MUSIC INDUSTRY BLOG

Is your MySpace profile still important to you?

What are your thoughts on MySpace Friend Adders?

Would you pay for this?

Leave me your comments please.

Imagine a community of artists where every member chips in to promote his fellow member artist.

This is what a new online service called Headliner is trying to do by offering 10 Band Bucks for access to each of your fans.

You can use your Band Bucks to purchase access to other artists’ fans with your promotional message.

If you accept another artist’s offer to send a promotional message to your fanbase, you earn more Band Bucks.  Think of it as a cross-promotion between you and like-minded artists.

It works on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace by linking your profiles to Headliner’s network.  Private information is never divulged and email lists are not shared.

Simply compose a promotional message, select the artists in the Headliner network that you wish to promote with, and Headliner does the rest.

Visit the Headliner website for a video demo and let me know what you think by leaving your comment.

Two weeks ago, Panos Panay, Founder and CEO at Sonicbids, announced that 10,000 Sonicbids members will receive their part of $4 million of unclaimed digital performance royalties collected and distributed by SoundExchange, the non-profit organization that collects royalties from satellite and internet radio.

Sonicbids members can check if they are on the ‘list’ and how much is owed to them by logging into their Sonicbids account.  If they are on the list, they must then register with SoundExchange to claim payment.

Related Posts:
Sonicbids Indie Showcase
About Sonicbids
TuneCore To Serve MySpace Music

T-shirt from Zazzle

“Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD.”

I was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) at the age of 16.  I don’t presume that music listeners at large suffer from it but rather draw the comparison to the syndrome due to the endless choice and ease of switching from one piece of music to another ? impulsively.

With terrestrial radio, I can always ‘turn the dial’ but I’m otherwise passively engaged.  As I’m no longer willing to be spoon fed music and advertising by terrestrial radio, I consume it interactively online or via cable or satellite.  I listen to whatever I like, whenever I want, on any device I choose.

Consequently, I’m busy running my music applications and managing my playlists instead of sitting back and just listening.  I’m the DJ.  I’m the station.  I’m not listening like I used to because I’m busy broadcasting to myself…  rating, sharing, editing, remixing, collaborating, plugging in, adding plug-ins, logging off, connecting elsewhere.

I’m not sure that this is a good thing for someone with ADHD.

Related Posts:
What’s the big idea?
Quit your job.  Start a label.
Create your own blog in 10 seconds

I have a long list of contacts.  That is, I have thousands of email addresses.

When I import my list to Flowtown (from Gmail for example), I get:

1. A demographic analysis of my contacts (name, gender, location etc.)

2. A snapshot of their whereabouts on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.)

3. A simple tool which delivers my group message to their email inboxes (perhaps their social network inboxes in the future!)

Simply brilliant!

Related Posts
3 Best Kept Music Marketing Secrets
Tweet My Song
$10,000 in 48 Hours (without a label)

Tomorrow, MySpace Music will open its gates to TuneCore artists, Wired.com reported.  TuneCore’s artists will be able to distribute their music through MySpace and benefit from streaming royalties, though the company has not commented on how much.  Probably very little.

Related Posts
TuneCore – $30 Million in Music Sales in 2009
TuneCore: A New Digital Distribution Model
CreateSpace

25-year old female singer, Hind, completed her fund raising project on SellaBand, the foremost fan-funds-artist platform.  In just 11 days, Hind, a former Pop Idol from the Netherlands, raised €40,000 ($60,000) to record a new studio album.  Almost 1,000 Believers (fans) from over 50 countries invested an average of $5,500 per day, a new artist fund raising record!

Related Posts
SellaBand – Fan Funded Music 2.0
Kickstarter – where good ideas get funded
How to raise $10,000

Music marketing is hard. Really hard.

I have made all the rookie mistakes and then some.

From building websites to building an email list, I have spent a small fortune creating my business. Had I known then what I know today, I could have saved thousands of dollars, spared myself countless sleepless nights, and achieved the success I enjoy today much sooner.

If you’re already enjoying the success you deserve, read no further.

But if you’re feeling disgruntled with the music industry, frustrated with the promise of a multitude of internet services, and darn right pissed off that all the work you’re doing isn’t paying off, please read on. I’ll make it short.

Secret #1: Email Is The Holy Grail
Whether you’re tricking out your MySpace page or performing at your local venue, always think about what you can do to collect more email addresses. Believe me, there is nothing of greater importance than your email list. If you’re not using a professional email service, start now.

Secret #2: Passive Radio Is Passé
Massive online radio sites get your music in front of targeted music fans. They are not your average passive radio listeners, they are music fanatics feverishly searching for music just like yours. Yeah, you have to pay for the privilege, but the exposure you get in return is guaranteed and trackable. In the music biz, it’s hard to find that kind of bang-for-your-buck value. Jango Airplay is the largest online radio promotion service I know of. Are you on it?

Secret #3: Get Professional Help
Whether it’s your songwriting or your marketing (or anything else), never underestimate the value of expert advice. We Are Listening provides professional assessments for songs and lyrics. It’s what we know and what we’re good at. But you can find a service, coach or consultant for any project you wish to fast track to success. The humility required to ask for help and receive critical feedback is the mark of an independent artist and entrepreneur that people want to listen to and associate with. Personally, I can use all the help I can get!

Related Posts
Jango Airplay
Email & Newsletter Marketing Services
Song Contest & Critique Status Manager

ReverbNation, now home to more than 500,000 artists, labels, managers and venues, has partnered with an expert faculty of music marketing experts to provide its users with a selection of marketing services, such as PR, radio outreach, street team development, and Twitter or Google optimization.

Any ReverbNation member with a free ReverbNation account can automate an enquiry with an ‘expert’ in the Resources section of his or her account in a couple of clicks.  The listed ‘expert’ has committed to respond in a timely manner.

“The goal here is to efficiently match an Artist’s needs with the right service provider for them,” said Jed Carlson, Co-Founder and COO of ReverbNation.com.  “Finding credible help in the music business can be a significant challenge for Artists.  Our goal is to simplify the process greatly.”

Related Posts
ReverbNation launches the Reverb Store
Yep Roc Records
Free Songs from ReverbNation

Tweet My Song is an easy to use Twitter tool for song distribution and promotion on Twitter.  Simply upload a song on TweetMySong and tweet the link.  When you do, the link will direct to a hosted player where the song can be streamed in full, shared, and downloaded at the artist’s discretion.

The service provides reporting on trends, clicks and viral distribution.

Free and simple.

Related Posts
Twitter users are more engaged with music
Twitter for Music Marketing
Smirp