Bob Baker's Independent Music News

The True Meaning of Independence

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:06 GMT

On the eve of Independence Day in the USA, I thought I'd share this excerpt from my book, Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition:

We hear the term "indie" bounced around a lot these days. It's become quite a trendy word (although some of us have been preaching about it for more years than most). So, let me ask you …

What's your definition of indie?

Many people think of it as a reference to a musician, small record label, or film company without an affiliation with a major corporation. That's true, but I believe it has a much deeper meaning than that.

(By the way, "indie" is an abbreviation for "independent." The "ie" at the end is the proper spelling, as opposed to "indy," which is usually a reference to Indiana or Indianapolis -- as in the Indy 500. There's your grammar lesson for the day.)

I think of indie in much the same way I think of the term "guerrilla." It's more than a simple, surface-level reference to your financial backing. I believe it's a state of mind and a way of life you must bring to your entire pursuit of music.

The best way to explain my angle on this is to use an acronym. So here's my definition of I-N-D-I-E, with every letter standing for a separate concept (and I didn't even use the word "independent," which was tempting considering I had two I's to work with).

I - Inspired

To embrace the indie frame of mind, you must be inspired. You have to know in your gut that music is what you are meant to do. You must become energized when writing, recording and performing your music. Hopefully, this is something you already experience fully, without having to force yourself to feel that way.

When this kind of natural inspiration comes over you, it's a sure sign that you're on the right path. And you will need this desire to carry you through the ups and downs that you will surely encounter as you pursue music on your own terms.

N - Nontraditional

Indie musicians don't mind learning about what has come before, and they are happy to listen to the "rules" that others say are required to have a successful music career. However, the smartest indie artists keep their minds flexible and constantly question whether the supposed "rules" of the past really apply to them. They actually develop a mindset that seeks out the road less traveled. And when they spot a good idea that's off the traditional path, they fearlessly go after it without apologies.

D - Determined

Successful indie artists are fixated on their goals and determined to reach them. They leave room to veer from the original plan, when needed, but they are steadfast in their desire to produce great music, reach fans, sell more CDs, etc. With this attitude, obstacles become short-term learning experiences along the road to higher levels of success.

I - Innovative

Being indie means thinking outside of the proverbial box and looking at fresh opportunities from every angle. It means not promoting yourself the same way a thousand other acts have. It means being resistant to knee-jerk marketing tactics and open to new ideas and overlooked avenues for exposure.

E - Empowered

Indie musicians don't wait for someone or something else to come along and rescue them. They don't pray for a "lucky break" or to "be discovered." They know to the core that the power to succeed with their music resides inside of them. And they understand that it's their mission to tap into that personal power and use it to share their music with the world.

Let's recap my definition of INDIE:

I - Inspired
N - Nontraditional
D - Determined
I - Innovative
E - Empowered

Commit this acronym to memory. Better yet, make a photocopy of this post and pin it up where you'll see it every day.

Being INDIE has nothing to do with what company you are or are not affiliated with. It has everything to do with how much you take control of your own life and take steps to build the kind of music career you deserve.

-Bob

P.S. Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition is the sequel to my popular Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook. It's not an updated version of the Handbook, it's a completely separate book with different content. So if you enjoyed the Handbook, you'll love the Encore Edition too.

How Uncle Sam Can Help You Shoot Your Music Video for Free

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:22 GMT

Celebrate the upcoming 4th of July holiday by using a US law to shoot a music video for free.

That's what the band The Get Out Clause did (except it was in the UK). From the Future of Media:

“The band set up their music equipment, from microphones to drum kit, in eighty different locations, including buses and what appear to be taxi cabs, and then requested all of the footage using the Data Protection Act, an English statute similar to the U.S.’s Freedom of Information Act that mandates any individual should have access to all information collected about them.”

