Marketing Your Music Blog With Just 3 Tools

Marketing Your Music Blog With Just 3 Tools

Clambr's Richard Marriott got "50 Experts" to weigh in on "How to Promote Your Blog with Just 3 Tools." It's a big page that's now at 53 professional web marketers, SEOs and marketing bloggers. But I think their choices of blog marketing tools and their rationales for using them, which also reveals some of their approaches to blog marketing, offer useful insights for musicians, music businesspeople, music writers and music marketers who are creating content, building brands and spreading the word through blogging.
"50 Experts Reveal How to Promote Your Blog with Just 3 Tools" comes at a good time for me as I begin a process of getting organized for the New Year. I'm investigating new and old social media marketing tools for various projects and will be sharing what I learn here at Hypebot in 2014.
The blog marketing post covers a lot of ground but little of it is specific to music marketing. So here are some key tool groups and observations that I think are especially relevant for marketing music-related blogs with some notes about future coverage at Hypebot.
Email Marketing & Newsletters

Email marketing was considered a key approach with AWeber topping the tools list. That makes me want to take a second look cause AWeber seems more generally on the decline compared to MailChimp which came in a distant second to AWeber in this group. MailChimp's free tier gets multiple mentions for those on tight budgets.
I'm getting ready to reinvestiate FeedBlitz for both email and RSS management. RSS tools did not make it on the list which makes sense. RSS feeds are now a basic feature more than a core tool.
I will also be checking out self-hosted Wordpress email plugins for email marketing and newsletters though that will likely include plugins for hosted email services like MailChimp or FeedBlitz.
Social Media Networks

Twitter topped the social media network mentions with Facebook lagging behind and Google+ barely appearing. Twitter definitely makes sense, especially for content and blog marketing, given its broad reach and focus on short messages with links that can lead directly back to one's own blog.
Given that social proof is becoming a more important part of SEO, all of these networks are relevant in that realm as well, especially Google+.
We'll continue covering the big players and also following the emerging world of messaging as it grows in importance.
Social Media Management

Tools for managing one's social media presence were cited more than any particular social network, which makes a lot of sense, especially for professionals who are often managing multiple accounts.
HootSuite topped the list of social media management tools and it certainly seems to be a fave among music marketers as well. They've done a good job of keeping up with a wide range of networks as well as offering 3rd party apps with reach beyond Twitter, Facebook and Google+ into music-relevant networks like SoundCloud, YouTube and Instagram.
Buffer came in second.
I'm hoping to take a closer look at tools like HootSuite that integrate various services by either connecting with a lot of sites or by bringing all the features in-house. But, like a handful of the 50 Experts, I've focused more on doing things like tweeting by hand since I don't manage accounts for clients and am exploring low volume approaches.
Analytics

Understanding what's happening and how your actions are affecting what happens is an important part of blog marketing so it's not surprising that analytics tools made some lists. Google Analytics, which may be downplaying keywords but still offers more a rich suite of tools than a single tool, was the main one discussed.
Topsy for Twitter was mentioned in passing. Of course, many other tools such as HootSuite offer analytics related to one's social media marketing efforts.
I'm looking for other analytics tools for blogs and websites but it's hard to beat what Google offers for free. If you have any suggestions, please do share.
Link Building

Getting people to link to you is an important part of SEO as well as direct traffic. I've always taken the organic "let them link to you because you have great content" approach.
If you're interested in more overt link building as well as building relationships with other bloggers, these pros recommend such tools and networks as BuzzStream, Blog Engage and Triberr.
Miscellaneous Blog Marketing Tools

iTunes received multiple mentions by podcasters.
Wistia was singled out for self-hosted video.
Wordpress appears low on the list but both Wordpress.org (self-hosted) and related plugins get mentioned repeatedly by many of the respondents. Much of this can be attributed to the flexible nature and generally low cost of self-hosted Wordpress. It's also a reminder that blog marketing begins with a great blogging platform.
I'm slowly getting up to speed on Wordpress and will be getting more detailed in 2014.
Be sure to let us know if you're finding specific web and mobile tools of use for both blog and music marketing.
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/Facebook) is building a writing hub at Flux Research. To suggest topics about music tech, DIY music biz or music marketing for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.



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Clyde Smith on 12/04/2013 in D.I.Y., Marketing, Music Tech, Social Media | Permalink

Pepsi Sponsors Downloads From Yala, World's Largest Arabic Music Service

Pepsi Sponsors Downloads From Yala, World's Largest Arabic Music Service

Yala Music is a unique hybrid music service featuring Arabic music. Though developed for the Middle East and North Africa, Yala's listenership has grown most strongly in the U.S. Yala offers streaming options but is currently focused on ad-supported downloads with Pepsi as their first sponsor. In addition, Yala offers services to artists including management of YouTube channels and Facebook pages.
I spoke yesterday with Camille Moussard of Yala Music, who is now based in France but previously worked in New York at The Orchard before becoming Yala's U.S. country manager. She is now focusing on other projects and so was able to give me an overview of the company as well as a number of interesting details regarding their unique operation.
Yala's Development Based on Listening Habits of MENA Region

Yala was founded in 2010 by CEO Patrick Chassany who began signing licensing deals with Arabic music labels and artists. Moussard informed me that they now have deals with all the major Arabic labels and around 450 agreements with independent artists. Yala has worldwide rights for these labels which has made them the world's largest Arabic music service.
Yala's focus began with the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) and the company has developed in relationship to listening habits there. Typically internet and mobile access are inconsistent and online payments are not an established practice so music tends to be owned and is widely pirated. Though they do offer ad-supported streaming and are developing a premium product, they're making big strides with ad-supported downloads.
Pepsi is Sponsoring Downloads

