Indie Music Confidential 2008

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INDIE MUSIC CONFIDENTIAL 47 Advanced Marketing Strategies You Should Be Using Right Now to Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever

Bob Baker www.TheBuzzFactor.com

Welcome to Indie Music Confidential.

(You can listen to an audio version of this introduction by clicking here: www.audioacrobat.com/play/WJClP9ks)

It’s the beginning of a new year, which makes it a great time to get revved up and achieve some ambitious music career goals over the next 12 months. No matter what time of year you read this and start working with it, now is the best time to plan and plot and start putting some new, advanced music promotion strategies into action!

Let me ask you something …

What kind of progress have you made with your music over the last 12 months? Looking back, how much would you say you have evolved and advanced? How many new songs have you written and recorded? How many new fans have you attracted? And what about new venues, media reviews, Internet exposure, and sales avenues?

Hopefully, you have a long list of accomplishments you can be proud of. But there’s also a good chance you’re not that thrilled with your progress. Perhaps you wish you had done more to move forward with your music.

1 Now think about this: 12 months from now, you’ll be asking yourself these same questions. How will you answer them then?

Your reality one year in the future is being shaped now. It’ll be shaped during every “now” you move through over the next 365 days. Make a vow this minute to do whatever it takes to have an amazing answer next year. One of pride and accomplishment … and of reaching a lot more people with your unique musical contribution to the world!

-Bob

Your Bonus Audio and Video Resources

• Watch the “Music Themes and Uses” video that comes with your Indie Music Confidential purchase. In it I show you creative ways to target your music to a lucrative niche market. Watch it here: www.audioacrobat.com/playv/WjBB7T4s

• Also, Ruth Klein interviewed me a few months ago and picked my brain about marketing, branding, time management, and productivity. You can stream or download this MP3 audio file (and the other files) here: www.bob-baker.com/audio/IndieConfidential.html

What’s In This Report?

The first 16 pages are filled with what I consider to be the most important web sites, trends, technologies, and cutting-edge ideas you should be implementing this year. After that you’ll find my 30 best tips on goal setting, productivity and motivation – tactics you’ll need to embrace to truly make major leaps forward. The remaining five pages contain worksheets you should fill out to make the most of the material covered in this Indie Music Confidential report.

Ready to get cracking? Let’s go!

-Bob

2 16 Web Sites You Need to Have a Presence On Now

Yes, I know the drill. There’s so much to do and only so many hours in the day. Especially when it comes to all these new social media web sites, it can become mind-boggling. Where do you start?

Well, here’s what I recommend you do: Go to the following sites and open a free account at each one. Don’t fill out your entire profile page on each site … yet. Don’t worry about getting things perfect. Just start an account at each one and vow to return soon to spice things up.

The key word above is START. Albert Einstein said, “Nothing happens until something moves.” That concept doesn’t apply only to physics. It relates to your music career as well.

Wanna make an impact with your music this year? Then move. Take some small action. Start something. Anything. Today. No, make that … right now! This minute.

(Note: If you already have accounts at some or all of these sites, congratulations! Now open an account at whichever ones you haven’t. Or take time now to update and beef up your profiles and “friend” connections at the social media sites where you already have an account.)

MySpace.com www.myspace.com

Even though the MySpace buzz seems to be slowing down a bit, there’s no denying that this site is still a powerhouse, with nearly 220 million registered users. You need to have a music presence there.

Important: Be sure to sign up for a MySpace Music account, NOT a basic account. Go to http://music.myspace.com/ and click the Artist Signup link on the right.

YouTube.com www.youtube.com

These days, you simply must be creating video content of some kind and sharing it with the world. Your production values don’t have to be extravagant. Search Amazon and Ebay for digital camcorders. I use a Canon Elura 100 MiniDV Camcorder, which I got on Ebay for less than $300. Also check out the new Flip Video camcorder, which sells for around $150 new. http://amazon.com/Video-Ultra-Camcorder-60-Minutes-White/dp/B000V1MLBE/

3 As for editing video on the cheap: If you have a PC running Windows XP or Vista, use the free Movie Maker program that comes with your operating system. If you have a newer Mac, use the free iMovie software that comes with it. I’ve used both with great success.

FanBridge.com www.fanbridge.com

A very cool service just for bands and musicians that will help you manage your fan email lists ... and even help you with mobile phone campaigns. There are many email list management services around, but this is one of the only I’ve seen just for artists. Send text and/or html ezines, sub divide your list by region or interest. They’re clients rave about the service!

