Music Marketing [dot] com Presents Six-Figure Musician How to Sell More Music, Get More People to Your Shows, and Make More Money in the Music Business David Hooper This Special Edition Brought to You By: Expanded Edition Available FREE at MusicianBook.com Figure Musician (Oasis Special Edition) Special (Oasis Musician Figure - Six 2 Page Page To get a free copy of the expanded edition of Six-Figure Musician, visit: MusicianBook.com Copyright © 2013 by David Hooper All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. Music Marketing [dot] com PO Box 121135 Nashville, TN 37212-1135 DO NOT SEND MUSIC TO THIS ADDRESS! Visit MusicMarketing.com for information on how to submit demos and press kits. Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. ISBN 978-1-60842-333-0 (Original Edition) Figure Musician (Oasis Special Edition) Special (Oasis Musician Figure - Six 3 Page Page To get a free copy of the expanded edition of Six-Figure Musician, visit: MusicianBook.com Acknowledgements This book would not have happened without the direction, dedication, and friendship of Wendy Wallace. There is no way I would have completed it without your assistance. Thanks to the following people for your help over the years: Wendy Burt-Thomas, Bob Baker, Tripp Lanier, Andre Calihanna, Tom Laverty, Tony van Veen, Charles Hooper, Kelli Smith, Lawrence Gelburd, Ritch Esra, Stephen Trumbull, Derek Sivers, Norm Kale, Georgia Nix, Mike Levine, Aaron Shepard, Joe Rocha, Laurel Staples, Kim McCollum, Brandi Surface, Jeremiah Nave, Danny Poland, Ernie Petrangelo, Laurel Creech, Gary Kraen, Dan Buckley, Justin Hammel, Lester Turner, Lee Parsons, Asieren Boyce, Rik Roberts, Micah Solomon, Jenni Leeds, Jim Stamper, Jeff Fellers, Jeff Lysyczyn, and Joe Taylor. Figure Musician (Oasis Special Edition) Special (Oasis Musician Figure - Six 4 Page Page To get a free copy of the expanded edition of Six-Figure Musician, visit: MusicianBook.com Table of Contents READ THIS FIRST ............................................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER 1: MAKE THE COMMITMENT ........................................................................ 10 FAIL FAST, FAIL OFTEN ................................................................................................. 10 BE A LITTLE BETTER, DO A LITTLE BETTER .................................................................... 11 WHICH OF THESE 7 QUALITIES DO YOU HAVE? ........................................................... 12 THE ABILITY TO MAKE THE DECISION ................................................................... 12 KNOWLEDGE OF THE DESTINATION ..................................................................... 12 OPENNESS AND FLEXIBILITY .................................................................................. 13 THE ABILITY TO START NOW (EVEN IF YOU’RE AFRAID) ....................................... 14 TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS ................................................................................. 14 BUSINESS (AND PERSONAL) SUPPORT .................................................................. 14 DISTRACTION MANAGEMENT .............................................................................. 16 IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT ................................................................................ 17 THE MAGIC BULLET TO ENSURE SUCCESS IN MUSIC ................................................... 18 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 19 CHAPTER 2: CHOOSE YOUR PATH ................................................................................ 20 IMPACT ......................................................................................................................... 20 EASE ............................................................................................................................. 23 HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PATH ..................................................................................... 25 DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE .................................................................................. 25 GETTING USED TO CHANGE ......................................................................................... 26 7 WAYS TO GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND START TAKING RISKS .............. 27 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 29 CHAPTER 3: PLAY YOUR GAME .................................................................................... 30 THE RECORD LABEL FANTASY ...................................................................................... 30 Figure Musician (Oasis Special Edition) Special (Oasis Musician Figure PAYOLA ......................................................................................................................... 31 - SPRAY AND PRAY .......................................................................................................... 32 MUSICIAN WINS LOTTO ............................................................................................... 33 Six HOW TO GET A RECORD DEAL ..................................................................................... 34 TWO DIFFERENT ACTS WITH A SINGLE THING IN COMMON ...................................... 36 PLAY YOUR GAME ........................................................................................................ 37 5 THE DO-IT-YOURSELF RECORD COMPANY MODEL ...................................................... 38 Page Page To get a free copy of the expanded edition of Six-Figure Musician, visit: MusicianBook.com MAKE THE PRODUCT .................................................................................................... 40 DISTRIBUTE THE PRODUCT .......................................................................................... 41 MARKET THE PRODUCT ............................................................................................... 42 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 43 CHAPTER 4: CLAIM YOUR SPACE .................................................................................. 44 USE A LASER, NOT A WRECKING BALL ......................................................................... 45 YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER .............................................................................................. 46 MUSIC MARKETING SIMPLIFIED .................................................................................. 47 FUN WORKS BOTH WAYS ............................................................................................. 47 7 TIPS TO BUILD RAPPORT WITH FANS (OR ANYBODY) ............................................... 48 “DANCE WITH THE ONE THAT BRUNG YA” .................................................................. 49 START WHERE YOU ARE ............................................................................................... 50 THE “SECRET CODE” OF FANS ...................................................................................... 51 LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY ........................................................................................... 52 WATCH FOR PATTERNS ................................................................................................ 53 ALIENATE SOME PEOPLE .............................................................................................. 53 EMBRACE THE SLOW BURN ......................................................................................... 54 FLASH IN THE PAN ........................................................................................................ 56 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 57 CHAPTER 5: CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE ............................................................. 58 EMPATHY – AN ESSENTIAL (AND PROFITABLE) SKILL .................................................. 58 TWO ACTS, TWO OUTCOMES ...................................................................................... 61 IF A TREE FALLS AND NOBODY IS AROUND TO HEAR IT … .......................................... 62 “THOSE GUYS ARE STILL AROUND?” ............................................................................ 62 OWN THE MEDIA ......................................................................................................... 64 THE POWER OF ONE .................................................................................................... 65 A WORD ON FAN RELATIONSHIPS