Jon Ostrow (@miccontrol) is the cofounder of MicControl, a music blogging community bridging the gap between musicians and music bloggers.

For musicians, the idea of collecting data can seem like one giant headache. For some data collection seems to be the dividing line between musician and business-person, approaching with extreme caution and skepticism.

However, the reality is that in an age where social media reigns supreme and music sales are becoming increasingly difficult to come by, it is the data that can be the shining beacon to pull you out of obscurity.

What is the purpose of collecting data?

Plain and simple, properly collecting data can help you identify and learn more about your super fans, who will help you achieve a stronger fan base and stronger sales.  By studying your super fans, your whole fan base and even your scene at large, you will better understand their social and consumer behaviors so that you can make more money and more fans with everything you do.

So the question then becomes, what data is most important to collect and study?

Not all data will be helpful. In fact some things may actually work to cloud your vision of the bigger picture so it’s important that you only focus on the most relevant of data.

The following are 5 different types of data that will most certainly help you identify the best opportunities to grow and strengthen your fan base, and make more money from sales in the process:

Location

First, knowing the location of your fans will help you plan better tours and promotion efforts. Why waste your time THINKING that you should go to NYC or LA or any other big music market just because it seems like the right thing to do, when really a large concentration of your fans live in Akron, OH? Once you know where your fans are, you can go right to them.

Second, having a collection of your fans’ locations allows you to send out targeted show updates and announcements only to fans living within a certain distance of the venue. This is a critical step in avoiding your events pages, specifically Facebook events, being seen as spam and either getting ignored or worse, pissing off your fans and driving them away.

How To Collect:

The best way to collect this information is through a mailing list. When you set up your mailing list, make sure the sign-up form includes a mandatory location field. The real benefit of going through your mailing list to find the location of your fans is that you are collecting location data of your most dedicated fans. These are the ones who have committed to staying updated and involved and should be the first fans you look to engage with.

Age

How To Collect:

Two great places to find the ages of your fans are your mailing list, again make sure that the sign-up form includes a mandatory age field, and social analytics. I would highly recommend checking out Hootsuite, a social dashboard that allows you to not only keep track of Facebook and Twitter along with a few other popular social networking platforms, but has an incredible suite of analytical tools that can better help you identify the age range of your active fans.

Note: In order for Hootsuite to properly track your Twitter account, all links included in your tweets need to be ow.ly and/ or hoot.ly links.

Purpose Of Social Media Use

How To Collect:

There is really no easy way to collect this information other than putting in the time to do the research. Find some good blogs that cater to your scene and study them. Find out the kind of content that gets the most hits, and maybe even take it a step further by looking at the comments, identifying a few readers and exploring their social media use across multiple platforms to get a full picture.

Time Of Social Media Use

Social Media is based on the idea of staying connected in real time. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter have created algorithms to help users see the most relevant updates from the last few hours, but there is no guarantee that your updates will get seen if they are missed when they first go out. It is critical that you understand not just how, but WHEN your fans are using social networking sites so you can maximize the potential of all of your updates being seen by the right fans.

How To Collect:

Flowtown, a startup focused on social media marketing, recently released a free tool called Timely that analyzes the engagement (replied and retweets) of your tweets and identifies the 4 best times for you to tweet throughout the day.

Timely identifies the time of the day that your tweets will be most effective, but doesn’t identify the day of the week that your tweets will be most effective. For this, Hootsuite’s social analytics tools will allow you to see how track how many clicks and re-tweets you get each day so that you can better determine YOUR most effective days on Twitter.

Facebook also recently announced the addition of real-time statistics to their FB Anayltics tools so that you can track the times of the engagement of your fans.

Preferred Method Of Music Purchases

1) It will tell you exactly where your fans go to purchase music so that you can make your music available to them where they already are. The more convenient you make it for your fans to purchase your music, the more likely they will be to do so.

2) You will have the opportunity to study what your fans purchase.

- Do they typically just purchase the album or do they drift towards a special edition album?
- What is the average price your fans are willing to spend on a special package (album + merch)?
- What sort of packages do your fans find most valuable? (i.e. tickets, merch, unreleased music. etc.)

These questions are all very important to answer, because they will directly relate to you increasing your revenue. If you JUST offer a download of your album for $10 and a special edition with all of these crazy benefits for $50, there is a big gap between the two, and anyone unwilling to spend upwards of $50 will just settle for the download. However, if you know that your fans are interested in other things like t-shirts and/ or concert tickets and can create packages for $10, $20, and $50 you may be able to capture many of the fans unwilling to spend $50 with the $20 package. This simple addition has just helped you double the revenue from EACH fan unwilling to spend $50, but willing to spend $20 over the $10. This WILL add up and make a big difference!

How To Collect:

Really the best way of collecting this data is by reaching out to others in your scene who have experienced and observed   the purchasing behavior of fans. This includes artist, music bloggers and even the fans. One option is to set up a survey using Poll Daddy and reach out to a sample of people that you know have dealt with a music release, say 30 or so people (though more doesn’t hurt if you can get them) and ask them to give some quick feedback.

Tip: Offer a free download for helping with the survey! Just another great way to let your fans know that they are appreciated!

Collecting data doesn’t need to be a complicated mess of databases and fancy math – it simply needs to have a purpose. Collecting the right kind of data will bring you one step closer to understanding who your fans are, what the scene is about, and what your current and future goals should be. As you prepare to collect data from your fans, make sure that each type of data works to give you a clearer picture of how you can succeed.

What Data Are YOU Concerned With?

[image credit]

By: Jon Ostrow

Jon Ostrow is the cofounder of MicControl.com (@miccontrol), a music blogging community that bridges the gap between musicians and bloggers.

Music Videos are a funny thing. MTV made them hugely important to the overall promotional strategy of a musician. But as the music industry started to decide over the last decade, and MTV found out that they can make more money by showcasing Jersey’s finest, the idea of a music video started to become obsolete.

Then Youtube entered the picture, and of course the viral video stars came along with it. And now as social media has become such an increasingly important piece of a musician’s updated promotional strategy, music videos are starting to become a bigger part of the picture again.

The year 2010 has really been an incredible year for music videos. With independent artists making major strides in the innovation and execution of ideas, it seems as though the music video has not only made a full-fledged comeback, but has birthed new concepts that could change the way musicians think of music videos in the future.

The following music videos were chosen specifically for their innovation, originality and effectiveness:

RUNNER UP) Ok Go: This To Shall Pass

Keeping up with appearances as the reigning viral video all-stars, Ok Go released this incredible video, featuring one seamless shot of a Rube Goldberg Machine. However, although the down-right awe-inspiring music video has once again gone viral, the band was unable to convert the attention into real success in terms of sales dollars. Soon after Ok Go released the video and their latest album, Of The Colour Of Blue Sky, album sales had spiked around 25,000 units and Ok Go split with label EMI.

…To be fair to Ok-Go though, EMI has been in the hot-seat this year. So the poor sales figures may actually have less to do with ‘the world’s shtickiest band’, and more to do with ‘the worlds crappiest major label’.

5) Mac Miller: Knock Knock

18-year-old Pittsburgh-native Mac Miller has been exploding on the hip-hop scene for the last year. Recently signed to Rostrum Records, the label known for launching the career of fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa, Miller has continually used low-budget, high-quality music videos as a part of his promotional strategy. With just over 100,000 fans and some of the strongest engagement I have ever seen on Facebook, Miller has leveraged the power of viral videos and music blogs to amass over 400,000 views to his recently released video for Knock Knock.

Though this video is not groundbreaking, it is a shining example of how emerging artists can create simple, yet incredibly well done music videos on a low budget. That, and the premise of this video fits perfectly with the tone of the music. Well thought-out and perfectly executed:

4) Cee-Lo Green: Fuck You

Rapper/ R&B singer Cee-Lo Green is no emerging artist, having spent years as a member of the Goodie Mob, as a successful record producer and most recently, as the fronting-half of the singer/ producer duo Gnarles Barkley with Brian ‘Danger Mouse’ Burton. But earlier this year, Cee-Lo used music videos to do an impossible feat: turning an uncensored song with the title ‘Fuck You’ into a #1 best seller without proper label/ radio promotion.

The song was originally introduced to the world as a simple, yet exciting music video combining colorful backgrounds and the lyrics shown in a graphical representation. However, after this initial success, the song was later released with a feature music video with strong-production values.

3) Riot In Paris: Attack of The 5 ft. Hipster

Brooklyn-based hip-hop duo Riot In Paris took Youtube by storm by creating an interactive music video experience for their song Attack Of The 5 ft. Hipster. Instead of creating a single video to represent the song, the duo shot multiple videos, each using a separate piece of the song, and strung them all together in a ‘create your own story’-type premise where each video ends with a set of different choices for the viewer to choose from.

(Note: some of the scenes towards the beginning are a bit racy…)

2) Classified: Classified Adventure

Halix, Canada-based hip-hop artist Classified took the premise of the ‘create your own story’ style of music video, and went 10 steps further, by creating an entirely interactive atari-style game spanning a series of videos and songs.

Users can go to http://classifiedadventure.com and either connect through their Facebook account, or just remain anonymous by clicking ‘insert coin’. The ‘game’ starts with Classified (aka YOU) waking up and hitting the studio, though it soon turns into a fantastical journey.

The entire experience is incredibly detailed and there are even prizes and other awards that can be won.

Note: much of this ‘music video game’ revolves around smoking weed, so if this isn’t your kind of thing, you may want to avoid this entirely. Though I do strongly recommend that you at least check it out, because this is true innovation and is a genuine marketing ploy)

1) Arcade Fire: The Wilderness Downtown

Arcade Fire, the Montreal-based indie rock sensation released their third full length album, The Suburbs and, along with it, an interactive interpretation of the song We Used To Wait. The music video stars out as a website, and by utilizing the power of HTML 5 and Google Maps, the website soon turns your browser into a multi-window, personalized music video experience.

The concept is flawlessly executed, and to be quite honest, is a breath-taking experience to watch. The music, in perfect synchronization with your computer, take you on a journey that no other music video has ever been able to accomplish. Ever.

What are your favorite Music Videos from 2010??

But in order to make sure that your efforts are maximized and your fan base grows properly, it is important that you understand that not all fans are equal.

‘Fan’ is a metric of measurement of a persons dedication to your music.

While everyone likes to say they are a HUGE fan, the reality is a little different: your fan base will range from the mildly engaged Listeners to the overly-dedicated Superfans.

Although creating legitimate and valuable relationships with fans is important, it is also extremely time consuming, especially as your fan base begins to grow. Therefore it is crucial that you understand who your fans are, in terms of dedication, so that as you invest more and more time into establishing and maintaining relationships with fans, you continue to see an increasingly beneficial return in terms of on and offline influence, engagement and sales (both music and ticket sales included).

The Friend

Lets get something straight: a friend can certainly become a fan, but is not by any means, an inherent fan.

When any artist first begins creating their music, the friends are the initial support system: looked to for feedback, to attend the first shows, to help spread the word, etc. And in most cases, friends are more than happy to do these things. But ultimately, these people are supporting YOU because you are a friend, and not necessarily supporting your music as a fan.

The Bandwagon Fan

Bandwagon-ers are those who join into a fan base simply because it is the popular thing to do. Often doing more speaking than anyone else, many bandwagon fans will be the loudest in the room, trying to prove that they belong. While this sounds great, these fans are ultimately less interested in you and your music than they are the other fans and their own sense of belonging.

These are short-term fans who will add little value to your fan base and unfortunately will most likely disappear as quickly as they came.

The Listener

These are passive fans that they will enjoy the music as others share it or post it to their blogs, but ultimately won’t take the action needed to seek out and listen to the music on their own time.

Don’t misinterpret these fans though, as The Listener is truly the lowest level of fan that you do want to put your effort into. With a little effort, a listener will most likely become a hobbyist.

The Hobbyist

Unlike Listeners, The Hobbyist fans are actively seeking new music from new and existing artists. These are fans who may have stumbled upon a song they liked and decided to look into the band a little further. However, for the most part, this research is done just to find a place to stream music or download music for free.

The lack of willingness to purchase music right now is because these fans are still unsure about the need to experience the music on a long term…

Most fans fall into this category, which is unfortunately why music sales have been declining year after year.

The Committed

The Committed fan is someone who buys all of the music and sees the artist/ band perform when they come to town. These are fans who will engage with artists on a regular basis through social media and will sign up for the official mailing list just so they can remain up to date on any and all news.