Facebook.com www.facebook.com

It was the social networking buzz site of 2007. A cleaner, leaner and safer version of MySpace, with lots of cool widgets you can add to your profile page (within reason). Many artists have good things to say about the iLike application for Facebook. Details at http://apps.facebook.com/ilike

New: Facebook just launched something called Facebook Pages, described as a place where you can “Create a business presence to engage with your customers and fans on Facebook.” Musicians and bands are welcome. Check it out at www.facebook.com/business/?pages iLike.com / GarageBand.com www.ilike.com www.garageband.com

These two sites are now part of the same company, and they are having a growing influence on Internet music exposure. iLike is a leading social music discovery service. With over 15 million registered users, iLike helps consumers discover and share playlists, new music, and concerts that match their tastes. A sidebar for iTunes recommends new music, creates automatic playlists, and connects people through music. The site’s Artist Service Platform can help musicians build viral fan communities.

GarageBand is a place where bands can post songs and have music fans rate them. The site has 1,000 radio partners, allows artists to host up to 200 megs of MP3 files for free, offers a free gig calendar, and more. Take a tour of the site here: http://www.garageband.com/htdb/popup/tour.html

4 Podsafe Music Network http://music.podshow.com/

A site where podcasters go to find music that has been deemed “podsafe.” That means the copyright holders of the music available on this site give blanket permission to podcasters to play their songs. Lots of indie acts have received a lot of online exposure as a result of having an account here.

MP3.com / Download.com www.mp3.com http://music.download.com/

Both of these sites are owned by CNET and get a lot of traffic. MP3.com offers 100 MB of free space to upload your original music, 10 MB of space to upload photos, unlimited space to upload your original music videos, artist blogging tools, and more. One cool feature is the ability to associate yourself with other artists across the spectrum and allow the MP3.com community to vote on your relevance.

The http://music.download.com/ site is geared more toward fans looking for free downloads. If you’ve got tunes to give away, load them up here.

Project Playlist www.playlist.com

Similar to iLike, this site helps music fans create and share their favorite play lists. And it’s been growing steadily over the past several months, with more than 15 million users. People can share their music lists on most of the popular social networking sites. The best part: Project Playlist will soon launch artist profile pages. Submit your information now to become one of the first “Featured Artists” on the site.

Sonicbids.com * www.sonicbids.com

The premier place to create and share your electronic press kit online. Thousands of artists use the site to post their bios, song files, photos, gig calendar, set lists, press clippings, and more. And many music conferences and contests now require artists to submit via Sonicbids. * Note that this site has a one-month free trial. After that, it’ll run you $6 or $7 a month or $50 for an entire year.

5 Flickr.com www.flickr.com

Yes, digital still pictures seem so “old school” these days. But you still need to take them, and you need to post them on this popular site. I’m not talking family reunion pictures here. Take photos of your live shows, of your fans, of you in the studio, backstage and on the road. Show yourself in action!

Craigslist www.craigslist.org

Sure, people use this site to find a job, a date, or to sell old appliances. But you can use it for your music too. Post free listings to promote your gigs, book private shows, find new band members, buy and sell used gear, and more. The nice thing about Craigslist, compared to the other sites listed here, is that you don’t have to create a profile page. Just log in and post a listing.

Del.icio.us http://del.icio.us/

One of the first “bookmarking” sites. A place to tag and store links to your favorite web pages, photos, videos, blogs, podcasts, and more. What makes this a nice promotion tool is the fact that people can share their favorite links with everyone else who uses the site. That means potential fans can find you and you can find them based on your favorite topics and descriptions. Find out more at http://del.icio.us/about/

Cool feature: “Are you a podcaster? Start posting your MP3 files to del.icio.us and we will create an RSS feed for you.”

StumbleUpon.com www.stumbleupon.com

This site, which has 4 million users and growing, is like Del.icio.us meets Project Playlist and iLike. You can store your favorite bookmarks and comment on them. Then, based on the types of links you enjoy, StumbleUpon can show you lots of other similar web pages that other “Stumblers” have deemed worthy. It’s search based on the wisdom of crowds. Of course, the promotion aspect involves you finding like-minded people and them finding you. So be sure to tag dozens of online pages geared toward your style of music.

6 Digg.com www.digg.com

Another site that lists users’ favorite links using a voting system. One vote is considered one “digg.” The more diggs your page gets, the higher it shows on the Digg site for that topic category.

The 16 web sites above should keep you plenty busy. But if you’re open to still more online exposure options, here are nine more social media and music sites to consider:

Bebo.com Blackplanet.com www.bebo.com www.blackplanet.com

Hi5.com iMeem.com www.hi5.com www.imeem.com

Last.fm Photobucket.com www.last.fm www.photobucket.com

Shoutwire.com Squidoo.com www.shoutwire.com/music www.squidoo.com

Stickam.com www.stickam.com

Wink.com: The Ultimate Music Fan Search Engine

Okay, you know there are hundreds of millions of people who have set up profiles on dozens of social networking sites like MySpace and Friendster. And you know that among those millions of people are at least several thousand potential fans. But how do you find them?