Pretty sweet. Now yes, granted, though the footage was free, the travel expenses and editing costs probably weren't. But it's still an awesome idea. The video looks great, and the song…well…I'll let you form your own opinion:

Who will be the first band in the US to accomplish the same feat? (Thanks Taylor! Via chasejarvis; via Telegraph)

Fringe Fans: They're Really Not That Into You

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:50 GMT

Imagine this ...

You get an email from someone you've never heard of or heard from before. He writes:

"I've sampled a bunch of your free downloads online, and honestly, I haven't heard one song I really like. So I'm not sure I want to spring for your new album. Tell you what ... give me the entire album for free, and if I find a few songs I enjoy, I'll pay you for it. Deal?"

How would you respond? (Once you stopped cursing, that is.)

I ask because I got an email just like this a few days ago. Only this guy wasn't asking about my music; he was referring to my articles, blog posts, and books.

He said he hadn't found anything of value in the stuff he's found of mine online. Then he asked if I would give him some full ebooks for free. If he found something that "worked" in the books, he would gladly pay me.

How do you think I responded?

Thanks, but no thanks!

Why? Don't I have confidence in my own material? Wouldn't he be rushing to compensate me if he were only exposed to the awesomeness of my best ideas?

YES, I have confidence in my material. But NO, I doubt very much he'd ever be willing to pay for anything I publish, regardless of the cost or the arrangements.

The point being ... this guy is a "fringe fan." He is not my ideal customer. And while I welcome suggestions and respect a diversity of ideas, I won't lose any sleep over what this guy thinks.

Do you feel the same way about your fringe fans?

The reason I ask: Artists like to please people. We love a kind word and a pat on the back. Therefore, I bet you often let music consumers of all stripes steer the way you run your career.

So you give everything away, or you beg people to attend your shows, or you water down your identity so you don't offend anyone.

And guess what? That's a sure recipe for failure!

Don't get me wrong. You must be aware of the response you're getting from people. Your radar must be up at all times monitoring which songs get the most positive response and what types of people are attracted to your music the most. That's good.

But at some point you must draw a line between how you serve your "ideal fans" and how you react to everyone else.

For me, I know my ideal fans are proactive indie artists who understand the value of lifelong education and feeding their minds with fresh ideas on how to promote and sustain a music career. Those types of musicians are a small subset of the planet's entire musician population.

So when it comes to the cynical "prove it to me" music crowd ... I wish them well, but I don't expend energy in trying to please them. They are not a part of my core "tribe," as Seth Godin says. They are on the outskirts of it.

I suggest you not be distracted by the people on the fringe of YOUR tribe. Don't insult them (unless that's a part of your brand identity), but don't cower to them either.

Focus on the people who matter the most: your ideal fans!

-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 ...

The Future of Digital Music for Indie Artists

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:47 GMT

Have you heard the news?

MySpace just laid off 30% of its workforce. Twitter and Facebook are on a steady rise -- for now. Streaming remote music sites like Spotify (currently available only in Europe) are gaining a lot of traction. And Richard Branson's Virgin Media just launched a new music download subscription service.

Whew!

It's enough to make your iPhone spin out of control and careen into your Amazon Kindle :-)
A LOT of change has taken place in the music industry over the past eight or nine years. Come to think of it, a lot has changed in the past six months alone.

People are confused. Musicians want answers. Self-promoters need to know the best way to invest their limited time and money. Industry veterans plead for the roller coaster ride to just stop already!

Here's the truth ...

There are no answers!

There are no rules, no strict guidelines, no risk-free road maps to widespread fame.

That sucks, doesn't it? Well, it can. But you have another choice:

Have some fun with it!

Experiment. Try stuff. For instance, be the first artist to [do something outrageous] using [the latest hot social site or app]. Fill in the brackets with different combinations till you find a winner.

Let your imagination wander and ask lots of "What if ..." questions. Then get busy creating your own little mad scientist music marketing laboratory.

While the technology and tools change constantly, some things remain important no matter what:

Understanding who you are as an artist
Knowing the type of person most likely to enjoy your music and identity
Communicating who you are and what you play clearly and quickly
Putting yourself in a position to be discovered by your ideal fans
Being accessible to fans and having a direct conversation with them
Building relationships with people over time
Making enticing offers to purchase your for-sale music products and services

But the way you pursue these timeless elements is up for grabs and constantly evolving. And that's where you can thrive today.

