Wow, It has been a whirl wind since my last post. We are through the slow times of December and early January and fully getting into quarter one of the new year. It always amazes me how the industry pretty much shuts down for a six week period right before Christmas and then like Spring time starts to rapidly grow again around the end of January!

Every year about this time my phone starts to blow up with eager artists wanting to join the ranks with their favorite artists and dip their foot into the music industry waters – in the deep end – instead of the shallows near the baby pool of their home town. This is exciting for me every year. Why? Because this is when I get to hear all the new ideas, concepts, strategies, plans, or as i like to call it…. the “crazies!” of this big ol’ music marketing misconception machine. Oh – don’t get me wrong – I hear some really good stuff too. The craziest ideas are what has sparked some greatest creative music marketing efforts in the music industry… once they have been ripped apart, molded to real world information, and turned into a well thought out plan of course.

That brings me to today’s post topic…. Single -vs- CD. It’s like the soda wars of the 90’s – Coke -vs- pepsi. On one side of the “taste bud” you had the young, hip, in the moment types – following the super stars like Beyonce’ to the Pepsi machine – and then you had the older, more sophisticated taste snobs going after the smooth talking Surgeons, Teachers, and Fuzzy Polar Bears promoting sophistication in drink…. but really, which was better? Neither! They both have their places in the market. They both continuously grow their brands beyond the original developers wildest dreams…. they both co-exist and what’s more important, they both need each other in order to continue to grow and reach further.

Yes, we are in the new world of music marketing, super fast internet downloads, fans that want instant access to music, and the ability for artists, musicians, producers, and record labels to save a ton of money by utilizing the internet to deliver their music to the masses….. but it is not an end-all-be-all tool. The internet does not mean the CD is dead. It just means we have another marketing tool to get the music in to the hands of waiting fans!

Radio stations still like to give the “10th caller” a free CD during contests. Press reporters still like to get an entire CD to add to their massive “free” collection. And fans still like to buy the actual CD at shows. There is no “single -vs- CD” war being waged in the trenches of the music industry. It is made up.

I am working with one artist right now that has gained a massive amount of fans. He has something like a million views on youtube, has fan submitted videos being uploaded to youtube, and is actually selling about $1000 worth of singles a month to all these fans…. but he has reached out to me because he is stalled right there. This artist is hungry. He studies online every day trying to reach further, he has taken all the steps he knows how, and he still seems to be stalled. After talking to him for about a half hour it hit me….

He believes that an artist today does not need to get CDs pressed up. While talking to him I found out he has about three CDs worth of songs but no CD of any of them. For the record, he is great, very very great in fact. His music hits the commercial main stream of his genre, he looks the part, has a great video, knows how to use social networking to the extreme, and seems to have the complete package…. but he really only has half of the package to take it to the next level…

THE POINT….

Budget, plan, and get ready for the need to press up actual physical product for the music industry and your music marketing efforts… i.e. CDs. It is the next step in marketing your music to the masses once you dominate the online world. It is almost impossible to do a Radio Promotional Tour without having physical CDs, Selling singles at a live show pretty much does not work and you are missing sooooo much money by not having CDs at your live shows, and realize… real fans, the one’s that follow and support you for your entire career really do want physical CDs of your music… not just singles.

Singles are great to get you started, to create buzz, gain attention, and get the industry to take notice….. but don’t get left behind thinking that just because you gained all these things with your first few singles it’s all you need. It’s not, it does not get you to your ultimate goals, and you will be stuck at a million views on youtube without really making the money those million views could have if you only had a CD!

THE MORAL….

As you are making your money on single sales from iTunes make sure you are putting at least a portion of that money aside to get CDs pressed up. The cool thing…. you can CDs for as low as $650 per 1000 now. This is full retail ready CDs, shrink wrapped, full graphics packs and all. Here is my favorite spot for CD replication, check em out!

Learn how to take your music marketing efforts further!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

I am always harping on the importance of making a personal connection while trying to market your music. It’s true – it really works. I wanted to share an email I received from Beth Schafer – if you remember, or have not read yet, Beth contacted me about some music marketing consultations about a week and a half ago and we had a good hour long chat on the phone about how she could really make the difference and get her fan base activated. If you have not read the original blog post go here and check it out – you will see what was discussed and what was suggested…..