One easy way is to use the new people search site at www.wink.com. But this is not a phone directory search engine. What Wink does is search the profiles of more than 270 million people on social networks across the Web.

For grins, I searched the site for people in Chicago. Then I refined the search by clicking on Interests and Music and entered “Green Day” to find people who list that band as a favorite. The site spit out more than 3,700 profiles on MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, Live Spaces and Tagged that matched my criteria.

7 But don’t think that obvious music genres and similar artists are the only ways to use this site. You can also do searches based on interests, schools, careers and more. For instance, a search for people in Denver who listed “massage” as a career gave me 389 results. Doing that same search for the whole state of Colorado gave me more than 1,300. If you create music of interest to massage therapists, this would be a valuable list of potential fans!

Of course, to make use of these targeted people links, you must visit each person’s profile page and send them a message. You’d have to start free accounts at MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, and the others. And you’d have to take some time to craft a short, appealing message and send it multiple times to dozens of people. But it could be time well spent. You could lighten the workload by enlisting other band members and/or fans to help.

Bottom line: Find the people most likely to be attracted to your music – and communicate with them!

Tap Into the Biggest Trend of 2008: Online Multimedia

If you really want to take your music to the next level this year, you simply must take advantage of the Web’s many interactive and audio-visual features. Static, brochure-type web sites don’t cut it anymore. You need to have images, audio, video, and interactive stuff of various kinds to engage fans and keep them interested. (Note how I used audio and video content – mentioned on pages 1 and 2 – to enhance the value of this report.)

Warning: I’m not talking about bombarding people with mindless multimedia. A visit to any number of MySpace music profiles will show you how easy it is to overdue it and cause widespread nausea. Don’t load up your pages with shiny, moving objects just because you can. However, you should be making tasteful use of some really cool tools – most of which are free.

Here’s a rundown of just some of the ways you can use multimedia to connect with fans and move your career forward this year:

Audio and video greetings. It’s great to see your photos, hear your songs, and read your bio online. You should have those things in place. But you’ll take things to another level when you use audio and video to welcome fans to your web site and let them know what they can do while there.

Record a video greeting using a simple webcam or digital camcorder and upload it for free to www.youtube.com or www.photobucket.com. Then use the embed code that either site gives you and place the video on your home page (or whatever

8 page is appropriate). You can even adjust the Height and Width parameters of the HTML code to make the video screen fit the way you want on your page. Just be sure to keep the proportions the same.

To place a streaming audio greeting on your site, use a free service like www.esnips.com (which looks like a cool site with lots of fun features) or a paid service like http://bobmsrg.audioacrobat.com/ (which I used for the audio and video files I linked to earlier in this report). Better yet, check out the two free audio player widgets at www.widgetbox.com/widget/mp3 and www.widgetbox.com/widget/media.

Live video streams. Using a site such as www.stickam.com/music.do, you can stream live video of your rehearsals, shows, studio sessions, and more. Pretty cool. You could also hold live video and text group chats using services like www.skype.com and www.palbee.com

Want to know more about video streaming technology? Just head to www.mediacollege.com/video/streaming/ overview.html

Music sales widgets. It’s a wild, wild widget world. Not sure what a widget is? You’d better find out if you want to compete this year. A web widget is a portable chunk of code that can be added to and executed within any HTML- based web page. Read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget

Then visit www.widgetbox.com to see a wide array of widgets and what you can do with them.

A music sales widget will not only play your songs, but it will allow fans to purchase digital downloads. One of the better known services in this category is www.snocap.com, which reported financial difficulties in 2007. Snocap is still very much in business, but you should check out some other options, especially www.nimbit.com, which lets you sell tickets and merchandise in addition to music downloads.

Three other sites you should look into include www.hoooka.com, www.musicane.com and www.blastmymusic.com. For a great review of these and other music sales widgets, visit this page: www.hometracked.com/2007/06/27/music-sales-widget-feature-comparison/

9 Publish a blog, podcast, and/or videocast. You should be blogging in some capacity. If you can manage it, try adding some audio and video content to your blog as well. People can subscribe to your blog using an RSS feed and consume your latest text, audio and video as soon as you post it.

Not sure what an RSS feed is? Read this primer: www.copyblogger.com/what-the-heck-is-rss/

If you haven’t started one yet, you can publish your blog using www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com. For a podcast, consider using www.gcast.com or www.libsyn.com.

Create Free and Easy Music Videos

Don’t feel like messing with digital video cameras and editing software, but you’d still like to share a fun visual presentation of your music? Try these two web services, which allow you to mix still images, video, and music into slide shows and mash-ups:

Slideroll.com Slide.com www.slideroll.com www.slide.com

What Nelly and Van Halen Can Teach You About Online Promotion

Sometimes you’ll discover great marketing ideas by accident. That’s what happened to me last summer when I looked over my web site visitor logs and uncovered a surprising fact. I use www.HostBaby.com as my web server host. In the admin area, you can log in and view your web site stats: How many unique visitors you have each month, the most visited pages, what countries people accessed your site from, and more.

