Entries Tagged 'Indie Music Marketing' ↓

First, what is a brand?

A brand is your unique promise of value. What do I mean by that? Your brand is a promise that you make to your fans, to everyone who listens to your music and interacts with you. A brand is really what makes you unique, what you can offer that separates you from everyone else. It is a promise of the results that you can deliver.

What does this mean for musicians? Your brand is the TRANSFORMATION, the results, the experience that people have when listening to YOUR music.

Most musicians do not have a brand. They try to hard to sound and look like other artists or they compare themselves to other artists. It is okay to do this when you are trying to explain your style or genre of music, but you want to make sure that you are communicating to others what makes you unique.

HOW TO CREATE A BRAND

The first to creating a brand is to get clear on what makes you unique as an artist. Here are some questions
that can help you:

1) What transformation or experience do you offer to the people who are listening to your music?

2) What value does your music have in society? What benefit will people get from listening to your music?

3) What positive effect does your music have on others? Is this effect unique or are there other artists whose
music has the same effect on your target audience?

Remember your brand has to be desirable, deliverable, and differentiating. People have to want what your music can offer. You have to be able to deliver that unique value to your fans, and what you offer has to be unique from other musicians.

DISCOVER THE OTHER 7 MOST COMMON MUSIC MARKETING MISTAKES IN THE FREE MUSIC SUCCESS TOOLKIT!! GET YOUR FREE TOOLKIT BY CLICKING HERE: MUSIC SUCCESS

I wanted to share with you one quick tip for selling more of your music as an indie musician.

Are you ready? You have to expose your music to more people.
I know what you are probably saying: That’s common sense Angela.
I already knew that. It is very obvious but I can’t tell you
how many indie musicians I see who are not exposing their music
to enough people.

There are many reasons why you may not be selling as much of your
music as you would like.These reasons could be: you are not making
enough great music, you are not exposing your music to enough people,
you are not exposing your music to the RIGHT people, or you are not
selling your music at the right price.

I want to focus on more exposure in this email. One of the most challenging
things for indie musicians is getting massive exposure. You are a new artist
and you don’t have the benefit of a huge record label marketing team pushing
your music.

If you are an indie musician, then you probably do not have
a HUGE marketing budget to market your music. Am I right?

You probably don’t have a HUGE marketing budget to hire
expensive marketing consultants and music promotion companies
to do your marketing for you. Am I right?

So, how do you get more exposure as an indie musician, without
paying a lot of money? You build a STRONG street team. A strong street
team can help you sell more of your music and even get paying crowds to your
live shows, and check this out: for very little cost to you!!! That is gold
to an indie musician.

You have to know how to build a strong street team that can go out and market
your music to the RIGHT people. You have to know how to train your street team.

2010 is almost over and I want to ask you a couple of questions. Where are you now in your
music career? How much progress have you made as a musician this year? Are you
in the same spot today as you were last year? Have you made more money as an indie
musician this year than last year? Are you satisfied with the amount of music sales
that you’ve made and the number of fans that you have?

Unfortunately, a lot of indie musicians go from year-to-year with the same dreams and hopes
and do not see them materialize. There are people who are waiting to hear the music that
you have. There are music lovers and musicially-challenged people like me who rely on
music every day to get through life! We need music! We need your music, especially if it’s great
music. You need to get your music in front of more people and you need a street team to do this.

I am passionate about helping you build a successful music career in 2011 and
helping you achieve the goals and the income that you have always said that you wanted
to make from your music, but haven’t made yet.

It is time to start seeing some real income from your music!

To help you, I am excited to announce a special offer for the
3M Street Team Marketing Plan Audio Series. For a
limited time only, the 3M Street Team Marketing Plan
Audio Series will be available for 50% off the regular price.

The regular price for the audio series is $19.99, but for a limited
time only, the 3M Street Team Marketing Plan Audio Series will be
available for only $9.99.

