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A Survivor’s Guide For Musicians At All Levels: Marketing and Distribution 101
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I don’t agree with all they are saying (because, basically, I agree more with the notion of David Fricke (Rolling Stone) that “buying music is a social transaction”). However, in preparation for the Long March [in Marketing and Distribution*] for musicians at all levels in the modern era, here are a few quick take-aways from three must-read articles by some smart guys written over the week-end about music, new technologies, and business models:
1. Lefsetz: “…You've got your fan base, and that's...IT! …the major label model is dead… it's based on these inane marketing stunts …it all does come down to the music…you just won't be noticed by the public. You're gonna have your core… to grow according to.. ."Tipping Point" principles, and that will be IT! …You want to succeed in the future? …It's all positively micro. …With so much clutter in the marketplace, gaining traction is almost impossible. You've got to start with the music. The music must touch souls. It must sell itself. …the new world is here…music is free. Will people pay?...that's not your number one priority. The act has ALWAYS had a 360 degree model, sharing in ALL revenue streams …now the act is in charge. People who service the acts are the ones who will survive as businessmen in the future …If you're not willing to convert fans one by one….then you've got no future in this business …we, the public…decide who rules now. Madison Avenue is not in control, never mind MTV. You've got to partner with us …EVERYTHING can coexist. The playing field is… vast… There's a slot for EVERYTHING! How can you grow the lane YOU'RE IN! … Everything starts out equal today…It's about the fundamentals.”
2. Chris Anderson the long tail of music is up (except plastic CDs): “…when you stand back and look at all of music, things don't look so bad at all. …the problem with the music labels is not that music is an industry in decline, but that they have a too-narrow view of what business they're in. …most music will soon be free, as artists give away the product as marketing for their performances and licensing, and as a celebrity accelerant that creates more opportunities to make money than just from the sale of a record. …for those who say that this avenue is only available to artists at the head of the curve, such as Madonna and Radiohead, I'd point out that the other group poorly served by the labels are those at the bottom of the curve, the many thousands of bands who fall below the radar of the hit-driven majors. I'd argue that they, too, have nothing to lose by letting their music go free, nothing to lose but the prospect of becoming indentured to companies stuck in last century's model of monetizing music…”
3. Rob Brunner (Entertainment Weekly) Madonna, Radiohead Moves Rock the Music Biz: “…in a single week, Madonna and Radiohead just might have permanently transformed the music industry…The traditional way of doing business is disappearing…you really should spend time developing goodwill between yourself and your audience. ….labels aren't likely to disappear anytime soon. For most young bands, record-company promotional and marketing clout is still a crucial part of building and maintaining a fan base …While nearly everyone agrees that the business is mutating, it remains frustratingly hard to predict what form that change will take. …nobody has a clue where this is heading. ‘There will be new technologies we can't even imagine,’ says Martin Kirkup, ‘MySpace is only about three years old. YouTube is less than two years old. They've fundamentally changed the relationships between artists and fans, and I couldn't have told you five years ago that I expected those things to happen. What I do know is there will be some great acts making great music.’ “
As a Long March veteran in a few marketing and distribution businesses, here are a few things to put in the artists’ kit bag for survival in the disruptive days to come: A way to upload your music at an acceptable level of quality; a way to price your music from “free” to what you think your fans are willing to pay; a way to connect with your fans and a way for your fans to spread the word; a way to demonstrate your work; a way to give your fans what they want to hear and let them hear it; a way to analyze, real time, what’s happening out there [who are your fans, where are they, what are they digging, what are they buying]; a way to market and distribute your music at minimum cost; a way to advertise your gigs; a way to build-up your fan base one by one; an on-line store for your music and swag; a way for others to help you to help yourself; a way to do the foregoing according to your persona, talent, and style; a way to have fun. [I don’t think the Fuzz folks are there yet, but at least they’re listening to us and responding to us.]
*The basic laws of economics and how to develop a sustainable business model do not change even in the, so-called, digital era. It’s all about efficient marketing and distribution of your product. It’s all about business.
1. Lefsetz: “…You've got your fan base, and that's...IT! …the major label model is dead… it's based on these inane marketing stunts …it all does come down to the music…you just won't be noticed by the public. You're gonna have your core… to grow according to.. ."Tipping Point" principles, and that will be IT! …You want to succeed in the future? …It's all positively micro. …With so much clutter in the marketplace, gaining traction is almost impossible. You've got to start with the music. The music must touch souls. It must sell itself. …the new world is here…music is free. Will people pay?...that's not your number one priority. The act has ALWAYS had a 360 degree model, sharing in ALL revenue streams …now the act is in charge. People who service the acts are the ones who will survive as businessmen in the future …If you're not willing to convert fans one by one….then you've got no future in this business …we, the public…decide who rules now. Madison Avenue is not in control, never mind MTV. You've got to partner with us …EVERYTHING can coexist. The playing field is… vast… There's a slot for EVERYTHING! How can you grow the lane YOU'RE IN! … Everything starts out equal today…It's about the fundamentals.”