So let go of your need for certainty. Don't be so tight-assed about needing to know all the answers.

Again ... Experiment. Try stuff. And pay attention to the results you get from your efforts. Then simply do more of what works and less of what doesn't.

Here's the conclusion reached in a music industry report published last year called "Meet the Millennials":

In summary: technological advancement will promote further diversification in the music industry, in terms of business models, content and mechanisms for artist/fan interaction.

No single approach is 'the next big thing,' and experimentation is strongly encouraged. No one can afford to wait for proof of concept when the next big innovation is always just around the corner.

Millennials [young people who have grown up in the digital age] are constantly experimenting with and evaluating their experience as consumers. We suggest the music business does the same.

Sounds like great advice to me!

What do you think?

-Bob

If you don't own it yet, check out Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook, the classic guide to indie music promotion. Revised and updated, with four new chapters on Internet and Web 2.0 music marketing.

Song Pages Now Have Guitar Tabs - Record a Cover & I’ll Post It

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:00 GMT

I finally got around to updating my song page templates to include guitar tabs, background info, and recording gear used. If you record yourself playing a song, let me know and I'll post the audio or video here. (Which reminds me, I need to create remixable audio clips of my vocals and instrumentals…)

I've received a decent amount of requests for guitar tabliture for both “Spinning Daydream” and “20/20 Foresight” lately, and figured it was time create some. Though it's not fully developed tabliture — I didn't include strum patterns — hopefully you'll be able to figure it out from what I've provided.

If you try a song and have questions, please let me know. More importantly, if you record audio or video of yourself playing a song, definitely let me know, and I'll post it on a soon-to-be-launched “Your Stuff” page.

Oh, and I also included “background info” for each song for songwriting geeks, and “recording software/gear used” for each song for gear heads. It's always fun to share ‘n' compare, right? No doubt.

Home Made Hit Show Podcast: My First Podcast Airplay

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:45 GMT

Last week, I completely forgot to mention a milestone for GarageSpin: I received my first podcast airplay. Hopefully, now that I've finally settled on a band name (GarageSpin), and I'm finally trying to get heard, there will be more.

“20/20 Foresight” was included in the Home Made Hit Show podcast a week ago or so. Tony Buttersworth (I can't help but wonder if that's a stage name?) runs the weekly show, and talks about songwriting, production techniques, software and gear for DIY songwriters recording at home. Each show then features a few songs from said DIY musicians, which the hosts critique.

If you're interested, you can listen to the podcast episode here: Episode mp3.

A couple notes:

“20/20 Foresight” is at the very end of the podcast.
Tony mentions that at first listen, he thought it was a pro studio recording. (Thanks for the compliment, Tony, but nope, it was a living room recording.)
Tony and his co-host both complimented the string section, but incorrectly state that I had real friends play real instruments for it. The truth is, the cello you hear throughout the song is real, and played by me (requiring many, many takes, and much splicing). But the string section that appears at the end of the song I created in Reason 2.5 (violin, viola, and double bass).

Thanks again to the Home Made Hit Show for my first podcast airplay.

Grab Your Custom Facebook URL, or “Facebook Username”

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:04 GMT

It's Facebook-Username-Land-Grab time! As of 12:01 AM EDT, Saturday, June 13th, 2009, Facebook will allow anyone to create a “Facebook Username” for their existing user profile or Facebook Page. (Previously, only selected partners were given the ability to do so.) You should go out and grab your own Facebook Username, as soon as possible, if possible.

How To Get Your Facebook Username

Just go to Facebook.com/username (After 12:00 AM, on June 13, 2009), and follow the username creation instructions.

User Profiles will have to meet one requirement to enable Username creation:

They must have been live on Facebook prior to 3:00 PM EDT, on May 31, 2009. (I'm guessing this will likely change at a later date to require that a user profile have existed for a certain minimum number of days. Be sure to register your “Coldplay Rules” user profile today.)