In this audio series, you will learn how to build, manage, and motivate
a street team. In this series, discover:

-the 3 best places to look to recruit and fill your street team with people who
will be excited to join your street team and market your music
-how to train your street team to increase your music sales and increase attendance
at your live shows
-how to avoid low performance from your street team
-the secret strategy to attracting a HUGE number of people who will come to you and
ask you to be a part of your street team
-how to maintain the energy and excitement of your street team members

The audio series consists of three mp3s, three bonus action guides, and a bonus
audio on how to create an awesome live show that attracts large, paying crowds and the
attention of the media.

If you purchase the audio series before Friday, December 3, 2010, I will include another
bonus audio, SMART Networking: How to Network at Music Conferences.

If you are serious about building a strong street team that will help you sell more music and
get more people to your shows, then you need to purchase the 3M Street Team Marketing Plan Audio
Series.

Remember, the 50% off sale is only good until Friday, December 17, 2010. If you want to get the
bonus SMART Networking audio, then you will need to purchase the audio series by Friday, December 3, 2010.

To purchase the audio series, go to: http://www.musicsuccesscoach.com/offer/

To your success in 2011!

I am excited to announce a special offer for the
3M Street Team Marketing Plan Audio Series. For a
limited time only, the 3M Street Team Marketing Plan
Audio Series will be available for 50% off the regular price.

The regular price for the audio series is $19.99, but for a limited
time only, the 3M Street Team Marketing Plan Audio Series will be
available for only $9.99.

In this audio series, you will learn how to build, manage, and motivate
a street team. In this series, discover:

-the 3 best places to look to recruit and fill your street team with people who
will be excited to join your street team and market your music
-how to train your street team to increase your music sales and increase attendance
at your live shows
-how to avoid low performance from your street team
-the secret strategy to attracting a HUGE number of people who will come to you and
ask you to be a part of your street team
-how to maintain the energy and excitement of your street team members

The audio series consists of three mp3s, three bonus action guides, and a bonus
audio on how to create an awesome live show that attracts large, paying crowds and the
attention of the media.

Another bonus: If you purchase the audio series before Friday, December 3, 2010, I will include another
bonus audio, SMART Networking: How to Network at Music Conferences.

If you are serious about building a strong street team that will help you sell more music and
get more people to your shows, then you need to purchase the 3M Street Team Marketing Plan Audio
Series.

Remember, the 50% off sale is only good until Friday, December 17, 2010. If you want to get the
bonus SMART Networking audio, then you will need to purchase the audio series by Friday, December 3, 2010.

Click here to purchase the audio series Music Street Team Sale

Marketing

Marketing is about getting your target market to know who you are, what you have to offer,  why you are offering it, and why what you are offering is something they want.  Marketing is about getting your target market to know, like, and trust you. In this post, I will share some tips on how you can get your audience to know you.  I will share strategies on how you can get your music in front of the right people.

Do they know me? In order to get your target market to know you, they have to know that you exist.  Your target market need to know about you and your music.  How do you do that? You show up where they are.  You should know where your target market hangs out, what they read, where they shop, and what events they attend. You or your street team need to have a presence where your target market is at.  You can do this by performing where your target market hangs out, posting flyers where they are at, having an online presence through your website and social media sites. Your target market can also get to know you through word of mouth.  This is common with music marketing.  Most people hear about music artists for the first time from others, from their friends.  Basically, find out where your target market hangs out and show up there!

Ok, so how do you do that? Five strategies for getting in front of your target market:

1.  Online Marketing

SEO-Can they find you on google? Do you have an online presence? Do you have a website?  Does your website use keywords that your target market uses to find music online?

Video Marketing via Youtube: Youtube is the second most widely used search engine. What does that mean for you?  People are searching for music on youtube. Can your market find your music on youtube? If you don’t have a channel on youtube yet, then create one.  You want to make sure that you create titles and tags for your video that uses the same keywords that your market would use to find music on youtube.

Social Media: There are over 500 million people on Facebook, and over 100 million registered users of twitter. Do you have a twitter profile page and a facebook fan page?  How active are you on social media? Can your market find you on social media sites? Can they connect and engage with you there?

Blogs: Can your market find your music on the blogs that they read?

2. Live Shows: Are you performing and doing shows at your market’s favorite venues in your city or state?

Those are just five strategies to get you started thinking about your visibility.  How did you rate? Are you using all of these strategies?

