Listening to Stephen Sondheim appraise his long career & dissect his own lyrics from West Side Story to Sweeney Todd on BBCRadio4

Week 7: Music Success in 9 Weeks - How to Build Your Mailing List

Music Success in 9 weeks week 7 How to build your mailing list has a sub heading -  "The most critical aspect of your career in this rapidly changing business" - Ariel Hyatt.

Amen Sister!

This past 9 weeks of the course I have been thinking about all these principles and working with and applying them to my client's music. This morning I was auditing a new client to look at how I could help them generate more income from their music. All their social media channels were superb, well executed with great graphics, video, pictures and space for a two way conversation with fans. However when I asked them if they had a mailing list set up, they said they hadn't really thought about it and had not created any ways in which fans could sign up to their site. So they really had no way to contact fans directly and measure to see the rate at which the emails were opened. Simply put, they just needed to convert their social media fan base into an email list to create direct contact.

Let me introduce you to a simple equation:

The Size of your Email List = The size of your income.

I know many of you will be thinking how is this so? Are you sure? Surely it's not that easy? In many ways it is that easy and also not that easy - one of life's little dichotomy's! It is important to create rapport, let your fans know what you are doing, how they can access your music, where you are playing live and what merchandise they can buy from you. In week 6 we looked at the benefits of newsletters and creating relationship so this week, it's all about building that mailing list.

Here are my top  ten tips:

1. Start with the people who love you already: Friends, family & neighbours. The people who will turn up to your gigs when it's snowing and stand at the back and smile at you. Go through your email list and ask each one of them if it's ok to be put on your mailing list? If they say yes ADD THEM! Please don't spam them though - it's so annoying to receive unwanted email.

2. Give each person a give away - most fans appreciate a free MP3 or exclusive video in exchange for their email address. Engage them and show them some love.

3. More Give Aways - Create special merchandise competitions. Next month one of my clients - Marc JB will be giving away special Bimbo Jones T-Shirts that he has just had printed up - check out his website: Marc JB. He gave them away at Glastonbury this year much to everyone's appreciation so the exclusive T- Shirt will be available again!

4. Fan Mobile Numbers. This is such a great service. Many Fans these days feel comfortable giving their mobile phone numbers in exchange for messages and band information that come straight to their phones. With all the different social media channels connected to our phones from Twitter to Facebook, this is an acceptable way to build the fan base and growing in popularity. This is becoming a MUST for musicians. Try BroadTexter for example. They claim their service makes fans feel special and I would agree. 

5. Work hard on your list. Schedule in one or two hours a week (or more if you can) to build this list. Rome definitely wasn't built in a day. This year I had a goal of getting 500 Linked in relationships all of which have become part of my mailing list. I have slowly built this list and just this week achieved that goal. These are people who I work with and value and have met through networking, reading their blogs and creating relationship with. I am very grateful for each and everyone of them. 

While I was in New York in November I realised the power of being consistent and doing a little every day. Over coffee one day, music consultant Rick Goetz kept stressing this and how imporatant it was for musicians to be consistent. Studies prove that people buy from people they like and trust, you cannot just expect people to engage with you so talk to them, let them see what you are doing, create conversation, include them in your process, tell your story and build your email list.

6. MySpace - Currently there is some doubt about the future of Myspace (word on the street) my top tip today is email everyone of your fans personally on MySpace and ask them if they would like to join your mailing list and Facebook pages.

7. Use a service to help you like bandletter.com or FanBridge.com.   These services power up your newsletter and fan bases. I use Fan Bridge and am really happy with the service that I receive.

8. Make sure your Widget is Working on your website/blog and if you haven't got one - get one now for instant building of your fan base. Please feel free to sign up to mine - see the right hand side of my blog.

9. CD Baby Email List. For those artists that sell their music through CD Baby, go through the lists of fans that have already bought from you and ask their permission to sign them up to your list too. These people are very special as THEY HAVE BOUGHT PRODUCT FROM YOU BEFORE! They are VIP's! These are some of the Fans that are most likely to buy from you again.

10. Swap Details. As always, have your business card or postcard ready to exchange with new fans (if they ask for your details) and set up your electronic business card that you can send mobile to mobile at the ready. You never know who you will meet or who is interested in your Art and Music. Always ask for their details and when you swap cards remember to add their details to your list. Set yourself simple targets and obtainable targets. As our aim is 1,000 true fans start with 100 and build from there with dates in which to be achieved. On tour or sharing live music dates with other artists? Maybe swap mailing lists? Again don't spam but people love new music and they might appreciate similar genres to yours.

One of our company strap lines is "All things are Possible". I truly believe that you can indeed build a large fan base of true fans who will support you and monetise your music with lots of hard work and care. I would be interested to hear any new ways in which you have built your mailing list and how it has brought you success. This list is just to fire your imagination and give you a vision t indeed build that Mailing list.

