I have been harping for what seems like years about the fact that you do not need to sink piles of cash into studio recordings before growing your audience. Here’s new proof. With only one “official” single on the market,…
If You’re Using a Free Web Host for Your Band’s Website, Your Fans Won’t Find You
I’ve written before about the phenomenon of bands relying solely on a MySpace or a Soundclick website to make information accessible to their fans. Today, there’s more news to discourage you from relying on free hosting sites. Specifically, if you’re…
Rob Thomas Remembers the Struggle
Even a record that goes on to sell ten million units (like the Matchbox 20 major label debut) can start out by selling only 600 copies. It takes time and patience, as Thomas attests. Track these topics:
Return of the Monster Music Marketing Conference Call!
Almost two years ago, David Hooper and I hosted a conference call where we vowed not to shut up until we answered everyone’s questions. So, we went for almost SEVEN HOURS. You can see some of the callers’ comments here.…
Ben Gibbard Interview
Here’s a great interview with Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie that addresses the only way you should consider getting signed by a major label — once you’ve got enough audience to know that you’ll make good on the…
Some good ink for GarageBand.com
Right now, the latest iteration of GarageBand.com is a great way to connect with other musicians, but very few members of your perfect audience use it. That’s because so few American audience members actively seek out new music on their…
When you’re dropped from this label, you’re REALLY dropped.
The Inc. (formerly Murder, Inc.) fights allegations of money laundering, shady accounting, hidden files… and one guy that was found in a vacant lot “embedded with nails.” We knew that keeping margins high in the record label business was tough,…
Hanson Wants You to Stay Independent
If you had told me ten years ago that the country’s biggest proponent for an aggressive independent music community would be Hanson… I can’t even think of what I’d do. Yes, it’s true. The boys are back, they sound great,…
UK Government Support for Independent Music on the Way?
Even though some of my British clients don’t always see it that way, I love to point out that the ravenous appetite in the UK for singles (and the relatively small number of sales it takes to get on the…
Columbia House Closes Its Doors
And good riddance. What most consumers didn’t know is that artists have to take an even bigger hurting on sales from “record clubs” than they do on regular retail sales. Ostensibly, being included in a record club was considered a…
What price integrity?
We’ve talked a lot on our conference call about how placement in commercials not only means some short term financial gain for a songwriter, but an important alternate mode of reaching large audiences for relatively unknown bands. Jason Gross from…
Yes, R.E.M. Really Did Reunite Last Weekend
Proof that if you’re a really good guitar tech, your work pays off. And people ask me why I moved to Athens.