Facebook has been the leading place for fans to interact with bands for a few years now, but some fear with the Timeline template being put into place will make it more difficult for fans to navigate through a bands page. Facebook also limits what bands can put up, they can't sell items on the actual page, and there many rules revolving around content and contests. Avoid the hassles and start giving fans a nice alternative with a good old website. This is also a great way to attract new fans using the science of SEO, Search Engine Optimization. It sounds scary, but you do it with a little reading up.
If you have a band name that is borderline trademark infringing on another product or company, you are going to be competing to be at the top of a Google search. For example the band Sunday Sunglasses. Working with them, one big challenge was utilizing SEO while still using a flash based point and click designer. The reason for SEO for this band was to get above the Sunglass Company with the same name. Luckily that company is not very active online, so using the keywords of Sunday Sunglasses in the landing page header was all it took to get up in the top five search results. Same with tagging YouTube videos, now they show up in searches so its important to put tags on all your videos.
Most of the time you want to try and attract people who may be searching for you or something, but they don't know your band name. For example with Sunday Sunglasses, they are near the city of Milwaukee and of course they play music so we did some research and at the time thousands of people were searching on Google "Milwaukee Live Music" so we decided to use that as our main keyword phrase. That way when people search that phrase, our site would be on top. We put it in the bands biography, put it in the header, and other places as naturally as possible. At the time, we made it to the front page. Sadly it has been a year since working with this band, and Summerfest found the keyword useful to them as well and now they dominate the search results. Which is why SEO is not just a one time thing you do to a website, you have to stay active with it, get other websites to link to your website as much as possible. Keep up on the frequency of the searches for your keywords and update them as necessary. Click here for a great site to teach you more about SEO techniques to get you started.
If a website really isn't a priority for you, you need to maximize your YouTube channel. Remember only your fans will be searching for your name, so broaden the words that define you. If you are an acoustic artist, putting that definition in your title, description and tags could increase your views. Cover songs are also great ways to get new fans, but do the audience a favor and clearly put that it is a cover song and not the original artists. I've worked with artists who have done this, and the actual band discovered it and put it on their favorites list. How great of an honor is that, and the traffic impact is amazing. Here is a video about a publi speaker who goes around discussing SEO for bands, he gives some great tips in his video.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Why it is Still Important to Publish Physical CDs.
Many bands and artists now days are cutting their expenses by leaving the physical CDs in the past. They rely on iTunes sales, YouTube plays, and AmazonMP3. Which is not a crazy idea to go with, digital music outsells physical music sales now. Sales is the key word, people buying music, what about the people you show your music to who aren't buying it, but may be buying you so to speak. Many people in the industry still live in the ancient ways of listening to a physical album, I'm one of them. While working for a management firm, we would only send out physical albums to radio stations. that was 2010, and it is still their practice.
It isn't all about the men in suits that you should make some physical copies of music, its for your fans. Not everyone has a computer to download music on, and if they do they may not be ones to do it the legal way that financially helps you. At shows giving them a physical option to purchase, listen to right away, and love, will save you from them stealing the music later digitally where you can't detect it.
As discussed there are ways now days to make low quantity copies of an album through self publishing websites like CreateSpace. Take advantage of this and try it out, if your music is good people, despite being internet savvy will want to buy the music right away at your show. Its the music version of POP sales, you know, where despite not wanting it initially, you walk out of the store with a candy bar because it was there where you were checking out. Same idea applies to having a physical CD, you have the customer there, they love'd your music, paid to see it, not pop in there and get one last little purchase out of them. Unlike a candy bar this is an item that not only satisfies their needs but helps you. It is promotional material, it says your name on it, it can be shared, and it is physically right there for them to touch and play.
You can charge more for a physical CD because it holds art work that many music lovers appreciate, by offering bonus tracks and digital download options free with the physical CD you can easily overcome those price hurdles.
Always remember not all fans are tech savvy, they wont all download the legal way, so offer a solution that is mutually beneficial.
It isn't all about the men in suits that you should make some physical copies of music, its for your fans. Not everyone has a computer to download music on, and if they do they may not be ones to do it the legal way that financially helps you. At shows giving them a physical option to purchase, listen to right away, and love, will save you from them stealing the music later digitally where you can't detect it.
