Music Business Archive

Book Review: Hack Your Hit: Free and cheap marketing tips for musicians

By
Scott
 – January 14, 2012Posted in: Music Business
Book Review: Hack Your Hit: Free and cheap marketing tips for musicians
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5 out of 5 amps!

The thing that stands out most when reading Jay Frank’s Hack Your Hit: Free and cheap marketing tips for musicians is his desire to really help musicians succeed. He works to use his own, vast experience, as well as those that he has worked with or helped in the past, to bring this wonderful collection of marketing ideas and tips (“hacks”) to musicians everywhere. The short, punchy chapters offer a great way to present the material in a way that is accessible to anyone. Though Hack Your Hit targets musicians, most of the strategies in this book could be used by anyone looking to get their product to work successfully on the market – especially in today’s world of social networks and digital media. (I’ll be using these hacks to help my writing career for sure.)

Jay Frank uses both successes and failures to prove why his ideas should be implemented. This really helps to show his knowledge and experience – the impetus for writing the book. It feels he has gone through the same struggles as all of us who have tried to get our names out there.

To date, this has been the easiest-to-read marketing book I have encountered. It is written with musicians in mind. This is evident in the use of short, manageable chapters that quickly break down the “what,” “how,” and “why” of each hack. Most musicians don’t want to read a lengthy book on marketing even when they know how necessary marketing is to their music careers. Each “hack” is explained in less than 5 pages, so now there are no excuses.

There are over 40 hacks throughout the book and each one is doable by any band with the desire to be a hit. The only semi-confusing thing is what a “hack” means. Hopefully by reading this review, you get the impression that a “hack” is basically an idea or strategy that if executed will help you to carve your way into the music industry.

It probably can’t be said enough, but Hack Your Hit brings up one of the main drives that should be behind any band: “Live and breathe your music, on and off stage.” Picking up a copy of Jay Frank’s Hack Your Hit is a great first step into the world of marketing in the music industry. With over 40 hacks, there is plenty for a band to do on and off stage no matter what stage you are at in your music career.

Book information:
Frank, Jay. Hack Your Hit. Futurehit, Inc. Nashville. 2012. www.hackyourhit.com.

PRO tips on Performance Right Organizations

By
Scott
 – December 22, 2010Posted in: Legal aspects of the music business, Music Business
PRO tips on Performance Right Organizations
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One of the first steps in getting your band’s business in order is to register with one of the Performance Rights Organizations (PROs). PROs are one of the most important weapons in your arsenal when it comes to getting paid for your music being played. The primary job for these groups is to collect royalty fees for your band, but they also provide music industry contacts and free or low cost seminars. Most are free to join, so the real decision is not if you will join a PRO but which one.
There are 4 major PROs that you need to know about, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and SoundExchange. You can only be a current member of one of the first three, but everyone should join the fourth, SoundExchange.

SoundExchange ensures you get paid for digital performances, like having your music played on Pandora or Satellite Radio. If you want to learn more about SoundExchange, check out this in-depth article about what SoundExchange is all about. An interesting aspect of SoundExchange is they collect money for digital performances even if a band has not registered yet. You may already have money waiting for you.

Choosing a Performance Rights Organization that is right may take a little research.

“[PROs] are the most misunderstood parts of the industry,” Tracie Verlinde, from BMI, said.

PROs have the very important job of finding when and where your music is being played so that they can collect royalties on song-writers and publishers. ASCAP and BMI are the most noted of the bunch, with SESAC only holding a small percentage (1% in 2010) of the artists and songs on the market.

Each PRO offers basically the same services. Most of the time the PROs are working directly with publishers on when, where, and which songs are being used, then paying out the collected licensing fees.

PROs are not going to dump piles of cash on you. If your songs are only getting a few plays a week on a local station, you are looking at a few cents. If you have an outside publisher, that gets split in half. If you are operating as your own publishing company, you’ll have to do much of the leg work yourself. Take your time with these decisions.

