Promoting Your Art: YouTube!

YouTube is a HUGE  and (relatively) new resource for younger, DIY musicians.

The site can boast over one billion users, and the average number of video views per day is four billion.

Since the site is free, you have the potential to get your music, your shows, and your personality out to billions of possible fans.

But.

Since the site is free, you also have to rise above the incredible amount of muck that those billion users are contributing to.

So, here are some quick, important tips on how to nail a good YouTube music-based video:

-Incorporate your personality. Just like in 'real life' it is important to focus on your art, but getting someone to truly look at your art requires catching and holding their attention. For many, this mean the personality catches the fan first.

-Watch your backgrounds. Busy, moving, or otherwise unclean backgrounds look just a smidge too unprofessional.

-Spend the extra time and money to use (borrow or buy) as high-quality a camera as you can. People take seven seconds to decide if they're sticking with your video, and the quality has a huge effect.

-Keep the video brief; also, get straight to the point.

- Understand and expect that your audience, fans, and pageviews will not dramatically increase overnight(unless there's huge discovery and you go viral. That does happen).

Here are some additional resources:

http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2010/05/5-tips-to-make-your-youtube-videos-work-for-you/

http://mashable.com/2010/11/28/viral-music-video-how-to/

http://mashable.com/2011/03/11/improve-youtube-channel/

http://evolver.fm/2011/02/08/how-to-get-better-sound-on-youtube/

TOURING, Hooray!

So, 'touring' for a band is just like 'taking a vacation' is for most Americans....

As in, you are really excited and pumped to go, but it often turns out to require much more planning than you expected and the end result is that you are emotionally drained by the time you get home.

So, here's the Millennial Musician touring post!

There are so many, many resources online for you, so I've just compiled some of them and picked out the most important aspects to keep in mind.

While planning:

Plan well, plan thoroughly, and plan for the unexpected/unlikely, because this is your job. This is your fan-base opportunity, this is your networking opportunity, this is your art on the line! Here's a pretty straight-forward how-to on planning.

Budget every expense possible, and then add another 10% on top for the 'emergency fund'. If you don't use it, great, you've got that extra cash for another time. If you do need it, it's saving your tail.

Check the transportation well before you depart. If something needs fixing, better to find out a good six weeks before you hit the road.

It seems like this should go without saying, but have your showdates all planned and confirmed, and keep the communication lines with the venues open. Also, make sure you know beforehand what kind of payment you're looking at for each venue.

Staying healthy (and mentally sane):

First of all, make sure you've planned your days off. These are not 'oh, well, we're driving all day so that's free time'. No. Book a few different days where you are stopped in a location, and you can explore, curl up in bed with a book, or visit a museum. Many bands do five days of show, three days of travel, and every eighth day is an off-day. However, there's a lot of variation depending on the length of tour and the destination paths.

Eat well, get your sleep. Obviously.
Take walks and help with the equipment on-site to keep your blood moving.

Here's an article from The Strad on mental heath while touring.

Here's another good one on keeping yourself healthy.

When you're on the road:

Have a pre-planned driving schedule.

Bring some sort of entertainment; half the tour is working like mad, and the other half is waiting around until you start working like mad.

Be a good person. I've spoken to many professionals in the industry, and one of the tips that comes up very, very regularly is this: people will remember you simply for being that nice, professional person who was respectful to those around him/her, and was on time. Sounds crazy, but I've heard it enough to this point that I wholeheartedly believe it.

Always, always play your best. Even if the venue looks like it's full of hobos and drunks, you never know who's just around the corner, coming in for the next set, or wandering past outside the venue and might decide to step in.

Here're just some extra tips for anyone looking at touring in Europe:

Here's a nice article from a traveling site, written from Europe(firsthand, always good).

And one more on traveling in Europe.





Here's a list of articles written by touring musicians:

http://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/artist-interviews/on-the-road-again-tips-while-touring

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/nov/02/indie-professor-touring-rules

http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/15/travel-tips-from-touring-musicians/

http://bandzoogle.com/blog/advice-for-touring-musicians-nycas-on-how-not-to-travel

Here's some useful compiled tips on touring:

http://blog.musicinsidermagazine.com/2012/11/tips-for-the-touring-musician/

http://blog.discmakers.com/2012/01/tips-for-surviving-and-thriving-on-tour/

http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/5-big-tips-that-will-save-your-bands-tour.html

http://www.ourstage.com/blog/tag/top-ten-tips-for-touring-musicians

http://www.sanctuarylane.com/articles/touring-tips-for-musicians-on-the-road.html




Last two resources:

TourSmart is a site with a regularly updated blog on touring, while IndieOnTheMove lets you set up an account and will help you out with specifically what you need to start touring.