These are the fans that can be counted on to check out and even share blog articles, youtube videos and even tweets. Typically fans that are committed to your music will be similarly committed to another artist as well and it will show through their Facebook and Twitter updates. In other words, these fans should be highly valued and time should be spent creating real relationships, as these are the fans who will likely convert their friends to become fans as well.

The Superfan

The Superfan is the golden egg. These are the fans that can launch a career. A Superfan will buy an album, then buy it again when a special edition is released. A Superfan won’t just go to a show, they go to as many as they can. A Superfan is beyond a dedicated fan- they have established an emotional connection so strong with the music that it becomes a piece of who they are.

Superfans take their fandom to the streets, and are the best candidates for street team and tribe members. If you find yourself with a Superfan who is almost religiously following you and/or your music, do absolutely everything you can to empower them to continue to build your fan base for you. These are the fans you WANT to give exclusive music, behind the scenes videos, backstage access, etc. as they will be the most likely to reverberate any value you give to them back to the rest of the fan base.

No fan is cemented in a specific category. By identifying what sort of value your fans are looking for, you can continue to build relationships with the Committed and Superfans, meanwhile continuing to refer back to the well of listeners, hobbyists and committed fans in hopes of creating more loyalty and dedication throughout.

Written by Jonathan Ostrow (@miccontrol); he is the co-founder of MicControl, a music blogging network based on a social networking platform. This article originally appeared on the MicControl Blog on Sept. 21, 2010.

It’s that time again. School is now in session, which means a whole new breed of young musicians are heading off to college for the first time. Whether or not your focus of study is music,  the college experience can be an excellent opportunity for you to hone your chops and establish the sort of demand that will launch your career.

But as you will soon realize, four years will go by in the blink of an eye. It is critically important that you have something to guide you through all of the important baby-steps that will take you from a dorm room band to the most important act in the surrounding area. Use the following checklist to ensure that no opportunity is overlooked as you begin to establish yourself in your new local scene:

[  ] Create Your Ideal Fan

As a musician looking to establish a fan base, you have to know exactly who and where your fans are. A marketing technique taught in college, one that can be very useful, is to create a highly-detailed description of who your ideal fan is, summed up into one person. Give that person a name, and describe every aspect of that person on paper: what is their background, what clothes do they wear, where do they shop, what are their hobbies, what other music do they listen to, what sort of food do they eat, what beer do they drink, maybe they don,t drink beer but rather drink wine, etc. Once you know EXACTLY who your fan is it will be much easier to pin-point exactly where they will be.

[  ] Find a Local Music Store

It’s important to seek out which music store is the right fit for you – whether it is because they have a specialist who caters to your instrument and your needs or maybe it’s their huge selection, or maybe its because they are open late nights on the weekend. All of these things are important to consider, as you never know when the worst could happen, and you don’t want to have to bail on a gig because two hours before your broke a string without a backup set.

[  ] Find a Printing Shop

This is important for all of the fliers and download cards you will make in the future. Kinkos’ are all over the place and typically don’t charge much for copies. However, if you find a local printing business, they may be willing to work with you to create an unbeatable bulk price if you commit to establishing their business as your regular printers for your tenure at college.

[  ] Update Your Location On Existing Social Networks/ Blogs

Your location must accurately reflect your current living situation as sites like Facebook are based on regional networks. If you go to school in California, but have your location still set to Boston, people who try to seek you out may have a difficult time as they search for your name, as it will first show all of the people with that same name in their own area before branching out further.

[  ] If Your Not Already Utilizing Social Media, Start Doing It Now!

Start a blog, create a fan page on Facebook, create a YouTube Channel, create a Twitter account for the band, etc. etc. etc.

Not all social networking sites are going to be worth your while. Just as it’s important to start using social media as a way to start networking with other artists and new fans, it is as critical to not spread yourself too thin. If you are going to use social media, then you have to use it properly for it to be of any help. Do the research to learn where your target audience spends their time on social media and get involved.

VERY IMPORTANT: If you have no idea how to use these different forms of social media, then do the research and learn how to use them properly. Mashable is a great place to start. They have tons of how to’s guides to many different social media sites and services. But whatever you do, do not spam! This is just a waste of your and everyone else’s time.

[  ] Network With Respected Musicians/ Bands In The Local Scene

This will put you in the position to become the opening act for big upcoming shows. Being a headlining act is great, but if no one knows who you are then it just becomes a waste of time. Use the opportunity to open for established acts as a way to connect with new listeners and establish yourself as an important newcomer to the local scene.

[  ] Obtain Management/ Booking Contact Info For Local Venues

It is critically important that you go out of your way to obtain the contact information of the management and/or the booking staff of all of your local venues. Once you do so, reach out and make a legitimate introduction, ask about the venue and/or the booking process. Giving your unsolicited demo to the bartender is a sure-fire waste of time – you can be sure that the bartender will (almost) always throw that demo away before it ever gets heard by the management/ booking staff.

[  ] Seek Out Local Bloggers

A great way to establish yourself both online and off is to invite local bloggers to your performance. Try to seek out bloggers who actually have a decent following, and are considered tastemakers in your local scene – your feature should mean something. This feature should help establish credibility with new fans looking to discover more great music in their own town and it should be something that you can leverage to get in touch with other important acts in your local scene.

[  ] Seek Out The School Paper

Another great way to establish yourself around campus is to get in touch with the school paper and invite them to cover your upcoming performance. School paper are typically very well read and in many cases are seen as a leading tastemaker across campus. Just the same as mentioned above, make sure this will benefit you – there is no need to seek out the school paper if no one cares what it’s writers have to say.

[  ] Seek Out Bloggers Reporting On The College Music Scene

Establishing a relationship with an established college music scene blog, such as Fresh On Campus or Good Music All Day is a great way to gain credibility as and new fans. Music blogs are becoming the most important taste making filter in the new music industry, so using this to your advantage can help you create some serious  buzz.

[  ] Seek Out School Affiliated Music Clubs and Organizations

Think of school affiliated music clubs as networking events. They may not be able to pull off all they promise as far as ‘putting on the biggest show this school as ever seen!’ is concerned, but if you are looking for a new band mate or writing parter or maybe you are just looking to meet others who are also involved in the local music scene, there is TONS of opportunities here. These clubs and organizations are filled with others who are just as passionate about music as you are.

[  ] Obtain a Calendar Of All Upcoming Events – both School and Otherwise

This calendar will be crucial for two very important things: helping you to cut down on booking events at same same time as other, more widely publicized events are being held, and helping you to take your music to the streets. Say you have a show, but the day before there is a big football game, set yourself up in the parking lot or even better, right by the only exit and start performing! Make sure you have some download cards, fliers, maybe even coupons for a free drink or half off admission- anything to remind people who you are and that could lure them to come back for more.

[  ] Seek Out Student Event Committee

A well-run Student Event Committee can do quite a bit to set up multi-band festivals, or may even be responsible for booking some big name acts to come perform on your campus. Establishing a relationship with someone within the Student Event Committee could be a foot in the door to performing in the festival or as an opening act for a major event.

[  ] Establish a Proper Mailing List

College is a time to learn all of the life lessons that you may not be able to get away with in ‘the real world’. One of the most crippling ‘life lessons’, aka mistakes that any musician can make is to not properly set up a mailing list, as it is the ONLY real way to establish direct contact with all of your fans. Don’t make this mistake! Fanbridge and MailChimp are excellent services that offers both paid and free subscriptions that allow you to upload and manage your mailing list, as well as send out newsletters or updates to all of your fans.

[  ] Seek Out Non-Traditional Venues

The most obvious venues in the college music scene are the bars and clubs, but what about all of the restaurants, coffee shops, and other well-attended hangout spots? Non-traditional venues have a lot of potential to be an incredible source of new fans. However you have to make sure you do your research and seek out your target audience. Booking a show at a restaurant is a waste of time if your fans are all at the coffee shop…

[  ] Learn Covers!

Most college circuit shows will be at bars, small clubs or coffee-houses. In any and all cases, your music will most likely become a backdrop to the scene unfolding at the venue. A great way to punch through and become a focal point is to sprinkle in some well-executeed covers that no one saw coming.

Tip: Pick songs that are of general interest. You may be a contemporary indie rock group, but if you perform your own rendition of an 80′s rock tune, say ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’, you are bound to get the attention of much of the crowd.

[  ] Take A Business Writing Course

While this may not directly relate to sales or growing a fan base it is critical that you understand how to write an email. Vague or unprofessional emails will be tossed out almost immediately. If you are going to reach out to people about your music in the future, its important you know how to do so.

College is a great opportunity for you to learn as a musician. Not just learning how to better play your instrument, or to write more advanced songs, but to learn how the music industry works- to learn what is expected of you as a band leader. Use this checklist as the guide to establishing yourself as a respected musician within your local scene, but understand that there is always more you can be doing and that this checklist is just a jumping off point for you to think pro-actively.

Jonathan Ostrow (@miccontrol) is the co-founder of MicControl, a music blogging network based on a social networking platform.

As album sales are becoming a less meaningful component in the overall success of an artist or band, the live performance sector, including ticket sales and merchandise sales, is becoming increasingly important. While the live show itself must be unique in order to encourage repeat customers and ultimately drive ticket sales, the merchandise table has the opportunity to drive significant revenue and first hand, artist-fan engagement. But just having a merch table is not enough, as there are essential elements that must be accounted for in order to make the effort worth while.

Assuming that you have accounted for the typical ‘guts’, such as T-Shirts, CDs, Hats, Stickers, etc. there are essentials to any effective merch table that will do three very important thing:

- Increase your sales

- Increase your long-term engagement with new and existing fans

- Decrease wasteful overhead when investing in the merch for your next tour

Use these following merch table essentials to make sure that you are making the most of every opportunity at every show to make as much money and as many new fans as possible:

1) Mailing List: Far too often overlooked, yet one of the most crucial aspects of retaining fans, the mailing list is an absolute must on any and ever merch table. If someone is willing to invest the time and money to come over to your merch table and purchase your music, your t-shirts or even just a little sticker or button, it means they felt strongly enough about the performance to further their interest. Every merch table customer is a valuable potential fan. Do not let them get away from you.

2) Accept Credit Cards: To be frank, if you do not accept credit cards, you are not maximizing your potential to make money, and are letting potentially valuable fans walk away without your music or merch in hand. There are a few different apps out for the iPhone/ iPod Touch, iPad and Android platforms that allow you to turn your device into a credit card terminal, including the Square, ProcessAway, Merchant Swipe and iSwipe.

3) High Traffic Area: As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Putting your merch table in a high-traffic area is crucial to sales. The increase in passersby will make your table seem more desirable. As more people check out your merch and start to make purchases, the more likely it will be that others will want to check out the scene as well.

4) Lockbox for Money: Professionalism is crucial when dealing with a merch table. No matter how the musicians represent themselves on stage, online or in public, merchandising is purely the business side of the operation. Not only does a lockbox hold one person accountable for any lost cash and discourages outside theft, but It also makes it less apparent how little or how much cash you actually have from the event.

5) The Plug from the band: Make sure the people who are actually listening to the music and who are enjoying it, have the opportunity to at least join the mailing list if nothing else. Announce the table, its location, and that YOU, the artist, will be there and are looking forward to speaking with everyone.

6) The Main Attraction: It is understandable that artists are either exhausted or are ready for more after the show, but nothing helps merch sell faster than putting the artists behind the table. Especially after the band has plugged the merch table and its specific location, it will be a delight for fans to have the opportunity to speak with the artists, get engaged and walk away with a new album and/ or a t-shirt because of the pleasant experience.

7) A Clean Table: Just like any store (think grocery store, toy store, convenience store, clothing store), potential customers connect the appearance of unorganization and sloppiness with that of a weak business. By splitting the table into well organized sections dedicated to each type of merch or even price point, it makes it much easier on the eyes, makes sales much more likely. Also continue to think of a clothing store, make sure you have clean, well folded t-shirts that range in color, size and gender specificity.

Bright Colors: Not only should your merch table be located in a high-traffic area, but it should pop out as the sour thumb in the room. Venues are typically dark, so keep in mind that darker colors will be lost into the clutter of the room. Set up a back-drop, use a table cloth and create a banner, all of which should use bright, vibrant colors to catch people’s attention.

9) Prices: Setting the right prices for the available merch is crucial to successful sales. Not only should everything be fairly prices based on the industry standard (which means you MUST do your research when planning the pricing strategy), but there absolutely needs to be merch available at every price point, from $1 dollar up to $100 dollars (or more depending on what you are offering).