Verlinde said the PRO she works for, BMI, was started in 1939 to collect royalties for blues, country, jazz and other genres of song writers that were not covered by ASCAP. Yet now it’s not uncommon to find every genre of artist on all three PROs in the U.S.

ASCAP & BMI, the two largest PROs, are both non-for-profit and relatively easy to join. If you are a songwriter, BMI is free to join, and you apply online. ASCAP has a $35 application, but it is only a one time fee. ASCAP accepts online applications too.

SESAC is a for-profit company and have a reputation for working closely with their members. SESAC is also selective when it comes to memberships, so getting in may not be easy.

According to SESAC, “Unlike ASCAP and BMI, SESAC utilizes a selective process when affiliating songwriters and publishers, resulting in a roster of affiliates who have personal relationships with the SESAC staff. In short, SESAC’s creative staff provides affiliated songwriters and publishers with a level of service and attention unparalleled in the industry.”

It’s possible to work and record with musicians from other PROs. And you can always resign from one PRO and join another, but your old music may stay with the previous PRO.

When you choose a PRO your best bet is to contact a representative from each one, and ask how they could help your career. Each offer services beyond collecting royalties, like song writing seminars and industry contacts, so make sure you find a PRO that cares about your music.

What is a producer’s job in the studio?

By
Brett
 – December 13, 2010Posted in: Interviews, Music Business
What is a producer’s job in the studio?
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Recently we talked with Shock City Studios recording engineer Tony Esterly, and he described what a music producer job is in the studio.  Esterly records bands with and without producers, but successful recordings need someone to guide the process along and make tough decisions. This can be a achieved by someone in the band, but it’s better to find someone who is not too close to the music.

What is the first step to recording your band in a studio

By
Brett
 – November 27, 2010Posted in: Interviews, Music Business
What is the first step to recording your band in a studio
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Tony Esterly, an audio engineer at Shock City Studios in St. Louis, gave us a tour of the largest live room in the Midwest and sat down with us to talk about the recording process for all levels of bands. In this first video, Esterly talks about the most critical aspect of a great recording, pre-production. Pre-production will save your band time in the studio, so you can save money. It will also help your engineer and producer do their jobs better.

In the next few weeks we will share more of Esterly’s great tips and advice on getting the most out of a recording without breaking the bank.

DIY music placements in TV shows and more

By
Brett
 – November 2, 2010Posted in: Legal aspects of the music business, Marketing, Music Business
DIY music placements in TV shows and more
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Music placement is when your music is licensed to be used in a movie, TV show, commercial, video game, or anywhere else you might hear original music. There are few things more exciting than getting paid to have your music placed, but getting paid without having to share the profit is even better.

If you are an independent band making a few waves, eventually someone will tell you they can get your music placed somewhere. It sounds too good to be true. And in the music industry, when it sounds too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.

If someone offers to place your music, but they don’t require a contract, you should walk away. If they ask you for money up front, run.

There are legitimate placement agencies out there, like YouLicense, that can get you placements. The blog Passive Promotion has an excellent post, from musician Helen Austin, on getting placed with help from a third party. Austin has had great success, but it took her years to get to where she is today. Placement agencies are a valuable resource, though they are not the only option.

Music placement DIY

Recently we talked with Carrie Hughes, a music supervisor who places music for TV shows like “The Hills,” “Project Runway” and “From G’s to Gents.” She said she often deals directly with bands, managers and publicists.

Hughes said she rarely works with placement companies, due to problems in the past. Some placement agencies have signed contracts, but they did not have the proper rights to the music.

Hughes finds music a lot of different ways, from going to shows, checking out new music on top music charts, and even the piles of CDs that get sent to her every day.

“I get anywhere from 20-100 CDs on a given day,” Hughes said.

If you want to stand out, you need to do your homework. “Really do your research. Find all the shows on television [you are interested in] that use music…that really feature music. Then research who is the music supervisor on that show,” Hughes said. “Then really focus on the kind of music they use on that show, and make sure that your music fits that show.”

One of the best resources we have found for finding members of the music department for a TV show is IMDB. We looked up “The Hills” and then clicked on the link Full Cast and Crew, there was a section for the music department. We were even able to find Hughes resume, which included contact information.