Beth’s email from last night:

Hey Jai,

Thanks and be well,
Beth

Folks, this is the real deal. This is what injecting your personality into your fans does for your music marketing efforts. In just a week Beth was able to increase her email list, sell some CDs, and most importantly – get her fans to take the requested action. You have heard me say it before but it is worth repeating: action breeds action! If you can get your fans to take a small step of action -  you can get them to take a large step of action. Meaning; once you get them to take the action of signing up for your newsletter or downloading your free music single – you can get them to take the larger action of buying your music and your merchandise.

There is no real secret to making a connection with your fans. It is about reaching out and interacting with them, talking to them, and taking an interest in their lives. You want them to do it for you…. but why should they take the time if you don’t? They won’t. You have to participate in your fans daily lives to become friends with them and get them to take action when you want or need it.

Think about this: when is the last time you moved? Last month? Last year? Last week? How did you move? I would be willing to be that you are like most artists, producers, and musicians and really don’t have the cash to hire a moving company… right? I am further willing to bet that you grabbed a couple of your favorite pizzas, some beer, and called up your friends to give you a hand lifting that dresser into the uhaul. Right? Ok, now ask yourself this: why did those friends come to help you? It’s because you take an active part in their daily lives. I bet you didn’t call up friends that you have not talked to in the last three years to help… did you? It is the same thing with music marketing! You don’t ask supposed “fans” that you do not communicate with to help you with your career!

Take action -  a lot of action towards getting to know your fans. When you do, you will see the exact same results as Beth!

Learn how to connect with your fans and create massive music marketing buzz!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

On your road to market your music you have got to plan for the unexpected!

I manage Jeremy Ledgewood (www.JeremyLedgewood.com), an up and coming Christian artist with a great vibe! This weekend we set up a photo shoot for his upcoming album cover in the White Sands Desert in New Mexico. After a week of planning, packing, and going over the list of needed more than a few times – to ensure everything went smoothly – Jeremy and crew set out on the road yesterday at about 7pm.

The plan was to drive all night (from Dallas, TX) and reach the desert around 5am this morning. The photo shoot pretty much had to be today as it is supposed to be around 70 degrees all day and sunny.  The rest of the week and into next week is forecasted to be cold as hell and cloudy! So, Jeremy got on the road with crew and things were going pretty good. Then at about 2am last night I get a call – awaking me – and It was Jeremy on the phone asking me to get online and find out where the jack is located on his new GMC Envoy! LOL. So, I stumble out of bed, head to the computer, and start my very sleepy search while the light from the monitor almost seems to blind me!

In case you ever need to know – there is nothing online telling you where you can find the jack on an Envoy! To make things worse… with the crew, props, clothes, etc. loaded in the vehicle – searching for a Jack, in the middle of a desert road with no street lights and just the coyotes reminding you that you are on their property…. in 13 degree desert night temp… finding a secret, only the designers could figure out, hiding place for the jack seems almost impossible!

As I am searching for the jack online…. about 30 min. later, I get a call say “We found it!” Relieved I went to bed.

The moral of the story: It does not matter how much you plan, what you consider to be important, or what you think could go wrong…. when you are trying to market your music, the unexpected will always present it self. The only way to prepare is to prepare mentally, carry a little extra cash, and by all means… if you are headed into the desert make sure you have the owners manual to your new vehicle!

Jeremy and crew are now safely at the White Sands Desert in New Mexico…. a bit more tired than expected, and still trying to warm up. The little flat tire turned out to be a two hour delay and one cold night with no light changing the tire. All is good, all is well, and the photo shoot will go on!

Just remember when marketing your music, always allow much more time than you think it will take, always have extra cash on hand, and never let the small stuff get to you! The music industry is known for throwing bricks at your head. The only way to prepare is learn how to duck, bob, and weave!

Kick your 2010 Music Marketing Campaign into OVERDRIVE: The Ultimate Online Awareness Campaign!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

Ok Folks…..

