Music 3.0 Interview on Musiciancoaching.com

Check out the interview I did with Rick Goetz for his musiciancoaching.com blog. The interview covers both my How To Make Your Band Sound Great and Music 3.0 books.

You can find the interview here entitled What Is Music 3.0?

Thanks, Rick, for taking an interest in a little of what I do.

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Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

SEO Guru Gregory Markel Interview Excerpt

When I was writing the Music 3.0 Internet Music Guidebook, I was lucky enough to interview search engine Marketing guru Gregory Markel. Here's an excerpt from that interview.
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One of the pioneers of search engine optimization and marketing, Gregory Markel’s Infuse Creative touts major entertainment clients such as Gibson Musical Instruments, New Line Cinema, The National Geographic Channel, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the television show 24, and many more. As a recording artist formerly signed to Warner Brothers (and a great singer too), Gregory has a deep empathy for the plight of today’s artist and provides an abundance of good advice in the following interview.

What is Search Engine Optimization exactly?
SEO these days has a broad definition. It means optimizing anything and everything that a search engine is going to return. That means a web page, a video, a newsfeed, a blog, a product, a book, an article; it’s paying attention to all those areas.

We have 3 basic types of clients. The first is a client that wants branding awareness. A good example of that is a theatrical release where they can’t measure the number of people who might have visited the website that later went on to buy tickets, but they feel that it’s something they have to do in order to get the word out.

The second is a client that does e-commerce where they sell a toaster or something with a specific fixed cost. If you can choose and effectively setup the right keywords with the right ads with the right landing pages at the right cost, then if your cost is $15 and you deliver a sale at more than that, it’s a positive outcome.

The next type of client wants lead generation, which can be extremely effective if your product has a moderate to large margin. There are companies like mine helping to generate leads to companies that need them where they can turn that into $20 to 100k per day.

Turning to music, if your music’s good there are so many opportunities with social media, free technologies and methodologies available that you can definitely get a large number of people to find you. Whether you do these things for yourself or have someone who partners with you as your designated on-line communicator and extended member of the band, there’s lots that you can do now without paying for media. Of course there are a lot of paid options which are very powerful and immediate, but they might not be cost effective for someone who has a limited budget or even none at all.

What would you suggest to a new artist that’s trying to break that wants to use SEO to get the word out?
Everybody knows to set up a MySpace page and a Facebook page. Beyond that, regardless if you’re offering your music for free or not, you want to utilize the rest of the web that doesn’t cost you anything, meaning all the Web 2.0 and social media stuff like personal profile pages, bookmarking and tagging, and an official Twitter channel. It’s figuring out a way to broadcast to your fans and affinity groups, which are groups of people that like the type of music that you play. For example, if I sound a lot like John Meyer, then I want to reach out to John Meyer fans. You can do all that simply at no cost by simply putting the time in.

Now the ones that do well with this are either going to have a webmaster as a partner or be a new type of musician. Most musicians are abstract and creative types and don’t really have an entrepreneurial or measurement oriented brain, so a new kind of musician who thinks this way, or has a webmaster, is essential.

For more of the interview, go to this section of my website.

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iTunes Still Growing

According to a new report by Billboard Magazine, iTunes's market share has actually increased in 2009 to 26.7% of all music sold in the United States (research firm NPD says it's 28%). That's up from 21.4% in 2008 and more than double the 12.7% the company had in 2007.

Of course, iTunes is the largest music retailer in the United States by far, with 2nd place Wal-Mart at 12.5% and third place Best Buy at 8.7%. The iTune's increase was no surprise since both Wal-Mart and Best Buy are decreasing the number of CD's that they sell and well as the floor space.

Amazon keeps on growing with 7.1% of total sales in 2009 (for the record, NPD also states that Amazon has now tied Wal-Mart at 12%). Surprisingly, it's online Amazon MP3 store has only 1.3% of the market, but that's still good enough for 10th place.