In the next post, I will share exactly what you need to say and what you need to do once you have become visible to your target market. You will learn how to connect and engage with your fans, once you are in front of them.

Want action steps and coaching tips on how to put the strategies shared in this post into action? Sign up here for the free Music Success Strategies Newsletter that features a “Get Empowered!” section that gives you the action steps you need to move forward. Music Success Strategies Newsletter

The three biggest music marketing mistakes made by indie musicians:

1.  Not thinking like music entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs solve problems.  Entrepreneurs find problems and create products or services that solve those problems.  A music entrepreneur must do the same thing.  A music entrepreneur finds problems and creates music that solve those problems.

A lot of indie musicians do not take this approach to marketing their music.  They create music without first understanding the type of music their target audience is searching for and their audience’s struggle in finding that music.  So, your music should fill a need.  It should solve a problem of your target audience.

Indie musicians should also create music that not only solves a problem for their fans but solves the problems of the media and other professionals.  I am currently discussing this in my “Indie Music Marketing Series” here on the Music Success Blog.  The gist of this concept is to use your music to solve a problem.  For example, one problem that a small business faces is getting new customers.  As an indie musician, you should build a targeted fan base that matches the same demographic that a local small business in your area is targeting.  Now, you can approach the small business and negotiate a deal.  You agree that the small business can market its product or service to your fans if they agree to offer some discount to your fans.  This way you are forming a relationship with a business that could potentially later on agree to sponsor one of your live shows and you are providing value to your fans. Solve a problem! Be a music entrepreneur!
2.  Not Creating music for their fans

Too many indie musicians create music that they like and that they want to perform without finding out the type of music their fans want.  Indie musicians want to make music that they enjoy.  There is nothing wrong with that.  The problem is if you want people to pay for your music, you have understand the type of music they want. Indie musicians should do the market research first to understand the need in the marketplace.  What music do the people want but  are not getting?  Use the answer to that question to help you create your music.

3.  Not using marketing strategies that have worked in other industries

Too often, indie musicians only look to other musicians and music professionals to help them market their music.  There are other professionals in other industries who have successfully marketed their products and services.  Indie musicians should look to these professionals for new marketing strategies that can be applied to the music industry.  For example, information marketers and other internet marketers have learned how to get people to take action and buy products by creating compelling offers.  They use complimentary bonus products and services to get people to buy their main product.  Info marketers learn this from infomercials.  You’ve seen those late night infomercials where you get 10 bonuses for buying one product.  This marketing method works if you use it correctly.

How can musicians use this method? By offering bonus products or services when people buy your music.  Some musicians already do this by offering more free music or a t-shirt when fans buy their album.  Indie musicians can take this a step further and offer more complimentary bonuses.  With the ease and low cost of digital downloads, indie musicians can offer e-books or mini video games or mini movies that center around the theme of their album.  Think about what bonuses you can offer now that can raise the level of interaction of your fans with your music.  How can you make your music come to life with additional bonuses? Create a compelling offer that will have your fans running to purchase your music.  Observe and learn from other professionals who have been successful in getting people to buy.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree that these are the biggest marketing mistakes made by indie musicians? Let me know your thoughts!

If you missed any of the previous posts in this series, you can check them out here: Indie Music Marketing Part 1, Indie Music Marketing Part 2, Indie Music Marketing Part 3, Indie Music Marketing Part 4, Indie Music Marketing Part 5

In the indie music marketing series, I have discussed the 3 reasons why indie musicians are struggling to sell their music.  One of the reasons why indie musicians are struggling to sell their music is because indie musicians do not really understand the value of their music.  They don’t understand the value their music has to fans, businesses, and the media.  Today’s post will discuss how understanding the value of music to non-profit organizations can help indie musicians get more exposure while supporting a good social cause.  If you are an indie musician who wants to use your music to help make an impact in society, then you will be able to appreciate this post.

In the series, I have stated that in order to be successful as an indie musician, you have to use your music to solve the problems of others.  You need to think like a entrepreneur.  So to get more music exposure by creating music that has value to non-profit organizations, you have to first understand the needs of non-profits.