Facebook Pages will have to meet two requirements to enable Username creation:

They must have been live on Facebook prior to May 31, 2009. (Likewise, I'm guessing this will probably change at some point to a “minimum number of days in existance” requirement.)
They must have a minimum 1,000 fans as of May 31, 2009. (Ouch. So much for getting www.facebook.com/garagespin with my sub-100 fan count.)

Selecting a Facebook Username

Facebook Usernames won't be able to be edited or changed, and are also non-transferable, so make sure yours is acceptable for the long term. Only one Username is allowed per Page and/or user profile. I.e. don't do anything you'll regret later.

Additional Facebook Username Info

Facebook blog post explaining Usernames
Username Frequently Asked Questions
Form: Notice of Intellectual Property Infringement form (in case someone beats you to grabbing your own Username, or in case you want to protect a trademark you own)
Username Creation Page for creating Facebook Usernames (you must be logged in to see it)

Interview: Brian Hazard (Color Theory), Winner of John Lennon Songwriting Contest

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:00 GMT

If you were to list traits and skills of a DIY musician destined for success, what would be on your list? I might argue that strong lyrical and musical sensibility, audio technology mastery, and marketing prowess should be.

Which brings me to Brian Hazard, of the solo act Color Theory. A little background — Color Theory recently won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Electronic music category (and is about to go up against other category winners for the Song of the Year award). So clearly, Brian's got serious songwriting skills. If you listen to his winning song, “If It's My Time To Go”, you'll immediately notice his musicianship and great vocal ability. He also happens to be an audio mastering engineer, running his own mastering studio at Resonance Mastering. Furthermore, Brian knows how to leverage online media to successfully promote his own music in a web 2.0 world, and shares his experiences Passive Promotion.

Once I learned about Brian, I wanted to get to know him better — so I interviewed him. Here's the interview — enjoy:

***

GARAGESPIN: So Brian. You (Color Theory) recently won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in April. That's awesome. Tell us about the song, and the process that lead to the victory.

BRIAN (COLOR THEORY): The song was originally created in collaboration with my friend Caesar Filori of Wideband Network. I sent him three piano sketches to pick from, and he sent me back a rough demo of his choice. The dark and melancholy character of Caesar's demo inspired my lyrics. I recorded vocals and he wrapped up the mix.

After a few months, it became clear that neither of us had time to do an album together, but I didn't want the song to go to waste. He gave me the okay to create a new version of it for my latest album, The Thought Chapter. The original version that Caesar produced is featured on a follow-up EP entitled Second Thoughts.

As for the contest, that was kind of a fluke. I've submitted to song contests over the years and got a few honorable mentions, but overall felt they weren't worth the effort. The deadline for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest came just after I finished the song and was feeling overly optimistic about its chances.

GARAGESPIN: Where do you get your song inspiration? What hits you first — lyrics, melody, a song title, a piano chord lick?

BRIAN: I usually start from a title. When one hits me, I'll rough out some stream-of-consciousness prose to make sense of it. Next I'll flesh out the song structure and melody. Then I'll mold the useful bits of my garbled prose into a lyric. The production goodies come at the end - typically the hardest part for me. At that point, I just want it to be done. I can only spend so much time finessing automation envelopes.

GARAGESPIN: That echoes my own experiences. Especially the final phase of a song. I'm usually praying for it to end, but am unable to take the production to a close. At what point to you, personally, ask for colleagues' opinions? Early on in the process, for preliminary feedback, or later, after the song is already 95% complete…etc.?

BRIAN: I usually run lyrics by a friend or two when they're done, and the song as a whole after it's 100% mixed and mastered. I'll revisit the mix a couple months later and marvel that I couldn't hear obvious flaws.

GARAGESPIN: You currently run your own mastering studio at Resonance Mastering. How did you get started, and how has it helped your career as an artist?

