How to Reach Your Music Business Goals in 2012

How to Reach Your Music Business Goals in 2012

Here's a quick exercise you can do to reach your music business goals (or any goal) in 2012.
         
1. Make a list of 10 goals you want to achieve in 2012.
       
2. Below each goal, list three things you can do right now take to make it happen.

For example, if your goal is "Play 50 shows in 2012," action steps can include, "Call the booker from Club ABC," "Update press kit," and "Call Band XYZ about an opening slot."

3. Take action.

Do this daily and you'll be amazed when 12/31/2012 rolls around. Your goals should be big enough that it will take a while for you to achieve them. If you can achieve a goal this month, you're thinking too small. Stretch yourself.  Can a goal be too big? Only if it's something that will cause you to sabotage it. A good rule of thumb I use, especially when a goal is sales related, is to think of the highest number that you can realistically sell now and then double it.

By doing this exercise every day, your capacity to make things happen will be expanding, so take that into account. The goal has to be something you can get your head around though or else you'll give up, using the excuse that it's "impossible."  Impossible only means it hasn't been done yet. Still, you have to sell 10,000, and then 100,000, before you can get to 1,000,000. Take things in chunks and you'll get where you're going.

Source: www.MusicMarketing.com

Confessions of A Distrophonix Intern

Confessions of A Distrophonix Intern

If you are reading this you are probably considering going after an internship at Distrophonix.  I wanted to give you some back ground about my experiences there so you can decide if it would be a good place for you.  Also, I know that this internship is a hard one to get because so many people apply to it every semester.  So hopefully my tips will make it a little easier for you to be accepted.

What To Expect:

If you are expecting a corporate type of internship you will be very surprised about how Distrophonix is run.  This is probably the most fun and laid back work environments you have ever been in.  For example, Bryan, the head mastering engineer always brings his dog, Turk, to work with him.  How many jobs can you do that at?  Even though Distrophonix is a decent size company, they make a real effort to not have the typical corporate culture.

Expect the unexpected all of the time.  Something random always happens at the office.  One time I came into my internship to find out that they were filming a Hollywood movie right outside the office.  Another day I came in to find out that we were all taking a field trip to a local studio for the day.

Every Friday at 5, after work is done, they host something called “Beer Friday”.  That is when all of these local musicians and Distrophonix employees get together at the Distrophonix office and have a few beers in the courtyard and hang out till all hours of the night playing music and talking.

The Type Of Work You Will Do:

I went in to this internship thinking that I was going to be doing clerical work.  Not at all what ended up happening.  They believe in finding an interns strengths and interests and then designing the internship program around that.  I am really into Social Media so my job ended up being in charge of Facebook, Twitter, and helping out with contests.

How To Get The Internship:

When I applied for the internship there were 20+ students for 3 spots.  Here is what set me apart.  I went in there knowing everything I could about the company.  I asked a lot of questions during the interview and I think that ended up showing them that I really was interested in the company and not in just getting a few credits on my transcript. 

Other suggestions:  They seem to like energetic and outgoing people.  They also want people that have some sort of music background obviously.

Things I Liked:

-Take everything you learned in school and throw it out the window when you go to Distrophonix.  The methods they use when it comes to organization and marketing are extremely innovative.  You will get real world experience there.  This is not stuff you will learn in any book.

-I liked how much they cared about their clients.  No client was a number to them.  They make a real effort to get to know every client they work with. That is something very rare in to corporate world.

-The office location is awesome!  Great restaurants, museums, and coffee shops are all around the area.

-Being a woman coming into Baltimore I was obviously a little nervous at first because lets face it, the city does not have the best reputation.  But the area where the office is in is very safe and I always felt comfortable walking around the area even at night.

-The people you work with are awesome!  This is much more of a family then a company.  Even when it 5 and the phones go off people just don’t leave the office.  I think because it is such a fun environment to work in, people don’t mind staying late and putting in long hours.

Things I did not like:

-The office is in downtown Baltimore.  That means that parking can be a huge pain and expensive!  If you can, I would seriously recommend using the Subway or Light Rail to get to the office.   There is a stop just 2 blocks from the office.

-I wish it paid.  The work is fun, but it would have been nice to get paid and not just earn college credits.  I never felt like they took advantage of their interns in any way though and I really did learn a lot.

