Bob Baker's Independent Music News

Happy New You! in 2009

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:51 GMT

A week ago, I hope you celebrated the first day of 2009. But now, 7 days later, I encourage you to celebrate again by wishing you a ...

Happy New You!

Yes, you read that right. It's my way of reminding you that it's a new year and a fresh opportunity to create the life you are meant to live.

I'm pretty psyched about what the new year holds in store. Despite what the headlines proclaimed about the global economy, I had a wonderful 2008, with so many great experiences. I'm so grateful.

2009 holds the potential to be even more -- for you and me. I encourage you to break through the recession mentality of last year, step forward, and shine more of your light on the world.

That's really what living an authentic life is all about.

You have musical gifts and talents to share. Don't hide them. Don't play small. Don't deny people a chance to enjoy your music and enrich their lives because of it.

Are you serious about your music, and do you desire to pursue it as more than just a part-time hobby? Then you have an obligation to develop your craft and serve others (meaning your fans and supporters) with your talents.

So commit to making 2009 the year of your musical comeback tour -- even if you're just starting out.

Try this quick exercise:

Close your eyes and project yourself (mentally, of course) 12 months into the future. Imagine it's New Year's Eve at the end of this current year. Really do this.

Now look back on the past 12 months of 2009. See how far you've come with your music. Think about all the new songs you've written and recorded, the growing number of fans you now have, and the impact you are having on their lives.

Now come back to the present day. Then get busy making that future vision a reality.

It can happen. It should happen. And it will happen. You deserve it!

But it won't happen without effort on your part. You have to take action to make your ideal life a reality. You have to interact with the world and keep your eyes open for new opportunities that arise as a result.

Are you ready? Will this be your year? I think so.

Like I said at the beginning ...

Happy New You!

-Bob

P.S. My third and final "New Year's Prosperity Plan" workshop comes to St. Louis, MO, this Saturday, Jan. 10. Get details here.

Will you attend the Noorderslag conference in the Netherlands next week? If so, look for me. I'll speak there next Thursday afternoon on Internet music marketing.

Want some new tools and inspiration to turbo-charge your career in 2009? Check out all the books, audio programs, special reports, and other resources on this page.

See you at MidemNet 2009

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:32 GMT

Next week I am headed to France to attend my first MidemNet conference. I'll be offering a “master class” called “Making the Most of Online Music Fandom” in which I will overview the social activities that motivate fans to engage one another, how the internet transformed those activities in ways that empower fandoms, why this terrifies people used to having all the control in the relationships between musicians and fans, and I'll suggest some key principles for forming symbiotic relationships with fans.

When I was first asked to do this, it inspired a long line of thought about who I would invite if I were going to put together my dream program to hear people talk about building relationships between musicians and fans.

I'd include people having great success with the patronage model of fan funding for recording costs like someone from Marillion or Jill Sobule.

I'd want some people from labels who have been genius about opening new avenues for artists and fans to interact, people like Terry McBride or Martin Thörnkvist.

I'd want people from companies like ReverbNation who are always one step ahead in figuring out how musicians can marshall fans' enthusiasm in ways that benefit them both.

I'd want a good analyst from the outside, like Mike Masnick from Techdirt.

And then, you'd need some people who lead successful fan sites, like MadonnaTribe.

Get some managers who've been really good at communicating with fan boards, like Robbie Williams's manager.

Add in some executives from the important companies.

And then, for good measure, include at least one artist who's now representing many artists trying to make sense of the digital music industry, someone like Feargal Sharkey who, in his late 1970s incarnation as singer of The Undertones drastically improved the quality of my life for decades even if I'm not sure I like what he's up to now.

