Fundamentals of the Business of Music Developing Your Brand 1 & 2

Home , Broken Social Scene

Sari Delmar AB Co.

Table of Contents

It Takes a Village (To Raise an Artist): The Impact of Community 3

Build and Brand: Social Media for Artists 7

Donʼt Just Network: Connect! 15

Story Scrimmage: How to Craft a Winning Story 20

Resources & Reading 24

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

Session One It Takes a Village (To Raise An Artist): The Impact of Community

Key Points:

• AB Co is a North American Marketing and Public Relations agency that leads creative and strategic music and lifestyle programs, activations and events. At the start however, AB was a small music collective born from a tightly woven community of artists and creatives. • Through these efforts, AB Co has been invited to watch and participate in a number of panels at industry conferences and events across the world, all of which have provided insight on the defining elements of a music community and how to commercialize those elements for the goal of exporting and growing. Here are a few strong examples:

TORONTO, ONTARIO

Known for musical exports such as Drake, The Weeknd and Broken Social

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

Scene, Toronto is the 3rd largest music market in North America. It is home to more than 75 music festivals (such as Canadian Music Week, North By Northeast, Bestival and Field Trip), as well as 540+ live music venues such as the Air Canada Centre, Massey Hall, El Mocambo and the Horseshoe Tavern. It boasts 55+ artist agencies, 95+ recording facilities and 95+ record labels, all of which contribute to the cityʼs overall music economy. Lately Toronto was branded “The 6” by Drake and this has lead to a brand for the city that is known for great hip-hop and pop.

Its City Hall recently introduced the Toronto Music Strategy, which aims to maximize Torontoʼs potential in the music sector by supporting the creative efforts of artists, promoting and encouraging the interests of businesses and creating alliances with other music cities/communities.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Nashville - quite literally - is called ʻThe Music Cityʼ and rightfully so: artists and bands such as Paramore, Kings of Leon, Kesha, George Jones and Lady Antebellum all have roots in this city, as does the worldʼs largest Country Music

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

festival – the CMAʼs (Country Music Association Awards), and the longest running radio show in the world - The Grand Ole Opry. Itʼs downtown core is punctuated by limitless live music venues, and in 2015 its Chamber of Commerce announced that for every 1000 residents of working age in the city, there are 7.8 music industry jobs available – leaps and bounds more than the 2.0 in New York and 2.8 in Los Angeles.

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Officially sloganed as ʻThe Live Music Capital of the Worldʼ, Austin has more music venues per inhabitant than anywhere else in the United States. Famous artists such as Ciara, Spoon and Explosions In The Sky all hail from the city, and massive festivals such as South By Southwest (SXSW), Austin City Limits and The Urban Music Festival all attract music tourism, which accounts for nearly half of the cityʼs $1.6 billion economic output. A series of supportive organizations such as the Austin Music Foundation and Austin Music Commission exist to help foster the areaʼs music economy, while also supporting the artists and bands who work within it.

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

So – what are the characteristics that define these music communities and others around the globe?

• Artists and Musicians • Thriving and active music scenes • Access to spaces and places (venues) • Receptive and engaged audiences • Supportive businesses, organizations and government

ACTIVITY

Grab one or two post-it notes from the session facilitator and write down or draw the elements or systems that you believe would shape a stronger Carribean music community. What does it need to grow? What arenʼt artists/bands/industry professionals getting that they need to succeed? Place your post it note on the vision board at the front of the room, after which, theyʼll be part of the discussion below.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1) What elements of a strong music community are present in the Carribean? 2) What elements are missing or could be strengthened? 3) What do you want the world to know about the music industry in the Carribean? 4) How can we empower and support one another within the sector? 5) What could our music brand be? And how will this strengthen each of our careers and export development?

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

Session Two Build and Brand: Social Media For Artists

Key Points:

• Social media, quite simply, is a way for people to communicate and interact with one another online. It has been around in various formats since the World Wide Web was introduced, but has increased in popularity with platforms becoming more user friendly. To date, 2.3 billion of the worldʼs overall population uses social media, with 1.65 billion people using Facebook, 400 million using Instagram and 320 million using Twitter. • The ʻgolden threeʼ social platforms for industry professionals are Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – however, artists/bands/businesses should also consider LinkedIn, YouTube, SoundCloud, BandCamp, Spotify, Pinterest, and Last.fm depending on your demographic.