As discussed there are ways now days to make low quantity copies of an album through self publishing websites like CreateSpace. Take advantage of this and try it out, if your music is good people, despite being internet savvy will want to buy the music right away at your show. Its the music version of POP sales, you know, where despite not wanting it initially, you walk out of the store with a candy bar because it was there where you were checking out. Same idea applies to having a physical CD, you have the customer there, they love'd your music, paid to see it, not pop in there and get one last little purchase out of them. Unlike a candy bar this is an item that not only satisfies their needs but helps you. It is promotional material, it says your name on it, it can be shared, and it is physically right there for them to touch and play.
You can charge more for a physical CD because it holds art work that many music lovers appreciate, by offering bonus tracks and digital download options free with the physical CD you can easily overcome those price hurdles.
Always remember not all fans are tech savvy, they wont all download the legal way, so offer a solution that is mutually beneficial.
Self Publishing Your Content
It is so crucial to have content available for your fans to purchase, but don't forget about content for potential fans to to uncover. We will cover some inexpensive ways to cover both types of content by publishing the content yourself.
Digital Distribution Options
There are many ways to get your music on all the major online outlets like iTunes, Spotify, AmazonMp3, and hundreds of others. My first choice is Catapult Distribution. Low cost, low share of profits, and best of all super quick. I've seen a turn around of less than 24 hours to all the major online storefronts. You will need a UPC for this process, just pay the extra amount they offer to do it for you. There are ways to go around this and save a few dollars, but it really isn't worth the time and effort. If you already have a physical album done, you can use the UPC from that but it is better to have two different codes because it is technically two different products.
CD Baby also offers similar services and a nice storefront to send fans to but it is becoming a little outdated and not as quick as the up and comers. For physical CDs, you can do both, and getting out and making a presence in every distribution outlet is important.
Self publishing isn't just all about getting your music out, you still need to take the steps to copyright your material and decide which PRO you want to be a part of and register your songs with. There are also things like Gracenote to make sure your final songs are inputed into, this allows devices to recognize the song and provide information like artist and song title. This can be done as easily as clicking a few buttons in iTunes. Check with your digital and physical distributor to see if these little details are taken care of or learn how to do them yourself.
The most important part about self publishing is to read the small print, double and triple read the royalty calculations and compare the features distributors offer. It truly does come down to the details on what is right for you and your band.
Digital Distribution Options
There are many ways to get your music on all the major online outlets like iTunes, Spotify, AmazonMp3, and hundreds of others. My first choice is Catapult Distribution. Low cost, low share of profits, and best of all super quick. I've seen a turn around of less than 24 hours to all the major online storefronts. You will need a UPC for this process, just pay the extra amount they offer to do it for you. There are ways to go around this and save a few dollars, but it really isn't worth the time and effort. If you already have a physical album done, you can use the UPC from that but it is better to have two different codes because it is technically two different products.
CD Baby also offers similar services and a nice storefront to send fans to but it is becoming a little outdated and not as quick as the up and comers. For physical CDs, you can do both, and getting out and making a presence in every distribution outlet is important.
Self publishing isn't just all about getting your music out, you still need to take the steps to copyright your material and decide which PRO you want to be a part of and register your songs with. There are also things like Gracenote to make sure your final songs are inputed into, this allows devices to recognize the song and provide information like artist and song title. This can be done as easily as clicking a few buttons in iTunes. Check with your digital and physical distributor to see if these little details are taken care of or learn how to do them yourself.
The most important part about self publishing is to read the small print, double and triple read the royalty calculations and compare the features distributors offer. It truly does come down to the details on what is right for you and your band.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Interview With Rush Hicks, Entertainment Lawyer
Rush Hicks is a well-known Entertainment Lawyer in Nashville, TN. His most notable clients he lists are "Randy Travis, Take 6, Larry the Cable Guy, Luke Bryan, Bryan White, Leann Rimes and Paramore". To get some insight into the music industry I asked him a few questions.
Where did you attend law school and how to do obtaining training for the specific role of an Entertainment Lawyer?
Hicks: Mercer University. The training really came after I finished law school. I took an unusual route in that I attended a semester of Belmont after law school taking music business classes.
What drove you into the specialized field of Entertainment Law?
Hicks: I have a music degree from college and have always played music. It seemed a natural for me.
How many years have you been practicing law?
Hicks: 30 years and I've represented record companies, artists, songwriters, music publishers and managers. regulations to follow.
