Music Business Weekly Wrap-Up
In case you missed anything, here are some highlights from this week in music business news and artist advice:
Artists House Music:
- Artists House interview w/ Robert Reynolds, manager of The Killers and entertainment attorney http://ow.ly/fQiU
- Alternative Venue Performance Opportunity: Six Flags’ “Live & Local” Music Series http://ow.ly/fP3a
Music Business News:
- The Great Musical North http://ow.ly/fVCv Music Business Stats for North America
- YouTube Reports 1700% Jump In Mobile Video http://ow.ly/fVB1
- The RIAA can have a lot of fun with this one - FriendFeed adds some simple file-sharing capabilities http://ow.ly/fVe1
- MTV Networks Cuts About 50 More From Music Group http://ow.ly/fLBN
- MySpace Cuts 2/3 of International Staff http://ow.ly/fEyx
- Harvard Paper on P2P Flawed But Worth Reading http://ow.ly/fwFq
- YouTube Ordered to Pay ASCAP $1.6M in Streaming Royalties http://ow.ly/fwEW
- Ian Rogers’ Keynote Interview from NARM 2009 http://ow.ly/fwEi
Musician Advice/Thought/Opinion:
- TED: Evelyn Glennie: How to listen to music with your whole body http://ow.ly/g1v2
- Show success before asking for help http://ow.ly/fwsd
- Upgraded and Enhanced Music Business Models: http://is.gd/1h7BT
- What artists should know about Stereofame.com http://ow.ly/fRyN
- Bands 101 - Running Your Band http://ow.ly/fVD2 Identifies some issues you may need to address…
- Industry vs. Scene Dynamics http://ow.ly/fVBS Interesting read
- Peter Jenner: Delayed thoughts on the latest Digital Britain P2P consultation. http://ow.ly/fVBt
- The Time is Right for Direct-To-Fan Marketing of Music http://ow.ly/fQ2D
- Can Spotify Premium Succeed? http://ow.ly/fMGP
- Killing Itself to Live: How the Record Industry Conceived Its Own Demise http://ow.ly/fELR
You can get more involved with Artists House by subscribing to the blog, twitter, friendfeed, facebook, or feel free to shoot us an e-mail.
Alternative Venue Performance Opportunity: Six Flags' "Live & Local" Music Series
Playing at alternative venues is a tactic overlooked by many new artists, but when the right venues are selected (based on the psychographic profile of an artist’s target audience), its power cannot be overstated.
Sure, you may not make any money from ticket sales (depending on the type of performance and on the type of venue), but playing at alternative venues can put you smack dab in front of your target customers while they are out living their lives. This is important for all artists, regardless of their stature; there are many major artists who occasionally perform at alternative venues. However, it is an especially important means of promotion for new, unsigned artists since they don’t have the benefit of heavy airplay and other media exposure to get their messages out to people.
With this in mind, I want to share with you a great alternative venue performance opportunity that was brought to my attention when I saw a favourite up-and-coming band of mine, Shytown (www.myspace.com/shytownmusic , www.twitter.com/shytownmusic), take advantage of the opportunity itself: Six Flags’ “Live & Local” music series. (Check out the video of Shytown’s “Live & Local” performance on the band’s MySpace page to see the series in action.)
Most of the Six Flags parks in the U.S. participate in the series. In addition to providing artists with a platform to get their music heard by hundreds of people, Six Flags allows artists taking part in the series to sell merchandise at their performances and to retain 100% of the merch sales. For a more in-depth overview of “Live & Local”, here is an announcement from Six Flags Great America (the Chicago park) concerning the series:
This past season, Six Flags nationally launched the Live & Local music series. Live & Local gives musicians a chance to be heard by thousands of potential fans. Six Flags Great America is among the many parks to participate in this exciting series. Some of the bands that graced the stage included: Leo, Dramatic Visions, Comic Book Heroes, and many more.
Whether you are a single artist with a guitar, a new band just trying to get heard, or a cover band that likes to sing the great songs of our generation, Six Flags may have a spot for you.
