Friday, August 20, 2010

Don't Fight The Law



If you ask anyone who has been or still is in a band, the'll instantly tell you how much fun it is. I record as a solo artist and play all intruments (vocals included) These days I do it because I have to. I find writing, recording and producing exhilarating. A 'conventional' band on the other hand pose a totaly different set of variables into the equation. What musicians need to know is that the band business is full of potential legal liability. Very few people see it that way, but they should. A band usually travels, it owns heavy electricity based gear and lights; much of which is very expensive. The band relies on as many people as possible coming to one place to see them if they want to succeed. A lot of the places that bands hang out serve alcohol and people are there to let loose, party,and have a good time.


The fun, rewarding parts as well as the potentials for legal disaster if your band manager does not take the proper steps pretty-well nulify each other. The potential disaster scenarios are present regardless of whether you are a small startup band playing in the bottom tier clubs or parties or have gained some popularity and are playing larger venues or the big stage.


There are many disaster scenarios. This is where band managers step in. They should have multiple 'escape plans' in place on the likelihood of pretty-well anything going pear-shaped for your band. Here is just one such disaster scenario that I think everyone who has ever played in a band will realize is not at all far-fetched. There are many others, but here is one.


Here's the disaster scenario:


You have worked hard to put your band together. Over the past few years, you have had several changes in lineup. First you replaced the drummer that was late on every fill and had the personality of Gumby. Then you vocalists' wife was jealous and you ended up replacing him. The lead guitarist had a huge ego and was messing up the vibe. This story of building a band are common. We have all been there.


Now, finally, you have a cookin' band. Your summer is looking great: all festival dates, even a couple of big backup dates. The band is cookin'. You have hit your stride. Success is coming, you can feel it.




One night, you are playing one of the old clubs that you started out in, more or less for nostalgia but certainly not for the money. A couple of the members decide to make a party of it. These are old friends there and they keep buying drinks for the band. By the end of the night, a couple of the members are pretty lit up. After the gig, the lead singer (We'll call him Charlie), gets in his car to drive to an after bar party. On the way there he swerves into the coming lane and runs head on into another vehicle. He has no insurance. Charlie has no assets. His only income comes from the band. The other car involved files a lawsuit. Who are they going to sue?


If you have not organized your band through an official corporate or LLC entity, every member in the band is likely to be sued. The law is likely to deem you to be a partnership. Every partner is jointly and severally liable for all damages caused by other partners. That means everyone is potentially responsible for the full extent of the damages.


Now let's say the drummer, let's call him Adam, has a great job. He has amassed a ton of money in the bank and investments. He owns a million dollar home where the band rehearses in his plush rehearsal room. He owns multiple businesses. He is set.


The lawsuit comes up and finds that the singer was responsible for causing the accident. 100 % responsible. Each member of the band is joined as a party because there was no legal entity formed for the band. The band members filed a motion to dismiss early on in the lawsuit claiming that the singer was not acting within the scope of the business of the band. The court rules that he was acting within the scope of band business at the time of the accident. He was leaving a band show.


Damages come down at $5,000,000. Each partner is liable for the full $5,000,000 under joint and several liability principles. There is no insurance. Everyone except Jim is poor. Adam is worth $10,000,000. Who do you suppose is going to pay the damages? Adam, who drank water all night.


The next thing that happens is that Adam gets summons to appear at a supplemental collections hearing where the other side asks him questions, under penalty of perjury, about what he owns, what he is worth, where his assets are etc.




The next thing you know, Adams house is attached. His wages are garnished. Someone comes and gets his boat. All sorts of things start happening in Jim's life. All because he played in the band where the singer, who no-one knew was battling alcoholism, got drunk and swerved in the oncoming lane on the way home from the gig. The guy is plainly more of an alcoholic than he is a rock star like Eric Clapton.


A lot of bands are pretty apathetic about their business structure. They go to gigs, collect cash and split it up at the end of the night. They give very little thought of legal liability or protection of assets.


So the lesson here is, if you are in a band do not assume that you are immune from possible liability just because you have not yet "made it" or you are just doing it on the side. The band business is filled with possible legal issues, regardless of the size or success of the band. You need to take the appropriate legal steps to protect yourself and your assets from exposure to these risks.