It’s 1st quarter 2010 and it’s time to dig into the back of your filing cabinet, pull out those business and marketing plans that have been sitting there collecting dust, and start updating them so you can have a successful 2010! But wait, don’t do anything if you are going to do the same thing you did last year; take the time to write a new plan – to just throw it in the filing cabinet… and watch it get pushed further and further back each time you put something new in your filing cabinet. Don’t waste your time, effort, or intention on something this year that you are not going to follow through with…

Ahhhhh, there it is… If you write a business or marketing plan for 2010 you have to make the decision to follow through with it…. NOT write it and think you will, or know it well enough that you don’t need to place it in the top drawer of your desk for daily, weekly, or monthly reference… But really commit to following your plan down to the last detail! What good is a plan if it is not followed? How can you reach your goals set in a prepared plan if you are not using it to run your business? How can you stay on budget from week to week – month to month – if you are not following the budget you set out in the plan? You can not do any of these things including take the easy road to your planned success without referring to your music marketing or business marketing plan!

What your music marketing or business plan does for you:

1. Sets goals
If you do not know what you are aiming for how are you ever going to get to your target? Before you create your 2010 music marketing or business plan you need to sit down and determine what it is you want to accomplish this year. Be realistic, if you are new to the music industry don’t set yourself up for failure by creating goals too far advanced to where you are currently at. This is not to say you shouldn’t set high goals… just be realistic in your goals and what you have the capabilities or budget to reach.

2. Do your research
Research is key to any music marketing or business plan. You need to know what is hot right now, what the trends say will be hot in six months, and what has stopped working. The riaa is a great resource site for statistics, sales information, and last years trends. Billboard.com is another great site – it allows you to see what the majors are doing for their marketing efforts, and of course… www.IamMusicNetwork.com will keep you up-to-date on what is working in music industry!

3. Plan for your future
Once you have your goals and research completed you should have a better idea for what you will need to do to reach your goals. Now it’s time to plan for your future. What will you need over the next year? Include team members, money, resources, songs, videos, equipment, office space, studio, and anything else you can think of that will be needed to help you reach your goals.

4. Make a plan
Writing a music marketing or business plan does not have to be fancy and perfect. It all comes down to effort. The more effort you put into your plan the clearer the road map you will have to follow. Take your time, plan everything down to the last detail, and include your goals, research, and planning for the future to develop a stated plan of action to get you where you want to go. Think about today, tomorrow, next week, next month, and beyond until you reach next year. What steps will you take every moment and day of your journey? This is what planning is about. If you run into trouble or need help send me an email: jai@jaihutcherson.com. I am here and I do like to help indies reach their goals!

5. Stick with your plan
Writing a music marketing or business plan and then not following it is simply a waste of time, effort, and resources. You will find, if you take the time to write your plan, that you get excited, energized, and motivated to work harder, longer, and be more dedicated. But this newness will fade… if you don’t look at your plan often. It is so easy to get off track, side tracked, or simply forget about the plan you created all together if you don’t make your plan a part of your everyday music business life. Keep your plan in a top drawer of your desk, share your plan with your team, refer to your plan in team meetings, and by all means…. follow your plan.

6. Be prepared for the unexpected
Once your plan is written you must remember it is not written in stone. The music industry may change, your team dynamics might change, your budget may change, or you may learn something new that you didn’t know about when writing your plan. You have to constantly evaluate where your business is at, how it is doing, how much closer or further you are from reaching your goals, and if in fact your plan is working. Be prepared to update your plan as needed, but don’t make changes easily. Meaning, just because you here one thing or another may be working for someone else…. does not mean it will work for you. As you evaluate your plan and progress you will know if you are on track, do not change much of anything is what you planned is working. If you hear of new concepts take the time to research them for sure, but don’t be too ready to adopt them into your plan until you see how it will affect your entire plan…. not just how it will affect today or tomorrow! Another words…. don’t get caught up with “keeping up with the Jones.”

A music marketing or business plan is your road map to your success. It is the most valuable asset you own. Protect it, baby it, keep it in arm’s reach, and by all means follow it! If you take the time, effort, and energy to create a solid plan you will be better off this time next year!