2. Chris Anderson the long tail of music is up (except plastic CDs): “…when you stand back and look at all of music, things don't look so bad at all. …the problem with the music labels is not that music is an industry in decline, but that they have a too-narrow view of what business they're in. …most music will soon be free, as artists give away the product as marketing for their performances and licensing, and as a celebrity accelerant that creates more opportunities to make money than just from the sale of a record. …for those who say that this avenue is only available to artists at the head of the curve, such as Madonna and Radiohead, I'd point out that the other group poorly served by the labels are those at the bottom of the curve, the many thousands of bands who fall below the radar of the hit-driven majors. I'd argue that they, too, have nothing to lose by letting their music go free, nothing to lose but the prospect of becoming indentured to companies stuck in last century's model of monetizing music…”
3. Rob Brunner (Entertainment Weekly) Madonna, Radiohead Moves Rock the Music Biz: “…in a single week, Madonna and Radiohead just might have permanently transformed the music industry…The traditional way of doing business is disappearing…you really should spend time developing goodwill between yourself and your audience. ….labels aren't likely to disappear anytime soon. For most young bands, record-company promotional and marketing clout is still a crucial part of building and maintaining a fan base …While nearly everyone agrees that the business is mutating, it remains frustratingly hard to predict what form that change will take. …nobody has a clue where this is heading. ‘There will be new technologies we can't even imagine,’ says Martin Kirkup, ‘MySpace is only about three years old. YouTube is less than two years old. They've fundamentally changed the relationships between artists and fans, and I couldn't have told you five years ago that I expected those things to happen. What I do know is there will be some great acts making great music.’ “
As a Long March veteran in a few marketing and distribution businesses, here are a few things to put in the artists’ kit bag for survival in the disruptive days to come: A way to upload your music at an acceptable level of quality; a way to price your music from “free” to what you think your fans are willing to pay; a way to connect with your fans and a way for your fans to spread the word; a way to demonstrate your work; a way to give your fans what they want to hear and let them hear it; a way to analyze, real time, what’s happening out there [who are your fans, where are they, what are they digging, what are they buying]; a way to market and distribute your music at minimum cost; a way to advertise your gigs; a way to build-up your fan base one by one; an on-line store for your music and swag; a way for others to help you to help yourself; a way to do the foregoing according to your persona, talent, and style; a way to have fun. [I don’t think the Fuzz folks are there yet, but at least they’re listening to us and responding to us.]
*The basic laws of economics and how to develop a sustainable business model do not change even in the, so-called, digital era. It’s all about efficient marketing and distribution of your product. It’s all about business.
Comments
Well said. And you can bet that artists at Fuzz and elsewhere are working their own business models as we speak.
BB
I think TCC provided a good overview of what we are trying to do here at Fuzz - we like to call it providing "360 degrees of DIY services" around the artist's creation - promotion, communication/interaction, distribution, sales, reporting, fan management - in essence a comprehensive CRM platform for artists. We track where your fans are located, whether they are listening or buying your music, and of course, share this all back with the artist in real time. Artists have a chance to thank fans for their purchase or even just listening to their music in REAL TIME. We will be sending out tutorials about how to use our platform more effectively - we can even help create strategies for artists to more effectively reach out to their fans via our invitation platform. I think a lot of it simply comes down to - JUST TRY IT... you never know what will work with your fan base - part of the fun is just trying to see what sticks...
The main thing I am learning just as a consumer is that the relationship is KEY in the distribution and promotion of the music and keeping up with what is going on with that artist.
I am a HUGE Prince fan and I have been in his NPG club for just a few years but it has been my connections with other Prince fans who keep me abreast of what I should be listening to or what to check out on his website.
This goes the same with the other artists but the fans need to become active in those communities of the artists they enjoy. As a 30 something, many of us do not have the time to interact that much on the web with EVERYONE we like but I know services like last.fm, MOG and iLike will attempt to make an assesment of your musical tastes and recommend new artists for you.
I just have to go out on my own though to find out how I can even help the artists that I enjoy. That is why I have kept journal entries on almost everything I listen to in order for someone in their "discovery" to get another perspective of what I am listening too.
Keep it up the great journals!