Being interested in venue management I asked Rush Hicks if he had ever represented a music venue, unfortunately he had not. He did however offer some words of wisdom for someone looking to open a music venue. "Be extremely careful. Lots of local regulations to follow." He is correct; many communities have sound ordinances, building codes, and require special permits to have live music.
In a past blog I talked about Performance Rights Organizations and how a venue must obtain a license from one or all three of them to play music. I asked Hicks if he had an experience representing a client dealing with a PRO issue.
Hicks: I did represent a club in Johnson City, TN that was sued by BMI. I convinced the club owner to settle because he was violating Copyright Law.
It can be a long and expensive journey fighting a PRO lawsuit. Hicks was very ethical in convincing the client to settle, the club was in the wrong by not getting a PRO license. Maybe they did not know or maybe they were trying to save money. Either way, it is very important to know what is necessary to obtain when running a club or venue.
If you want to open a music venue, you may not need to pay the extra money to hire a specialist in the entertainment law field, but you should get a lawyer. Most lawyers have a basic understanding of the legalities of starting a business and can help you get an organized and informed start to your business. The courthouse will also be your best friend. That is where you will go to get all your permits, licenses (not PRO licenses) and you can learn about all the local regulations you will have to follow.
Rush Hicks did have some advice for bands as well. I asked him when he thinks a band should bring in a lawyer to guide them through the legal processes a band faces.
Hicks: From the very beginning. It's expensive for a new band to hire an entertainment attorney, but it's well worth it.
When artists like Paramore come to you, do you find that they have everything legally in line? Songs copyrighted, band agreements, contracts, etc. Or is it just a mess of backlogged work. Do you take care of these things for the band or do you leave that up to their managers and labels to sort out?
Hicks: I represented Hayley and the band from the beginning of her career so I handled their recording and publishing contracts, incorporating the band, trademarks, and touring agreements.
Hayley from Paramore was brought up in a music business oriented family who knew the importance of making everything legal. Most bands don't have that advantage so they do much of these tasks themselves and then once they start getting success is when they turn to a lawyer. Rush Hicks handles documents that confuse most band members, even if you are small band, it could be wise to seek legal help rather than investing in equipment or studio time. The perk about Entertainment Lawyers is they work in the Industry, meaning they know people who could potentially help your band succeed. This can be applied to a venue owner as well; the Industry is all about networking. Even if you are paying to network with your lawyer, the connections he can bring to you could be priceless. Networking options or not an Entertainment Lawyer as Hicks describes is there to "offer business advice and assistance to help them keep more of their money."
Finally, I asked Hicks if he had any words of advice for a young band.
Hicks: Make great music and then hire an experienced business team to protect your interests.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Can I be sued for that?
As a band or a venue owner there are many things you may do on a daily basis that could get you sued if the right person came into the establishment. Bands, you have it a little easier but do your venue a favor and ask a few questions before you write your set list.
Does the establishment have a PRO license and for which PROs?
Establishments that make money off of music need to have a license from a Performance Rights Organization (PRO). There are 3 organizations out there in the USA that represent artists, ASCAP, BMI, and Sesac. Each have a different line up of artists and songs that they collect royalties for. Every time a song is played on the radio, or in public, it is making the copyright owner money. If you play a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song you could get the venue in a $30,000 lawsuit, just as a band did in 2010 at the Connelly Pub in Chicago. (Read full story by clicking the link) Although the lawsuit was dismissed by The Boss himself after finding out that his PRO, ASCAP had filed it, many venues aren't so lucky.
Some venues will tell you up front, no cover songs, if you thought it was because they hate renditions of "Hit Me Baby One More Time", you are probably right but its mainly because they don't pay the several thousand dollar fee for a PRO license. Many ASCAP artists know they can make money even as a small indie band by reporting their tour dates to ASCAP, do the venues a favor who are cutting their budget and exclude them from your tour schedule if they don't hold a license. You are red flagging them to the PRO, and if it comes back to the venue, it might stop live music at that location.
Ask first, you may be informing the venue of something they didn't know they needed, in the end helping them, and they will appreciate it. Sign up for ASCAP as well so that you can add another revenue stream to your bands income.
Being taught all I know from one of the vice presidents of ASCAP, I am a little bias on my love and respect for PRO's but ponder this, music is work, and some venues can not afford to pay every band that plays, if you register with a PRO, track your performances, and help venues get licensed then they are going to want more bands to play, to make up for the costs of the license, inevitably getting you another gig and more performance royalties.