10) Inventory Sheet: Organization is key to a healthy business. Using an inventory sheet will help you keep track of sales and will decrease the chances of wasteful overhead for your next tour. You can start to use the historical sales to forecast growth. This is especially important if you do decide to create unique merchandise for each stop on the tour, as it allows you to see where your merch sold better or worse, so you don’t waste money creating unique merch for the wrong places.

11) Unique Collectables: Though this is a much more expensive option to consider, creating unique collectables for each show creates an incentive for repeat purchases from repeat customers. Some fans will be so into your music that they decide to hit every show within a 100 mile radius of their hometown, so why not create incentive for them to hit the merch table at EVERY show they attend?

Ideas for some unique collectables are merit badges with a unique design reflecting each venue, laminated tour passes with specific dates printed on them, high-quality original prints of the show poster (signed by the band AND artist of the poster) and even shirts that specifically reflect the venue, date and city.

12) Bundles: Just like the unique collectables, you want to make sure that you offer unique bundles that can only be purchased from the merch table. The more creative you can get with these bundles, the more likely you will be to encourage a higher volume of sales, as well as repeat attendance to future dates of the tour.

An idea for unique bundles include a unique USB thumb-drive with hand-painted artwork that offers the entire back catalog of studio albums, plus free admission to all shows for the next year. The more unique, limited edition and exclusive you can make these bundles, the more people will be willing to seek them out, not to mention pay a premium for them.

13) Contest/ Drawing: This is a great way to ensure longer-term engagement with fans. The drawing could be for free tickets, a free limited edition bundle of music or even something above and beyond like an opportunity to go out to dinner and hang out with the band.

14) Picture Board: Remember the idea of the main attraction? (see above).  Using a picture board is an opportunity for the artist(s) to establish a stronger connection with fans, meanwhile advertising the merch in order to increase sales. Start taking pictures of the artists with fans who are either wearing or holding up newly purchased merch. Then compile a huge collection of the pictures taken and display the picture board either behind the table or to the side of the table. Make sure it is visible and most importantly, make sure to include a band member in the pictures!

15) Branch Out Beyond The Table: Though the purpose of this list is to make the merch table itself more effective, the ultimate goal is to increase revenue and fan engagement. Grab a few friends and have them walk around the venue in a crisp new band shirt with their own mailing list sign-up sheet, some albums for sale, a few t-shirts for sale (especially the one they are wearing) and some FREE stickers or buttons. The idea here is to engage as many attendees as possible and to direct them back to the actual merch table where they can interact with the band members, buy an increased level of merch because of this new connection to the band and will walk away with a great, personal experience from the show rather than just a ‘fun time’.

Using a merch table to increase sales is always good, but if used properly it can be so much more than that. If you are going to take the time, effort and money to plan out and finance the merchandise for your tour, make sure you have taken all of these things into consideration to ensure that you maximize revenue and fan engagement at every show.

What other ideas have you used to make your merch table more effective?

Are these pictures odd? Yes! Are they funny? Hell yes! And while each image is a stereotypical portrayal of each type of fan, there is a common trend that all of these pictures share – these overly dedicated (some may say obsessive – keep this in mind, it will benefit you greatly!) ‘super-fans’ are apart of something bigger than a fanbase.

The fans shown above, fans of groups such as the Insane Clown Posse (the Juggalo), the Grateful Dead (the Deadhead), and Jimmy Buffet (the Parrothead), are all apart of communities that exists beyond the band. The music is what brought these groups of people together, and the loyalty to the music acts as the glue bonding them together, but the artists themselves have no responsibility to control the group – the community acts as it’s own separate entity, with its own leaders and followers.

These fans belong to a tribe.

What Is a Tribe?

Tribes exist as a way to connect and to share an interest in a topic, and it is because of this that you as an artist must recognize that creating a tribe is an essential step towards success and career-longevity. And since a developed tribe acts as its own entity, the incessant ‘shameless self-promotion’ that unfortunately paints the walls of all too many artists’ Facebook and Twitter pages will become a thing of the past.

With a tribe of loyal fans at your side – just one announcement of any album, any show, even any new merch will be absorbed and spread like wildfire. Remember that a typical characteristic of a tribe member is to be overly dedicated, or obsessive, which can be used to your benefit! Think of these obsessive tribe members as your own instant viral marketing strategy- these are the types of fans who make sure that everyone in their social networks know about this new announcement.

All tribes are created by people following a leader who is making it possible to connect and share with others who are also interested in a common topic. In most cases for musicians, that common topic is your music. Though it is very important to understand that it doesn’t necessarily need to be about the music. It can be something else that YOU, the artist, are passionate about such as global sustainability or political awareness, or it can be something that your FANs are passionate about, such as tape trading of recorded live performances. Even if the agenda of the tribe may surround a larger cause, the music then becomes the soundtrack to the movement.

So although a tribe is ultimately a separate entity from the band or musician, it is your (the artist’s) responsibility to be the initial leader of the tribe. Once the tribe is fully developed, the leadership can be simply transferred to the most dedicated members or member who possesses the proper leadership skills needed. This leaves you free of any further responsibility, yet the tribe will continue to support, obsess, grow and purchase.

10 Tips To Consider When Starting A Tribe

Something to keep in mind is that creating a tribe can be a very time consuming and arduous process. But if the effort put in can result in a successfully developed tribe, you will see greater and longer-term success than ever possible before. So with that in mind, here are 10 important steps, or rather considerations for planning and executing the gathering of a tribe:

1) Have an agenda. This agenda can be as simple as sharing the music (i.e. in the case of Dead-heads and Phish-heads, the sharing and trading of tapped lived performances is and has always been the main agenda of the respective tribes) or can be revolved around something a bit deeper such as being ‘green’ as is the case with Jack Johnson and his tribe. Now, it is also important to understand that this agenda can change.

This was the case with the Phish-heads who felt strongly enough about the fact that bassist Mike Gordon was not turned up enough in the live mix, that they worked together to get his bass turned up by creating a campaign called People For A Louder Mike (which was featured in Bass Player magazine in 1998 and resulted in successfully having his bass turned up!). The agenda can be whatever the tribe would like, as long as it reflects the tribe as a whole.

2) Give the tribe a name. A name gives the fans something real to identify with. Think of the Dead-heads, Phish-heads, Juggalos and Parrot-heads of the world. There is a heightened sense of pride and enthusiasm from members within these tribes knowing that they are not only apart of something real, but that the outsiders (including the band) have given them a label. Notice that even Lady Gaga refers to her dedicated fans as her ‘Little Monsters’ – by doing this, she has created a separate entity for her fans to exist.

3) Determine which fans should and should not be included in the tribe. Different levels of fans have a different level of dedication, outward enthusiasm and support. This is extremely important – although it is hard to say ‘you cannot join our tribe’, it is a crucial step towards building a strong tribe. Going along with the 1000 True Fans theory, you want the core of your tribe to be made up of passionate and dedicated followers. Not only does this create a stronger bond between the existing members, but it creates a system of insiders and outsiders, and an increased level of desire by the outsiders to become an insider. And therefore, once again, the tribe is working for you to create a stronger following.

4) Build a ‘Story Of The Tribe’. Just as it is important in deciding which type of fans you want to be included in the tribe, it is just as important to create a story or manifesto to pull them in. The idea of a tribe is that everyone involved shares a similar passion, so your ‘Story Of The Tribe’ is your opportunity to describe the passions and goals of tribe, whatever those may be (i.e. your music, tape trading, sustainable ‘green’ living, etc.) in order to connect with potential followers. The story needs to be personal and reflect your own passion, but also needs to contain a clear message of the value in bringing all of these people together who share the same interest. Think: this is why you, the dedicated follower, should join the tribe.

The best way to tell this story is to create a short video that you can upload to Youtube and Vimeo, which can be shared by tribe members through their own social networks. If they feel passionate about something, chances are they have some friends who feel similarly.

5) Connect followers (fans) with each other. A very important aspect of a tribe is that it is not just about one person (the leader) making strong connections and relationships with others. This is not just a fanbase of people looking at you and your music. This is a collective of people who feel passionate about something. The only way for a tribe to flourish and thrive is if all of the members within have the opportunity to connect and share with each other. This is why 15 years after the death of Jerry Garcia, the community of Dead-heads is still alive and well – even if the band is no more, there is still a demand for the recordings of shows that spanned their 30-year career.

6) Maintain a high level of transparency. This is critically important to the overall strength and functionality of a tribe because it builds trust and stronger connections among followers, as well as the relationship formed between followers and the leader. This doesn’t mean that you need to go on to your blog or twitter account and make personal statement – there is nothing wrong with a little mystique, if that’s what you are going for (i.e. the Insane Clown Posse). Rather, this refers to maintaining a high level of transparency in the overall agenda of the tribe. No hidden agendas allowed.

7) Celebrate accomplishment. Whether the agenda of the tribe is to change something for the better or is to just bring people together, all major milestones should be celebrated as a way to highlight members within who have made a difference, to further the excitement of the tribe as a whole, and to keep motivating the tribe to reach new levels of involvement. Try starting an e-mal newsletter, be it weekly, bi-weekly or monthly that is sent out to all members of the tribe.

The Grateful Dead spent many years using a newsletter as a way to reach out to tribe members – Originally titled the Dead Heads Newsletter (later changed to the Grateful Dead Almanac), the mailing list was 40,000 people strong by the mid-70′s. Newsletters were often sent out with a little something special for the fans, including exclusive EPs and sneak previews of upcoming solo albums.

Empower member. The tribe is a collective. It is a gathering of people looking for the same thing, to become further involved in something they are passionate about. So give the members some responsibilities and give them ways to make a difference. By creating a way to empower the members of the group, each one has the opportunity to take the initiative. Without this sort of empowerment, the tribe may become stale and crumble.

9) Invent Rituals. This may seem ridiculous to some, but creating some sort of ritual that is shared between all members of the tribe is a way of widening the exclusivity between insiders and outsiders. An important part of having insiders and outsiders is working to increase the desirability of the tribe so that more people WANT to put in the time and effort to become an insider. By the time they have made that transition, they will be a fully-informed and dedicated follower.

In 1992, Phish created a ‘secret language’ that was taught to the audience. The language was a set of tonal and rhythmic sequence that acted as a call and response between the band and the audience. The band explained that the purpose was to let the re-occurring fans in on the secret, so that the new people who came for the first time would feel left out, making them want to learn the language, to attend another show and eventually take part in the ritual.

10) Educate. This is a very obviously tip, but it is something that should not be ignored. What better than to not only bring people together, but to teach them about the topic, get them more engaged and in turn create a stronger, more loyal tribe who is more capable of existing on their own…

Again, Jack Johnson has done an excellent job of this with his All At Once campaign. Not only has he created a tribe of his fans who also feel strongly about living a more green, sustainable lifestyle, but he has created an online social network component that gives people a place to learn and educate how they can better their lives and communities at large. And again, his music has become the soundtrack to the movement, as seen in the campaign video shown above.

So to recap, developing a tribe is no easy feat to accomplish. However, it does give you the opportunity to create a stronger fanbase, a bigger fanbase, and to increase sales all through this one outlet. If you do have something that you are passionate about, remember to take your time and establish the guidelines of who and who would not be included as a tribe member. This is not something that should be a widespread campaign, at least not at first. When developing a tribe, exclusivity is your friend because it actually creates a more desirable experience within, as well as a stronger desire to join from those unable to belong.

Jon is the co-founder of MicControl, a music blogging network based on a music social networking platform. This article originally appeared on the MicControl Blog on August 13th, 2010. For guest blogging opportunities or for simply reaching out, Jon can be found on twitter and facebook.

Emerging musicians are in an eternal struggle against two evils: funding projects and growing a fanbase. In the past, musicians have funded their own albums, and have used it as leverage to gain more fans. But artists on a fixed income may run into issues funding their own projects, which can have harmful effects on the quality of the final product.

Of course, the next option is to release a demo or EP and work on building a fan base, meanwhile shopping around for a record deal with a major or indie label. The benefit here of course is that all of the financing of the album is accounted for, but lets face it, this is not the easiest thing to pull off. Labels typically won’t even look at you until you’ve crossed the 10,000-units-sold mark, and unfortunately that is becoming an increasingly difficult task to accomplish:

…in 2008 there were 1500 releases that sold over 10,000 album units. Out of that there were only 227 of them that were artists that had broken 10,000 for the first time. So in the whole year only 227 of the artists were artists that had broken what we call the “obscurity line.” When you sell 10,000 albums, you’re no longer an obscure artist; people know about you. You may not be a star yet, but you’re in the game. That gets you out of the glut and into the game. We looked at the 227 and identified that only 14 of them were artists doing it on their own and all the rest were on majors and indies; a little more than half were on indies.

