No need to fear anymore as Cyber PR teamed up with MicControl’s very own Jonathan Ostrow to create a bi-weekly panel of bloggers that are kind enough to share some valuable insight on the blogosphere, the music industry and more.

Every other week we will address different topics that artists might have in regards to blogging. Picking the brains this week of Jen D. Rafanan from A Million Watts of Sound, Gary Hill from Music Street Journal and Kevin Allen from Song Revelation, they’re here to ease you into the world of blogging as this week’s topic is:

Ways For Musicians To Blog Effectively Without Being Self-Promotional

We encourage any feedback you may have and feel free to ask any questions of your own! What topics do you want see covered in this series? This is all about YOU, the artist, so tell us what you want to know and we’ll find a panel to answer your questions!

Jen                                    Gary                                        Kevin

1. What should musicians write about on their blog?

Jen from A Million Watts of Sound: I am a total behind-the-scenes kinda gal and love stories. Not just the stories told within the songs, but stories about the artists’ life. How they got to where they are. What inspires them. What doesn’t. A funny anecdote from a tour. A cool experience with a fan. Stories connect people. Musicians that write little stories like this on their blog, make me more interested and invested in both them and their music. These are the artists I find myself more drawn to. Whether it’s a story I can relate to or not. As long as it’s from their perspective, the insight into the artist and music is fascinating. Once that connection is made, it’s a pretty solid commitment from me. I make more of an effort to promote that artist however, whenever I can. 2 of the only 3 artists I have supported on www.kickstarter.com for help with an album or tour were CyberPR artists. In a difficult economy, part of what did it for me is the connection I have with them. Though I am fortunate to have gotten to know them through CyberPR, they are artists who definitely share stories and their experiences with their fans. So, yeah…promote your album or latest single, but definitely include STORIES!

Gary from Music Street Journal: The key to writing an effective blog is to make it interesting. For a musician that means, don’t rehash old stuff, but try to throw new angles on old information or put completely new stuff out there. While it’s never a good idea to be intentionally untruthful in a blog (or any promotion) it’s always good to highlight the positive and ignore or at least downplay the negatives. Choose news to publicize carefully. It’s not a good idea to talk about a musician leaving the band until a replacement has been found. Then, focus on showcasing the new person and mention the other person leaving only as means of explanation. And, NEVER trash a former band mate, manager or other person in a public forum.

2. How can artists use a blog to build their mailing list?

Kevin from Song Revelation: Maybe use an autoresponder with a signup form. (Perhaps use this to link to some free music or access to members area after they enter your email). If you’re just starting out & don’t have much buzz I think a better way is to be proactive than expect people to want to sign up to something they know nothing about.

3. Where should artists be promoting their blog?

Kevin: Personalise your approach and get to know people with a similar interest & aspirations to yours. Therefore I suggest maybe actively targeting people that you like and see if you can work together for promotion. I think that if you have great content people will come back for more so in a way viral promotion, by word of mouth (and this is free). Personally, I’m not a huge fan of using paid for site SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) tactics, such as link building & directory submissions when starting out due to the costs involved.  Also, you can’t quantify realistically what you’re getting for your money.  If you’re interested in adopting a holistic approach to search engine optimization perhaps buy a book on the subject to learn what its about.

4. What makes a great blog post?

Gary: The key to a great blog post is revealing information that’s not available elsewhere. In particular, if there are questions that fans keep asking over and over again, writing about them at length in a blog posting is a great idea.

5. How can you make your blog post more searchable?

Jen: Get it auto fed through numerous venues. I like using www.posterous.com (as mentioned in question 2) Use a feature like, addthis to make sharing your posts easy once they are read. The more it is shared, the more your blog will be easy to discover.

Kevin: Don’t use flash on your site. Use simple HTML then everything can be indexed easily by search engines. Also this helps for iPad and iPhone users since they can’t see flash anyway.