Another cool web site statistic is search terms: The specific search keywords and phrases people used that lead to a click to your site. I’m used to seeing words like “music promotion,” “myspace music,” etc. But I was surprised to see so many visitors coming to my site who had searched for “Nelly” and “Van Halen.”

I quickly knew why. Over the summer I published two different blog posts. One was about the hip-hop artist Nelly; another was about the Van Halen reunion tour. I didn’t do it on purpose, but by blogging about these well- known artists, I inadvertently attracted the

10 attention of people who were searching for information about Nelly and Van Halen.

Action step: Start posting things on your web site about similar-sounding, well-known artists. Does your music appeal to fans of Wynton Marsalis? If so, add a page to your web site and call it “The 10 Best Wynton Marsalis Albums of All Time.” It’ll be even better if you are a Marsalis fan and can bring some insightful commentary to the subject.

Also, search for the most popular Wynton Marsalis web pages. Look them over and see if you can spot any gaps. What would fans of his look for that isn’t covered by the existing sites? If you spot a gap, fill it with your own unique slant on the artist.

Note about web log statistics: As this example shows, taking a look at your web site’s traffic statistics can help you learn a lot about the way people find and use your site. Many web site hosting packages come with web log analysis. If yours doesn’t, there are many programs and services you can use for that purpose. To find them, search Google for “web log analyzer” http://google.com/search?hl=en&q=web+log+analyzer&btnG=Search

And check out this list of web log analyzers on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_log_analysis_software#Popular_log_analyzers

4 Ways to Create a Viral YouTube Video

Everyone would love to have a popular YouTube video viewed by 20 million people. Heck, you’d probably be thrilled if 5,000 people watched one of your videos. But how do you do that?

Well, there’s no magic formula or guaranteed way to strike a video chord with the masses, but I have noticed some themes I’d like to share with you. It seems to me the most watched YouTube videos fall into one of four categories:

1) Amazing performance. Someone does something so incredibly well, people can’t help but be amazed. The performance is usually based on a skill or physical feat that would be hard to duplicate. Examples:

Evolution of Dance www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

11 OK Go - Here It Goes Again www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI

Justin King - Knock on Wood www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh_24DXNy8E

Guitar www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjA5faZF1A8

2) Funny. Laughter strikes a deep-rooted human emotion. If you can make someone laugh, they’ll be more inclined to share the source with others. Examples:

Dick in a Box www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCRsTRwMIs8

Paris in Jail www.youtube.com/watch?v=k66epna2Sss

Alanis Morissette “My Humps” www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91sqAs-_-g

Miss Teen USA 2007 www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

3) Hot and sexy. If you’ve got it, flaunt it. And a lot of people do on YouTube (within reason). There’s no denying that good looks and a sensual flair can create a video buzz. Examples:

Duck Tape! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myfsp2BBAoM

Tila Tequila “I Love U” music video www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyt5PA4v0wc

Rihanna – Umbrella www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4X7eFbP3u4

4) Cute and cuddly. Babies and animals are always sure bets to inspire an “Awww” that spreads. The cuter the better. Examples:

Otters holding hands www.youtube.com/watch?v=epUk3T2Kfno

12 NORA: Practice Makes Purr-fect www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ860P4iTaM

Hahaha www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk

Sell Your Music Downloads on iTunes

There are a number of places online where music fans can purchase music downloads. The landscape is changing constantly, but the iTunes music store still rules with the largest sales numbers. Therefore, if you don’t already, make this the year that your music is available for sale on iTunes.

The two easiest ways to do it:

• CD Baby. Details at www.cdbaby.net/dd • TuneCore. Details at www.tunecore.com

Note: You can’t do both. You must choose one service or the other for digital distribution. Both sites will also hook you up with digital sales via Rhapsody, Amazon MP3, eMusic, Sony Connect, Napster, and more. Read each site for specifics on fees, etc.

Create and Share an iTunes iMix Playlist

An iMix is a user-created playlist published in the iTunes Store. Anyone can create an iMix free of charge. They are limited to 100 songs and must feature content available on iTunes. iMixes are public and searchable by any iTunes user. Users may also rate any iMix using a five-star system and can publish their iTunes iMixes to their blogs, profile pages, or web sites.

If you have songs available for sale in the iTunes Store, create a playlist of your own songs combined with songs by other popular artists in your genre. Your iMix playlist may pop up on the pages of the other artists you include. Which means fans of those bands may discover you while browsing iTunes.

