Full article at that link, but here’s the start…



I’ve been covering the digital music business for MediaShift for more than 18 months, and in that time I’ve chronicled new services and examined key trends and news. Below is a look at 10 things that I’ve come to believe are true about the modern music business.


1. The “DIY Revolution” has Been Relatively Ineffective

Although going it on your own was all the rage in 2009, reality has shown that the majority of artists still need a team around them to reach any substantial level of awareness, sales, and revenue. However, this team doesn’t necessarily need to resemble the traditional record label department structure. For many artists, surrounding themselves with a few tech-savvy friends and some seed money can generate the momentum necessary to fuel a moderate indie career. To reach far and wide enough to live off of one’s art, the task list is simply too long to tackle alone. In reality, DIY can work just fine if you modernize the traditional definition of the term.

2. Tech Can Replace/Enhance Some Functions

Technology has removed many barriers and allowed almost anyone to play the game. It has also removed the need for some of the team members that have always been needed. Recording, mixing and mastering music can be done faster and cheaper than ever before. Distributing the output digitally is near instant and inexpensive. Anyone can create digital tools that collect email addresses, stream music, sell tickets, and engage with fans. Just remember that with technology, “build it and they will come” is pure fantasy.


Read the rest here…

I read plenty of music biz news sites and blogs, and it helps keep me aware of what’s on most of my colleague’s minds. But if it’s in those blogs, people are already talking about it and you can’t do it first.

What I care about is figuring out what’s next. Finding more efficiency. Creating something that hasn’t been done before. Taking an old concept and applying it a new way.

The best wisdom often comes from sources far from obvious. Find the tools you need, combine them with the wisdom you can find, and create something bigger than you thought.

Read Seth’s Blog to get perspective.

Use Evernote to boost productivity.

Fire up Chat Roulette for creative purposes instead of just showing people your junk.

RSVP for every single SXSW party, but don’t get there before me and take my spot.

What Sort of Checklist Should You Be Using?

How To Create the Perfect Facebook Fan Page

Marketing to Mommy Bloggers: When Bad Outreach Goes Good

HOW TO: Deal With Negative Feedback in Social Media

Can One Bad Tweet Taint Your Brand Forever?

Branding 101: How to Write a Positioning Statement

How To Create A Grand Slam Music Marketing Plan
http://narip.com/index.php?page_id=5&task=form&id=94

Get a music marketing plan started in one session. Boost the effectiveness of the plan you already have. A great marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated. A good one can be just one page long. Spreadsheets, graphs and numbers are not necessary.

But you NEED a plan. Lack of a good plan destroys more careers than lack of talent. Good marketing is simply getting your work to the largest number of people at the lowest possible cost.

Three music marketing experts give you the facts you need to take your artist to the top in this special NARIP session.

BONUS #1
Pre-register for NARIP’s event and submit your artist’s marketing plan. Our experts will select one plan and provide an in-depth review of it at our program.

BONUS #2
One NARIP member will be selected from our session to win one (1) free hour consultation with one of our guest speakers.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Jason Feinberg, President & Founder, On Target Media Group (from Los Angeles)
Steffen Franz, Founder, Independent Distribution Collective
Bryn Boughton, Chief Marketing Officer, IRIS Distribution & BlinkerActive
Tamra Engle, Senior Director, NARIP San Francisco (moderator)

YOU WILL LEARN

* Most important parts of music marketing strategy
* An easy way to begin your marketing campaign
* Your complete digital toolbox: what you need… and what you don’t
* Branding made simple… and effective
* How to use social networks, blog, MySpace & YouTube
* 5 ways to boost your presence on the Internet
* How to get press features
* Sites seeking content – excellent marketing opportunities for you
* How to build a brand and get more fans

WHEN

Wednesday, January 13, 2010
6:00 p.m. – Registration and networking
7:00 p.m. – Program begins
8:15 p.m. – Break
9:30 p.m. – Program ends

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Artist Managers, Producers & Artist Reps
Record & Music Publishing Executives
Concert Promoters, Agents, Tour Managers
Anyone seeking to create or enhance a music marketing plan or campaign.

WHERE

SAE Institute of Technology
450 Bryant St.
San Francisco, CA 94107-1303

http://narip.com/index.php?page_id=5&task=form&id=94

In Online Music Marketing with Topspin, you’ll develop the online (and offline) marketing expertise necessary to properly execute your campaign using Topspin’s platform. We’ll discuss best practices with social media, branding considerations, niche marketing, building and supporting your fan base, your online sales strategy and creating successful offers, effective communication strategies, optimizing your online presence, alternative revenue options, connecting with new media outlets, integrating physical marketing into your overall campaign, how to use data and analytics to guide your campaign, and many more cutting-edge marketing strategies.

OTMG’s founder Jason Feinberg is one of the instructors, and will be sharing strategies and lessons learned from over a year working with the Topspin platform. Jason (and the rest of the OTMG team) are certified Topspin campaign administrators. More information about OTMG’s Topspin campaign services can be found on the Topspin Services page.

Excerpt:


From Client:
You really are a fucking idiot and have no idea what you are talking about. The project I am working on will be more successful than twitter within a year. When I sell the project for 40 million dollars I will ignore any emails from you begging to be a part of it and will send you a postcard from my yaght [sic]. Ciao.


From Consultant:

Read the saga here:
http://www.27bslash6.com/p2p.html

I follow that rule in many areas, but this blog is not one of them. I know it’s technically bad blog form to admit you are inconsistent, but my readers have a brain and have probably figured that out.

I could go on and on about being busy running a company, writing for a much more high profile blog, or a hundred other excuses, but the reality is that most bloggers I read do all that and more, yet find a way to keep consistent with their site.

I’ve done some research into the techniques leading bloggers to employ to keep a regular posting schedule, and figured this helps my readers as much as myself. So here’s what I’ve gathered.

• Consistency trumps frequency every time. Writing four blog posts a month at a weekly interval is better than writing two one week, being dark for three weeks, then writing six rapid-fire the following week.
• Quality trumps quantity, both site-wide and intra-post. As in, providing a little bit of very valuable advice goes much further than a long post of full of emptiness. And a handful of very valuable posts makes for a much more compelling site than a constant stream of mediocrity.
• If you don’t have anything of value to say at the moment, share things of value that you have found – other articles, links, graphics, audio, video….

None of this is rocket science, and certainly not new. But it makes me realize that with all the time I spend reading music business articles, I can easily share what interests me. And I suspect that will influence elaboration of my own, hopefully adding to the value. I also realize my life is too chaotic and full (fortunately) to “get to it later” – I need to schedule blog updates, even though it goes against so much of my free-form nature.

More to come. Soon.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/the-death-of-the-music-industry/