So imagine my glee to read the final program and see every single one of these people on it, plus many other excellent choices, and this list doesn't even include the keynoters (the full program is here in PDF form):

Norman Abdul Halim, President & Group CEO, KRU Studios (Malaysia)
Amul Batra, manager of James Yuill and Managing Director, Fwinki Music (UK)
Nancy Baym, Social Media Researcher, Online Fandom Blog (USA)
Tim Bierman, Manager, Pearl Jam Ten Club (USA)
Michael Bornhaeusser, Managing Partner, 5 Continents Consulting Group (Switzerland)
Bryan Calhoun, VP of New Media & External Affairs, Soundexchange (USA)
Neil Cartwright, Managing Director, Million (UK)
Tim Clark, Manager of Robbie Williams & Managing Director, ie:music (UK)
David Cushman, Director of Social Media, Brando Digital (UK)
Michael Doernberg, CEO, ReverbNation (USA)
Ben Drury, CEO, 7digital (UK)
Mark Earls, HERDmeister, HERDconsulting (UK)
Marcel Engh, Managing Director, SBX / VP Brand Entertainment, Sony Music Europe (UK)
Daniel Graf, Founder & CEO, Kyte (USA)
Allen Guo, Founder & CEO, Yobo.com (China)
Denzyl Feigelson, Consultant, advisor to brands such as iTunes & Coca-Cola and Founder & CEO, awal.com (UK)
Duncan Freeman, Founder & President, Band Metrics (USA)
Betty Yip Ho, CFO, Executive Director, A8 Digital Music (China)
Peter Jenner, Emeritus President, IMMF (UK)
Mark Kelly, Keyboard Player, Marillion (UK)
Eric Korman, President, Ticketmaster (USA)
Nicholas Lansman, Secretary General, UK ISPA (UK)
Gerd Leonhard, Media Futurist & Author, Mediafuturist.com (Switzerland)
Andrew Martyn, Founder & CEO, Mubito (Sweden)
Michael Masnick, Editor of Techdirt Blog and President & CEO, Floor64 (USA)
Rob McDermott, Manager of Linkin Park & President of Music Division, The Collective (USA)
Kenth Muldin, CEO, STIM (Sweden)
Cory Ondrejka, SVP, Digital Strategy, EMI Music (USA)
Pharrell, Editor, Fluokids Blog (France)
Paolo Olivi, Co-founder & Webmaster, MadonnaTribe (Italy)
Shailendra Pandey, Senior Research Analyst, Informa Telecoms & Media (UK)
Juan Paz, Head of Research, Music Ally (UK)
John Possman, President and Co-Founder, Two Four Seven (Japan)
Ian Rogers, CEO, Topspin (USA)
David Schulhof, co-Founder and co-CEO, EverGreen Copyrights (USA)
Feargal Sharkey, CEO, UK Music (UK)
David Smith, CEO, Global Futures and Foresight (UK)
Jill Sobule, Singer & Songwriter (USA)
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive, BPI (UK)
Martin Thörnkvist, Managing Director, Songs I wish I had written / The Swedish Model (Sweden)
Tim Walker, Co-founder & Managing Director, The Leading Question (UK)

And how much do I love that angry rants in response to one of last year's MidemNet keynotes serve to get me invited rather than ostracized!

If you're planning on being at Midem or MidemNet this year and ever peek at this blog, I'd love to meet you. Shoot me an email so we can connect.

If you're not able to be there, the MidemNet blog may be your next best bet.

Fans: Curatorial Masters of the Web

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:39 GMT

Now in their 1970s, my parents have belatedly come around to Beatlemania, suggesting strongly that either my fandom genes are inherited from parents who'd simply failed to express them, or there's some kind of reverse inheritance going on in which my parents have picked up fandom from me. Either way, John Paul George and Ringo are getting a lot of loving and critical dissection from this pair of retired literature professors.

One of the discussions we had was when I visited over the holidays was about the lack of a proper Let It Be DVD despite the ease of finding low quality bootleg versions through Amazon and other online retailers. My mother explained how the guy with all 72 hours of footage couldn't bring himself to go through it all to reedit the film. I said this sounded like a perfect project for fans, who would surely do a magnificent job.

So it was fun this weekend to see the curatorial wonders of Beatles fans popping up in a New York Times article. The question posed by the column was what's wrong with the music business that it can't reissue material people actually want to purchase:

And how many record labels, just now, are facing an army of consumers who are saying, in effect: “We’ve bought this music several times already — on mono and stereo LPs, on picture discs and audiophile vinyl, perhaps on cassette and most recently on CD — but please, we beg you, sell it to us again.”

