GarageSpin

Paying for Music Placement with Tadcast

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Hurah!  The Payola playingfield has been leveled a smidgeon more.

Joining the ranks of Jango, Last.fm, and Songza, Tadcast launched a brilliant twist by enabling musicians to pay for placement in video by paying on an per listen or per click (if someone clicks on your band link after seeing a video) basis.

Their video does a decent job of explaining how it works, so I’ll just paste the ol’ ditty here:


How Tadcast Helps Musicians! from Tadcast on Vimeo.

If you give this a try, please share your experiences! I may myself, as I get closer to completing an album…

Crowdsourcing Album Song Selection With A Jango Focus Group

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Brian at Passive Promotion (and artist Color Theory) wrote a great post about how he used Jango to determine which songs he should feature, and which he should cut, in his next album.

Basically, he paid for plays, focusing on a demographic and music taste profile that fits his own style, looked for top performers, and made his selections.  The live market research enabled him to select the album leader, which is critical in retaining listeners visiting an artist’s music for the first time.

Great, great, great mix of marketing science and music production common sense with an efficient spend.

If you haven’t followed Brian in the past, he also crowdsourced the actual creative process by soliciting feedback from fans regarding song ideas, lyric ideas, song title ideas, etc.  Color Theory makes a great case study for modern day DIY music production.  Check him out.

$1 Million Bucks for a Hit Song Copyright on Ebay?

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You can buy the semi-guaranteed hit song copyright, “Never is Forever”, for the measly sum of $1,000,000.00 on Ebay.

Just to be clear, it’s the song’s author, Floyd Murray, making the semi-guarantee, saying, “I humbly must admit, based on my gut and the response that this song brings, that this is a major hit song.”  The cynic in me normally ignores PR stunts such as this one, but in this case, the cynic in me actually wanted to hear the song…to trash it.

Here’s the thing — the song actually IS good, and has hit potential.  I’m not sure it’s worth $1M, but it may provide just enough legs to help Murray find an interested song publisher.  Kudos to Floyd on a solid self-promotion effort.  Floyd, if you read this a couple issues:

  • Try as I might, I can’t seem to find song auction on Ebay… Oops, nevermind, the auction starts on March 26th.
  • The song video (see below) is not in YouTube. Why not? Leverage the video capitol of the world… (Ok, the video IS on YouTube, however it’s not linked to in the press release. Thanks, Chris!)
  • Floyd’s website needs serious help, partying like it’s 1999.  My eyes still hurt…

Otherwise, kudos, and best of luck, Floyd.  Here he is singing the song — what do you think?




Let the bidding begin.  (Let me know if you find the auction…)

7 Ways to Sell Your Music on iTunes

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PLEASE READ:  Because you demanded it, ALL pricing, UPC/ISRC, and Digital Distribution info below is now up to date as of 3/2/2012!


Any musician seriously considering digital distribution is thinking about getting their music on iTunes.

iTunes controls between 60-80% of digital music sales, depending on who you ask.  Fortunately, the once impossible task is now possible through several services catering to bands and songwriters.  However, the different pricing models make the decision less than obvious.

With my own first EP release approaching (at a crawl), I scouted out the various options currently available, and am posting them here for your convenience.  Check ’em out, see what you think.  (If I’m missing an option/service, let me know.)

Before Uploading Your Music to iTunes

Just a couple things to think about:

  1. Have your Music Mastered. Mastering is the process of optimizing the dynamics, EQ, and volume of a recording.  Whether you do it yourself, or have it done professionally, it’s the last tweak step to make sure your stuff is as close to commercial standards as possible.
  2. Obtain a UPC Code. To sell your music, you will need a UPC code assigned to your release.  All of the services listed below can do this for you if you haven’t already; some charge a fee, some don’t.  (I include that info below.)  You will also need an ISRC, but that’s even easier — all the services below will create one for you for free.
  3. Choose a pricing model. Different combinations of setup fees, flat fees, and commission fees are offered.  If your music is less widely recognized, a commission fee structure may make more sense; if you expect to sell a lot, a flat fee structure with 0% commission may make more sense for you.
  4. Choose a service that meets your needs. Some of the services below may offer other tools and perks you’re looking for.  For the sake of convenience, pick a service that gives you the most for your money.

7 Music Services That Can Get Your Music on iTunes

Here are 7 music services, in alphabetical order (lest you think I have a favorite), that offer bands a way to get their music on iTunes.  The pricing models and packages are all different, as are the variety of core and ancillary services that each company offers.  In this post, I am only comparing pricing options; you’ll want to do deeper research on your own (and I may write a follow-up post with a deeper dive). Hopefully, this list will help you make your decision.