BRIAN: After putting out two poorly mastered albums, I realized I'd have to unravel the mysteries of mastering for myself. My friend Todd Durrant of A Different Drum took a chance on me and gave me a lot of work early on. It got to the point where I was mastering everything the label put out, which at its height was 6-10 releases per month. That established me as “the synthpop mastering guy.” The positive word-of-mouth brought in work from all genres, including a large Christian distributor releasing plenty of rock and hip hop (I guess we called it rap back then). The business continues to grow solely from client referrals.

As for helping my career as an artist, it keeps me connected with other artists with similar goals. I suppose it saves me money. Prevailing wisdom is that you shouldn't master your own stuff, but I don't trust anyone else to do it for me. That said, I always bounce the results off some engineer friends before committing.

GARAGESPIN: What production software do you use? What are your two favorite pieces of hardware, your two favorite effects, and your two favorite production techniques, and why?

BRIAN: I used Cubase for the past dozen years, but right now I'm learning Ableton Live. I won it as a prize in the Lennon contest, so I figured I'd at least give it a shot. I'm inspired by the workflow, and eager to make the jump. I may even go so far as to do a 100% Live album, using only built-in instruments and effects.

Hardware - what's that? Everything is on the computer. Well okay, I've got my RME Fireface 800 interface, my Benchmark DAC-1 converters, and my Rode NT-1A mic. This probably isn't what you had in mind, but my room treatments are probably the most important pieces of gear I own.

I use my Universal Audio UAD-2 Quad for most of my effects, mostly just compressors and EQs. I really don't do much beyond that, but I plan to experiment more with the next album.

As for production techniques, I've been detailing them in my mix tips articles on Passive Promotion. Lately I've focused on spectral mixing, and clearing out the low end to leave space for the kick and bass.

GARAGESPIN: You have a relatively large discography — how do you think you've evolved since your first album?

BRIAN: While the production quality has improved, the basic formula hasn't changed. Nobody else that I know of is doing the classical piano plus electronics thing, so I consider that my signature. I did experiment with one all-acoustic album, involving an insane amount of work that went largely unappreciated. While it was a rewarding experience, I'll stick do doing everything myself for the foreseeable future.

GARAGESPIN: What do you see as some of your biggest “break-through” moments that helped get your music heard, before the John Lennon contest? I.e. what has most helped you grow your fan base?

BRIAN: Jim Beam, the bourbon company, sponsored my all-acoustic album, but we know how that turned out. Looking back, it's hard to pinpoint any breakthrough moments. It was a slow build from the day I started taking preorders for my first album. For the first few years, compilation CDs helped the most. Later, my Depeche Mode tribute got a lot of attention. I've tried lots and lots of ideas, some crazier than others. In most cases, it's hard to tell which worked and which didn't.

GARAGESPIN: What is one of the craziest ‘good' ideas you've tried, and one of the craziest ‘less good' ideas you've tried?

BRIAN: The good ideas don't seem so crazy anymore, and the bad ones are embarrassing. Devoting an entire album to Depeche Mode seemed a little wild at the time, but it worked out well. On the other hand, I burned CD-Rs and passed them out to DM fans in line for tickets, and got zero response. Go figure.

One of the embarrassing ones involves my third album, Perfect Tears. The album is quite intimate, even confessional. I decided to push that angle by promoting it through a series of personal ads, that I actually published in the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register. The exact text was:

20-something musician seeks fans for mutual musical fulfillment. Must be intelligent, cultured, and emotionally available. Inquire at www.colortheory.com.

I expected at least a handful of curious visitors, but as far as I can tell, nothing.

GARAGESPIN: Covers are always said to work wonders for promotion. Is there a strategy to selecting the most promotable cover? Genre/style/era of the original, and the interpretation of it?

BRIAN: It's probably wise to cover bands your fans like. My Metallica and Sondheim covers didn't do much for me. The interpretation needs to be different enough to justify the cover in the first place, but not so different as to be unrecognizable. On the other hand, my friend Mark Nicholas attracted lots of attention with his cover of “Maniac” from Flashdance. I suppose it worked because everybody knows that song, and he made it even funnier.

