OCT
09>>>Down & Dirty Twitter Short Cuts: How
I Connect with Thousands of People in 7 Minutes A Day
by
Ariel Hyatt @ www.arielpublicity.com
Here’s
how I simplify my Twitter life: Update your Twitter status from
your mobile phone with Texting.
Updating
your Twitter status from your mobile phone is so easy to do
– no Apps or smart phones needed!
To
text from your phone in the USA, send messages to 40404 and
they will immediately go into your Twitter feed (and your Facebook
if you link it!)
Here’s
How: Under your setting link on your Twitter account click “devices”.
Enter your mobile phone number. You will have the option of
receiving tweets to your phone from favorite people automatically
or just monitor them online (I receive Direct Messages only
to my phone)
TIP:
To follow someone on Twitter from your mobile phone text follow
then their username like so follow CyberPR
TIP:
To message friends that follow you from your cell phone you
can type “D” (for direct) then their username. Like
so: D CyberPR and then it will come directly to me
Link
Twitter to Your Status Updates on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2231777543&b&ref=pd
Just
install and Voila!
Link
Twitter to Your Status Updates on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/synchttp
Syncing
up is easy…Go to the Sync tab within My Account.
For right now Twitter is the only app available for synching
but that will be changing soon.
A
Few More Timesavers To Know About:
Ping.fm
Ping allows you to update over 55 social networking sites such
as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and your blog all from one easy
to use website simultanously
Log
on and create an account here: http://ping.fm/
Once
you have created your account under the social networking tab
you will add in each of your online accounts usernames and passwords
(Twitter, Facebook etc.)
After
each social networking site has been added onto your Ping dashboard
you simply type in your message in the area that says: “Type
Your Message Below” for each Social Media site you want
to use and click Ping It! Each sites micro-blog and status update
will automatically be updated all at one time.
You
can also use the settings tab to control which Social Media
platforms your updates get delivered to.
Artist
Data – Update All Your Tour Dates
& Social Networks All At Once
http://www.artistdata.com
This
works a lot like Ping but Artist Data is focused on Musicians
specifically! It allows you to update your tour dates at Jambase,
Eventful, Sonicbids as well as MySpace Facebook and Twitter.
To
get started click on Sign Up – It’s easy peasy!
Link
your Flickr account to Facebook Photo page
http://www.instructables.com/id/Upload_Flickr_photos_directly_to_Facebook_photo_al/
I
Love taking photos and on Flickr I tend to upload many more
photos than I do on Facebook. The reason for this is where there
are other die-hard photo fans on Flickr and on Facebook I just
add my highlights and photos which are tagged with friends names.
I trust these tips will help you! Please let me know how you
save time.
Come
connect with me online!
http://www.twitter.com/cyberpr
http://www.facebook.com/cyberpr
SEPT
09>>>Are
You Still Blasting Out Press Releases & Stuffing Envelopes
and Wondering Why You are Not Getting Reviewed?
An
Interview With Deirdre Breakenridge
Author of “PR 2.0” & “Putting the Public
Back in Public Relations”
by
Ariel Hyatt @ www.arielpublicity.com
Public
Relations Has Changed Forever- Part 1
If
you haven’t already heard, Public Relations has changed
forever. If you are still trying to get the word out about your
music by writing press releases and blasting them out, or by
stuffing hundreds of envelopes and mailing them to names on
a “media list” I urge you to take a few minutes
to read this interview.
It is both an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity
to interview the unstoppable Deirdre Breakenridge who’s
books PR 2.0 & “Putting the Public Back in Public
Relations,” (co-authored by Brian Solis) have given me
chills on many pages. I asked Dierdre to talk to me from the
perspective of the music business and she delivered the goods.
Ariel
Hyatt: What is PR 2.0 and how is it different from regular PR?
Deirdre
Breakenridge: PR 2.0 is a new approach. It’s the true
convergence of public relations and the Internet, which creates
a new breed of PR/Web marketers. We’re moving away from
a broadcast model of pushing messages (top down) out to the
market. Today, through PR 2.0, brands are able to use this new
and better approach of listening directly to conversations in
web communities and then engaging directly in dialogue with
influencers/citizen journalists and customers. This is a very
effective bottom up strategy, which enables PR professionals
to develop customized stories and provide a brand’s public(s)
with meaningful and relevant information through conversations.