CD Baby and iTunes

CD Baby

Pricing:

  • Whole Album
    • Setup fee: $35 $49 to process a CD for CD Baby’s services
    • Digital distribution setup is included
    • Commission Fee:  9% royalties from iTunes sales
  • Single Track
    • $9.95 per single
    • Commission Fee:  9% royalties from iTunes sales

UPC & ISRC Codes:

  • UPC is $20 for album, $5 for single
  • ISRC is free

Digital Distribution Included:

  • iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, Amazon MP3, Napster, Verizon V-Cast, Google Music, MySpace Music, Spotify, Simfy, Nokia, Last.FM, Zune, MediaNet (MusicNet), Tradebit, GreatIndieMusic, 24-7, 7 Digital, Myxer, MOG, Heart Radio, Deezer, Liquid Digital Media, PayPlay, AudioLunchbox, GroupieTunes, Ruckus,

Ditto Music

Pricing:

  • Whole Album
    • iTunes distribution is free
    • No commission fees; artist gets 100% royalties
    • $35 per album per year (for selection of “key” stores)
    • Alternatively:  “55c per track per store…and yearly subscription of $8 for a single and $22 for an album” (I don’t quite get that either…)
  • Single Track
    • iTunes distribution is free
    • No commission fees; artist gets 100% royalties
    • $9.00 per single (for selection of key stores)

UPC & ISRC Codes:

  • UPC is free
  • ISRC is free

Digital Distribution Included:

iTunes, Google Music, Amazon On Demand, AmazonMp3, Rhapsody, Myspace Music, Medianet, 7Digital, Tunetribe, Tuneplay, Spotify, Rdio, Muve Music, We7, iHeartRadio, Sony Qriocity, Simfy, Grooveshark, Deezer, mFlow, Zvooq, AT&T, WiMP, Nokia, Eircom, eMusic, Beatport, Tuneplay, Amalgam Digital, Juno, Track It Down, Audio Jelly, Dance Tunes, FargoTube, Basepiont Media, 121 Music, Beezik

Musicadium and iTunes

Musicadium (Acquired by ValleyArm.com)

Pricing:

  • For each “release” (single, EP or album):
    • Distribution fee to one outlet  $39 AUD (~$25 US)
    • Distribution fee to two outlets  $69 AUD (~$44 US)
    • Distribution fee to three outlets  $79 AUD (~$51 US)
    • Annual renewal fee  $20 AUD (~$13 US)
  • Commission fee: None, artist gets 100% royalties

UPC & ISRC Codes:

  • UPC is $39 AUD (~$25 US)
  • ISRC is free

Digital Distribution Included:

  • iTunes, eMusic, Amazon

Nimbit and iTunes

Nimbit

Pricing:

  • For NimbitFree (Nimbit’s free service):
    • $15/album setup fee
    • 20% commission fee
  • For Paid Nimbit Members ($9.95 $12.95/month):
    • No commission fees; artist gets 100% royalties.
    • Whole album or single track

UPC & ISRC Codes:

  • UPC and ISRC are both free

Digital Distribution:

  • iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic, AmazonMP3 CDFreedom, LiveWire, Groupie Tunes,

ReverbNation and iTunes

ReverbNation

Pricing:

  • Setup fee: $34.95 (Essentials Plan)
  • Setup fee: $59.95 (Pro Plan)
  • No commission fees; artist gets 100% royalties
  • A single track release is priced as an “album”

UPC & ISRC Codes:

  • UPC and ISRC are both free

Digital Distribution:

  • iTunes, AmazonMP3, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, Google Music, Spotify, Last.fm, Zune (Musiwave), Myspace Music, Medianet (Tesco, La Curacao, Synacor, WaTunes, plalist.com, MOG, Myxer, Secure Media), 24-7 Entertainment, 7 Digital, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Mega, Deezer, Simfy, Thumbplay OTA, Guvera, Aspiro, Nielson Soundscan, We7, Puretracks, Nokia, Rdio

SongCast and iTunes

Songcast

Pricing:

  • Setup Fee: $19.99 $19.00 per album; $9.99 per single
  • Monthly Subscription Fee: $5.99 per month
  • No commission fees; artist gets 100% royalties

UPC & ISRC Codes:

  • UPC and ISRC are both free

Digital Distribution Included:

  • iTunes, Rhapsody, AmazonMP3, Emusic, Google Music, Spotify, MediaNet

Tunecore and iTunes

TuneCore

Pricing:

  • Single Track:
    • $9.99 per year
    • $9.99 for ONE song (one time charge)
    • $9.99 per single maintenance and storage (per year)
  • Whole Album:
    • $49 per year
    • $0.99 per song (one time charge)
    • $0.99 per store per album (one time charge)
    • $19.98 per album maintenance and storage (per year)

UPC & ISRC Codes:

  • UPC and ISRC are both free

Digital Distribution:

  • iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, MediaNet (x-MusicNet), eMusic, AmazonMP3, Amazon On Demand, Google Music, Nokia, Spotify, MySpace Music, iHeartRadio, Zune, Nokia, Vervelife, Sony Connect, GroupieTunes, Lala, ShockHound, Amie Street

the orchard itunes

The Orchard

Pricing information not included on website.  Service geared towards labels, and not DIY musicians/bands.  I’d stick with one of the services above, unless you’re a label-ite.

Other Ways to Distribute Music Digitally?

This post focused on iTunes distribution and pricing only. There’s also the matter of other retailers, merchandise, selling music from your own site, etc. What music service(s) or widget(s) do you use to distribute your music digitally? What do you think is important in a digital music distribution service?

How to Get Your Band or Music on Faceoook

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I just created a Facebook Page for GarageSpin. If you’re on Facebook, let’s connect.

What is a “Facebook Page”?  (i.e. not a “Facebook Profile”)

Most folks know how to use Facebook to create a regular, personal profile page. But not everyone knows about “Facebook Pages“, and if you’re a musician, band, or artist, you should. Facebook Pages were created by Facebook to enable bands, artists, businesses, politicians, whatever, to create pages for themselves within the social network that are separate from personal profile pages.

Why Should I Create a Facebook Page?

Well, it’s super easy, so why not? But more importantly, Facebook usage is skyrocketing, and it’s become one of the most popular social platforms for sharing stuff (links, photos, music, quotes, news, and random nonsense.) Rather than my writing a “Facebook for Dummies” post, you should try it yourself if you haven’t already. Check out these traffic trends (Facebook is blue, MySpace is red):

facebook vs myspace traffic

It’s clear that Facebook is currently crushing the once almighty MySpace, and isn’t close to stopping. As a musician or artist promoting music or art, you need to get plugged in. The Band Page can be used to communicate to fans, manage gig schedules, store video and event info, and other stuff. You can see an example of one by checking out my GarageSpin page.

How Do I Create a Band Facebook Page?

Create a Faceboook PageIt takes 2 minutes:

  1. Use your Facebook login to access your account (or create a new one).
  2. Then go to the Create New Facebook Page.
  3. Select the 3rd radio button titled “Artist, Band, or Public Figure”.
  4. Then select “Band” or “Musician” (or whatever applies) in the dropdown box.
  5. Click on “Create Page”.
  6. Your Facebook Page now exists. Now pimp it out with stuff. (Note: When you upload your music, you will need to upload a driver’s license or passport photo to verify your ID.)

Facebook Applications: How to Add Music to Facebook

So, maybe you’re not in a band, and you just want to add your favorite music to Facebook. There are some alternative, and pretty cool facebook applications built to let you add music to your personal profile. Facebook apps have been created by a bunch of third party websites. Two great facebook apps are the iLike app and Last.FM app. Be sure to check them out. You’ll need to create an account with any site whose Facebook application or music widget you decide to use.

If you’re in a band, and you want to add your band’s music to your personal profile page, you can do a couple things. Once you create a band Facebook Page, you can add it to your regular Facebook profile’s “Favorites” section. You can also use one of several band Facebook applications, such as the ReverbNation App. iLike’s and Last.Fm’s facebook widgets would also work. Which one you decide to use is your call.

Customize Facebook Profile

Facebook isn’t MySpace; it doesn’t allow much in the way of free facebook layouts, facebook hacks, or the other garbage that plagues MySpace. If you want to play with your band Facebook profile, customise it with the many Facebook applications that exist. There are some ugly apps out there, though, so be careful what you test or activate. (Personally, I use ReverbNation’s Facebook App.)

Be Searchable

A quick word about Facebook search optimization. If you have an odd band name or last name, be sure to somehow, somewhere, include multiple versions or spellings of your band’s name so your fans can find it. For example, if your band was named “Facebook” (though I’m not sure why’s you’d do that to yourself), you might want to include variations such as faceboook, facebok, faceboo, facbook, acebook, etc in a little “keyword” section somewhere within your profile.

Unblock With Facebook Proxies

Another quick word, this time for those of you who can’t use Facebook because it’s blocked at school or at work — use one of many Facebook proxies to unblock Facebook. A proxy is usually able to grant you access to your account indirectly, bypassing your school’s or company’s filtering systems.

