Band Marketing Power

Whether it's gracing overpriced T-shirts or iconic drumheads, being furtively carved into classroom desktops or intricately inked on the bodies of the most dedicated fans, a band's logo can be just as memorable as its biggest single....

Please check out the Logos and article at the following link. This is well worth your time:

http://www.spinner.com/2008/02/15/best-band-logos-no-25/

If you are serious about making it to the top, then it is critical that you take the time to do things right with your Band. And you can do them as you go. You don't have to do them all at once or before you start working. Build your Band's identity, brand, and business through time, so you can enjoy doing what you love - Playing music.

KISS had makeup and costumes. David Bowie had a distinct sound and style. Dolly Parton had her look and still keeps it up.

Knowing what certain elements are part of your image and identity are your choice to make, however realize that your audience does find you and identify with you quicker and easier if you stick with your look and identity. Remember this... If you keep changing your package, it makes it hard for your audience/Fans to find you and follow you.

Enjoy this entertaining clip of Dolly Parton speaking about discovering and maintaining her image and identity and let it start you thinking of all the ways Bands and Musicians you like present their Identity... And what would happen if they changed it?

Making a song recording to help market and develop your audience/Fan base can be easier today than it has ever been before. How?

With all of the FREE or easily accessed Community based sites online, anyone can create either a simple audio or video recording of their song and showcase it online to see how people react. If they react negatively, oh well, no loss. If they react positively... You can increase you Fan Base larger than you ever thought possible.

How can this help? Well... If you increase your Fan Base and Fame, it will increase the chances of you being able to sell some of your songs or merchandise online easier to them. Also, if you have enough of those Fans living in areas you are performing, you can announce your shows to them and Fill the House almost every time you do a show. Venues will love you and ask you back (especially if your Audience is ideal for their business Venue).

So take advantage of those easy-to-use software packages that come standard on most computers now and upload what you have to websites that let others view and comment on your song. Take the Opportunity and make yourself Famous.

(Note: By getting instant feedback, you also have a better chance of improving your song writing skill and building an amazing set of music to showcase at your next live performance.)

A good example of what can be done at home is seen below by Julia Nunes singing her song, Into the Sunshine. Julia made a simple recording at home on her computer and uploaded it to YouTube on January 18, 2008. It is now February 1st 2008. So, in Fourteen Days, her Homemade Song Video has been Viewed and listened to 185,188 Times and she has 1,502 Comments.

Have you exposed yourself to an Audience that large yet? Until very recently, people would be willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars and even millions to get that kind of exposure in the market. Now you can get it for FREE or Dirt Cheap! Use it. Benefit from it. Live your dream and take action to increase your chances for success today.

I know you can do it, and the tools are already available to you. I look forward to see and hear you.

Watch the Video Julia Nunes made below:

There are many things that compete in the new world of music entertainment. Below is an example of an animated video made by a company that makes music entertainment for the television. It is used successfully as background visuals along with recorded music played at parties and social gatherings. This style of music entertainment is a competitor to the live musician, however can never replace the "Power" of a live musician.

Granted, the creations are very entertaining, and they do have their place in the market. It is critical for you, the live musician, to realize what you individually have to bring to any performance you do.

There is nothing like the live performance of music and watching and feeling the performers give their life energy to you (as an audience). This is valuable and special. It is the gift you have to give and share anytime you perform live. Realize its value. Sell it properly to people when you are booking gigs/shows. Know what you have to bring to the stage/live show that identifies you so you can explain it in three words to the person booking you.

Yes, the world of music entertainment is changing, however that just means that the live performer is in an even more specialized market niche. And... Specialists make more money than non-specialists.

Know what you bring to a live show. Sell it. And charge appropriately. Just because everyone else is doing it a certain way, or because 'they' (the booking person) only pay, everyone else, a certain amount for doing shows... doesn't mean you have to do it that way. The more specialized you can be and focus your Band's offering, the more money you will make and the more referrals you will get from people. Your Fans will be more powerful as a unified group and will be more passionate about you.

So, for now... Enjoy the Music Video Entertainment below, and while you are watching it, think about all of the things you have to offer that are different to people paying for the Music Entertainment. Maybe even get a piece of paper out and write them down.

Who says that you have to know exactly what you want to do with your Band right now?

Sometimes, all you know is that you want to perform or record with your Band. You might want to experiment with a certain style or sound of music or maybe with a show presentation style. Go for it!

If you don’t know exactly what you want from your Band right now, however you know that you want to have one and you want it to be the profit center for your life, than just start doing whatever comes to mind.

Try out different Band member combinations. Try out different costumes, music approaches or anything else you think of… Interact with your audience in different ways.

The key to this effort is to see what works when you do it. What works for you and what works for your audience? When you find out these things, then you found your Band success combination. Then use it to have fun and make more money.

To see how simple it can be to make some basic Guitar TABs of songs, check out these at Guitar-Music-TABs.com:

http://www.guitar-music-tabs.com/keane-tabs/

Writing down guitar TABS of your own music and songs, can be these simple and you can then offer them to your Fans. Keep your Fans learning about your music and about what you are working on.

