With all the self-promotion tools available to DIY artists, the bottom-line goal with all of them is simple: get your music noticed. Get your act on the radar with as many people as possible, both consumers and industry professionals. The question is how to do it–and despite what anyone might tell you, there’s no single formula to get it done.
Photo: Jenny Rollo.
Let’s cut to the chase: as a DIY musician, you want to make money from your music. That doesn’t just mean paid gigs; it also means music sales. If you’ve recorded anything (which you should, if you’re serious), you want to sell records. (Unless, of course, you’re some richy-rich heir doing this as a hobby.)
Despite what digital technology and illegal downloading have done to record sales overall, it is still possible for you to make at least some money by selling your music, even if you’ve given lots of it away on the front end to build name recognition. I know of at least one guy who draws in thousands of dollars a month in digital downloads, just from instrumental piano music. It’s not easy, but it can be done.
There’s something rather intangible that we look for in musicians, that thing that gives them their “star quality.” Sometimes we call it the “X-Factor” (which is the name of Simon Cowell’s new talent show); I sometimes refer to it as the “oomph” (which is what I’ve named my other blog). But whether or not you think you possess this intangible quality, there are things you can do to stand out from the throng of mediocrity. For lack of a better term, I’m calling this the “WOW” Factor.
These days, one key way for indie artists to get exposure is to generate Internet buzz–to get your name and music in multiple places here on the Interwebs. And one way to do that is for music bloggers and other reviewers to review your record and write about it on the web. The trick, of course, is to get the bloggers’ attention so he/she will review your work. As many of you already know, I write a music blog myself (besides this one) called The Oomph Music Blog, and it wasn’t long after I started writing it before my email started getting flooded with submissions and press releases. Obviously, I do not write about everything I receive. If you’re trying to get your music out to the blogosphere, I thought it would be helpful to lend a blogger’s perspective, and give a little advice as to how to go about it.
Do I have your attention? Ahem.
With the current state of the music business in so much upheaval, and with the advent of digital technology and social networking enabling the number of DIY and indie musicians to mushroom in recent years, the path to musical success has seemingly become a bit clouded. There are lots of people giving advice, lots of blogs like this one discussing the issues, even an increasing number of colleges offering courses on the music biz–all trying to clear the pathway, so to speak. Lots of voices out there spitting out information, but nobody really seems to know for sure where this is going, or what to do about it.
The business side of music is difficult for most musical and artistic types, because rejection is just part of the game. One thing that makes us good artists is that we have a sensitive side, one that cringes at the thought of getting rejected. And yet, whether you’re putting your stuff out there to agents, or venues, or record companies, or the press, or blogs, it’s a numbers game, and your band is going to be passed on by some people. No one’s immune. Decca Records even passed on The Beatles, saying that “the Beatles have no future in show business.” (Stupid Decca Records–but still.)
One of the cold, hard facts about the music biz is that no matter how good a musical artist you are, having a successful public career is not just about your music, but also about your public image–your brand. In other words–how you are perceived by the public.
I’m not talking about getting all phobic about what people think of you (most of us do that pretty naturally on our own, thankyouverymuch). What I mean is that a public performer has a public image, a persona associated with his/her music. That, in essence, is part of your brand as an artist–and getting your music “out there” also involves getting your brand “out there.” So let’s talk about some basics to get an understanding of image and branding.
Hi, everyone…told you I wasn’t going anywhere. 
The beginning of a new calendar year is really just our way of marking time, but it also is a great excuse for getting organized, setting goals and making plans. As we say goodbye to 2010, the best way to make the most of 2011 is to go into it purposefully. I don’t know about you, but I find that I do better with my own time when I have clear goals I’m aiming for. Even if I don’t accomplish every goal, I get more done just by having the goal in the first place. This kind of planning works well in any profession, but especially for us right-brained musical artists, it is necessary once in awhile to stop, clear the mental clutter, take inventory and make definite plans, so we aren’t spending all our days in chaos. If you haven’t done this yet, it’s not too late to do it now. Here are some tips to get your stuff in order, so you can make the most of 2011.
There’s a bit of a standing joke with musicians who play instruments, in that sometimes we refer to singers as “singers” and to instrumentalists as “musicians.” (As though singers are not musicians.) I think it’s funny because it’s untrue. It makes a subtle suggestion that the vocals aren’t that important, especially in a band setting.
Ha. Ha.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: everything I need to know about life, I learned watching Sesame Street. So let’s start talking about how to write a song that sells by watching this very educational clip from my childhood:
Okay, time to get serious.
If we want to get technical about it, nobody can actually tell you how to write a song. Your art is your art, and creative expression stands on its own. In theory, I’m not the judge of whether you can write a good song or not, and neither is anyone else.
