Ariel Publicity

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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Podcast: http://greatunknownspresents.com

MusicMagazine: http://greatunknownsmusicexpose.com

The Great Unknowns Presents is a weekly music/talk show designed to spotlight new music artists from the unsigned and independent industry.

Each episode is a music showcase dedicated to one artist. The artist has the choice to be a guest on the show with a one-on-one interview with the host.

In conjunction to The Great Unknowns Presents is Great Unknowns Music Exposé, a feature music magazine with one-on-one interviews, music reviews, and advice for indie artists.

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

A) My podcast started as a hobby really. Originally, it was a class project for my journalism class. The podcast option was open to several ideas and I wanted to come up with something that would showcase my talent as a radio host, but also provide a service. Since radio is over done and played out by the “mainstream payola giants”, I wanted to feature artists that no one has heard of. If people had heard of these artists, I wanted to re-introduce these artists to other people. What started out as a mere college program turned into something much greater.

When I received an invite from Ariel Publicity and after I had won two prestige’s awards for best college podcast, I realized that this was more than just a project and I took it to the next level and I began to track my track statistics. With the help of Ariel Publicity, I began showcasing unsigned artists and I moved my show from a free podcast hosting site to a pay site for better quality and for more storage space. Since my very first show, I have been constantly improving my format and it has paid huge dividends and I created a huge following that went from 300 listeners per week to nearly 2,500 listeners per week. When I placed my podcast on iTunes, that was a major catalyst for the shows success and it has grown to a 40,000+ listening audience which is continuing to grow at a rapid pace.

Q) Why do you believe new media resources (i.e. blogs, podcasts, internet radio stations) have become so popular?

A) Blogging, podcasts, and internet radio stations are the waive of the future. Musicians cannot rely on print media, magazines, YouTube, and MySpace alone. If an artist wants to service in this ever changing market, one must take advantage of every media outlet possible. The media giants like MTV and Rolling Stone Magazine are struggling to meet the demand against the free media and not every musician has a label to back them and pay their way to the top of mainstream media. Many web-goers go to Google and type in an artist name, and at the top of the list is more than likely a YouTube and MySpace site, under those results are interviews from bloggers and podcast shows like my own.

Almost every artist that has appeared on my show is in the top 5 on Google search, so having an interview with myself on a featured article in addition to a guest spot on podcast shows like mine, are detrimental for every musician to adhere to in today’s industry. If they don’t embrace the opportunities that are out there, they may be doomed to fail.

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) When speaking of Media 3.0, we are referring to applications with iPods, iPod touches, and PSP gaming systems, etc. I am already making preparations to these new technologies. I already have an RSS feed which is compatible with almost any device and my show is set up with Viigo which is an application for PSP, iPhones, Blackberry, Droids, and other portable devices.

In the coming years, vehicles will be equipped with internet access and will be able to access this same technology on their multi-media systems. Eventually, analog radio will go away to adapt to this growing technology, so listeners can tune into their favorite podcast shows. Whatever changes that may arrive, I am open for change. We have to adapt to the ever-growing and every-changing technology that comes our way.

Q) What does an artist have to do to get your attention?

A) This answer is pretty simple. To get my attention, they just have to have good product (their music). I get inbetween four to eight invites to listen to an artist’s music per day. Just recently, I attended a pre-Grammy award mixer in Los Angeles and I was invited to listen to a performance by newly signed hip-hop artist that just signed with Universal Records. I was recently listed in the Indie Bible and my show will be featured in the 12th edition which will be available this coming December. I’ve already had a huge response from those who subscribe to the online publication, plus I get invites from a number of independent labels to bands from local bar asking me to feature them in my podcast, so it is not hard to find me.

Q) Are their specific characteristics that you look for?

A) Not really. To be fair to everyone, the music speaks for itself. I try not exclude anyone and I listen to everything that comes my way. I think I have a good ear for music and my listeners tend to agree with me. If it sounds good and I know people will listen to it, I don’t object to placing them on my show. I have made a few bad judgement calls in the past based on my statistics, but this is a rare occurance..

