Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

Enjoy this guest post by Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR.

It’s been hard to wrap my head around making money with music in 2012. I speak to so many musicians who used to make a lot more, and now it’s time to re-think your approach.

Paying attention to the advice in this article could help you make more money this year. That’s my hope.

Marketing 101 – Your List

The first step towards this is back to Marketing 101 and a topic many musicians don’t like: building your email list and using it regularly. Communicating regularly and consistently with your fan base and then asking them for money only after you have built trust and rapport (when the time is right).

Artists tend to misuse their email lists by only reaching out to their fans when they have something to sell (a show, a new release, etc). Sadly, they never reach out to their fans for other reasons: to bond, share a funny story, or invite everyone out to the local bowling alley on a Tuesday night for a hang.

Every study on sales has proven one thing: People hate to be sold to (think about the “used car salesman” stereotype). However, people love to buy, and people always buy from people they like and trust.

That’s how great sales people sell – they create relationships with their customers, they know what their customers will want, and they stay in their customers’ hearts and minds till the customer is ready to buy.

My dear friend and Cyber PR artist Amelia Gewirtz, of Parents With Angst, sells real estate. Throughout each year she sends me thoughtful gifts that I look forward to receiving. In the summer she sends me a list of fun free outdoor concerts and activities around New York. At Christmas she sends me a Zagat Guide with her name printed on the cover.

I know MANY real estate agents, but guess who I recommend when anyone calls me asking for a recommendation? That’s right … Amelia! Read more about her music here.

Now you may be freaking out here a bit. You may feel like your fans are not customers in your mind. Your fans don’t “buy” from you and you do not consider them in that light – I totally understand this. But I am asking you to take off your artist hat for a minute and put on your business hat. The truth is: Your fans are your customers. They give you money to support your creative livelihood.

You (your music and your art) are a brand, and if you want to make money you should begin to think of your music and assets as if they were a product line.

Based on looking at it in this light, here are six questions to consider:

1) Do you have a large fan base to sell to?

This means:
A) An email list
B) An active Facebook community
C) Twitter Followers
D) Blog readers (and your blog cross posted on Tumblr, Twitter, Last.fm, Facebook)

I consider a real fan base a minimum (between all sites) of:
1,000 on your email list and
5,000 in your social networks

2) What is your product line?

Do you only sell CDs and MP3s?
Do you have assorted merchandise?
A fan club or monthly offerings?
Do you tell your mailing list you are available to play private events and parties or weddings or BBQs?

3) Are your monthly newsletters well designed, consistent and trackable?

Choosing a Newsletter Provider
There are many reputable newsletter platforms available. We have had very positive experiences with the ones listed below. These different descriptions will help you choose which provider will be best for you.

FanBridge
If you want more control over the HTML design, the contact list itself, etc., we recommend FanBridge. It’s very easy to import your existing contacts using an Excel file. They also make it possible to set up a “Fan Incentive” where fans can trade you their email addresses in exchange for music (e.g. an MP3, which is a phenomenal way to accumulate contacts). It is also possible to update all your statuses for FanBridge, Facebook, and Twitter from the FanBridge dashboard.

Nimbit
If you are looking for a one-stop shop for both your newsletter and your online commerce, Nimbit is the place. If you are ready to set storefronts on your homepage or on Facebook, we would recommend looking into what they have to offer. Do be aware that as of this writing, they take a 20% cut of all transactions through their storefronts (fees of this type are fairly common).

ReverbNation's FanReach
If you are already using ReverbNation, there is no reason to leave. They have a great service when it comes to newsletter management. They also have great widgets that may appeal to you. You can use it for full integration.

4) Have you asked your fans what they want to buy?

Interview them and ask! Your fans may want coffee mugs or yoga mats and, unless you ask, you will never know.

For Newsletters: Survey Monkey
Use www.surveymonkey.com to run a survey on your newsletter list.

For Twitter: Twtpoll
Use www.twtpoll.com to send a survey via Twitter

For Facebook: Polldaddy Polls
Use this app to send a poll to your Facebook personal profile or Facebook Fan Page!

5) Do you have another talent that your fans don’t know about?