Read more details from Apple here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93795

13 Submit Your Music to Pandora and Tap Into Millions of Music Fans

Pandora (at www.pandora.com) is a music discovery service designed to help fans enjoy music they already know, and to help them discover new music. It’s powered by the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken, the Music Genome Project, started back in 2000 to capture the complex musical DNA of songs using a large team of highly trained musicians.

Go to www.pandora.com and enter a favorite song or artist. The site will launch a streaming station to explore that part of the musical universe. The cool thing is, indie acts are treated the same as established artists. The site reportedly has 10 million users.

To submit your music for consideration on Pandora, visit this page: http://blog.pandora.com/faq/#31

The Free Music Debate: Decide Where You Stand

You’re already well aware of the major changes taking place in the music business. The ways that music can be enjoyed, shared and discovered have expanded immensely over the last several years, and that’s thrown everything into disarray.

One topic that is hotly debated concerns digital music: How much should artists give away and how much should they try to sell (either as downloads or physical CDs)?

One of my recent blog posts demonstrated the variety of strong opinions on this subject when it sparked a comment debate. You can read it here: http://bob-baker.com/musicpromotionblog/2007/10/wampus-packs-wallop.html

This year you must get clear about your own perspective on free music. Where do you stand? How much will you give away in an effort to gain

14 attention and leverage your visibility to make money through other avenues? How important is it to profit from your recorded music directly?

Here are some highlights from the blog post that illustrate the opposing points of view:

Mark Doyon, head of Wampus Multimedia (a music label, ebook publisher, and recording studio), wrote:

“If quality = value (and it does), why not talk about the value of music? Who else on the planet but recording artists are expected to devalue their work for some amorphous promise of deferred compensation? Doctors? Lawyers? Plumbers?

“The reigning nonsense about giving away music now so you can fill stadiums later is little more than ‘trickle- down’ economics – a Reaganesque delusion that ‘a rising tide floats all boats.’

“Does anyone really believe Salvador Dali would have stood on a street corner giving away paintings to people who didn’t care enough to pay for them, just so people would like him and talk about him? Would Apple do that? Would Target? No great artist is going to do that …”

Reader Sam Bhattacharya agreed:

“For a musician to give away some music for free to generate a buzz and gradually build a fan base is fine. But to say that all or most of the music should be free begs the question: What exactly are musicians supposed to make their money from, if it’s not from the product of their art?

“I also disagree that all the trends are pointing to free music. Sales of CDs by independent musicians have increased significantly over the past 10 years. Just ask Derek Sivers at CD Baby. Also, sales of digital singles on iTunes have also been increasing exponentially since the store began in 2003.”

Another reader named Chris made some excellent points with an opposing view:

“Free recordings are the present and future. It’s not just about promotion for an up and coming band. It’s the law of supply and demand in action. If you have an infinite supply (i.e. mp3s – near perfect reproductions of the original), then your price has to be zero. 15 years ago, this wasn’t true, since you had to buy music to get it and there were only certain places to buy music (record stores) and you couldn’t reproduce it easily.

15 “Musicians won’t make money on selling recordings. They will make money through performing, licensing, merch, and fan clubs. Charge people money to see you play; the performance/experience is the real product, not a recording. Read that again: The concert EXPERIENCE IS THE PRODUCT, not a recording. Charge businesses money to use your music in commercials, movies, TV shows, etc. Charge fans directly for merchandise, and charge them for fan club memberships (i.e. licensed access to you, plus special benefits/merch/etc).

“Don’t charge money for recordings. They are like business cards. You don’t charge people for business cards, do you? You wouldn’t make a music programmer pay for the CD/mp3 to play it on their radio station, right? Why would you charge the people who can promote you the best? Word of mouth has always been the best advertising and with the Internet and mp3s as tools, it can be more powerful than ever now. You just have to charge money at the right places. You’ll make more money that way than the current ‘charge for everything’ mentality that’s dragging the current recording industry into the toilet.”

My take: There are smart arguments on both sides. On one hand, I agree that musicians should place value on the music they create and feel worthy of being compensated. People will pay (and still spend billions, despite slumping physical CD sales) on music and artists they love. I don’t think it’s valid to say that just because MP3s are free to distribute, they should be free to consumers.

However, music sales are just one revenue stream for artists. It’s a changing world and maybe you should reconsider the role that recorded music plays in your career (especially in the cheap and easy-to-share MP3 format). Gaining attention is key. Before you can profit as an artist, you must have a sizeable group of people who love and rave about your music. Giving away lots of your music is one way to build that buzz.

It seems to me, the earlier you are in your career and marketing activities, the greater percentage of music you should give away. As you gain popularity, you have more leverage to give less of it away and hold back more for fans who are willing to pay.

