Tuesday, June 21, 2011

"Bands: Who Is Your Demographic" from DailyUnsigned.com

Great question right? Let’s ask it again….Who is your demographic?Daily Unsigned….What do you mean? What are you getting at?Ok…it’s late (another 18 hour day) so we’re going to try and make this brief and hopefully noteworthy with some substance.Everyday around the world…we are pummeled by companies like Pepsi, Coke, Trojan Condoms, Budweiser, Ford and the list goes on and on….and each of these companies specifically target their advertising to a customer base that they are trying to secure. Example….during sporting events on TV you will see more beer and car commercials than you would see like Tampax Tampons or FDS Spray (sorry ladies). And the same goes for shows like Oprah or Dr. Phil where you will see more commercials like…you guessed it…Tampax Tampons and not FDS…but Rug cleaning commercials and shit like that…The point?These companies know who their demographics are and where they are hiding…You need to know this shit!Ok….so you’re making music…..have a cool look….and you are spending many hours a day promoting your Myspace…Facebook and Twitter and every other digital media site you have in your arsenal…but for some reason your fan base isn’t growing and the slacker like friends that you do have…aren’t doing anything but remaining a stagnating waste of protoplasm in your friends list..But why is this happening?Another great question guys!Here is why….you have been conditioned by your fellow band peers that getting a robot friend adder and adding all kinds of peeps on Myspace, Facebook and Twitter is going to make your plays go up….everyone is going to take notice of your band and they are going to sing your praises in the form of long editorial comments on your pages….YA Right!The reality is Friend Adders do serve a purpose and that is helping you get to your destination of adding 400 friends that day a little faster…but that’s it guys…Now this is where spending some time on determining who your demographic is comes in handy.Our advice for you, start treating your band like a business…and spend the necessary time on finding out who your fans are…find out how old they are….where they live (country, state, city)…what bands they listen to…what they eat…wear…drive… you name it…We are not in any way suggesting that you become a stalker…but find out who these people are…Once you know (Who, what, where and why) you can start developing a marketing plan and policy to secure their fanship.Always remember that if you keep doing what you are doing..you are going to keep getting what you are getting…so quit acting like a jackass and get your shit done correctly!Love,Daily Unsigned

Sunday, May 15, 2011

How To Start Your Own Independent Record Label

This is a topic I see a lot. Anybody with a serious passion for music has found themselves thinking at one point or another, "I should start a label."
99% of the time it never happens (let alone attempted) but it may be easier than you think to start and build your own record label. I'm going to break it down in steps, How To Start Your Own Record Label With $10.

1.) Find your talent: You're going to have to be picky, and it's going to be tough. With no credibility yet, and nothing to guarantee, you're going to have to find very low-level acts with nothing to lose; like a local act with a small (if any) fanbase.
2.) Record Some Music: Again, this is going to be tricky. Normally a band would need to go into a professional recording studio in order to get a good recording. Since you have no money to put into this kind of recording, you're going to have to deal with a less-than-professional recording. A good option may be to record each instrument separately, upload into a free program like Audacity, and piece the tracks together into a song. Some things like guitar, bass, and keyboards can be plugged directly into the computer to avoid picking up other sounds. Other things like drums and microphones will have to record live, so do your best to isolate the noise.
3.) Print Your Albums: Here's where that $10 will come in. What for you ask? The blank CD's. After you have mixed and mastered your music, it's time to burn some CD's! For $10, you can get about 10 CD's from Wal-Mart. When they're all burned and ready, make sure you write info for the band like Name, Album, website or Facebook, etc. You want the people who like the music to come back.
4.) Market And Promote: To keep marketing and promotion free, you're going to need some creativity. Obviously the best thing to do is book the bands/artists lots of shows. A great website that can help you book shows is www.indieonthemove.com You should always have CD's at shows. Also utilize Facebook, Twitter, word of mouth, and any other free online resource to spread the word that the album is out. You can sell digitally online with sites like www.bandcamp.com Selling the music actually classifies as distribution.
5.) Distribution: I already mentioned two methods of getting the music out and sold. Definitely focus on free digital outlets, but don't leave out the physical copies. Go to local stores and try to get a counter display. If you want to sell each CD for $5, tell them they will get $1 off every sale. Send the artists out to sell on the street. All that matters is the music is sold.

So there you go, pretty much. Take the music and sell it. Simple as that. Record labels.

How To Work In The Music Industry

So you want a job in the music industry?

Whether it's as an audio engineer, a band, a rapper, a producer, a record label, talent management, A&R scout, whatever it may be, the rule is always the same; JUST DO IT.
The music industry is an extremely saturated industry full of hopefuls that dream of making it big, living as one of the rich and famous. But seriously, how many people do you think can live like that? You can certainly accomplish your goals, but it's going to take time and LOTS of hard work.
First of all, immerse yourself. Get involved as much as possible. Intern at places related to what you want to do. Keep in mind that you're probably going to fail a few times before you succeed. That's fine and normal, just don't give up.
Reach out to people and market yourself. You're not going to get anywhere if nobody has heard of you, so you need to get your name in peoples mouthes.