Of course, PR has always been about building relationships with
various groups of stakeholders. Through PR 2.0 and social media
communications, we are able to connect and build even stronger
bonds that lead to long term value for a brand.
AH:
Can you explain why writing a press release and blasting it
out won’t work in today’s new online world?
DB:
In the past, PR people would create a press release for a brand
and then distribute the announcement over a wire service or
blast it out to a large database of contacts. It’s a “throw
it up against the wall and see if it sticks” type of effort.
It’s not a targeted approach and, in more cases than not,
if the journalist does not have a relationship with you, the
release is overlooked or discarded. Press releases do not build
relationships they are just tools. And, online, people are looking
to connect in their communities with other like-minded people.
It’s the people who build relationships and not the tools
or technology that we use. If you are only blasting out press
releases, then you are missing out on a tremendous opportunity
to connect with people directly and to build a strong, loyal
following through social media.
There
are several common mistakes, as simple as they may seem. They
include:
1.
Don’t make the media search for you. I’ve noticed
that many people doing their own PR programs inadvertently omit
contact from important PR and marketing tools. As easy as this
may sound, contact information, including an email address,
telephone numbers, and even MySpace, Facebook and Twitter handles
are excluded from important materials. The most common place
that is overlooked is on a news release or in a newsroom (where
contact information should be plastered on every page).
2.
No additional materials or presence on the web. When someone
finds you and makes that initial connection, you need to provide
them with more information. For example, when you are at a concert
or social gathering you should have a postcard or a flyer about
your next event, or even just a business card to hand out. When
someone learns about you and then goes on the Web, this could
mean not being prepared with a website or a newsroom. You need
a place where a person, interested in finding out more about
your music, will be able to find a backgrounder on you and your
band, information about your music, a concert calendar or samples
of your body of work. Once you’ve captured someone’s
attention, it’s important not to lose their interest.
Having additional information will keep you top of mind.
3.
Updating and maintaining your contacts. It’s imperative
that when you make a “friend” in a journalist that
you make a friend for life. Following up with that person, after
initial contact, is important. You need to provide them with
helpful information, touch base every so often to see if they
need anything, offer relevant resources to build their stories,
keep their contact information updated (should they move to
another news outlet) and even just call to say, “Thank
you for the great review.” I recommend investing in a
software platform that enables you to manage your contacts and
interact with them regularly and also allows them to access
great information easily.
4.
Not doing your media or blogger homework. If you are doing PR
on your own, it’s critical that you take the time to research
your influencer (whether it’s a journalist or a blogger),
see what topics this person finds interesting, review any recent
conversations he/she is having in social communities and get
a feel for his/her personality before you connect. To avoid
just jumping into a conversation too quickly or pitching inappropriately,
you can set up searches using Google Alerts, search.twitter.com,
BackType and Collecta. These searches will allow you to monitor
the conversations and to listen carefully. You can also check
out your influencer’s blogs for recent posts or and to
review community member comments. For a minimal time investment,
you will be able to offer meaningful information, build a better
relationship and be viewed as a valuable resource by your influencer.
AH:
I’m in a new band just starting out, and I have a Myspace,
a Facebook, a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter account. How
do I use these effectively from a PR standpoint?
DB:
Using social networks are great so that you can listen to conversations
and be there to share information that is valuable to groups
of people that you want to become a part of your community.
MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are good networks to keep fans
in the loop of your concerts, new music, activities, and to
give them a better picture of you and your personality. This
allows your fans to connect with your personal brand. These
networks are also very valuable because you have the ability
to watch what not only your fans are doing, but what their friends
are doing and saying as well, and how they interact with each
other. This is the best form of research. It will tell you what
kind of music they like, what events they prefer and how they
want you to communicate with them.
As
you interact and share your music, you then have the opportunity
to connect and drive people back to your own website to become
an active part of your music community. On your own site, they
can engage more and become loyal fans that purchase and recommend
your music. You’ve taken a new one-on-one approach, which
through PR 2.0 turns into one-to-many communication on your
behalf. Your fans are your greatest brand ambassadors and as
they talk about you to their many friends, your brand and music
becomes viral in the social media landscape.