If you need help with writing a music marketing or business plan reach out – I am here to help!!!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

As you know from one of my posts yesterday, I am a speaker at the 14th Annual Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA. Since I am a speaker I am listed on the site with links to my sites and contact info and I wanted to share one of the best music marketing efforts I have seen in a while from a band showcasing at the conference….

Here is the email I received from them (I added the picture from their myspace…)

——————————————————————————————

Greetings,
This message is intended for Jai Hutcherson.

I noticed you on the list of Speakers / Mentors @ MMC14 in Feb 2010 and wanted to take this time to extend a personal invite to see our band MADRONE perform.

We’re a progressive rock band out or Roanoke Va, often compared to the band TOOL. We recently have been privileged to share the stage with Halestorm, Hoobastank, Theory of a Deadman and many more.

Complete Bio: www.sonicbids.com/madrone
Other Link: www.myspace.com/madrone

We’ll be releasing new high quality recordings early 2010. Our featured single on the upcoming EP is called Daybreak and currently in the hands of Freddie Fabbri (Cage Rattle & Breaking Benjamin) and Dave Brenner from Theory of a Deadman for review. If possible we would love to hand you a copy at MMC14 for perhaps your feedback in the future.

Showcase info:
Saturday February 20th 2010
Set Time (12:30am)
Pints (Formally Tara Station)
25 South 4th St. Harrisonburg Pa. 17101

Since it’s a late set we wanted to give you plenty of notice but understand if your unable to attend. However if you do find you can, we would very much enjoy your company.

Thanks for your time and Happy New Year!

Regards,
Greg Escoe
703.489.9317
Madrone Manager
—————————————————————

Why am I sharing this with you…..

Just look at it. This is what it is all about. This is a great first contact communication; it has all the details needed for me to find out more about the band, it teases with a description of the bands sound compared to a major, it offers… not pushes their new cd to me for review, it gives me contact information, it drops some name acts they have been able to perform with and network with letting me know that they are out there working for themselves as well as reaching out to industry professionals trying to make a name, and it is not just another “Hey, we are the next big thing… go to our myspace page and wee why you want to sign us ….” as I get too, too often!

Look at the letter, study the letter, and realize – this letter got my attention, made me want to learn more about them, made me click on the links to visit their profiles, and made me want to go see them when I am at the conference! THIS EMAIL GOT MY ATTENTION! Not because it said a certain thing…. but because it said what it needed to without being full of crap, hype, or smoke and mirrors. It was professional, gave details, and sparked interest. This is a great template for any artist, musician, band, producer, r record label trying to reach out to industry professionals and get noticed – trust me, I don’t see letters composed this well very often and when I, and my industry friends, receive a letter this good we sit up and take notice…. FYI – this is part of that “IT” factor that is needed to succeed in the music industry!

OK, now, as most of you know that read my blog – myspace  has that little widget called “demand it” that artists place on their profile to get people from all over the world to “demand” they do a show in hometown’s…. Madrone, as they should to keep the buzz moving, has placed one on their profile page. Here is what I need form everyone reading this blog…. and you know, I do not ask for much, very often, from my readers…. I want you to click on the “Demand It” banner below and “Demand” Madrone to play a show in your city…. and then when they do, GO TO THE SHOW. I don’t care if you are into hip hop, rock, country, christian, R&B, or whatever…. if you listen to this band you will feel the music, like the vibe, and appreciate the music of another genre…. so get off the “genre specific high road” and listen to them to appreciate what they offer to their genre and then demand them…. if you do, karma  will do the same for you when you need it in your journey to the top…

View all Dallas events on Eventful

I hope to see a lot of emails like this from all my readers in the future!

For more ways to create awareness like this example check out “The Ultimate Online Awareness Campaign”

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”
www.JaiHutcherson.com

Hey People….