~Tom Silverman Founder, Tommy Boy Records

And more often then not, you as the artist are stripped of some if not all creative control, resulting in an album that may work for the fans, but doesn’t work for you.

The only option left, is to find someone else to fund your project. Why not the fans? With digital distribution and social networking on the rise, fans have more music at their finger tips than ever before. Therefore artists are trying all sorts of unique ways to engage their fans, empower their fans and create their own community of fans surrounding the music. What better way to engage and empower the fans than fan-funding your next project?

What is Fan-Funding?

Fan-funding (or crowdfunding) is the simple concept of empowering the fans to raise money for you- to FUND your project. Typically this is done through an incentive system, in which the artist will set a monetary goal, and has a set amount of time to reach said goal. There are then different levels of rewards that vary based on the amount a fan contributes towards the project.

Not only does fan-funding give you the opportunity to fund a project where you maintain 100% of the creative control and ownership, but it can create a new level of excitement and personal connection between the fans, you and your music.  Fan-funding can give you, the artist, the opportunity to share the journey of ‘the road to the completed project’ with all of your fans. And from a marketing standpoint, it gives you the means to create a more powerful, emotionally charged marketing campaign than ever before.

All fan-funding campaigns must contain 3 very important elements, which together have been labeled The Crowdfunding Manifesto by RocketHub co-founder, Brian Meece:

1. The Project
2. The Network
3. The Rewards

According to Meece, all three ‘pillars’ must be equally yet uniquely important in order for a campaign to be successful.

Past fan-funding projects have included raising money to produce full length albums, music videos, books, documentaries, and even touring and producing merchandise. The point is that if you have a network of fans, friends and family and have a project that you are dedicated about, no matter how big or small, you can use fan-funding to make that happen.

Reward Your Fans!

One of the three ‘pillars’ of fan-funding is the reward. An important part of the fan-funding process is the reward given to the fans who are willing to contribute money, which is not only an incentive for the fans to give the money, but is also a token of appreciation from the artist. However, fan-funding platforms such as the ones listed below, leave it up to you to establish creative rewards. In simple terms, the more valuable the rewards are to your fans, the more likely it will be that you achieve your goal.

Rewards vary based on how much money the fan is willing to contribute, so your rewards should also vary in greatness. While it is understandable for the smaller contributions to be met with a simple reward, such as receiving a signed copy of the album and/ or a T-shirt, you will find more success if you come up with some extremely creative and enticing reward opportunities. Here are a few reward ideas that may help you jump start your campaign and bring you one step closer to achieving your goals:

- For artists whose music is more focused on the lyrical content than the musical composition, offer hand-written and signed lyrics for a contribution of $50 or more.

- Are you also an artist? Offer an original piece of your own artwork (i.e. a painting, photograph or drawing) for anyone who contributes $100 or more. This is a great way to give people a constant reminder of your journey, and FYI – the cost of creating a piece of art can be fairly cheap, so the money they just gave you won’t have to go right back into the reward.

- Any artist with an enviable level of talent, whether it be through songwriting, musicianship or even singing can give a music lesson to any fan who contributes $100 or more.

- For artists who have been around for quite a while and have a few previous albums, give contributors of $200 a USB stick with all of your albums (including the new one), which also grants them free access to any of your shows.

- Put on a killer live show and are about to go on tour to support the new album? Give your diehard fans who contribute $500 the opportunity to hang out before and after a show, and write the set-list for that show.

- For any fan loyal enough to contribute $1000, they get to spend a day in the studio with the artist during the recording process for the album and receive an executive producer credit on the album. Not to mention all of the goodies from each level of contribution up to the $1000 mark.

-Any fan who contributes $2000 has got to have a personal/ emotional connection with the music that is so strong, they HAVE to ensure that this project becomes a reality. Why not act upon that connection and offer a private concert in their home or even at a special event like a birthday or a wedding.

Tips For An Effective Fan-Funding Campaign

- A well-told, engaging story. The first step to getting people to believe in your campaign is a great story. No one wants to contribute money to someone who posts ‘well… I failed at everything else in my life, so I figured, why not try music? Please give me money so I can make music ’

- Create a campaign video! Now that you’ve got the engaging story to explain your passion and why this project is so important, you MUST create a video and upload it to Youtube and Vimeo. When you encourage your fans and contributors to share your story and help spread the word, you have to give them an easy way to make sharing possible. Youtube and Vimeo videos are easily sharable through Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Blogs, Email and any other possible place you can think to get the word out.

- Don’t flat out ask for money, rather sell fans on the potential benefits of being apart of the journey.

- Update Often! Fans who have willingly contributed to your campaign, especially the ones who have contributed a lot of money, are looking to be apart of something special – a journey. You owe it to your contributors to update them often!

- Make the rewards for the smaller contributions ($5 – $100) very compelling. While you may be lucky enough to have fans who contribute more than that, the majority of the contributions will be for smaller increments of money. Make the $5 contribution reward appealing and you will have more contributors!

- Don’t forget about your brand! This goes along with your story, your journey and even your rewards. Rewards are only beneficial if the fans want what you are offering, so make sure that if your fans want signed gear, you give it to them and not a generic photograph. Vice vera, if you are personable and quite likable, don’t just offer signed albums when the fans clearly want to meet you in person!

(Some) Available Services

Kickstarter: A safe and reliable service, Kickstarter has created an all-or-nothing pledging system that requires artists to achieve their goal before any money changes hands. In other words, if you don’t meet your goal, all pledges are cancelled. Kickstarter has cited three main reasons why this is so important:

Kickstarter is still in Beta, so all projects must be submitted in proposal form and reviewed by the Kickstarter team.

Fee: 5% of total funds pledged to all SUCCESSFUL campaigns

Successful Campaigns: Five Times August teamed up with Kickstarter in the early stages of the company, and successfully raised $20,546 (he had a goal of $20,000) in just 31 days!

Click here for more information about the Kickstarter campaign process.

Pledge Music: Similar to Kickstarter, Pledge Music uses an all-or-nothing pledging system, and is also still in Beta, so all projects must be approved before campaigns go live. However there are a few main difference:

- Artists can opt-in to giving a portion of their revenue to a charity of their choice.

- Unlike Kickstarter, the service’s sole purpose is to fan-fund music related projects. The benefits of this is that Pledge Music has existing relationships with third-party music services (i.e. if you want your music on online stores such as iTunes, Pledge has strategic partners to not only help you make that happen, but get you a better price in the process).

- Pledge Music recently released a data capture widget that is free for all artists. This widget allows artists to collect email addresses, Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers in exchange for a track.

Fee: 15% of total funds pledged to all SUCCESSFUL campaigns

Successful Campaigns: Demark-based acoustic folk artist Tina Dico set a goal of €30,000 to be reached in 30 days. Tina had also established in the guidelines of her campaign that 15% of all funds earned after hitting her target would go to Amnesty International. Tina smashed this target by raising TWICE as much as her intended goal (over €60,000 in just 30 days!). Of course, that also means that Amnesty International recieved a contribution from Tina of €4,500!

Click here for more information about the Pledge Music campaign process.

Rocket Hub: Labeled as a ‘grassroots crowdfunding platform’ Rocket Hub is similar to Kickstarter and Pledge Music in that it is a well-established, all-or-nothing fundraising platform. Also similar to Kickstarter, Rocket Hub is open to more than just musicians, citing that their services are open to anyone who is a ‘creative’ (i.e. Musicians, Filmmakers, Authors, Painters, Photographers, Scientists, Social Experimenters, Actors, Comedians, Chefs, Designers, Developers, Inventors, Programmers, Architects, Journalists, Startup Founders, etc.).

However, unlike either of the previous services, Rocket Hub is a completely open platform, meaning that anyone can create a fan-funding campaign and there is no screening process before the project goes live.

Fee: 8% of total funds pledged to all SUCCESSFUL campaigns

Successful Campaigns: NYC-based musician Alfonso Velez had recorded his album, but after some financial hardships, ran out of money before he could make all of the last, and crucial steps to properly releaseing an album. Alfonso set up a campaign with a compelling story, a target of $6,500 and a goal to “master the record, manufacture 1,000 CD’s, 100 Vinyl copies, 340 Digital download cards, 150 T-shirts and grab a publicist and tour support to get this record performed live in your town.” Using RocketHub, Alfonso was able to surpass his target of $6,500 by raising $7,730!

Click here for more information about the RocketHub campaign process.

Other Fan-Funding Services You May Want To Explore:

Artist Share – IndieGoGo – SellaBand – My Band Stock – CASH Music – SliceThePie – Pledgebank – MobIncentive

With this information, you should have all of the basics needed to start your own fan-funding campaign. Remember that in today’s world of music, fans are no longer content with simply purchasing music. Through social networking and blogging, fans have established a new desire to connect with you, the artist, on a more personal level. Whether or not you decide to let the fans into your personal life is completely up to you, but if you are an emerging artist looking for a solution to the fan and funding evils of the industry, why not consider a fan-funding campaign? If executed properly, a fan-funding campaign can be your marketing, networking and creative outlet all in one.

Though I did happen to come across an image from that is really fantastic, so I will include that here for you to take a look at:

However even with all of these posts out there, musicians are still using Twitter in a way that is either incorrect, or is just horribly uninteresting. So in an attempt to open up the discussion, lets explore a few unconventional ways that musicians can use their Twitter accounts. The idea here is for musicians to use their Twitter accounts in a way that is ultimately unique enough to rise above the static of the thousands of self-promoting musicians to increase their following and more importantly their engagement with fans.

1) Real-Time Setlists: This is by far the most obvious, and most consistently overlooked use of Twitter. The real-time focus of Twitter gives musicians the perfect opportunity to let fans track the set lists of shows they are unable to attend. This unconventional use of Twitter is most suited for any musician or band who has put a strong focus on the live performance aspect of their music. However, this is really the most beneficial for bands who spend the time and create a varied setlist from show to show.

Of course, if you don’t want to clutter your tweets with setlist updates, or want to give your fans the option to either follow your setlists or just follow your regular tweets, you do as Phish did, and create a separate account that is solely for setlist updates:

2) Focus Groups: Just recorded a new demo or have finished a track but feel something is slightly off and aren’t quite sure what’s wrong? Or maybe you think this demo could lead to your best work yet and are just looking for a little validation from fans and friends. In either case, you can very easily and effectively use your Twitter account as a focus group to receive proper feedback.

Song.ly is a great service that allows you to post a link to an mp3 that will allow people to listen to the track but won’t allow people to download it. This should help you avoid people spreading around a track that isn’t quick finished (though if you are concerned about that, I would avoid posting the track to Twitter all together).

3) Take Requests: This one is fairly straight forward. You could ask fans for cover song requests or, if you have a large catalog of original songs, you could just simply ask for requests of your own songs a few hours or a day before an upcoming show.

However, this one can take an interesting turn if you decide to take to uStream or any other live streaming service. You could turn a simple ‘online performance’ to a unique ‘request-centric live stream’, taking requests from fans over Twitter in between each song. This is a great way to empower your fans, increasing engagement and fan loyalty.

4) Tweet Coordinates/ Date/ Time to an Unannounced Show: Some may say this is a bit cliche, but if you have a dedicated fan base in a single area this is a great way to put on a guerilla show in an unusual setting or at a house party or even outside a major venue for a larger, well-attended concert.

5) Question Of The Day: Unless you have fans that are already willing to do anything they can to interact with you, you may need to nurture the process and openly encourage your fans to respond. But don’t stop the encouragement! This is a great way to get your fans to interact with you. In fact, if you create a unique hashtag (i.e. #mybandQOTD) to accompany every question, and invite your fans to use it for their responses as well, you are creating an easy way for people to track all of the questions, as well as track other fans responses, creating even further interaction with each other! As an artist, one of your most important, long term goals, which is also one of your biggest obstacles, is to create a community out your fans. This could be the jump start that you need to achieve this goal!

6) Offer expert Advice: Have you put hundreds of hours into researching and perfecting how to record your acoustic guitar, properly mix your vocals, or apply preamp effects in protools? As an artist, you can use twitter to offer your expertise to your following.

Screenr allows you to record videos of your computer screen that are instantly tweetable to your following:

7) Fan Of The Day: Fans are more empowered now than ever before, as the internet has created a more accessible environment to find out anything and everything about you. Because of this easy access and over stimulation, fans are beginning to require an unprecedented level of attention. This is a simple way to reach out to your fans directly, but be warned, this is something that must be used wisely or else you will end up looking like a chump. Don’t just pick a random fan. If you are going to pick a fan of the day, you need to ensure that there is good reason – whether it is something they did to help you, or even better, something they did to help out a larger cause.

