Music. Marketing. Social Media.

Thanks to a friend, I just ran across a brilliant article on Lefsetz Letter, written by Bob Lefsetz.

The article is a bit long, so here’s a quick synopsis:

Motorola created a hit with the RAZR in 2003, but neglected to keep up with technology trends as users began to demand more than just good looks from their mobile devices.  Motorola now has a small market share and is in absolute turmoil. Jump to media (back in 1949) and the beginning of widespread TV. NBC invested, and lost, money hand over fist in the new medium, gambling that it would pay off in the future. It did. Music experienced a similar crisis beginning in the 1990’s when music began moving from CD’s to MP3’s and a service you may have heard of called Napster came out.

However, instead of investing money hand over fist in the new medium and adapting, rather than digging in their heels, the music industry has been partying like it’s 1999 since…. 1999.  Radiohead moved on from EMI and has made quite the tidy sum in their self-directed path.

The artists that are still with the labels are whining becuase they’re not making any money, yet everyone (ok, most people) are still stuck in the old business model. Key? This model doesn’t work anymore.  It’s the business equivalent of trying to paint a room with a hammer. Pretty ridiculous.

Here’s where the article gets interesting (even more interesting, I mean).

Don’t focus on albums, focus on fan relationships.  A dedicated fan will want all the material, in whatever form it can be acquired.  He’s going to want the bootleg and the authorized live performance.  When you give away music, you don’t lose money, you invest in your future!

The Internet is the new medium.  It’s not only killed physical retail, it’s put a huge dent in radio and now television.  To try to corral people into old behaviors is as fruitless as getting people to refrain from buying televisions in 1949.

We live in an attention economy.  How can you get someone’s attention and keep it?  Advertising doesn’t work.  And train-wrecks and spectacles get no repeat viewing.  You’ve got to start small and honest, the antithesis of major media, who try to dun us into paying attention with their saturation advertising campaigns. HELLO!  WE’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION!

Who says the revenue generating transaction must be for recorded music on a disc.  Didn’t Radiohead sell an expensive collectible box of “In Rainbows” two years ago?  Why aren’t labels selling collectives on everything?  Because people don’t want a collectible of the crap being purveyed on Top Forty, it’s got no intrinsic value.

These three short paragraphs make me want to stand up and applaud.  If you read the words above through the old, broken music marketing business model, you’ll think “We’re screwed”.

HOWEVER, read the above without the assumption that you have to make money by selling your music (the A –> B relationship).  Open up your mind to exploring other possibilities (here’s where I mention Mos Def’s t-shirt again.).

I’ll say it plainly – focus on your fans.

Focus on your true fans, you know who they are. They’re the ones standing in line at 4am (or overnight, depending on how big you are) to get tickets to your show. They’re the ones who buy every CD, t-shirt and coffee mug you plaster your gorgeous face across. They’re the ones who write you letters (or emails), or post on your forum, comment on your blog or wait in line to get your autograph at a show.

Your fans, your TRUE fans, are the ones that will save their money to buy your shit, whether it’s your music in digital or printed form, your schwag, or a chance to spend time with you.

Save your time trying to reach the masses and getting them to care and instead start to focus on your niche that already does care.

Go ahead, argue with me and tell me that doesn’t make sense.

Tags: fans, lefsetz letter, radiohead

Plenty of posts exist about how to rock Twitter as a musician. One of my favorites is by the ever-so-smart Laura Fitton (co-author of Twitter for Dummies).

Instead of following suit, I thought a more interesting post would revolve around how to complete #FAIL at using Twitter.

If you need basic information about Twitter check out this, this, and this.

Oh, let me count the ways!

#FAIL 1 – Don’t post an avatar, fill out your bio, include a link to your website/myspace/imeem/soundcloud page, or list your location.

If I don’t know who you are, where you are, who is tweeting from your account or where I can go to find out more about you, why should I believe that you are really you?

I have to call out @DaveJMatthews for being slightly guilty of this.  You figure out pretty quickly when paying attention to his tweets that he is in fact the REAL @DaveJMatthews, but it would certainly help to have a link to their homepage or a brief bio explaining that upfront.

In this case his very lopsided follower count helps me believe in his authenticity. Funny how that one can work for or against you….