Remember the story about Amelia who sells real estate?
Do you paint?
Do you write?
Is there another way you can make money that your fans may want to know about?

6) Can you create some sort of monthly program that your fans might pay a monthly fee for?

How about a live track of the month club or a special new song you are working on? Would your fans pay $2 a month for that? (That’s $24 a year per fan, and that can add up.)

Read all about how artist Matthew Ebel achieved this here.

Money Making Steps - Recap:

1. Build your email list!! Every day think about how you can inspire more people to subscribe to your list.

2. Communicate regularly and consistently using HTML emails.

3. When your list gets to be at least 1,000 strong, ASK them what they might like from you and how much they will pay.

4. Create products and fan clubs and house concerts to satisfy your fans!

5. Count your money $$ ... Cha-Ching!

Ariel Hyatt is the founder of Ariel Publicity and Cyber PR, and the author of Music Success in Nine Weeks. Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my free Buzz Factor ezine — the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the planet. Since 1995. Learn more about the free subscription here.


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This is a guest post by Kendra Wright (my assistant)

Every artist should be using online video as part of their promotional toolkit. That means you must set up a YouTube account (also known as a “channel”) if you haven’t done so already. And once in place, your channel must feature new videos on a regular basis.



Why? Because video allows you to connect with fans and potential fans in ways that other forms of media can't touch. People experience things through text differently than they do through audio. Video, which combines both audio and visual stimulation, impacts many people on an even deeper level – which explains why it’s such a popular medium online.

Many artists get excited about video, post one clip, and then move on to the next idea that sparks their interest. Or they have the misguided notion that traditional music videos are the only thing they should post on YouTube. Not true. There are many ways to use video to attract attention and communicate with fans. And, to make the most of your YouTube channel, you should post new and varied content to it every month.

To get your wheels turning, here are 11 ways you can start cranking out fresh videos to engage and increase your fan base.

Promote your live events. Do a quick video about an upcoming show to complement the fliers you post online and off. Share the basic details about the event, along with anything special fans can look forward to that will get them excited about the show. This is something you can convey through video that you simply can’t do with a poster or flier.

Give fans a peek behind the curtain. Take your fans on a trip behind the scenes. Let them in on the recording process, show them any fun preshow rituals the band has, or record unusual things you come across while on the road. Give them a glimpse of your musical lifestyle.

Announce breaking news. A simple text-based Facebook announcement is so old school, how do you expect to stand out in the newsfeed? Catch up with the times and release breaking news in the form of short videos! Have you picked a release date for the new album? Want to introduce your new guitar player? Crank up your Flip video camera or smartphone and give fans a treat.

Show off new merch. Sure, you can post a photo with the new T-shirt design. But maybe you could take that a step further and actual wear one and model it in a video! Have any cool stories about your new designs? Wanna do a silly commercial on why fans should buy your merch? Plain ole images are so predictable. Give fans a cool heads-up on the new products you have coming out via video!

Let your fans interview you. Encourage fans to send in questions and answer them on camera. It’s a quick and easy way to make your fans feel special (be sure to state their name as the source of the question), which will inspire them to share the video with their friends. Chances are, if one fan is curious about something, there’s another out there who wants to know too.

Talk about who you are when you’re not onstage. Fans want to feel like they know you. Being a musician is just one small part of who you are. Do you have special causes you rally behind? What other artists are you listening to? Who influences your songwriting? Have any great, positive insight on life that you want to pass along to fans? These types of videos specifically appeal to the niche of super fans who are interested in learning anything you’d like to share. But they are also a great way to show another side of yourself.

Make a video for every song. In a recent interview I did with indie music phenom MC Lars, he recommended that every musician make a video for each song they want to promote. Watch that video (in which Lars shares some great tips on how to make a living as a DIY artist) here.

Give video music lessons. Do instructional videos of how to play your most popular songs. Have any tricky tuning or chord progressions? Or, do you see your songs played incorrectly on a lot in covers? Give your musician fans cool insight into how to play your tunes straight from the fingers that created them them.

