Ariel’s Top 7 Facebook Apps for Musicians
Do you have a fanpage but still not sure how to make it pop?
Here are six Apps that will set you on the right path, help you to stand out from the pack and keep your fans engaged and interested in you on a consistent basis.
Cyber PR Holiday Fundraiser: Musician Participants
As our way of celebrating the holiday season, we want to work with musicians to raise money for musicians in need, and contribute to the future of creativity and music! We are thrilled to announce our First Annual CYBER PR 2008 Holiday Fundraiser
Here are our Holiday Fundraiser musician participants and the charities they are raising money for!
You can download any of their Christmas song for your site and find out more about the participants here:
http://www.arielpublicity.net/clients/2526
Jana Mashonee – Grammy Nominee -Charity: Jana’s Kids
Song: O Holy Night – Jana Mashonee
http://www.janamashonee.com/
Jana’s Kids is a 501(c)3 organization that helps Native American youth achieve their dreams through it’s programs and scholarships.
308 Boyz -Charity: NOAHH – New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity
Song: What Do You Want for Christmas – 308 Boyz
http://www.myspace.com/the308boyz
The Musicians’ Village is providing local musicians and other qualifying partner families the opportunity to own a home in a thriving community of committed individuals and families.
Brett Ryan Stewart/ Wide Eyed Sleeper -Charity: Musicians on Call
http://wideeyedsleeper.com/
Musicians On Call uses music to promote and complement the healing process for patients, families and caregivers. Musicians On Call, a nonprofit organization formed in 1999, brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. Musicians On Call uses music to promote and complement the healing process for patients, families and caregivers.
Tom St. Louis -Charity: Sleeping Children Around the World
Song: Christmas Morning – Tom St. Louis
http://gmsiamovie.wordpress.com/
Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) donations provide bedkits to children of any race and/or religion who will benefit the most; typically being located in underdeveloped and developing countries.
Andrew Hand – Charity: World Hunger Year & Musicians on Call
Song: Peace to the World – Andrew Hand
http://www.andrewhand.com
WHY is a leading advocate for innovative, community-based solutions to hunger and poverty. WHY challenges society to confront these problems by advancing models that create self-reliance, economic justice, and equal access to nutritious and affordable food.
Carla Lynne Hall- Charity: Songs of Love Foundation
Songs: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Carla Lynne Hall
Come Home for Christmas – Carla Lynne Hall
http://www.rockstarlifelessons.com/
Non profit organization that provides a personalized song for children and young adults with life threatening illness.
Chris Huff- Charity: National MS Society
http://www.huffmusic.com/
The National MS Society is a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now—to move together toward a world free of multiple sclerosis. MS stops people from moving. National MS Society exist to make sure it doesn’t.
Larry Johnson- Charity: NOAHH – New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity
The Musicians’ Village is providing local musicians and other qualifying partner families the opportunity to own a home in a thriving community of committed individuals and families.
Moist Paula Henderson – Charity: Sweet Relief
Song: Holiday Expectations – (Moist Paula Henderson) SECRETARY feat. Big Boss
http://www.myspace.com/moistpaula
Sweet Relief provides assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.
Anthony Taylor – Charity: MusiCares & NOAHH
The MusiCares Foundation, Inc., was established in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn, in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, its primary purpose is to focus the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues which directly impact the health and welfare of the music community.
Cyber PR Holiday Drive Social Media Partners
We want to send a BIG thank you to all of our new media friends who helped us get the word out about our Cyber PR Holiday Fundraiser
Lou Plaia of Reverb Nation was able to place our Holiday Drive on every page of ReverbNation.com!
http://www.reverbnation.com
Thank you to Jason Tippitt with Pod Across America and The Mental Nomad Podcast
http://podacrossamerica.blogspot.com
http://mentalnomad.libsyn.com
Thank you to Bond of Bonds Big Leather Couch blog
http://bondsbigleathercouch.blogspot.com
Thank you to Allen Sale of Astral Audio Productions
http://www.astralaudio.net
Thank you to Rod G of Blockhead Radio
http://blogtalkradio.com/blockheadrod
Thank you to Zack Daggy of the Mothpod Podcast
http://holidayz.zackdaggy.com
So – as you know I am a newsletter evangelist! I believe it is the NUMBER ONE thing that will help you create a career in the music industry. Communicating with your fan base regularly and consistently. If you do not already have a schedule mapped out for sending your newsletters – get your calendar out NOW and pencil in 12 dates – 1X per month (I suggest you send your newsletter 2X per month but start with once a month and grow from there). Studies show that the best days to send newsletters (for the highest open rates) are Tuesdays and Wednesdays so make sure to send them out mid week.
Here are 5 critical things to keep in mind as you are crafting your newsletters:
1. Keep Your Subject Line to 55 Characters
Most e-mail programs cut off the subject line after 55 and 60 characters, so keep your subject line short and sweet, and to the point; five to six words max.
2. Get Personal
Saying something personal brings you closer to your fan base. So share a photo of something you love (your pet, your kids, your friends), or something fun and non-music related you did recently like a vacation.
3. You Don’t Have To Have A Show To Send A Newsletter
How about just inviting everyone on your newsletter out for drinks evening, or to join you for a show, or share something fun that you’ve done recently; again, or maybe you just purchased a new album and you love it, and you want to talk about it.
4. Mailing Address & Unsubscribe Link
Know that by law you need to put your mailing address and an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each of your newsletters. If you are uncomfortable adding your home address, then open up a P.O. Box and use that.
5. First Names Get Attention
Use their name. The best way to get anyone’s attention is to include their first name in the subject line of an e-mail, something like this:
Hey Kevin! Summer News From the Darrin James Band.
It’s catchy, and it gets people’s attention immediately to the subject of your e-mail. Bandletter can help you customize your e-mails so that your first names of your e-mail list appear in the subject line. Testing shows that the response rates will go up 50%-70% or more if you include first names.
The Indie Maximum Exposure List is Ariel Hyatt’s manifesto on how indie musicians can realistically profit from Web 2.0 & social media. 