The fate of record stores, particularly large ones, is grim. First, Tower Records went out of business and now, according to Billboard.biz, Virgin Megastores is closing two more chains in New York and San Francisco. All that remains are three in Los Angeles, Denver & Orlando. Fortunately, the Internet has allowed for the continued legal distribution of music through iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, and now, Audiolife.
With the rise of Social Media, fans have the opportunity to interact with their favorite artists and other like-minded fans. The brick-and-mortar business is no longer fit to adapt to the modern music consumer’s needs outside of the small percentage of music fans who enjoy the experience of local record shops. The remainder of the world requires instant gratification and access to the music they love.
With Audiolife, artists can create their own virtual stores and place them anywhere (i.e. band website, MySpace Music page). Fans can then purchase digital/physical albums and merchandise without even leaving the artists page, thus fulfilling the consumers needs all in one place. To view some examples of these stores, click here.
What is an artist without its fans? And how does one go about building a fan base? The most obvious answer would be to create good music but being that taste in music is purely subjective, every person has a chance of acquiring fans. Todays D.I.Y on Hypebot is titled “Borrow Someone Else’s Fans.” Read below to find out how:
The most obvious form of fan borrowing is getting an opening act slot with a band whose fans might like you. Trading gigs with a similar artist in another city works much the same way, but there are other ways to borrow someone else’s fans”
Flyer outside another band’s show
Park a van with a banner on it outside a major concert
Buy a local Facebook ad campaign using the names of several similar artists as key words
Friend the friends of similar artists on MySpace
Trade ads on your web site
Trade email lists (Be careful of ticking people off by over using this method.)
Watch how another band is promoting itself and learn from it
Frequent the discussion groups that talk about other similar acts and leave low key messages. Don’t over hype or you’ll get kicked off
Offer fans of another band an incentive to come see you. “Half price with a Grateful Dead T-shirt.)
Play an unofficial after party for a major concert of a band with similar fans
Do a unique cover of or “tribute to” another acts song and give it away.
By now we’ve all heard of, and maybe even participated in, Radiohead’s distribution strategy for their latest LP–In Rainbows. Although it might not work for every artist it was still both forward thinking and quite successful for the band. Today I came across what is said to be former Nine Inch Nails’ drummer, Josh Freese, strategy in taking sales into his own hands by developing packages which are unique and pretty damn funny. Whether it’s true or not, it’s still an interesting and neat idea. Check it out below or scroll down to the bottom to see the video. Article is courtesy of Stan Schroeder at Mashable.
You know how Nine Inch Nails tie the digital goods (which can be duplicated ad infinitum) to scarce goods (merch, collector’s items, signed items, etc) to engage their audience and give them a chance to choose how much they’re willing to spend and what exactly they’re getting for their money?
Well, their former drummer Josh Freese has a new album, and he has decided to take the concept a couple of steps further. I’m not sure whether he’s joking or is this for real, but what he’s offering to his fans is definitely funny as hell. Here goes (courtesy of soundcheck.freedomblogging.com):
$7
* Digital download of Since 1972, including 3 videos
$15
* CD/DVD double-disc set
* Digital download
$50
* CD/DVD double-disc set
* T-shirt
* “Thank you” phone call from Josh for buying Since 1972. You can tell him what you like about the record that you purchased, or what you thought sucked. Ask whatever you want, like “Is Maynard really THAT weird?” or “Which one of Sting’s mansions has the comfiest beds?” or “Are Devo really suburban robots that monitor reality or just a bunch of dads from Ohio?” or “Why don’t the Vandals play more stuff off the first record?” It’s your 5 minutes to yack it up. Talk about whatever you want.
$250 (limited edition of 25)
* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed drum head and drumsticks
* Go on a lunch date with Josh to PF Changs or The Cheesecake Factory (whatever you’re into)
$500 (limited edition of 15)
* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed cymbal and sticks
* Meet Josh in Venice, Calif., and go floating together in a sensory-deprivation tank (to be filmed and posted on YouTube)
* Dinner at Sizzler (get your $8.99 steak and “all you can eat” shrimp on)
$1,000 (limited edition of 10)
* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed cymbal, drum head and drumsticks
* Josh washes your car OR does your laundry … or you can wash his car
* Have dinner with Josh aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif.