Written By: Samantha Bradstreet

University of Maryland, Class Of 2012

How To Get More Sales On iTunes!

How To Get More Sales On iTunes!

You have worked hard on writing and recording your album.  Now it’s time to put it on iTunes.  But what do you do next to make sure that you see some sales? If you want your album to sell, you will have to promote it.  Below is a list of 12 easy things you should do to get more sales on iTunes.  Follow these suggestions and you will be selling more of your music and growing your fan base in no time!

1.       Send Your Album Out For Review:

Send your album out to local newspapers, magazines, and blogs along with a friendly letter asking if they would consider reviewing your album.  Getting reviews is extremely important.  It allows your music and message to be exposed to new audiences.    Hopefully, someone will read the article, like what the author is saying, and go to iTunes to check out and purchase your music.

2.      Print Up Download Cards With A Sample Of Your Music:

Download cards are an affordable, easy way to get some promo for your new album.  I would suggest making up a card and putting 1 or 2 songs from your album on it.  On the card make sure you include your contact info, track name, any band artwork, and of course a message stating that the full album is available on iTunes.

I have found that since these cards are cheap, as little as 1000 cards for $99 through Distrophonix, you can hand them out for free to potential fans and not feel guilty or go broke.

The goal with the download cards is to hand these cards out to as many people as possible.  A great place to hand them out is at local malls, music festivals, and outside venues as shows are letting out.

3.      Create A Banner With A Buy Link: 

Make it easy for fans to buy your music.  One of the best ways to do this is to make a simple banner that can be posted on your site and social networks.  This banner would link directly to your music on iTunes.

4.      Sign up for LastFM: 

This is a great place to get exposure for your music.  LastFM has the power to introduce your music to millions of potential fans.  When you do your distribution through Distrophonix they do this for you automatically.

5.      Get On Your Social Networks: 

Not to overstate the obvious, but getting the word out through social media is an absolute necessity if you hope to have strong sales on iTunes.  Use Facebook, ReverbNation, Twitter, MySpace etc. to let people know that your music is available on iTunes. 

6.      Start A Mailing List: 

Your fans want to stay in touch with you.  One of the best ways to do this is to start a newsletter giving updates about the band and informing them of new shows.  In this newsletter also include a link to your music in iTunes so that your fans can easily find your material.

7.      Offer To Give Something Away For Free For A Good Album Review:

Getting positive album reviews on iTunes is the key to success.  The more album reviews you have, the more exposure you will get in the stores.  A good way to get positive album reviews is to offer your fans free tickets to a show, or some free merch for any review they do.

8.      Tell People You Are On iTunes While On Stage: 

While you are on stage, and have everyone’s attention, make sure that you tell the audience that your music is available on iTunes.  This is really a no brainer, but you would be surprised by how many artists forget to do this. 

9.      Get Help From Your Existing Fans:  Ask your fans to help promote you. It is amazing the impact even one fan can have if they get on Twitter or Facebook and start talking about their favorite band or artist.  Make sure to reward anyone who helps you in this way, and of course let them know how much it is appreciated.

10.  Consider Putting Your Music In The Rock Band Video Game: 

Consider using the power of video games to market and promote your music.  By getting one of your songs in the Rock Band video game, you have the chance to expose your music to an entirely new audience.  If they like the song, you can bet they will buy it on iTunes.  Distrophonix can also assist you with getting your music on Rock Band. 

11.  Do A Facebook Advertising Campaign: 

Facebook can be very powerful because it allows you to specifically target those that may be interested in your music.  For a few cents a click, you can drive a lot of potential fans to your iTunes storefront.  To learn more about this check out the advertising section on Facebook.

12.  Consider Taking Part In A Shared Magazine Ad In A Major Publication:

Advertising in magazines specific to your genre can be very effective, but expensive.  To keep it affordable, consider buying an ad space and splitting up the costs with a few other artists that you are friends with.  That way everyone gets exposure, but at an affordable price.

Written By:

Distrophonix LLC

www.Distrophonix.com

http://www.distrophonix.com/video-game-distribution/

http://www.distrophonix.com/distribution/

http://www.distrophonix.com/download-cards/