The three Needs of Non-Profits

1.  More funds

2.  More volunteers/staffing/assistance

3.  More attention and awareness of the organization and what it does

How can music meet the needs of non-profits?

1.  Music attracts attention and therefore can help build awareness

Music and music events attracts and captures the attention of an audience.  Music has the power to engage people.  Marketers understand this and that is why they use music in commercials.  Music has a powerful way of attracting people and pulling people in to different causes. So you can use this power of music to help non-profits bring attention to their causes.  The more awareness people have about an organization and the work that it does, the more likely people will lend support to the organization, whether it takes the form of money or volunteering.  So ultimately, music can attract attention for an organization that can lead to more volunteer support and more donations.

2.  Historically, music has been used to organize people around a cause

Music has the power to unite people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities around a cause.  We have seen this with benefit concerts for Haiti and Hurricane Katrina that brought together musicians to raise money to support relief efforts.

How can you create music that is valuable to non-profits? How can your music add value to non-profits? Here are some strategies:

1.  Donate  proceeds of your single or your album to a non-profit organization

2.  Write a song

Write a song that expresses the emotion of the people the organization serves or the social cause the organization supports.  Music helps tap into human emotion and organizations want people to see and feel the need of the cause they are working for and music is a great way to do that.  Your music might be used by the non-profit in its marketing materials or at fundraising events.

3. Organize a benefit concert/live show

Approach the organization for its support.  Donate proceeds of the show to the organization.  You can help attract media attention to your show and get more people to come out to your show.  People love to support great causes.  The members and staff of the non-profit will probably want to attend and the people that the organization serves will be interested in supporting and attending your show.

4.  Become an advocate for the organization

Mention the organization and its work in your marketing and promotional materials.  Bring more awareness to the organization.  Mention the organization in press releases, on your web site, and on your social media pages.

Want action steps and coaching tips on how to put the strategies shared in this post into action? Sign up here for the free Music Success Strategies Newsletter that features a “Get Empowered!” section that gives you the action steps you need to move forward. Music Success Strategies Newsletter

If you missed any of the previous posts in this series, you can check them out here: Indie Music Marketing Part 1, Indie Music Marketing Part 2, Indie Music Marketing Part 3, Indie Music Marketing Part 4

In the indie music marketing series, I have discussed the 3 reasons why indie musicians are struggling to sell their music.  One of the reasons why indie musicians are struggling to sell their music is because indie musicians do not really understand the value of their music.  They don’t understand the value their music has to fans, businesses, and the media.  Today’s post will discuss how understanding the value of music to the media can help indie musicians get media exposure and get the media to promote their live show and music for free.

In order to be successful as an indie musician, you have to use your music to solve the problems of others.  You need to think like a entrepreneur.  So to get media exposure and attention, you have to first understand the needs of the media. (By media, I mean tv, radio, magazines, etc)

The Challenges & Needs of the Media

The media basically has three main challenges or needs:

1) To Build a large audience

2) To Keep their audience by serving the needs of their audience

3) To Tell Compelling Stories

Why does the media have these needs?  Let’s take a deeper look at why the media needs these three things.

1) The Media wants to attract advertisers.

2) The Media wants to gain credibility-to be a trusted news source

3) The Media exists to inform and entertain their audience

As an indie musician, you need to ask this important question: how can my music solve the needs of the media? How can I present my music to the media as the solution?

Strategies for Getting Media Exposure:

Based on the needs and challenges of the media, there are three strategies that indie musicians can use to get media exposure.  Here they are:

1) Create music that serves the media’s audience.  This strategy helps the media keep their audience through information and entertainment.  How can an indie musician execute this strategy and put it into action?  If you are a songwriter, write a song about a national tragedy or a local disaster in your city.  If you are a performer, perform a song about a tragedy.  You should find out the statistics in your city and pay attention to the news stories in your city.  What are the homelessness & poverty rates, murder rates, the number of domestic violence incidents, etc?  I’ll give you an example, if you are a singer from Chicago, IL, one of the biggest news stories going on right now is the murders and violence that are taking place in the city.  Over the last weekend,  52 people were shot between Friday evening and Monday morning.  Chicago Violence.  So this is a big news story and a big concern for Chicago residents.  If the media in Chicago does not cover this story, then they will not serve the needs of their audience, who are no doubt concerned about this.