• Life is busy! Setting aside 1hour per week to draft social media posts within a content calendar (like below) will keep you stay organized and ahead of the curve. Couple this with the help of social scheduling tools such as HootSuite and Buffer for maximum efficiency

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

• Engagement with followers is just as important as creating the posts themselves: it paves the way for authentic connection and fosters loyalty and growth in fan bases. Be sure to like and comment on the social content of your followers, and also to search hashtags that relate to your band/artist/business to seek out conversations you might like to be part of. (Example: If your band is set to play a festival, search the festivalʼs hashtag on Twitter and Instagram to see what conversations are happening about it – chime in whenever you can!). You can also consider incorporating direct-to-fan resources such as Pledge Music (http://www.pledgemusic.com/), which gives fans access to exclusive content and updates which heighten their experience with your music

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

Social Media Doʼs and Donʼts (Best Practices):

ü Create a Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram account for your band/artist ü Ensure profile and header images are current and high-quality, consistency is key ü Update bios/about sections + include links to your band/artist website or other social media accounts ü Identify your target audience and create content/posts that will appeal to them ü Know that posts that include a photo generally perform better ü Know that posts with 150 characters or less perform better ü Be aware of current and pop-culture events – they present opportunities to engage with users on common ground ü Create a cheat sheet of key platforms you can pull links from regularly ü Use hashtags (#) when applicable - 1 or 2 per post should suffice ü Tag other user accounts in posts (@AtlanticRecords, for example) and photos ü Use tools like bit.ly and ow.ly to shorten links to go into posts - especially useful for platforms with character limits, such as with Twitter ü Establish a standard post frequency and stick to it. For example: once/day on Twitter, once/week on Instagram and twice/week on Facebook ü Know the best time to post on Facebook is between 1-3pm, on Twitter itʼs between 12-3pm and on Instagram itʼs anytime that isnʼt between 3-4pm ü Consider spending small amounts of money on boosts and social advertisements around big announcements and releases of new material ü Direct superfans towards your mailing list in order to engage with them at a higher frequency.

DONʼT

• Go overboard with hashtags and tagging. #Posts #shouldnʼt #look #like #this @okay?

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

• Forget to be human – nobody wantʼs to engage with a robot! Keep your tone light and inclusive • Be afraid to brand your posts so they become identifiable. For example: consider using a standard photo filter on photo content for Instagram, or caption images in a standard format • Only post about yourself. A general 20% content about yourself and career and 80% about general interest and engagement is suggested as a starting point. • Repeatedly post to your fans or direct message. This comes across as spam.

Example of strong posts:

(Approachable, engaging and includes hashtags/tags)

Other artist/musician accounts that feature strong, engaging content: • One Direction @onedirection • The Vamps @TheVampsband • July Talk @julytalk • Owen Pallett @owenpallett • Lorde @lorde

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

Informative stats & figures:

• 49% of Facebook users like a page to support a brand they like, however: • 40% of users donʼt like any brand pages, meaning paid adverts are the only way to reach them • Video content receives the most amount of engagement on Facebook, even though it only accounts for 3% of overall post types • Tweets with images receive 18% more click throughs, 89% more likes, and 150% more retweets. • 77% of Twitter users claim to feel more positive about a brand when their tweet has been responded to • Katy Perry has the most Twitter followers, at over 87 million • Journalists make up almost ¼ of Twitterʼs verified users • In 2014, the most searched term on YouTube was ʻmusicʼ • 32% of teenagers claim Instagram as their favourite social media platform • 90% of Instagram users are 35 or younger • Salena Gomez has the most amount of followers on Instagram, at over 69 million

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

ACTIVITY

Looking at your own social media account, use the space below to evaluate and audit. Platform Handle & Type (Ex. Twitter? IG?): ______Follower Count: ______

Audit Checklist: ü Are profile and header images present, clear and of high quality? Y/N ü Is the bio/about me section complete and consistent (across platforms)? Y/N ü Are there links to a formal website and/or other platforms included in bio/about section? Y/N ü Do posts include hashtags and tags? Y/N ü Are photos being used consistently? Y/N ü Are photos being tagged? Y/N ü Is the tone of posts friendly and inviting? Y/N ü Are the posts going up consistently (ex. No big stretches of time between them)? Y/N