AH:
Artists call Cyber PR (My Music Digital PR Firm) all of the
time completely overwhelmed by social media. They do not want
to do their own and they want other people to manage their social
media prescence for them. Is this a good idea?
Social
media can definitely be overwhelming, but I’m not a big
fan of having other people manage your social media presence.
I believe that you have to be completely transparent in web
communities, and, therefore, when you are blogging, posting
comments and sharing information, it’s really you. Fans
want to connect with musicians, not their PR people or social
media managers. However, you can get some help from your publicist
who can manage and post content on your fan pages, monitor conversations
and suggest ways in which you can engage better with your fans,
and most of all find more great connections for you. However,
when it comes to the conversations with people, you really have
to do this yourself. The more time you put into a relationship
with your fans, the more you will get out of it. Then, you will
see your fan base grow at rates that can’t be achieved
traditionally.
AH:
Are there any part of social media you think can be effectively
outsourced?
You
can outsource the monitoring of the conversations and also you
can get assistance with building social tools for PR campaigns
that build and grow your community. For example, Social Media
Releases (SMR) are great for interactive, collaborative and
sharing of stories about you’re music and concerts. The
SMR template allows you to incorporate video, mp3, images, links
to other resources, bookmarking and a number of social network
sharing tools. A publicist should be able to help you to organize
the material, get the news part of the SMR into an easy and
digestible format, and work with you to post the release for
your music community to share. I’ve written a couple of
blog posts on the traditional news release vs. the SMR and the
results of the SMR, which can be very effective.
AH: Do you think that a band or
a music business brand has any chance of building an audience
without using social media?
I
do believe that a music business brand or a band will still
use traditional channels to build awareness and for credible
third party endorsements. However, if the music business or
band chooses not participate in social media, it is missing
out on a tremendous opportunity to connect with consumers, media,
bloggers, and other interested parties in social networks. You
can use social media to quickly showcase talent whether it’s
through sharing video clips or podcasts. Social media expands
a business’ reach to people who have the potential to
become loyal enthusiasts and want to learn more about an artist’s
music or business offering. I use the recent example of Dave
Carroll and his video, United Breaks Guitars. Dave has now propelled
his reputation and his band’s music to a worldwide stage.
His YouTube video shared a situation that occurred when he and
his band were on a trip from Nebraska to Chicago. The enthusiasm
and passion that the video ignited simply would not have happened
through traditional media, or it would have taken a lot longer.
About Deirdre K. Breakenridge
Deirdre K. Breakenridge is President, Executive Director of
Communications at PFS Marketwyse. A veteran in the PR industry,
Deirdre leads a creative team of PR and marketing executives
strategizing to gain brand awareness for their clients through
creative and strategic public relations campaigns. She counsels
senior level executives at companies including Hershey’s,
Infineum, JVC, Kraft, Michael C. Fina, and Secure Horizons.
Deirdre
is an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in
Madison, New Jersey where she teaches courses on Public Relations
and Interactive Marketing for the Global Business Management
program. She recently finished her fourth Financial Times business
book, “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations,”
co-authored by Brian Solis. She has also authored: “PR
2.0, New Media, New Tools, New Audiences,” “The
New PR Toolkit” and “Cyberbranding: Brand Building
in the Digital Economy.”
Deirdre speaks publicly on the topics of PR, social media communications
and brand building and is a contributing editor of TechConnect,
PRSA’s Technology Newsletter and also blogs about PR 2.0
Strategies at http://www.deirdrebreakenridge.com
Stay tuned for Part 2 - Dierdre will talk about the key difference
between doing PR DIY style now and five years ago, and what
she would do if she only had $500 to spend on a digital PR campaign.
JUL/AUG
09>>>Mistakes
To Avoid When Recording Your Own Album
by
Craig Hamilton @ www.musicthinktank.com
Before
you can begin to think about marketing yourselves online you'll
first of all need to take care of the music. If, like me, you're
making that music at home then you'll be aware of the many benefits
this arrangement brings - you have the freedom to try whatever
you like, you don't have one eye on the clock and you never
have to get the last bus home.