As you can see from the numbers, the days of the "big box" retail stores are coming to a close, at least as far as music is concerned. That's OK because the big box stores were actually one of the reasons for the independent record store decline. With the big box stores taking up so much of the market share before iTunes (mainly because of their loss-leader deals on hit CDs), the life-blood of the industry, the local record stores, were left to die on the vine. This is just another of the many mis-steps of an industry that seems hell-bent on killing itself.

What's going to happen in the future? It should be especially interesting to see what iTunes offers later in the year. Some say it'll be a cloud-based service based upon the infrastructure of Lala, which Apple purchased earlier in 2010. Will that change the dynamics of music retail? Probably no more so than the way the trend is going already.

One thing to remember is that even though mainstream retail of physical product (CD's) is declining, that doesn't mean that CDs are going away any time soon (yes, eventually they will, just not as soon as some predict). What never shows up in the sales numbers are amount that's sold at gigs, which are substantial when you add them all up.

That being said, don't look for big changes at least through the end of the year.

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Must Do MP3 Tags

I recently found this informative post from Dexter Bryant Jr. regarding the MP3 tags that you need to fill in to make sure that your song has enough information to be promoted properly.

Every MP3 released to the internet should have these ID3 fields completed. If you are an artist actively releasing and promoting your music online, make sure you’ve included the following data:

1. Artist Name – This name should be the REAL artist name or alias. One that can be found online should an interested listener want to search for more content by this artist.

2. Song Name - The song NEEDS to have a name. How can a listener email their friend and tell them about the song if it doesn’t have a name? How can fans talk about their favorite songs. Today’s music is a song culture and this is an MP3, it’s a SONG; give it a name and let it live.

3. Genre – Don’t make up some unique and strange genre for your music. As much as it pains artists to be lumped in with the mainstream genre names use a recognized ID3 genre tag. This tag gives listeners a reference of what to expect when they hear the song. If nothing else, it’s a good way of keeping your unique sound part of a collection that the listener may throw on when the mood suits.

4. Comments – Add a link to your website, or other online presence. Bonus if you add in a Creative Commons status. Beyond those 2 key items, this field is where the promotions REALLY happen. Add a unique factoid or something if you’re feeling creative.

5. Year – As much as some people don’t like having their music appear dated. Music is an evolution and has a history. Add the year the song was released. It helps give listeners a context, on when it was made.

6. Artwork – As much as music is about the song, the artwork is what we all see when we look at our MP3 player. Add something… Make it interesting and it might even become memorable to the listener.

Why ID3 tag the MP3 file? Because music and MP3 files are becoming the main currency of attention all artists have in common. Its the ideal gateway to listeners and the easiest way to convert those listeners to fans.

Even if you ignore the bulk of this post; every (artist released) MP3 file should have at minimum: Artist Name, Song Name, and A comment with the URL of their website or other online presence. Paying attention to this type of content monetization has a REAL value in raising the access and awareness an artist to fans and casual listeners. As listeners and fans collect more and more music, it is easy for a miss-tagged song to disappear into an MP3 collection. Filling out these ID3 fields allows listeners to easily search and organize the file within their own musical library.

originally posted on http://Lx7.ca

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Is Google TV The Future?

Last week Google introduced Google TV, and frankly, I can't wait. Why? Because it looks like Goggle TV will finally deliver on the promise of interactive television. If you've ever struggled with the sad attempts of your local cable company to implement interactive TV, your wait is finally over by the looks of it.

Set-tops boxes are so lame in that they're still running 1990's technology, complete with it's limitations. Doesn't it upset you that you can only get a 28 character or so description about a program? Don't you ever wish that you could find out more about the program you're watching without having to resort to going online with your computer? Don't you wish that you could watch all the video now on your computer on your big screen TV without having to be a nerd to hook everything up? Hopefully, this is what Google TV will do for us.

Watch this video explanation and then read Greg Sterling's Google TV FAQ from the Search Enginland website.

What is Google TV and when will it be available?

Google says that Google TV is an “open platform” that unites TV programming and the internet. It supports Flash and makes the “full internet” available in the living room on TVs. It will be available through set-top boxes and directly through “integrated” TV sets (the only one of which right now will be from Sony).

The search and browse capabilities, which integrate web and TV content side by side in results were impressive.