* Get drunk and cut each other’s hair in the parking lot of the Long Beach courthouse (filmed and posted on YouTube, of course)
$2,500 (limited edition of 5)
* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* Get a private drum lesson with Josh, or for all you non-drummers, have him give you a back and foot massage (couples welcome)
* Pick any 1 member of the Vandals or Devo (subject to availability) to accompany you and Josh to either the Hollywood Wax Museum or the lunch buffet at the Spearmint Rhino
* Signed DW snare drum
* Take 3 items of your choice out of his closet (first come, first serve)
* Change diapers and make bottles with him for an afternoon (after hitting the strip club)
$5,000 (limited edition of 3)
* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Josh writes a song about you and makes it available on iTunes
* Co-direct a video with him for the song about you and throw it up on the YouTubes
* Josh gives you and a friend a private tour of Disneyland
* Get drunk together. If you don’t drink, we can go to my dad’s place and hang out under the “Tuba tree”
* Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam will send you a letter telling you about his favorite song on Since 1972
$10,000 (limited edition of 1)
* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed DW snare drum from A Perfect Circle’s 2003 tour
* Josh gives you a private drum lesson OR his and hers foot/back massage (couples welcome, discreet parking)
* Twiggy from Marilyn Manson’s band and Josh take you and a guest to Roscoe’s Chicken ‘n’ Waffles in Long Beach for dinner
* Josh takes you and a guest to Club 33 (the super-duper exclusive and private restaurant at Disneyland located above Pirates of the Caribbean) and then hit a couple rides afterward (preferably the Tiki Room, the Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror)
* At the end of the day at Disneyland, drive away in Josh’s Volvo station wagon. It’s all yours … take it. Just drop him off on your way home, though, please.
$20,000 (limited edition of 1)
* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* A signed drum from the 2008 Nine Inch Nails tour
* Maynard James Keenan, Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo and Josh take you miniature golfing and then drop you off on the side of the freeway (all filmed and posted on YouTube)
* Josh gives you a tour of Long Beach. See his first apartment, the coffee shop on 2nd Street where his buddy paid Dave Grohl $40 to rip up tile just weeks before joining Nirvana. See the old Vandals rehearsal spot, the liquor store he got busted at using a Fake ID when he was 17 (it was Dave from the Vandals’ old ID). Go check out Snoop Dogg’s high school. For an extra 50 bucks see where Tom and Adrian from No Doubt live. For another $25 he’ll show ya where Eric from NOFX and Brooks from Bad Religion get their hair cut.
* Spend the night aboard the Queen Mary and take the “Ghosts and Legends” tour. (Separate rooms … no spooning.)
* Josh writes 2 songs about you and both are made available on iTunes and appear on his next record (you can sing back up on ‘em, clap, play the drums, triangle, whatever)
* Drum lesson OR foot and back massage (once again … couples welcome and discreet parking available)
* Pick any 3 items out of Josh’s closet
$75,000 (limited edition of 1)
* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Go on tour with Josh for a few days
* Have Josh write, record and release a 5-song EP about you and your life story
* Take home any of his drum sets (only one, but you can choose which one)
* Take shrooms and cruise Hollywood in Danny from Tool’s Lamborghini OR play quarters and then hop on the Ouija board for a while
* Josh will join your band for a month … play shows, record, party with groupies, etc.
* If you don’t have a band he’ll be your personal assistant for a month (4-day work weeks, 10 am to 4 pm)
* Take a limo down to Tijuana and he’ll show you how it’s done (what that means exactly we can’t legally get into here)
* If you don’t live in Southern California (but are a U.S. resident) he’ll come to you and be your personal assistant/cabana boy for 2 weeks
* Take a flying trapeze lesson with Josh and Robin from NIN, go back to Robins place afterwards and his wife will make you raw lasagna
Now, if this isn’t changing the way music business works, I don’t know what is.