But fear not:

While EMI and Apple have been squabbling, collectors have taken matters into their own hands, pooling unreleased tracks and compiling anthologies that are far more ambitious than anything EMI is likely to release. Usually, these unauthorized desktop bootleg projects which are of course illegal have attractive cover art and copious annotations, and these days money rarely changes hands for them: the people who compile them distribute them freely and encourage others to do so either on home-burned CDs and DVDs or, increasingly, on the Internet.

Some are curatorial masterpieces. A label called Purple Chick has assembled deluxe editions of each commercially released album, offering the original discs in their mono and stereo mixes, along with the singles also in mono and stereo released at the time, as well as every known demo, studio outtake and alternative mix.

What can Purple Chick offer my mother, the Let It Be fan?

And if you want to begin the new year by commemorating the 40th anniversary of the “Let It Be” sessions, which ran from Jan. 2 to 31, 1969, you still have a few days to find Purple Chick’s “A/B Road,” which offers nearly 96 hours of those sessions on 83 CDs.

96 hours. 83 cds.

And people put them together lovingly because of their passion for the band and the knowledge that the fruits of this creativity would be savored with appreciation by others.

Too bad about that “which are of course illegal” part…

MuckWork - Derek Sivers' Outsourcing Service for Bands

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:39 GMT

Screw "DIY" (do-it-yourself). It's time for "SEDI" (someone-else-does-it).

Derek Sivers, the legend behind CD Baby, is apparently launching a new service for bands called Muckwork that will enable the outsourcing of tasks no band member wants to do, so bands can focus on writing and playing.

How will it work? It's hard to say exactly, since the Muckwork site is virtually bare at the moment, but Derek explains that the service will work in a way similar to the outsourcing and virtual assistant services described in the article "Outsource Your Life: Sites Allow You to Create Army of Virtual Assistants." Derek further explains:

"MuckWork will have a big network of people around the world that are great at helping musicians with the boring stuff that can be done from anywhere.
Because we'll have a huge network of people available to help, you never have to worry about someone flaking on you. MuckWork will take reponsibility to get your job done, whatever it may be"

In fact, he's already hiring his virtual army of band aides (or muckworkers). They are:

Professional musician who now wants to stay home
* Under $20/hr, 5-20 hrs/wk
* You have already made a living as a musician
* You've booked your own tour, promoted your own album, etc.
* Now you'd rather stay at home helping others instead.

Experienced Virtual Assistant
* Under $10/hr, 5-20 hrs/wk
* You already have successful experience as a virtual assistant
* You would prefer to work for musicians instead of more-generic VA work

Pretty interesting. I can definitely think of some tasks that would be worth outsourcing:

Music submission (plus follow-up) to internet radio stations, podcasts, review sites, mp3 blogs, etc.
Social network profile updates (gig calendars, music portfolio, responding to comments, etc).
PR distribution (plus follow-up) to online and offline publications.
Forum mentions of music related to forum topics.
Price comparison for and scheduling of CD, t-shirt, merchandise print runs.

What else? It's a pretty cool idea, considering how DIY-weary some DIY-ers can become over time. Keep your eyes on Muckwork's muck work.

Quincy Jones on Music Career Success

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:07 GMT

There's a great interview with music legend Quincy Jones in the January issue of Success magazine. As you may know, Jones is an American music impresario, conductor, record producer, arranger, film composer, and trumpeter. In the article he shares some timeless keys to success.

During five decades in the entertainment industry, Jones has earned a record 79 Grammy Award nominations (with 27 Grammy wins). He is perhaps best known as the producer of Michael Jackson's Thriller album, which has sold 104 million copies, and as the producer and conductor of the charity song "We Are the World."

Here are three gems on success from the article:

1) Combine your emotional passion with concrete work and education

Jones points out that the dictionary is the only place where "success" precedes "work" -- because it's alphabetical. "You have to get off your butt and do it," he says. "You have to have a core skill and study all aspects of it. The emotional side will drive you, but the science is what will prepare you."

2) Let obstacles become your inspiration

Like most success stories, Jones has had his share of challenges -- financial failures, a near-fatal cerebral aneurysm, etc. He says when faced with such dilemmas, everyone has a choice in how to deal with them.

"You can see darkness or light," he says. "I've always chosen light."