Document a goal. Are you trying to raise money through a Kickstarter campaign to pay for a project? Are you already in the process of recording a new album or EP? Have you challenged yourself to write one new song a day for 30 days in a row? Great! Use video to update your fans on where you are with the goal.

Remind people of the details and let them know how they can help. This is a great way to keep creating awareness on projects that stretch over a long period of time. If you only talk about your project or goal once, it may lose buzz and momentum before completion. Keep it on their minds via video updates.

Explain the inspiration behind your lyrics. The beauty of music is that we all get to interpret it through our own filters. What a set of lyrics means to you can be completely different to someone else. But it can be really interesting to hear what inspired certain songs to be written, or to find out how the story ended in real life. Share these insights about your songs with your fans.

Share cool moments with your fans. Did someone propose onstage at one of your shows? Did you capture any video of epic costumes at a Halloween show? Did a fan send you some amazing art? Find unique ways to highlight these moments, say thanks to your fans, and let others know just how great your fans really are!

Did I leave anything out? In what other ways can musicians use video to attract attention and connect with fans? I welcome your comments.

For additional reading on video marketing best practices, check out these links:

How to Make Your Music Video Go Viral: 10 Tips From Cee-Lo, OK Go & More

9 Video Marketing Mistakes to Avoid Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my free Buzz Factor ezine — the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the planet. Since 1995. Learn more about the free subscription here.


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Just to make sure you have a firm grasp on what's ahead in 2012, here are more trends to be aware of from seven more awesome musicians and experts.

You can read Part 1 here.

Ariel Hyatt - President of Ariel Publicity, Founder of Cyber PR
www.arielpublicity.com
www.twitter.com/cyberpr

1. Staying Positive and In Gratitude Will Help Tremendously
Before I make any music marketing trends and predictions for 2012, here's a good place to start ...

Remember: Success in today’s quicksand-like music business is HARD and takes WORK. Getting into a negative, overwhelmed and angry place will directly affect your success. I’ve seen it now thousands of times in 12 countries. The artists I know who manage to stay positive and who are grateful for the little wins and the small miracles are happier, more successful, and go farther than their counterparts who let it all get the best of them.

2. Music Subscription Sites (Spotify, Rdio, Rhapsody, Deezer MOG, Slacker & Rhapsody) Will Continue to Take Over
These subscription-based streaming sites are great for music consumers and not so great for artists. To stay ahead of the pack, smart artists are going to have to come up with clever ways to incorporate their music and sharing on these powerful platforms that have music consumers going gaga. Sadly, this will mean less revenue from sales of music but could provide great opportunities for discovery-based creative marketers.

3. Be Mobile
It’s been on the horizon for a long time but smart phones are getting smarter, app developers are getting more nimble, and options more affordable. Smart musician marketers will need to have a mobile strategy moving ahead.

4. Get Back to Basics
Let’s never forget, it all starts with the greatness of your music and live show. But social media overwhelm, more apps, mobile trends and new fandangled opportunities will keep cropping up all of the time. Smart musicians should be focused on the basics:
1. Your website – Is it clear and consistently updated?
2. Your mailing list – Is it growing? And are you sending regular communications?
3. Your products - Are you still offering music only? You better not be.

5. Direct to Fan
I’ve been blogging my “In Defense of 1,000 True Fans” series for years. I won’t stop because this is the way that you can still achieve your goals. Is it easy? No. Is it fast? No. Does it work? YES! The smartest artists know it’s all about one-on-one fan building with authentic engagement every step of the way.

6. Fan Funding / Crowd Funding
I know a lot of artists say it makes them feel like carnival barkers, but fan funding is a wonderful way to make money. Of course, you need to have a loyal base of fans to achieve it (see #5).


David Hooper – Host of Music Business Radio
www.musicmarketing.com
blog.musicbusinessradio.com
www.twitter.com/davidhooper

It will be more important than ever for acts to be doing live performances in order to connect with people and break through the vast amount of "noise" coming from the Internet, smartphones, and other entertainment options. Technology is great, but the pendulum is swinging in an anti-technology direction, as more and more people are discovering, despite having thousands and thousands of "connections" on Facebook and Twitter, they're more lonely than ever.