As an artist, you might not like to think of yourself as a brand and more as an identity but it is important that you do. Thinking of yourself as a brand doesn’t mean that you have to lose your identity. In fact, it is your identity, in addition to what you create, that you will build your brand around.
A common way of branding is creating a logo. Audiolife was fortunate enough to work with Fabian Geyrhalter of Geyrhalter Design in developing our brand and logo. The following is an article he recently wrote on his thoughts regarding building a brand around artists:
I taught a class at Art Center College Of Design with the focus on creating Brand Atmospheres™ for an artist or a band. I am very passionate about music, design and branding, so the outcome of the class was a big success for the students as well as for myself, which most often is the case when you put passionate people to work together.
Based on us just having spent 3 months designing for music as a group, it was reassuring to see today’s digital music fans being very opinionated, and also quite savvy, about design and brands that are being built around their favorite artists as new albums are being released.
Three of my favorite creative collaborators, Depeche Mode, U2 and Anton Corbjin, sparked this blog entry. Depeche Mode’s soon to be released single design to the upcoming ‘Sounds of the Universe’ album is, well, let’s face it ‘wrong’. I will not bash it more then others have already done before me, but it is amazing to see fans’ mock-versions appearing online when the single will not even be released until April 6th. As a bonus I throw in the design of the full-length, just so we all understand the depth of the design issue at hand. Anton Corbjin is the backbone of the visual re-launch of the Depeche Mode brand in 2009, and it shows that an amazing creative force with a unique vision for the moving image, does not immediately make a good graphic or brand designer. Or typographer of course:
The mock ‘remix’:
The full length album design (NOT a mock-version):
U2’s just as eagerly awaited full-length feels like the opposite to me and I was taken by its beauty and modern simplicity, yet the equal sign disturbed me mainly because of Coldplay’s very apparent and frequent use of the ‘trade fair’ symbol. Yet, as you can read here, fans of photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto and U2 had their own strong opinions.
And the ‘trade fair’ logo as seen in tattoo form:
The power of brand building, seen in one of its mass market – and most competitive and critically viewed – forms.
It’s now the day after the Grammy Awards ceremony and the buzz hasn’t stopped. People are still discussing who wore what, did what and, of course, won an award (or didn’t)! For those who are more about music than film, particularly indie fans/artists, we thought we’d share the following list of independent artists who were nominated for a Grammy Award. The list is courtesy of Bob Baker’s blog–The Buzz Factor. Click here for the original article or see the list below:
Best Polka Album – Vocal or Instrumental
LynnMarie & Charlie Kelley as The Boxhounds – Speechless http://cdbaby.com/cd/boxhounds
Walter Ostanek and His Band, Jerry Darlak and The Touch, Bob Kravos and His Band -
Back To Back Hall of Fame Polkas http://cdbaby.com/cd/wojdbkbands
Best Musical Album For Children
Brady Rymer And The Little Band That Could -
Here Comes Brady Rymer And The Little Band That Could http://cdbaby.com/cd/bradyrymer6
For those who missed the award show or haven’t seen Slumdog Millionaire yet, you must listen to the following track. “Jai Ho,” written by A.R. Rahman won Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song:
Gen-Y Rock Stars is a site created for DIY musicians that want the fame but realize they don’t necessarily need a label to achieve it. They use the web and various Social Media platforms to achieve this and are constantly on the look out for the next best tool on the Internet. Gen-Y provides these types of artists with information on how to promote and market their music online. Recently they published a report on the 100 Social Media Resources for Musicians.
Earlier this week they decided to follow that report with the Gen-Y Rock Stars Tool Kit. It’s entirely free. All you need to do is provide your name and e-mail address. Once you receive the e-mail you must confirm your e-mail address, which will provide you a link to download the PDF. It is one simple page that provides a checklist breaking down the various ways you can connect with and engage your fans.