The
flipside is that you are on your own and, to put this gently,
there will be no-one there to keep an eye on you. You are entirely
free to lead yourself down any number of blind alleys before
you grab the wrong end of the stick and beat yourself up with
it. Recording at home requires patience, discipline and good
planning…...and all at the same time…and from musicians.
What
could possibly go wrong?
Since
the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, here are the 9 mistakes
we made in homemaking our debut record that I'm keen to avoid
as we begin our second. I'm fairly certain I'm not the only
person in the world who learned his good habits the hard way
so if you think I've missed anything important please feel free
to add some tips of your own. I'd also very much like to hear
your tales of self-inflicted recording calamity!
OK,
off we go..
1:
That Odd Buzzing Noise Will Come Out In The Mix
..and
one day there will be free jetpacks for us all. No matter how
good you think that last take was, if your singer kicked the
mikestand halfway through or the small change was rubbing against
the keys in your pockets, then you need to think about starting
that take again.
2:
If You Are Having Drums, You Might Want To Record Them First
You
may think you’ve nailed that guitar part to that click
track but there are two people who won’t share your confidence.
The first person is the drummer and he will till you all about
this when he comes to play along to the song. The second is
the person who will spend weeks going through the all the component
drum audio files, making miniscule adjustments to the placement
of a kick beat here and a high hat there. When I say weeks,
I mean WEEKS…easily enough weeks to fill a month or two.
3:
"Hey, Shall We Tune-up?"
This
one sounds teeth-grindingly obvious, doesn’t it. Oh yes,
so obvious in fact that you’d never believe anyone could
make such a stupid, stupid error.
*cough*
Moving
on, then…
4:
Effects Breed Like Rabbits
It
might not sound the way you hear it in your head but if you
cave in now and add that tiny bit of distortion - just to make
yourself feel better about everything - then imagine how great
you’ll be feeling when you come to the mix and you can’t
get rid of it. Record EVERYTHING dry.
5:
"You Sound Like You’ve Got A Cold…"
If
you didn’t have a cold when you recorded the vocals for
the other 9 tracks, why do you want to do record the vocal for
this one now?
6:
Clean Out Yer Ears
If
you’ve listened back to that rough mix more than 10 times
today then it’s probably time to go out, meet your pals
and get drunk. Additionally, when you all come back from the
your night out your friends will probably be in the mood for
some ELO or possibly some Fu Manchu. That track without vocals
and that piano part littered with cack-handed mistakes will
be waiting patiently for you tomorrow - it ain’t going
nowhere.
7:
Less Is More
These
days home studios can be augmented with a dazzling array of
plugins that enable you to have thousands and thousands of different
sounds and instruments at your fingertips. You are limited only
by your imagination, but remember that this cuts both ways.
8:
Organise, Label & File
At
some stage, when you’ve recorded your last vocal or overdub,
you’ll want to think about mixing your album. When this
point comes it is waaay too late and entirely pointless to have
the bright idea of giving audio files sensible names and putting
them into folders that, say, represent the names of the different
songs they come from.
9:
Back-Up
Death,
Taxes and At-That-Crucial-Point computer malfunction. They come
to us all in the end. Back-up your work daily, weekly or even
monthly….but make sure you do it.
Now,
go and make a great record!
MAY/JUN
09>>>5
MySpace Mistakes
by
Andrew Dubber @ New
Music Strategies
I
don’t need to tell you to get a MySpace page. You already
have one of those. MySpace may not have the best user interface
in the world, it may be dreadfully coded and poorly laid out,
and it may be owned and operated by the man who’s mentoring
Beelzebub himself on business management tactics — but
you still have to have one.
After
all: you’re in the music biz, and that’s where all
the people seem to be. Since you’re there, you might as
well use it to your best advantage.
Judging
by what I’ve seen from so many bands, labels and other
music industry professionals — and going purely by the
laws of probability based on my unscientific survey of MySpace
music pages, here are some mistakes you’re probably making
on MySpace.