#FAIL 2 – Send an auto-DM thanking people for following you

It may seem nice. It may even seem polite. I’m sure you think it’s “following the crowd” and “helping to spread my music to far away places!”. Really? It’s just annoying.  I’m following you, clearly I’m interested in keeping up with what you’re doing, what you’re thinking, and who you are.  I don’t need to be explicitly thanked for that interest, just give me interesting stuff to follow and I’m satisfied.

Plus, it fills up my inbox and it’s not a genuine communication. Chances are if you say “Hey, thanks for following! Check out my MySpace page!” I’ve already been there, done that.

#FAIL 3 – @message people en masse, requesting that they check out your “new super-awesome thing!”

Don’t be fooled by the medium or the funny @. This is SPAM. I don’t follow you (in most cases), nor do I appreciate being lumped in with other people (who usually don’t have anything in common with me). In fact, I’ll block you without thinking twice if you SPAM me like this.

Twitter is personal. If you want me to check out your “new super-awesome thing!” why don’t you ask me on a one-to-one level (a regular, and nicely-worded, @ message will suffice)??

#FAIL 4 – When you tweet, tweet ONLY about your music. Include links in every. single. tweet.

Yes, I like your music. That’s why I follow you on Twitter instead of only keeping up with you via your SoundCloud, MySpace or Facebook pages.  However, I also want to learn more about you.

I expect more from you on Twitter! I expect YOU to come through.

I can find your music elsewhere, and I may not mind the occasional tweet about it (especially if it’s something new, a new remix, or an old favorite). However, I relate back to my original point – I want to learn more about you on Twitter. Your music doesn’t teach me anything new, and no matter how much I like you, the constant links get old (sorry, they do).

#FAIL 5 – Tweet incessantly. Only about your music.

This is a continuation from the above. On top of only tweeting about your “newest tracks!”, make sure to do it once a minute or so to make sure I really can’t miss it.

Hint: I’ll block you after a few minutes, even if I’m a really huge fan. You’re cluttering up my Twitter stream and no, my Twitterverse does NOT revolve around you!

#FAIL 6 – Point your followers to your MySpace page. Over and over and over again.

Chances are, this is where I found you to begin with. Why redirect me there unless there’s something new? Correcting punctuation doesn’t count as “new”, either.

#FAIL 7 – TWEET IN ALL CAPS. THIS HELPS YOUR TWEETS STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD AND IS CONSIDERED SUPER-AWESOME!

This one needs to be explained? Really?

#FAIL 8 – Never @reply people. Never DM people (manually), either.

I follow you because I like your music and want to interact with you on a more personal level. I don’t want to be one of the unidentified masses, grouped in with your thousands of other fans or friends on MySapce or Facebook. I want to have a more one-to-one relationship with you on a service that isn’t overloaded with spammers or every single person I’ve ever known.  Therefore, I follow you on Twitter.

I may want to ask you a question. If you don’t follow me, the only way I can do this is an @reply. If you do, I can DM you (and hope you’re not so overwhelmed with auto DM’s that you actually pay attention to them coming in).  I have an ego, and I’d really like to know that I’m being heard. I’d love a reply. It makes me feel important, even though it takes just a few seconds of your time.

You see, to you it’s all about you, but to me, it’s all about me.  Show me you care, show me I exist to you!

#FAIL 9 – Follow thousands of people without tweeting or following anyone back.

I blame this on media and marketing in general. The “old way” of thinking about things is funnel-based. If I follow 2,000 people (Twitter’s initial limit, in case you were wondering), out of those about 200 will pay attention to what I’m saying, and a further 20 will buy my music when I tweet about it (since it’s the only thing I tweet about).

The “new way” of looking at things is less funnel-based, and more like a tree. If I follow 2,000 people that’s fine, and 200 will probably really pay attention to what I saw.  But what about when they RT (retweet) my tweets? This info then goes out to their networks, and usually results in more followers! If I interact with them they may become fans, and may even buy my music (or my t-shirt, depending on what I’m selling).

It’s not a pure funnel anymore. It’s like a tree, with branches and leaves extending in every which direction. It all relates back to me (the trunk), but I have many more ways to extend my reach than simply aiming for a high follower #, and I have a great tool to enable those followers to spread my message for me (saving me, the musician, a lot of work).

#FAIL 10 – Automatically Tweet everything you post to Facebook.

Extra #FAIL points if your FB updates exclusively point me to your MySpace page.

The true problem with this is that it shows a lack of effort. Tweet a bit ON TWITTER – mix it in with your #FB updates.

Care to share any of your musician-related #FAIL stories??