Will I have to buy a new TV?

No. Google TV is intended to work with existing TVs. Sony’s forthcoming TV doesn’t require a set-top box. However Logitech’s box will be available for existing sets.

Who are the partners involved at launch?

The initial group of companies involved in GTV include Intel (chip), Sony (TV), Logitech (set-top box), Best Buy (retailer), DISH Network (content provider with unique integration).

How will these devices be branded?

The branding of Google TV and related hardware devices will be highly analogous to the way Android handsets are presented (i.e., XX brand “with Google”). GTV is built on the Android platform (not ChromeOS).

Will it replace cable TV?

This is an interesting question to consider and one that will take time to answer. Users won’t need a cable TV subscription (though they will need WiFi in the home) to access GTV. So it’s at least possible that the web content and video, Netflix and Hulu that GTV offers via the internet could well substitute for a cable subscription.

Will Google TV “track” or collect data about me like online sites?

Google said that there will be the same privacy options (e.g., “incognito”) and controls for Google TV as there are via Chrome online (the TV browser is Chrome). But yes there will be tracking and data collection, partly for personalization and partly for ad ROI accountability and targeting.

What will it cost?

This is a critical question that Google and its partners declined to answer repeatedly.

Is it something I’ll want?

If Google TV performs and delivers as the demo, claims and screens suggest it will be a very desirable consumer product.

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The Circle Of Sales

The chart on the left comes from marketing guru Seth Godin's blog from a post entitled, The Circles. Seth relates the chart more to customer acquisition, but I want to use it as it's related to an artist's fanbase in regards to sales.

• At the bottom in white we have the "True Fans," sometimes described as "superfans," 'uber-fans,' or as Seth calls them, your "tribe." These fans love you and everything you do, and as a result, will purchase the most obscure product that is of no interest to virtually anyone else, even the artist himself.  Think rehearsal recordings, studio out-takes, sound check jamming and stained undershirts of the artist. The True Fan wants it and will pay for it.

• "Fans"are a bit more casual about it. They like you but don't love you. They'll buy certain items but could care less about anything obscure. They can be turned into True Fans, but it will happen either over time or the release of that one song that puts you over the edge.

We'll skip "Sneezers" and "Customers" because they don't apply to our model and go right to "Listeners."

• "Listeners" are the next down the totem pole of sales. These are people who have heard of you and maybe even heard some of your songs. They neither like nor dislike you. They may turn into fans at some point, but just as likely might not.

• Next comes "Friends." Notice how low in influence circles that your friends are at. Don't ever rely on them for sales or spreading the word. They're your friends. Like know you and hopefully like you, but it doesn't mean they like your music. In fact, most of them probably don't but will still support you because of your friendship. You probably don't have enough of them to make any significant sales impact anyway.

• Last comes "Strangers." They've never heard of you before. Maybe they like your kind of music, must most likely not. They are blissfully unaware of your existence as an artist.

Here's what we can gain from this chart:

1) Don't waste your time trying to convert friends to fans. It's such a long shot that it's not worth the time or effort, and can even be detrimental to keeping your True Fans happy.

2) Don't waste time on your friends. You don't have enough of them to worry about, and they're probably only being polite anyway.

3) Be aware of your listeners, but don't try to convert them to fans. The chances are it won't happen.

4) Fans are important. They already like you and have told you so, probably by buying product, signing up to your email list or friending you on a social media site. They can be turned into True fans, but at this point, you can't count on it so you can't spend a lot of effort trying.

5) Your True Fans love you. They will walk to the ends of the earth to tell others about you. They are your evangelists and will covert others into Fans and True Fans for you. They are to be embraced, coddled and cultivated because they are your future.

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The Myth Of "Distribution Is King"

Up until about the year 2000, it was pretty much a given that anyone who owned, controlled, or created content had the world at their feet. Without the movie, song, CD, DVD, television show, piece of art, book, poem or any other creative endeavor, what else was there to sell?

Somewhere in the last decade this concept has been twisted to where it's now popularly believed that content is not longer the essential part of commerce, but distribution is. I suspect that this idea has been perpetrated by marketers and the distributors themselves in an effort to increase their importance and obtain a bigger slice of the pie as a result.

