Putting my money where my mouth is: Why I partnered with an indie band for their next tour Part One

It is easy enough to pontificate and preach. Especially when you look at the missteps that have been made in he music industry over the last decade.

But...

it is an entirely different thing to put your money where your mouth is and actually do the things you tell others to do.

So I decided it was time to STFU and do what I have been saying other people should do engage music fans and make money on the road.

The first step was to look create a well rounded platform and then figure out how to implement it.

Goal number one is to make money on the road right? Wrong.

• Goal 1: Great performances of great music.
• Goal 2: Find new fans or let them find the act.
• Goal 3: Be sure they know they are now part of the tribe (more on this below)
• Goal 4: Give the fans a range of things to own that will reinforce their membership in the tribe

Let's take a closer look:

Goal 1: Great performances of great music.

This is a given. Great music first. Any artist that I am going to work with has to be striving to create something unique and in the words of Adam Miltenberger, "timeless" (ok, so that was a single word, not "words" but he still hit the nail on the head). Does that mean that every single note will be a new classic or that every show will be a mindbending revelation for the audience? Of course not but if that is what the act is working towards, I'm in.

Goal 2: Find new fans or let them find the act.

Attention artists: It's all about your fans.

without them you are nothing. We created a multi-level approach to get the attention of new fans and to reward the core fanbase for introducing new fans to the band.

How do fans discover new music that they like? They listen for free.

A fan will never come to your show, buy a T-shirt let alone get a tattoo of your logo if they never hear your music. We have created a streaming web widget, mobile phone app and a song a day giveaway to allow every chance for fans to discover the music. While the fans get the tunes for free we have built this on a platform of sponsorship that allows the band to monetize the music without blocking a fan from the joy of listening.


I will dive into goals 3 and 4 in the next post.

Putting my money where my mouth is: Why I partnered with an indie band for their next tour Part One

The 3 Main Lessons for new artists from the New Music Seminar L.A.

There were a few overarching themes at the New Music Seminar this week in Los Angeles:

1) You need help to "Do It Yourself"

After a decade or more of promises about how the internet would un-tether musicians and unlock immediate access to fans the reality has set in: It's just not that easy.

Reality has set in: It's just not that easy.

To help artists with the constant grind of social netowrking and fan out reach several companies have stepped in to assist. There are great digital tools available for indie artists through folks like Earnityourself.com, Reverb Nation, Hello Music and more (including Aderra.)

2)The Music Business is still in transition.
Some things have become apparent, The CD is a dead format. Yes there are still millions of shiny discs selling each year but the total has plummeted. While it is easy to blame peer to peer sharing there is clearly a larger trend. What's next? The current consensus seems to be that we are headed for a splintered multi-niche market. In the short term this is certain, whether there is a new paradigm of mass market success is yet to be seen.

3) The most important thing a new music act can do: MAKE GREAT MUSIC.
Don't get distracted by tweeting or updating your Facebook status. Work hard to write great songs and put on great shows. If the music is great, the rest is simple.
Dan from Killola has a more detailed take on the New Music Seminar HERE.

Post Script - A HUGE thank you to Tom Silverman and Dave Lory for giving us open access to everything and every one at NMS. From Panel recordings, to photo opportunities and private interviews it was a great day. The USB recordings will be available online shortly.

The 3 Main Lessons for new artists from the New Music Seminar L.A.