Modern Music Marketing

Modern Music Marketing

“But i’m just not someone who is a sales and marketing type of person.”

I’ll typically have to remind Musicians that Marketing is how any and every business grows.

How you do that boils back down to what you are really saying… and that’s how your brand shows up.

You’ve got to dig just a little deeper. And instead of marketing you are just communicating.

One of the biggest entanglements for Artists and Musicians is in confusing what marketing and sales really are.

Lets reframe this as I show you my perspective and try to help you over this hurdle. One-I once indeed struggled with myself…

Artists and Creators are not marketers, we are COMMUNICATORS.

First off, I want you to disassociate any negative ideas you have around the idea of selling, and realize that you are not hawking vacuum cleaners door to door. (Though I don’t think it would hurt you to do so…)

Sales, I’ve come to learn, can be a tough skill to learn-but nonetheless is a totally natural part of human and social culture. Think about it…

The more I’ve learned in life, the more I can see how so much of interaction between human beings is a sales and negotiation process…

I don’t mean this In a negative way… But think about it…

From where to eat to what movie to see, to getting someone out to a show-and on and on… It’s a sale. You, or someone else, is selling their idea/opinion/advice to someone else.

It’s a part of life.

Now forget about that word, as you won’t have to use it anymore…

Let’s talk about the other bad word…

Marketing.

Marketing, as an Artist or Musician, is nothing more than communication. Does that make sense to you?

It’s all just communication. And it’s happening whether you know it or not…

It’s what you are saying, and it’s how you show up.

Business is the Exchange of Value through a given form of Currency.

Your CONTENT IS your Currency.

Therefore your entire responsibility of marketing and sales comes down to simply COMMUNICATING your Content utilizing the tools of the Modern Creator. I.E. The Communication formats, and the distribution channels to connect your message, your stories, your music with the people that would resonate with and value receiving it.

That’s it.

Therefore in order to do that, you just need to know what you are saying, who you are saying it to, and how you are showing up to them.

It could be anyone, anywhere. And again, your Game is how you can CREATE your paradise, doing what you love, with artistic and financial control.

It’s the strategy for using the tools to develop your S.T.A.R.S. (Self/brand, Team, Assets, Resources, Systems) that centers on MEANINGFUL CONNECTION starting at the grassroots level.

No. Marketing doesn’t mean what you think it does. But you don’t have to use that word anymore if you don’t wanna.

Sales is just what happens when you develop your Game, hold down your six corners, and use the tools effectively.

It doesn’t matter whom you target, but to make a full time living doing what you love in the modern world-the fact is you must find a group of people, an attentive audience who love what you do enough to support and pay you to do it.

This is just the practical reality.

Many Artists and Musicians make the mistake of going too broad…

They think that because they are charming or their music has such a universal appeal that anyone and everyone is their audience and potential fan.

This is a big mistake and will waste you a lot of time and money. But another important thing to remember is this:

You DON'T have to be married to one particular “Niche!”

This is such a common misconception. Artists think they have to recite vows to some obscure and unchangeable group of people. They feel like the concept of targeting audiences “pigeon holes” their universal themes or limits their reach... It's as if they can't just keep adding more new segments that resonate with their stuff, collecting new fans from testing and running new campaigns-driving them all into their Music Marketing System to then build the relationship and do the leg work they've already done for the last group they targeted...

See what I’m saying? Stop thinking limited, and start thinking expansively. Marketing is simply communication. Those that know me hear me saying this a lot. You need to know who you are talking to. What you are saying, and how you want to interact and engage with your fans. Remember that your fans are in it for the connection with you and your story, and the experience, NOT necessarily your incredible guitar skills or to stroke your ego.

You don't need to niche yourself to death, (as they say) but you do need to identify who those core fans are that come to see you, who listen and interact and value what you're doing. Outside of just “whoever shows up,” or who's already in your Database...

We do this by making individual connection with potential fans, and we identify potential fans by defining common characteristics. This can be any number of demographic, personality types, stages of life, behavioral traits, hobbies/causes/organizations, shared value structures and beliefs, and on and on.

