Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Sean Holland, Director of Artist & Label Relations at  Jango Airplay.  If you haven’t heard of Jango Airplay, it’s a great tool for emerging artists to get discovered by millions of online radio listeners.  Continue reading the interview below to learn more about Jango Airplay …

How did Jango Airplay get started?

Jango started in 2007 as online radio, very similar to Pandora. In early 2009 we launched Jango ‘Airplay’, our promotional platform for emerging artists to get guaranteed airplay right alongside all the big name artists to our 7 million monthly listeners. There was a big gap in the market for emerging artists to get a real voice in online radio. We have the listeners coming to hear everyone from Jay Z to Bob Dylan, Arctic Monkeys to Willie Nelson and figured it would be great for artists and listeners alike to get these new bands some exposure.

Do artists that sign up to Jango get to decide who they want to be played next to?

Absolutely. In your artist dashboard you can pick up to 30 ‘Similars’ which are the artists you want to be played alongside. You can change these anytime you like as well for more targeting. We also deliver to each artist a report, the ‘Fan Overlap,’ that gives them a list of the artists most liked by their new fans on Jango. This can really help in re-targeting.

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Category: Marketing, Music 2.0, Social Networking, Technology | 1 Comment »

Tags: getting your music discovered, Jango, online radio, promoting music

In today’s music environment many indie and small bands think they have a long term business by selling their CDs to fans online, in stores and at shows. This has been the traditional model of music marketing and sales strategies created by major labels over the past century and it did work pretty well. This system created household artists like Elvis and Michael Jackson. It is even proven for the new school of large pop acts such as Britney Spears and Nickelback.

With the creation of file sharing and the unlimited possibilities of discovering new music, it is very difficult to make a large amount of money by selling a $10 disc. The ideal situation would have musicians creating a catalog filled with backend products, upsells and cross sells, getting their fans prepped to take full advantage of their credit card limits.

For most upstart bands this is not the case. They do not have a back catalog and have a hard time funding the recording of a few solid tracks to burn on a disc. They are also in a hard spot to manufacture thousands of CD’s and hundreds of T-shirts, hats and other merchandise items.

With this objection from most musicians, there is another option to creating new streams of income and joining the new music economy without breaking the bank and the hassle of putting in countless hours to create new products. The answer lies in affiliate marketing.

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Category: Business, Marketing | No Comments »

Tags: affiliate marketing, new music economy, online musicmarketing

An all too common problem these days is identity theft, and the music industry is no stranger to it, because many bands and artists are trying too hard to copy other people who have already become successful. Of course it is wise to look up to other artists, be inspired by them, and study what they are doing right, but there is a thin line between learning from others and stealing their identity.

In a world where there is so much competition, it is important to be original and stand out amidst the masses. It is also important to remember that the chances are, if there is already one “John Mayer,” there isn’t going to be another one. Or at least you will not be able to live up to the standard that he has set during the peak of his career. There has only been one Michael Jackson, one Beatles, one Elvis. They were so uniquely their own and original, not to mention insanely talented, that there could never be any others.

One way to ensure that you don’t become a carbon copy of your favorite artist that you admire, is to do a lot of soul searching and find out who you were born to be. So ask yourself these questions: Who am I? Who do I want to portray? What message do I want to send the world? What resonates with me? Oftentimes bands are confused of the musical direction they want to go in, they are open to playing different genres, or having different musical career paths. Not having a clear vision, a clear definition or goal will only lead them down different side streets, but may never get them to their destination. So figure out who you are, set a clear goal and target, be very specific, and take aim at it. If you know who you are and you know what message you want to put out into the world, then it would be a lot harder to get caught up in what someone else is doing. Be uniquely yourself and that is what music and art is all about it. Being open, genuine, and real with your listeners will provide them the opportunity to connect with you in an amazing way.

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Category: Music | No Comments »

Tags: becoming a successful musician, writing good music

Carrie Brownstein, former member of Sleater-Kinney and current blogger of NPR’s “Monitor Mix” recently chatted with several indie label owners and managers about the role of the record label.  It’s a very interesting read and I would highly recommend you click on the link below and check it out for yourself.  In the meantime, here are what I thought were some of the more interesting highlights from the discussion:

1. Two of the participating labels said that when file-sharing first started, they weren’t concerned about it and just sort of sat back and waited until it was too late.

2. As file-sharing became more “mainstream,” it became increasingly more difficult to determine if it actually helped indie artists or harmed them.