Yala's first sponsor is Pepsi and, in late January, they began offering DRM-free MP3 downloads after watching a Pepsi video ad. This allows for offline listening via desktop or mobile. Yala provides a variety of apps for mobile phones, tablets and desktop.
They're also addressing the issue of web piracy by reaching out to sites affected by Google's plans to cut off advertising in the hopes of encouraging them to link to legal music via Yala. So far they haven't had any takers but this effort is in its infancy as are Google's stated plans.
Despite their focus on MENA, Yala's largest user base is in the U.S. among its sizable population of Arabic music listeners. At the same time, they've signed deals with such companies as EMI, The Orchard and Warner for the MENA region to provide other forms of music. Though iTunes and Deezer are entering the territory, Yala's in a strong position there both as an early entrant and as a culturally attuned company.
Yala Also Offers Services to Artists

Yala is a unique music service in other ways as well with direct relationships with and services for artists and managers. In particular, though they do have a YouTube channel, they've been focusing on managing Arabic artists' channels. They basically take care of centralizing artist assets on their channels and helping them build their YouTube following.
Yala also has a presence on Facebook and manage some artists' Facebook pages as well. These often include the Yala music player featuring the individual artist's music.
Yala's Hybrid of Music Service and Services to Artists Worth Watching

Yala Music is an impressive hybrid, one made possible by direct licensing with a focus on a huge segment of music and an underserved market. Their development of alternatives to piracy is notable as is their approach to building with an understanding of user listening habits.
The combination of music service and services to artists is especially interesting. The overall picture that emerges is of a company well worth watching.
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch/@crowdfundingm) also blogs at All World Dance: Videos and maintains Music Biz Blogs. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

Location:Rohrerstown Rd,Lancaster,United States

Screenburn Helps The Rolling Stones Rent Movies To Their Facebook Fans

Screenburn Helps The Rolling Stones Rent Movies To Their Facebook Fans

Today The Rolling Stones and Eagle Rock Entertainment revealed their choice of Screenburn to bring rental movies to Facebook. The Stones are making 6 documentaries available from "Ladies & Gentlemen...The Rolling Stones" to "Stones in Exile." Movies will be streamed via a Facebook app created by Screenburn. Each title rents for $5.50 for 48 hours.

London-based Screenburn offers both sales and rental of video on Facebook. The Stones aren't their first clients by any means. They've been supporting a wide range of Facebook video releases from artists such as The Libertines, Paul McCartney and Katy Perry.

The Rolling Stones rentals are available through a Facebook app.

Movies are displayed in a slider that includes video previews. Once you pick one for viewing, you're signed into the app and then taken to checkout all while still on Facebook.

While Screenburn also offers sales, rentals seem more in keeping with the current direction of web consumption while also opening up revenue for movies some folks may not want to own but might want to see.

Rolling Stones movies available on Facebook include:

Sweet Summer Sun Hyde Park Live:
"The Rolling Stones historic and triumphant return to Hyde Park was without doubt the event of last summer. Over 100,000 delirious fans of all ages packed into the park for two spectacular outdoor concerts to watch Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood do what they do best."

Crossfire Hurricane:
"The film, directed by Brett Morgen, is released as part of the ongoing 50th anniversary celebrations of The Rolling Stones. This superb new film tells the story of the Stones unparalleled journey from blues obsessed teenagers in the early sixties to their undisputed status as rock royalty."

Ladies & Gentlemen:
"The legendary concert film “Ladies & Gentlemen…The Rolling Stones” has been fully restored and remastered from the original film print and multitrack audio masters and now finally receives its first authorised release."

Some Girls:
"The Rolling Stones 1978 tour of the USA in support of that year’s “Some Girls” album is considered by fans to be one of their very best. The tour followed immediately on the release of the “Some Girls” album and by the time the band arrived in Texas in mid-July the album had hit the No.1 spot on the US charts."

Stones in Exile:
"In the spring of 1971 the Rolling Stones departed the UK to take up residence in France as tax exiles. Keith Richards settled at a villa called Nellcôte in Villefranche-sur-Mer and this became the venue for the recording of much of the band’s masterpiece “Exile On Main Street”."

Live at the Checkerboard:
"On 22 November 1981, in the middle of their mammoth American tour, the Rolling Stones arrived in Chicago prior to playing 3 nights at the Rosemont Horizon. Long influenced by the Chicago blues, the band paid a visit to Muddy Waters’ club the Checkerboard Lounge to see the legendary bluesman perform."

More:

Screenburn's $500k Angel Investment To Grow Streaming Music Film Rentals On Facebook
Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch) recently launched DanceLand. Send news about music tech startups and services, DIY music biz and music marketing to: clyde(at)fluxr

Location:Rohrerstown Rd,Lancaster,United States

The Future of Content Through Crowdfunding and Journalism

The Future of Content Through Crowdfunding and Journalism
Posted on March 4, 2014 by RoyMorejon Updated March 4, 2014
Crowdfunding has been around for quite a few years. This grass-roots method of raising capital for a new business, restaurant or even church mission has proven very effective. Businesses as diverse as fashion designers, gamers and manufacturers of computer hardware have amassed the money they need to open their doors using crowdfunding.
One of the newer sectors of the business world to take advantage of this tactic is journalism. Freelance journalists are using crowdfunding to raise the money they need to follow a story without the editorial constraints involved with working for a newspaper, news service or news magazine.