Market Research: By now, most people are familiar with the analytical opportunities that exist through Twitter – RTs, mentions, #hashtags and even link shortening services such as bit.ly, ow.ly and song.ly can be tracked to measure engagement. However, Twitter also gives you a great opportunity to do some market research, to create an even better idea of who your fans are, what they like, what they need, and what they do on a daily basis. No one will appeal to an entire population, so it is crucial to create a very detailed description of who your target market is. This will give you the opportunity to work with people who are most likely to identify with you or your music without wasting your time dealing with people who just don’t care.

Of course, these are only a few unconventional uses of Twitter that can be beneficial to musicians. Try mixing some of these together, or using them to create your own unique ideas to increase your following and fan engagement.

Have you tried any unconventional ideas with your twitter account? Leave a recommendation or feedback in the comment section below.

UPDATE YOUR BLOG

1.BlogPress

The video above pretty much speaks for itself. BlogPress is an incredible app that quickly and easily updates your blog right from your iPhone. This app is very straight forward: connect your blog and immediately start posting. Create your blog post including pictures and videos, create tags and categories, and update your blog instantly. Update both your Twitter and Facebook accounts that you’ve added a new post – straight from this app.
Price: $2.99

2. Shozu
ShoZu is another blogging app that offers support for Blogger, WordPress, LiveJournal, TypePad and a bunch more as well as support for Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Picasa, TwitPic and more. The best part about this blogging app is what it can do after you’ve already uploaded your latest post. ShoZu lets you view and reply to comments so you can see how people are responding to your post and become a part of the conversation – all while on the road.
Price: $4.99

3. WordPress

If you use the WordPress platform, this app is going to be your best bet for blogging while on the run. Write your posts, add photos, check spelling and create links, all without having to use any HTML. Moderate, edit, or reply to comments with an intuitive interface that makes bulk moderation of comments a quick process. Lastly, for the artist that’s in a new town every week, you can keep your fans updated on your current location with the Geotag feature. Just tap the icon and you’re done. WordPress locates you on the map and adds your location to the post. NOTE: This feature is not recommended for artists that are trying to escape a crowd of obsessed groupies.
Price: FREE

MUSIC CREATION

4.AmpliTube

A truly dedicated musician on-the-go won’t leave home without their instrument, even when they’re going to the grocery store or the library. Okay, a dedicated musician will bring their instrument just about anywhere and now with Amplitube you won’t need to drag around all your equipment with you. With versions ranging from free to $19.99, AmpliTube contains an entire guitar/bass rig at your fingertips. The fully loaded version contains 5 amps (clean, crunch, lead, metal, bass) with full controls, 11 stompbox effects (delay, fuzz, distortion, overdrive, wah, envelope filter, chorus, flanger, phaser, octave, noise filter), 5 cabinets and 2 microphones (dynamic and condenser) while the free version offers 3 stompboxes, 1 amp+cabinet, and 2 microphones. Try out the free version and if you really like it why not spend the extra $20?
Price: FREE to $19.99

5. Voice memo
Ever had an idea for a song? A tune, a few lyrics, maybe even just the beat? Ever forget that idea and kick yourself later for it? Welcome to the Voice Memo app which actually comes with the iPhone and is a very useful app for the musician on-the-go. There’s not too much more that needs to be said about it – if you’ve ever forgotten a great song idea you know how useful this app can be.
Price: FREE

6. Beatmaker
Beatmaker is the must-have app for producers on-the-go. The 16 multi-touch pads can be used to “load, slice, tune, and trigger sounds from an extensive sample library.” You can also arrange song snippets, loop and add audio effects. One of the coolest aspects is you can record your owns sounds and use them in your compositions. So next time your dog’s incessant barking inspires your latest beat you can actually USE your dog to make the beat.

Price: $9.99

MUSIC VIDEO CREATION

7. ReelDirector
Imagine you’re on tour and you just thought about how cool it would be to document your journey for your next music video. Too bad you’re in the middle of nowhere and you’ve been eating off the dollar menu every day. Chances are you’re not going to be able to afford a video camera, if you can even find one. With ReelDirector you can edit videos (must have video recording ability) right on your iPhone. The video shows just how easily it is to assemble clips, add transitions, and import your music to use as the soundtrack.

Price: $3.99

NOTE: IF you’re lucky enough to own an iPhone 4 you can shoot and edit HD video right from your phone with iMovie. And on another note, if you own an iPhone 4 I’m extremely jealous.

SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR MUSICIANS

8. Duo
Duo is a great app for quickly and easily updating both your Twitter and Facebook statuses at the same time. When you want to update your fan base with what you’re doing, insider info, or, well, just about anything this is the easiest way to sync both accounts.

Price: FREE
9. Tweetdeck
If you’re looking for a little more from Twitter then just the quick status update then TweetDeck is the app from you. You can add columns for your Twitter Lists, cross post to multiple accounts (including Facebook), reply to tweets and send direct messages, follow topics in real-time, and share photos. This is just a summary of the many features TweetDeck has to offer. If you’re a Twitter fanatic this is your app.

Price: FREE
10. Facebook App

The Facebook app can do, well, pretty much everything that Facebook can do. Not but seriously, the newest upgrade allows you to watch Facebook videos to add onto the list of things it already could do. Use this app to talk to your fans with Facebook Chat, upload your photos, or look up phone numbers of your friends. If the Facebook app is lacking any features that you’re looking for then give it a few more weeks and chances are there will be an updaed version of the app with everything you could hope for.
Price: FREE

MUSICIANS: CONNECT YOUR FANS

11. Fanbridge

FanBridge is a simple app that can be used for collecting fan’s information to be added to a mailing list. Next time you’re chatting with some fans after a show, take down there info and update them on your next show, upcoming album releases, or even follow up with a “thank you” for coming to see your show.
Price: $4.99
12. Sound Around
You’re a musician on-the-go. Who’s to say your fans aren’t also busy people? Let them stay involved with you regardless of where they happen to be. With Sound Around you can create your own iPhone app for your music and let your fans check you out where ever they are. Fans can play your music, look up lyrics, view photos, watch videos, shows and more. Most importantly, it also includes share features so your fans can help spread the word.
While there are plenty of apps available for musicians, these 11 are the most relevant for musicians that are constantly on the move. Have you had experience with any of these apps? Were there any apps that got left off the list and shouldn’t have been? Any feedback is appreciated in the comment section!

Sound Around Demo from Sound Around on Vimeo.

Chris is the co-founder of MicControl, a music blogging network based on a music social networking platform. This post originally appeared on the MicControl blog on June 14, 2010. Chris can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

If every artist, band or group represents it’s own brand, and must be sold as such to the public and to the music industry, then every brand needs to be packaged in a way that will effectively showcase it’s strengths and marketability. By now, most musicians understand the importance of a press kit- it is your brand, your image, it is you in a package and is the key to selling venues and a&r reps from both major and indie labels on the fact that you WILL make them money. But just making a press kit isn’t enough. In an industry with such a low barrier of entry, anyone can make and submit a press kit, decreasing your chance of actually getting recognized by those who matter. So what will you do to make your press kit more remarkable than the rest?

There are right ways of making a press kit, and of course there are also wrong ways- but with every artist out there making one, you need more than just a ‘proper’ press kit. There are many different things that can be added in and certain techniques that can be used, that will make your press kit shine much brighter than the rest of the pile.

Basic Types Of Press Kits

• Traditional, physical press kit
• Electronic press kit (EPK)

While you may be tempted to just use one or the other, it is very important that you always create a physical press kit. Not only are these more likely to be received by booking agents and a&r reps from record labels, but they can be customized in a way that the EPKs cannot, which is essential to making your press kit as attractive as possible. Not to say that EPKs are bad, because they are still a very helpful tool for promoting your music to bloggers and other online publications. But if you do decide to make one, make sure that it does not completely replace your use of physical press kits.

Currently, the most popular EPK service is SonicBids.

Gathering The Essentials

Besides being a sales pitch for booking agents and A&R reps, a press kit also needs to contain enough factual information about the artist/ band/ group to be able to base an article or review on:

Biography:

Although a bio is just that, a Biography of the band (or artist), it is still a place to get creative. An interesting back story, if you have one, is a very marketable thing. All the same though, make it short and sweet- no one wants to read 5 pages of your musical history. If you have nothing special to say, get the bio over as quickly as possible.

CD demo:

Bands should include their most recent music, or music that may be recognizable or has become a fan favorite. MAKE SURE IT IS A HIGH QUALITY RECORDING. No one wants to hear a low-fi demo made in a basement. Just remember, you get 30 seconds to make your case. If the person listening doesn’t find what they are looking for in your music after 30 seconds, they will most likely pass.

High Resolution Photo of the Band:

An obvious must for every press kit. Not only is it very important to give press a high quality image to be reproduced in magazines, newspapers, blogs etc. but it is also a good way to showcase the look and feel of your band. Remember that no matter what you wear when you are in ‘artist’ mode, whether it’s for a photo shoot or on stage, you are making a statement.

Tour Dates (when applicable):

Obviously, the more dates you have, the better it looks. By showing that others find you marketable, and are willing to book you, you will become instantly more appealing to the reps of bigger and better venues- to these people ticket sales are everything.

Past Shows (when applicable):

Do yourself a favor, and leave this off the list if all you can say is ‘I played a backyard BBQ for my friends’. This is a good place to show off previous shows of importance, whether it be venues with a large capacity or sold out gigs.

Press Reviews/ Interviews (when applicable):

Again, the more high-profile reviews and/or interviews you can include in your press kit, the better off you will be. This is physical proof to booking agents and A&R reps that your brand is worth something, and there is more money to be made by marketing it on a larger scale.

Contact Info:

VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure you have multiple ways to be reached by those who are looking to get in touch with you. Give what ever info you would like, but make sure you leave the phone number, address and email address of the one person who represents the band, even if it is a band member. Also, to show that you are serious, create an email that is professional (i.e. my.band@yahoo.com).

Whether you use a physical press kit or an electronic press kit, the information used should remain fairly similar. However, an electronic press kit does give you some additional options such as videos and website links that may be difficult (though not impossible) to include in a physical press kit. Here is the basic info that is typically seen within an EPK:

• Biography
• Music clips (with accompanying lyrics)
• High resolution press photos
• Tour dates
• Promotional videos
• Website or website links
• Press reviews and interviews, etc.
• “RIYL” or “Recommended If You Like” list: a listing of artists of similar styles or genres
• High resolution photos or images of the band logo, products, etc.
• Contact information

The Competitive Advantage

Once you have all of these elements ready to go, there are some techniques that can and should be employed in order to make your press kit more appealing then all the others:

Take off the shrink wrap from the CD:

This may seem insignificant, but you must look at it through the eyes of those who do look at press kit after press kit. By removing the shrink wrap, you are saving all of those looking at the press kit the headache of having to remove it themselves, keeping them in a good mindset as they listen to the first few seconds of your CD. Do you really think you will stand a chance if the person puts the disk into the player after struggling with the shrink wrapping? No… you wont.

Cover Letter:

Just like with a resume, there should be a cover letter in your press kit. A cover letter is a formal and personal introduction to the band and the music. if you don’t know how to create a cover letter.

NOTE: THERE IS A CORRECT WAY TO MAKE A COVER LETTER. A POORLY DONE COVER LETTER CAN HURT YOU MORE THAN NOT INCLUDING ONE!

Put Your Contact Info On Anything and Everything:

Just remember, your press kit will most likely be one of many in a pile. Just as school teachers give constant reminders to put your name on all of your work, make sure you put your contact info on everything you can. Pictures get separated, CDs get removed and misplaced from their cases, cover letters get separated from the rest of the press kit, you get my drift? PUT IT ON EVERYTHING!
Proper Packaging

All of the contents of your press kit needs to be put together into one clean and professional package, as it not only reflects how serious you are about the opportunity at hand, but is a sign of respect to those receiving it. A manila folder is most likely the best option, but no matter what kind of folder you do use, make sure you get the band name printed on to it, not drawn, but printed. Again, professionalism is important and will go along way when trying to make a first impression. Also, make sure that everything stays nicely inside the folder- your press kit will be in a pile with others, if something important from your press kit falls out, such as your demo CD, you can kiss that opportunity good-bye.

At this point you have everything you need for creating an effective press kit. Just keep in mind that you represent a brand, and an overall image, and you are attempting to convince a professional that your music is marketable and WILL be profitable if given the opportunity.