Go Forth and Conquer

Okay, I rambled waaaay more than I intended to about the ‘Book. Take 2 minutes to create your own page, or add new music to your personal profile. Then, connect with me so we both have more friends and feel more popular.

TuneCore Industry Guides – i.e. Link Bait

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TuneCore produced a couple "Music Industry Survival Manuals" which are pretty much just over-simplified tidbits of wisdom wrapped around a chunk of advertising.  However, if you’re pretty new to music promotion, or you just started a new band, they might help you organize your "Make-myself-famous-To-Do-List".   Feel free to check out their mastering (the most advertising-ish of all), marketing & sales, and publishing guides if you’re interested.

Make a Living With Only 1000 True Fans

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Well, a recent post by Kevin Kelly (wow — how did he get the domain "kk.org"?) entirled "1,000 True Fans" has caught quite a lot of attention via the interwebs lately.  Building on the oft mentioned "Long Tail" concept, it argues economically that musicians can make a fine living by winning over 1,000 "True Fans", i.e. fans that love you so much, they’re willing to pay a day’s worth of wages to support you and enjoy your work in a given year.

If you haven’t read it, you should, otherwise you risk looking about nervously when blogger beatniks in the know throw around the buzz term "True Fans".  I promise to do so myself — WATCH OUT.  Really, though, be sure to give it a read.

Innovation, Free Publicity, & Multi Level Music Marketing

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Oy vey, there are waaaaaay too many music marketing blogs out there these days…  Which makes having found one that simultaneously inspires, confuses, and awes a rare event.  If you have a chunk of time on your hands, definitely read Audible Hype‘s post on high concept, low cost, brilliant multi-level media campaigns. Here is one statement of absolute truth:

I will be providing examples of outstanding, low-cost, high-reward promotional concepts, but if you turn around and replicate them, you will fail.  Why?  These ideas all worked because they were innovative—brand new angles.  This means they’re already taken, and you’ll look like an idiot imitating them.

It’s long, but worth the read.

Promote Your Band on a $500 Budget

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Andrew Dubber of New Music Strategies blogAndrew at New Music Strategies recently completed an eBook compilation of blog posts titled "20 Things You Must Know About Music Online" that’s now available for free.  (I was a little surprised — I was thinking of doing a "Top Ten" series myself…but he beat me to it, and did an awesome job.  Definitely read or download it.)

Des at HomeTracked interviewed Andrew about it, which was an interesting read.  I enjoyed this exchange:

HomeTracked: A band tells you they have $500 to spend on promotion. How would you recommend they spend that money?

New Music Strategies: $500 is branding money. Who are they? What do they represent? What is their look, their values, their logo, their font (seriously), their story? These things make it easy for everything else to line up.

If you don’t have a story, then you have no reason for local newspapers to talk about you. If they don’t have a logo or chosen font, local promoters will always list their band name in ‘Generica Bold’. You need to stand out.

Perhaps the best thing you could do, if you live anywhere near a university or college with a media programme is to give $100 to the brightest PR students for a local PR campaign — community newspapers and the like; $100 to the best graphic design students for logos, sticker, t-shirt and sleeve design for promo CDs — as well as imaging for website use; $100 to the best television students for a half decent studio performance clip you can upload to YouTube, give away on DVDs, etc; $100 for web hosting, domain name and an enthusiastic web and new media student that knows their stuff about CSS to make the most out of a WordPress-based site.

The last $100 is for new strings, drum heads, a piano tuner or whatever you need to get your work tools sounding as good as they can.  more of the interview >

Interesting.  My budget happens to be about $500, and I don’t have a logo, font, CD, T-shirt, or local media contacts, and I’m on the verge of ditching my current bandname, DreamSpin.  …hm…  At least I have this blog.  :)

Seriously, though, it’s all true.  Bands must be able to answer the question:  "What’s your STORY?" (In my case, I’m not 100% there yet, and could use the help of a web/graphic designer.)

iTunes Charts Bum Rushed, Unsigned Band Makes It

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So, an update on the "Bum Rush the Charts" campaign that took place last week (where a group of podcasters tried to launch a currently unsigned band (Black Lab) into the iTunes "top song" charts):

  • The song "Mine Again" reached #11 in the US Rock Chart.
  • The song made it to #99 in the overall Top 100 Songs Chart.
  • The song was only track by an unsigned band (Black Lab’s previous two signings not included).

Not too shabby.  The full sales stats will be known in 30 days.  And now there’ll be a scholarship for some lucky college-bound student.  Cool beans.  More info on the campaign results were posted here.