If you live on the East Coast – Or anywhere and feel like a really cool vacation… Don’t miss the 14th Annual Millennium Music Conference in Harrisburg, PA – Feb. 18th – 21st, 2010. This is a really cool conference that has been happening long enough that they got it going on. These folks know how to put together a City wide event that spans four days, 25 hot clubs, 250 original artists, music industry pros sharing their knowledge, tips, tricks, and techniques for succeeding in the music industry , and a whole lot more.

This is not just another conference…. this is an event not to be missed. I have been asked to be a speaker and am very excited to be a part of this legendary music conference! I would love to as many of my readers/followers at the event so we can network face to face, swap ideas and experiences, and help each other grow our network of contacts.

Go to my website www.JaiHutcherson.com and click on the link for the Millennium Music Conference to get more information!!!!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

Hey Folks….

Going into 2010, as you think about your goals, create your plans for reaching those goals, and start acting on those plans – who is your biggest competition while marketing your music in 2010? Is it the local band, artist, producer, or record label down the street, the regional independent touring around your market, or maybe the international major labels that are buying up all the air time on video broadcast stations, radio, and ad spaces in magazines? It’s none of these!!!

Wait for it….. It’s Coming….. Hold on…..

IT’S YOU!!!

Yup, you are your biggest competition in 2010 while trying to push your music to the masses. There is not one person or organization in the entire world that can hurt or help you more than you can. You have the power to make or break your career with every decision you make…. Notice, I didn’t say action you take, move you make, or marketing strategy you try… I said; “with every decision you make!”

Being in the music industry takes total and complete commitment, guts, and willpower. Everything that you can do to get ahead starts with a decision. Here is the definition of decision: “a determination arrived at after consideration, a report of a conclusion, promptness and firmness in deciding.”

You are your biggest music marketing competition in 2010 because only you can give yourself or take away from yourself the power to make firm decisions about what you are going to do to get your music in the hands of potential fans. It does not matter what other artists, bands, producers, or record labels are doing. It doesn’t matter how much buzz others are getting for their music. But most of all, it does not matter if you are keeping up with others actions or not.

There are more than enough potential music fans in the world that you can have as large a fan base as you want. THE WORLD – Yes, I said world… The internet is upon us…strongly! You have the power to gain fans from anywhere in the world if you make the decision to do so. You have the power to book as many live gigs as you want, get your music reviewed by as many magazines as you decide, and get your music on as many radio stations as you take action to do so.

Notice again, I am not saying you are ready to be on the radio, doing live shows, or getting your music reviewed by magazines. No, I am saying you have the power within you to get to the point that these organizations will want your music. You have to make the decision that you will do what it takes, no matter what that may be, to get your music in the places it needs to be to sell more units allowing you to make your living in the music industry. You may in fact be creating music that sucks! I hate to say it, because I know as a creative type myself that you may not like to hear it. But it is important to realize that you have to make a decision that you either want to make music that you and your mom likes or you have to create music that will help you reach your goals. I am in no way saying change who you are…. there is absolutely no need for that…. but I am saying you have to make the decision to listen to what your potential fans are saying…. or not saying… and take the action needed to reach your decision.

You are your competition! That is very worthy of being repeated many, many times. Only you have the power to make the decision to act upon your dreams of being the next superstar. Only you have the decision to get up every day and market your music to the world to reach your goals. Only you have the ability to follow through with what you start and have solid commitment. Only you have the power to make decisions and then use guts to see them through. Only you can do none of these things, make no decisions, and watch your career fade away…. then look back and say, “well, I WANTED to be in the music industry.” as you sit at your 9 to 5 job behind your desk answering phones….

There is a huge difference between wanting to do something and making the decision to act. Refer back tot he definition. If you decide to do something you have determination to follow through no matter how hard, how boring, or how much work it takes… you are committed. Wanting something means it would be nice if you received it – freely, without work, determination, or commitment. Another word for decision in my mind is NEED. A decision is a need. Meaning is you decide to do something, then you need to do it, not want to do it, or maybe will do it – YOU NEED TO DO IT!

OK, this has been your music marketing motivational minute….by Jai. Take it for what you will… or decide to join the music industry; committed, decided, firm, activated, and with guts. You will need all these things if you are going to reach your goals!

Learn how to create an action plan to reach your music marketing goals!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

Hey Folks!

