Do you know who will be attracted to your product? What is the demographic for your product? How do you communicate to these clients?
In the past there were mailing lists and phone calls; and musicians relied on agents more. Embrace the present where you can have a retail store front for almost nothing.
I built a web site as an experiment for fun and with no knowledge of HTML or how to build a web site. Here were the overall costs. A web domain name cost me $14.00 for two years. The web program was Web Studio 4.0, a simple drag and drop program that allowed music examples, pictures, slide shows and more. The cost was $60. I simply upgraded from Web Studio 2.0 given to me at Best Buy with a new computer purchase as a lure to purchase the larger program. Hosting the domain was free on Go Daddy if I allowed ads to run on the top banner. The web site was $74 and my time. The site is www.therequestline.com.
A YouTube site is free. A Google business calendar is free. An email address at Gmail or AOL is free. There are many great bargains for your own domain name, hosting the site and email. Email and web sites are the beginning elements of electronic networking. We will give you more details later. These initial postings are an over view.
Social networking is the best. If you are performing live, are you getting to know your audience. Do you interact with them in between sets? Do you trade email addresses? There are numerous organizations that the buyer of your product attends. You need to investigate these organizations and attend them if you can, or advertise in their subscriptions.
I recently attended a networking organization of professional wedding planners. A harpist moved to this area six months ago. She performed for free at the meeting and offered a marketing package with a CD and small brochure in it. She had lunch with the organization, mingled, and met as many people as she could in three hours.
Four weeks later I went to a meeting of catering executives. She was there again, performing and distributing her promotional materials. I called her to see if she was available for some future events that we contracted. She wasn't! She will be one of the busiest harpists in this area. In future postings I will give you some of these organizations.
Robbie Schlosser is the leader of a local Dixieland Band. He networks with almost every organization that could use his services. I've known him for 21 years. He has always marketed his band. He has a website, a blog, Facebook and utilizes an email list. We are speaking of the present, not the past. Did you think people stopped booking Dixieland Bands and Swing Style Jazz Bands? Ask Robbie and he will tell you there is always a market for good music. He knows his product; he believes in his product; he markets and sells his product and he is earning a full time living as a working musician.
Collect email addresses and use them with discretion. Don't waste time with jokes.
Network with musicians for work recommendations and contracting. Network with potential clients with emails consisting of appearances, new services to offer and a newsletter. Group your emails into distribution lists. Personal emails are the best.
You don't have to give your email list to everyone. Use the BB or blind copy option to protect your email list. A good email list is one of your most valuable marketing tools. Work on it. Refine it. Update it. We will discuss this topic in greater detail.
Here is a homework assignment. If you don't have a website begin researching web sites by using a Google or other search engine and search for the product you are offering. If you are a music teacher put "piano lessons in (your area or nearby)".
See what comes up. Keep changing the search words. Try 'learn piano' 'music lessons in your neighborhood'. Do it for a half hour and record your results or save them as favorites for future research.
As people find this blog, comment on what you want to learn or share. We will be going into more and more detail as days go on. Share this blog address and pass on the invitation to comment.
Friday, June 6, 2008
The Working Musician- Change
We discussed examples from the past but the question is how do we market ourselves now.
Change is neither good nor bad. It is simply change. It is a natural phenomenon in every aspect of life. It is a social evolution. If you embrace it, it gives the brain new puzzles to solve. The basic principles stay the same. You have a product to offer and you need to market it and attract consumers.
We discussed taking inventory. Taking inventory of yourself requires you to understand what motivates you in order to continue to improve and want to work at your service; and what you are proficient at (don't be a studio musician if you can't sight read music well). We will discuss what usually happens when money is your only motivation, in the future.
If you know your product and believe in it, the next step is to market your product.
Who would be attracted to it? How can you attract them? What is the best way to communicate to your potential clientle?
Let's start solving some puzzles. The next post is networking.
Change is neither good nor bad. It is simply change. It is a natural phenomenon in every aspect of life. It is a social evolution. If you embrace it, it gives the brain new puzzles to solve. The basic principles stay the same. You have a product to offer and you need to market it and attract consumers.
We discussed taking inventory. Taking inventory of yourself requires you to understand what motivates you in order to continue to improve and want to work at your service; and what you are proficient at (don't be a studio musician if you can't sight read music well). We will discuss what usually happens when money is your only motivation, in the future.
If you know your product and believe in it, the next step is to market your product.
Who would be attracted to it? How can you attract them? What is the best way to communicate to your potential clientle?
Let's start solving some puzzles. The next post is networking.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Working Musician- Taking Inventory
Upon graduating from Hofstra University with a degree in Bachelor of Science in music, I went directly into teaching Junior High School music.
I was still performing as a musician for agencies that booked catered social events. There were no DJs on the scene yet, so musicians worked often. It wasn't uncommon to do four weddings or Bar Mitzvahs on a weekend. The band members were picked from a pool of musicians and the bands often met for the first time on the band stand. The afternoon musicians might be going to an evening concert with their band. It was exciting when members of Blood Sweat and Tears were on your bandstand in the afternoon. I heard musicians say that they played a Bar Mitzvah with Chick Corea.