Is distribution important? You bet it is. You can have a great product, but if you can't make it available to buy, then you won't have as many sales. But distributors overestimate their importance, and they're beginning to believe their own hype. If you have something that's really great, people will find their way to it, more so now than ever.

But the distributors will have you believe that you can have a great piece of content like a song, and it won't blow up (sell a lot) unless it has distribution. Or will it?

In the old days of Music 1.0 through 2.5 when the record label was essential to an artist's success and the fan only purchased physical product like vinyl records and CDs at a record store, distribution was a lot more important. There was only a single distribution channel and you had to abide by the system in order to get in it. But now that we're in Music 3.0 where the artist can communicate directly with the fan, I'd venture to say that distribution is LESS important than ever.

You want to distribute your songs online? There are at least a dozen online distributors besides iTunes that will do that for you, and if you don't want to use them you can go directly to your fans via email, social networking and your website.

You want radio airplay? Traditional broadcast radio that requires the big machine for placement is dying and turning to talk-radio, so you won't be played anyway. Plus it's now irrelevant because it's influence is at an all-time low and going lower. But there are hundreds of online radio stations that will gladly play your songs if they like them and they fit their formats, and there are dozens of streaming sites where you can list your music by yourself.

You want to distribute your product physically? You probably can't get it into most record stores, but so what? There are fewer and fewer of those every month anyway. But you can sell CDs and merch at gigs and personal appearances, which can amount to some big $$$ if you have the fanbase and visibility.

If anything, the viral nature of the Internet proves the point. Content is still king! People don't buy distribution, they buy content.

So don't believe the myth. After all, without content, what is there to distribute?

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Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

A Giant List Of Keyword Search Tools - Part 2

As I said in the post from a couple of days ago, keywords are the key to being discovered on today's web. Here's Part 2 of a great list of keyword search tools that I came across on the Search Engine Land site. Check out some tips on how to best use your keywords in this previous post.

Topical/categorical

• GoRank Ontology Finder (Related Keywords Lookup Tool) – Checks the top 1000 Google results for your keywords by running a related word query. Not really for synonyms but rather other words in that topic.
• Google Trends – See search terms and activity around certain topics.
• With Google Insights for Search, you can compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties.
• Google Sets – Enter a few items from a set of things and Google will try to predict other items in the set. Can be handy to uncover terms related to your keywords.

Synonyms & word meanings

• Thesaurus.com – You can’t beat the basic thesaurus for finding terms.
• Princeton University’s WordNet lexicon tool goes beyond the thesaurus and really drives into the different meanings of specified words.
• Lexical FreeNet – A powerful tool that shows the relationship between words.

Typos and misspellings

• Keyword typo generator by SEO Book
• Produces misspelled text
• Keyword typo generator by SEO Chat

Keyword Manipulation

• SEO Tools Bad Keyword & Number Stripper – Use this tool to remove bad keywords from your keyword lists.
• AdWords Wrapper – Simply enter a list of keyword phrases and the Google AdWords Wrapper will turn it into 4 separate lists; a combination of broad, phrase and exact match, a combination of phrase and exact match, phrase match only, and exact match only.
• Jumbo Keyword tool – A myriad of features such as auto-lowercase, auto-dedupe, delete blank lines, create phrase, exact, and broad match versions of keywords. Make sure to click the advanced tab for the most options.
• iwebTools Quick Dedupe – Paste in a list of terms and it will quickly remove duplications

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5 Tips On How To Beat The Sales Odds

Market research company Nielsen Soundscan offered some interesting statistics at last week's NARM show (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) and they are indeed sobering if you're an artist.

• A total of 98,000 albums were released in 2009

• Only 2.1 percent of those managed to cross the 5,000 sales mark

• 2.5 million vinyl albums were sold in 2009 

What does this mean if you're a new band or an artist? First of all, you've got a tremendous amount of competition. It used to be that the average number releases was between 25 and 30,000 per year, which is still a huge number. Now we're talking about 3 to 4 times that many and the number is growing every year.