Crowdfunding the content

Crowdfunding offers increased opportunities for freelancers, but it’s not just solo journalists who are asking you to foot the bill for their next great story. Writers who work for organizations that can’t–or won’t–spring for expenses for an overseas assignment or lengthy investigative research have turned to kickstarter programs to help them follow their hunches.

One recent example is Kim-Mai Cutler, who works for AOL’s “Tech Crunch.” She wants to fly to Vietnam to find the creator of the
“Flappy Bird” app that was recently pulled off of the market by Apple. There’s obviously a story behind the sudden move against the popular app, but it’s one that’s all, but impossible to learn via telephone interviews. That’s where you (and crowdfunding) come in. Cutler has turned to Crowd Tilt to help her raise the $3,000 necessary for her trip. To date, she’s raised over $5,000 with ten days remaining on the campaign.

Letting the readers pick the story

Another angle to crowdfunding and journalism is being tried by a handful of online news publications. Traditionally, news outlets, website and magazines have paid to produce a story and then sold it, either as a physical magazine or newspaper or, more recently, as a single article on sites like Amazon.com. Now, a few forward-thinking freelance journalists are bypassing editors and even news outlets and pitching their stories directly to the readers. Platforms like Uncoverage and Kickstarter make it possible for individual readers to help pay for an article before it is written. Kickstarter alone recently hit the one billion dollar mark in funding. Clearly, people are reacting positively to crowdfunding appeals.

Whether the news-reading public embraces sponsoring news stories before they are written remains to be seen. After all, the concept turns our traditional view of the separation of editorial and commerce in news reporting on its ear. Is that a good thing? Only time will tell.

Location:Sycamore Dr,Lancaster,United States

How To Get Featured On Blogs

How To Get Featured On Blogs
A Guest Post by Symphonic Distribution

At NoisePorn.com, we pride ourselves on featuring little-known, talented artists just launching their music careers, alongside their established counterparts. We love getting emails from artists who don’t have 1 million, 50,000, or even 1,000 Likes on Facebook. Discovering new talent for us is typically more exciting than just another release from a legendary artist.

It shouldn’t be news that we, like every other blog out there, get a TON of email submissions from independent artists, established record labels and professional PR agencies alike.

When we see that professional PR agency/record label email, we know that with every email we will get the same quality and necessary information needed for a review/post. They make life easy on us.

But when we get emails from little known artists or unsigned artists, we might get that, but we mostly get everything but that. How do you make your emails stand out to blogs? How do you make blog writers/curators to pay attention and actually click to listen to your music? You should give as much concern to the email content itself as you do to the music you’re sending. Your email subject line and content determine whether or not bloggers actually click on the link to your music or simply go straight to the delete button.

Want to increase the likelihood that blogs will actually notice your email, click on your music, and potentially post it? Follow these guidelines.

1. Put Keywords In Your Subject Line.

For starters, tell the blog in your subject line what exactly they will find inside for posting content. For instance: “Electro House Free Download.” Even better, give us some fun, descriptive word attached to it. Example: “Free Winter Mixtape – Dubstep/Drum&Bass/Electro.” Even better to trick me into thinking it’s tailored just for me: “NoisePorn – Electro House Free Download.”

2. Get Straight To The Point.

Don’t start an email off too casually, especially with “Yo bro.” Make it as simple and professional as possible. You probably don’t even need a salutation at the beginning. Just get right to the point.

Furthermore, don’t start an email off with an entire paragraph explaining your life story, how great our blog is, or begging. No one cares. Get straight to the point. What are you offering to us for posting? Is it a free download or official release? Why should we post your track? What do you have to bring to the saturated, overcrowded table of electronic dance music?

3. Provide Readers With ALL Necessary Info.

I have received an email before containing only a link to music along with the enlightening text, “Yo bro, love your blog check out my latest track man let me know what you think much love.” Yo bro, I’m not interested in your lack of care for my time. DELETE.

First off, as an electronic music blog editor who happens to be a woman, I despise getting emails from producer/DJs who assume I’m a man/bro. The electronic music industry is filled with women running sh*t on all sides of the business, so it’s idiotic and uninformed of people to assume any blog writer/editor is a man/bro.

And most importantly, this individual has given me nothing but the track itself. Technically, he did get straight to the point by giving me only a link to music. But if I liked the track and wanted to craft a post on it, I would need to email him back and ask for all the necessary information.
Give us ALL the information up front. Look around at blog posts and notice what they include. If it’s not all right there, it’s too annoying and time-consuming to email you back and wait for your response.

What to include?

• Link to stream the music on Soundcloud.

• Link to purchase the music on Beatport or iTunes (if it’s an official release).

For any links, if you say:

Click here to stream!
…sometimes the eyes are tired and that little “here” with the link embedded is hard to find. Make our lives easy and just copy and paste the entire link. Test out the links before you send.

• ALL social media links for artist and label (if applicable).

Note: If you as an artist don’t have an official Facebook Fan Page, make one! Your personal Facebook Page is worthless to blogs and fans. Sorry. Show people you mean business.

• Your Official Artist Bio.

Even if you’re almost completely unknown in the blogosphere with no official releases and no charting Beatport tracks, it’s always smart to tell blogs a little more about yourself. But don’t tell unimportant and uninteresting details if this is the case; keep it concise and simple. Otherwise you will appear immature and inexperienced.

Heads Up: If your bio is full of grammatical errors, spelling errors, and awful sentence structure, you a) make it very difficult on blog writers to read it and comprehend it, and b) make yourself look stupid and unprofessional. This is a HUGE red flag that automatically triggers the DELETE button. Some blogs don’t post the actual bio, but at NoisePorn we post the artist bio. I’m not going to waste my time editing your mistakes or attempting to read it.