Get your copy of "Mean Business" for only $5.00 (AU) using the codeword thistle
<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Only Rock and Roll


Rock and Roll is an exciting and highly admired genre of popular music which mainly appeals to the young generation....but not exclusively. This extremely popular form of music has attained great recognition and adulation amongst the music lovers for several decades. The most admirable aspect of this genre is its variety and unique style. This form uses several high tech instruments which give an attractive and interesting appeal to it. It can....and does....incorporate a vast array of instruments like synthesizers, mouth organ and piano etc. It also utilises instruments most commonly associated with the genre' such as the electric guitar, bass guitar and drums. Rock and Roll is the modern and advanced form of music that is comparatively faster and louder than the conventional genres like classic and folk. It gives the artists a liberty to experiment with variety of styles and express themselves with freedom. The soul of rock is the rock band or the group of musicians and singers who collectively play the songs.




The youth go crazy for this form of music; they are ardent fans of the various rock stars like Robbie Williams, Metallica Lady Ga Ga and more recently, young Justin Beiber. Many rock albums take you through the various aspects and emotions of life. The two that spring instantly to mind are Bob Dylans "Together Through Life" and The Rolling Stones "A Bigger Bang." Although not necessarily ranked as their best, they most certainly cover the widest array of emotions. The words of the songs simply enthrall the senses and thrill the listeners. In this kind of music the prominent vocal melody is accompanied with harder instrumental sounds such as a distorted guitar sound and more prominent bass guitar and drum sound, with keyboards acting mote as a backround 'fill.'




Rock music evolved around 1940's and 1950's. This genre is highly influenced by the country music and blues which were very popular around that time. This style was basically a blue-based song with fast and peppy dance tracks. One can find the classic albums on various online music stores. You can search top rock music albums on the internet.


Rock and Roll reached great heights with several amazing rock stars that awed the audiences with amazing performances. Elvis Presley is the most admired and popular artist in the world of rock; his unique style, classic dance movements and incredible songs entertained the music lovers. The Beatles are the most famous and highly applauded rock band. They had, by far, the most numbers of the chart topping hits in their time.


Eventually by the early 1970s the various rock bands emerged which were famous amongst the music lovers at that time. The bands from United States and Britain began to become immensely popular. Some of the most famous bands were Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, New York Dolls Queen and Judas Priest as the decade progressed.




By the 1980s a 'fresher' style of rock bands began to make waves in the rock music world. Bon Jovi, New York Dolls, Sweet, Guns and Roses, Twisted Sister and Kiss were the several most popular artistes of the 1980's. In the 1990's Rock soared new heights with emergence of some highly commendable forms like Grunge. This popular genre was associated with the fusion of various elements like hardcore punk and heavy metal sound to give amazingly enthralling melodies. The lyrics of the songs focused on the themes of social concern like entrapment and alienation. Many youngsters found this appealing and yet Bob Dylan had been conveying similar messages back in the early 1960s using only his voice and an acoustic guitar initially. The Grudge had heavy and loud tunes with extensive use of guitar and fuzz. Several famous bands like Alice in Chains, Candlebox and Soundgarden, gained a wide audience applause and appreciation.


The Britpop and Indie Pop were few forms that gained immense adulation in the 1990's. In the 2000 several new styles of pop gained recognition and flourished with great adulation. Garage rock, Emo and Metal core are the most admired sub genres of rock. Various rock bands like the White Stripes, The Vines and The Strokes came with some thrilling and happening albums. These are very famous CD rock music hits.


With the emergence of MTV rock gained immense hype and recognition. Internet further enhanced the growth of this unique genre. The highly popular rock music CDs are available on the internet, you can easily find your favourite DVD for rock music on various websites.


I sometimes wonder what the future holds for rock music; particularly for the independent musician....but I don't wonder for too long. I just get on with it.

Grab your 50% discount for the Rock and Roll album "Mean Business" by entering the codeword: thistle
<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Musicians, Music And Money






An industry that was once top-heavy with ultra successful millionaire rockstars is quickly changing. The slow death of the traditional record label is proof of this phenomenon. Once again, the internet has revolutionized an industry and leveled the playing field for all talent. No longer do you have to jump each time you hear label scouts may be in the area. The record label is no longer useful to an artist, as the internet has destroyed their competitive advantage of worldwide distribution.