Tags: best practices, Twitter

If you haven’t heard the news, MySpace has purchased iLike, the “most popular music service on Facebook” (according to their About page).

This makes a lot of sense, though it may cause some controversy.

MySpace has positioned itself as the entertainment-focused social network. You go there to listen to music, get show updates, view trailers, and interact with personalities, not necessarily friends.  Facebook, in comparison, is about primarily connecting with people you know (or knew), not brands.

Artists have been moving from MySpace to Facebook en masse lately, maintaining a profile on each site, but using them differently in many cases. Why? It relates back to the networks themselves…

MySpace, at it’s heart, is about a push model of social interaction.

Create page –> Find people who you think may be interested –> Add them as a friend –> Comment and share info about your music –> Repeat

Facebook is about a distinctly pull model of social interaction.

Create fan page (or group) –> People find you –> You post content that appears in their updates/on their wall –> They share on your behalf –> Repeat

iLike is a hybrid. The service itself is about the push, but artists can use it to spread their message and extend their virtual reach, enhancing their pull.

Strategically, the acquisition was a great move for MySpace for a few reasons.  Now it’s even easier to syndicate content across multiple social networks (important when your users “home” is a network that is NOT your own), and the buy helps MySpace strengthen their positioning as THE entertainment-focused social network.

Tags: distribution, Facebook, iLike, MySpace

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the value of free.  First from Chris Anderson, then Malcolm Gladwell jumped in the fray.

Dave Matthews Band was one of the first bands to openly encourage fans to record and share their live music, but it’s been Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead recently making news by releasing their own albums and tracks independent of label influence.

Instead of taking the normal route and talking about why giving away music is so great, I’m instead going to talk about how giving free music away is only one way you can provide value to your fans.

Imogen Heap (of solo fame, as well as half of Frou Frou) has been vlogging and blogging (and posting on Twitter, and running a forum…) to provide her fans with an up-close-and-personal glimpse of her new album in progress, complete with snippets of the music as it develops.

In addition, she just put her album on her site, in full streaming goodness.  For your listening pleasure I’ve also posted it here.

So, now for the list:

1. Post cover art in progress
2. Video yourself recording (:60 or less, ideally)
3. Vlog about your inspiration
4. Blog about how recording is going, complete with photos
5. Create a short video about your latest interview
6. Livesteam concerts
7. Show tweets about your concert at the concert, including photos and videos
8. Interview your manager – what’s it REALLY like behind the scenes?
9. Reveal an embarassing home video of yourself performing when you were young
10. Run a contest for a limited edition signed giveaway of choice (t-shirt, CD, vinyl, etc)

So. Free may be the new black, but it’s up to you to choose your “free”.

If you haven’t heard, the legendary guitarist, Les Paul, died this morning from “complications of severe penumonia”.

He’s touted as the father of multitrack recording, invited the solid body guitar called the Gibson Les Paul, inspired generations of musicians and almost single-handedly gave birth to rock n roll.

His passing surely marks the end of an era in NYC, as he was still an active musician, playing 2 shows a week at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York, NY.

The news has caused me to think about what true musical greatness is, at it’s core.  I don’t profess to have the answer, but I do have many opinions.

True greatness, to me, is about connection and inspiration.  Chris Brogan recently wrote about “The Moment of Love“, explaining it as a visible emotion.  As a musician, I “get” it. I’ve been on stage in that magical moment where you’re not just performing… you’re telling a story, you’re saying something, and you’re truly connected to the people playing with you, and watching you play.

It’s that magic moment that causes inspiration. It’s that raw talent and force exposed in that moment which sheds light on the true power of music, and it’s the ability to sustain that moment not just for a few fleeting seconds, but throughout entire shows that separates the really good from the truly great.

Yes, it’s about the music. It’s about the talent and the atmosphere and the performer and the experience.

But, it’s also not about the music.  It’s about the communication, the emotions and the lasting impressions created.

Those rare moments when I know I’m in the presence of true greatness stick with me like no others have the power to do.

I doubt that the music world would be the same without Les Paul today.  He inspired, he taught, he created and he shaped the face of music forever.  His presence and influence will be felt for many decades to come. Isn’t that the greatness we’re truly seeking?  The greatness that comes with the ability to create something bigger than ourselves.

So RIP, Les Paul. Thank you for sharing your talents and passions with the world, and thank you for gifting millions with the experience of hearing your genius.

*this photo made available under the Creative Commons license by emurray