So what does this mean for an indie musician?  You can add value by writing or performing a song that expresses the emotion of Chicago residents.  You could write a song about losing a loved one or about senseless violence.  Now, you can approach the media with music that serves the needs of their audience, that informs their audience by tying your music into a news story.  How can we take this a step further?

2) Create news:  create local events that make news

Once you create a song about a local news story, why not create a live show that centers around that news story. In my 3M Street Team Marketing Plan Audio Series, I share how indie musicians can get people who have access to their target audience to promote their music and live show for them for FREE and how to get the press to promote your live show for FREE.  One way to get the media to cover your live show is to create a live show that is newsworthy.  So, going back to the Chicago example, my indie musician in Chicago can do a “Peace in the Streets” concert.  To garner support and media attention for the event, the indie musician can find organizations and groups who also have the same passion to restore peace in Chicago.  One group who will be in support of your live concert would be the families and friends of the deceased.  How do you find the organizations who would support the show? Pay attention to the news! The media will find these people for you; pay attention to the people that the local news interviews when discussing the violence in Chicago or the local news stories in your city.  Contact them and pitch them the idea of your concert!

You can even agree to donate the proceeds of the concert to some of the local organizations in your city that support peace or to the families that have been affected by the tragedy.

Now, when you pitch the concert to the media, there is a local news-tie.  Your show will now be something of interest to their audience.  This is how you gain media exposure and attention: serve the media’s needs first!!

Want action steps and coaching tips on how to put the strategies shared in this post into action? Sign up here for the free Music Success Strategies Newsletter that features a “Get Empowered!” section that gives you the action steps you need to move forward. Music Success Strategies Newsletter

If you missed any of the previous posts in this series, you can check them out here: Indie Music Marketing Part 1, Indie Music Marketing Part 2, Indie Music Marketing Part 3

Strategies Indie Musicians Can Use to Leverage the Value of Music for local businesses:

1) Build a fan base that matches the target market of local small businesses

Locate and assemble their target market for them.  Approach the local business that seeks to reach the same target market.  Negotiate an agreement where you agree to market their products/services to your fans and the local business agrees to provide free or discounted products/services.  Build a partnership relationship with the local business.  Create a win-win situation for them. You may even agree to let the local business conduct market research using a survey that you would give to your fans to complete.  Again, you should make sure to communicate how this arrangement will meet their needs.  Emphasize the expense of advertising on radio or tv.  Discuss how this arrangement will save them money by reducing advertising costs and possibly make them more money by building a long-term relationship with your fans.  Discuss how you can also save them costs on conducting market research.

2) Create music for commercials and advertising that helps local businesses sell more

If the local business wants to pay for expensive tv or radio advertising, discuss how you can create attention grabbing music that will help the local business stand out in a crowded marketplace.  Again, communicate how this arrangement will meet their needs.  Emphasize how music can help make their commercials more effective and memorable.  Remember to mention how powerful music is in creating brand awareness and distinction.

What result can these strategies have on indie musicians?

• more exposure for your music: Opportunity to have your music played inside businesses and stores, in radio and tv commericals
• sponsorship for live events: When you solve the problems of businesses and meet their needs, you can start building a partnership relationship with them that could lead to sponsorship for your live shows
• greater connection with your fans: When you start providing your fans with special discounts on products and services that they use and need through your partnership with businesses, you begin to interact and connect with your fans on a deeper level than most national recording artists can
• create news and gain publicity: You can garner attention from the media, by solving the needs of local businesses.  You will stand out from other indie musicians who are only focused on self-promotion.  I can see the headlines now: “Local musician helps local businesses make money.”  “Local musician helps residents save money during tough economy.”

What result can these strategies have on businesses?

• Save money on advertising costs
• Build brand, brand awareness and visibility
• Attract the attention of prospective customers/clients
• Attract more customers
• Establish emotional connection with their customers/clients
  

What result can these strategies have on your fans?

• Save money through discounts on products and service

What result can these strategies have for the city you live in?