In short, people want to connect with others on an authentic level and experience something that doesn't involve a screen. A live performance is the perfect solution.

With that said, mobile phone technology and the growth of social media will make it easier for people to combine "real life" things, such as going to see musicians play live, with their online lives. Musicians who understand how to engage their audiences to take advantage of things such as sharing photos, audio, and video online will benefit tremendously, especially when they've developed a real world, offline community of people.


Cari Cole
www.caricole.com

2012 should prove to be a very interesting year. We’ve seen the fall of the album, the discombobulating of the old structures and new ones trying to form. I would predict that this year will be about artists connecting direct with fans, more on this on all fronts. From website and marketing restructuring, less mystery, the walls will come down, as more direct one-to-one connections are made.

I also foresee smaller venues for fan-based crowds only and fan supported records and tour support. Less about the glory of mega-fame, and more about the intimacy and appeal of mini-fame, less pockets soaking the pie, and more interdependence.

It’s a new time, and a very exciting one, if we can all keep perspective and our eye on smaller spheres. People want to come together, to be a part of something with each other. It’s about professional camaraderie and community – the result from how we affect each other’s lives. Bring it on, 2012 will be a year to be remembered.


John Oszajca
www.musicmarketingmanifesto.com

1) As the music industry continues to find its way in a dramatically changing marketplace, I believe we will see the continued shift from a "purchase model" to an "access model." Low ticket continuity programs will safeguard against illegal downloads and increase the connection (and longterm profitability) between artist and fan.

3) We will see a dramatic increase in the merging of platforms. For example, sign up for a mailing list and simultaneously link your Facebook account, or opt in to receive text message alerts, and so on.

2) Direct response marketing will become an increasingly popular promotion method among musicians. It's often said in marketing circles that it's the "benefit" that people pay for, not the "features." The same is true with music. People don't want a "download," they want an "experience." Understanding that, the right direct response marketing campaign will allow artists to convert cold traffic into sales, just like every other market in the world. This is something that has been missing from music and I see rising in popularity in 2012 and beyond.


Wes Davenport
www.wesdavenport.com

In 2012, I believe the importance of mobile and location-based technologies will take off beyond the simple check-in.

Mobile technology will give artists tools to have a fully realized portable business. Look no further than the food truck movement. Budding restaurateurs used geosocial technology to thrive in 2011, and independent musicians will do well to take cues from them in 2012.

Artists will more efficiently manage funds while on the road. Setting up and purchasing from mobile storefronts will become more frictionless with NFC technology and products like Google Wallet and Square.

As location awareness becomes more prevalent and seamless in mobile technology, artists will be more in tune with where fans are. The places you love say a lot about who you are. So if fans are able and willing to share geosocial info, musicians can perform and interact with their fans at the places their fans love the most.


Scott James
www.independentrockstar.com

In 2011 I really started to see a lot more constructive discussion amongst musicians about how to actually make money. I expect that trend to reach a new level in 2012. With people like Bob Baker, Ariel Hyatt and John Oszajca leading the way, marketing for indie artists has become a more mainstream discussion that more and more people are getting involved in.

A lot of people have been outspoken about how the sky has been falling ever since the advent of the MP3. I think most people have gotten over that sentiment by now and it's at the point where the prevailing attitude is getting more constructive and there's more hope for artists who want to make a career as a musician.

Internet marketers had the blueprint figured out ten years ago. The problem is that internet marketing has typically attracted a very different personality type. Most internet marketers speak a different language than musicians and use strategies and tactics that would simply feel wrong to an artist.

As we start to look beyond that we can see that they do have a lot of things figured out that musicians would be wise to learn from in 2012. In fact, I think that as more creative people learn some of these principles they'll actually produce some ideas that traditional internet marketers can learn a lot from themselves.

I recently worked with an artist named Ali Handal to build a series of automatically generated emails for her mailing list subscribers. Instead of being over-the-top and trying to shove her CD down people's throats, we decided to use email to do some real engaging and relationship building in a way that was both fun and authentic.

In the emails she tells interesting and funny stories about her career and experiences and about making her CD. By the time she actually offers her CD (on the ninth email), her fans already feel like they know her and they've heard all kinds of amazing things about what went into creating the CD.