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

A) I want to continue to provide a service to the artists that appear on my show and provide a service to my listeners. People tune in week-in-and-week-out for a reason…because they know to expect a good line-up on my show and I’ve been pretty consistant. My listeners that follow me on Facebook tell me how great my show is all the time. I don’t play anything that I myself wouldn’t listen to. In conjunction to my music publication, Great Unknowns Music Exposé, I want my audience to be well informed about all the artists that appear on my show. Together with my podcast show and my interview articles, I hope to give artists the spotlight they deserve for making great music, even if it is only one listener at a time.

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http://jaycast.mevio.com

The Jaycast. Take your Ipod on a trip! Escape to a world of comedy banter, toilet humour, and the best in new unsigned Rock Podsafe music. Join Jay and Mr D  in a british podcast that is:  “The world of the JC”.
The Jaycast Podcasting Live from “The Jaycast House Milton Keynes UK” every fortnight!

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

A) The Jaycast is a British based Music & Comedy podcast playing the best in new unsigned, indie and Podsafe Rock and Pop music on the net, The JC tis a blend of two guys doing guy stuff, sharing silly stories and jokes mostly geared towards toilets and life. Lets think of it of it as an escape from the real world for around 30 to 40 mins and Jay’s world is pretty weird.
The show is hosted by Jay and Mr Downtrodden Jay’s manic depressed room mate. Jay of course is a constant source of amusement and ridicule for Mr D. Jay revels in his love of SiFi TV shows, mainly Battlestar Galactica, and hopes one day maybe just maybe he will meet a Cylon, preferably the blond one. The show was formed on November 5th 2005 mainly inspired by the Lynn Parsons Chalet Show, Top Gear and of course the Source Code by Adam Curry. Jay has had an interest in radio from an early age and New Media has given him a chance to annoy not only truckers on the CB radio but now the entire internet. So why not check us out for yourself every fortnight your Ipod wont know whats hit it.

Q) Why do you believe new media resources (i.e. blogs, podcasts, internet radio stations) have become so popular?

A) I believe Podcasting, Blogs and Internet radio are so popular these days simply because there is no diversity in “Lame” stream radio. Music tends to be manufactured with singers using auto tune, wheres the talent? We believe the real talent lies in Podsafe music, its diverse and it is real. Podcasting is a great way to promote this and is proven to sell records and real talent enthusiasts want to hear. However I also believe that in order to promote new talent you need to mix it in with the classics. That helps to keep the interest for the new stuff. Its great promoting a new talent but some times you need to throw in something people know. It is such a shame you cant spin Brother Love along side Pink Floyd without a huge law suit. If we could then Podcasting would really take off.

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) New Media 2.0 has changed the way artists communicate with fans greatly, It has become very personal and you can get to email an artist directly. Subscribing to artists blogs ensures you know exactly when your favourite band is giging and when the next album is out without the wait. The next step for new media 3.0? Let podcasters also promote the rock legends then sky is no longer the limit. Its just north of Watford.

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

A) To get the attention of the JC you just need to sound great and pack a rockin good tune. We like to start with a fast rock track, steer you round to a tuneful pop number, then add a little more rock and end on a nice ballad or “Ceiling Burner” as we call it, one where we can get the lighters in the air. Oh and nice legs we like nice legs and Mr Downtrodden likes female bass players apparently.

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“The In-Crowd” is an inside look at crowdfunding, with Ariel Publicity Artist Phil Putnam and RocketHub.com co-founder Brian Meece.  Each Monday, the boys are giving us an honest look at a crowdfunding project in action and dish on how things are going each week.

What is crowdfunding?  Find out here.

What does it look like?  See here.
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WEEK 7:

44 days in, 31 days remaining.  $3,753 raised (38% of the $10,000 goal), $6,247 needed.

Phil Says:

Songs About You is at a point that has felt far off and surreal up until this moment: there’s one month left until the deadline.  This snuck up on me, mostly because I’ve been thinking of the timeline in thirds and I know that the middle third always feels the longest and most difficult.  Well, it was difficult, but it just flew right by and now I’m on the precipice of the last leg of the journey.  I’ll be honest, there is a sense of relief due to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  This experience has worn on me more than I anticipated, in ways I didn’t imagine it would.  The relief isn’t the lone sentiment in my heart, though.  I’m excited by the possibility that this could still work, that all the money could be raised.  It feels like a long shot, but it’s still in the realm of reality.

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www.womenofsubstanceradio.com

Featuring female performers who deliver vocal excellence, depth of character, and lyrics that leave a lasting impression.