6. How often should you update your blog?

Gary: While it might seem like the best idea would be to update a blog frequently, it really doesn’t make sense to post a blog when there’s nothing interesting to write about. If you put out blogs every day, or once or twice a week and many of those blogs contain nothing that people find interesting, they’ll stop reading. The rule of thumb is, only blog when you have something important and interesting (and that means important and interesting to your target audience, not just to you) to say. Don’t waste your time and risk turning readers away by posting trivial stuff that no one wants to read.

7. What are some key rules for blog writing etiquette?

Jen: Be honest. Be genuine. Be original. Above all, just be yourself. Write about things you would maybe like to read about. Spell check is always a good thing. Make sure your links work too.
If your link is really long, use a site like www.bit.ly, shorturl.com or tinyurl.com to customize and shorten it. Much easier on the eyes!

8. How do you get fans to interact with you via your blog?

Jen: While some post comments, most fans of my blog email/message me directly. Whether it’s artists, pr/marketing, fellow bloggers and music lovers, etc. I’ve made some pretty cool friends from the direct contact. I love when I hear from someone who discovered and now follows my blog. I love reading about how they came across it and that they have shared it with others.
Speaking of sharing, there is a feature at the bottom of each blog post that allows the reader to share what they just read, to all the social media venues (fb, twitter, digg, etc.) That comes in handy. I use it a lot when I visit artists’ sites, because it is so convenient in sharings posts in other venues. (http://www.addthis.com/ I briefly mentioned this in question 7.)

Kevin: Comments on your blog posts are always an option but spammers are a problem too. I’d say from personal experience 95%-99% of blog comments are people trying to link build (SEO) as opposed to people genuinely interested in your article. The most important thing is to have a ‘contact me’ page so people can send you a personal message quickly and easily. To engage fans, friends, companies, etc. I like to just email, text and call people directly. Since you’re more often than not discussing an interest you both share, you have a great starting point!

Here are some examples of artists who follow these tips!:

Hotels & Highways

Mixtapes + Meltdowns

Tom Goss

The On Fires

John Brodeur

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http://www.cincygroove.com

http://www.twitter.com/cincygroove

Q) Tell us a little bit about your blog. What inspired you to start it?
A) I have always had a strong interest in music ever since my first concert I attended back when I was 16.  I bought the domain name for the site back in 2005, knowing that I wanted to start my own site someday.  I knew there were things about running a music magazine web site that I didn’t know, so I did some photo and review work for various music magazine websites to learn what to do and what not to do.  I ended up wanting to go shoot a lot more shows than I could get credentials for, so I decided to take more control over my own career.  Since I had been a concert photographer since 2000 I had built up a lot of contacts.  So when I started the website it made it a lot easier for me to get interviews, press passes to shows etc…
Q) Why do you believe new media resources (i.e. blogs, podcasts, internet radio stations) have become so popular? How have they been beneficial to artists? How have they been detrimental?

A) I think blogs, podcasts, and Internet radio stations are so popular because anyone can start their own blog or record their own podcast.  It gives the band from a small town in Nebraska the same ability for exposure as a more popular band say in Chicago.  Once something is posted it has the potential to be viewed by anyone in the world.  Just 20 years ago only artists such as U2, Madonna, or Metallica had the ability to reach that many people.  That’s the beneficial part.  The detrimental part is the fact there is too much out there for your senses to comprehend.  But overall I think these new media sources are a very good thing.  With anything new there are growing pains.

Q) Media 2.0 has changed the way artists communicate with fans. Where do you envision online communication going next? Any thoughts on what Media “3.0” will look like?
A) I often think about what is going to happen next.  It may sound silly, but I can see people putting on some sort of helmet where you will be in a virtual holographic environment where you can talk with someone face to face.  Something even more exciting would to be able to virtually attend a concert in the same fashion.  I have no idea how that would work, but it sounds like something that could become reality.