Does someone else have the same name as us?
Businesses and Bands need to do some research to see if they are using a unique name or logo. It is not required to register your name with the government and essentially trademark it but it will help prevent being asked in the form of a cease and decist letter to stop calling your band something or make you change your companies name. Trademark Infringement is basically using a name or logo already established and in use by another entity. No matter the size of the business or band, if someone feels like you are gaining business or awareness because the name is recognized by people who think they are listening or visiting another entity, they have the legal right to sue or ask you to stop using the name. A small punk band in Colorado was politely asked to rename their band 'Elway' to something less related to John Elway, the football player. Read the full story at Punknews.org. It may seem silly, but John Elway has his name trademarked, so that companies can't use it to make money off him. If the band were making tshirts that looked like Denver Bronco jerseys with their name on the back, you can see how this would create a legitimate issue, right now it's just comical.
A business has to watch their names as well. A local hub cap retail store, in business for nearly two decades made the news when a car ran into their building. The bad day was ended with a cease and desist letter from Auto Zone stating that its customers could be confused that the small local business called the Hub Cap Zone, was associated with Auto Zone. The small business managed to continue under its chosen name, other companies though have to spend thousands of dollars to change their names to avoid a lawsuit. Examples of bands with this issue or who were challenged, Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is (previously The Academy), Sublime with Rome (previously Sublime, with different lead singer of course), the list is pretty lengthy, these are just some notable ones.
Trademark Infringement laws are a necessary evil. In the examples above, they are pretty comical that anyone would bother paying a legal team to get these bands or companies to stop using the name, but if not tackled right away, it could become a large issue. What if the band not only made jersey like tshirts but got a new lead singer who happened to be named John...and the name changed to "John and the Elways". A club books them and bolds the words John and Elway and you are really confusing people who now think John Elway is going to be there. I went to a concert recently to see the band Saves the Day. Been a slight fan for years, and was really excited to see them playing a show in my little town. After paying the cover, buying a drink, and getting ready for the event, I was extremely irritated to discover the band was Save the Day, not the iconic punk rock band SaveS the Day. I was in a music nightmare watching a horrible 90's alternative rock cover band. The cover band made money off of the money intended for another band. That is why trademark protection is so important.
That song isn't ours but can we say it is?
Copyrights are stolen probably on an hourly basis. Just writing a quote from a book on a wall without siting the source can get a business in trouble if they didn't negotiate the rights to use it. This goes for bands as well, just because someone may not know the song isn't written by you doesn't mean you can pretend it is. I will leave band names out of this, but a few years back a band from Wisconsin started making a name locally for themselves. They decided to into the studio and start recording the tunes that were making fans come out to the local shows. The EP was taken off the shelves and merch tables when a band from New Jersey asked them why they were singing all their songs and saying they were their own. The Wisconsin band had discovered this band on Myspace and just started to steal all their songs. Though hundreds of miles apart, nothing really in common, the bands had discovered each others music, essentially ending the Wisconsin bands career in music. Many local venues once they heard about their deceit, stopped booking them, fans were hurt, friends were shocked, band members irate with the thieves, no one was happy.
Even with legal approval to use another bands music, you can still get in trouble. Take the song "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve, I'm sorry thats incorrect, its by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Do you recognize another song in there?
It has a sample of The Rolling Stones "Last Time", that which The Verve got a license to use. According to Andy Klein, the Rolling Stones business manager at one time, they used more than the license said, and sued the Verve for in the end, complete rights to the song. Mick Jagger accepted the Grammy for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" that year, and then exploited the song to movies, commercials, and anyone that would give him money for a song he had no part in the making of. The song that was sampled was actually another artists orchestra version of the song, not the original that Jagger and Richards had written. Check out the similarities, they are there.
If you read further into this you will learn that Andy Klein didn't own the copyright to this particular version of the song, just the Stones' songs from the 1960's. He was later sued if I recall by another ex manager of the Stones who did own the song, who initially went after The Verve first to obtain money for use of his song. The Verve was so young and not interested in legal battles, they barely put up a fight which is why they lost the rights to the song. (read more here)
In short, don't use other peoples music, if licensing a sample, use less than what you requested to use, double check to make sure you are negotiating with the correct owners, and NEVER give your rights away, even if it means fighting for them. The song truly is a bitter sweet symphony.