Where do you stand on free digital music as it applies to your material? Choose now. Your decision will influence how you promote yourself in the coming year.

16 9 Steps to Setting Music Career Goals You Will Actually Reach

1. What’s your big WHY? You want to book lots of shows, sell tons of music, and have throngs of fans. That’s great. But why do you want those things? What’s the bigger reason? What’s your grand vision? What’s your life’s mission and purpose … and how does being a successful musician fulfill that? Yes, these are deep questions. But having a clear answer will make all the difference in the world.

2. Write them down to make them happen. And write them in ink. Don’t keep your goals in your head. Commit them to paper (or at least type them into a computer program and print them out, which is still producing them on paper). The idea is to make your goals tangible, and getting them on paper is the first step.

3. Make your goals specific and measurable. Saying “I want to be a rock star” is admirable, but what is that exactly and how do you know when you’ve arrived? Instead, make your goals concrete: “I want to play 25 live shows and build my mailing list to 2,000 people by the end of May.” That kind of goal is also measurable. By the end of May, you’ll know how close you came to reaching (or exceeding) it.

4. State your goals in the present tense. This is a timeless mental technique to get you thinking of your aspirations as if they have already materialized. For example, the goal above could be restated as “I am performing five live shows a month and have an active mailing list of 2,000 enthusiastic fans.” It’s a great way to create a vision that can truly propel you toward making things happen.

5. Announce your goals. Most people keep their goals to themselves out of fear that they’ll be viewed as weak if they don’t reach them. One way to motivate yourself is to make a public declaration of what you want to achieve and use it to fortify your commitment. Ask people to check in with you regularly to get updates on your accomplishments.

6. Find an accountability buddy. Whether or not you publicly announce your goals, you’d be wise to team up with someone who will hold your feet to the proverbial fire. Have weekly conversations with this person and report your progress. Give your buddy permission to scold you if you get behind and praise you when you stay on track.

17 7. Commit to due dates. Some smart person once said, “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” I guess that means goals without deadlines are just dreams. Get out of dream-only mode and set due dates for the various stages of your music career plan this year. Then keep an eye on the calendar and make sure you do your best to meet the deadlines you’ve set.

8. Read and visualize your goals every day. Your aspirations for the year shouldn’t wither away in a desk drawer somewhere. They should be reviewed and internalized daily. So read them (aloud, if you can) every day. Close your eyes and imagine the sensations you’ll experience when each goal is reached. These mental pictures can be powerful. So visualize what you want and then watch the images come to life in the real world.

9. Use goal-setting software. Plain old lists and even pen and paper work for me. But if you want a more tech-centric way to organize your goals and to-do lists, consider the following links to software programs, many of them inspired by David Allen’s excellent book, Getting Things Done:

www.tudumo.com www.culturedcode.com/things/ www.thinkingrock.com.au www.fusiondesk.com www.mytodos.com/mytodos/welcome.action www.simplegtd.com http://bargiel.home.pl/iGTD/

12 Kick-Butt Music Career Productivity Tips

1. Separate projects from action steps. In his book Getting Things Done, time management expert David Allen advises people to make clear distinctions between what he calls “projects” and “next action” steps. Great advice. Projects are things that involve multiple steps to complete. Next actions are the specific tasks you would place on a daily to-do list. For example, “Redesign the Web site” and “Release the new CD” are not action steps; they are projects that consist of many smaller steps. Don’t make the mistake of putting large projects on your to-do list. Doing so will cause confusion and resistance.

2. Focus on the little chunk at hand. Along the same lines as the previous tip, don’t get overwhelmed by the entire scope of a daunting project. For each of your big music career goals, ask yourself, “What’s

18 the very first thing I should do on this project?” or “What’s the very next thing that needs to be done?” The answer may be as simple as “Call Sue to get the name of the Web designer she used for her site.” Put that – and only that – on your list of next action steps. Don’t expend mental energy on the many steps that will follow. Just focus on that one phone call until it’s completed. After it’s completed, ask, “What next?”

Effective goal setting, then, is simply a matter of taking micro action steps, one at a time.

3. Silence your inner critic. Nothing gets in the way of productivity like a nagging, negative voice. Sometimes that voice can come from a friend, parent or spouse. But often the loudest critical voice is your own; the one you hear in your head. And those thoughts can slow you down and make you question every move you make. Don’t ignore your inner critic or get too frustrated by it. Acknowledge him or her and say, “Thanks for the advice. Now go sit in the corner and be quiet. I have work to do.”

4. Make a 30-day commitment. Setting goals for a whole year, especially when you’re attempting to develop new habits and routines, can be daunting. Take the pressure off. Pick one new habit or activity that you would like to incorporate into your life – such as making time every day to write songs or spending 15 minutes every morning reviewing and visualizing your goals. Then commit to doing it for 30 days. Don’t think about how you’ll manage it when you go on vacation three months from now. Just do it religiously for the next 30 days. Research has shown that this is the optimum amount of time it takes to create new neural pathways in the brain, which can lead to long- lasting change.