Independent musicians, this is your time time to shine and profit. Believe it or not, you can still make a nice profit from your music. Record sales are dropping like a rock, so how are you supposed to make any money? A successful approach should be at least four pronged and should include CD's (I know I just slammed this medium, but it still has a few years left), digital music sales, ad supported downloads, and live show promotion.

There is no reason you should ignore CD's just yet. There are still a few people who have not yet accepted the digital music revolution and still like a tangible product. These are the same people who like to print everything, just in case their computer crashes and all of the web servers and backup media somehow crash or disappear too. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

Digital music is clearly being accepted as a primary mode of distribution today. In fact, 2008 saw sales surpass 1 billion songs. PC's, Laptops, and most phones can now be used to download music, making it that much more convenient to purchase a song. Fans at a live show can purchase a song on their phone without even leaving their seat.



Ad supported music is trying to catch on but it's having a hard time in this rough economy. It is the most logical next step for music. It is apparently very difficult to sell digital music, as services such as Limeware illegally make it available for free. So if you can't sell the music, sell the attention that your music garners. Companies are always trying to get inside the heads of consumers. Music makes targeting a specific market possible, as artists often attract only certain demographics. While websites that have attempted this approach have had limited success, there is nothing stopping you from going out and selling advertising in your community. Add advertisements to your banner or your promotional materials.

Finally, if you can't sell your music to make money, use it as a promotional tool. Give snippets away to attract people to your shows. If you're a new and upcoming band, most people have probably not heard you, and will probably not buy your music or attend your shows until they do. The internet provides free worldwide distribution, so make your best songs available to download for free and let them spread like wildfire.

The music industry is quickly changing, but that doesn't mean musicians can't still make a living from their art. It simply takes a little more creativity now.





Custom Search

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Great Songs From An Independent Band Will Make Money


The only way to make money with anything as an independent band is supply and demand. If they're equal you'll make decent cash. If there's more demand your independent band need more supply and vice versa. Many of you would like a record deal. That's understandable, but how many of you would your independent band to have a record deal just for the money? Fame you could care less about? Well, you wouldn't need a record deal then. This is where the supply and demand takes place though. Think about it like this, supply would be the deals and the independent artists would be the ones demanding them. Of course, deals aren't that easy to obtain but it's possible as long as you know what you're doing or what you need to be doing.
Here's where your independent band come in. Instead of chasing a deal for money, make money from those who are chasing the same thing as you! Of all the things needed to get a deal, great songs is the perfect way to help and make you a lot of money while helping them. Many people want deals but many lack great material.
Basically, you have the demand now supply it. Now you'll need amazing songs


in order to have people really spending money to get them. How do you achieve this? Not music theory or composition. Those will help but there's one thing you'll need to really prosper...a trained musical ear. Seriously! You can start writing amazing songs without even knowing how to sight read. You can base it off of what sounds good. From there you could learn all the theory you'd need but the fact is, great songs are great songs whether you can read music or not. Do lots of research and you'll find out the many of the most successful artists never took a music class let alone learned music notation. If it sounds good it sounds good. From there lyrics and song structure will be easy. Just listen to some great song writers in all genres to figure out what's the average structure per genre. Those songs will make you plenty of money because many people don't have trained ears. You can write a song in your head without an instrument being within a mile with a trained music ear. I do it all the time, infact I never enter the recording studio 'cold,' ie. With no idea of what I'm hoping to achieve. Once you train that ear and get the songwriting to that same level, you'll never be broke again.
So how exactly do you make that cash in 6 months? Spend two months working on your songwriting. While doing that train you ear. There is plenty of information on it if you just Google" music ear training." In my opinion though, I'd use software. It's faster to learn and it will track your progress for you. Okay, month three and four should be used to find those people looking for the songs. Use the internet and network where there is anything music related. Be sure to have some songs prepared for them too. If you cant sing, find someone who can and create a demo with four of your best songs on it. The last two months is where you work pays off. This is when you negotiate fees and start counting that money! What are you waiting for?!? TRAIN YOUR EAR! You won't regret it. Master that songwriting and in six months, you may be counting your cash for another six months!