1) Using MySpace as your website
This is the worst mistake of all, so I’ve put it at the
top of the list. If MySpace is your online presence, you don’t
have an online presence. MySpace is for social networking. It
is not where you do your business. Have you set up your office
at the pub? Use MySpace to interact socially with people, and
encourage them to visit your own site where you have control
over things like design, content and functionality.
2) Using MySpace as your email
One of the great things about MySpace is that you can send private
messages to people and they can reply. This is not a replacement
for email — and if conversations go beyond more than one
reply, you need to take it to real email as soon as possible.
The messaging thing is about establishing contact. Once you
have a real contact, then treat them like a real human being
— not a MySpace arms-length ‘friend’.
3) Having an impressive background image
If you have a lovely photo as the background to your MySpace
page, one of two things is true. Either: a) I can’t read
large sections of your text because it’s the same colour
as parts of your lovely photo; or b) I can’t see it properly
because it’s behind large sections of your text boxes.
It’s nice that you have nice photos. Put them on Flickr.
Leave your MySpace background plain so I can focus on who you
are and what you have to say to me.
4) Embedding lots of media
Your MySpace page is not one of the TV channels. I know how
to use YouTube. I have not come here to watch videos. I want
to know who you are and what you do, so that I will know whether
to (and how to) interact with you. If you represent more than
one artist, and they all have a video, then set up subsites
on your own website and direct people there. One video per page,
preferably. If you must put a video on your MySpace page (Really?
Are you sure?) then whatever you do, make sure it doesn’t
autoplay the moment I load your page. It’s bad enough
I get music playing the second I open your page. Nothing scares
the casual visitor away like simultaneous multiple sound sources.
5) Writing lots of text
Remember - this is a place to meet people and interact with
them. Starting off with a 3,000 word essay’s not the greatest
ice-breaker in the world. Be brief. Be engaging. They’re
after a quick synopsis — not a complete history. Again,
direct them to your website if you feel it’s appropriate
to make your entire autobiography known.
Remember:
MySpace is a tool. It’s one of many. It’s not your
only shot at engaging with your audience or prospective market.
It’s an important one though, and it’s one that
it’s very easy to make mistakes with. Use it well.
There
are plenty of other tips for using MySpace — and other
social networking sites too. I’ll have more over the next
week.
APR/MAY
09>>>USEFUL
WEBSITE: Better Than The Van
Better
Than The Van is a couch-surfing social network
for touring bands and musicians. It's a great way for bands
and music fans to connect with each other for a practical reason.
You'll meet new people, discover new music and help make touring
a little easier.
Better
Than The Van is as a way for bands and music lovers to offer
up their floor and couches. It can be hit or miss, but the goal
of the site is people are fans of bands and bands become fans
of other bands. If there is a place to meet under a common need,
good things will come of it.
http://betterthanthevan.com/
FEB/MAR
09>>>TREAT
YOUR BAND LIKE A BUSINESS!
This
month, our tips come from Lou Rizzo and Ralph Jaccodine, two
music industry vets who were good enough to give us some time
last month as part of our first educational seminar of 2009.
Their primary message? Treat your band like a business.
Here’s
what they had to say:
Lou:
“There’s no hard and fast rules for ‘making
it.’ I’ve seen it happen to a band with nobody attached
to them; I’ve seen it happen with every high-priced manager,
agent, etc. ever. It’s your business. Respect your business.
Do what you need to do to keep it afloat. Raise capital if you
need to raise capital. Maybe you need to charge instead of give
it away. And as you grow your business, and learn the aspects
of the business, you’ll be in a better position to understand
the opportunities that come along. You’ll have something
to sell.
Ralph:
“Fleming Associates [a management company] saw Ani DiFranco
in Cleveland and it was six people and it was a terrible gig,
but she blew them away. And they signed her because she was
doing everything herself—booking, recording, promotion.
She was a force. Maybe you just want to be a musician, but you
have to understand what the business is or you’re not
going to get anywhere. You should be so busy that you have to
hire a manager, that’s when you hire one. And if you’re
going to get a manager, you have to know what to ask. Before
you hire lawyers and managers, you should be doing lots of due
diligence. Find out everything you can about them, talking to
the artists he does manage, or used to manage. You gotta know
what the job is in order to know if this guy is going to do
a good job for you.