Those are the three big intellectual property issues that can cause a band or music venue big issues. Learn from the stories here to protect your band, music, logos, trademarks, and rights.
Does the establishment have a PRO license and for which PROs?
Establishments that make money off of music need to have a license from a Performance Rights Organization (PRO). There are 3 organizations out there in the USA that represent artists, ASCAP, BMI, and Sesac. Each have a different line up of artists and songs that they collect royalties for. Every time a song is played on the radio, or in public, it is making the copyright owner money. If you play a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song you could get the venue in a $30,000 lawsuit, just as a band did in 2010 at the Connelly Pub in Chicago. (Read full story by clicking the link) Although the lawsuit was dismissed by The Boss himself after finding out that his PRO, ASCAP had filed it, many venues aren't so lucky.
Some venues will tell you up front, no cover songs, if you thought it was because they hate renditions of "Hit Me Baby One More Time", you are probably right but its mainly because they don't pay the several thousand dollar fee for a PRO license. Many ASCAP artists know they can make money even as a small indie band by reporting their tour dates to ASCAP, do the venues a favor who are cutting their budget and exclude them from your tour schedule if they don't hold a license. You are red flagging them to the PRO, and if it comes back to the venue, it might stop live music at that location.
Ask first, you may be informing the venue of something they didn't know they needed, in the end helping them, and they will appreciate it. Sign up for ASCAP as well so that you can add another revenue stream to your bands income.
Being taught all I know from one of the vice presidents of ASCAP, I am a little bias on my love and respect for PRO's but ponder this, music is work, and some venues can not afford to pay every band that plays, if you register with a PRO, track your performances, and help venues get licensed then they are going to want more bands to play, to make up for the costs of the license, inevitably getting you another gig and more performance royalties.
Does someone else have the same name as us?
Businesses and Bands need to do some research to see if they are using a unique name or logo. It is not required to register your name with the government and essentially trademark it but it will help prevent being asked in the form of a cease and decist letter to stop calling your band something or make you change your companies name. Trademark Infringement is basically using a name or logo already established and in use by another entity. No matter the size of the business or band, if someone feels like you are gaining business or awareness because the name is recognized by people who think they are listening or visiting another entity, they have the legal right to sue or ask you to stop using the name. A small punk band in Colorado was politely asked to rename their band 'Elway' to something less related to John Elway, the football player. Read the full story at Punknews.org. It may seem silly, but John Elway has his name trademarked, so that companies can't use it to make money off him. If the band were making tshirts that looked like Denver Bronco jerseys with their name on the back, you can see how this would create a legitimate issue, right now it's just comical.
A business has to watch their names as well. A local hub cap retail store, in business for nearly two decades made the news when a car ran into their building. The bad day was ended with a cease and desist letter from Auto Zone stating that its customers could be confused that the small local business called the Hub Cap Zone, was associated with Auto Zone. The small business managed to continue under its chosen name, other companies though have to spend thousands of dollars to change their names to avoid a lawsuit. Examples of bands with this issue or who were challenged, Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is (previously The Academy), Sublime with Rome (previously Sublime, with different lead singer of course), the list is pretty lengthy, these are just some notable ones.
Trademark Infringement laws are a necessary evil. In the examples above, they are pretty comical that anyone would bother paying a legal team to get these bands or companies to stop using the name, but if not tackled right away, it could become a large issue. What if the band not only made jersey like tshirts but got a new lead singer who happened to be named John...and the name changed to "John and the Elways". A club books them and bolds the words John and Elway and you are really confusing people who now think John Elway is going to be there. I went to a concert recently to see the band Saves the Day. Been a slight fan for years, and was really excited to see them playing a show in my little town. After paying the cover, buying a drink, and getting ready for the event, I was extremely irritated to discover the band was Save the Day, not the iconic punk rock band SaveS the Day. I was in a music nightmare watching a horrible 90's alternative rock cover band. The cover band made money off of the money intended for another band. That is why trademark protection is so important.
That song isn't ours but can we say it is?