3) Success is sweetest if it expands over a lifetime

Jones has immersed himself in a wide variety of roles and styles within music. And at age 75, he has no plans of slowing down. Don't limit yourself to one area of expertise, he suggests. Expand, grow and explore throughout your entire life and career.

Wise lessons from a music industry veteran!

-Bob

Get your FREE copy of my Music Marketing Secrets special report. It shows you how to get more exposure, attract more fans, and sell more music! Go here to grab your copy now ...

Don't Read This Blog Post! And I Mean It!

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:44 GMT

Stop Reading This!

Really. Just close up this page and walk away from your computer.

Why?

Because ... haven't you heard the news? The major media institutions are crumbling because of you.

The Tribune company filed for bankruptcy. Daily newspapers, network television companies, even the almighty Clear Channel is struggling.

And it's all your fault!

Okay, the sluggish economy is causing advertisers to cut back. That's one factor. But there's a bigger reason for this collapse. And it isn't because nobody reads anymore.

The truth: Consumers like you are now getting your news and entertainment online.

That's right. Instead of relying on network TV and cable, you're now watching more stuff on YouTube or downloading it to your iPod or cell phone.

The places you used to get your news (radio, TV, and newspapers) are now being abandoned in favor of a crazy array of new information sources: blogs, podcasts, Twitter feeds, Google News alerts, and more.

Heck, PC Magazine just killed off its print edition and is going to a strictly online format.

So, to stop the madness, the solution is simple ...

Just stop getting informed through all these newfangled channels and go back to what worked in the past -- traditional media sources.

Right?

Or is there another way to look at this? Hmm ...

OK. Joke's over. Pardon my December Fool's prank. But there's a point here:

You need to embrace these changes!

What does that mean? It means you should ...

STOP being obsessed with getting traditional media exposure. If you can get it, great. But make radio, TV, magazines, and daily newspapers just part of your overall strategy.

START getting comfortable with your own place in the online world. Get over the "I don't have time to blog" mentality or the "Twitter is stupid" attitude.

STOP spewing out the "Marketing is expensive" scapegoat. It's not -- IF you embrace the new social media. It takes time and effort, yes. But money, no.

START sharing yourself online and having fun with your marketing and sales activities. Make it part of the creative process, not a sad chore that is required.

So, should you really stop reading this blog? No. Please come back and continue to get ideas and inspiration here.

But if you're ready to get busy and create your own online content for your fans to consume ... By all means, stop reading and go DO IT!

-Bob

Join me for a New Year's Prosperity Plan workshop ...

"How to Beat the Recession, Reach Your Creative Goals, and Thrive in 2009!"

Coming to these cities:

San Francisco, CA - Saturday, December 27
Los Angeles, CA - Saturday, January 3
St. Louis, MO - Saturday, January 10

A powerful hands-on workshop for songwriters, musicians, authors, writers, artists, actors, and anyone with a creative entrepreneurial bone in their body.

Get more details on the New Year's Prosperity Plan workshop here.

Turn Me Up: The War Against Sound Squashing Continues

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:33 GMT

Most modern-day popular music is heavily compressed (i.e. quiet sounds are increased in volume) to increase a track's overall "loudness" and apparent intensity. Audiophile purists hate the trend, because it prevents the creation of truly expressive and "dynamic" albums. Many consumers, however, perceive the "loudness" in a modern day track to reflect a higher level of quality. Hence the Loudness War that ensues.

One organization, Turn Me Up!, is trying to "...create an environment where artists will feel comfortable making the creative choice to release a more dynamic record—without the fear of it being misunderstood by the consumer." They're doing it by creating a new certification process:

To address this we've created Turn Me Up! Certification, which would allow records meeting our criteria to display the Turn Me Up! Certified label to inform the consumer nothing is wrong, this record is simply more dynamic and all they need to do is Turn Me Up!