• A paragraph or so (no longer) describing the music you’re sending, what makes it so interesting, and what makes you as an artist so interesting. Prove to me that what I’m about to click on is insanely unique and brings something to the completely over-saturated table of electronic music.

• Release cover artwork that is large (2000×2000 is universal) & high-quality. (See more on this below.)

4. Make Sure Your Release Cover Is LARGE & High Quality.

First, make sure your release cover is large. 2000×2000 is universally large and is the smartest way to go.

Next, understand that your release cover is often the first impression of you and your music, especially if you include it in the actual body of the email. Even if you’ve beguiled me enough to click on the Soundcloud link, if I see that the cover art looks awful, I’m not going to post it because it reflects poorly on both us AND you.

Take a look at your favorite blogs and the top blogs out there. Blogs and even official websites today are almost entirely image-based. The visual image on your release cover defines your brand, identity, taste, and gives an idea of the music it represents. Invest your time in creating professional, sexy cover art utilizing good design techniques. If you know NoisePorn, you know our front page is made up entirely of release cover art. It’s really important to us that our front page look high-caliber.

CONCLUSION: Show bloggers you mean business. Show us you have your sh*t together. Show us you respect our time. Make life easier on us.

By Kaitlyn Raterman
Noiseporn Editor
Managing Director of Licensing & Publishing of Symphonic Distribution
kaitlyn@symphonicdistribution.com

Symphonic Distribution was launched in the winter of 2006 by a Music Producer from Tampa, Florida. The company was launched with the intention of providing new and established record labels cost effective digital distribution to retailers such as iTunes, Beatport, Rhapsody, Amazon, and more with a strong emphasis on customer satisfaction. By the end of 2007, the company
struck agreements with over 250 record labels, and improved its offerings to include additional services such as Mastering, Marketing, Label/Artist Development, and more.

5 Tips For Getting Featured On Beatport

5 Tips For Getting Featured On Beatport
A Guest Post by Symphonic Distribution

So you have a new release and want it to be featured on Beatport. Get ready! There is a lot of competition, but the good news is that it can all happen with some consistency and good music. Here are some simple yet effective ways to increase your chances of being featured on the coveted site.

1. Plan ahead.

Planning ahead is vital in order to be considered for a feature. All banners that you see on the site are actually planned weeks ahead. So remember to deliver your music 2-3 weeks prior to your release date and to communicate in the featured release form the entire promotion efforts you will be doing for the release.

2. Get a high quality release cover

Make sure it’s as sharp and high-quality as you can. Use smart design principles. Get help from a professional graphic designer if need be, we can also help you design your release. We cannot stress this enough: This is your music’s first impression, so spend some quality time on this. Everyone sees the cover art before they hear the music. Not only will Beatport judge it – all the blogs will. It should draw full attention. This will not only help you get more fans, but Beatport will see you have taken the time to get some cool art work and have a strong branding effort. If you’d like more details on what younger music fans are looking for get the scoop here.

3. Remember to spell check!

Editors will notice any misspelling and will not take these types of releases in consideration. Remember to have a solid release bio as well that describes the release itself and not the bio of the artist. Keep it short and to the point, but as descriptive as possible with key words.

4. Sharing and Social Presence.

Your social networks, websites, and photos should all be cohesive. Beatport and other retailers do their research and there is a chance that they will support someone that has a solid social presence – AND a well-branded social presence. You must have a logo or professional press photo as well as a well-designed Facebook cover picture. Make it look great – it’s not that costly anymore to get top quality design.

Also, one of Beatport’s best indicators that your release will sell well is the traction and plays your release has. Work on getting as many REAL plays as possible. Join Soundcloud groups to help get more traction as well. Get the scoop on Soundcloud groups here.

5. Get prepared to answer some questions.

Stores like Beatport want to know that you are doing to promote your music. To increase these chances you should supply: Amount of Fans Artist has, amount of fans label has, DJ Support, marketing efforts done & expected sales. Make sure that any coverage you do get while you’ve been promoting, you actually communicate it to marketing@symphonicdistribution.com at least a week in advance, so we are able to communicate to the specific genre managers.

Beatport does not send us notifications about the releases they select for features, so we suggest you review the various pages of Beatport on release week to see if your release was selected. Best of luck!

Ready to submit for a feature? Just fill out the form in the content portal and we’ll communicate your interest! Not selling on Beatport yet? Check out our distribution options and we make it happen!

Artistic Efficiency: How to Create More and Get Out of Your Own Way

Artistic Efficiency: How to Create More and Get Out of Your Own Way

By Michael Shoup, owner of 12South Music and co-founder of Visualive.

Nine years ago, I left college with a Bachelor's Degree in Music. Untested and honestly, quite naive, I spent the next three years using money from designing websites freelance to ineffectively tour as an artist around the country, gigging myself into over $6k of high interest credit card debt. Embarrassed and defeated, I stopped writing, I stopped playing music outside of my home, and my answer to "what do you do?" begrudgingly changed from music to websites.

Fast forward to today and I've been debt free for over 3 years. Within that time, I self-funded my own full-length record from cash and started a music marketing agency to promote independent artists. I took 3 months, wrote/recorded and shot a video for one song a week about anything my blog readers submitted and released them all for FREE, and I'm currently in the process of launching a new Social Media App called Visualive all while working remotely from the road.

How did I do it? I want to show you and show that you can too with 5 simple rules.

————————————————

About every six months, I use this system to revitalize and redefine my goals and work-flow as an artist, as a business, and as a human being. Most of it is common sense, and perhaps that's why many people never use it; they don't realize they already have the tools.