JAN/FEB
09>>>DO
YOU WANT TO BE IN NORTHEAST PERFORMER?
It
has come to our attention here at the Portland Music Foundation
that the last time Northeast Performer covered the Portland
music scene was October. We believe it is important to show
Performer Mag, the parent organization of Northeast Performer,
that Portland musicians are up to something. If you have news
you think might be interesting – a CD release, big show,
new band member, etc. – pass it along to Brian
King, at nepeditorial@performermag.com
or call him at 617-627-9200. You can also send
music for review to 24 Dane St., Somerville, MA 02143.
According
to the company’s web site, “Performer Magazine,
the nation's largest musicians' trade publication, highlights
the best unsigned and independent musical acts from the United
States. Performer is dedicated to supplying our readership with
the kind of industry information and motivating interviews they
need to get ahead. Through focused editorial covering everything
from the latest gear to marketing your band on a shoestring
budget, Performer meets the needs of active recording musicians.
“Performer
Magazine consists of three separate, regionalized editions published
each month: Northeast, Southeast, and West Coast. Each edition
is free and contains live show and CD reviews, artist spotlights
and feature and cover articles specific to the region. All submissions
receive equal editorial consideration.
Circulation
ranges from 30,000 to 35,000 copies depending on the region.
Performer is distributed everywhere musicians are - instrument
retailers, rehearsal spaces, active music venues, and recording
studios.
Performer
requires a minimum lead time of two months, meaning May submissions,
if selected for coverage, will not appear until the August issue
at the earliest. All genres are accepted. The only requirement
is that the submitting artist lives within the region covered
by the edition.
We Support Independent Musicians!”
Hit
them up. This is yet another good way to get your message out.
Be professional and courteous in your communications, make sure
your spelling and punctuation aren’t too shabby, and make
sure to understand that not every piece of information you send
along will be published. Build a relationship with Brian so
you understand what he’s looking for in terms of information
and how he’d like to receive it.
NOV/DEC
08>>>Modern
Marketing by Bob Lefsetz
Your
most important team member is your Webmaster. Most
marketing is done to intermediaries. Radio stations, television,
radio shows. Whereas today it's about establishing a direct
relationship with your FANS! Via your Website.
You
should have an update on your Website EVERY DAY! You should
have a message board. You should have free music, whether streaming
or downloadable, hopefully all downloadable, but at least recorded
streamed and live downloadable. And you should retrieve mailing
addresses. This is the ultimate goal of your Website, to establish
a PERMANENT relationship.
This
is not like fan clubs of yore. You don't want to charge people.
And it's not like the fan clubs of today, wherein you pay for
the privilege of buying supposedly good tickets. Rather this
is about cementing a bond with your fans, making sure they never
leave you.
Imagine
a marriage wherein the husband never talked to the wife. Where
she saw him on TV and in Best Buy, but never felt any personal
contact. Well, that relationship wouldn't last too long. Best
to make regular contact. PERSONAL contact.
The
days of artists being superior is over. Stardom is something
completely different. Oh, don't pay attention to the one hit
wonders hyped in the media. In their case, it's about making
fun of them. Even if they've had more than one hit. People might
like Christina Aguilera's music, but they laugh at her boob
implants and chicken legs. But if each and every one felt connected
with the real her, it would be different.
Go
to see one of those bands who survive on the road. Over by the
merch table, there's a clipboard, garnering e-mail addresses,
for their mailing list. Which is why, after the hits dry up,
if they come at all, these bands can still work. They've established
a club, a cult. And EVERYBODY wants to be a member of the group,
feel like an insider. Your job is to make them one.
Don't
make your site pretty, make it a fount of information. Somewhere
people can find out EVERYTHING about you. And want to come back
to to find out more. A place where they can not only meet you,
but OTHER fans. Community is key. Everybody's looking for like-minded
people. For friends, for love relationships. An artist's Website
is a much better place to start than match.com or craigslist.org.
Your
site should have minimal Flash work. No entrance page. It should
be UTILITARIAN! As in USABLE! You should be THRILLED that anybody
comes at all, and if they do, you want them to feel welcome.