• More thriving local businesses
  
• More revenue for the city

Want action steps and coaching tips on how to put the strategies shared in this post into action? Sign up here for the free Music Success Strategies Newsletter that features a “Get Empowered!” section that gives you the action steps you need to move forward. Music Success Strategies Newsletter

In the next post, I will discuss how your music as an indie musician can meet the needs of the media and can help you get more publicity and more attendance to your live shows and events.  You will discover the value your music has to the media

Please tweet and share this post! Let’s get more exposure for indie musicians who need to share their valuable music with others!

This is Part 3 of the Indie Music Marketing Series: Why Indie Musicians are Struggling to Sell Their Music.  If you missed the other two posts in this series, you can check them out here: Indie Music Marketing Series Part 1 and Indie Music Marketing Series Part 2

I have discussed that one of the reasons why indie musicians are struggling to sell their music is that they have forgotten or are not aware of, the true value and power of music.  They are not leveraging the value of their music.  Most indie musicians are not creating music to solve the problems of other people.  They are not thinking and behaving like music entrepreneurs.  It is important to understand the value of the music you make, to know how your music solves the problems of others.  So for the next few posts in the series, I will share the value of  music.  In this post and the following post, I will share how indie musicians can gain more exposure, publicity, sponsorships, and a larger fan base by just understanding how valuable their music is to local businesses.  Your music has value to businesses because it can help solve the problems that most local businesses face.

Problems & Challenges of Businesses

1) Two biggest concerns of businesses: how to save money and make money

2) Other Needs and challenges of Businesses:

• Increase competitiveness
• Save Time
• Make Work Easier
• Build relationships, brand, image with customers and vendors
• Expand business
• Attract new customers
• Retain existing customers

Value of Music to Solve these business problems and challenges:

1) Music Attracts Large Crowds & Gets People Attention

Everyone loves music.  Music has been used consistently to attract large crowds and large viewing audiences.  Just look at some of the most popular shows currently on tv: Glee and American Idol. The high school musical Glee returned for its second season with 13.7 million viewers.  Although the viewing audience for season 9 of American Idol dropped nine percent, the singing contest show brought in on average 23.9 million viewers.

So what does all of this mean? Music has the ability to get people’s attention and attract large crowds.  Radio advertisers have long understood the effect and power of music in commercials to capture people’s attention.  Research has confirmed this, showing that music activates the area of the brain involved with paying attention.  See Music Moves Brain to Pay Attention

Music also aids recall of advertising messages.  People are more likely to recall advertising messages that uses music.  Those listening to the advertisement will sing along, which increases their involvement with the advertisement and the likelihood they will remember it. How many of us still know the Oscar Mayer Weiner song or the Big Mac Jingle “Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese…”? My point: People remember advertising that is paired with music.

So what does this mean for local businesses? Music helps local businesses draw attention to their brand and their products or services.  Music can help businesses capture the attention of prospective customers/clients.  Music is valuable in helping businesses become more competitive in a crowded marketplace.

2) Music influences shopping behavior

Sales: Experiments in supermarkets and restaurants show that slower music creates slower traffic flow, which means that people shop for a longer period of time in the supermarket and spend more time eating and drinking in the restaurant.  When slower music was played, the supermarkets saw a significant increase in their overall sales volume.

Desire: Research has also shown that people are more likely to desire a product that has been advertised in conjunction with music they enjoy than one that’s been paired with unappealing music or no music at all.

3) Music has a powerful effect on product branding

Music is effective in distinguishing a brand.  Music can help a product stand out in a crowded marketplace.  Oscar Mayer and McDonald’s distinguished their products with music and used music to gain product awareness.  We have seen this not only in the food industry but also in both the video game industry and the film industry.  Everyone knows the famous Super Mario Brothers music used in the popular Nintendo game.  In the film industry, we have seen this with film score.  Remember the chilling music used with the shower scene in the movie “Psycho”? The shower scene is probably one of the most memorable scenes in film history.

In the next post, I will discuss strategies that indie musicians can use to leverage the value of music for local businesses.

Tweet and share this article with others! Let’s get more exposure for indie musicians who need to share their valuable music with others!