5. Just do it for 5 minutes. Wanna know the best way to overcome procrastination, hands down? Tell yourself that you’ll spend just five minutes working on the thing you know you should be doing … but don’t really feel like doing now. What stops you is the thought of working for hours on end. But anyone, no matter how lethargic, can muster the strength to play around with something for five measly minutes. What you’ll find, though, is that once you get started, you’ll get into a flow that will carry you well beyond the first five minutes. I’ve done this for years with my writing projects. It works. The trick is just starting.

19 6. Do something – anything – (almost) every day. I think an accumulation of daily baby steps will serve you better than a weekly (or worse, monthly) marathon session of marketing activity. Setting aside some time every day, even if it’s only 15 or 30 minutes, puts you in a regular promotion groove. It becomes part of your lifestyle. Marketing is more “top of mind,” which will help you come up with better ideas and notice the many opportunities that are right in front of you every day.

7. Think big while working on the baby steps. While you should focus on the micro task at hand and not get overwhelmed by every detail of your music career projects, you can be more productive by keeping the end-game benefit in mind. Especially when the mini-task you’re working on is not a thrilling one, think about why you’re doing it. Imagine how the record will sound, or the stage show will look, or the feeling fans will get when they experience your music. Use those images to propel you.

8. Put rest and mindless activity on your to-do-list. While I stress the importance of putting in the time and effort, you are not a promotion machine. Neither am I – and I’m supposed to be a marketing guru. Well, this guru is all for taking planned breaks here and there. Short ones daily, longer ones weekly, and maybe entire weekends away from “work” every month. I know all too well the fatigue that can set in when you drive too hard for too long. You cease to be productive. The great Leonardo da Vinci (a guy who knew a bit about productivity) wrote, “Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer.”

9. Make a game out of your discomfort zone. Another thing that keeps people from getting things done is the fear of the unknown, especially as it relates to going outside your comfort zone. Face it: That’s part of learning and growth. How comfortable were you the first time you tried to play a guitar or sing with a live band? Probably not very. It’s part of the game, so make it a game.

Anticipate your discomfort and have some fun with it. Monitor how you feel as you pitch your news story idea to an editor the first couple of times. Awkward? You bet. Compare those early attempts to the 10th or 20th time you make a similar call. Notice how much easier it gets and how your confidence grows. Keep score, because in the end, you win every time you stretch yourself.

20 10. Think–Feel–Do–Have. You may have heard about the Be-Do-Have approach to success or watched my video on this topic at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG1N2wzsd2Y. Here’s another version of it that will help you be more productive this year. First, think about what you want to accomplish. Then add to that rational thought some emotion. Imagine the thrills and sensations of reaching the goal. Think about the WHY mentioned earlier. Using the enthusiasm you’ve generated from this thinking-feeling process, begin to do the things you need to do to make your desires a reality. Think, feel and do long enough and you will eventually manifest the end result. That’s the formula. Now use it!

11. Post visual symbols of your goals. Written goals are crucial, as I stated before. You can make them even more concrete by adding a more colorful and prominent representation of your goals. In addition to words and lists on paper, create a “vision board” with pictures, drawings, artwork or anything that will visually remind you of where you’re going with your music career. Include photos of your favorite artists, equipment you want, venues you’d like to perform at. Take a Billboard sales chart and put your name in the top spot. Have some fun with this and look at your vision board every day.

12. Stop thinking and planning … and start doing! One problem with time management systems is that people spend so much time organizing their system and plans … they never getting around to the “doing” part of the plan. Sure, you want to take time to carefully consider what you really want and to prioritize your goals. But at some point – hopefully sooner than later – you must stop planning and begin taking action. The best time to take that action: NOW!

9 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Don’t FEEL Like Marketing

1. Start a love letters file. I get them, you get them, we all get them. I’m talking about love letters. Not necessarily letters of the romantic variety. These are emails and notes of praise from fans, friends and family members. They express the writer’s joy at your achievements or a fan’s heart-felt appreciation about the way your music has touched them. Save these emails and notes in a special place. Do the

21 same with glowing reviews and articles about you in the media. When you’re feeling down, read them and remind yourself of why you do what you do – and how your music is making a difference.

2. Talk to an upbeat, encouraging friend or coach. Think of it as a low-key form of therapy. Identify someone who makes you feel good. When you need a mental shot in the arm, contact that person and ask them to help you get out of your rut. If you’re really serious, hire a personal life coach. To find one, check out these Google search results:http://google.com/search?hl=en&q=life+coach&btnG=Search The best friend or coach will not lecture you on what you should be doing. Instead, they will listen and help you uncover what’s causing you to get stuck, share their personal motivation challenges, and offer suggestions.