The message on the label they're suggesting is:

Turn Me Up!™ Certified
To preserve the excitement, emotion and dynamics of the original performances this record is intentionally quieter than some. For full enjoyment simply Turn Me Up! (www.TurnMeUp.org)

It's the old trade-off between your target consumer's "perceived value" and your own "artistic integrity." That is, if acoustic dynamics are extremely important to you. Personally, I think disregarding your fans' tastes is risky business; walk that path with extreme caution! In Turn Me Up's case, the basic message, "Do you think this CD sounds quiet? Then turn up the volume." seems a little funny to me, though I appreciate the effort. Would it be better to brand the certification as a "premium" label, rather than a "requires increased volume to fix the sound" label? That almost makes it sound broken...

What do you think?

(Thanks for the link, Jay!)

14 Incredibly Useful Music Links: Listen to This Blog Post

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:54 GMT

Here's a special audio version of my long-running Buzz Factor ezine. Click the play button as I talk about the various links below. You can also download the MP3 of this audio using this link.

Blip.tv's great tutorial on producing online video. Covers pre-production and planning, shooting video, recording audio, lighting, editing techniques, and more.

Also see Seesmic.com and 12seconds.tv.

The Hype Machine follows music blog discussions. Great site to discover the most prominent music blogs.

RockStarLifeLessons.com is an awesome blog from my friend Carla Hall. Check out the Reading Room and these posts:
A Hustler's Guide to Gig Promotion
How to Leave Your Day Gig
Motown's Secrets of Success - DIY Style

iGoogle dashboard article by Christopher Penn

Google's new Friend Connect - turn your site into a social networking center. Watch the Google Friend Connect video

New on Artist Empowerment Radio Podcast:

Jana Stanfield on Getting Paid What You're Worth

Wedding Gigs and Lucrative Niche Markets for Musicians

Bob's New Year's Prosperity Plan workshop coming to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, MO.

33 Social Media Music Sites - includes iLike, PureVolume, Last.fm, iMeem, ProjectPlaylist, and more.

NPR article on Dallas Green: Boosting Music Sales, one blog and MP3 file at a time

The Slow Build Approach to Book Marketing

FullTimeAuthor.com - for writers, authors and independent book publishers

Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook

Killer Music Web Site Design

Ask Bob Music Marketing Teleclass - Nov 2008

70 Ways to Promote and Sell Your Music on the Internet

Killer Music Press Kits

Crash Course packages on Music Marketing, Music Publicity, and Internet Promotion

3rd annual Holiday Video from Bob, Pooki and Kelli. Embarrassing? You decide. (Watch the high quality version, if you can - look for the link under the screen.)

The much-loved 2007 Jingle Bell Rock video

The 2006 family holiday video that started it all. (Look how young Kelli looks there.)

Thanks for listening and clicking.

I hope your holiday season is filled with joy, laughter and love.

-Bob

Looks Who's Talking About Me Now

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:42 GMT

Thanks to the following bloggers and webmasters who mentioned me, quoted me, or reprinted one of my articles last month:

How to be a Smokin’ Hot Piece of Brain Candy

7 Reasons to Go Indie!

Advertising Tips for Using MySpace, Part 3

Voting, viral marketing and Music 2.0?

I'm back!

The Bob Baker Experiment

What's Wrong with 'American Idol'?

Firmly resolving ...

The Slow Build Approach to Book Marketing

How to Finish and Publish a Book

Why Book Promotion Is Like Dating

Bob Baker: conseils

I appreciate the link love!

-Bob

Check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Now revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing.

New Year's Resolutions: Your 2009 Music Prosperity Plan

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:50 GMT

This just in ...

I'm hitting the road right after Christmas and bringing a powerful new hands-on workshop to the following three cities:

San Francisco, CA - Saturday, December 27
Los Angeles, CA - Saturday, January 3
St. Louis, MO - Saturday, January 10

I'm calling it "Your New Year's Prosperity Plan: How to Beat the Recession, Reach Your Creative Goals, and Thrive in 2009!"

Who should attend? Well, songwriters and musicians, of course. But this event will also boost the careers of writers, authors, artists, actors -- in fact, anyone with a creative entrepreneurial bone in their body.

Please help me spread the word by sending your creative friends in the area to the 2009 Prosperity Plan workshop page.

Hope to see you in one of these three cities in a few weeks!

-Bob

Get your FREE copy of my Music Marketing Secrets special report. It shows you how to get more exposure, attract more fans, and sell more music! Go here to grab your copy now ...