Resources for Musicians.
Feb 12, 2011 Promoting Your Band With Video
On December 6th, 2010, I attended the MusicTech Summit in San Francisco. Aside from seeing the informative panel discussions, I did some networking and met a number of very cool music biz types with very cool resources for musicians.
Here is a brief description of a handful of those resources and how you can find them on Facebook and the inter-web.
Here’s to finding some useful tools; enjoy your exploration.
OnLineRock
OnlineRock is an online music community comprised of thousands of musicians, music professionals and die-hard music fans. Bands and musicians from around the globe use OnlineRock to find helpful articles, interviews and free giveaways to further their musical endeavors.
http://www.onlinerock.com
http://www.twitter.com/onlinerock
http://blog.onlinerock.com
Volume 11
The Volume 11 site fills a real need in the marketplace for a website with a two-fold purpose: (1) Consolidate information about music management tools and trends, and (2) Encourage discussion and sharing of information among independent musicians and managers. And so Volume 11 was born.
http://www.volume11.us/
BAMM.tv
BAMM.tv is a full scale production company for independent and emerging musicians. We’re launching a video subscription platform that allows musicians to showcase their creativity and connect with fans.
http://bamm.tv
RootMusic
Revolutionizing the music community by providing practical tools for musicians. It’s time for your band to make the move to Facebook with BandPage.
http://www.RootMusic.com
http://www.Twitter.com/RootMusic
http://www.Facebook.com/RootMusic
http://www.Facebook.com/BandPage
FanManager
FanManager began as a grass roots street team management company in 2005, focusing mainly on bands within the jam band scene. FanManager quickly expanded into a full-service marketing powerhouse in just a few years time.
http://www.facebook.com/fanmanager
http://www.fanmanager.net
http://www.twitter.com/fannanager
TuniPop
Tunipop is focused on defining alternative revenue sources for musicians in the digital age mainly through the optimization of non-record merchandise.
http://www.tunipop.com
http://www.twitter.com/tunipop
Bandzoogle
Bandzoogle makes it easy to build a killer band website that sells music and merch, streams music, syncs with social networking sites, and puts you in front of more fans. No web design skills needed!
http://www.facebook.com/bandzoogle
Hello Music
We connect artists with opportunities for their music.
http://www.hellomusic.com
http://blog.hellomusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/hellomusic
Music Funding Launch Pad
MFLP brings online professional social networking to the music industry, delivering access to investors, funding, artist (both emerging and established), gigs and opportunities like never before. Built upon trusted connections and relationships, MFLP has established the industries largest and most powerful professional online music-based social network.
http://musicfundinglaunchpad.com/
Online Movies Promote Your Career.
Feb 12, 2011 Promoting Your Band With Video
Isn’t it your dream as a musician to make music, but also your goal to have a music career? If you are not deriving an income from the music you create, than you do not have a career.
You likely use a variety of methods to promote your music: email lists, a website, word of mouth, MySpace, Facebook, and any number of other social networking sites.
You probably put your music online, write press releases, supply a bio, provide photos, or create an electronic press kit combining all of these.
All are effective and necessary ways to promote your career.
But are you harnessing the power of online movies to promote your music? In order to stay ahead of the competition, many businesses are using online movies as part of their online promotional strategy.
As a musician, there is no reason you can’t do the same to build your music career.
Using online movies as part of your overall promotional strategy has many benefits:
- Improves search visibility for your website
- Holds viewers on your website longer
- Enhances your recognition
- Increases your fan base, enhances their experience, and creates relationship
- Generates income for your music, merchandise, and tickets
Isn’t it time to turn your dream of playing music into a full time career, or if you are already playing music full time, then turning that career up to 11?
Why Use Movies For Musicians?
Feb 12, 2011 Promoting Your Band With Video
Before you talk yourself out of using one of the most powerful tools to promote your career, this article will provide some reasons why you should use online movies as part of your marketing and promotional tool chest.
But first, a few astonishing statistics from comScore:
- The consumption of online video news and information clips in the U.S. has doubled to 565 million video views in May 2010, up from 277 million last May.
- 84.8 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video in May 2010.
- 144.1 million viewers watched 14.6 billion videos on YouTube alone, that’s 101.2 videos per viewer.
The question is – are they watching your online movies? So now that you know your potential audience size, let’s look at the benefits of using online movies…
Online movies create a more personal interaction between you and your fans than other means of promotions. Using both sound and visuals is an effective way of gaining your fan’s attention.
In today’s fast paced world, it is much more efficient for someone to click on a movie link than it is for them to read a page of text. Your fans want fast, easy, entertaining information about you, your band, and what you are up to. Online movies provide that.
Having fans share your movie through email and social networking sites is one of the best methods for creating buzz about your band, your music, and your tour. But if you don’t have a movie for your fans to pass around, then you are missing out on a grand opportunity to really turn up your promotions.
Furthermore, if your online movie doesn’t have high production value and quality content, your fans won’t be even be interested in watching it, much less passing it on to others.
Visual Quality Counts!
Feb 10, 2011 Promoting Your Band With Video
You provide your fans with quality music recordings and quality live performances, why not do the same with your online visual presentation? Hiring a professional to produce your online movies ensures they meet the same professional standards as your recordings and live shows.
With a quality visual approach on the internet, your fans, and potential fans, are more inclined to watch your movie than to read the details on your website. Online movies bring your band to life and allow fans to know you more intimately.
Movies build your band recognition and convey a personal touch that separates you from the clutter.
Leave a Lasting Impression.
Feb 10, 2011 Promoting Your Band With Video
Another advantage internet movies have over other forms of promotions is that they leave a lasting impression on your fans. If your fans remember your movie, they will be inclined to want what you are offering. That may be your latest music or back catalogue, merchandise, or tickets to your next gig. If they are informed, entertained, and excited by your movie, they are motivated to share that excitement with their friends, amplifying your exposure.
And that’s were return on investment comes into play. According to the Marketing Zen Group…
“On average, 12% of people going to a site that uses video to market it’s products or services…will end up buying from that site. By comparison, the “normal conversion rate” for a text-only site hovers at around 1%. So how is this huge jump in sales possible? While 65% of people watch online videos to completion, less than 10% will read a text-only site to completion. And the longer you can keep people glued to your message, the better your sales will be.”
As you consider marketing and promoting your music career with online movies, realize that there is a slim chance they’ll go viral. Instead of hoping to go viral or not using online movies at all, keep your eye on the real goal: improved communication with your fans, the opportunity to build band recognition, and increased music, merchandise, and ticket sales.
In addition, when you put your movie online, at sites like Facebook, You Tube or Vimeo, it’s easy to know how many views it’s getting — they count them for you. With a movie on your website, Google analytics can track how many viewers are seeing it and how long fans are staying on your site; the more views, the more exposure for your band. The more exposure for your band, the more you sell!
Trust a Professional.
Feb 7, 2011 Promoting Your Band With Video
Creating online movies isn’t complicated or expensive, especially when you rely on professionals like AMP, a company that has extensive music production expertise and knowledge of social networking.
AMP works with you through every step of your movie’s creation, helping shape your story to create a movie that brings your band to life in the most compelling way possible. And because they are a self-contained production company, their services are surprisingly affordable, offering you incredible value and return on your investment.
In Summary, online movies are a great tool for spreading buzz about your band through social networking, email blasts, and on video hosting sites, driving traffic to your website. Online movies allow you to effectively reach out to fans, creating intimate relationships, and fan excitement ultimately boosting your music, merchandise, and ticket sales to increase your overall revenue.