Here's what I've learned:

RULE 1: Minimize

Chances are, if you're in your 20's or 30's, you're doing too much. You have a Twitter, Facebook, 4Square, Tumblr account, and maybe more. You may not even realize it, but you find yourself wishing you'd start that business, try for that dream job, or make that record… and you don't because of "obligations" or "responsibilities", or worse yet, simple "lack of time." I'm with you. I've been there. Unfortunately for us as humans, this doesn't get easier as we grow older and add families or children to the mix, so it's best that we learn how to handle it now. No more excuses. It's time to trim the fat.

In my early 20's, I found myself devoured by a freelance design business that demanded constant attention with little return. My assumption that making my own hours would instantly give me the flexibility to do music wasn't exactly true, as the constant search to find work became a full-time job of its own. My solution? Take a 9-5 position at a local design firm. While this might sound counter-intuitive, it actually freed up a large majority of my time by eliminating an entire proposal and client management side I no longer dealt with, and provided me with the means to invest in my music career for the first time. I had time to write better songs and money to get things moving.

While this may not be the exact first step for everyone, I believe minimalism is key. I challenge you to examine what you do on a day to day basis, and ask yourself (a) do you actually like doing those activities and (b) what would happen if you just STOPPED doing part of it. What are the consequences? What is the worst-case scenario that could happen if you just dropped that activity today? What would the benefits be? What if you only used one social network and built your audience there? Would you suddenly find yourself with blocks of time available to dedicate to your passion or audience? I certainly did.

This rule applies to people as well as activities. You know those friends I'm talking about; the ones who seem to disappear until they have a favor to ask of you. Though removing yourself from unbalanced friendships may have its difficulties now, the rewards in time and creative energy down the road are exponential.

RULE 2: Delegate

While the term "independent" in the music industry generally refers to running your own career, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to do it alone. This is one part of the puzzle that I find many creatives miss. I know I certainly did. The beauty of being an "independent" artist is that you're suddenly the boss of your own career; the CEO and founder of your music, and it's your job to build a team under you.

So how do we do this? If you've followed rule #1, you should have already eliminated anything that isn't necessary to do. With what's left, ask yourself if it's necessary that You specifically do the task, or if someone else could do it for you, possibly even better than you. [side-note: I don't generally suggest delegation of creative work. That's what you enjoy, remember!?] If it's work that you personally need to do, [for example, communicating with your fans] I move it onto the next rule. Otherwise, I find a way to delegate it.

Real life example: I dread cleaning my house. Because of this, it takes me twice as long as any normal person to perform the task. However, if I hire someone to clean my house for me, it costs me money. Here comes the magical logic: I use a time vs. money ratio to make most of these decisions and apply it to everything from life tasks to music business work. First, I take my last year's income and come up with a (rough) hourly wage for myself. Next, I'll take the amount of time it takes me to do a given task, multiply it by my hourly wage, and come up with a task price. If I can find someone else to do the task cheaper than my "price" I consider it a matter of savings! In the end, time is money, and what we're looking for are ways to stream-line the busy work and free more time for connecting with fans, other creatives, and doing creative work.

"But I'm a starving artist? I can barely pay my rent. How do I find the money to pay someone else to do something for me?"

Do you have a parent / friend / significant other who believes in you and wants to see you succeed? Can you ask them to take on a very small task part time to help you get a leg up? What about a college intern? Do you have experience you can offer up or teach them in return for some "free work"? You don't have to go from starving artist one day to cash-flowing business the next, and taking small steps like this will teach you how to better delegate before you start paying for it.

"Okay Michael, I get your example, but do you really weigh this for everything in your life? Even Music Business?"

YES.

In the last year alone, I've hired two Nashville based assistants, a Los Angeles based Virtual Assistant, and a Virtual Assistant from the Philippines. These people have helped me book entire tours, gather contact information, build websites, schedule meetings, run my finances, make phone calls, and even plan strategies for creating new music. By taking time to find the right people and trusting in their abilities, I have been able to almost double my creative output, and the cost to me has been negligible once you factor in how profitable they have allowed my music business to become.

What was the tipping point for me? If you haven't yet read "The 4-Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferriss, pick it up now, today, this second, and read his chapter on outsourcing. Think what you may about the rest of the book, but this chapter alone has invaluable strategies for creatives on how to get out of your own way.

RULE 3: Prioritize

"The key is not to prioritize your schedule but to schedule your priorities."

~ Stephen R. Covey from "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

Our society, and partially our school system, has ingrained in us that busy is better; that multi-tasking is a necessity, and that Facebook deserves your constant attention. It doesn't. What does deserve your attention are your goal-driven, well-defined priorities. It's time to separate yourself from the noise.

If we've already dropped the collective mass of unnecessary items from our lives and delegated out anything that doesn't specifically require our input, then all we have left are things that actually need our attention. You are now the CEO of your life and artist career. Congrats! Now to act like one.

This is the rule where I see most creatives lose focus. I personally suffer from the "do-it-all-now!" syndrome, so I can relate, but doing what deserves your attention at the right time creates momentum, and our goal is to feed that energy.

I start this process by taking a pen and paper and writing down all of the tasks that I need to do [Actually, I usually do this starting at rule one and make columns for "minimize", "delegate" and "prioritize"]. Once I have my list, I'll give each task a weight based on its urgency, my desire to see it to completion, or the length of time it's been on the list [longer gets higher priority].