Bottom line, you just need to attract and cultivate ANY group of ANY segment of people you already do, would like to, and/or choose to speak to with your content. Start simply by targeting definable characteristics, tangible interests and behavioral profiles or some identifiable set of demographic/psychographic data that is right for your content.

Then, equally important, is that you facilitate easy avenue(s) for potential new fans to connect and support you!

See Your Duties through a New Lens:

Think about what you do as an Artist and Creator as being a Communicator, a Connector, a MultiMedia Storyteller in your local culture and community. Thus you have two primary functions... To Create, and to Connect. You cannot get around either of those responsibilities!

The value you create is your currency. Your content is your currency, and your Fan Base is your retirement plan. There are more than a thousand ways you could identify, define, align, and target segments of potential fans who are predisposed to resonate with your brand/music/message/story... What's important is that you DO learn how to target and connect with potential fans with shared hobbies, interests, passions, causes, political positions...

Look for common threads, shared values, or any other patterns in personality, profile, interests, amongst the people you consider your biggest fans. Outside of your family members.

If you keep an eye on your daily life through this lens - you will soon be creatively noticing opportunities in your local community that will surprise you. Don't be surprised. And don't forget to take decisive action on them or store them into your idea incubation and development system.

...But what’s a marketing strategy?

There is a lot of confusion around a plethora of terms, strategies, and techniques, because 10 different Artists will probably have 10 different definitions for whatever the hell a “Marketing Strategy” entails or encompasses… It could be defined as a paid advertising campaign by one person, posting some stuff on facebook, or the entire overarching integration of all outreach and inbound marketing strategies. That’s why we’ve (hopefully) simplified it for you.

The Music Marketing System, The Academy, and all of our materials as a whole have been designed as a cohesive structure that glues all these pieces together so that a mess of confusion can be simplified down into a universal language that ultimately helps everyone communicate and stay on the same page.

It has all been built over the last decade as a labor of love, out of personal necessity at first, and then as an evolving solution for my students and clients to grow their career.

The Marketing Strategy we use and teach, again, is the name of the GAME itself. The Grassroots Artist Marketing Experience, or Grassroots Authentic Music Empowerment, or Grassroots Authenticated Music Experience. Whichever you’d prefer, your GAME, is your Content Business Growth Strategy. It's the most effective strategy i've found, tested, and trained my students to use over the last 10 years. It is how you can develop long term 3D success.

So to wrap up with a quick recap:

Remember that for you as an Artist/Musician, marketing, branding, and even sales, all these terms that you may not like boil down to one thing... providing and delivering a unique and authentic experience of your content that some/anyone finds valuable enough to support. Always focus on the CORE. Connect, Overdeliver, Receive, Elevate.

The mass marketing machines are breaking down, most of the efforts are hollow and these messages have no shelf-life. No meaningful connection, thus they come and go. Miley cyrus publicity stunts, and flash in the pan hits, album releases, it’s here today gone tomorrow.

The better approach, for long-term sustaining success in the Modern Music Industry, in my opinion, is about Grassroots Artist Music Empowerment. Starting with your first 10, then 20, then 50, then 100 True Fans. A real connection that you share and the meaningful adventure you both take-called your career.

We need to stop thinking from the top down… I.E. how can I get thousands of new website visitors or likes, plays, listens….

I’m trying to change the way you think about growing your career as well as your Fan-Base in the new music business. Instead of fiending for hits and retweets, go and connect, in a meaningful way with 10 possible new fans. Get on the phone and call a facebook friend or a linkedin connection that you don’t really know but may be interested to get to know you. And instead of selling, just talk to them. Get to know them, and eventually the conversation will open up a perfect chance to explain what you’re doing and talk about your music.

The Modern Music Industry and success for any and every artist from now until the end of time starts with that one thing...

Connection.

Genuine, meaningful, valuable, Connection.

Independent of any tool or platform, this should be your focus if you want to engage and develop True Fans, and real sustaining success-instead of likes, listens or page views.

Your focus is on the C.O.R.E.

You start by building the CORE Engine of your GAME, (the how to we covered already) then you follow the prescribed regiment for attracting and bringing people into your universe, which will allow you to focus more time on your Main Moves, namely, Creating and Connecting!