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

ü Are the posts going up during peak times (ex. Between 1-3pm on FB, 12-3PM on TW)? Y/N

Based on this checklist, identify the platformʼs:

STRENGHTS WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Strengths: The positive features of the platformʼs content Weaknesses: Areas on the platform that could be improved Opportunities: Ways in which the platform could be used or positioned better Threats: Obstacles for the platform to overcome

Action steps for the platform:

______

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

______

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1) What are your favourite social accounts to follow? Why? 2) Audit together some of the studentsʼ platforms and discuss.

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

Session Three Donʼt Just Network: Connect!

Key Points: • We live in a truly connected world, which means there are diverse ways to network with people. Lean on social media: Look up a contact to see what topics theyʼre buzzing about and try to weigh in on/contribute to the subject, or look a contact up on Facebook to see if you have mutual friends who might be able to introduce you • Donʼt underestimate the value of a face-to-face conversation. Place yourself at industry conferences and events, and be generous with your introductions. Likewise, be sure to welcome them from others, and make an effort to really listen to whatʼs being said, rather than waiting for an opportunity to respond. Donʼt forget to ask for a business card so you can follow up down the line! • Be sure to have identified 3 highlights about your band/artist/business that can be shared during an introduction: no one wants to hear a person go on-and-on about themselves; this approach will keep things short and sweet. • Likewise, if youʼre sending an email to an industry professional, keep it concise. Share selling points such as press highlights, tour history, album releases or festival appearances – and donʼt forget to include links and contact info.

Elements of a strong outreach email – EXAMPLE:

Dear First Name, Last Name,

Iʼd like to introduce you to my rock band, bandname, out of the burgeoning Bridgetown, Barbados music community. We just wrapped a 20-date tour throughout Europe, prior to which we were on the Vans Warped Tour festival circuit throughout the United States, and our collaboration track with Arcade Fire has seen over 200k streams on Spotify after being released last week.

I have included a video and audio link below. I would love to invite you to our

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

show on June 23rd at The Troubadour. We would love to hear your thoughts on our new single as we are in the process of looking for a new label partner surrounding our 2017 full length. http://youtube.com/YOURBANDVIDEO http://soundcloud.com/YOURBANDSTREAM

We look forward to discussing further!

Many Thanks, Your Name +1 289 345 6789 [email protected] www.thisismyband.com www.twitter.com/thisismyband www.instagram.com/thisismyband

Additional Tips • Avoid cold-calling industry/press contacts: itʼs considered annoying and disruptive. • Remember that your mannerisms, as well as your approach to conflict, say a lot about your level of professionalism, work ethic and devotion to your craft (and that industry professionals are always paying attention)

ACTIVITY

Use the questions below to interview your partner. After youʼve interviewed one another, try to distill a couple highlights about him/her that you would mention when introducing them to others in an elevator pitch format (wow, how, now). You may be called upon to do this aloud, so be prepared!

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

Questions:

Name?: ______Where are you from?: ______What do you do?: ______How long have you been doing it?: ______What do you believe to be the most interesting thing about you?: ______What is something youʼve achieved (in the music industry) that youʼre proud of?: ______What is something you hope to achieve in the future?: ______How will you achieve it?: ______

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

______Business/career wise, whatʼs upcoming for you? Any events? Speaking engagements?: ______

The pitch:

Based on what youʼve learned during this interview, what would be your 10-20 second elevator pitch for this individual? Try to use the wow, how, now format.

Ex. “Iʼd like to introduce you to my friend Lori – she has successfully licensed music for more than 20 TV shows (WOW) by identifying and developing relationships with key music supervisors over the last 10 years (HOW). Now, she is planning a trip to New York where she will perform on The Late Night Show (NOW).”

______

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

1) What have been some standout networking experiences for you? 2) What went well? 3) What didnʼt go well? 4) What is your biggest stress when networking?