Copyrights are stolen probably on an hourly basis. Just writing a quote from a book on a wall without siting the source can get a business in trouble if they didn't negotiate the rights to use it. This goes for bands as well, just because someone may not know the song isn't written by you doesn't mean you can pretend it is. I will leave band names out of this, but a few years back a band from Wisconsin started making a name locally for themselves. They decided to into the studio and start recording the tunes that were making fans come out to the local shows. The EP was taken off the shelves and merch tables when a band from New Jersey asked them why they were singing all their songs and saying they were their own. The Wisconsin band had discovered this band on Myspace and just started to steal all their songs. Though hundreds of miles apart, nothing really in common, the bands had discovered each others music, essentially ending the Wisconsin bands career in music. Many local venues once they heard about their deceit, stopped booking them, fans were hurt, friends were shocked, band members irate with the thieves, no one was happy.
Even with legal approval to use another bands music, you can still get in trouble. Take the song "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve, I'm sorry thats incorrect, its by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Do you recognize another song in there?
It has a sample of The Rolling Stones "Last Time", that which The Verve got a license to use. According to Andy Klein, the Rolling Stones business manager at one time, they used more than the license said, and sued the Verve for in the end, complete rights to the song. Mick Jagger accepted the Grammy for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" that year, and then exploited the song to movies, commercials, and anyone that would give him money for a song he had no part in the making of. The song that was sampled was actually another artists orchestra version of the song, not the original that Jagger and Richards had written. Check out the similarities, they are there.
If you read further into this you will learn that Andy Klein didn't own the copyright to this particular version of the song, just the Stones' songs from the 1960's. He was later sued if I recall by another ex manager of the Stones who did own the song, who initially went after The Verve first to obtain money for use of his song. The Verve was so young and not interested in legal battles, they barely put up a fight which is why they lost the rights to the song. (read more here)
In short, don't use other peoples music, if licensing a sample, use less than what you requested to use, double check to make sure you are negotiating with the correct owners, and NEVER give your rights away, even if it means fighting for them. The song truly is a bitter sweet symphony.
Those are the three big intellectual property issues that can cause a band or music venue big issues. Learn from the stories here to protect your band, music, logos, trademarks, and rights.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Managing Your Merch
Expanding or supporting your bands brand is a fun and exciting step in a bands career. It opens doors to new revenue streams, marketing, and a way to get great feedback from customers. Having a merch table at a show allows you to collect contact information from fans, hear what they liked and didn't like about your show, and learn about other shows and venues in the area.
What Should a Band Have on the Merch Table?
Music! The worst thing a band can do is show up to a show without music. People are still buying physical copies of music, its just made a turn from big department stores to small tables in dark venues. Even if its a homemade three song demo, as long as it has decent recordings of your full songs, the band name on it and a link to some online presence, it will do. I can't count the number of shows I've gone to where I liked the bands music, but instead of putting money and time into CDs, they had home made junky tshirts instead or nothing at all. You are not a clothing line you are musicians, not everyone wants a tshirt, but if they are at your show, they probably have an interest in music. Give your customers what they want.
 |
| Fall Out Boy T-Shirt |
Look at your fan base, analyze what they are wearing, using, and do. If you are a punk or pop punk band, you may look into patches and buttons. Possibly even moving up to high end products like skateboard decks, hoodies, and bags. If you play a lot of bars and reach out to an older rugged audience, lighters, coasters, and matchbooks, are great items that move easily. Alternative rock and mainstream bands can generally do just about any item, keychains, bracelets, necklaces, buttons, hats and just about anything you can put your name on. Just make sure you are analyzing your fans first, don't make school folders if you normally play to a 21+ crowd, same goes for the opposite of that, no matches for a preteen audience.
Make sure to keep your product line cohesive, for instance if your band name can be written a few ways for example: Seventh Grade Underdog. The band started as 7th Grade Underdog, then transitioned to the spelled out version but always kept up the abbreviated version of 7GU. Just like in a paper, use the abbreviated version as long as you spell it out once. You personally may of never heard of 7GU so we will translate this to Blink182. What if they wrote it out, Blink One eighty two. If you are a fan you might not even recognize that as one of their products. Stick with a name, and stick with a theme, if you hate it after a while, it's just motivation to get another album out so you can change it.
There are a lot of studies on pricing, people instinctively like reach even numbers when checking out. If your CD is $7 have something on the table for $3. 80% of your customers are more than likely going to pay with a ten dollar bill, if you throw in a keychain it will leave them feeling like they got a deal. And leaves you with less counting of change, and pushing more products. In short stay away from even numbers if possible so you can bundle products.