Focus on the CORE

To get new fans – CORE in any format, delivered through backstage passes

To be more productive – CORE regiment Builds Momentum and simplifies workflow

To generate more income – focus on CORE impact points, key performance indicators

To have more fun! - CORE Areas of Management focusing on 6 Corners, and Main Moves

Your GAME is and will become a unique, authentic expression of your BRAND. It is the Artistry of the experience and levels of connection you deliver to your fans. Though your style and personality will always be true to you, there are a few fundamental rules to the GAME.

Take two minutes right now and answer this question: Who is one association/beer-league/niche club connection you know, or that you could make-who'd

proudly pass around your EP throughout their network of friends and colleagues given they like your content and they had a reason to boast about you?

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As an expert or modern creator, there are two sides to the coin…

There are 2 forces that must be aligned before you can blissfully unleash any lingering stress and uncertainty in your daily business operations.

Theres more to it, of course, (skills, strategy, talent, persistence) but when you boil everything down-these are the barebones ingredients for a beautiful career and a fulfilling lifestyle business that gives you ultimate freedom.

Doing what you love, for those that love what you do.

I have to say that every client i've ever worked with who was struggling-had for one reason or another misplaced, or had somehow forgotten the profound meaning this foundational sentence states.

Sometimes everyone needs a reminder, and/or at least a more effective strategy.

You cannot sacrifice either of the two.

They are required components in this equation.

By the time you truly figure this out you will have found The Creators Paradise.

You will be living your heaven on earth.

But if we dig a little deeper, i think you might be surprised to find whats really at the core.

Let's get practical for a second… Obviously, a performer needs a crowd, a speaker or a comedian needs an audience to listen… But what is it that attracts them? What is it that holds them together? Is there some fan scented ointment or body spray? perhaps a magnetic undergarment you could wear that would physically pull them in?

Well… There is.

It's not a fan scented hand lotion, but it will attract your fans like a bacon strip brings my canine to attention.

That secret sauce is Authenticity.

authentic |ôˈθentik| (abbr.: auth.)

adjective

1 of undisputed origin; genuine : the letter is now accepted as an authentic document | authentic 14th-century furniture. See note at genuine .

• made or done in the traditional or original way, or in a way that faithfully resembles an original : the restaurant serves authentic Italian meals | every detail of the movie was totally authentic.

• based on facts; accurate or reliable : an authentic depiction of the situation.

It is how we build trust and rapport, the glue that makes our content, and the value we provide them with, meaningful.

It is sort of counterintuitive to think about, but wouldn't you say that AUTHENTICITY is something of higher value than talent alone?

Why is it that the most "skilled" artist isn't necessarily the most popular? It's because authentic meaningful story has a greater intrinsic value to us.

You see, the biggest reason why brands and businesses who fail online and especially with social media-is because they don’t realize that we are living in an age where CONNECTION and INTRINSIC VALUE are the most valued factors in society, as well as for branding and engagement.

It's how humans work. It's what life is all about.

Companies who fail to embrace the power of story and communicating the unique expression of who they are and who they serve-are going to either need to compete strictly on price, or will eventually fizzle out.

Building an audience or a tribe, connecting and engaging and delivering exceptional value to them is the model that is here to stay.

Our minds and our attention is splintered, too fragmented, too UNfocused because of all the bumbling communications that attack our psyche from every which direction... But we know when we see authenticity. We remember peoples story and the experience we had in dealing with them.

As a DIY Artist, Comedian, or Expert Brand owner-it is part of your job to define your brands message by telling your story in everything you do.

To be congruent in the way you conduct every aspect, every transaction, every interaction, and every element of what it is you contribute to the world.

Those who do this, will win at business, and be successful in every area of their life.

Brands that remain vague, undefined, incongruent, and don't ever understand this for themself-will never breakthrough and service their clients/fans/audience on the highest and deepest levels.

Make a commitment. To cater to and contribute to your clients/customers/audiences highest levels of well-being and happiness is what YOU are going to do.

People CRAVE CONNECTION Most

For Modern Creators - you see - it’s not really even about having a superior product; though in almost all cases, that helps... Don’t get me wrong, but it is NOT a requisite to being successful in the New Economy.

The great news is that more people have MORE opportunity to live their dreams doing what they love, living the way they choose. So yes, you are very talented, and should never stop improving and developing your crafts and skills-but just remember what matters most.