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>
I discovered Bandcamp some months ago and now use it as my primary distributor. Why? It's a no-frills site where you can upload on pretty-well any sound-file format....all high quality. Likewise, if fans choose to stream the album "Mean Business," for example, to your left as often as they like. Fans can also download singles in any file format that they choose. Again, all of the highest quality AND they download quickly. In the instance of "Mean Business" if you enter the codeword thistle at the checkout you receive a 50% discount. To view the discount doesn't leave you obliged to purchase it. On top of all of this, the artist keeps 100% of profits, thus encouraging us independent artists to drastically reduce our prices in comparison with the 'big guns.' I've always believed that transparency & honesty are the two most useful tools that independent bands should utilize to the hilt.
Getting back to perfect pitch, it  is almost essential when it comes to making money with your songwriting. Once at least relative pitch is achieved, it could do wonders for your music career. Don't wait until it's too late. Start ear training today and start counting cash tomorrow.






Custom Search

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Make Your Audience The Stars



Entertaining can be very rewarding, but it can also feel like a huge responsibility. When anyone takes the stage in front of thousands of fans, there's a job to do and a lot at stake.
Entertaining is as much as an art form as the music one plays. It takes many years to learn that when a true entertainer takes the stage, that the concert is not about the entertainer, it's about the people in the audience. The entertainer is not the star, the audience is the star.


For example, for many years you to take the stage and the first thing  that you do is to start blasting away and showing off your quick hands on the guitar trying to impress the crowds, your fellow musicians, and yourself. This works, to a certain degree. You should have a thick press kit of critics comparing you to the legends but the problem was that it didn't translate at all into good CD sales. The fact is, the better you get, the slower your sales.
What was happening? You're playing for your own pleasure expecting audiences to dive into that realm with you. Some do, but others became alienated because they just don't have the musical knowledge to go there with you. Also, you're playing from ego and not from the heart.
Many performers seek validation outside of themselves by showing off and many don't even care what the audience thinks. But, the truth is, most should care what the audience thinks and what the critics think. Because, bigger audiences and more press equals more gigs and more money.
However, seeking the approval of colleagues, media, critics, and fans can be self-absorbing and self destructive if you're not careful. You should care what the audience thinks but at the same time be conscious of not trying not to impress them.

While I have always possessed a natural ability and desire to entertain, I learned that I didn't really understand how highly choreographed and entertaining were supposed to be. Certainly I understood that lighting, good production and communication with your audience from time to time was a good thing. But, I learned that just by using a proven template for winning presentations I could up the ante quite a bit.
The difference in my career was dramatic. I changed almost overnight from self-absorbed and trained technical performer to an entertainer. And, the best part is my sales increased exponentially. And, I didn't have to give up change genres to become an entertainer. I just had to learn how to package it.
So, what's important to anyone wanting to make a mark in entertainment? First, learn the psychology of human behavior then learn how to lead an audience. Then, find and study a proven template for winning presentations. That will help you to overcome any limitations you may have. Entertaining is an art form that can be mastered if you get the right information from the right master entertainer.





Custom Search

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Your Bands Press Kit. An Essential


Any serious rock band must come up with an impressive band press kit to be given out to venues and recording studios. The press kit or portfolio is a musician's first step to success. Furthermore, quality music portfolio can bring more opportunities for a specific rock band. With this, it is important for the band members to focus on the things needed to complete the package.
Printed Documents
Printed documents like cover letter, band profile, song list, record of gigs and shows must be included in a band press kit. These documents must tell potential clients about a band's objectives, history and profile. Moreover, recording studios may want to ask what kind of genres and the cover songs included on the list of a specific band. It is also important to provide a band photo so that the profile will become reliable.
Music Sample

A start-up rock band must come up with a demo CD that records at least three of its best songs. Representatives from a certain recording studio may want to hear a specific band's music for evaluation. Before recording a demo CD, it is important for the band members to rehearse their part. They just have to remember that they need to produce a quality demo CD to impress the clients.
Visual Identity
A professional business card for the whole rock band can be included on the press kit. Most of the time, the name of either your manager or the band 'leader' is indicated on the business card. It is also important to come up with a creative and unique business card design to create visual identity. The logo, band name and contact details are also important in printing this kind of material.

These are the things that should be included in a band press kit. A start-up rock band must take this first step in order to achieve their dreams of becoming popular in the music industry.
Choose a specific offered at Vistaprint, and create a professional business card for your band.

Get your 50% discount for "Mean Business" by entering codeword: thistle

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>



Sunday, July 11, 2010

Make Your Website Pay



Following on from a recent blog on establishing your bands website, it's now time  to get your music site rolling by understanding the machinations of your music website.