If you have an idea for a new Riff, or if you are working on some new music, maybe even offer what you have as TABS on your site or send them out to your Fan-base via email to see if anyone can add to them and refine them into something better than you could do on your own.

Interaction with your Fans can build a stronger relationship with them a more responsive one.

Imagine writing a new song that your Fans were part of the process on… Do you think they would want to see, hear and feel you play it live or get a copy of the song when you offer it for sale?

It’s amazing how some things are so easy and so obvious that we don’t do them.

Okay, collecting Fans is critical to your development as a Band. This is your following, your market, your customers for future shows and sales. Your Fans are your reason for developing a Band. So… Are you collecting them?

The easiest place to collect them is at your shows. And a simple, proven method to collect them is to have an ‘Email Signup Sheet’ available for new interested audience members to:

• Keep in touch with you
• Find out about your next shows
• Find your website
• Know what CDs you have for sale
• Know what other products you have for sale

Scot Alexander, Bass player from Dishwalla, said in an email exchange with me, “Bands can put so much of the picture together themselves these days (myspace/CDBaby/iTunes) and potentially make far more money on their own rather than signing with some label, all the while retaining full ownership of masters and publishing to further put more money in their pockets with libraries and soundtracks.” You have this power. And… if you have the Fans, you can offer them what they want, the music, image, and products from your Band.

So, are you collecting them? Are you collecting them at your shows?

Make sure that at every show you have someone helping you with this simple little task. It adds incredible value to the purpose of your shows.

Have a person sit at a table in an easy to see area, someplace where the majority of people traffic passes, and have the following:

• A sign showing the name of your Band, even if it is just on paper
• A piece of paper titled “Email List Signup”, including a column for name, email address, and regular address or at least zip code (If they put their regular address or zip code down, you can track the locations you have Fans. This helps with future gig planning and bookings)
• Any product you want to sell
• And, Consider having a Free give-away for those that signup on your Email List

Make it a goal to collect at least ten new Fan email addresses at each show (many times you can collect a lot more). If you have ten shows, then you will have at least one-hundred Fan email addresses to contact about upcoming shows, new Music or product you have for sale. Many times, each Fan will have around two friends they tell about you, so you can triple your email list or Fan-base fairly rapidly.

Fans are your Band’s Lifeblood. Collect them and treat them like they deserve to be treated… like your best friends.

Remember This: Your Fans help you become who you want to be and you help them become what they want to be. You won’t be a Band for very long if you don’t have Fans. Your Fans are helping you accomplish your goals. Respect this relationship and share with your Fans and care about your Fans. They care about you and share their time, money, and energy with you.

I only live about an hour and a half away from the ocean, and when I can, I love to “escape” there to relax and feel connected again (at least that’s what I say to myself). I finished a performance on Saturday evening, and felt like I have been going and going before that. I wanted just a little break from my pattern, so I decided to hop in the car and drive to the coast just to stay over night, because I had to be back by the following afternoon.

Just being there helps me relax and change gear. Hearing the ocean waves soothes me and helps me think of what I like and where I want to go next with my work.

This is the same experience I get when I go to see a band, go to a concert, show or any other type of entertainment environment I like.

This is what a Band offers to its Fans, an escape.

A Band brings an environment that helps its Fans escape from their regular life pattern. It helps them feel connected to their community. It helps them connect with themselves and realign with their passionate goal path. Many times a good band helps them speak and radiate the emotional and mental energy the Fan hides away the rest of their day. Then, at the Band’s show, the Fan can let loose, relax, and feel like someone else shares the same feelings or thoughts that they do. This is why a Fan wants to listen to the music over and over when they go through their day, and why they love to get to the show when they hear of show tickets going on sale.

Imagine the example of a someone who is very angry with the way people treat them through their day, they have to wear clothes that they don’t like for their ‘job’, or they have to work under abusive conditions. Then, they get to go out at night and see a hard-edged Band that screams out lyrics that sympathize with their emotions and thoughts. They can crazily bounce around and sweat out their energy. It helps them cope and fall asleep better.

Now, imagine a person who works in a fast paced environment, loves what they do however feels like they are moving at warp speed every second of their day. Then, at night, they get to go out and listen to a Band play a mellow dream-like musical show. Everything about it helps them slow down and process what they are doing now in their lives and what they want to do next. This person goes home and sleeps much better.

Next time either one of these people need to escape from their day, they will remember the benefits that they got from 'that Band' last time and get excited when they see that they are playing again. And… They most likely will take some of their friends (similar to them) that they already told about the Band last time they enjoyed their show.

What type of environment do you offer your fans? What do your lyrics say for them? What kind of energy does your music help them release or enjoy?

What kind of people like what you have to offer? These are your potential Fans or already your Fans.

Are you aware of what you offer to your audience? Do you let people know this when they ask: “How would you describe your band?”