To quote Kevin Costner in the film "Field of Dreams" - "If you build it they will come". Build that website, place those widgets, collect those emails, build that fan base and creating a living!


Good luck and let me know how you get on. All things are possible!

Sally J Freeman

sally@lovelivemusic.co.uk

twitter.com/lovelivemusicuk

Last decade Social - next decade a Game Framework? Thoughts by Seth Priebatschc

Found this this morning on Cemanthe's New Media Angels website - so what's going to happen in the next ten Years?

The Game Layer on Top of the World

Fantastically interesting talk from Seth Priebatsch, from SCVNGR. By now, we’re used to letting Facebook and Twitter capture our social lives on the web — building a “social layer” on top of the real world. At TEDxBoston, Seth Priebatsch looks at the next layer in progress: the “game layer,” a pervasive net of behavior-steering game dynamics that will reshape education and commerce.

"This next decade is all about the the game layer which is about "influence" and not about social influence that was about connecting you, it's about using forces about influencing behaviour and what you will do there, it will become more powerful than the social layer. It is still under construction and it's important that we think consciously about this". Seth Priebatsch


Thank you Cemanthe for this - my mind is stretched! 
http://newmediaangels.com/


Sally J Freeman

December 7th - Happy Birthday Dave Brubeck of Take Five Fame, 90 this week, thank you for the wonderful Jazz davebrubeck jazz takefive

Here's the link : http://ow.ly/3kSAK Wild Fruit Red Ball Brighton 2010 maxellis

Wonderful pictures of Fat Boy Slim, Katherine Ells and Dolly Rockets at the Wild Fruit Red Ball Brighton last night. Images Max Ellis http://ow.ly/3kSy1

December 6th - John & Yoko - Happy Christmas War is over johnlennon yokoono http://ow.ly/3kuiJ

Week 6: Connecting with your Fans Via Newsletter and Finding 1000 True Fans

Guest Blog Post, Rob Lorenzo, Wave 3 Challenger - Agenda Red

Band Website: http://www.roblorenzo.bandzoogle.com/fr_home.cfm

Let me introduce the wonderful Rob Lorenzo to you, fellow "Music success in nine weeks" wave 3 blog buddy and musician with his band Agent Red. Rob is the guest blogger on the Music success in 9 weeks Blog this week. He has summed up nicely the 1,000 true fan concept that Ariel Hyatt and the Cyber team introduced me to this year. Have a read and I would encourage you to go look at Rob's blog and band website - 

Music Success in Nine Weeks – Week 6

Artists - You are a commodity and your fans are your customers.

This is the first lesson I learnt in Week 6 of Ariel Hyatt’s Music Success in Nine Weeks blog challenge.

All You Need is 1000 True Fans

This week we are introduced to this article on the power of acquiring 1000 true fans suggesting that:

“A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author – in other words, anyone producing works of art – needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.”

Inspired to research further, I was drawn to an interview with Andy Karp who was a manager and marketing executive in A&R with Atlantic Records signing bands such as Kid Rock and, one of my personal favourites, Porcupine Tree.

In the interview I was excited to learn that Andy prefers to think of fans as investors, rather than customers,

“..because people are really passionate about the bands and the artists they love. When the music really represents times in your life and is a soundtrack to you, you have a very emotional investment in the creative output of that artist.”

So what do we have to do?

“What you simply have to do is, always be true to yourself, because people react to authenticity. In doing that, you also have to be really smart and understand how the relationship between artist and fan works.”

which is what the essence of Music Success in Nine Weeks is about.

Who do you think your fans are?

In Week 6 of Music Success in Nine Weeks we are tasked with exercises similar to the aforementioned workbook which help us to focus on where we might find our potential fans, audience and investors.

* Who are they?
* What do they like to do?
* Where do they hang out?
* What websites do they hang out on?
* What do they like?

Once we have established that our fans might like eating sushi whilst listening to Nikki Loy and looking at Sandra’s photos, we then need to find enticing ways to attract and maintain a dialogue with our investors.

Have I Got News For You

One way is build a mailing list and offer them exciting newsletters.

In Week 6 we are given a structure, using the 3 ‘G’s, with which we can construct a solid newsletter template:

1. The Greeting
2. The Guts
3. The Getting your investors into action (whatever that action may be)

It makes me feel incredibly grateful and lucky knowing that the people who have already signed up to my mailing list are:

* creative
* forward-thinking
* fun-loving
* dedicated
* ambitious
* adventurous
* a bit technical

They also ooze self-respect and personal success.

It’s clear we also share similar interests:

* A love for art or a fascination with creativity
* Playing, listening to or creating music
* Self and cultural development
* Getting outdoors
* Enjoying films

The fact that they want to invest their precious time and energy in what I have to offer motivates me to be the very best version of me that I can be. These people inspire me and it is my life’s wish to inspire them and others too. They are my people.