Music of all genres is accepted. Six Flags will choose those artists which reflect diverse and family friendly material. The performance stage is located inside the park at the Mission Stage in the Southwest Territory, or the Beach Stage located in Hurricane Harbor.
Please note: Adult language is not permitted and will not be tolerated. Performance days are available in April, May, and all throughout the summer. Artists will play 5 half hour sets throughout the afternoon starting at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 4:00, and 5:00. This is an unpaid performance, but 10 free tickets shall be issued upon completion of 5 sets. Merchandise sales are allowed, and artists shall retain 100% of their profits. Items must be family friendly, and in good taste. Six Flags retains the right to review and approve/disapprove of any merchandise.
Six Flags Great America will provide an adequate stage and power. Bands will provide all sound and needed backline equipment, and will also do all the setup and load-in themselves. Stage hands will not be provided. It’s suggested that you bring a push cart, as you cannot pull your car into the park or to the stage due to safety concerns. The band and one technician will be escorted into the park free of charge for their performance only. There is a discounted ticket available if the band or guests wish to enjoy the park before or after the show.
Many of the parks are still looking for artists to take part in the series over the summer. If you’re interested, look into your local park for more information.
And remember, when playing at an alternative venue, just like when playing at a traditional venue, you must maximize the opportunity! Putting yourself in front of people who end up liking what they hear is not going to do you much good if there’s no way for them to know who you are, to stay connected with you, and to buy your music/merch. Make sure your band name, site, and mailing list are all promoted during the performance. If the venue allows for it, make sure your music/merch is available for purchase on-site. If the venue doesn’t allow for on-site sales, make sure your audience knows where your music/merch is available. You may also want to have free download cards or sampler CDs to hand out to people. These, of course, are just a few of the many things you can do to maximize an alternative venue performance.
Music Business Weekly Wrap-Up
In case you missed anything, here are some highlights from this week in music business news and artist advice:
Artists House Music:
-
332354 people on the Artists House map! Are you? http://bit.ly/qzogx - Terry McBride on Starting Your Career in Artist Management http://ow.ly/f39t
- Shout out to @joshcharles, who was on our live chat in April, for his feature in USAToday http://is.gd/150wc
- The Artist Report Card: http://ow.ly/eEpv
- A Master Class in Playing Jazz with Pianist Kenny Werner http://ow.ly/epeQ
Music Business News:
- Irving Azoff Gets “Golden Coffin” And More http://ow.ly/f2KV (because he did such a great job?)
- Senate Passes Webcaster Settlement Act 2009 http://ow.ly/f2Gr
- College radio stations are holding their own as world turns digital http://is.gd/15yXv
- GameSoundCon, First Industry Conference on Game Music and Sound to Launch in Los Angeles http://ow.ly/eQBq
- More Major Label vs. Startup: EMI Sues Grooveshark http://ow.ly/ePHi
- CDs may be dying, but there’s always the musical T-shirt http://ow.ly/eD4q
- MySpace Lays Off 30%, Braces for Comeback Battle http://ow.ly/eCnq
- Digital Britain Final Report http://bit.ly/SdMfF
- Virgin Media and UMG launching unlimited music service http://ow.ly/ecEf
- I love where this is going http://ow.ly/ecBN Collaborate, Record, and Mix in Your Browser with Indaba Music
- Rising indie stars get new charts http://ow.ly/ectd
Artist Advice/Thought/Opinion:
- TuneCore’s thoughts on Promoting Your Music with Facebook http://ow.ly/f2Lk
- MidemNet 2009 panel: Listen up! Why knowing your fans matters http://ow.ly/f2IL
- Video: Twitter & The Death Of Rock Criticism http://ow.ly/f2zE
- Triumph in the Face of Adversity! by Martin Atkins http://ow.ly/ep29
- A Roundup Of Reaction To Digital Britain Report http://ow.ly/eCoI
You can get more involved with Artists House by subscribing to the blog, twitter, friendfeed, facebook, or feel free to shoot us an e-mail.