You don't want them to have to go through so many pages, waiting
forever for them to load, that they get frustrated, so they
never come back.
But
the ultimate goal of your Website is to garner contacts. To
get the name of every fan you have. So you can e-mail him or
her and tell them you've got a new record, that you're playing
in their town.
Forget
those scrolls of tour dates on television. Even radio announcements.
Most of the people who hear them could give a shit about the
act. It's about reaching those who DO care, directly. This is
what the Web affords.
Cement
and serve this relationship. If you do it right, you'll never
have to get a day job.
SEP/OCT
08>>>NERFA – Folk Music Love-In or Promotion Opportunity?
by Bob McKillop
The annual
North East Regional Folk Alliance kicks off this year at The
Hudson Valley Resort, in Kerhonksen, NY, from Nov. 13 through
16. This is one of several regional conferences that lead up
to the National Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, TN, February
18 through 22, 2009.
Some folk
musicians and songwriters who have been to NERFA swear by it;
they say it is a great opportunity to network, to get their
music in front of regional folk music promoters and venue operators,
and to jam with fellow musicians and songwriters and learn some
new tricks.
Others feel
that it is merely a big party; lots of fun, lots of great music,
but with very little value in terms of promoting their careers.
Who’s
right?
The first
thing to consider is the cost – it ain’t cheap,
especially considering the budget of most folk musicians. You
must be a member of the National Folk Alliance to attend ($70
per year for individuals). Conference registration costs between
$85 and $150, depending on how early you register. Most attendees
stay at the hotel (it’s hard to be part of the action
otherwise); hotel rooms run from $140 to $350 for the entire
weekend (meals included!), depending on the size of the room
and how many people you are willing to sleep with. If you want
to perform in a “guerilla” showcase in someone’s
hotel room, you might have to pay between $10 and $40 for the
privilege – yes, it is a “pay to play” situation.
Lastly, there’s the transportation costs between Maine
and the Catskill region of New York: a six or seven hour trip
by car. Even with ride sharing, that can cost you a lot these
days.
Next consideration:
what do you get for all that trouble and expense?
A very un-scientific
analysis of the program book from the 2007 NERFA conference
yields the following counts: concert promoters (60), radio DJs
(15), record label reps (10), music journalism types (3), artist
management or agency people (19), and representatives of folk
music societies (12). That’s 119 potentially valuable
contacts out of 455 registrants – not a bad ratio (about
26 percent).
Your success
in converting that opportunity into gigs and publicity will
depend on your strategy for working the conference, and your
strategy will depend on how well known you currently are in
the folk community. The formal showcase slots and the “tri-centric”
showcase slots should be the objective of those artists who
have attained a high-level of notoriety. Those in the middle
tier may book private showcases in the hotel’s conference
rooms. Artists still trying to make a name for themselves pursue
appearances in “guerilla” showcases in the larger
hotel rooms, but truthfully, almost everyone seeks these informal,
intimate performance settings.
The key
is to go in with a strategy that will maximize the “lift”
you get from the conference. The NERFA volunteer staff provides
a list of attendees a week or so prior to the conference. Cull
through that list and identify the venue booking people, the
radio DJs, and the promotional folks that are best suited for
someone at your level, and make a plan to seek them out at the
conference. Invite them personally to the showcases in which
you will be performing, and follow up afterwards to make a lasting,
personal connection.
NERFA may
not be for everyone – those artists who have attained
a consistent level of regional bookings may find that it doesn’t
help them sufficiently to justify the cost. Those artists who
are not yet ready for regional touring should not attend with
that goal in mind – although it might be worth going in
order to make contacts and “prime the pump” for
when they are ready. If you don’t have a CD or promotional
material ready, you will have a hard time getting any attention.
Conversely,
there is a lot to be said for going to NERFA just because its
a lot of fun!
Artists
who are clear about where they stand in the arc of their career,
who are clear about their objectives, and who prepare a strategy
for meeting those objectives, can make a trip to NERFA a profitable
experience. This is a concept that applies to other music conferences
in other genres as well. It can’t be said too many times
– you get out what you put in.