Musicians are entrepreneurs whether they want to believe it or not. By writing music under a band name, pen name or even just their own name, they have effectively created a brand that must be properly marketed if it is to thrive and flourish. But there in-lies a major problem: not all musicians know anything about marketing and they will eventually make some critical mistakes that lead to the demise of their short-lived venture. It is, however, the musicians who take the time to learn from past mistakes made by other musicians, and furthermore learn to correct these mistakes, that are the ones who build up the kind of influential brand that has lasting power.

These are 15 potentially crippling, yet ultimately avoidable marketing mistakes that are all too commonly made by the emerging music community, along with tips to help you as an artist to overcome and succeed in the best way possible:

1. Social Media is not the only way to market your band. This is the number one mistake because it can absolutely cripple a band from ever finding success. Far too many artists forget that social media is a device to be used within a strong, well-rounded marketing campaign. If you, as an artist, expect to just sit in front of your computer, friend thousands of people and wait by the phone for the call from an A&R rep, you will be severely let-down when that call never comes. And please do believe that it will not come.

If you are going to use social media as a part of your overall marketing strategy, and it is strongly advised that you do, use it wisely and properly, and as a part of a bigger strategy. A great example is one of the hottest emerging bands on the jam band scene, The McLovins, who found literal overnight success on Youtube when their cover of Phish’s You Enjoy Myself had close to 100,000 views in the blink of an eye. While it was clear that this video had gone viral, The McLovins didn’t just sit back and wait for people to friend them on Facebook or follow them on twitter- they went out on tour, taking their music to the people who had a newfound interest in the band. Only two years later, they have been covered in both Rolling Stone and Relix magazines and have performed at Gathering Of The Vibes and Mountain Jam.

2. Beginning the marketing process before the creative process. Lets be clear about something – every band needs to be marketing themselves, but in due time. A mistake that almost every over-zealous artist or band makes, is to begin marketing themselves when there is only a few or even one finished song.

Take that deep breath, back away from the paper titled My Band’s Marketing Strategy (which you should eventually have), and go back to creating your music. While it is great that you want to get your music out there for the world to hear, you are simply wasting time if you are marketing yourself with only a handful of tracks to offer fans…. Its the same thing as trying to book a gig with only a few songs under your belt.

3. Setting short-term, mid-term and long term goals. Setting goals at all three benchmarks (short, mid, long) is an important part of any proper marketing plan and is crucial for you as an artist to stay on track as you market your music and your brand. It is a common mistake made by musicians to set only long term goals and just leave everything else up in the air. How could you possibly expect to get signed by Sony records, or even an indie label like Sub Pop Records for that matter without setting proper short, mid and long-term goals.

Short-term goals are typically set to be completed within six months to a year and can involve things like:

- hitting a certain number on your mailing list
- selling a certain number of albums
- creating enough material to record that first demo or book that first gig

These are goals that should be analyzed after the set time-frame is up, so that you can learn from past mistakes and successes to help you grow.

Mid-term goals are set from one year to anywhere up to around 5 years, and can involve things like:

- booking the first significant tour (or even just selling out the current venue size and beginning to book venues with a larger max capacity)
- hiring a management company or a publicist
- building up enough demand in your brand to receive recognition from some of the larger music publications
- recording the first official, professional-quality LP

These are goals that should be challenging but realistic, should reflect the overall mission of the brand (you as artist or the group as a band) and finally should make significant steps towards advancing your career. These are the goals that take you from ‘coffee-house artists’ to established brand name.

Long-term goals are set from 6 to 15 years into your career, and can involve things like:

- booking a national amphitheater tour
- receive a major recording contract or distribution deal
- establish an endorsement deal with a major brand (i.e. Nike)

These are goals that you should be working towards throughout your career. By the time these goals are achievable, you will have established yourself as a strong and reputable brand within the music industry. Most importantly, these are goals that should reflect the ultimate success of your short-term and mid-term goals combined.

4. Analytics. One of the easiest things an artist can do in today’s Web 2.0 world is to set up a Facebook page or a blog. However, an extremely costly mistake that is made all too often is to avoid the analytical side of web 2.0 because it can be time-costly. But the fact is, analytics are powerful (and many times free) tools that will help you study who your loyal fan-base ACTUALLY is, so that you can nurture their interests.

Facebook has a free set of analytics tools built right into the site for you to use called Facebook Insights. So do yourself a favor and actually use it! If you are running a blog, Google has its own analytics system that is also completely free of charge that you should be using. But before you use either set of analytical tools, its important that you understand what all of the graphs and numbers mean, and how you can use them to grow your brand. Here are a few links to help you get started:

Facebook Insights

Google Analytics

5. Marketing without a properly determined and established audience. When it comes to the world of emerging music, a HUGE mistake that is commonly made is to just market to everyone. This will never be the path towards success. Determine who your most loyal fans will be, learn everything about them, and then begin to market TO them (not AT them – another big no – no).

6. Not investing enough time into marketing. If you are an artist, and you are trying to build your brand, you actually have to put in the time and the effort to make sure people are aware of your music. Artists seem to have the ‘If you build it, they will come’ mindset. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is this will never work for musicians (with very rare exceptions). Posting the occasional track to myspace, or just using Facebook to tell people about upcoming events isn’t even close to enough. As much as you want to think that Word-Of-Mouth marketing will launch you to stardom, just like OK-GO or Dispatch, it simply won’t happen.

These bands spent hundreds of hours building up contacts and a loyal fan-base and used the internet to help their loyal fans spread the word. Not the other way around. In fact, the video from OK-GO for ‘Here It Goes Again‘ that became the viral sensation and reason why everyone now knows the band OK-GO, came 9 years after the band first formed.

7. Not aligning your image with your music. Consistency with everything you do is key to your overall success, and that includes both online and off. A part of being consistent is making sure that the way people observe you aligns with your music. It is the reason why so many rappers, many of whom may or many not actually be a real-life gangster unnecessarily purchase automatic weapons.

Image is something that is part of your overall brand as an artist or band, and whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, it will be inevitably discussed by fans and treated as an important part of why they like who you are. It would be negligent to overlook your image as something that holds little or no value to fans. Just look at how the party-girl image disrupted the career of pop icon Brittany Spears. It was more than damaging… it could have ended her career.

8. You Are Not Easily Reachable. Plain and simple, with today’s accessibility to the internet through mobile web-browsing and apps, there is absolutely no excuse for not being easily accessibly to anyone who reaches out to you about your music. It is understandable for certain situations to arise, i.e. if you have a day job and you are in an important meeting, but if you want to quit that day-job and make music your career, you must make your fans (and more importantly industry members such as booking agents/ concert promoters) your number one priority.

9. Not setting up a professional email. This is advice that is usually given to college students about to enter the real world, but it is no less relevant here, and is a costly mistake that can mean the difference between gig and no gig. Get rid of that stupid and childish email address! No one will take you seriously if you are trying to book a gig, and the response email address is CutiePie-45@geocities.com, BallinBro@email.com or any other name that you came up with in high-school. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to hold yourself to the utmost accountability. Go over to gmail, and sign up for a proper email at my.band@gmail.com

10. Focusing on quantity over quality of fans. This is the mark of the amateur, and is a trap that many will fall into. Do yourself a favor and read this one twice if you need to. DO NOT make the mistake of thinking that the more friend you have, and the more people you follow, the closer you are to success. Anyone can spend day after day in front of a computer clicking the ‘add friend’ or ‘follow’ button. This does not make you a professional musician!

While a large fan-base is obviously the endgame, it is also a long-term goal to shoot for, not a short-term goal (see #3 – setting goals). There is a crucial piece of the puzzle that is missing from the term ‘large fan-base’- loyalty and dedication. This is truly what you are striving for, and it is this reason why a band like Further, a new reincarnation of The Grateful Dead consisting of members of The Dead with some friends, have been selling out show after show and even had to extend their summer tour last year due to the high demand. Dedication and loyalty to a band or even just the music (as is the case with Further) will be a stronger component in the overall success in your band than a bigger, looser following will be.

When you are marketing yourself, your band, your music, and ultimately your brand, focus on creating a smaller group of loyal followers who will be willing to spread the word because they are dedicated to you and what you are doing. Instead of just shooting out updates to these people, work to create create real, lasting relationships and give them a legitimate reason to want to promote you. By building this kind of a following, it wont matter that you don’t have 2 million fans, because the 100,000 fans that you do have will be willing to buy everything you release, follow you on tour from city to city, and allow your career to last longer than those whose fans are just listening to you cause its something to do.

11. Avoiding comparisons to other bands within a pitch. It is a known fact that an ‘artist’ will do everything in their power to avoid comparing their unique and original art to someone else. But if someone, more specifically a potential fan or an industry member, asks you what your music sounds like, DO NOT just list a bunch of genres and technical terms. People need a frame of reference. How is anyone supposed to know that what you really mean by saying your music sounds like ‘progressive fusion mixed with heavy layered dissonance based on a slight rhythmic syncopation’ is that you sound like a mix between Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. Here is an excellent video from Ariel Hyatt of Ariel Publicity (featuring Derek Sivers of CD Baby) that wonderfully explores this topic:

As mentioned by Ms. Hyatt in the video above, you NEED to have a pitch for the off chance that you find yourself in an elevator with a major record exec (or anyone else for that matter). This is why every artist who is serious about developing and advancing their brand should create and rehearse an elevator pitch.

An elevator Pitch should contain the following:

- SHOULD start with a memorable hook.
- SHOULD NOT be any longer than 60 seconds though if you can bring it down to a few, powerful statements.
- SHOULD be rehearsed and sound passionate. Make sure you don’t sound like your reading from a mental cue-card.

Here is a fantastic online slide show from Business Week called Crafting An Effective ‘Elevator Pitch’.

12. Forcing people to purchase your music. Yes we acknowledge it only costs 4.99 to buy your album on iTunes, yes we understand that you have bills to pay and yes, we know that you poured your heart into your music, but forcing people to purchase your album is a huge mistake. You don’t necessarily need to give your music away, but think about all of the ways to package your music into an EP or a mixtape, something that may have 2 or 3 tracks to generate interest with a new fan so that they can make the decision to purchase your album on their own. You can even use a free download as great incentive for simply signing up for your mailing list!

Being quite honest, most people hate when emerging artists force people to purchase their music. Your album may only be $4.99, but if that person only has $20 to spend on purchasing music for the week, why would they spend it on something they have yet to hear (because the artist is forcing them to buy before listening), when they could spend it on the new Tom Petty album they have been waiting for for weeks? They won’t….

And please, do yourself a favor, if you reach out to someone to review your album, do not under any circumstance tell them that you would really appreciate it, then follow up with a link, telling them they can purchase it from iTunes. If you are looking for a review, you give the reviewer your music!

13. Not Creating A Mailing List. This could be the worst move that any musician could make. Ever. A mailing list is not a new idea created by reverbnation as another widget for you to use (though they do have a widget for it). Mailing lists have been around forever, and are still one of the best ways to ensure that your loyal fans receive any and every important update about yourself or your band.

Social media is a great ways to update your fans, but with Facebook’s current news feed algorithm and Twitter being updated nearly every .0000001 seconds, your updates are likely to go unnoticed if your fans are not online at the exact moment that you publish the update. And even then they are not guaranteed to see it. A blog will do a much better job of this, as it is your domain for fans to access, but a mailing list is a way to directly contact each and every fan in one click of a button.

14. Comment/ Update Spam. For many, this is considered to be the lowest form of self-promotion, yet musicians continue to hit Facebook pages and groups, blogs, and Twitter accounts with the same generic message:

If you are going to get involved with a community within a Facebook group, or a well run blog, do not make the mistake that so many before you have and will continue to make by leaving a comment that is for the sole purpose of ‘shameless self-promotion’…. its called shameless for a reason. Leave a comment that either contributes to the existing conversation, or has a relevant follow up to a question or even voice your own opinion about an issue tackled within the article. While leaving a legitimate comment may not directly promote your music, but it will allow others to accept you into the community as a real person with a real thought. Not just a bot spamming a message around. After time, you will make stronger, more valuable connections than ever possible from spamming a large group of people.

However, there is also the idea of spamming your own accounts by leaving update after update of self-promotional glory on your own Twitter accounts and/ or any other place that allows you to update a status. For this, there is one simple golden rule called the one-quarter rule, as presented by Twist Image founder Mitch Joel. The one-quarter rule states you may post one self-promotional update out of every 4 posts- the others must be legitimate posts about something other than how great you are. This rule is something to live by and translates well to updating/ posting on all forms of social media.