Believe it or not, most artists that make a record have no idea what to do with it, which is a shame considering the amount of time, effort and money involved. Even if the record is great, unless you have a plan, chances are that you, your friends and family will be the only ones to enjoy it.

Even worse, many artists still have their mind set on the elusive record deal, even though it's obvious to most that this is no longer the path to success that it once was. Even more baffling is the fact that many artists still refuse to learn more about how to use the many possibilities that the Internet now holds for building any fan base and marketing the thing you care so much about.

The only way that you can compete today is embrace the concepts of Music 3.0. Here are just a few things to think about (sorry if you've read this here before but there are many new readers who've not been exposed to the concepts yet).

1) You've got to reach out and touch your fans - frequently. Build your email list, keep in touch via social media, talk to your fans and especially, let them talk to you. Read the archives of this blog for a lot more info on how to do all of this, especially this post about how to reach your online audience.

2) You've got to target your audience and not waste time on trying to market to what you think is your audience. Just because you can reach a great deal of the world doesn't mean that it's cost or time efficient to try to do so. The more targeted you can be, the more likely you'll find your true fans (sometimes called "super fans," uber-fans," or "your tribe") and they'll find you.

3) You've got to keep your content fresh. Frequent releases of just one or two songs mean a lot more in keeping your fanbase happy than waiting a year in between each album release. The album is still important, but it's not the center of most fans or listener's music world any more, so keep those songs coming, preferably every six or eight weeks. Release an album when you have enough songs as described in this article about the new release schedule.

4) You've got to think outside the box. Trying something different like making a vinyl record doesn't mean that you'll automatically have an audience, but it does give you a better chance of being heard or at least have a story. Some artists have even released cassettes and 8 track tapes (although no one can probably play them). It's the story and the experience that you're selling, as well as the music. Which brings us to.....

5) You have to have a story. As Tom Silverman of Tommy Boy Records and the New Music Seminar said at the recent NARM, "The most important thing you can do (above music even) is create a great story; story sells, create context." The story allows you to raise up above the pack. It allows you to glow while your competition fades. It was always important, but now it's more important than ever.

Those 5 points are just an overview. There's a lot of detail to each, plus there's plenty more that you can do to take advantage of Music 3.0. Watch this blog for more tips, read my Music 3.0 Internet Music Guidebook and other great books like Ariel Hyatt's "Music Success In 9 Weeks"to get started.

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Follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.

The Giant List Of Keyword Tools - Part 1

Keywords are incredibly important. It's one of the major ways that people other than your fans find you. How do we determine which are the keywords to use? By using Keyword Search Tools.

Here's part 1 of a great list of keyword search tools that I came across on the Search Engine Land site.

Keyword suggestion tools

• Google External Keyword Tool – The “big daddy” of keyword tools straight from the belly of the beast. Check out the beta link to the advanced version.
• Free Keyword Tool by WordStream – Really great aggregator of other suggest tools
• Microsoft AdCenter Labs – Keyword suggest tool along with a multitude of “experimental tools” like the search funnels, keyword research, keyword mutation tool, etc.
• Google’s Search-based Keyword Tool provides keyword ideas based on actual Google search queries and matched to specific pages of your website with your ad and search share.
• WordTracker’s Keyword Suggestion Tool

Engine suggestions

Suggestions in the drop-down menus that appear when you start typing in a search box:

• Google Suggest Keyword Suggestion Scraper Tool – This tool grabs the top queries fromGoogle Suggest which normally appears in a drop down menu under the Google search bar as you type a query.
• Soovle is a free tool that provides the search suggestions from various engines around the net including Google, Yahoo, Bing, Wikipedia, Amazon, etc.

Visualization tools & word clouds

• Quintara Word Cloud
• Google Wonder Wheel.
• Visual Thesaurus
• Clusty – A search engine that provides results parsed into categories.
• Wordle – Creates a visual keyword cloud based on the terms you enter.

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The Best Day Of The Week For Email Marketing?