Want action steps and coaching tips on how to put the strategies shared in this post into action? Sign up here for the free Music Success Strategies Newsletter that features a “Get Empowered!” section that gives you the action steps you need to move forward. Music Success Strategies Newsletter

This is part 2 of the Where the Music Industry Went Wrong series.  If you missed part 1, check it out here: Indie Music Marketing Part 1

Today I continue with my discussion on the three reasons why indie musicians are struggling to market and sell their music and how the music industry has contributed to the problem.  As I shared in the last post, one reason why indie musicians struggle to sell their music is because they don’t know or they have abandoned the real, true value of their music.

Are you a music entrepreneur? To be successful as a indie musician, you need to think like a music entrepreneur. You need to know the problem that your music solves for other people. You need to know the value of your music.  The reason why a lot of indie musicians struggle to sell their music is because most indie musicians don’t have this mindset.

The Music industry has contributed to this problem. The industry has focused too much on the benefits to musicians in selling their music.  What do I mean? You see the lavish lifestyles of musicians and hear about the big recording deals signed by huge artists.  This is promoted by the music industry to be the value of music.  The industry touts that you can make great money and have great fame as a musician.  The hip hop industry has been one of the biggest culprits in doing this. Yes, I am calling out the hip hop industry. We have seen rappers rap and boast about their material possessions, money, and women.   These rappers became successful.  Then, you started to see other rappers who wanted to be successful in the hip hop industry rap about the same thing.  Their logic was: I want to be a successful rap artist so I am going to do what other successful rap artists do and rap about the same things.  I don’t blame these artists for thinking this way.  They saw other rappers who were where they wanted to be and decided to do what they did. What happened? They rapped about the same things, but were not enjoying the same level of success. Why? They didn’t think like music entrepreneurs.  These huge rappers were not successful because they rapped about money, women, and fame.  The content of their rhymes were just features of the songs and not benefits.  They didn’t sell millions of records because of what they rapped about.  There was a deeper reason.  Their music, those lyrics, that content, solved the problems of their fans, record labels, and big corporations.  I’ll discuss this more in tomorrow’s post.

So a trend emerged in rap music that focused on boasting and promoting self-gain.  This created a problem in the music industry and actually hurt unsigned independent rappers who needed to think like entrepreneurs.  When you start to focus on meeting your needs and your problems, when your main reason for making music is to get your financial needs met, you stop thinking like a music entrepreneur.  A music entrepreneur knows and understands that the media doesn’t care about him or her making a lot of money, club owners don’t focus on your needs.  The media, your fans, venue owners, and other industry professionals have their own needs and problems.  A music entrepreneur makes music that solves their problems.

Maybe you are saying, “But Angela I don’t make music for the money.  The content of my music doesn’t focus on promoting self-gain.  I am not a hip hop artist. I’m a singer or a songwriter in a different genre of music”.   Maybe you do believe that music has great value and power to solve problems and change people. That’s great.

Not every indie musician becomes an artist to be rich and live a lavish lifestyle.  You may record and perform music because you simply love it and music helps you express yourself.  You may be a musician simply because you love music.  That’s great.  But, the moment you decide you want to sell your music, is the moment you have to begin to think like a music entrepreneur.  You have to now think about how other people benefit from hearing or buying your music.  You have to think about how your music solves their problems.  You have to become focused on the needs of others and not your needs.

I know that for a lot of you reading this, you already have this mindset.  You know that music is powerful and you know that music is valuable because it solves problems and meets the needs of others. You make music because you love it and you want other people to be uplifted and encouraged by it.  You know this but maybe you are having a problem of getting your music out there to the people so they can benefit from hearing it.  Despite knowing the real value of music, you still have a hard time selling your music. If this is the case, then the reason why you are struggling to sell your music may not be because you don’t know the value of it.  You may be struggling to sell your music because of the two reasons  I will discuss in later posts: you are not properly communicating the value of your music and/or you are not delivering the value of your music:

Next week: What problems does music solve in the lives of others? Learn the REAL value of your music? Discover the needs and problems facing music fans, venue owners, radio stations, media, etc.