15. Spreading Yourself Too Thin. This is one of the biggest killers of productivity and can ruin any marketing strategy. While it is great to get yourself out there and join as many social networks as possible, you only have so much time to keep all of these things up-to-date. One important aspect of social media is the ‘real-time’ factor, which allows you to update your fans, but also respond back to people on a real-time basis. If you try to maintain a presence throughout all of these different forms of social media, you will inevitably fail. There are, however a few great ways to battle this issue:

Artist Data- Artist Data (which was just aquired by Sonic Bids) actually allows you to update everything from your profile info and status to things like music and events on all of your existing social networks like Facebook, Last.fm, Reverbnation and a whole list of others.

Ping.fm- Similarly to Artist Data, Ping.fm allows you to update information on many different social networks.(http://ping.fm/networks/) The difference here is that Ping.fm is for general use, and not specifically for artists, so while it has a much larger reach to more social networks and blogging platforms, it has less capabilities to meet the specific needs of an artist.

Hootsuite- While Hootsuite is fairly limited in that it can only really update the status of a few social networks, it does have an impressive suite of analytical and tracking tools for you to use. Though a word to the wise: unless you have a significant amount of traffic to any of your pages, Hoot Suite will not be able to analyze the data.

Ideally, you want to create a home base for your following so they know where to actually be able to reach you, but you still want to make sure you are properly represented across all of the various social networks.

Your fan page is a great place to aggregate all the content you’ve created on the various social networks you belong to. Your fan page can be the ultimate destination for your fans to find your tweets, blog posts, and even other people who have acknowledged your work.

Here are a few ways you can share your content with your fan base:

Sync your Twitter account with your Facebook page.

This will save you the hassle of having to update Facebook AND Twitter. There are a few different options out there that will automatically update your Facebook page with your Tweets but one of the most popular is the official Twitter application. If you would like control over which Tweets are posted to Facebook try using Selective Twitter which will only upload Tweets to Facebook that end with “#fb”.
On top of syncing your Twitter account with your Facebook page, you can also automatically sync your blog. You have a few options here:

Social RSS allows you to automatically pull your blog posts and display them on your Fan Page under a dedicated tab, your wall tab, or as your news.
Blog RSS Feed Reader has been known to have some problems but may be worth it for the level of control and customization options it offers such as the ability to choose an image giving your RSS feed the same feel as your blog.
Facebook Notes is probably the easiest way to upload your blog posts. Go to the Import A Blog section under notes and type in your blog’s address and you’re done. Simple as that.
The YouTube app for Facebook will include a box in your profile to publish all of your personal videos and any others that you think will be of interest to your fans.
Since most of your fans will be on Facebook, your fan page is a great place to mention other places on the internet where you’ve been mentioned, whether it’s someone’s personal blog, a review or recognition from a major online publication like Rolling Stone, it’s never a bad idea to show off the positive press you’re receiving. While there’s not really a good way to accurately monitor and automatically update your fan page with non-Facebook mentions Google provides a few easy ways to stay updated.

• Google Blog Search is a great tool to find out what blogs are mentioning you. Search your name/band’s name and you can easily find blogs that are mentioning you or sharing your music with their readers. With the ability to sort by most recent posts, you can see if you’re being mentioned in the blogosphere within seconds of a post being published.
• Google Alerts will notify you by email anytime specific key words are found on the internet. Put an alert on your name and you’ll get updated every time you’re mentioned in Google’s search results

Anytime you’re mentioned copy and paste the link into your fan page so your fans can see what people are saying about you on the internet.
While it’s a great idea to put all of your content in one place for your fans to find Mashable contributor Matt Silverman warns “If your core customers are already subscribed to your blog and other social accounts, a double-dose of the same exact content may trigger some to hide your updates or ‘un-fan’ you. Consider relegating your Social RSS feed to a tab if this is the case.”
2. Create a “Merch” tab so fans can view merch right on your fan page
Nimbit MyStore allows artists to sell whatever they want through their fan page without making visitors leave their fan page. From CDs to tickets, T-shirts to hoodies, you can sell it all and Nimbit will handle all of the shipping and e-commerce so you can focus on your music. With Nimbit they also make special promotions easy. Their website boasts “you can design custom bundles and packages that will appeal to any fan. Bundle a ticket to your next gig with an MP3 download of your new release.” MyStore is a great tool for artists looking to make some money off merch sales and want to offer their fans an extra incentive to buy.
While Reverbnation’s MyBand offers a whole bunch of great features it includes a merch section that links your fans right to your own merch store within the app. On top of just being able to sell some cool gear you can sell music and ringtones as well. MyBand’s advantages lie in the plethora of features which are (mostly) covered in other sections. If you’re looking for an app that covers a bunch of different features that can enhance your fan page, as well as a merch store, MyBand may be right for you, but it lacks some of the customizability that Nimbit MyStore has to offer.
3.Create a mailing list

Another great aspect of the Facebook page is the ability to collect your fan’s personal e-mails so you can contact them outside of Facebook and update them about major events that you don’t want to get lost in their newsfeed.
As we just mentioned, Reverbnation’s MyBand offers a bunch of different features, one of which being an e-mail collector for fans to sign up for your mailing list. Keep in mind that fans aren’t jumping at the opportunity to sign-up for another mailing list so you have to think from their perspective – what’s in it for them?
Create some sort of incentive. Offer an exclusive track for fans that sign up or a discount on their next purchase from your Merch section. Also, remember to use your mailing list appropriately. Updating your fans daily will most likely annoy most users while updating them once a month might not be enough to keep them engaged. Use moderation and when in doubt ask your fans! Your Facebook page is a great place to ask your fans how much is too much and update them accordingly.
4. Create/promote events

Facebook Events are incredibly useful for any artist. Think about it, you can personally invite all your friends, you can have your closest friends, your street team members, and your dedicated fans invite all their friends and before you know it you’ve reached hundreds, if not thousands, of people who now know about your show and are reminded of your show on a website they visit daily (if not hourly). On top of it all you can get a ball park idea of what the turnout is going to be like and contact anyone attending the event to update them on changes or even just remind them to buy tickets.
Reverbnation’s MyBand also has its own events section. You can upload your event and even link it to a registered venue from Reverbnation. It may not have great sharing functionality and it’s also a less recognizable events format for most Facebook users. But, if you’re already using some of the other features on MyBand you might as well add your events, it can’t hurt right? But I’d strongly recommending using Facebook events in addition to this app.
5. Create way for fans to tell their friends about you and barely even realize they’re doing it

This can be tough but the best way to make your fan page engaging is by including content that makes your fans WANT to get involved, join the conversation, and share it with their friends.
One of the best examples I’ve seen recently is David Guetta’s fan page which has a tab titled “Your Memories” which is used to promote his single “Memories.” Fans are asked to submit answers to the question “What crazy s**t did you do last night?” Fans answers are posted on the page and there is also the option to publish to their feed with a link to Guetta’s page. Since April, just under a million fans have “liked” his page due in large part to the interactivity his page offers.
There are similar ways to achieve this same effect with the iLike application where fans can like your music and it’s shared on their feed. But, if you have the means (or an idea that will get fans contributing) a small feature can go viral very quickly if you’ve got some dedicated fans who are taking part in your community. There’s no real formula for this one, it takes a little creativity. If you’ve got some money to spend, companies like Involver can help you plan your Facebook marketing strategy.
6. Share your music (iLike, Facebook Music Player, MyBand)

RootMusic also brings a MySpace feel to your Facebook fan page. The application includes a SoundCloud player that streams your tracks for fans while giving them the ability to browse through your photos, reading your bio, viewing tour dates, reading your Twitter feed, or even writing on your wall. RootMusic is relatively new and makes it clear in their overview video that they’re looking for your feedback to make your experience better. Expect to see some cool new features develop over the next few months.
iLike offers a music tab for your fan page with a variety of features that go even beyond sharing your music. With iLike you can play your music right from the application with links to purchase songs. On top of this you can upload your Twitter feed and add a MySpace-esque banner to help further brand your fan page.
Hit or Not is a free application that allows you to sell your digital music (as well as some merch and e-tickets) on Facebook and gives fan the ability to pay using credit card or even through payments with a variety of currencies. Royalties for each track sold are instantly transferred to your bank account so you can start making money right away. Hit or Not’s best feature, however is the “music game” that it offers to fans. For $34.95 a year Hit or Not includes your music in a Facebook game where users act as A&R reps deciding which artists have what it takes and which ones don’t by voting up the “value” of each track. Although you may not be jumping at the chance to shell out $35, the app gives you a chance to get your music in front of a large audience of people who are drawn in by the ability to play the part of a big music mogul.
Lastly, MyBand offers the ability to upload your music and then track how it’s being spread and how many times your songs have been played. Your friends can share your music on their feeds and you can track how many people are listening it and continuing to share it.
All of these applications have their own unique features included. Take a minute to consider your fan base and the results you’re trying to achieve by including music on your page. Also, take into consideration any other apps you plan on using. Sharing your music on Facebook is crucial to engaging your fan base and it’s important you choose the right application for what you’re trying to offer your loyal fans.
7. Discussion Boards

Discussion boards may seem like such an insignificant feature compared to all the applications we’ve discussed thus far that include every “bell and whistle” imaginable but the discussion boards that are available on every Facebook fan page can be a very important way to create an actual community for your fan base. Discussion boards are a great place to get the conversation started.
At first the community is going to rely on YOU to start the conversation so pick some topics to get your fans talking. What are your favorite songs? Where would you like to see us play? Get fans talking about your music and better yet find out where the demand lies. Figure out which cities have a strong following of fans that would come to your show so that you don’t book a gig and find out all of your fans live on the other side of the country.
As the community begins to grow your fans will begin to take control of the conversation and it’s up to you to keep up with them. Being an active community member is very important to creating a strong following. If someone says they like your music, thank them. If one of your fans has a question, answer it. If you don’t know the answer, direct them to someone or someplace that can answer it for them. Communicate with your fans because without them all you’ve got is a basement full of band t-shirts and CDs that no one wants.
Another great aspect of discussion boards is the ability to receive feedback from the people that matter most. These discussions can act as the expensive focus groups that are made up of people that share similar demographics to your fan base. The only difference is they’re free and the people you’re talking to are ACTUALLY the people that will be coming to your shows, buying your MP3s and spreading the word to all of their contacts on and off the internet. Ask your fans for feedback – What do you think of these lyrics? What do you think of the new sound I’m working on for my next album? Get answers from the people that actually matter and let them become involved with your music. Who wouldn’t want to buy an album that they feel like they had a part in helping to create?
8. Contests/Giveaways
One of the best ways to increase the number of people that “like” your page is to host some kind of contest that offers a cool prize for fans that become connected with your page. As the video mentions, companies that offer some kind of contest tend to have twice the amount of fans than those companies that choose not to. Wildfire is the best application for creating a contest on your page. A basic promotional campaign with Wildfire will run you about $5 with an additional $.99 for every day it runs (plus the cost of prizes). Wildfire is easy to use. Create everything from the campaign name to the details of the prizes. You can even customize the rules and regulations and give your promotion a unique look (more custom options available with advanced packages) and publish it to Facebook and any other networks you belong to, including your personal website. Once your promotion is created let Wildfire spread the word like… well… wildfire.
9. Fan Page Analytics

Facebook Insights is another feature that is offered to page administrators without having to add any additional applications to your page. Facebook Insights allows admins to see basic stats about their page from demographics (age, gender, location, etc.) to post quality and fan engagement. Insights also lets you track fan base growth and graphically shows interactions, comments, wall posts, and “likes” to date. Last but not least, Facebook provides comparisons to other fan pages of similar size so you can see how well you’re doing compared to other pages that are in a similar boat. Insights may be limited in comparison to what tools such as Google Analytics has to offer for websites, but Facebook provides some helpful information for you to make sure you’re reaching your target market and giving you the ability to analyze how well you’re reaching your fans.
10. Remember, your Facebook fan page is for your FANS

No matter how many fans you have or how many awesome features you’ve got on your page, it means absolutely nothing if your fans are just sitting ducks. Get your fans involved. We’ve recommended a lot of applications and features for you to increase engagement on your site and create a community for your fans but you should know your fans best and what features they will enjoy (and if you don’t? Ask them!). Create an experience that will not only captivate your fans and hold their attention for more than a few seconds but make them want to come back again and again and again. And again.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box either. Just because no other artist has tried it before doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I’ll leave you with this story: A hip-hop artist I’m friends with on Facebook started a fan page titled “Will Whoop That Ass” (the idea coming from various things that made Will, the creator, want to whoop some ass). Within the past few months Will has gained almost 15,000 followers and receives hundreds of interactions a day in the form of “likes,” comments, and even fans posting their own reasons to “whoop some ass.” Will has chosen to not directly market his music through this page but has expanded to videos which include his music. Regardless of whether or not he is promoting his music he’s a great real-life example of someone who created a strong following and turned it into an engaged community.
Use Will as an example of someone who thought outside of the box and decided to channel his urges to slap someone into an interactive fan page that I’ve personally watched grow exponentially over the past few months. Don’t be afraid to try something new and entertaining that makes fans want to contribute to the community you’ve created.
No matter what features you decide to include on your Facebook page make sure to keep the fresh content coming. There’s thousands of musicians on Facebook and your content should be what makes you stand out from the rest of the pack. Figure out what your fans want and deliver it to them. Get them involved and most importantly become a member of your community.
Now let’s put the spotlight on you. How have you used your fan page to interact with your fan base and keep them coming back for more? Let us know your Facebook strategy and what applications/features you’d recommend to other artists in the comment section!
Chris is the co-founder of MicControl, a music blogging network based on a music social networking platform. This post originally appeared on the MicControl blog on June 14, 2010. Chris can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

Every musician is looking for that perfect gig- the gig at a dream venue with a huge payoff both in terms of money and exposure. Unfortunately these are typically unattainable without already having a fan base to work with. Bars and clubs can be great, but it is becoming more and more of a reality that venues in major cities expect the artist to bring in a crowd, not to find one there. If you expect to book a gig in New York City, you better bring the crowd with you. For the most part, clubs like CBGB, which had a its own established crowd, are all but gone. It is now up to you to find other ways to build up your fan base and create the kind of demand that will grab the attention of those who do the booking at the most desirable venues.