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

Session Four Story Scrimmage: How To Craft a Winning Story

Key Points: • Your band/artist/business story is important and will become synonymous with your name, so itʼs important to craft and communicate it in a way that is fluid and favourable • One example of an artists who has a compelling story – and whoʼs used it to her advantage – is Madonna:

Madonna is nothing if not business savvy: she has maintained a 30-year career in music by using controversy, MTV and an insatiable taste for personal reinvention to stay relevant. She is as much a musician as she is a provocateur, fashion icon, activist, author and actress – and these are the reasons audiences have supported her through the decades. • Other examples of artists who have compelling stories worth familiarizing yourself with include: Neil Young, Broken Social Scene and The Matches. • To craft your story, consider the basics: What inspires you? How and when did you get your start in the industry? Who are your influences?

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

• From there, itʼs time to get specific and to share anecdotes: is there a specific event or situation that inspired your music/sound? Have any of them informed your songwriting process? How? By giving audiences the backstory to your work, youʼre providing them an opportunity to enjoy it with deeper appreciation and context

Biography Writing Tips & Tricks ü Be informative; donʼt assume anyone knows anything about your band ü Describe your sound and make it clear/captivating ü Outline your selling points/highlights as a way to establish credibility ü Try to identify/share something unique ü Paint a picture with visuals and anecdotes ü Tell a story you would want to read ü Have fun with it!

Interview Tips & Tricks General • Use vocal variety: let your voice and delivery reflect the full spectrum of emotions and points of emphasis • Use gestures that compliment your expression of ideas • Maintain eye contact with your interviewer and be friendly/approachable • Listen carefully to each question so as to deliver an accurate response • Never answer a question with ʻno commentʼ – anticipate difficult questions and prepare answers ahead of time, or deflect questions you donʼt want to answer by introducing another topic of interest • Avoid providing technical answers: most of the time this goes over an audienceʼs head. Keep it simple and absent of industry jargon. • Be punctual – it reflects your level of professionalism For TV & Radio • Know the length of your interview ahead of time and condense the main points youʼd like to discuss accordingly

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

• Know that your host wants the interview to go well so that it reflects well upon them. Relax, but stay mentally alert! • If on television, maintain eye contact with your host rather than surrounding technicians or the camera, except when driving home a special point to at-home viewers • For radio, be sure to ask your host when the interview will begin so as not to assume youʼre off-air when, in fact, youʼre on • Be aware of your body language: donʼt wring your hands, pace, or cross your arms, which communicates nervousness. Stand or sit comfortably, as if in conversation with someone you know Print Publications • Never speak ʻoff the recordʼ – always assume that what you say will be recorded • Know that most journalists will not send copy to you to approve before print, but that you can extend your influence over whatʼs being written by inviting them to follow up with additional questions or if they need clarification on anything that was said • LASTLY – enjoy yourself! Know that media is an important ally to artists/musicians and that both enterprises need each other to thrive

ACTIVITY

Use the space below to write a a point form outline for your formal biography for yourself or your band/artist, drawing upon what youʼve learned in this session. Be prepared to share and discuss with the group.

Bio:

______

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

______

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

RESOURCES & READING

It Takes a Village (To Raise An Artist) http://musiccanada.com/resources/research/the-mastering-of-a-music-city/ https://nextcity.org/features/view/why-nashville-is-still-americas-music-city https://howtobuildamusiccity.com/about/

Build and Brand: Social Media for Artists https://saridelmar.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/easy-ways-to-rock-your-personal- social-media-when-youre-totally-swamped/ https://saridelmar.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/copy-and-waste-personalizing- artist-outreach-for-your-business-should-not-be-optional/ http://socialbusiness.hootsuite.com/rs/hootsuitemediainc/images/hootsuite-quick- start-guide.pdf

Donʼt Just Network: Connect! http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/musician-tips/art-networking-5-steps-music- industry-connections/ http://blog.sonicbids.com/6-music-industry-networking-tips-nobody-tells-you https://saridelmar.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/copy-and-waste-personalizing- artist-outreach-for-your-business-should-not-be-optional/

Story Scrimmage: How To Craft a Winning Story https://bandzoogle.com/blog/5-key-elements-to-a-solid-band-bio http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/musician-tips/3-must-read-articles-on-writing-a- band-bio-and-press-release/

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/10_tips_to_help_you_ace_a_media_intervie w_14894.aspx

Developing Your Brand 1 & 2 by Sari Delmar // AB Co.