Let's say you are a great singer or you have a small band or even your own label. You have big ideas but only a tiny budget. Your father doesn't own a record company, like Sony BMG and your mother isn't a Hollywood actress like Nicole Kidman, so your network is confined to the local press writers and groupies.

Maybe you already have your own CD's and have made a few sales but you can't seem to find the time for promotion. The gigs you play bring in a little money but things don't seem to be getting anywhere. So how to progress?
One very realistic option is to exploit the potential of the internet with your band website. Of course, the internet has often been cited as the answer to everything, but in this case, it really can provide impressive results. And this is the key: it's a cheap and it's quick. It can even be free if your band is its embryonic phase.


The music industry is changing. We are in serious transition now. The discontent amongst music buyers has created a gap which the internet can adequately fill.




The internet music market is
real. A survey by Georgia Tech found 41% of all internet users have purchased music from the web. Forrester predicted a market volume of $76 million USD for digital music downloads in 2003, rising to $541 million USD in 2005 and continuing to reach $2 billion USD in 2007.
The statistics suggest there is a genuine market for legal, modestly priced music.


The internet is a perfect platform for marketing your band website. Promotions, press releases and positioning are cheaper here than in the real world. Your audience is already here.

The internet's function as a communication medium gives you a direct line to your listeners, peers and even your critics. Email is the perfect mechanism for keeping in touch with fanclubs and sending newsletters and it's cheap.
That doesn't mean if you start a music website today and get busy selling music downloads online that you'll be able to give up the day job immediately! However, the internet can provide a lot of things you need to promote yourself as a musical artist.


This is what your music website will do for you:


1. Provide news to your fans when your latest CD is ready, read it here!


2. List gigs or concert dates (and any changes)


3. Sell your songs as music downloads to fans all over the world


4. Provide press information


5. Publish interviews, photos and biographies


6. Provide a communication center for dialogue with fans and other bands


7. Act as a "calling card" for getting new bookings or attracting the attention of major labels, getting contracts for incidental music etc.


A website can represent your music in multimedia, such as YouTube....much better than print or radio, and it is much cheaper than TV. And you can sell your songs as music downloads anywhere in the world!

mp3 downloads are emerging as a serious alternative to the CD. In an age where most modern kids burn their own CDs, it makes sense to adjust your strategy accordingly. Selling songs as moderately priced downloads means you have no production costs. You can even treat members of your band website with free mp3 downloads. It means you don't need a record deal and you are free to do what you want with your music. Package a CD cover along with the songs and your fans can burn the CDs themselves.





Buying mp3 downloads is potentially a more satisfying buying experience than traditional music shops. It provides instant satisfaction for consumers when they discover, download and play your songs immediately.


The internet is an amazingly flexible format. Theoretically, you could record a live show, encode and upload it later that evening so that the entire show would be available for sale the next day. Fans would love to have this as a reminder of a great concert. Better than a T-shirt!


Treat your music website seriously. Your music website is often the first port of call for people - fans, label managers and A&R to check you out. It makes good sense for you, as an unsigned artist to have one.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

How To Get Your Band A Killer Website


In an earlier entry in this blog I gave a very brief overview of tips and what is entailed with setting up a website for your band. Now it's time to get to the hard-core aspect of this topic to make your site really fly. I deliberately 'softened' that entry for fear of scaring you off. Ideally, by now, you may have read that particular post and surmised that there is an awful lot more to it. Now I'm going to 'cut to the chase.'


It is inevitable that you will  have to, initially employ the services of a web site design expert. Ideally they are already an experienced webmaster. A competent and experienced webmaster will know webmaster tricks that you've never even heard of and probably not notice. Obviously, your webmaster will keep you up to speed on these intricacies. Your webmaster will also work closely in conjunction with your manager and your band. Once your web site design expert has every piece of knowledge that he requires he will immediately register your site under a domain name. The financial 'cap' on this should be pre-determined.


He will then busy himself making the site as visually appealing without too much 'clutter' whilst making literary tweaks in the interests of seo optimisation. SEO optimisation can make or break a site....and both factors can be achieved all too easily. This is why I highly recommend a web site design expert.


Once a 'draft' website has been completed, both band and management should be given access for either approval or further advice. Bare in mind, 'further advice' means further spending. Don't fall into the trap of having to borrow money merely for a website.


