Music Promotion and Marketing tips for Indie Musicians
In this exciting episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Bolton gets his very own theme song. That’s right, the world premiere of Mr. Billy’s “The Bolt.” In music related news: More speculations about Apple intentions with the newly acquired Lala and Rockband opens itself up to the indie music community. The Podcasters recap of last weeks episode with Howard Massey and share stories from their own musical projects. Plus your calls and emails!
iTunes and Lala tie the knot and tech blogs are a buzz with the news. What does this mean for the future of digital music? Are we moving into the cloud? Also, 2009’s top ten viral videos are not what you might expect (sadly no monkey that smells his own poop and then falls backwards out of a tree). The Podcasters recap last weeks interview with Ryan States and chat about their holiday music endeavors. Plus your stories, tips, tricks and comments on our listener line. Enjoy this episode with a cup of hot coco. We’ll see you next year!
The Top 10 viral video list can be found here
A special thanks to Matt at Finley Sound. Â You can get the Christmas song he mixed for free here. Â Need something mixed? Check out his site http://finleysound.com/
Apple and Lala sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!  What does the music giant have up it’s sleeve?  Statistics show that Twitter use wanes. Spotify payouts come under fire from some high profile artists. The Podcasters discuss their own musical projects and recap last weeks interview with Corey Smith. Plus a slew of exciting calls addressing the usefulness of Twitter, Bolton’s on-air name (The Bolt!?) and an unbelievable listener success story that you have got to hear!
An interesting study on audio listening habits reveals surprising results. EMI launches Abbey Road Live a live music recording service that makes concert recordings available immediately after the show. Weezer bundles up with Snuggie to offer their fans a unique package. The Podcasters also revisit last weeks interview with Josh Rosenthal to discuss how targeting the right market can be just the thing to move your music career forward. Plus all of your feedback which includes a mysterious stranger’s rebuke of Bolton’s on-air name change.
In an unexpected move, Robert changes his on-air name to Bolton. Google throws its hat into the music game. MySpace offers stats for their artist profile pages. Is iTunes LP a real option for indie artists? These questions and topics addressed, plus the Podcasters take on your calls as we dive into the ever changing landscape of indie music online.
Want to weigh in with your opinions? Leave a comment below.
Kevin and Chris are joined by Portland’s music media guru Ryan Wines to discuss ways in which artists are controlling their own musical destinies. In this episode the podcasters debate: Is the future of music free? Should you continue to shop your album or release it DIY? Where have all the A&R guys gone?
All that, plus music news and a recap of Kevin’s interview with Klayton of Celldweller. What are you waiting for?  Just press play or download it now!
In the news section, Kevin references an article about ASCAP that can be found HERE.
iTunes, Twitter and Facebook updates in the news. Kevin and Robert bring everyone up to speed on their recent musical endeavors as summer draws to a close. Your questions and comments lead us into discussions on raising funds for the studio, using Twitter to get gigs and paying taxes on the road. Plus we’re already lining up great interviews for the fall. We’re back baby!
After a brief summer hiatus, the podcasters are back with lots of indie tricks and tips for the working musician. In the news: whispers of a deal between Apple and record labels, code name: cocktail. A bill enters congress to grant royalties to recording artists for radio play. Of course it wouldn’t be a proper DIY Musician Podcast without discussions about Twitter and social networking. Kevin, Chris, and Robert recap the last episode and discuss U-stream and the future of online concerts. Plus, calls from our wonderful listeners.
In this podcast, Kevin references this article about Twitter Click Here to read it.
Watch Christopher Weingarten’s Twitter rant here.
In the News: The RIAA wins it’s case, The New iPhone 3.0 is finally released and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor bows out of social networking (or so he says). This week’s episode focuses on a video by Rolling Stone music critic Christopher R. Weingarten. Click the link below to watch. As always, calls, emails and now tweets, from our listening audience.
Mentioned in this episode. Robert’s (AKA Chris Bolton) Storylife Podcast
Pandora adds a paid subscription option with perks. Walmart gets rid of its DRM’d songs. Emusic moves beyond the indie market and stirs controversy. File-sharing is now a part of the Twitter-verse. The podcasters revisit last weeks interview with David Gray and discuss how pop music plays into the world of indie music for better and worse. Your calls, tweets, and comments. Plus in unexpected power outage leaves Kevin, Chris and Robert in the dark. They finish out the podcast in a battery powered fin-alley with lots of laughs.
