Jason Bradford

indie music lover. interactive marketing junkie. suspended from Twitter once. good guy. dad. husband.

read more

5 Responses to “Indie Music Peeps : Bands, Marketing, PR, Labels”

1. Carla Lynne Hall says:

   November 3, 2008 at 11:04 am

   1. Good question!!! I’d like to create more music publishing income at higher price points (i.e. licensing music for TV and film)

   2. My “next level” looks like me performing and touring more often, while also producing more video and written content for my readers. My next level also includes an email list of 1000 or more fans that have opted into my email list.

   3. At this stage of the game, a band on a major label is like a new business with a lot of overhead. While it’s nice to have that kind of marketing muscle, musicians then become slaves to their record label, who has the power to drop them at any time.

   Also, the labels have already proven themselves slow and ineffective when it comes to keeping up with music that is now shared at the speed of the internet. As an indie musician, I have the flexibility to be an early adopter for the next technological advance.

   4. Yes. My music career is my passion, and I give it my all.

   5. I have digital distribution, so my music is available worldwide. Instead of just playing to an audience in NYC, I can now reach new fans on a global scale.

   6. Sharing helpful info, instead of making it all about me, has actually been a great way to make new fans who also enjoy my music. These days I’m sharing information and building community via my blog at http://RockStarLifeLessons.com

   This month’s theme is “The Recession Proof Musician” and it’s my intention to inspire other indie musicians with the great info that I’ve learned from other music biz bloggers.

   Reply
2. Rob says:

   November 3, 2008 at 4:37 pm

   Just saw you request on Twitter!

   1. Investment, reliable venues/touring circuits, assistance with digital/new media work – whether that is programmers, designers whatever.

   2. The next level for almost any new indie act I work with is being able to perform music and pay the bills, live a comfortable life off their music.

   3. Long term, less for sure. They are too slow to respond to worthwhile developments, they’ll be suing your fans, and take ownership of all your rights. Really how is that a good deal is this day and age? If you want a career in music I’d look everywhere else first but would encourage artists to hang on to dear life to all their rights.

   4. Unless you are doing it solely for fun or a hobby [which is totally fine!] why would you do it any other way!? Sadly I run a jam space and see hundreds of bands that don’t understand how far just a touch of professionalism in the music biz would take them.

   5. I suggest TuneCore or ReverbNation now, CD Baby – too many options for you not to.

   6. Revamp all the biz sites into one – so the jam space customers see the label and label customers see we also have a jam space [and other businesses].

   The key on my end is getting regular [at least something monthly] media from my bands – could be new demos, videos, recordings, even new photo galleries for updating my sites.

   Then using social networks, twitter and whatever too develop funnels that drive fans back to the label and artist sites.

   And the real goal for 2009 is to use the net to attract and identify real fans, people willing to put their money down where ever they are.

   Cheers

   Rob

   Reply
3. Michael Kauffman says:

   November 4, 2008 at 8:35 am

   1. As a sales/mktg/distribution consultancy, we work with both indie and major label artists. On the indie level, three things come to mind as typically missing: time, audience, and capital.

   a) time – to focus on all the touch points available for building/talking to a fan base

   b) audience – usually there has yet to be a significant core audience built and engaged

   c) capital – financial resources to put together a team to help manage all the elements of sales, marketing and community development

   2. Next level is obviously different for each artist but as Carla Lynn points out above, building a core audience of 1,000 is a great goal. Paying the bills is also a great barometer as Rob points out. We ALL need to get to that level! Self-sufficiency, break-even and then profit.

   3. A major label can provide resources to take a project to the masses. There is leverage that still exists on the major label level. There’s also some clout/perception that can possibly help in certain situations (getting better positioning opportunities at digital/physical retail). Unfortunately a major is no guarantee of successful engagement and development of your fanbase. Every artist should be building and talking to their audience as often as possible… thinking about what a fan would want (free content and access) and giving it to them as much as possible. Different indie/major options are viable, but the big question remains: how do we generate revenue?

   4. It has been and continues to be my passion AND my job. Hopefully it will continue to be a significant part of my work experience.

   5. Tunecore, CD Baby, Noisetrade, Ioda… more options today. We have a distribution deal through Fontana. I believe there is still something significant to be gained in having someone else not only deal with the tech conversion/upload to digital and mobile outlets, but also help cut through the clutter with better opportunities at those digital/mobile/physical outlets. Of course, timing is crucial in all of this. A new baby band is best served by the DIY model.

   6. Both answers above sum it up well: build connections via the popular communities (myspace, Facebook, Youtube, twitter, mog) as well as face-to-face interactions. Give the fan free content/access. Post those backstage videos of that bowl of m&m’s and Bud Lights on the card table. Interact with your local blogs. Go door-to-door virtually AND physically. Talent attracts. Focus on the fan in front of you.

   Good luck in this (r)evolution!