But before you start calling every music director in L.A., make sure you follow these guidelines we put together from talking with Hughes.

Tips to dealing directly with a music supervisor:

  • Get Your Rights. Make sure you have the rights to have your music placed. If you are a completely independent artist, this should not be an issue, but once you starting signing deals with publishers and record labels, things can get complicated.
  • Do Not Lie. Don’t tell them your song would be perfect for a show when it is not. According to Hughes, not only does this waste her time, but she now knows you have no idea what they are talking about.
  • Research. Explain what attributes of your song work for the show. If the last 30 seconds of the song is the best part, let them know. And if you can tell them what mood the song works best with, that’s even better.
  • Don’t Be A Pest. Music supervisors are busy, don’t ask them the same questions twice, and don’t call them every week asking if they want to use your song.

MySpace launches redesign with focus on entertainment

By
Brett
 – October 27, 2010Posted in: Music Business
MySpace launches redesign with focus on entertainment
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MySpace launched a redesign today. According to the website, the new focus is on social entertainment. As we have shown, MySpace is making a lot of new features for bands. Yet one of the changes we want, an update to MySpace Friends and Family (MySpace Records), has not launched yet.

If you want to learn more, Mashable took a look at the new MySpace, or you can check out this video.

It is time to use MySpace’s new band profiles

By
Brett
 – October 22, 2010Posted in: Marketing, Music Business, Rookie bands
It is time to use MySpace’s new band profiles
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The new MySpace band profiles (sometimes called MySpace 3) have been available in Beta for months. MySpace is close to fully releasing the new system, so now is the right time to switch to the new artist profile.

According to MySpace, eventually, all profiles will be required to use the new profile settings, but for now you can switch between the new and older versions. Don’t wait, you will be pleasantly surprised at the new package.

This new format features a lot of upgrades. Among the most practical upgrades are the ability to feature up to 25 songs, great new layout options, and a new easy-to-navigate artist dashboard. This dashboard gives a lot of great info on how fans, and other visitors, are interacting with your MySpace page.

To help get you started, we spoke with MySpace HQ’s James Rocchio to talk about the new profile and additional tools available to artists. In this discussion, Rocchio mentioned that the new music profile was largely designed by listening to feedback from bands of all sizes on how to improve MySpace. According to Rocchio, there are two great tools that bands should be using to maximize their profiles: MySpace HQ and the Profile Design Video Tutorials.

The video tutorials are a great start for learning how to create a new profile, while MySpace HQ is a how-to beast. It is not just for designing your band profile, it is a guide to making the most of your band’s online presence. There are articles on promoting your band, learning about the new artist dashboard, and they even feature profiles of the day.

MySpace HQ has only been active for a few months, so it is not super deep in articles, yet. But they are adding content every day, and they are syndicating content from great musician blogs like Musician Coaching.

If you can’t find the information you were looking for at MySpace HQ, you may want to checkout the new MySpace forums.

How will the new MySpace artist profile change your profile? We’re betting for the better.

image by flicker.com user Kevin Dooley

Your Band needs a Facebook Group NOW

By
Brett
 – October 7, 2010Posted in: Links, Music Business, Rookie bands
Your Band needs a Facebook Group NOW
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Like almost every aspect of Facebook, there is no financial cost to adding a Facebook Group. So if you have a few minutes, why not create a group for your band?

Why do you need a Facebook Group?

Your personal manager, touring manager, or just the band member in charge of booking shows needs to know when members are available and to keep everyone in the loop. There are lots of tools out there for getting a band organized including BandCentral, Indie Band Manager, Manymoon and Google Docs. But there are two big drawbacks, most have a monthly cost, and even the free ones require everyone in the band to register and use the program.

Managing your band with Facebook Groups is far from perfect, but it’s likely everyone in your band uses Facebook daily. In fact, every person, band and venue your band interacts with probably uses Facebook.

Treat your band like a business.