Newsletters are about creating a connection

A newsletter is a two-way conversation. When you join a newsletter, any newsletter, you are joining a gang of people who share an interest. You are choosing to be part of a community.

The word newsletter has always reminded me of the word community ever since I was grasshopper high; newsletters from schools, newsletters from youth and arts associations, newsletters from the local grocery store and outdoor adventure shop.

Newsletters keep us informed giving us a spark to ignite a conversation with someone we know with something of interest. They give us the invitation to contact the proprietor directly and if we have something to contribute too.

Your 1,000+ true fans

My goal and responsibility as a newsletter owner and publisher is to connect like-minded people. I find it both inspirational and exciting that, between us, by connecting our tribes we can create the 1,000+ true fans critical for the videomaker, musician or photographer to make a living from their creativity.

For my newsletter and a free MP3, you can join me here.

Rob Lorenzo on Facebook
Rob Lorenzo on Twitter

Good Luck Rob with your move to France, I wish you success in all you do,

Sally

For all you Christmas Glam Rockers out there; The Darkness with Don't let the Bells End! http://ow.ly/3k8RD thedarkness

Week 5: Playing Catch Up...Blogging

Was it John Lennon who said "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans?"...
Have had a hugely busy November and wrote this back in the first week of November but found myself working in NYC and then the family being struck down with the winter lurgy so all of this comes a bit late but hope it's informative and helpful.

OK so the confession: before embarking on Music Success in 9 Weeks I had never blogged and really didn't know much about it at all. I thought it was for geeks and techies. I didn't understand the protocol of reading, listening, thinking, engaging and commentating. Ariel and the CyberPR team gave some great links to get us started, blogs to read, web pages to engage with and now I feel like I have been given a huge sweetie jar and am finding out all sorts of new things about the industry and current thought about what's happening in the music world.


So week 5: I have become a reader and commentator in the places listed below and found it very inspirational indeed. There's so much great thinking going on out there and it is very useful in trying to work out my own thoughts with all things musical. We are in such a transitional time in the music industry where the "Physical" product of CD's DVD's and USB's will no longer exist for the consumer in the very near future so it is essential we get a clear digital marketing and PR strategy that will monetise musicians works. Blogs give all the cutting edge thought and even if you don't always agree, conversation is great.
The Music success blogging challenge encouraged us to interact with 50 blogs which currently is a bit optimistic but below are a few of the best that I read and interacted with.

I essentially worked my way through all the pointers on Ariels blog - a great read to help you get started: http://arielpublicity.com/2009/07/09/blog-reading-101-lurk-leap/

I also joined google friend connect, tried to get my head around RSS - still haven't got that fully sorted but on it, joined a few blogs, read, commentated and received feed back.

The ones that have been most useful for me are:

1. HypeBot - great article on making a living from music http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2010/11/whats-your-criteria-of-makin...

2. Music Think Tank - http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/michael-laskow-of-taxi-marketing... - superb article from Ariel about Michael Laskow of Taxi - very inspiring indeed.

3. Social Media Blog: Elaine Gantz Wright - great banter going there - superb article http://elainegantzwright.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/the-social-media-...


4. Kemal Mermutlu - UK Mover and Shaker BBC Producer Kemal Mermutlu from Radio 1 and Radio 1 Extra - http://kemalmermutlu.tumblr.com/tagged/music


I met the lovely Kemal in the flesh at a music 4.5 conference in November and had great chats and discussions about audiences, fan bases and the evolving nature of social media. Lots of interesting multi media blog thoughts and inspirations. Kemal introduced me to his love for "Gary" - fab video: All about social media - loving Garyhttp://garyvaynerchuk.com/ check out this great bit of video:
http://www.viddler.com/explore/garyvaynerchuk/videos/165/

5. Andrew Dubber: http://www.andrewdubber.com/
Great Music Straegist... check him out and his FREE DOWNLOADABLE book and podcast:
http://www.newmusicstrategies.com.php5-2.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com...
Andrew Dubber is a lecturer at Birmingham University and it's his job to think big thoughts, talk and write about them and educate. I think he does quite a good job!
6. Ariel Hyatt's Sound Advice Blog: I especially like the 1,000 true fans concept which has become a corner stone to my thinking and my work with clients.
http://arielpublicity.com/category/blog/1000-true-fans/page/2/
I have connected up with all of the above and followed them on twitter, their Facebooks or websites. I would highly recommend you having a punt and to start nailing your colours to the mast. If you are reading this let me know and I would love to hear your experiences in blogging. I am just starting out at this game and am open to fresh thought and different ways of helping musicians make a living in this fast moving profession. The Music Success Blog challenge has proved invaluable and if you get a chance, buy the book now at The Cyber PR website: BUY BOOK HERE - will be the best money you have spent!
Sally


Week 6 & 7 to follow shortly....