3. Start a mastermind group. An alternative (or addition) to having a supportive friend or coach to call on is forming a mastermind group. No, it’s not a band. It’s a small group of positive, goal-oriented people who meet (or speak by group conference call) once or twice a month to share ideas and motivate each other. Target musicians and small business people you respect and approach them with the idea. Even two or three other people putting their heads together with you can be inspiring.

4. Find the lesson in your mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up over the blunders you make. It’s part of the process. The only way to avoid mistakes is to never take action. But, of course, not taking action would be a big mistake itself. So you can’t avoid making them. However, there is one way: Remove the word “mistake” from your vocabulary. Replace it with the word “result” or “outcome.” A result is a thing you can measure. An outcome is something you can learn from. So take action … and learn as you go.

5. Make it tangible. It can sometimes be hard to get excited about an idea or a goal written down on a list. Sometimes it helps to see the fruits of your labor early on. “Not always possible,” you say? Not true. If you’re working on a new CD, create a first draft of the cover art and track list. Print it out and pin it up on a wall. Seeking media coverage? Take an article on some other band and plop your photo on the page. Paste up a new headline with your name in it. Give yourself a concrete representation of what you want. Then get out of your way as you race to get busy achieving it.

22 6. Hearing “No” – or worse, “You suck” – is good. Think about Marilyn Manson, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timerlake, and even Simon Cowell from American Idol. Do a lot of people hate them? Yes. Do a lot of people love them? Yes. What does that tell you? Answer: You will never be all things to all people. Don’t expect to please everyone and don’t be surprised when many people either don’t care or dislike you altogether. Again, it’s all part of putting yourself out there. So if you’re getting some less than positive feedback, congratulations! You’re on the right track.

7. Expect to ebb and flow. Not everyone is at a peak state of performance at all times. You know this already from being involved with music. Some live shows are flowing and in the pocket; others are lifeless and frustrating. You do what you can with the energy you have to work with at the time. So it is with music marketing and career goal setting. Not every day will you be at the top of your game. Still, you should try to accomplish something, with the knowledge that your energy level will return in good time.

8. Consider your legacy. Okay, so you don’t feel like sitting down and firing off 10 emails to music bloggers today. Fine. It’s no crime. But you still need to get it done and you’re searching for a good reason why. Try this: Think about your long-term legacy. How do you want fans to remember you? What would you like your children and grandkids to say about you after you’re gone? What sort of public record about you will exist for eternity on the Internet? Now put those 10 emails you need to send in that context. Then sit down and get it done!

9. Stop thinking it’s so hard. Perception is everything. Yes, the idea of spending the next two hours updating your Facebook profile and responding to fan messages can seem like a curse. But compared to what? Getting a massage? Okay, you have a point. How about compared to getting a root canal or losing a limb? Now your Facebook time doesn’t seem that bad, does it? The thing is, you have a choice in how you process your world and the things you have to do in it. If you think it’ll be hard, I guarantee it will be. But if you think it will be fun and productive, that will be your reality. Don’t over dramatize your workload. Decide what you want it to be and make it so.

23 Your Indie Music Career Action Plan Worksheet

New Trends, Web Sites and Technologies

Which of the 16 social media web sites will you open accounts with and start working on first? ______

What cities, states, countries or keyword searches might you use to find fans on Wink.com? ______

How will you use audio and video content on your site this year? ______

Which music sales sites and widgets will you use this year? ______

What similar sounding popular artists will you blog about and “tag” on social media sites to attract fans of theirs to your web site? ______

24 Which of the four YouTube viral video themes might you use to create buzz this year? ______

What percentage of your MP3 music files will you give away and what percentage will you sell? ______

Goal Setting, Productivity and Motivation

What’s your WHY? (What’s your grand vision, your life’s mission and purpose … and how does being a successful musician fulfill that?) ______

Take some of your goals and rewrite them so they are specific, measurable and stated in the present tense: ______

25 Who will you announce your goals to? Who would be a good accountability buddy? ______

When would be the best time of the day to review your goals and action steps on a regular basis? ______

What is your inner critic saying? What can you say back to silence it? ______

What new habit (or habits) will you commit 30 days to developing? ______

What kind of visual symbol of your goals can you create? ______

List three good people you’d like to start a mastermind group with: ______

26 Make a list of recent mistakes, along with the valuable lessons you learned: ______

What’s your legacy? How do you want to be remembered? ______

Write down a self-defeating belief you have about how hard it is to pursue a music career: ______

Replace the negative belief with a more positive, empowering one: ______

27 Projects Next Actions

(Big goals like re-design the web (A small first step: call Fred, site, release a new CD, etc.) email Patty, etc.)

______