3. Only “an active minority” actually care about what label a band is on.

4. The role of the label, according to Portia Sabin of “Kill Rock Stars,” is, “Same as it ever was: a filter, a bank, a promo machine. A source of contacts in the industry.”

5. There seems to be little understanding among music fans as to what exactly labels do.

6. While CD sales are hurting, vinyl is slowly on the rise.

7. Several of the guests involved in the discussion said that no matter which song they give away for free, that same song ends up selling the most singles.

8. They also agreed that the best thing to help album sales is for Pitchfork to rate it 9.1–Rolling Stone and New York Times are less relevant.

9. Touring is still one of  the best ways to promote your band.

10. http://www.myspace.com/burgerrecords

As you can see, the discussion veered severely away from “the role of the record label” but there were still a lot of interesting points being made–especially coming from a label owners point of view. CLICK HERE to read the full discussion.

Category: Business | No Comments »

Tags: indie labels, Jagjaguwar, Kill Rock Stars, NPR, role of labels, Saddle Creek

Google just made eCommerce a no brainer. The following short blurb from Cynopsis Digital Media says it all:

Just in time for the expected boom in online holiday shopping, Google introduced a new search service designed to crawl e-commerce sites for the best deals. Google Commerce Search presents items with photos; filters results by category, price or brand; checks for spelling errors or synonyms; and promises to boost sales to e-commerce sites by eliminating wasted trips to irrelevant sites. The Commerce Search API will allow retailers to customize the search experience on their sites, realigning the design for specific promotions and enabling companies to control product placement on the page.

So if you’ve signed up with Audiolife and your store is empty then I would definitely get on it because you could be missing out on some potential sales. It literally costs you nothing. Put your face on a shirt and sell it to your mom/dad/whoever–who cares! There are no up front costs so you can fill your stores to the brim, get as custom as you’d like and never have to spend a penny in the process. It’s direct-to-fan eCommerce at its finest. So hop to it and feel free to share your stores in the comments below.

Category: Audiolife, Direct to Fan | No Comments »

Tags: Direct to Fan, ecommerce for musicians, Google Commerce Search, sell your music online, selling merch

When you, as a musician, approach a producer, designer, or venue with big plans to create or perform a monster-project or concert in one day’s time, think twice or be prepared to pay.  Time is money and this post will help you to save money and spend your time wisely.  I will explain to you the benefits of preparing ahead of time.

Website Design

Every band/artist needs a web presence.  While there are many free MySpace-like solutions, I’m speaking directly to the professional artist whose needs are greater than the average musician. Website design can take anywhere from one day to six months depending upon the complexity of the project. Price and turnaround time vary accordingly. So what is the best way to prepare for something like this?

* Figure out a few budget options with what you can spend and what goals you want accomplished for the money.  Consider money for online marketing and SEO.
* Create a site map of your website.  This will act as a blueprint for your site… think of it as a blueprint for your house.  You may not have built a house before, but you may know that you’ll need 4 rooms, two bathrooms, a pool and a front door.
* Create a folder and title it WEBSITE, then add some subfolders.  These will represent page navigation, so name them according to their page title.  Examples may look like:  Home, Blog, Music, Videos, Shows, Bio, Store.
* Place one text file into each folder and use the text file to hold the information that you want featured on each respective page. Fill each folder with videos, pictures and content that pertain to the page title. If a folder is stuffed with items, consider subdividing the content or reorganizing your navigational structure.
* Create a list of goals: sell my album, book a show, create a fan-driven community and download content.  The more details, the better!

* Find a few local quality music-industry related design firms that can meet your budget and present them with your vision. Choose the one that fits your needs.

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Category: Business | No Comments »

Tags: album art, digital download distribution, music recording, website design

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Chali 2na, a prominent member of Jurassic 5 and co-founder of Ozomatli, has announced the official launch of his webstore powered by Audiolife. The webstore will allow Chali 2na to sell a custom array of products on demand and direct-to-fan.

“Since the days of Jurassic 5, the relationship I’ve built with my fans has been the most enjoyable part about being an international artist,” remarked Chali 2na. “The birth of social networking sites has opened my eyes to the strength of that relationship and connecting with my fans directly has been a truly rewarding experience for me.”

Through on demand manufacturing, Chali 2na plans to not only sell custom merchandise but also personally design products for his fans. Fans can also expect to see very creative packaging and unique product bundles.