Man, I love this time of year. My family celebrates Christmas and my wife goes all out decorating the house, baking cookies, and spending all my money to try and single handedly save the economy as she hits all the shops and malls for presents. I am amazed every year how much she gets done and how well she sticks to her plans no matter how crazy things get…..

Of course that makes me think about “follow through.” I have gone, one time only, with my wife to the malls and shops to “be in the spirit” and help her pick out a few gifts for family and friends and I can tell you that if she did not have “follow through” and stick to her plan we would have never made it out of the mall alive! Me being like a kid in a candy store…. ok, we were in the candy store…. I wanted to go here and there as I saw shiny cool toys and gadgets that I wanted for myself, but my wife kept pointing to the clock, her list, and then telling me “we don’t have time for you to just stroll through the mall window shopping… we have to get in, get out, and stick to the plan!” “But, but, right now I’m here and everything is out and I have been thinking about looking at this stuff for a while now, this is a good time to just quickly look…” I said. “No, we have to keep with the plan or I will not get done what I need to do today to finish everything before Christmas!” she said.

Let me tell you this. When my wife says “NO!” It wakes me up. Usually she is the sweet, quiet type that just kinda goes along with the flow of life at her own pace. Actually, usually she is late to everything because she just moves to her own clock and really enjoys being chill. So, when she puts her foot down and says “NO” I have to wake up and listen….

What does this have to do with music marketing and awareness campaigns? A lot! You see, my wife gets all the shopping done, all the cooking completed, gifts wrapped, house decorated, and everything else that demands her time every year at Christmas because she has developed a plan and then sticks to that plan to a “T.” That one time of going to the mall with her showed me just how much she does stick to that plan and why….. My “five minutes here and there” just to check out a new toy or shinny object added up to making her more than two and a half hours off schedule. And trust me, once she is on a mission – the last thing you want to do is be the one to get her off schedule – she made me work with her the rest of the day to get back on schedule and by doing so I saw exactly what my “five minutes” really did for her day and plan!

Your music marketing activities, especially online awareness campaign work, require strict detail to a schedule. Getting off schedule even a day can throw the entire campaign out of wack until you get back on schedule. This is because each step you take is built upon the previous steps and you can not move forward until you complete each step of the plan. If you do not follow through, down to the minute, of what you are supposed to do you will start to hurt your over all online awareness campaign.

While you are online it is hard not to just take five minutes to look at this or that – you know the shinny things that grab our attention – and those five minutes add up quickly. While you are doing searched on your favorite search engine for radio stations or online magazines, a headline about your favorite commercial rtist might grab your attention, or when you visit a radio station site a picture might grab your attention and make you want to click on the picture to see or learn more…. This takes you off task and off schedule fast. It might not seem like much, but add this up over a three or four hour period of doing research and you have now only spent about half the time you dedicated to research actually researching music industry resources.

Staying focused and following through with your plan while surfing the net is hard work – maybe harder than anything else while marketing your music. You have email, forum announcements, new blog posting announcements, instant message pop ups, etc. that all are competing with your time and energy while doing your work. You have to learn the art of tuning distractions out, turning off announcements, and paying attention only to the task at hand. Your music marketing efforts have got to be the only thing that has your complete and total attention the entire time you are acting upon it. Not just for the time drain, but also for your focus, your commitment, and your follow through.

Constant research, sifting through websites for needed information, and going through lists of radio stations or press outlets to find the ones that are still in business is tedious. I have found that the only way I can do it over and over, day after day, is to set goals. I set a goal of 20 – 25 radio stations a day, 3 – 5 music magazines a day, and 3 – 5 event promoters a day. By doing this I have a goal to keep in mind which forces me to stick to the plan of the day. I then know I do not have time to get distracted by those “new and shinny” things that pop up looking to steal my time and effort.