Let's Touch on Copyrights for Songs

I'm not going to pretend to know everything about copyrighting music, but I can at least get you on the right track.

First things first, you should know that your work is your work, copyrighted, as soon as you put it into some kind of physical form (written, recorded, etc).

The reason we still go through with the paperwork of registering that copyright is that you want definitive proof of the date of your copyright. This way, if someone else write something that is specifically ripping off your work, you can prove that you're the one who came up with it first.

It's not a very complicated process. http://www.copyright.gov/ is the official site to which you submit your paperwork. There are two different forms, which are covered quite beautifully in this DIY Musician article.

There is a small fee, but it is worth it to know that you have the right type of legal proof in your possession. The last thing you need is an actual case where you're not in the wrong and you still wind up paying.

This copyright is your protection against that terrible situation- say another person were to hear that something you've been playing at shows for years, decide that it sounds remarkably similar to something he/she just wrote. Say he/she decided to insist that you either cease playing (or worse, pay them for) "their work". If they have the correct paperwork and you don't, you lose.

You Want the Sound-Person to be Your Friend.

I mean, the title says it all. I've only been sitting in on shows from the soundboard location for about five or six years total, but I have seen quite enough sound-guy abuse to last me 'til the end of my career.

"Hey, turn me up out there"

"Hey, folks, so glad to be here tonight. If the set sounds bad, just blame *insert sound guy's name here* hahahaha."

"You really don't know how to do this, do you?"

"Can't you just....."

"What do you mean you don't have _________"

These are all fairly valid reasons why there was a sudden abrupt short in the mic sound when you stepped up to sing on your first song.

And your last one.


There aren't really that many rules, to be honest. I am not a professional sound-person, but I've run a good couple shows.

1) Please, please send us a stage plot. If you care how it's set up at all, SEND US A STAGE PLOT. Also, don't forget the input list, because if you need something and we don't have it, it's better ya'll find out now rather than scrambling to re-arrange two hours before the show starts.

2) Don't tell the audience sound issues are our fault. Don't make a joke about technical difficulties. Don't call us out by name while you're onstage and live in front of an audience.

3) Be on time. I was unintentionally roped in to setting up a soundstage for a gig at my job this past week, and the soundcheck was set for three o'clock. Guess who showed up at four? Sweethearts, the whole lot, but I had to be somewhere else at four, and I don't know if they ever even got an actual soundcheck.

Facebook's New Changes for Artist Pages

There have been some changes to FaceBook's algorithm that determines how many fans see your band's posts.




The general indie artist population is not pleased.





Towards the end of last year (December 2nd), there was a quiet announcement from FaceBook about changes to EdgeRank (the algorithm that determines what is shown in Facebook users' NewsFeeds). Several sites republished the info immediately partially to spread the word, partially to spread their opinions, because, really, for businesses large and small, Facebook is HUGE.


For smaller music groups, though, the ramifications of those changes are just now being recognized.

The main fire-starter has been the new option to pay to boost a post in your fans' newsfeeds.
The EdgeRank algorithms decide if your post should be seen or not based on how 'interesting' the posts' content will be to your fans. This is determined by how many fans have clicked on past posts from your band that contained similar content.

As you can imagine, several artists are quite unhappy. It's been brought up that with the amount of time an energy a band has to spend just to garner those FaceBook fans, attempting to capitalize on their need for fan-reach is unfair.


 A few artists have started explaining their reasons for switching back to band-name websites and old-skool email lists.

And, of course, there will always be a few souls who just want to help as best they can.

What do you think? Facebook has to filter the NewsFeeds for each user somehow, but does charging a fee to get posts to all fans take things just a little too far?

Good PR (Bombadil Case Study)

So, tonight, I'm going to talk about an absolutely lovely night out with some friends!

((Well, evening, really, since I'm working at a summer arts intensive right now that requires me to be back by the 10:00 curfew to check my hall of students in))


There's this band, see. And they're not super-duper-like-of-monsters-and-men-type well-known, but they're growing a following, and they're signed with Ramseur Records, who has also signed bands like the Avett Brothers and Carolina Chocolate Drops (*fangirl happy sounds*).