What's the best day of the week to send your email newsletter? This is a critical decision because if you send it on the wrong day, you'll have fewer of your fans open it. Why? Usually because the timing is bad and their attention is on something else. That's why you want to be sure to pick the right day.

Like record releases, I've always felt that Tuesday was the best day to release or send anything. It's usually a slow news day, everyone is over the rush and pent up obligations that Monday brings, and you're not caught up in the business craziness that grows ever crazier as the week progresses.

That being said, I recently found an article on a site called gather.com that analyzes every day of the week as a potential email day. The article drew no conclusions but did give a compelling argument for almost every day except the weekend. Here's an excerpt (by the way, I'll still stick with Tuesday).

MONDAY

Pros: After a long weekend, many email users make it a priority to organize their inboxes. This means there is a good chance that they will run across your message and open it.

Cons: Some consumers in the workforce don’t have the time or access to email during the day.

Recommended Approach: Send email late in the morning, preferably just before lunch, as this is when they are more likely to have the time to check their inbox.

TUESDAY

Pros: By now, many consumers have organized their work week and have a little extra time to devote to checking their inbox.

Cons: Campaigns aiming for recipients to take action over the weekend may trigger responses too early.

Recommended Approach: Make sure all the messages you send on Tuesday are designed to convince the recipient to react during the week.

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY

Pros: People are preparing for the weekend and how they will spend their personal time.  On these two days, they often have a little extra time to spend in their inbox.

Cons: There is still business that needs to be handled and only two days left to get it done. Depending on the recipient, they may hold your message off until next week, or forget about it altogether.

Recommended Approach: Keep your marketing message friendlier and less aggressive as subscribers plan their time off.

FRIDAY

Pros: People tend to receive less email on Friday, which in turn, increases the visibility of your message.

Cons: By the time Friday rolls around, some consumers are in such a rush, they may automatically ignore any email that doesn’t pertain to the job.

Recommended Approach: Send your message early in the day so the recipient has more time to read it and take action.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Pros: Believe it or not, people do check their inboxes on the weekend.  This factor gives your marketing message unlimited potential.

Cons: By sending business emails on Saturday or Sunday, you run the risk of coming off as too intrusive and annoy your subscribers.

Recommended Resolution: Try to avoid sending email on Saturday and Sunday.  If you must, limit your mailings to subscribers who are the most responsive on these particular days.

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Booking Gigs With Live Music Machine

Artists can do so much online these days. Thanks to the Music 3.0 world we live in, artists and bands can directly communicate, market, and sell directly to their fans, which is the definition of Music 3.0 itself.

The only thing missing in the whole scenario was being able to book gigs, which is maybe the most critical aspect of any band's survival. If you're not playing in front of fans, you can't easily expand your audience, you can't make much money, and you can't feel good about yourself as a musician.

Now comes a way for bands to get gigs online with a services called Live Music Machine. I can't vouch for how effective it is, but I do know that something like this is much needed and important.

I was turned onto Live Music Machine in an interesting post on the Musicians Wages blog. Here's the excerpt from that post regarding the service.

Live Music Machine is an online booking tool that enables anyone to book a band anywhere. The band puts the Live Music Machine widget on their website and social networking sites, and talent buyers or even fans can easily see the bands availability and booking requirements before making a booking request. Once a gig is booked, both parties are charged a $10 fee for using the service.

This service brilliantly streamlines the booking process. The most difficult issue of booking shows is simply communication. Live Music Machine presents talent buyers, bookers, and fans with all the information they need to know before they even contact the band. Once a request is made, the band simply reviews, accepts, or rejects the offer. No miscommunications, no unanswered questions.

Live Music Machine Highlights:

1. The widget is a complete calendar system, making it easy to post your shows wherever you put the widget.
2. Bands can post their requirements up front, so potential bookers know exactly what the band costs for a show, how far they will travel, backline requirements, and even their rider.
3. Fan generated bookings. Fans can make offers to book your band directly, or Live Music Machine can connect them with other fans and venues in their area that are also interested in booking you.
4. Other LMM features will help you sell tickets and promote the show.
5. Get paid securely with GigPay.

Learn more at the Live Music Machine FAQ.

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