Now, the magic comes in making these priorities actionable. For each item with the top priority rating, I break it down into small steps. For example, if I have "Finish Co-write with Kenny" as a priority, I'll break it down into:

1. Call Kenny for writing meet-up
2. Follow up and put it on the schedule
3. Refresh on material we wrote previously
4. Write with Kenny

Suddenly, I've got easy steps to reach each of my priorities. Next? Do step one TODAY. Setting your priorities in motion is the easiest way to guarantee they stay a priority. Then, continue in sequence scheduling up your week or month with these actionable steps to accomplish your goals.

Also, as a general rule, I try to give myself no more than 3 "to-do's" per day. Seeing a giant list of things that need to get done tends to send me into a coffee drinking panic, and in general, is not super conducive to freeing yourself creatively. Savor the coffee. Make time for your priorities.

RULE 4: Automate

Does anyone still pay with cash all the time? Do you remember having to thumb through a stack of bills and change to find the right amount, then possibly receiving change back and having to count or organize it? Along came Debit and Credit Cards, and with them slews of systems to make the process of a transaction more efficient. What if you could use similar automation to get out of your own way? Well you can, and I do every day.

By running myself through this "5 Rules" process numerous times, I began to notice systems develop each time a similar priority was identified. Perhaps all co-writing appointments could be setup in the same 4 steps. Maybe all my reoccurring payments could be pooled to one credit card that I auto-pay once a month? Could all my booking emails be funneled to an auto-responder that followed up for me and sent a press release? As these systems began to develop, I would ask myself one simple question: Does automating this task make it too impersonal? If the answer was no, I'd set the system in place.

So far, I've done this for my finances, 90% of my email, my processes for scheduling and communicating with my assistant, and a custom process I've developed for passively finding targeted fans [this one I'm super excited about. Hit me up here to find out more]. The results? I have more time to write, make music, and live life than I ever have before, and I find myself far less worried about "did I do that?" I don't have to think. It's already set to go.

Now, I can understand some people being a bit wary doing this with their finances and I could probably write an entirely separate blog on how to do this. However, for a great run down of how to do this successfully, I'd suggest Ramit Sethi's "I Will Teach You To Be Rich." Don't let the unfortunate title fool you, he's not full of crap. In fact, the book's a New York Times best seller, and is full of very plain and simple financial advice that even a scatter-brained musician like myself can understand. I've used common sense from this book along with Dave Ramsey's "Debt Snowball" plan to automatically budget for my goals and make it near impossible to not get them funded. Also, previously mentioned "The 4-Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferriss contains a good amount about personal automation.

RULE 5: Create

This is it, folks. This is what you've saved up so much time and energy to do. In my personal opinion, this should always be priority and rule #1, even if you do use the first 4 rules to clean out everything else. This is what drives and motivates you. As an artist or content creator, this is what will actually make or break you in the end. This is what you should be funneling the vast majority of your time and effort into as it feeds your authentic ability to connect and engage your audience.

My personal favorite metaphor for this comes from Bruce Warila's article about a 3 legged table. It's a quick read and worth your time, but in summary it suggests that your career is built on 3 legs: Songs, Magnetism, and Business… and that out of these, Songs is the one leg that can bring down the entire table if it isn't strong. Take this to heart. Spend your time developing your talents and creating quality material. While it may not be the first thing that brings you financial success [via digital downloads, for example] it is the strongest piece that connects you to your fans, and builds a relationship that can last your entire career.

And personally, I think that should be quite a long time.

————————————

*BONUS ROUND: Take Big Calculated Risks

This last piece I include as a small tidbit to chew on.

At least once a month, I challenge myself to take a big risk with my career; to do something that scares me or toss a Hail Mary with no real assurance that anything will come of it. Though sometimes these amount to nothing, they've also accounted for some of my greatest successes and built relationships that I would've never dreamed possible.

Real life example: Being in Nashville, I'm often close in proximity to some of the greatest music industry veterans of all time… but proximity only matters when you do something with it. As a long-shot, I reached out to the Grammy Award Winning engineer for one of my favorite records of all time [Tom Petty's "Wildflowers"] to master my most recent record "Learning How To Live." To my surprise, a few days later Richard Dodd responded back to me happy to work with me and within my budget. My Hail Mary turned into a superb collaboration and I couldn't be happier with how the record turned out.

The easiest way to motivate myself to take these risks is merely to consider the worst-case scenario. What is the absolute worst thing that could happen by taking this risk? Often, I find even the worst scenario lands me only mildly out financially and more often than not, only back in the place I started

What PlayStation 4 Means for Music and Sony

People are interested in the new PlayStation 4 interface, so for starters, here’s what Sony Music Unlimited looks like on the Sony PlayStation 4:

It’s pretty. As I watched Sony demonstrate the $400 PlayStation 4 at a Manhattan hotel on Tuesday, I was impressed by the music experience’s clean interface, the smoothness of the transitions, and other graphical elements. But the really interesting stuff is under the hood.

We’ll leave the videogaming judgments and specs talk to the gaming publications — other than that the PS4 has a digital optical output, which means audiophiles can process any music source on the DAC of their choice, (good), but that it can’t (yet?) play MP3s or CDs (bad; also, updated with link). We’re into music, so we sat down with Mike Aragon, Sony general manager of global digital video and music services, to find out what you need to know about the PlayStation 4 if you care about music, and are considering this new console.

What we learned:

1. You can finally play your own music inside games

When I had more time for videogames, I used to mute the game’s music and run its sound effects through my television at a loud volume, and then play whatever music I wanted to on the sound system. According to Aragon, you can now do that with the PS4, using any song on Sony Music Unlimited — and you couldn’t do that with the PS3.