You are more than likely, if the person that you hired for your web site design is giving you their



all, tastefully and relevant Google Adsense Ads should appear on your site. If implemented properly, this can be a very handy form of residual income for your site.


On a final note, YouTube videos should be utilised on their site. Great care should, however, should be taken. YouTube videos of your band taken on a hand-held video from the back of a room aren't going to encourage return videos. I took the hint of a friend of mine. I mimed to my own soundtrack.....and it worked a treat.


Also, with regard to YouTube videos on your site, don't be afraid of saying a few words; a mini-blog, if you like. This brings your fans 'closer' to you. My advice in this department is....keep it short; ideally under 2 minutes. Keep your YouTube video content relevant but I encourage you to add your own personal touch


If you implement the above-mentioned strategies, I guarantee that your seo optimised website will very soon skyrocket in numbers on  a global scale.


To claim your 50% discount on "Mean Business," enter the codeword: thistle

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Band Finances.



Take a moment to see where you are in your music career and what you need financially to get you where you need to be. I am sure that one or more then one of these methods listed below will help with your music funding without having to seek legal advice with regard to having to refinance or formulate a debt management plan.


I'm sure that you are aware that the types of music career choices as an independent musician can have many financial expenses and in even many cases it is very difficult for many up and comers in the music industry to be able to finance their music dreams. 


Prior to 'cutting to the chase,' there are a couple of seemingly easy, convenient and easy ways to raise funds for your band. The first is a pay day loan. These generally entail a relatively small amount of money being loaned to you for a short period of time. If you take it upon yourself to go for a pay day loan then be it on your own shoulders...not the shoulders of the band or your manager who I am sure would all be none too pleased.


In this entry I will go over a few ways in the hope that one may be able to get music funding to help pay for some of the things that may be needed to help move their music career along. Every thing that I talk about in this article can immediately be implemented if chosen to.


Additionally, seeking cash advances from seemingly 'helpful' sources generally bite you on the backside further on down the road. Any band member who takes it upon themselves to take out a loan, irrespective of ho attractive it seems, in the interest of the band are psychologically distancing themselves from the band. It will lead to unrest.




Like I said, there can be tons of fairly high expenses that a musician may occur when pursuing their music career. Listed below are a few examples of what I'm talking about.

Studio Time - $35-$100 an hour
Music Lessons/Vocal Lessons - $30-$100 + an hour
Sound Equipment - $200- $1,000's
Studio Equipment - $1,000's
Instruments - $100 - $1,000's
Touring Cost - $100's - $1,000's
Promotional Items - $100's-$1,000's

These are just a few of the many examples of how expensive having a music career can be and this is exactly why investing in your music may be needed to accomplish certain tasks related to your music.

Here are some music funding methods that you can try to obtain that can help pay for some of all of your expenses.




A Grant - This is one of the best ways to receive music funding due to the fact that in most cases the grant money does not need to be paid back. Many musicians miss out on this opportunity because they do not take the time to research grants and ho to go about obtaining one, but you should know that grants are real.

Loans - Another great way to receive some music funding is using loans. A small personal loan is not that hard to get. Make sure you go prepared and make sure you know your credit score. Let them know what your plan is for the loan and how you plan on paying it back. The type of loans that I speak of here are not the pay day loans and cash advances that I referred to earlier.

Small Business Loans - If you have a business established for your music career then you can apply for a small business loan. You can also qualify for a loan through the government which will


have a very low interest rate. It's worth searching the internet to locate your nearest local provider of such a service. This is an area for your management to be dealing with.

Credit Cards - They can be a great way to fill short term financing gaps. Try to find a credit card with a low APR or better yet an introductory offer of 0% APR. That way you can get what you need and pay it off later with the lowest amount of finance charges. Again, your management should be dealing with this area....obviously in consultation with your band.



Grab your 50% discount for "Mean Business" by entering the codeword: thistle


<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>


Custom Search

Your Bands Website. Part 1


Many working bands baulk at the notion of having their own website. This can be through lack of confidence or computer know-how or simply the fact that they are working so hard that time just isn't available. I cannot stress enough that in these modern times, an official band website is crucial for advertising. Having said this, it is not something that a band should jump into without research and consultation and precision. 