Another essential thing at your merch table, is a great merch guy. Someone out going, a fan of the music, and great sales skills. If no one in the band is up for it, find someone, even if you have to 'hire' someone it will pay off.
Other things to consider that will help at your merch table:
- Take Credit Cards (Square Up, attaches to just about any Smartphone)
- Unique items (buy your own button machine so you can make unique buttons for each show)
- Band has to plug the table during the show
- Make it an attraction (I've seen neon lights, pretzel machines, and tv's at merch tables)
- Lock box (add a sense of professionalism, get a box and play it safe)
- Mailing list
(Note to The Secret Order Kids or those wanting to be in it, if you found this, it's not a clue or any classified information)
Friday, January 6, 2012
Does my band need a manager?
Many bands question if they need a manager and the answer is, it varies. Many factors go into deciding if you need one, if you are ready to have one actually want to represent you, and if you can afford to pay one. Even if you you have six members in your band, spent fifty bucks to get to a show and you are only being paid $300 for playing, a good 20% of that $300 (gross income) is going directly to your manager. Can you afford to share the profit? What if that gig only paid you $75 bucks? Your manager gets $15 of that, minus the cost of gas and you are left with $10 for an hour of work by six people...thats $1.67 a member per hour. You better hope you sell a lot of CDs and tshirts and even that depending on the deal with your manager, would be shared.
Can you afford not to have a manager though? If there is no one in your band who is good at booking gigs, marketing, contacting the press or figuring out all the details then maybe its crucial to get a business savvy person on your team. Many music industry hopefuls are eager to manage a band with talent, for pennies on the dollar that a professional manager would charge. In fact even a professional manager sometimes likes to do a trial period where he manages you but nothing is official and generally he covers any expenses just to get an understanding of how the band can do. See how the members relate, who is the key man of the band, who is the weak link, essential he is putting you on a probation period till he decides if your band is a profitable endeavor for him.
More than likely though you are going to have a friend as your first manager, or a friend of a friend, who will do it for free just to feel like part of the band.
This is not the best idea, more than likely the new manager is better friends with one member of the band, automatically making him bias in any decision making. He will probably have no actual knowledge of the music industry and no real contacts to propel you further. Some people have a knack for band management though, and just need to be given that opportunity. Analyze who you want to put in that position, this person could be the voice of the band and make decisions for you without consulting you. If they are not on the same page as you then its going to strain the relationship. You want someone you can be friends with because more than likely you will be spending a lot of time together. Trust is crucial, many times the band manager is the first one to touch the money coming in, and managing online accounts, if you don't trust this person, you are at risk of losing thousands of dollars without even knowing it.
Now that we have covered if you need a manager and what to avoid, lets talk about what you can expect out of a manager. Individual managers and management firms are you two basic options. For instance Thirty Tigers in Nashville is a management firm with an in house PR department, marketing, distribution, and a few others with artist managers. Essentially most departments have their own projects but occasionally work together to further an individual artist through each departments specialties. Individual managers come in many shapes and sizes, some work out of their homes, others have offices and some even work at big record labels. Generally the smaller the office, the more they do for a band. A fresh new manager may specialize and do several things for a band, such as booking, marketing, advising, social media, merch sales, and public relations. Where as some one with a little more experience might opt to pay someone else to do those services for them or obtain some interns to do the grunt work. It is important to understand what exactly the manager will being doing for you, if he is going to bill you for a booking agent, marketing specialist, and an accountant, then maybe you should think about if you could get someone cheaper who does all this themselves and will truly work for the payout just as hard as you do. Connections are worth paying for but they have their limits when thats all you are getting.
It is important to have a well rounded team supporting your band once it reaches a point of making money. Adding someone to fill in the gaps the members can't will make things less of a burden for the band and offer more time to do what the band does best, create music and perform. Be smart about your choices, stay within your means, don't get suckered into gimmicky production companies or studio deals that will distribute your album and 'market' it for a few grand and large portion recoupable through sales. Most of these will pay you very little for a lot of work, or will be sending you a bill when the album doesn't sell. Instead, invest in a manager or business partner who can guide you through the intricacies of the industry and get you legitimate deals that benefit you. Just remember to keep your goals obtainable, select a manager when necessary that is compatible with the members and understands your goals. Just as a manager will analyze your criteria, you need to do the same on his. Ask questions about their experience, what genres they have experience in, who their other clients are, what they plan to do for you, and most importantly ask if they love your bands music. Passion is a huge element that leads to success, if they don't have passion for your music, they will only get you so far before the drive to make the world know who you are starts to diminish.