Most gamers Sony’s music and video division have surveyed would do something like my old trick, but with earbuds connected to a phone. The new solution is way easier, not to mention better, and it lets you alter music volume independently of the videogame’s sound effects without leaving the game. And all of the music and sound effects come out of whatever speakers you’re gaming on.

2. It’s kind of like Facebook

When you first fire up the PlayStation 4, you’re presented with a mix of stuff in one unified interface — music your friends have listened to, music your friends have liked, and music you are likely to like, all within the same mix of stuff from the rest of your Playstation 4 friend network. For example, if your friend scored a great goal in FIFA 14, they might share that to the network with the Share button, right alongside your Javelin likes.

“It’s almost analogous to your Facebook feed,” explained Aragon to Evolver.fm, as he demonstrated the PS4 What’s New welcome screen. “It’s kind of a mash-up of all the cool things online with your friends, and we think this is going to be a really integral part of discovery for both video and for music.”

The screen also contains artist stations, genre stations, mood stations, and more, using Sony’s internal recommendation system.

3. Gamers listen to more on-demand music

We figured that since gamers are more focused on, well, games, that they’d be more likely to listen to artist, genre, or mood-based stations — a phenomenon we figured would be exacerbated by hard it is to request a specific song by entering text on a videogame controller. We also knew that because Sony Music Unlimited reaches gamers on Playstation as well as non-gamers on iOS, Android, and the web, Sony would have insights into the listening behavior of gamers vs. the rest of us.

Contrary to our suspicion, Aragon said gamers actually like to choose exactly what to listen to more than non-gamers. However, we were correct in assuming that they don’t do this on their gaming consoles. The default behavior, he said, is that people create playlists on iOS, Android, or the web, and then access them on their PlayStations — a trend that will likely continue with the PS4.

Eventually, search will be easier on the platform, but in a roundabout way: Gamers will be able to search for Sony Music Unlimited tracks on the PlayStation 4 using their Android or iOS devices.

4. 30 free days of 22 million tracks comes with every PS4

As with certain Sony televisions, each PlayStation 4 comes with 30 free days of Sony Music Unlimited, with on-demand and programmed access to 22 million songs.

5. The PS4 might help Sony Music, the label, in some small way

Sony Music Unlimited has about 22 million songs, from all the major labels and most of the indies (other than the usual on-demand subscription holdouts). It needs that other music in order to provide a comprehensive service, but the fact that Sony owns a label, a music service, and a gaming console means it can do some interesting cross-promotion. So far, Sony has experimented with having Sony Music artists curate playlists for Sony Music Unlimited on the PlayStation 4.

6. The PS4 music interface will replace current iOS/Android designs

Eventually, Sony plans to scrap its current iOS and Android app designs, and roll out something quite similar to the new PS 4 interface across those platforms, for a unified look and feel on all screens. We imagine that a great deal of Sony Music Unlimited users are coming from PlayStation, so this will give them a consistent, updated interface, with access to all of the Facebook-style social updates of the PlayStation 4.

Related articles

• PlayStation 4 Looks Great, Lets You Play Your Own Music In Games (hypebot.com)
• Sony's Music Unlimited service will let users play music while gaming (polygon.com)
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• It's not about bleeps and bloops: A tour of Sony's full-blown music studio for video games (venturebeat.com)
• PlayStation 4: 13 things the PS4 console can't do (telegraph.co.uk)

Inspiration & quotes 3

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Amplify the positives

What are the positive attributes of your situation? Try amplifying those to see how it affects the negative ones (like feeling stuck or not having enough motivation).

Well with the internet being the way that it is, this idea isn't that hard to do. It's just staying positive with yourself, and your fans is more of the problem with this. With Facebook, Google +, and other social media outlets keeping your friends, family,  or even fans is easier. The main thing is not to have all these people and not keeping everyone up to date with whats going on. The easiest way is to posts all the time, also there are tons of apps available now that makes all this possible.

Plus you can do a lot of this on your cell phone, or smart phones now. Apps like Foursquare, Get Glue, Instagram, and Pinterest to name a few.

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SEO For Musicians: “Don’t Chase The Algorithm”

SEO For Musicians: "Don't Chase The Algorithm"

There are a number of technical things one can still do to have a higher presence in Google and other search engines. But, unless you're really into playing search engine games, most of the time it's better to set up your site correctly and then focus on creating and sharing content, such as pics and blog posts, in addition to your musical activities. Jennifer Ha recently shared 7 tips from SearchEngineLand's Matt McGee to improve your search presence without chasing the constantly shifting details of Google's math. One in particular, "strive to be the authority in your space," sounds a bit odd for a musician but may actually provide a way to create a Google-worthy site that your fans will enjoy.

Don't Chase The Algorithm

The title to Jennifer Ha's Post at Federated Media, "Don't Chase the Algorithm," is an ideal mantra both for those just getting into search engine optimization (SEO) for music sites and for those with more experience. To me it speaks of avoiding the ongoing obsession with every tweak of Google's algorithm to focus on the bigger picture of what you're trying to create.

I really believe you could get by on the technical side by digging in once a month at Search Engine Land, identifying trends via headlines and then digging into the stuff that seems to be getting everybody worked up. If your site keeps up with basic best practices, you really don't have to do a lot of technical stuff to stay current.

Your main focus should be communicating with your fans. However you do that, you should include sharing meaningful news updates and content like behind-the-scenes pics that your fans will want to check out and share.

As it turns out, organizing your site to suit your visitors and giving them meaningful content in addition to music and music videos, is the kind of thing that Google wants to see and so does Facebook.