The biggest peace of advice I hear from industry professionals and successful bands is “treat your band like a business.” What does that mean? Well, it means  get organized. You have a lot of people, money and time to manage. Creating a Facebook Group for your band allows everyone in the band to stay connected, and give their opinion on what is happening.

Facebook Groups for bands

How to use Facebook Groups.

When you click on your group from the left-hand navigation, you will be able to see what is going on in your group just like your personal friend feed. Within the group there are two categories to help you get your band organized; Event and Doc. You should create a document for all of the bands contacts, financial situation and goals, and you should put all of the upcoming shows and street team events in here as well.

Use Facebook to make your band better

The one other advantage of Facebook Groups is that it allows the band to communicate in a way in which everyone is familiar. Take advantage of a tool that everyone uses for keeping up with friends, and turn it into a tool to make your band better.

More info on the changes to Facebook Groups.

CD Baby is working to get indie bands Ping artist profiles

By
Brett
 – September 25, 2010Posted in: Music Business
CD Baby is working to get indie bands Ping artist profiles
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We are finally getting back into the swing of things after our great experience at the 2010 PLAY:stl music festival. We have a lot of great info, but first we wanted to share what we learned from our new friends in Canasta. CD Baby is working with bands to get them artist profiles on Apple’s new social media arm of iTunes, Ping.

Matt Priest, the lead singer for Canasta, forwarded us an E-mail from CD Baby on what the band needs to do to get an artist profile on Ping. According to CD Baby, they have started working with Apple to add profiles. There is a high demand from independent bands to register, so the process could take several weeks.

To get the process started Canasta was asked to provide iTunes with the following information:

1) Artist Name:
2) Record Label (primary repertoire owner; can be artist name if appropriate):
3) EMAIL (person setting up account):
4) NAME (person setting up account):
5) EMAIL (artist or management; can be same as person setting up account):
6) NAME (artist or management; can be same as person setting up account):

There seems to be no cost for starting an artist profile, so go ahead and contact your CD Baby account representative. And be persistent. The process for creating a Ping account is so new one representative at CD Baby told Canasta they could not get an artist profile.

Image courtesy of Apple.

Record contract basics, terms and explanations

By
Scott
 – September 9, 2010Posted in: Music Business
Record contract basics, terms and explanations
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Record contracts exist for two reasons:

  • To make sure that your band will deliver what it promises and…
  • To make sure that the record company is going to make money.

The record contract has been a driving force that has motivated bands since the beginning of the recorded music industry. Since getting a record deal can be the most pivotal point in your band’s career, you need to make sure that you know what you are getting into.

Regardless of what label you sign with, here are a few basic terms that will most likely be in your contract:

  • Term Length – This means that you will be held under the terms of the agreement for a specific period of time.
  • Required Recordings – You will have to deliver a set number of recordings. This could be a number of songs or a number of albums.
  • Advance – This dollar amount will be in the contract. An advance is paid prior to the recordings, but is paid back to the record company out of your royalties until they break even.
  • Royalties – The amount you will get paid for each record sale.

Other aspects that are fairly common in record contracts are:

  • Merchandising and Video Rights – This part of a possible contract identifies who holds the rights to merchandise or videos produced. The practice of the record company getting a piece of your merchandise sales is a growing issue in the industry due to the new 360 deals.
  • Production Recoupment – There could be deductions taken out for producer costs or other related costs. Be careful with this one, because it could mean anything from the producer costs to food and drink provided to you during recording sessions. This is money that will come directly out of your income.
  • Going Concern – You might see a clause about what happens if the band breaks up during the contract term period.
  • Co-Publishing – You may have to sign a co-publishing deal with the record company. This means that they will be part owners of your songs. Again, this is becoming part of the 360 deals.
  • Options – Allow the record company (or you) to get out of the contract (usually after the first album) if they or you see fit.

Keep in mind the record company wants to get the most out of your band and retain you for the longest period they can. You want to get the most out of the record company while keeping your options open for better deals.
As with any contract, there is going to be some give and take. Prepare yourself properly, and better yet… hire a lawyer.

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