Here are some tips for making the best of your time online while working your awareness campaign:

• 1. Shut down email programs for the entire time you are working. – Check your email before you start and then after you finish, but not during.
• 2. Turn off your instant message software while working.
• 3. Create goals for each day of work and do not allow yourself to stray away from that goal until you reach it.
• 4. As you find “shinny” things that grab your attention make a note so you can go back to them once you complete your online awareness activities.
• 5. Do not visit your social networking sites or favorite user forums while working.
• 6. Do not allow yourself to read the news, current events, or anything not directly related to your research while on industry websites – Keep note of sites that offer these things and do allocate time for this at a later date/time. It is iportant to stay on top of industry news, but not while working on awareness.
• 7. Turn off your phone while working.
• 8.  Close your office door or let anyone else around you know that you are working and need total focus so no interruptions.
• 9. Once you begin your online awareness activities limit your breaks to only one an hour and make that one break quick so you stay focused and on point.

Hopefully this will get you thinking and you can create a space and frame of mind to keep on point, stay focused, and follow through while acting upon your online awareness campaign! If you have some more ideas that may help other readers please leave a comment or two and I will post for everyone to see and appreciate! As always… keep busy, work smart not hard, and remember – the more effective effort you put into your music marketing efforts the more you get out of them…. Knowledge is power and the more you have the further you will go!

To jump start your music marketing efforts check out The Ultimate Online Awareness Campaign eBook available now!!!

Have a very merry Christmas and happy holidays!!!
Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

What is an awareness campaign?

An awareness campaign is the backbone of all successful music marketing campaigns. It is what drives potential fans, music industry professionals, and the press to learn more about you and your music. It is your formal introduction to the world and the time you say.. “Listen to my music – I have something to say and I feel you will like my music and what it offers your soul!”

Successful awareness campaigns allow fans to “stumble” upon your music in a way that makes them want to take action – action that leads to them to learn more, attend shows, participate in user forums, and ultimately buy your CDs and merchandise. Awareness campaigns are not advertising or saying… “I am the next BIG thing – you will want to click here to buy my music!” They are not about getting 40,000 so called friends on myspace.com that in reality only accepted your friend request but never went to your profile to listen to your music. Awareness campaigns are about building a fan base of real friends that support their new friend by taking action when needed!

The internet has opened the entire world to independent artists, musicians, producers, and record labels. It has made it possible for independents to reach further, deeper, and cheaper in such a way that the playing field of the music industry machine has been leveled and now money is not the determining factor in who gets the “limelight.” The internet means good music matters again! However, like anything good…. every independent in the world has taken to the internet to “shine.” It is getting over saturated, over run with “smoke and mirror” techniques, and fans are starting to get tired of the “same ol’ same ol’” smoke and mirror tricks.

I have written “The Ultimate Online Awareness Campaign” book to help artists, musicians, record labels, and producers get past the tired tips, tricks, and techniques that no longer work. This book details, day by day, what you need to do to get attention, create buzz, and get your music into more hands of potential fans fast. This is the exact formula I use with my clients to get music charted, get the press to call them, and to get event promoters, radio, and video broadcasters to call us – instead of us trying to call them for attention! “The Ultimate Online Awareness Campaign” is a proven formula that works no matter the genre of music, location in the world, or money in your pocket.

This book teaches you how to set up a social network that gets instant attention, how to maintain your network to make fans want to stay, when, where, and how to contact radio program directors to make sure they add your music to regular rotation, how to get the press to contact you for interviews and reviews, how to get bloggers and video podcasters to keep you and your music a permanent part of their broadcasts, and a whole lot more.

Click here to learn more about how to kick start your music marketing campaign with an awareness campaign that creates buzz, grabs instant attention, and drives fans to buy your music!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

Man, I had a great interview on WCANRadio.com yesterday with host InDi Brooks. InDi hosts “The Talk of the Town” – a weekly program featuring interviews with people creating buzz around the country. I was very lucky to have her contact me for a feature spot this Saturday! We talked about my book “Hip Hop Business Advisor,” in particular what is going on in the urban music industry, music marketing for artists, and where the industry might be headed! You can listen to the interview by pushing play below. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think and please click on the link to the station and let InDi know that you appreciate her hosting a show that give the music industry indies a spotlight to shine!

Push Play to Listen to the Interview:

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WCANRadio.com
Show Time: Saturday’s 10am (EST)