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

A) Women of Substance Radio is a streaming, online radio station which airs 24/7 on the Live365 Network. Our tagline is “Whether you’re a label artist or an Independent, if you’ve got great music, you’re on Women of substance Radio.” Substance can be defined as “significant quality with the implication of a hidden or special significance.” Music of Substance is not just entertainment or fluff, but has an essential “core” brimming with heart, soul, and spirit. Women of Substance Radio plays music by female performers who deliver high quality music that speaks to the listener through vocal excellence, depth of character and emotion, and lyrics that leave a lasting impression.

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Indie on Air! & Music in Action w/ host “Classic”
The Voice of Independent Music featuring industry professionals & great indie music.
Indie on Air! broadcasts live every Friday 12:30pm CST from Chicago via the BlogTalkRadio platform
Music in Action broadcasts live every other Wednesday 2:00pm CST from Chicago via the BlogTalkRadio platform
Both shows are available 24/7 as an archive immediately following the live broadcasts.

www.blogtalkradio.com/indieonair
www.indieonair.com

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

A) I actually host 2 Internet music shows under the Indie on Air! banner. The original Indie on Air! is a weekly 1 hr show that features an interview with an industry professional and also great indie music from various artists within different genres. My second show is Music in Action, which is live bi-monthly and is also a 1 hr program. However, on this show I feature indie artists who are using their God-given talent to help others & increase awareness of specific social causes. This is a more in-depth interview where I play only the music of my guest and discuss their personal involvement in the issue at hand.

My inspiration to start both these programs came from following my heart & doing what I love. Plus, I believe it is a natural progression of my career path as I have managed venues as well as produced music events for many years. I have a degree in Restaurant, Hotel & Institutional Management from Purdue University.

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 liken new media resources to On-Demand TV. People want to read, watch & listen to what they want, when they want. Specifically most Internet radio shows are archived and available 24/7. This, obviously, allows greater flexibility for the listener.

The Internet itself has opened the entire globe as a potential target market for artists. A few of my guests have developed a niche for themselves overseas after being heard on the net. My shows themselves have a pretty decent fan base from the UK & Eastern Europe though I broadcast from Chicago. Therefore, my industry contacts have increased greatly since the inception of the shows.

The only detriment I can see is you may have to weed through unprofessional blogs, shows, music, etc. to find quality material. However, in my mind, the hunt is half the fun.

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) The “I Want it Now” reality in which we live leads me to believe that internet TV & live events broadcast via the internet will flourish. Also, mobile phone applications will improve to view & listen to events. This will allow one to sit on the beaches of Southern California & watch or listen to a live event in New York, London or wherever. It is all about convenience for the consumer.

I truly feel that Media 3.0 will reflect the aforementioned capabilities but in a more global & socially responsible sense. I envision communications being instantly translated to allow immediate & direct responses between individuals from different countries & cultures. Media 3.0 will help break down communication barriers & usher in a new global cohesiveness & understanding. With that in mind, I feel all the people of this planet will come to realize we are not that different. Then, we can focus on addressing social concerns & natural disasters in a more “globally aware” sense. People will learn that they need not rely on their governments or mainstream media so much. Entertainment, music & technology will be the bridge that brings the world together as one. In fact, it is already happening.

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

A) I tend to look for artists who are professional, polite & hard working. They must be timely with their responses to inquiries but also do as requested. If I ask for mp3′s, don’t send me mp4′s. However, I am just as apt to play music from a new teen band as a touring band. Excitement, enthusiasm & common courtesy go a long way. Another strong factor is a song needs to grab my attention quickly. I listen to so much new music it can be overwhelming at times. But, overall I am very easy to contact. Interested artists should submit “mp3′s” (lol) to me @: greenplanet219@yahoo.com.

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

A) Number 1, I hope to make people smile. I love to introduce my listeners to new artists they would probably never hear otherwise. There is nothing I like more than one of my listeners thanking me for introducing them to someone new.

Number 2, I hope my shows inspire others to follow their hearts & do whatever they love. Specifically, I hope Music in Action inspires artists to use their creativity to help others.

Personally, I hope the shows lead me to a larger platform, so I can reach even more people around the world. I also would like to work directly with an indie label or network that shares my visions & thoughts on music & where the industry is headed. We need more positive messages & programming in our On-Demand world.

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