When you are onstage, you are communicating.

So...
What are you communicating to your audience (your fans/your market)?
Is it an emotional attitude?
A view point in life?
A way of living?
A feeling?
An experience?
A message of passion?

What is it that you are communicating? Knowing the answer to this is critical, because 'that' is what your audience (whether live or through your recordings) is taking away with them after they listen to you. This is how they will think of you, see you, hear you in their heads, remember how they felt when they listened to you, and how they will explain you to others.

If you don't know this, consider asking people who listen to you or watch your shows, what they think it is that you share with them.

This is who you are to them, your fans. Market this everytime you try to get gig bookings or sell your music. It will make your message consistent and build your fan/market base much quicker and powerfully.

The drummer from the band Greenlander asked me if I could think of an easy way for his band to get gigs. I gave him the following response:

If Greenlander (or any band) wants to get more gigs quickly and easily, they can accomplish that by EXPANDING their Band.

What do I mean by that? Well, think of the word BAND. In this context, it means, “A group of people united together.” Greenlander is a BAND of people bound to each other for a unified goal of creating, performing, and making a living as a BAND. By EXPANDING their BAND, they can increase the amount of people that are always together helping each other accomplish their goal.

This is a proven and practiced method. Teams unite to achieve goals in sports and business all the time. A Band is a business, unless you only play for free or never play in a club or public place. If you want more, you are in business together. Think of the teammates that a business uses to win: representatives, technical people, marketers, sales people, assistants, and more. What kind of new Band members could you find useful? Not every Band member is ONSTAGE.

Greenlander can find a New Band Member that will be passionate about getting gigs for the Band. The drummer needs to be passionate about being onstage being a drummer, the guitarist – a guitarist on stage, the singer – a singer onstage, etc… The New member would be passionately focused on being the Greenlander Gig Booking Agent.

This new member of the “Band” wouldn’t be onstage performing. They would be offstage promoting, selling, and booking gigs for the “Band”.

There is someone around you that loves your Band, is passionate about music, is terrified of being onstage playing music, however would love to be part of the “Band”. And this person is passionate enough to learn how to excel at booking the Band for shows. They most likely already have networking talents, or sales skills. They would love to be the Band Star, in a different way. In a hidden behind the scenes way, however knowing confidently they are part of the Band and a very important part of the Band.

Think of how many people are a part of the creation of a movie… How many are happy to be On Camera? And how many are happy to be the ones who did the makeup, the sets, the costumes, the directing, the producing, the camera work, the cinematography plan, the food during scene shots, the truck driving for the movie making equipment, etc… All of these people are happy and proud to have worked on the movie to make it a success. These people are happy to have done the role they did especially knowing that their special talents or skills were used to make it happen. A Band Succeeding is no different. The movie production team is everyone who worked on the film. The Band is everyone who is part of the Band working to get it to the unified goal.

Some people worry and say, “Well I can’t pay for someone to give that kind of help.” Well, this New Band Member gets paid their share of the profits as the Band makes money, just as each Onstage Band Member does. If no one in the Band is making money right now, then ‘no one’ gets paid. If the Band is earning money, then the Band Members get paid what you have all agreed upon. This is the same as building a new startup business bootstrap-style (Undertaken or accomplished with minimal outside help).

The question now is… How many more members do you think your Band can benefit from having? Could you imagine seeing a Band perform that had a costumer, a lighting person, a personal sound man, a gig/show booking person, a business manager, an event planner, a publicist, a recording expert, an Artistic Director, etc… What kind of show would that “Band” be able to produce? What kind of show do you want to produce?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Christian Smith is a recognized authority on business and the entertainment industry. His web site, http://www.HowToBand.com, provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you'll ever need to know about making money as an unsigned band or musician. His book, “How To Make BIG MONEY with Your BAND” is a great resource for increasing your cash flow. You can easily buy a copy of the book, available in Paperback or eBook form, online through http://www.howtoband.com (The book is also available through Amazon.com, Borders.com and other bookstores)

To learn more about Greenlander, visit MySpace URL: http://www.myspace.com/greenlandermusic

Iron Maiden, the band that Steve Harris began and built with a Business Man's skill.

Iron Maiden, the band that Steve Harris began and built with a Business Man's skill.If you have the time, watch the music video, “Iron Maiden: The Early Days (2-Disc Series) (2004)“. – Even if you aren’t into Iron Maiden as a Band.

If you look just at the business details shown, you will see the focus the band founder, bassist Steve Harris, gave to good music business skill.

From the very beginning he kept a business diary on Profits, Costs, Branding, Marketing, and Team Building. He put the band name in lights behind them when they played even at small clubs. He looked for band members that where focused on a business career of music and the passion to dedicate themselves. He didn’t hesitate to cut out anything or anyone from the band’s work that didn’t follow the band’s identity, style, and belief in the Brand.

Watch the Special Features on the video. That is where you will see all of this good information. I rented the video through my Netflix Subscription. It is historical shows for the band and

Have fun and make money.

- Eric