Organise a meeting with your manager who should have no hesitation in delving into your credit card to employ an expert to do the job. You may think this is costly but after the website has been completed it should be a low-maintenance affair.


Once your website has been created, it must be promoted. Firstly, the most valuable source of promotion is the contact the band already has with potential customers: CD sleeves, leaflets at gigs, posters, and press releases. Putting the web address on everything the band issues helps to develop loyalty to the site, especially if the site has a memorable web address. Online readers have a very low attention span. Ideally, your site should be attention-grabbing without going overboard.


A free mailing list is all important and should be used wisely. The people who have joined your free mailing list are interested in your music enough to join. The most common mistake made by bands is abusing their mailing list by over-using it. Offer members occasional free mp3 downloads and so-forth.


Exchanging links with other websites gives bands a chance to collect visitors from like-minded sites. If you have obvious influences or sound like a well-known band, seek out the leading fan websites and get them to review your music and exchange links. You can find them using the Ultimate Band List which lists entries for free and will create a category for your own band if you ask them to.






By visiting a search engine like www.google.com or www.webcrawler.com and entering the search keywords you want to come up under, you can see who's already got the top entry across a range of search engines. Rarely can you unseat them, but you can often exchange links with them. This is a surefire way to becoming a 'regular' appearance on SEO searches.


In a world swamped with free music, it's easier to promote ideas than tunes, so it's worth extending the ideas of your songs into webpages and using them to attract relevant traffic. You can also write music tutorials or diaries, which are likely to draw people interested in your style of music who might then download one of your MP3s. Make sure that you use descriptive keywords in the interests of search engine optimization (SEO). 


There's no point using 'music' or 'mp3', given the number of other sites using those keywords, but you might do better with '80s cover versions'. Be specific. You can submit your site to lots of search engines at once at Addme, but it can be more effective to submit the page to search engines one at a time by visiting them and then following the 'Add URL' or 'Suggest a site' links.


Another powerful promotional tool is the webring, a group of sites on the same subject that link in a chain. Visitors can follow the chain forwards or backwards by using a standardised box on each website. To find a suitable webring, visit www.webring.org. If you believe you're at the forefront of the next big thing, you can also start your own webring for free and set the rules for who gets to join.


Create a banner advert and encourage your fans to put it on their personal websites to bring you



traffic. You can also get a button from www.recommend-it.com that will automatically enable visitors to send an email to friends telling them how great your site is. In return, the visitors are entered into a competition to win US$10,000.


The Music Industry News Network is a free service that will distribute your music press release by email. To stand out online, you'll need to make sure you've got something unusual to say and a compelling reason for people to visit your website.


To get your 50% discount on "Mean Business," enter the codeword: thistle

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>


Custom Search

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Write Your Own Songs


In this entry I'll be discussing how songwriting fits into the 'big picture' as opposed to
specific songwriting techniques, which shall be addressed in a future publication. Let's
face it, a song is a story put to music. Say this to most songwriters & they'll babble on
to the point of tedium. I'll cut to the chase.


Most people who listen to music and have no connection with musicians don't give any
thought as to how a song actually comes to fruition.


• People don't care how long you took, just tell them the story.


Write a brief synopsis about each song IMMEDIATELY on completion. Save this, along
with the song lyrics, to the relevant folder & print AT LEAST two hard copies. Add your description to EVERY site that you submit the track to. This gives each track an identity of its' own to the listener & to the all-important search engines before it has even been heard. 


Song genre' (not everyone has heard of you...yet!) & tempo should be included wherever you are able.


• Let the song introduce itself.


Liner notes for albums, let alone individual songs, are grossly overlooked by most musicians these days. Give the public the credit they deserve. Liner notes work for you & FOR you. That's right. They're a win-win option that should not be passed up. You are PERSONALISING the song before its' even heard! You are drawing the prospective buyer inadvertently closer to a sale and you're giving a glimpse of what the song is about to YOUR way of thinking.


• Listeners rarely get the same meaning from your songs as you do. This is a HUGE positive!


How cool is it to have your own lyrics and music analysed

so closely as to have them
mean something totally different to someone you have never met? A great mistake
many songwriters make is to become 'precious' about the interpretation of their songs.


• Let people to enjoy your music as THEY want to.


By providing the aforementioned liner notes you are keeping your inbox clear of
lengthy descriptions of your own material. Whilst initially flattering, it becomes tedious.