Q) What does an artist have to do to get your attention? Are their specific characteristics that you look for?
A) Really to get my attention, sending less is better than sending a lot of info.  When I get physical press kits, a cd, a one page bio, and a photo is really all that is needed.  I tend not to look at press kits with 20 pages of reviews etc..  I get so many at times I don’t have time to look at all that stuff.  When I get emails from artists, just telling me a little about the band along with a link to their website or myspace page is enough.  I am open to all genres of music, whether you are in a bluegrass, blues, or heavy metal band.

Q) What do you ultimately hope to accomplish with your blog?
A) Ultimately I hope I can help some artists gain some exposure while having fun at the same time.  I like working with local bands here in Cincinnati just as much as doing an interview with a national artist.  By working with national and regional artists I hope I’ll be able to help as many local artists as I can, no matter where they are from.

Podcast Info – I have titled my podcasts, “Cincy Groove Live”.  I try to record audio from every concert I go to.  So each Sunday I plan to feature 3-4 songs from a concert I attended in a podcast.

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http://popstereo.blogspot.com/

Located in Florida and/or the UK, POP! Stereo has been subjecting readers to their warped taste in music for almost three years.

Their mission is simple, to share with their readers/listeners the music that they love themselves and the music that needs to be heard by the masses. They’re here because they believe in good music!

Q) Tell us a little bit about your site. What inspired you to start it?

A) The origins of The POP! Stereo evolved out of the weekly party known as POP! at Eclipse which was started in the Summer of 2006. Dedicated to bringing the masses the best of new and old indie and dance (or as the kids called it back then “disco”) the night took off providing a forum for new music through release parties and samplers. As time went on, it became apparent that something should be done to provide the punters a constant source of new music. That’s where The POP! Stereo comes in. The POP! Stereo was originally started in April 2008 as the companion blog to POP! where by visitors to the party could go home and download the music they just heard at the bar. By December 2008, the weekly had come to an end but the blog took on a life of it’s own. Now over a year later, The POP! Stereo attracts more visitors from outside of the States than inside and is updated daily with fresh content and tracks.

Q) Why do you believe new media resources (i.e. blogs, podcasts, internet radio stations) have become so popular? How have they been beneficial to artists? How have they been detrimental?

A) Blogs and the like have taken off, I think primarily because they’re so easy to set up and start. Since the startup cost is minimal anyone that has a computer, an internet connection and an ounce of creativity can set something up be it a blog, a podcast, or streaming internet radio. The trick is maintaining consistency and deciding whether or not you’re in it for the long haul or the short term.

As for the benefits…These sources of media propagation have allowed artists and fans to connect in ways that they’ve never been able to do before. Thanks to technology, bands have the ability to cut out the middle man completely and retain control of just about every aspect of their career. We’ve seen how several artists have gone from being a small band to being bigger than sliced bread in a matter of months (as opposed to the standard business model) thanks to technology and the ability to spread their message with ease. See Little Boots, Black Kids, and even Lily Allen as perfect examples of artists who owe some part of their success to the Internet.

While the ease of technology has allowed bands to spread their message rapidly, technology has also flooded the market with so much music, it’s impossible to keep track of it all. I think the main problem with this ease of propagation is that quality control has been pretty much been chucked out the window. Now, every band that has a bandcamp/purevolume/myspace/

facebook/etc profile sets themselves up as being the next big thing when in all honesty so they are not. For every Black Kids there are 30 bands that aren’t good and never will be no matter what the blogosphere says.

Q) Media 2.0 has changed the way artists communicate with fans. Where do you envision online communication going next? Any thoughts on what Media “3.0” will look like?

A) One word really…Mobile. I think within five to ten years you’ll pretty much be able to do everything you can do on a PC through your phone. We’re already starting to see the possibilities and it’s only going to grow.

Q) What does an artist have to do to get your attention? Are their specific characteristics that you look for?