She's sold way more CDs than we could have hoped for, her open rates are consistently excellent, and she gets emails all the time from people who love her stories. This is the kind of thing we can expect to see more of in 2012. More optimism, more efficiency, more relationship building, more effective marketing, more fulfillment, and more money.


Chris Rockett
www.promoteyourmusic.net

Here are two things that my clients and I will be going big on in 2012:

1. Online fan clubs - you deliver all your new music and videos into a private membership site and fans pay for access. There will, of course, be different payment levels for people who would like access to more content.

2. Musicians making money through ads - my experience is that one of the biggest problems musicians face is actually getting fans to pull out the cash and buy something. So why not skip that step! Just focus on producing the best music and most interesting content that will attract lots of hits to your site. Then you just put a simple Google Adsense banner in the sidebar of your site, and every time someone clicks the banner, you get paid. Not a massive amount, but it all adds up.

Google Adsense will probably not pay your rent, but it’s easy to set up. The real concept here is that you attract the eyeballs and then advertising companies pay you for a share of your hits. This is how most popular websites make money, so your fans won’t think it’s strange to see an ad or two for something cool.

The reason I love both of these models is that they simplify the process for you and the fans because everything is delivered online at no extra cost to you. With the ads, you don't even have to sell anything!


As always, I welcome your comments!

Bob

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Before we leave 2011 completely behind us, here's a look back at the best posts from this blog over the past year.

Even though there are a lot of fine posts here, I see that my blogging was a lot less frequent in 2011 -- something I plan to remedy in 2012 as I simplify my life and business and get back to basics. And I do feel more frequent posting would benefit you and me.

So enjoy this look back at 2011. Happy New Year!

Where Passion Meets Profit - How to Make Money w/ Your Music


Your Story: A Powerful Way to Connect with Music Fans


The Surprising Truth About Making a Living with Music in 2011 & Beyond


The Essential Music Website Marketing Ingredients


Artist Career Breakthrough: Your Current Reality Is Old News!


Funny Songs: How to Use Humor to Connect w/ Fans


Shift Happens: A Story of Frustration & Opportunity


5 Facebook Music Fan Page Mistakes


7 Ways to Destroy Your Music Career - The Video


The Jonathan Coulton, Amanda Hocking Success Formula


Facebook + Bandcamp = I Had No Idea You Could Do This!


Google+ for Music Marketing


Google+ Hangouts for Music Promotion


How to Sell & License Cover Songs, YouTube, Pomplamoose & More


Don't Let the Bastards in the Door! The Cure for Economic Doom & Gloom


How to Talk to Your Fans Using POV


Two Questions That Can Help You Sell More Music & Merchandise


Did any of these posts in particular inspire you? I welcome your comments.

Bob

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It's that time of the year to compile a list of music marketing trends and predictions for the new year. So get out your crystal ball, ouija board, or whatever you use to predict the future. Of course, educated guesses and common sense also work here :-)

This year I turned to some of my favorite people in the music world and asked them for their best advice on how independent artists should prepare for 2012. Here are the first five responses. Read Part 2 here.

Brian Felsen – President of CD Baby
www.cdbaby.com

The music industry is changing so rapidly that it’s difficult to predict which trends and services will prevail in the year ahead, but here are a few things we’re seeing:

- Streaming companies such as Spotify will continue to gain traction, so sharing music online will be more important than ever. Musicians will have to find new ways to encourage fans to share their music without sounding like they are begging.

- As there is no shortage of new content being created, it will continue to be challenging for an artist to cut through the noise. Although release-frequency will be higher than it was ten years ago, with EPs and singles dominating the market, there is still plenty of room for the release of an album as an event.

- Monetizing music will continue to shift to ancillary sources of revenue. Sync licensing of music for uses in traditional broadcast media, film, and on YouTube will pay the bills for many musicians. (In fact, some of our artists have sold thousands of albums in a week after getting a sync spot on a minor show – and that’s in *addition* to the actual payment for the spot itself and the publishing royalties that will come in as it’s replayed!)