Last week, Audiolife CEO, Brandon Hance, and VP of Marketing and Communications, Rebekah Iliff, had the opportunity to attend Twiistup 5 held in an airplane hangar in Santa Monica. Twiistup is essentially a networking event for people in the technology, entertainment and media industries. It gives startups an opportunity to showcase their products and services to the media, investors and influential bloggers. Not to mention all the music, drinks and prizes that come along with it!
The atmosphere was great and the companies even better. Some of our favorites were as follows:
RoboDynamics: The first company to commercialize an enterprise Robotic Telepresence platform.
Fitplanet: Infuse your daily lifestyle with fitness and nutrition solutions from real personal trainers.
Userplane: The world’s premier social software provider for online communities.
Yammer: Connect and share with the people in your company or organization.
Totspot: A place to create a private page about your kids and share it with friends and family.
Viewdle: A facial recognition powered digital media platform for easily indexing, searching & monetizing video assets.
CyberCoders: Premier recruiting and job search firm nationwide.
Meebo: Chat with your buddies on every major IM network in a single buddylist from anywhere.
If you ever wondered what a Twiistup event looked like you can check out the video below:
Valentines Day is just around the corner so if you’re struggling to come up with something to give to your significant other look no further! A mixtape is a great way to express your feelings for another, especially when it’s hard to come up with the words yourself. But even mixtapes can be time consuming, so we here at Audiolife thought we’d take some of the work load off your back and suggest some sweet indie tunes to woo your loved one!
1. Lykke Li – Little Bit
This Swedish pop star has been sweeping hipster hearts for quite some time now. This song is perfect if you want to tell someone how much you love them without sounding overly obsessed.
2. Radiohead – All I Need
This song is both breathtaking beautiful and lyrically great. Thom Yorke wears his heart on his sleeve as he sings about his unrequited love for another. Warning: if your in a relatively new relationship this song might actually sound obsessive unlike the previous track.
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
This one is an oldie but a goody and what really put the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the map (no pun intended). The message is pretty straight forward: “They don’t love you like I love you.”
4. Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire
By now you’ve probably heard this song. If you’re not afraid to tell your boyfriend/girlfriend/whoever how much they turn you on then this song is a must!
5. Jack Johnson – Angel
Anyone who’s ever listened to Jack Johnson knows that he’s a master of love songs and always a safe bet for a mixtape.
6. My Morning Jacket – It Beats 4 U
If you want to impress your significant other with your knowledge of indie music then including My Morning Jacket on your mixtape should do the trick. Not to mention the sweet little message that comes with it.
7. Lupe Fiasco – Paris, Tokyo
Hip hop isn’t necessarily known for producing great love songs but Lupe Fiasco breaks this stereotype with “Paris, Tokyo,” a song about sharing everything with your loved one even if you’re far apart.
8. MGMT – Electric Feel
Another popular song. If you want to shy away from overly sappy or slow songs this is a great feel-good track about how he/she shocks you with their electricity (figuratively, of course).
9. Feist – So Sorry
For some, Valentines Day might be a chance to get back together with someone. This song is the perfect way of saying, “I’m sorry,” and telling someone that you belong together.
10. Hot Chip – We’re Looking For a Lot of Love
If you’re into more of the “lo-fi/electronic” scene then this song by Hot Chip would be a great addition to your mixtape.
Audiolife is proud to announce our new scholarship program. Established this year, the scholarship aims to support music school students throughout California who are entering higher learning music programs and are interested in actively pursuing a career as a musician or as a music industry professional.
The intent of this award is to create opportunities for students who might otherwise find it difficult to successfully pursue a higher education in music and comes at a time where schools throughout California are seeing massive budget cuts. “We see this opportunity as a win-win,” remarked Audiolife Founder and CEO Brandon Hance. “Not only will students have the opportunity to be awarded $500 toward their music education, but our company will obtain valuable feedback about our new technology and web-platform. We are excited to hear what students have to say about Audiolife!”