A final thought, do you know a successful band without a manager? Look up your favorite band online and find out who their manager is, and when in their career they obtained him. Did they have a team before that? A publisher or booking agent? You'll find that many had some specialist on their team well before their first record deal or big break. Even if it was just a friend, most bands reach out for help, just avoid the bad deals and read the small print. I leave you with a video from a past professor and member of the band the Turtles, Mark Volman, who explains the downfalls of choosing the wrong manager several times.
Can you afford not to have a manager though? If there is no one in your band who is good at booking gigs, marketing, contacting the press or figuring out all the details then maybe its crucial to get a business savvy person on your team. Many music industry hopefuls are eager to manage a band with talent, for pennies on the dollar that a professional manager would charge. In fact even a professional manager sometimes likes to do a trial period where he manages you but nothing is official and generally he covers any expenses just to get an understanding of how the band can do. See how the members relate, who is the key man of the band, who is the weak link, essential he is putting you on a probation period till he decides if your band is a profitable endeavor for him.
More than likely though you are going to have a friend as your first manager, or a friend of a friend, who will do it for free just to feel like part of the band.
This is not the best idea, more than likely the new manager is better friends with one member of the band, automatically making him bias in any decision making. He will probably have no actual knowledge of the music industry and no real contacts to propel you further. Some people have a knack for band management though, and just need to be given that opportunity. Analyze who you want to put in that position, this person could be the voice of the band and make decisions for you without consulting you. If they are not on the same page as you then its going to strain the relationship. You want someone you can be friends with because more than likely you will be spending a lot of time together. Trust is crucial, many times the band manager is the first one to touch the money coming in, and managing online accounts, if you don't trust this person, you are at risk of losing thousands of dollars without even knowing it.
Now that we have covered if you need a manager and what to avoid, lets talk about what you can expect out of a manager. Individual managers and management firms are you two basic options. For instance Thirty Tigers in Nashville is a management firm with an in house PR department, marketing, distribution, and a few others with artist managers. Essentially most departments have their own projects but occasionally work together to further an individual artist through each departments specialties. Individual managers come in many shapes and sizes, some work out of their homes, others have offices and some even work at big record labels. Generally the smaller the office, the more they do for a band. A fresh new manager may specialize and do several things for a band, such as booking, marketing, advising, social media, merch sales, and public relations. Where as some one with a little more experience might opt to pay someone else to do those services for them or obtain some interns to do the grunt work. It is important to understand what exactly the manager will being doing for you, if he is going to bill you for a booking agent, marketing specialist, and an accountant, then maybe you should think about if you could get someone cheaper who does all this themselves and will truly work for the payout just as hard as you do. Connections are worth paying for but they have their limits when thats all you are getting.
It is important to have a well rounded team supporting your band once it reaches a point of making money. Adding someone to fill in the gaps the members can't will make things less of a burden for the band and offer more time to do what the band does best, create music and perform. Be smart about your choices, stay within your means, don't get suckered into gimmicky production companies or studio deals that will distribute your album and 'market' it for a few grand and large portion recoupable through sales. Most of these will pay you very little for a lot of work, or will be sending you a bill when the album doesn't sell. Instead, invest in a manager or business partner who can guide you through the intricacies of the industry and get you legitimate deals that benefit you. Just remember to keep your goals obtainable, select a manager when necessary that is compatible with the members and understands your goals. Just as a manager will analyze your criteria, you need to do the same on his. Ask questions about their experience, what genres they have experience in, who their other clients are, what they plan to do for you, and most importantly ask if they love your bands music. Passion is a huge element that leads to success, if they don't have passion for your music, they will only get you so far before the drive to make the world know who you are starts to diminish.
A final thought, do you know a successful band without a manager? Look up your favorite band online and find out who their manager is, and when in their career they obtained him. Did they have a team before that? A publisher or booking agent? You'll find that many had some specialist on their team well before their first record deal or big break. Even if it was just a friend, most bands reach out for help, just avoid the bad deals and read the small print. I leave you with a video from a past professor and member of the band the Turtles, Mark Volman, who explains the downfalls of choosing the wrong manager several times.
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