GARAGESPIN: According to a recent post, you've experienced some success at TheSixtyOne.com. What social networks have been most helpful in promoting your own music, and what other online tools do you feel you can't do without?

BRIAN: Twitter updates my Facebook status. I usually tweet (I still feel silly saying that) three times a day. Those two sites bring most of the traffic to my sites. ReverbNation's widgets and fan e-mail system have become indispensable. Those three sites, plus colortheory.com, are my foundation. Everything else is a series of experiments.

GARAGESPIN: You mentioned Facebook as one of your primary go-to sites. I noticed your personal profile is your core profile. Did you ever try setting up a Facebook Page, or did you just stick with the ReverbNation Facebook app early on?

BRIAN: I've got a personal page, the ReverbNation app, a Color Theory group, and a Color Theory page. It's a hassle.

GARAGESPIN: Can you share any sales stats, specifically offline vs. online? What's your most popular album and single to date…and why do you think that is?

BRIAN: I post monthly sales and profit/loss figures for each of my albums at colortheory.com, so no secrets here. I've never done a single, but my most popular album is Color Theory presents Depeche Mode, most likely due to the last two words of the title. My first album is the second best performer, simply because it's been selling for so many years.

GARAGESPIN: Have you been approached by any labels? You seeM to be doing just fine on your own — are you even pursuing one?

BRIAN: I have been approached, but I'm not interested. I'm skeptical that a label would do anything for me, and I'm happy with the balance in my life right now. To invest more time into Color Theory, I'd have to give something else up. So it's not so much that I'm doing fabulously on my own, but I've got an audience and the freedom to do what I want.

GARAGESPIN: What other new projects and/or gigs are on the horizon for Color Theory?

BRIAN: I've set the release date of my next album for next August, which means I need to get moving on it! I'm starting completely from scratch. I'll put out an EP or two in the meantime, and hopefully put together a few “in the studio” videos. I've got some strong compositional ideas that I'll expand on once I get a few tracks laid down, mainly an arrangement technique I'm calling “spiraling.”

No gigs for me - I'm strictly a recording artist. Color Theory is what I do when I'm not mastering somebody else's music, blogging about promotion, or spending time with the family.

GARAGESPIN: Thanks so much for your time, Brian. I'm really looking forward to your next projects, both audio- and video-related.

BRIAN: My pleasure! Thanks for having me.

“Spinning Daydream” Remixed and Remastered

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:39 GMT

I recently remixed and remastered my song, Spinning Daydream, and am making the enhanced mp3 available for free download. If you downloaded the track in the past, PLEASE get the updated version — it sounds MUCH, MUCH better.

Over the last couple years, I've learned quite a lot about mixing and mastering audio. Not enough to claim any kind of expertise in either field (I still plan to have my first EP mastered professionally), but enough that enables me to vastly improve my home-brewed recordings.

In addition, Cakewalk added a few new plugins like Boost 11 and Vintage Channel 64 that specifically aid in adding finishing touches to tracks. (I'm still a novice using them, but they definitely help.)

So, I took the old song project, and made these changes:

Fine tuned the EQ for each track of audio to further remove unnecessary low and high audio frequencies
Add a bass guitar part back to the bridge (on some stereos, that section of the song was annoyingly lacking in bass)
Re-applied electric guitar effects to the final chorus guitar (the latest version of Sonar “lost” an older plugin had used for the electric effects…fortunately, the newer plugin set actually made the track sound better)
Applied Vintage Channel 64 plugin to “warm up” the track
Applied Boost 11 to increase the overall volume of the track
Shrunk the track's timing by a few seconds

So, if you already have a copy of the song, replace it! If you don't, pick one up, and let me know what you think of the song. Ok, back to working on new songs…

Sponsorshop: One Alternative to Getting Signed & The Dashing Suns

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:00 GMT

Winning label interest is still most bands' dream, but many are looking for alternatives. What about sponsorship? Generally, advertisers look for big names in sports, hollywood and music to front their brands, but there are some rare, interesting opportunities for new bands with a unique sound.