A) It’s really simple to get my attention…have a tune. If you can write a song that’s as catchy as the flu then you have me. It doesn’t have to be complicated or technologically advanced it just has to be good. Thanks to DJing on and off for 20 years, and having to think on the fly, I can usually tell whether or not I’m going to like something w/in 30 seconds simply by the structure of the song.

Q) What do you ultimately hope to accomplish with your site?

A) To become a consistent and reliable source for new music. It all harks back to our mission which is to share with our readers/listeners the music that we love ourselves and the music that needs to be heard by the masses. We’re here because we believe in good music.

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http://www.astralaudio.net

Q: How can contemporary artists make more money on the internet?

A: Models like what Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Mark Mosher have given potential buyers a choice of what a particular song or album should be priced at. Their success along with keeping things drm free encourages fans to obtain works from the artists. Perhaps if artists gave fans the chance to rate individual songs or the entire album as a whole, then a higher rating could mean that fans are more likely to purchase the work. An option would be to cap the price at around $15.00 for the CD and $5.00 for the digital download. If the rating goes down, the cap should be lowered along side this.

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Most People Are DJs - www.mostpeoplearedjs.com

“Indie pop and skewed Intellect” is a weekly podcast and sometimes videocast that features music, interviews and opinions.  Most People Are DJs takes it’s name from the song of the same name by the Hold Steady and features the lyrics “Everyone is a critic and most people are djs.” The show is in it’s 4th year and is on it’s 200th episode.

Q: What has to be done in the technological sense to monetize music to a greater degree on the internet?

A. Stop with the DRM! I get 90% of my music from eMusic, because they have a great selection and no DRM. I have an iPod, a Creative Zen, and iRiver music devices plus I DJ as well, I need music to move around all of these and DRM just kills it for me. The other part is people just have to continue to get more comfortable buying digital music.

Q: Where do you see the next trend in social media? What else can be done in terms of having an online conversation? What is the next “What are you doing?” question?

I’ll be honest, I actually see there might be a backlash against social media. I’m still struggling with understanding the full purpose of social media. Social media is my way of creating new relationships and taking them offline or rediscovering old relationships. The next “What are you doing” question should relate to “what are you doing away from the computer that is contributing to improving the planet’s wellbeing”.

Q: What inspired you to start broadcasting/blogging? It that still your source of motivation?

A: The ease and the DIY sensibility of Podcasting that reminded me of the “hey day” of DIY zines back in the 80’s inspired me. You’ve got this group of people that want to communicate to the masses in their own, original way and podcasting is best delivery tool yet to get it done. I’ve had lots of other ideas about starting a new blog etc. but, I always come back to Most People Are DJs and the podcasting community.

Q: What are some things bands can do to get your attention to be featured on your broadcast/blog? Do you ever cover a band that you are not particularly fond of musically ?

A: Bands can listen to my show and email me tracks to mostpeoplearedjs@gmail.com. But, please listen to my show or read a few of my show notes first. After doing that you’ll catch on pretty quickly that I am not a DJ who plays “everything.” I’m pretty sincere with my show in only playing music I really like, which fits somewhere along the lines of “indie-electro-pop” with some “shoegaze” thrown in for good measure. There are lots of other shows with “free for all” formats and that’s fine for them but I always wanted people to be able to identify my show with a certain type of music that goes along with it.

Q: Will major labels ever be the gatekeepers again, or have they lost all of their power to the internet forever? Can they somehow return to prominence?

A: I’d say a large majority of the music I listen to for the last 20 years is not on major labels. They don’t really bear much importance with me. I’d like to see more bands figuring out their own path to promoting and releasing music. The bands that have done this successfully, i.e. Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, etc. seem to reach a level of real satisfaction with who they are and their position in this music world for years to come. If you want to read a good book on major labels and working for one, check out “Rock On: An Office Power Ballad” by Dan Kennedy.

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