What seems to be so commonly overlooked, is that venues likes bars and clubs are not the only way to get the word out about your music. In fact, it is the non-traditional venue that are most likely to have return customers that may not have heard of you yet. But in order for these venues be effective in building your fan base and helping spread awareness of your music, there are a few considerations that must be made:

> The venue must reflect your audience – If you are a solo jazz guitarist, do yourself a favor and stay away from sports-bars.

> Make the emotional connection – Unlike traditional venues, not everyone who patronize non-traditional venues may be on the lookout for a new music discovery. If you plan to make these venues work for you, you have to make it work for the audience. Plan your setlists accordingly, in order to properly make the type of emotional connection with the crowd that will leave a lasting impression.

> Rarely pay well – This is the hardest part for many ‘starving artist’ types to get past. Unfortunately it takes money to make money and this may mean sacrificing your payout during these gigs in order to grow your fan base.

1. Restaurants: With help from sites like Yelp and City Search, you can find hundreds or even thousands of restaurants that offer live music. These venues are ideal as your ‘audience’ will likely stick around for at least an hour. More than enough time to allow you to establish that emotional connection.

2. Festivals/ Fairs: Lots of foot traffic and can involved a very specific type of crowd based on the topic of the festival. Check out Festival Finder to find upcoming festivals in your area.

3. Open Mic: Good networking events. Has the potential for a lot of like-minded musicians, and the potential for a large crowd of people specifically looking for new music.

4. Living Room Concert: This is a fairly new concept, but by putting on a concert in the comfort of your own home or the home of a close friend, it establishes a close, intimate setting for you to establish the perfect emotional connection with your audience. Check out a previous article we wrote about in-home concerts here. There are quite a few companies out there now who can help you organize this type of a event, such as Concerts In Your Home.

5. Cafe: If you can find a cafe where your music fits the overall style of the location, the typically dedicated and repeating customers are a perfect audience to establish a connection with. Again, you can use sites like Yelp to search for cafes in your area.

6. Charity Event: Emotional connection. Check. Not saying that you should be exploiting the emotional state of people involved certain charities, but if you feel strongly about something, a charity event is a great way to present your music as a way to help uplift spirits. Of course, if you do have a following, there are ways to get involved with larger charity events where the proceeds go to benefit those in need.

7. Live Stream: A recent phenomenon that has allowed fans of artists who allow audience taping to stream shows for other fans who can’t make it to the event for one reason or another. With social media becoming the most important way for you to expand your reach and to establish a legitimate following, what better way to satisfy those long-distance fans than by broadcasting a live stream of a concert or even a band jam session using services like UStream or Live Stream.

8. Rent-A-Venue: The host of a plethora of different venues including everything from your local VFW, town hall, or historical society to college auditoriums, drama theater houses and even traditional venues like clubs. Renting a venue can not only allow you to create your own customized atmosphere for the event, but can even be used to play a venue that otherwise may have overlooked you. A great success story of bands renting their own venue is the rock/ jam band Phish, who were turned down by The Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA in 1989. Instead of cowering, they decided to simply rent the venue and invite all of their fans. The show had such an overwhelming turn-out that The Paradise gladly welcomed them back in years to come and the event became a major turning-point in the bands career.

9. Guerrilla Concert: While artists involved with any form of Guerrilla show run the risk of being fined or even arrested, guerrilla concerts can be a great way to surprise an audience. The Beatles played a well known guerrilla show on the roof of the Apple Recording Studio building (they were forced to stop by the police due to a noise complaint). Similarly Jefferson Airplane ‘ surprise attacked’ New York City with their free, roof-top show:

A suggestion for an easy guerrilla concert that has both a lower risk of being fined or arrested and can directly reflect your audience, is to set up and perform in the parking lot during the hours before someone else’s concert at a major venue. By sharing fans with the performing band you will have an easier time establishing a connection with the fans, meanwhile there is a very slim chance that you could be sited for a noise complaint in the middle of a parking lot. NOTE: PERFORM AT YOUR OWN RISK.

10. Colleges: The college circuit holds much more than arenas and stadiums. With large music scenes at many of the bigger schools around the world, there are many different ways to perform in colleges that may be a bit non-traditional. Lecture halls and/or dorm common rooms may be rented out, there are frequently battle of the bands that are held around campuses and student organizations are always looking for bands to play sporting events and pep rallies that they won’t have to pay a whole lot.

11. Local Performing Arts Centers: There are plenty of performing arts centers of all shapes and sizes in every area. Seeking out some of the smaller performing arts centers may be an easily attainable gig, and can be a great way to create an intimate setting for a small gig with some close and dedicated fans.

(I happened to be at this show – there were about 50 of us in total in the crowd, which was a packed house. It was incredible night of rock n’ roll in an incredibly intimate setting)

12. Art Gallery/ Art Shows: Art galleries are usually close quarters which means playing up-close and personal with the attending crowd. This is typically better for an acoustic set of some sort, but is a great way to showcase your music as the people there are already in the open-minded spirit.

13. Schools: Both high-schools and elementary schools can work fine, though these venues more than any other, really depend on the subject matter of your music. There are always different events that schools are looking for music including dances, sporting events, pep rallies, charity drives, extra-curricular events, etc. My school (back when I was a wee child) even called an entire school assembly to watch an a cappella group perform called 5 O’clock Shadow.

14. Library: Libraries require quite a bit of planning but are particularly effective if your music caters to younger children.

15. Private party: Be prepared to play covers. If you are willing to sacrifice part of your set of original music to perform music that the attending crowd wants to hear than you are all set. Private parties, BBQs, house parties, graduation parties, the list goes on and on but can be a great way to win people over. This is a great place to establish the emotional connection – the crowd is having a great time with friend, your music is sounding good, BOOM, connection is made. Throwing in those covers may just be the icing on the cake to ensure that your music is remembered long after the party ends.

16. Religious Gathering Facility: Places like churches, temples, synagogs, etc. are a great place to perform music. The crowd is respectful and the acoustics are typically stellar. Also note that you don’t necessarily need to be religious to perform at one of these places. Many religions have different types of congregations, some with more laid back followings that are willing to host things like live music without the necessary religious affiliation.

17. Bookstore: With bookstores becoming synonymous with cafes, a similar crowd will ensure. This is a good, close quarters venue to put on a quite (or maybe not!) and intimate show. Many bookstores will look for live music for books signings, concert series or even just a weekly live act.

18. Corporate event: Similar to the private party, be prepared to play covers. Corporate events such as grand openings and launch parties are great venues to showcase your band, though original music may not be of much interest here. On a side note however, these venues will pay much better than most, if not all of the other venues included in this list.

19. Parks: May require a permit, as without one could be considered its own form of guerrilla concert. But some larger parks like Central Park in NYC have more than enough space for bands to set up and start performing with the necessary volume of foot traffic to make the performance worth while. There are also quite a few parks that actually do put on a summer concert series. In fact, the City Parks Foundation in NYC has an organization called Summer Stage that helps organize music all over the 5 Boroughs of NYC at over 750 different locations! It is definitely worth checking out to see if there is anything similar to this in your area.

20. Public television: This one may require pulling some strings, but public television is always looking for local programming. Not only does this put you directly in the home of your following, it is easily recordable for you to either stream live or post up on YouTube for those who may have missed it.

Where have YOU played? What non-traditional venues have you found to be the most effective?

Jon Ostrow is the co-founder of MicControl, a music blogging network based on a music social networking platform. This post originally appeared on the MicControl blog on June 3rd, 2010.  Jon can be found on twitter and facebook.

For the past few years, there has been quite a bit of talk of the ’360 deal’ and how it is becoming the new trend throughout the music industry, as major record labels attempt to rewrite the way they do business. Some see it as signing a pact with the devil, and others see it as a way to establish the kind of powerful and influential brand that otherwise may have been impossible to attain with out the help of a label. While there are clear cases for either side of the argument, it is important to understand what a 360 deal is, and how it can both positively and negatively effect your career path.

What Is A 360 Deal?

On Monday, June 7th MicControl.com will begin a week-long interview series entitled ‘The Blogging Side Of Music’. This 5-part series will explore the dos and don’ts, the styles and techniques, and ultimately the tips and strategies of a successful music blogger. Each day, The Blogging Side Of Music will feature the interview of a different style of music blogger, ranging from a musician who uses a blog as part of his promotional strategy to the general manager of a major digital PR firm who runs a music marketing strategies blog. Each interviewee gives a different perspective as to how and why to use a blog and how blogging has been beneficial to them.

While music bloggers make up a significant portion of the overall population of the blogosphere, there are far too many blogs that just float along in cyberspace without the understanding or direction to put their blog onto the path of success. Meanwhile, there are far too few artists who truly understand the power of a blog and why it should be used in congruence with a strong social media presence. Therefore the purpose of The Blogging Side Of Music is twofold- First, to share some powerful insight with existing music bloggers as to how they can get on the right path towards success. Second, is to elaborate on the effectiveness and usefulness of a blog in any artist’s overall marketing strategy.

The bloggers featured throughout the series have all found success at their own levels of blogging, each with their own purpose and motives for establishing a blog in the first place. The following is the schedule for the 5-part series:

Monday June 7: Matthew Moran – Musician/ Social Media Consultant
Tuesday June 8: Dave Tamkin – National Touring Musician
Wednesday June 9: Peter Malick - Award Winning Music Producer/ Blues Musician/ Blogger
Thursday June 10: Andrew Apanov – Editor-In-Cheif, Ultimate-Guitar.com/ Blogger
Friday June 11: Christina Duren – General Manager, Ariel Publicity/ Blogger

Excerpt from interview with Matthew Moran:

As an artist, what benefits do you receive from blogging that social networking cannot offer you?

I own the space. I can have more engaged, less interrupted, conversations. Okay, honestly, conversations might be a stretch but when someone in on my blog, it is just me and them. There are not 50 other micro-interruptions between us.

Excerpt from interview with Andrew Apanov:

Did you establish the direction for your blog before or after you began Dotted Music? Was there a reason for this?

It is essential to pick a very specific niche for a blog, determine the direction – everyone knows that and yet so many people fail at it. I am not an exception. With DM, the initial idea was to concentrate on marketing side of things, but soon after launching I realized that I’ve got much more than that to write about. Few months into blogging, I pulled myself together and started concentrating my personal posts on all things innovative – everything where music meets technology. I happen to be a project manager working on several mobile apps, web projects – so tech topics are very natural to me.

The Blogging Side Of Music is an important series for MicControl.com as it directly reflects the site’s purpose and goals – to establish a music blogging network based on a social networking platform and to form a unique community focused on learning and sharing that the emerging music market has yet to experience.

For more information, visit MicControl.com or email Jon.ostrow@miccontrol.com

Check out the original post here

Part 1 w/ Matt Moran has been published! We spoke with Matt about content, consistency and the benefits of blogging as a musician. Click HERE to view the interview.