The non-digital aspects of music, such as for vinyl, tapes, CDs, live shows, events, appearances, collaborations, and merch will continue to offer musicians new ways to make money. And direct-to-fan sales will coexist with “traditional” online retail outlets to offer places for consumers to find, hear, and purchase music.


Michael Brandvold
www.michaelbrandvold.com

Mobile - Mobile has been hot for a couple of years, but I think in the next year you are going to see mobile becoming your primary source for creating content and engaging with your fans. You need to see your smartphone as something as important to your career as a guitar or microphone. Your smartphone is your new computer and it is how you connect with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and your website. Your smartphone is the tool that is going to capture photos and videos that your fans are waiting for you to post to your social networks and website. Get a smartphone and start getting comfortable.

Facebook Commerce - I thought that 2011 was going to be the year of Facebook commerce. It didn't completely take off, but 2011 set up Facebook commerce for 2012. Artists need to think of commerce differently on Facebook than they are used to on their own website. Commerce on Facebook has the potential to be so much more powerful than traditional commerce. With all the social aspects of Facebook, your fans will become your best sales team, and they will do it at your request. But, you have to lead them. You have to think of your products as news, as information worth sharing. You need to ask them to share your products. Lead your fans to help sell your products.

Being Overwhelmed - This is an unfortunate trend I have seen growing over the last year and it is not going to get any better in 2012. Artists need to get their career and life organized and in order if they plan to take on the DIY challenge. There are so many social networks, tools and services out there that becoming overwhelmed is very easy if you aren't in control. You don't need to use every website, every social network. Prioritize where to spend your time: Your website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Those four are the most important. If you can get them in control, then look at expanding into other services. Don't fall into the trap of signing up for everything and then not using anything.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. By this I mean that the core fundamentals of music are still the same. Playing live and building a fan base. Everything that is coming in 2012, all the new technologies, new tools, new applications, new sites … none of it will replace a fan base. And one of the best and most consistent ways to build a fan base (along with improving your music, I might add) is playing live. Get out there and do shows. Treat them all like a major gig to a sold-out audience. Work each show with a plan and a purpose. Use everything available to you online to help you build, manage and engage with your fan base.


Michael Laskow – Founder and CEO of TAXI
www.taxi.com

We've all chuckled at the Sham Wow guy's pitch in his commercials. But he says something profound in his pitch that should be noted by all marketers, whether you're selling widgets or your music: “It practically sells itself!”

Before you worry about marketing your music, make sure you've got music that “practically sells itself.” If your songs are so good that one person tell another, then marketing becomes your way to pour more fuel on the fire.

My prediction for 2012 is that more musicians will become keenly aware that they need to make a product - their music - that is SO good, they will actually have something that IS marketable. Great songs practically sell themselves!


Brian Thompson
www.thornybleeder.com
www.thediydaily.com
twitter.com/thornybleeder

2011 was an extremely important year in the evolution of the music business, digital media, and the opportunities available for the indie artist and entrepreneur.

One of the most notable developments in 2011 was the beginning of the mainstream acceptance of digital music subscription services. Spotify clearly led the pack but was backed by strong competition from Rdio, MOG, Slacker and Rhapsody (and Deezer in Europe).

We also saw deeper integration of mobile devices into the lives of everyday people. What was once thought of as toys for techies are now commonplace. Virtually everyone is now walking around with full-featured, Internet-enabled smartphones in our pockets, equipped with amazing cameras and instant access to the Web, digital cloud services, and all of the social media networks which our culture has become addicted to.

2012 is going to see a continued convergence of these trends into our lifestyles. A digital and connected life has become the norm, replacing almost all of the old ways we used to consume media.

Mainstream acceptance of streaming music, social media, social recommendation apps, social sharing, cloud computing, and everything-mobile has created the perfect environment for artists to get their music heard and to create a meaningful community of passionate fans.

A year from now we'll be much further along in accepting that people no longer want to buy digital album downloads. Music fans want to simply stream their music, having everything available no matter where they may be or what device they're using. By embracing this fact as the Future Of Music, artists can now focus on building their music career outside of focusing solely on iTunes or Amazon sales.