The name?

Bombadil (yes, after the LOTR character).

Here's what they look like:

That's my photo. If you want to see a more clear image (and to get the biography), please feel free to head over to their website!

Anyway, good-looking-ness aside, I'm gonna take a minute to talk about good PR(Public Relations, in case you were unsure of the acronym's meaning).

See, I've seen Bombadil play a number of times, mainly in my school's town, but once in my current city and once elsewhere. Bombadil sees thousands of concert-goers on even short tours.

Bombadil took care to let my city know they were coming. Flyers were up over two months ago in a few locations(particularly the venue where the show would be hosted). I saw articles mentioning the re-release of an old album on vinyl several months ago. And finally, at a record-store nearby, they posted a warm-up party show, and invited their FaceBook followers to show up at their leisure and enjoy some pre-concert jams.

And you know what? That's all great. That's all fine and dandy, and it's definitely helping get their name out. I love their music, but the reason I took the time to check out their album is because the band members made me want it.

I have never once been to a Bombadil concert without speaking to at least one of the members. And I'm not that flashy, I'm not particularly easy to remember unless I try.

 But Daniel Michalak, vaguely seeming to recognize my face, waved at me as I went in, and came up and said hi while I was waiting for a drink at the coffee-bar as the opener (River Whyless, in case you were wondering. Another band I'm rather fond of) was leaving the stage.

He smiled when I told him where I was from, asked if I knew _______(I did, thank you for asking!) and asked what I did for University.

He did not ask "how did you hear about us?" or "What do you think of our music?" or any other questions that would have provided him with useful information. Nope. He asked me about me, smiled, and waited for me to answer. Listening. I know I didn't say much that was interesting. But he listened and waited politely, and that's what sticks with me every time I see them.

Every one of the members has at some point made sure to be at the exits as audience members are filing out, holding the doors and thanking them all for coming to show their support for the band.

And that's really the kind of PR you can't buy.

I don't care about who thinks she's cheesy or young and googly. Taylor Swift has made it in the music business, and she recently released a well-written article about how the future of artists lies in their 'love affairs' with their fans. I think that statement is so, so true, particularly in a growing technological age where it is possible to make personalized connections over long distances.


So, Bombadil. Hats off to you. I love your music- I do truly consider it art.

I will freely admit, however, that your showmanship and interaction with your public are what compelled me to give your art a good fighting chance of a listen in the first place.

Booking Agents

Now that I've taught you how to book a gig on your own, it's time for some notes about booking agents!

Early on in the game, booking agents are really not necessary. In fact, unless you are regularly selling out shows you've booked yourself, it will be almost impossible for your band to even acquire a booking agent.

Why?

Well, first, booking agents usually work for a percentage of the earnings, so unless you look like a good investment, they won't spend their time on your band.

Secondly, booking agents are not working solely for the benefit of the bands they book(that's more of a promotion manager's type). Booking agents are also working with the venue managers they are sending artists to. A booking agent is only as good as his or her word, because if he/she sends enough bad players to a venue, that venue will not longer accept that booking agent's recommendations and will let other venues know that the agent is pushing poor product. So, that agent is not going to take a risk on your band unless he/she knows you can deliver.

Finally, booking agents work by location, not by assigned band. So you will have one booking agent for one area of a state, another for a couple towns over, etc. This means that you really won't be working with booking agents until you've grown to the point of moving well out of your original state.

So, say you've gotten to this point, and you are ready to start working with a booking agent. Congrats!
If you have a manager, then the manager or the tour manger should be communicating with the booking agents for you. However, if you do not(which is becoming more and more common), it really comes down to networking.

You can start by reaching out to booking agents in your hometown and asking if they know of other agents in the regions you want to reach out to, and you may get some good feedback. My advice, though, is to look at an area and plan out what venues you would like to play, and contact them, and ask if you can get the name of the booking agents they regularly correspond with.

When you've contacted the booking agent, communicate regularly and do your best to trust his/her's judgement. If he/she says not to play a venue you think is just perfect, you would do well to listen. It may just be the time of year, it may be another factor, but it's good to remember that the booking agents knows what to expect out of an area better than you do. If you recall, booking agents work for a percentage of your earnings, so it is in their best interest to have you playing often as possible in their area; they want you to succeed!