Added Chali 2na: “Audiolife is the perfect partner for my online direct-to-fan store, ‘cause not only do they come up with amazing ideas, but the process and speed of execution is like nothing else I’ve come across in the music business. I couldn’t be happier to be building with Audiolife.”

Starting November 6, Chali 2na will be headlining “The Deadliest Catch Tour” with Gift of Gab and Mr. Lif. His debut solo album, Fish Outta Water, features world renowned artists such as Damian & Stephen Marley, Anthony Hamilton, and Talib Kweli.

The Deadliest Catch Tour Dates

Nov. 6 San Jose Voodoo Lounge
Nov. 7 San Francisco Independent
Nov. 8 Sparks, NV Vixens
Nov. 10 Ft. Collins, CO Aggies
Nov. 11 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Nov. 12 Aspen, CO Belly Up Aspen
Nov. 14 Bozeman, MT Zebra Cocktail Lounge
Nov. 15 Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre
Nov. 17 Vancouver, BC Biltmore
Nov. 18 Bellingham, WA Nightlight
Nov. 19 Seattle, WA Neumos
Nov. 20 Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre
Nov. 25 Amsterdam, Holland Melkweg/22^nd Annual Cannibus Cup

To purchase Chali 2na’s products, visit: http://audiolife.com/store/chali2na/Merchandise.aspx

For Chali 2na interviews regarding his customized online store, please contact: Rebekah Iliff, Rebekah@Audiolife.com, or call 310-770-8338.

About Audiolife

Audiolife (www.Audiolife.com) is the leading Direct-to-Fan eCommerce platform that empowers independent artists and record labels to cost-effectively make money by selling CDs, merchandise, digital downloads and ringtones with no upfront inventory costs. The first-of-its-kind eCommerce platform facilitates selling products “on-demand” directly to fans via portable storefronts on websites, blogs, and social networks. No other platform, specifically created for artists, provides a worldwide, one-stop-shop solution for custom promotion, manufacturing and distribution.

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Category: Audiolife, Music | No Comments »

Tags: Audiolife, Chali 2na, custom merchandise, direct-to-fan ecommerce, Jurassic Five

I came across the following image by Mint.com at Musformation.com and thought it was worth sharing.

Category: Business | No Comments »

Tags: music retail, music sales, music statistics, online music retailers, physical v digital sales

Social media has brought us into an age where consumers, not companies, determine the market’s perception of brands. This can be frightening for those who are accustomed to doing business at arm’s length with the masses. But there are huge opportunities for those of us who don’t know any better.

Consumer driven marketing is one of the most powerful tools out there today, whether you’re a billion dollar corporation or a five-piece band. Each artist has more than one fan, right? (If that isn’t true in your case you have other things to work on before worrying about any of this!) It’s only logical that your fans would be capable of spreading the word about your music much farther than you can by yourself.

The key to capitalizing on this is to stay involved by managing fan experiences. The old way was to try and shape consumer perception of brands through large-scale marketing. In other words, trying to attack entire demographics at a time. That takes money, and a whole lot of it. Most independent bands have to scrape up the cash to fill the gas tank of their tour van, let alone spend thousands of dollars on a marketing campaign.

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Category: Direct to Fan | No Comments »

Tags: artist to fan relationship, Direct to Fan, music marketing, Social Media Marketing

It’s no secret that MySpace has been losing to Facebook for a while.  Regardless, the one thing the social network has going for it is its Music division.  When searching for an artist on Google, for example, you’re most likely going to click on their MySpace Music page before you go to their Facebook Fan Page.  This is why MySpace recently revamped its Music section and added  a music video hub and an artist dashboard that provides analytics and even tracks iTunes sales.

According to a post on Digidpendent:

Launched in beta, the MySpace Artist Dashboard is a free and offers a peak at  detailed analytics of an artist’s content within both MySpace and iLike. Functionality includes:

• Unlimited access to charts, graphs, and snapshots of MySpace Music data
• Data includes fan geography, song plays, profile views, friend count, and profile visitors
• Trending data available for 7 day and 30 day glances
• iLike integration into MySpace Artist Dashboard provides top-level data from iLike’s partner networks
• Artist Dashboard is available in 17 languages in over 20 territories

If you’ve been checking your analytics on MySpace, I would love to hear what you think about it  in the comments below and whether or not you find it useful.

Category: Social Networking, Technology | 2 Comments »

Tags: artist dashboard, MySpace analytics, myspace music