For more
information, check out www.nerfa.org
JUL/AUG08>>>>>GET
NOTICED!
By Wendell Clough, Director of Community Marketing, WCYY/WBLM
This
month’s tip comes from radio-land, as I asked a number
of radio programmers from Maine and away what is the single
most important feature of a local act’s submission that
catches the eye or ear. The radio people not lounging on a summer
beach and sipping cold drinks responded, and, interestingly,
even they had trouble narrowing it down to just one factor:
Tim
Moore, Program Director Q 97.9 and WHOM, Portland, ME
Eye? A package that says “we're serious”; not fancy,
just not sloppy
Ear? Production values, something professionally recorded, a
good mix with mics not buried to mask lack of vocal talent.
Ted
McEnroe, Director of Digital Media, NECN.com, Boston, MA, Former
Program Director, WBRU-FM, Providence, RI
A photocopied, cheap-looking disc with no art and magic marker
titles on it tells me they aren't too serious. In this day and
age, when eight-year-olds can put together snazzy looking reports,
bands should be able to do it, too. If you don't know how to
do it, some of your fans do.
Herb
Ivy, Program Director WCYY and WBLM, Portland, ME
The MOST important thing is to get me your strongest stuff.
Don't get me what you think will be the second single. Get me
the very BEST songs you have. You literally have about 40 seconds
to get my attention.
Susan
Groves, Operations Manager, Mid-West Family Broadcasting, Springfield,
IL
What I do appreciate is when the actual CD has the contact info
and “focus tracks” printed on it. Pieces of paper
don't stay with the disc. If all the info is on the CD case
it's very professional.
Charlie
Gaylord, Host, Greetings from Area Code 207, WBLM, Portland,
ME
Good design and printing quality on the CD packaging (not a
fuzzy picture of the artist standing on Maine's rocky coastline
holding his/her guitar). A well-written, concise, one-sheet
with the basic PR info (remember why they are called one-sheets).
Package addressed to the correct person (make sure they still
work at the station).
Jan
Wilkinson, Local Music Director, WMPG, Portland, ME
I love to see numbered track listings on the CD packaging (as
opposed to the disc itself, where you can't see them when they're
in the CD player), along with recommendations for airplay and
an indication of which tracks are (or aren't) 'FCC Clean'. Band
contact info (email address, website, MySpace) is also always
a plus!
Chris
O'Brien, Program Director, WOZI FM, Presque Isle, ME
I get so many acts submitting burned CDs that they wrote the
name of their band on with a marker. Nine times out of 10, there
is no bio, picture or even song title. Because I believe in
our local talent I tend to listen to them anyway, but it's really
a turnoff when the package is not right.
What
can you take away from these responses? There is no one single
thing, no magic bullet that will get your music heard by the
ears that matter, for one thing. An overall professional presentation
is essential. Looking as good, if not better, than the rest
of the local submissions is a great distillation of the above
answers to the question. And Herb Ivy’s point that you
have mere moments to both catch the eye and ear is a good one
to remember. It may seem crazy to put weeks of effort into something
that others may only glance at for a few seconds, or only listen
to for a minute, but that’s the one shot you have as a
first timer. Wait until you are big and famous and when the
media is simply salivating over your next release to be cryptic
or haphazard.
An
extra tip that I would share: Get an appointment with someone
at your target station and listen to the music together. That’s
what the big labels are doing. They hire full-time representatives
to do just that, and it works. That personal touch is memorable
and setting yourself apart is a big part of the challenge. If
your stuff is not up to snuff (the other huge part of the challenge),
you’ll get valuable feedback in person from a professional.
MAY/JUN08>>>>GOT
THE FEVER? THE ONLY CURE IS.....MORE
PROMO!
With
the return of nice weather we all find motivation we've been
lacking for months. Motivation to spring clean, clean out and
wash the car, get outside and exercise, walk the dog, clean
the yard, set up the BBQ, open the pool, etc. If you're a musician,
this is the time to push your music with ultra force. This is
the time to be seen on and off stage. To be heard on and off
stage. This is the time when you can walk half a block and connect
with someone who might dig your band or your record.