(If anyone who finds this blog speaks to Chick ask him to say it's not so...)
We didn't read music on the bandstand and we faked a wide variety of music. My inventory was forming. I was a 'jack of all trades' -variety of music- musician that could fake his way through many types of music, and I was an educator that can combine the music and stage presence to do a music clinic. A friend of mine on and off the band stand, Dom Famularo, came into my class to do drum clinics. At first he did them as a favor and then he did them at other schools. He parlayed his visiblity infront of hundreds of students that would become potential purchasers of drum equipment, into endorsements with drum companies. He marketed the endorsements into profitable clinics. The clinics were marketed into more endorsements. Google Dom Famularo. He took inventory and marketed the inventory.
Dom and I traveled from New York to California with Tony Oppedisano, an excellent all around musician who was self taught on guitar and bass. We arrived in California with no contacts. By promoting ourselves to agents, networking, interacting with customers on our breaks, taking dedications, distributing tent cards and generally enjoying the marketing process, we worked continuously until we went our separate ways. Tony had a passion for Frank Sinatra and his music. His knowledge of 'everything Sinatra' made him part of Sinatra's inner circle and road manager. He is now road manager for Don Rickles. Tony took inventory and acted upon it.
That was then; can it be done now? Yes!
I was still performing as a musician for agencies that booked catered social events. There were no DJs on the scene yet, so musicians worked often. It wasn't uncommon to do four weddings or Bar Mitzvahs on a weekend. The band members were picked from a pool of musicians and the bands often met for the first time on the band stand. The afternoon musicians might be going to an evening concert with their band. It was exciting when members of Blood Sweat and Tears were on your bandstand in the afternoon. I heard musicians say that they played a Bar Mitzvah with Chick Corea.
(If anyone who finds this blog speaks to Chick ask him to say it's not so...)
We didn't read music on the bandstand and we faked a wide variety of music. My inventory was forming. I was a 'jack of all trades' -variety of music- musician that could fake his way through many types of music, and I was an educator that can combine the music and stage presence to do a music clinic. A friend of mine on and off the band stand, Dom Famularo, came into my class to do drum clinics. At first he did them as a favor and then he did them at other schools. He parlayed his visiblity infront of hundreds of students that would become potential purchasers of drum equipment, into endorsements with drum companies. He marketed the endorsements into profitable clinics. The clinics were marketed into more endorsements. Google Dom Famularo. He took inventory and marketed the inventory.
Dom and I traveled from New York to California with Tony Oppedisano, an excellent all around musician who was self taught on guitar and bass. We arrived in California with no contacts. By promoting ourselves to agents, networking, interacting with customers on our breaks, taking dedications, distributing tent cards and generally enjoying the marketing process, we worked continuously until we went our separate ways. Tony had a passion for Frank Sinatra and his music. His knowledge of 'everything Sinatra' made him part of Sinatra's inner circle and road manager. He is now road manager for Don Rickles. Tony took inventory and acted upon it.
That was then; can it be done now? Yes!
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Working Musician
Researching 'The Music Business' on the web, in books, and in Colleges usually yields information on the new digital music business model and the need to adapt. There is a whole universe of opportunities in music for musicians that are attracted to the industry. Music is a natural force in life. It has its own energy. Energy cannot be destroyed. Energy is transformed. There is room in this industry to do what comes natural to you and attract an audience.
My hope for this blog is that it becomes a community where my musician friends and colleagues discuss the past and how they made a successful transition into the present doing what they love- playing music! This blog will highlight opportunities performing for Corporations and Social Engagements in Clubs, Restaurants, Country Clubs, Hotels and other venues; contributing to the industry by becoming a Clinician, Music Educator, Studio Musician, Road Manager, Music Agent, Sound Tech, Studio Engineer and the new opportunities the industry creates on an ongoing basis. We will share how to meet the end users for the music product you are offering.
In my 40 years of participating in this business I have been a music educator, industry clinician, musical instrument manufacturing marketing director, music agent, studio musician, and always a performer. With this much varied music history, I have met interesting and successful people in all aspects of the music industry. We will share successes and failures and see how failure is simply another step towards success. We will examine the best way to market what you have to offer. Everyone has a niche. Everyone has something to offer. You own a great product-you. Let's take inventory and market it.
My hope for this blog is that it becomes a community where my musician friends and colleagues discuss the past and how they made a successful transition into the present doing what they love- playing music! This blog will highlight opportunities performing for Corporations and Social Engagements in Clubs, Restaurants, Country Clubs, Hotels and other venues; contributing to the industry by becoming a Clinician, Music Educator, Studio Musician, Road Manager, Music Agent, Sound Tech, Studio Engineer and the new opportunities the industry creates on an ongoing basis. We will share how to meet the end users for the music product you are offering.
In my 40 years of participating in this business I have been a music educator, industry clinician, musical instrument manufacturing marketing director, music agent, studio musician, and always a performer. With this much varied music history, I have met interesting and successful people in all aspects of the music industry. We will share successes and failures and see how failure is simply another step towards success. We will examine the best way to market what you have to offer. Everyone has a niche. Everyone has something to offer. You own a great product-you. Let's take inventory and market it.
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