   Michael

   hifiveinc.com

   twitter.com/hifivelounge

   Reply
4. Jason says:

   November 4, 2008 at 11:34 am

   Great comments and greatly appreciated. You guys all seem to have the same goal for artists, helping them make a living doing what they love!

   I didn’t want to answer my own questions to start but I’ll chime in now… just to state my thoughts.

   1. A lot of the artists I work with are missing the drive. The idea of being “famous” is appealing.Once that dream doesn’t become a reality in less than two weeks they get frustrated. Just FYI, I don’t work with artists like that anymore! Passion & determination is a must have. Financing always seems to come into play, but given the internet and online opportunities it can get you started.

   2. It seems the next level is always a major label deal. I had this dream at one point and have helped others pursue it only to realize it’s not what it’s made to be. The next level should include getting better at what you do. Singing, playing, producing, engineering… what ever you do, do it the best you can.

   3. I’m a firm believer that a major label is nothing but an investment bank. They are a business and they want to make money. Why does anyone need them? Good point above is that they have the financing to hit in more places consistently in hopes of landing the next hit. I’ve had artists leave and go to a major only to sit on a shelf for two years. None of them want to be shelved and even more so none want to do nothing while waiting around for their “turn”. One recent artists who had 5+ albums and a #1 Jazz single left and went to Sony, this worked out for him because he had leverage and a proven track record. He’s in a bit more control than an absolute no name who’s hoping to make it big. Yes, major labels can help, but they too need to adjust their business models so the artists can be successful as well.

   4. This goes back a bit to #1- You have to work on your music like its a job. It has to be a passion and desire. I think this is where an indie partner comes in… the business side of this can drain you to the point you don’t want to pick up a guitar or drum sticks at all!

   5. This is too easy to reach today to not have your music available. iTunes is a worldwide leader in music distribution- I currently use IODA for our distro and it’s great to have a major player sift through the noise for sure.

   6. Connecting via Social media. Playing live. Meeting the people who are going to invest in your career (fans)! There are definitely too many social and networking sites to mention just one- but used correctly each can build a fan base and meet some interesting folks. Love the thought of focusing on the fan in front of you!

   Good stuff from all you guys… I look forward to the future of indie music and how we all continue to grow and develop!

   Reply
5. Eric Stone says:

   November 6, 2008 at 10:03 am

   1. As an indie artist or someone who works with indie artists what do you feel is missing to take you to the next level?

   As co-owner of Open Your Eyes Records, I feel that the thing that is missing right now is capital. We have released the debut album from a reasonably successful band that has since gone on to sign with Pete Wentz-run Decaydance Records, but have held off on a re-release for various reasons. Because we are no longer collecting income from this release, we have basically had to start from scratch, which has been very hard. We have great industry contacts and relationships, a business degree, a Berklee Music Business education, a great band, and a strong online presence under our belts. We would like to be able to market more, offer a more expanded physical product (more elaborate album art, pre-order giveaways, etc.) and we would like to sign additional acts. We have the dedication, man-power, passion, and product, we just lack funding.

   2. Can you define your “next level”?

   Our next level consists of us having three bands on our label that tour constantly, national physical distribution, merchandise for sale, and an established brand in the business. By this I mean.. I would like people to associate Open Your Eyes Records with getting a huge bang for your buck. A fun show, a great product, fan-artist interaction, and a strong national presence.

   3. Do you believe a major label will help more or less in your career?

   Double-edged sword. Being bought out by a major label would bring us the exposure and capital to bring our artists to a larger audience, which is ultimately our goal. There is a chance that we will lose our ability to keep things intimate with our bands, and the fans of our bands. We pride ourselves on our family-like nature, and losing that would be a devastating blow to what we have worked to create.

   4. Do you work on your music career like you would with any job or goal?

   Likely more so I go to school full-time, work full-time, and work on the label double time. Literally every single moment of my life is dedicated one of the three listed above, with the label dominating my time by far. I spend about 50 hours a week on label work, with my partner spending 40, and our intern spending 15 or so. We have every intention of making this our main source of income, and don’t plan on sleeping until that occurs.

   5. Do you have digital distribution? Worldwide?

   We do, but not in the common form. We are about to announce a partnership with the largest private music torrent tracker on the internet, where all of our album will be available ahead of public release, on a free leech basis. Taking advantage of p2p technology is important to us, and we are really excited about this set-up, for as of now we are the only label with this sort of association on the site. It is going to bring us thousands of downloads, expose our labels music to new fans worldwide, and serve as a vehicle for us to gain new contacts. We are planning on getting our newest release hooked up through Tunecore upon it’s release in late December.

   6. What are you doing online to market, share your music & build your fan base?

   We have the aforementioned p2p partnership in the works, we use twitter, myspace, facebook, eventful, flickr, a blog, a mailing list, a youtube channel, and a sonicbids account. We will also be announcing a few partnerships with niche websites.

   In addition, we are about to announce a few offline partnerships and contests that will aid in our ability to straddle the online and offline world.

   Lots going on, and big plans!

   Reply