In order to qualify for the award, applicants must submit an essay in 1,000 words or less describing how they foresee Audiolife’s groundbreaking web-based platform making an impact in the music industry. Applicants may submit their essays via e-mail and will be reviewed by our board and staff members, which include top industry professionals. See details below:
Deadline: Essays must be submitted no later than 11:59 PM PST on April 1, 2009
Essay Topic: Applicants must investigate and research the trans-formative business model to answer the following question:
How do you see Audiolife affecting the music industry in the next two to three years?
Scholarship Award: The winner will be announced by April 20th, 2009 and will be awarded the $500 cash price no later than May 1st, 2009
Who is Eligible?: All students in any accredited academic university institution or music school. Must be enrolled at least part-time.
How do I enter?: Email your essay to: Artist Relations Manager, Travis@Audiolife.com AND CC: Natasha@Audiolife.com in a word document or PDF Format
Essays must include the follwing information:
First/Last Name
Address, City, State, Zip Code
Telephone
Email
Age
Grade/Level
Name of College/University/School
School/University Address, City, State, Zip Code
Name of Music Teacher/Director (must include email address and phone number
Judging Criteria: Entries will be judged by the Audiolife board and staff, which include a panel of top industry professionals.
Judging Committee:
Brandon Hance, Founder & CEO, Audiolife
Aaron Weiner, VP of Artist Relations, Audiolife
Rebekah Iliff, VP of Marketing and Communications, Audiolife
Much has changed for musicians with the rise of Social Media from marketing to artist-fan relations to the distribution of music. This has forced artists to rethink how they communicate with labels, the press and fans. A traditional form of presenting music to industry stakeholders is the press kit.These typically have included a demo, photos, printed reviews, biography, etc.But with the various resources available with Web 2.0, such as MySpace Music, artists essentially have an electronic press kit that is available to anyone at all times.This doesn’t mean that all artists use their MySpace page for this reason or even should. Instead they should use it as one element in creating an electronic press kit (EPK) versus a traditional press kit.The following are 3 simple steps towards creating your very own EPK:
1. Create a MySpace Music or Website
Thanks to MySpace, it’s no longer absolutely necessary for musicians to have their very own website.Instead, they can use their MySpace to showcase their music/videos/pictures and provide any additional biography/tour related information.Having a website doesn’t hurt though because it could make you look more professional and allow you to be found through search engines.Whatever you decide to do, the link you provide in your EPK to your MySpace or website should include your work because, ultimately, this is what labels/venues care about the most.Whether you provide a link to your MySpace page or to your website, make sure that the music is easy to find.The idea is to get them to voluntarily listen to your music rather than feel like it’s being forced upon them, which could potentially turn them off right away.However, MySpace isn’t the only tool you can use.YouTube is increasingly popular and not only can you display your music but can even include a video of yourself talking about it.
For a great example of a musician’s EPK Click Here
2. Create a “One Sheet”
In addition to your music you should include some information about yourself but limit it to one side of a single page.This page can include a short bio, marketing plans, tour dates and any other information you deem relevant and important.You can use bullet points or titles/subtitles to make the text more organized and easier to read but try to keep it as simple as possible and not too fancy.Labels receive an overwhelmingly large amount of press kits all the time, which is why it’s important to be concise and to the point.If you do decide to send your press kit via snail mail, make sure it’s not highly elaborate and easily accessible.In other words, don’t shrink wrap your CD or fill your press kit with glitter.
3. Send Your EPK
Typically, there are two places you send your EPK to: venues and labels.If you’re sending to a venue, they’re going to want to know how many audience members you’re going to bring.This information can be included in the e-mail before you link them to your press kit and/or MySpace Music page.If you’re sending to a label, they’re going to place emphasis on you as a brand.This means they will want to know if you’ve toured with any bigger acts, where you’ve played and where you’re from.Again, you can touch on these in the e-mail and then expand on them in your EPK.Be sure to personalize the email and then follow up.
Please feel free to contact Audiolife (CustomerCare@Audiolife.com) with any specific questions.We are here as a resource for artists around the world and we want to see you succeed!