Lyrically, people tend to enjoy exaggeration in a song. This can be problematic at times
but many years ago I found a couple of marvellous ways of doing this without any
effort at all. Swap from singing in the first person to singing in the second person.
Become “...the hollow guy at the bar...” If this isn't enough, swap gender!


• Don't sing about YOU & try role-reversal!!!


Each songwriter has their strengths & weaknesses. Well prior to utilising these to hilt,
one must be FULLY aware of them.


There is only one way to do this and it's the long way. Have one of your recorded
songs listened to by as many people that you know and have them honestly appraise
it. Ask them to actually WRITE their opinion down for you. Ask people from as many
different walks of life as you can. That's the easy part.




• Involve people before a song is even released!


Most people will initially laugh but believe me, secretly they'll be quite taken that you
have asked them. They'll be telling a lot of THEIR friends about it too! It's the most
congenial form of advertising that there is.


Now for the difficult part; sifting through your feedback. It will vary in every possible
manner that you can think of. Don't get bogged down. Look for consistencies, good
and bad. Keep firmly focussed on the fact that it is your SONGWRITING that is being
analysed and nothing more.


• So the guitar isn't loud enough. Who cares?


It is, of course, common courtesy to thank those kind enough to appraise your
songwriting skills by way of a finished product.
Once you have sifted through all of your opinions you should have a pretty definite
idea of where the general public see your strengths & weaknesses as a songwriter.
Now the fun really starts.


• Who are you really writing for?


Ask the vast majority of independent songwriters if we write because we enjoy it &
we'll say “Yes.” It's a pretty solid & stock-standard answer, otherwise we wouldn't be
independent. Ask the vast majority of independent songwriters if we write for the money, most jump up & down saying “No! Never!” Ask the vast majority of independent songwriters if we're writing for listeners, most will say, “Yes,” almost as an afterthought.


Truth be told, we write songs for all of the above reasons in varying degrees.


Get you 50% discount for "Mean Business" by entering the codeword: thistle

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>



Custom Search

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Internet Radio


The world is increasingly beginning to revolve around the power of the internet nowadays. It seems that people are always surfing the net for work, studies, information and even for their own entertainment; well, mostly for entertainment. For many years, the internet has been the medium for much music and video download, streaming and other forms of entertainment. One particular breakthrough is the development and popularity on the use of the internet radio. With its increasing popularity there came various radio music software sites that cater to such fun entertainment. With its improved features as compared from its traditional counterpart, the internet radio has taken the whole world by storm and is getting popular every minute. 

One of the greatest features of having this internet radio is its ability to broadcast data through the internet. This means that everyone in the whole wide world can access this new kind of radio and you are assured that the programs as well as the list of radio stations you are listening to are all automatically updated. The internet radio also has a large database giving users the ability to stream over 20,000 radio stations found in over 200 countries in the world. You’ll be presented a list of the top online music radio stations of the country you wish to listen music from. With so many countries as well as radio stations to choose from, you’ll never have to worry of boredom crawling in to your life ever again.


 

The internet radio also has an easy-to-use control panel wherein you can use to surf the endless lists of online music stations in all parts of the world. The control panel is created in a way that is easily understood by all. It is well organized too. For instance, some control panels have stations categorized by region or music genre so you’ll be able to locate your favorite radio station instantly. This is really convenient since the internet does have a large database, so by having specific areas or genre to choose from, you don’t have to search long for your preferred music radio station in the control panel. In addition to the well-organized control panel, you can also store favorite radio station as well as view your previously tuned-in radio station at the control panel. 

Lastly, the internet radio has been manipulated extensively by various users. Of


course, they do want to stay modernized; therefore, they always come up with new ideas and gadgets that can promote this well-rounded radio. One of these modernized gadgets is the use of USB devices in storing radio software. This USB radio software allows you to bring along your radio in a compact form anywhere you want to go. 

Truly the internet radio has served its purpose in giving quality entertainment to all nations. Being the latest version of the traditional radio, the internet radio has surpassed the boundaries of audio entertainment by catering its broadcasts to a global audience. This enables people to feel much closer to different cultures and traditions of other countries through the power of the internet.


Grab your 50% discount on "Mean Business" by entering the codeword: thistle

<a href="http://bobfindlay.bandcamp.com/album/mean-business">Snake Eyes by Bob Findlay</a>