The spotlight will continue to shine brighter on the successes of direct-to-fan marketing and the selling of limited-edition physical goods (scarcity).

2012 will be a year of opportunities for any artist who isn't afraid to embrace all aspects of the digital lifestyle. The artists who win will be those who aren't afraid to take chances and be creative in the online world.

This is the year to go for it. Build your online community and crush it like no other artist around you. Embrace crowd sourcing, fan funding, and direct-to-fan marketing. Build your websites and social profiles, invest time in them and create relationships with your fans. Be creative and try new things using the endless array of digital tools that are now at your disposal.

By focusing on where the music fan is going, not where they've already been, you'll be able to carve out a niche for yourself that's all your own.


Bruce Houghton
www.hypebot.com
www.musicthinktank.com

1) As the shift from buying music to renting (subscriptions) accelerates in 2012, artists and the industry must adjust their marketing efforts to also encourage discovery and the play of both new releases and back catalog.

2) As people consume more music and information on mobile touch screens running on multiple platforms, how we deliver and market music must also change. 2012 will see an explosion of mobile friendly sites alongside artist and album apps.

3) The rapid fall of MySpace and rise of Facebook serve as powerful reminders that in 2012, an artist’s own website and email list are still the hub.

4) Direct-to-fan. Direct-to-fan. Direct-to-fan.


What do YOU think of these music trend predictions? What would you add? Please comment and add your ideas!

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If you're not selling as much music merchandise as you'd like, you might be neglecting to ask these two important questions ...

Question #1
What products, services or artwork are your fans most enthusiastic about?

Maybe your fans are really interested in more limited-edition merchandise or hand-screened posters made by members of the band. But you keep trying to sell them cheesy looking beer koozies.

Think of how your grandma goes shopping for you. She thinks you'll love that new sweater vest, but in reality, if she just asked you what you wanted, you'd be getting a leather jacket.

Your t-shirts might not be selling because you're offering sweater vests instead of leather jackets. Sure, just like grandma, you had good intentions, but few people are really all that interested.

The best way to find out what your fans want is to ASK THEM what they'd be willing to buy!

Feedback from your fans may very well inspire fresh ideas for new merchandise you hadn't thought of before. Your goal is to offer something of value that they want - to fill a true need that your fans have.

Action step: Post an online survey with a few t-shirt design ideas and see which one your fans like best, then print that one.

Warning: Always print a short run of any new design, despite how people vote in your survey. I can tell you from experience that what people say they will do in a poll (which simply reflects their intentions) can be quite different from the actions they take in the real world.

The only thing that matters is how fans end up voting with their dollars. If they don't actually BUY the new thing you offer in sufficient quantities, let it go and try something else.

It's all about experimentation and not being attached to an outcome. In other words, don't try to force feed your fans something they don't really want.

Question #2
What do fans buy from other artists that you could do better or create with an original twist?

Yes, you should also be looking at what other successful artists (as well as cool companies) are doing with their merch selections. I'm not talking about ripping off their ideas. But observing what items are working for others might inspire a spin-off idea you can uniquely make your own.

One band that is always blazing new territory with merchandise sales is the Flaming Lips. Recently, Wayne Coyne and company released new songs on USB drives that were embedded in bizarre objects like Gummy Skulls and strobe light toys.

Check out this Hypebot post for more examples of how the Lips push the boundaries and give their fans new merchandise options.

Of course, your merch ideas don't have to include skulls. But can you take an idea like it and adapt it to your own style? Can you find interactive ways to spread the news to your fans about limited-edition merchandise?

The goal here is to create conversations with your tribe of supporters and show them that their input is important.

Besides, they can only wear so many sweater vests.

Have you asked your fans what they want, or have you been shoehorning them into grandma's sense of fashion?

-Bob

P.S. This post was partially inspired by this "How to Turn Website Visitors Into Customers for Your Creative Business" post by Mark McGuinness. And thanks to Kendra for her valuable input on this post. Get more tips like these when you subscribe to my free Buzz Factor ezine — the longest running music career tips email newsletter on the planet. Since 1995. Learn more about the free subscription here.


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