It's about connection. Everything comes down to the experience.

You build the relationship with your audience as well as your customers/clients through delivering an outstanding EXPERIENCE.

The EXPERIENCE needs to be the focus. You must deliver on the promises you make, as well as continually elevate the level of engagement that you are offering throughout the entire relationship building process...

If you are not offering different levels of access and engagement than you are doing THEM a disservice, as well as yourself.

Offer your audience a window into your REAL life...

It’s about emotional connection after all. I mean we don’t want to follow, be inspired, or take advice from just ANYONE...

People want to know who you are, understand your perspective, they want to see where you live, how you spend your friday nights, and what you value most.

We can't help it. We are curious creatures.

People want you to peel the layers back and share part of YOUR world with them. Not just the what, they want to know WHY you do what you do, and they want to see HOW.

Make sense?

Seeing the three sides of your brand, the What, the Why, and the How (style or the way) you do what you do adds DIMENSION to your brand, to their experience, and THAT is a whole new level of value we’ve never really been able to embrace at this scale and at this level of convenience before.

It's all about The Experience and The Story.

We all live off of emotions. They are what we need to know we are alive. People are driven by and addicted to emotions. They are the fuel of human life.

But when we get stuck in our own artistic bubble, we often fail to see through the lens of our fans.

Allowing them to see the whole, integrated story of you, your brand, your message, your content is what is going to build you a Loyal Audience that loves you for life.

This is the next evolution of business, it will be the future of our lifetime as technology and those who innovate with it become increasingly sophisticated.

Master the tools and learn to communicate in TECHNICOLOR!

As Modern Creators, This is the PRACTICAL, PRAGMATIC balance between art and commerce. Between supply and demand. Between cultural values and business values.

And there is enough room and ideas and jobs for everyone.

You have to create something that people want, and the best way to do that is to use your imagination and creativity to find a way to do that around what you are passionate about, something that aligns with your purpose, and in actually doing that the best you can, both because it’s inherently motivating, as well as highly valued by your audience, EVERYONE actually wins!

You have to embrace the entrepreneurial aspects of being able to sense and discover opportunities where theres a need or a want for a solution you can, or would be committed to actually providing; and you can use your creativity and imagination to deliver and LOVE the entire process itself.

You actually get to BE ARTISTIC on a very deep and rewarding level about how you can do all this.

It’s all an artistic, active journey that’s internally and externally motivating. The art lives in the decisions and unique momentary choices you make as a unique expression that’s aligned with your values and vision.

It’s an incredible feeling.

Instead of worrying about “losing artistic control,” because you wanted pink butterflies on your cd case instead of purple, you can get to the HEART of what it means to be artistic and although it takes work, you can design everything EXACTLY the way you want.

Creativity for us is our biggest asset. It’s a uniquely human superpower, let’s use it!

I think that it’s both ironic and profound to see that the “intangible things,” i.e creativity, imagination, relationships, perspective, insight, experience the things we cannot see or hold, the things that make us the dominant species, are actually the most valuable, and it’s the "tangible" assets such as money or lack of it that we’ll use to acquire it.

So that's the Artistic Side…

But there is another side to this. Remember.

And commerce has never been about you, or your content. It’s about the person who is going to support you so you can create it. What is the value you provide THEM?

Sometimes you get lucky and the type of sound and style and look you have appeals to a lot of people... Sometimes the product you "think" people need is one they want and will actually buy… Sometimes not.

You can either create something and then go see how people respond, or find something that people want and go create it....

There is a balance, and it's part of your journey to find that. But know that you DON’T have to compromise. You just have to LOVE what you’re doing. and be persistent until you find a way.

If you remember what Jamie told ya, you know that marketing is just communication. Money is just one form of value exchange. Your content IS your currency.

How much value are you providing to those who you are creating it for?

One final point, that no matter what, you must never forget...

You are a Modern Creator.

You are in control.

YOU ARE IN FREAKING CONTROL.

You are a CREATOR.

Do something with it.

But you know the thing about the Imagination Economy..?

It’s about whether you believe what you want can be real for you... Or not.

The TOOLS OF THE MODERN MUSICIAN