Be The Authority On Your Own Act

In Jennifer Ha's interview with Matt McGee she closes with "7 Tactical Steps" for improving your site's SEO. They're all good, basic technical tips worth checking out.

But the first, "Strive to be the authority in your space, and publish consistently," sounds like the kind of thing that a business person or wannabe thought leader might be more concerned with than would a musician.

However, I think the idea of making your official website the "authority" on your act is actually a great way to get yourself organized. When you look at it that way, then all the various components of a site make more sense and the possibility of content beyond the everyday becomes easier to imagine.

Becoming the authority on your own act can mean a number of things. For example, if your site is well-organized with multiple sections of content, news and events, it may mean that not only will your official site come up first in searches for your band's name but that Google will do that nice mini-directory to internal pages that they do for sites like Search Engine Land.

Add a Wikipedia entry, which Google will put in the sidebar of results, and you're dominating the section of initial results folks will first encounter.

Becoming the authority on your own act can also mean taking content to another level. For example, one could include song lyrics and stories behind the songs. Perhaps you have visual material that relates to those lyrics or stories. This could make for a meaningful addition to your site that is also quite unique.

So, rather than chasing that algorithm, try becoming the authority on your own act instead and see what it does not only for your search presence but for your relationship with your fans.

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3 Crucial Whys & Hows to Get Out of Your Writing Comfort Zone

3 Crucial Whys & Hows to Get Out of Your Writing Comfort Zone

Written by Cliff Goldmacher

One of the many challenges we songwriters face is that we’re tasked not only with creating something from nothing, but our “somethings” need to be unique – and not only compared to what others have written but also compared to what we’ve written before. This is no small feat, and the moment you think you’ve “figured it out” as a songwriter is exactly when you need to leave your creative safe place and shake things up again. To help you along the way, I’ve listed a few “whys” and “hows” to get you out of your songwriting comfort zone.

The Whys

1. You’ll demonstrate your versatility to music industry decision makers.
By showing you’re not afraid to experiment and explore new musical and lyrical territory and be a bit left of center, you’ll show those in the industry - whether publishers, record label execs or music supervisors - that they can consider you and your music for a wide variety of projects. This can be essential when one area dries up and the industry is looking for something new.

2. You’ll broaden your opportunities for collaboration.
Quite simply, the more styles and approaches that you’re comfortable writing in, the more collaborations you’ll be suited for. The flexibility that you’ll develop by not writing the same style of song in the same way will help you step into a variety of co-writing situations. This concept of new and different collaborators is also a fundamental part of the “how” to leave your songwriting comfort zone.

3. You’ll keep yourself - and the people who listen to your songs - from getting bored.
Songwriting is difficult enough, but heaven help you if your motivation to write starts to fade. By challenging yourself with new songwriting approaches, you’ll stay engaged in the process. And, better yet, your core group of listeners and industry contacts will also stay interested in what you’re doing. It’s just as dangerous to have those folks lose interest due to the sameness of your songs as it is for you to lose your motivation.

The Hows

1. Put down your instrument.
We’re often limited in our songwriting by how well or in what style we play an instrument. Work on the melody (and the lyric) without your trusty guitar or piano, and you’ll be amazed at the new places your songwriting will go.

2. Vary your rhyming approach.
A typical songwriting mistake is to use rhymes that are so predictable that the listener knows exactly how the line will end before you get there. Look for unpredictable rhymes, which not only tell a more unique story but surprise the listener when they arrive. You can also deviate from your normal rhyming patterns and make use of internal rhymes to add an interesting touch both lyrically and vocally. Little variations like these can open up brand new areas in your writing with very little effort.

3. Write with new collaborators.
As I discussed earlier, varied collaborations are an excellent way of keeping your songwriting fresh. Even if your idea is unique, going to the same collaborator over and over will most likely result in a similar sounding song, no matter how new the idea. As much as possible, resist the temptation to fall back on the familiar. There’s also the fabulously motiving element of fear. It’s always a little nerve-wracking to go to a new co-write, but it’s that same nervous energy that creates great art!

It’s almost unfair - after you’ve spent all that time learning your craft and honing your songwriting approach to a fine point - to tell you to change it all up again. However, the benefits mentioned above, which come from stepping outside of your comfort zone, will far outweigh the extra work and mental gymnastics required. As I’m fond of reminding myself (when I’m resisting what I know will be good for me), fortune favors the bold.

Good luck!

Bio
Cliff Goldmacher is a songwriter, producer, session musician, engineer, author and owner of recording studios in Nashville, TN and Sonoma, CA. Cliff’s site, http://www.EducatedSongwriter.com, is full of resources for the aspiring songwriter including monthly online webinars. Go to http://www.educatedsongwriter.com/webinar/ for the latest schedule.

Cliff’s company, http://www.NashvilleStudioLive.com, provides songwriters outside of Nashville with virtual access to Nashville’s best session musicians and singers for their songwriting demos.

You can download a FREE sample of Cliff’s eBook “The Songwriter’s Guide To Recording Professional Demos” by going to http://www.EducatedSongwriter.com/ebook.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EducatedSongwriter

Twitter: @edusongwriter

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Pretend that you’re ten

Pretend that you're ten years old again and full of curiosity. What would you differently than what you are doing now? What questions would you ask and how would you use your imagination?

I had never really stopped asking questions. When I was in school, I was under the impression that if you asked too many question. That you were kinda stupid. But by the time I had graduated high school I learned that even the smartest people do ask a lot of question, mostly to feed their brain with knowledge. And I have taken that with me after I had left high school. I have used to feed my brain with knowledge and let my imagination run wild with the knowledge.

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