Case and point, I was recently introduced to The Dashing Suns, a band that did just that with Jansport, the ‘backpack' company. Since then, they recently rocked SXSW, produced a psychadelic music video (see below), and received this gushing praise from MTV:

”This seductively sunny little intersection of every band the ’60s and ’70s ever loved is really making my morning with its scratchy guitars, ooh-ahh Caramello vocals and vintage head cold production value.” (more)

Pretty sweet. (I would totally be willing to carry a fanny pack around with me if I could get my music funded.) I sent a couple questions about the sponsorship both to the band, as well as to TEAK, the agency that made the video happen. All the answers follow directly after the trippy “Van” music video below:

THE MUSIC VIDEO: “VAN”

A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR THE BAND:

GARAGESPIN: Quick history lesson — how and when did the The Dashing Suns form, and how much success had they had before the sponsorship?

KEVIN WALKER (from the band): The Dashing Suns formed during the winter of 2007. Only a year and a half ago. Matt and Jeff, the guitar guys in the band, had been hanging out and writing small little songs for the hell of it. One of their first songs was a Renaissance type song that dealt with dragons, castles, potions, and ren faire. Matt, David, and Myself were just ending our illustrious stint in a psychedelic country rock band called Sweetbriar. All of us were experiencing dark days from bad relationship break-ups and figured The Dashing Suns would be a better outlet than waking up in gutters. So we started playing and writing all of our songs about the complexities of the opposite sex. Before the sponsorship, The Dashing Suns just finished a small tour in New York as well as completing our first 5 song self titled E.P. Other than local Bay Area success we have not toured the country or world with hopes of gaining a wider audience.

GARAGESPIN: How did The Dashing Suns score the sponsorship? (Or, re-phrased, what selection process did JanSport go through to pick the band?)

KEVIN: So far we have only heard about the selection process through word of mouth. JanSport hired TEAK to create a brand video for them. TEAK compiled a list of bands and music to use in the video for JanSport to review. That list had some local Bay Area bands and other well known acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, MGMT. JanSport employees and the CEO heard our song “Future Thunder” and felt that it had the right sound. Which is funny because the original song was recorded in a crappy studio with a broken 8 track and lots of tape hiss. So they commissioned us to re- record the song.

GARAGESPIN: What advice would you give to bands hoping to find a sponsor for their next tour?

KEVIN: Hmmmm….. well… sometimes its a bit of luck, connections, and luck. And then its a bit of persistence, patience, and luck. To answer this question for real, I would say pick your sponsor and knock on their door for days and days. If that doesn't work, try becoming really good friends with someone who works there and convince them that your music is the best in the world. If that doesn't work there are professionals out there who you can pay to shop your music around to advertising agencies. Good Luck!

A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR THE AGENCY:

GARAGESPIN: What inspired JanSport to take the approach it did with this particular sponsorship campaign?

TEAK: JanSport initiated our relationship with the Dashing Suns through the development of a brand video that would represent JanSport's intersection with contemporary youth culture. We wanted to make a video that was fun, interesting to watch and above all connect JanSport to our audience through modes of self-expression, whether it be music, a roadtrip, grafitti art, etc. It's an authentic representation of the Brand and where we live in our consumer's lives.

GARAGESPIN: How has the sponsorship helped the band so far? How has it helped JanSport?

TEAK: The sponsorship has helped the band in many ways: [publicity/ and promotion] — they got sponsored by JanSport to tour from SF to Austin; [they]played ReadyMade Rocks showcase at SXSW (JanSport sponsored showcase); [and they received] visibility/promotion on Jansport.com. The Dashing Suns were also wrapped into our press outreach surrounding SXSW - and as a result, landed a very nice piece on MTV.
***
Thanks to all, especially The Dashing Sunds, for taking the time to share their experiences.