Artist Report Card

Nick Crocker of http://waycooljnr.com.au wrote a very helpful article that offers DIY musicians a report card of sorts for their marketing and social media strategies. Of course, the numbering/grading system is somewhat trivial, but I think this is a great checklist for musicians to prioritize their activities and make sure you’ve got all your bases covered. Starting with the basics like setting up a mailing list and my personal favorite: “Do you have your own MySpace, with autoplay turned off, featuring your best songs?” [emphasis added]. All the way to some basic SEO checks. This list is by no means exhaustive, and I don’t think it was intended to be. These are some basic essentials that shouldn’t be looked over. Take a minute to grade yourself and identify some areas that you need to work on in the future:
The Online Artist Report Card: http://ow.ly/diNR
Even if it helps you take just one small step forward, it will have been worth it!
Music Business Weekly Wrap-Up
In case you missed anything, here are some highlights from this week in music news and artist advice:
Artists House Music
- Check out this DIY Activity tracking chart put together by @CLCmusic http://ow.ly/dxKh
- No excuses. We’ve got lessons for you now on how to DJ: http://ow.ly/dxFv
- Featured Artists: Josh Charles - an indie success story http://ow.ly/djl2 on the Artists House blog
- Martin Atkins: The Importance of Having a Diverse Skill Set http://ow.ly/d811
- That’s Right! Capitalism Can Help You Sell Your Music http://ow.ly/d81j
Music Business News
- Vinyl sales to hit another high point in 2009 http://ow.ly/dJSt Heck yes.
- Massive Layoffs Coming To MySpace - 25% Or More May Be Cut http://ow.ly/dJS8
- Film, TV music composers urge copyright law change http://ow.ly/dxxG
- Trent Reznor ‘opts-out’ of social networking: http://ow.ly/dxsr
- Songkick Wants to Be Our Crowdsourced Concert Scrapbook http://ow.ly/djoE
- Last.fm founders stepping down http://ow.ly/djp8
- Nielsen stats reveal digital music trends http://ow.ly/dj7s Nothing surprising here…
- Class Action Suit Seeks To Reclaim $100M RIAA “Stole” From Fans http://ow.ly/dj6L
Artist Advice/Thought/Opinion
- Planning Your Record Release, Part II: The Release Show http://ow.ly/dKDO
- Video: Interview With Kevin Arnold Of IODA http://ow.ly/dKBV
- Be Careful With Economics http://ow.ly/dxNr
- Always need more estrogen in this business! So, here’s an excerpt from The Girls’ Guide to Rocking… http://ow.ly/dxvf
- Why Place Matters To Music & Music Matters To Place http://ow.ly/dxsZ
- Accepting Your Audience http://ow.ly/dj8i
- The Online Artist Report Card: http://ow.ly/diNR Nice checklist!
- Why Bands Should Avoid the Myth of the Rockstar http://ow.ly/d80z
Thanks for all your thoughts and feedback this week on twitter. As always you can join the conversation by following us on twitter, friendfeed, facebook, and subscribing to this blog.
D.I.Y Activity Tracker
Christopher Lars Carlson (@CLCmusic), a student at Berklee, took the initiative to put together a DIY checklist to help you keep track of your ‘interactive duties’ as a social-media savvy indie artist.
Its purpose is to keep track of all your actionable DIY activities: the “business” items you need to keep up in order to build a self-sustaining career.
There is a lot to keep track of when you’re doing everything yourself, and it’s going to be impossible to maintain unless you develop a plan and a reasonable way to track your activities. Chris’s chart is a fantastic place to start. If nothing else, please use this as a template for your activities and tweak it to make it relevant to your own activities. Basically, make something that you will actually use. The point is that you want to use your time efficiently and effectively, and tracking your activities and progress is the way to do it!
Bruce Houghton at Hypebot is hosting the PDF, and you can download it for free here. UPDATE: You can also download the Microsoft spreadsheet now here.
Thanks, Chris, for creating something helpful for everybody!
Christopher maintains the blog A Musicians Journey, which looks into many of the issues that artists are facing in today’s music business.
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