Recommended in this podcast: Anvil: The Story of Anvil
Paste magazine launches their “save Paste” campaign in order to preserve one of the top selling music magazines in the country. Webcaster’s rights are debated in the White House. Twitter gets bigger and BIGGER. The podcaster’s recap last weeks interview with professor Nancy Baym and discuss viewing your music career as party which you continually throw for your fans. Plus Your emails and phone calls! It’s a DIY party for the independent musician!
In the News: Mainstream radio is still a racket. Also, when is the best time of day to Twitter?
For our main topic of discussion, our own Chris Robley uses Haiku to woo his audiences as well as other experimental promotional techniques on his 2 week tour down the California coast. Listen as he shares what worked and what didn’t. Plus calls and stories from our listening audience.
Check out http://bandago.com where Chris rented his luxury tour van.
iTunes introduces variable pricing. Facebook stays on top. The podcasters recap our last episode, where David Nevue demonstrated that it’s entirely possible to make a living without the constant touring and gigging that most musicians do. But is this possible for the rest of us? Listen in as the broadcasters weigh in on this topic while sharing calls and comments from our audience.
Our new podcast T-shirts are here! Help support the podcast by sporting our stylish logo. You can buy it direct from CD Baby here – http://cdbaby.com/all/cdbabypodcast
How often do you post a new song, demo, album or blog post? In the web 2.0 universe artists are competing for the attention of an increasingly distracted audience. Keeping your fans engaged often means frequently and consistently producing dynamic content. How does an artist do this without compromising the quality of their product? In this roundtable episode, the podcasters are joined by special guest, artist manager and Portland PR person, Ryan Wines, who wrote an intriguing post on his blog about releasing music with frequency in mind. Â Do you have a music promotion strategy that involves releasing music on a frequent basis? Â If yes, we want to hear about it! Â Read Ryan’s blog here – Â Petmarmoset.net
News, calls, emails, tips and tricks!
The Podcasters revisit last week’s episode with Greg Poree, share some more Twitter tips, and investigate the art of playing other people’s music for a living. This and much more on your beloved DIY Musician podcast.
The Seth Godin interview that Kevin mentions can be found by clicking here!
Want to check out Matthew Ebel’s subscription side to his artist website? Just click here to sign up and enter in promo code cdbaby50. The subscriber side of his website can be accessed at http://matthewebel.net
The big 50! Kevin, Chris and Robert are pleased as punch to have delivered fifty info-packed episodes of the DIY Musician Podcast. They kick off this episode by sharing a few of their favorite lessons learned as well as some recent music business news. Get down to the dirt with our hosts as they visit a touchy topic for hard working musicians: What is the value of your art? Plus your calls, emails and comments.
Do hard working musicians deserve a better living? Is the general public less likely to spend money on music because it’s so freely available?
Facebook’s new terms get a rewrite. More on royalty rates and internet Radio. Myspace has people spending way more time per visit. Indie band Officer Roseland sets up mystimuluspackage.org to pay fans $1 to download their new album.  We recap last weeks episode “A Musician’s Guide to Taxes” complete with a horror story from a musician friend who shares his experience with an IRS audit of his tax claims. Plus calls from our talented and musically inclined audience.
Not-so-secret secrets revealed! Social media do’s and don’ts. What Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna have in common. YouTube teams up with Rumble Fish. Robert offers to throw a virtual snowball at Kevin. And the podcasters discuss the importance of knowing the story behind your music. Pour yourself a cup of hot coco, plug in your earbuds, and let the DIY Musician Podcast ring in the New Year.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Techipedia article on Social Networking Etiquette
Indie legends Wilco release an EP that’s also a free application. Guns ‘N’ Roses finally does it. Video games drive music sales. Robert seems mostly recovered from a minor head injury. The podcasters discuss Pandora Radio and the many ways that people discover music. Plus call-ins and lessons learned from our awesome audience (that’s you!).
playapp.com is the company releasing Wilco’s enhanced EP as mentioned on the podcast.
Kevin, Chris, and Robert make true on their promise to deliver four indie-packed episodes in October. Dell computers announces computers preloaded with Universal music. Guns ‘n’ Roses releases “Chinese Democracy” and everybody gets a Dr. Pepper. The Podcasters discuss the “360” record deal and alternate music business models. Calls from our listeners and more.
Go to www.drpepper.com on the Nov. 23, 2008 release date to get your free Dr.Pepper
Are SD cards the new CD? MySpace launches MySpace Music. YouTube decides to help sell music. We discuss last weeks episode with Carl Saff on mastering. Also, we learn what not to do when performing at a nudist colony. Plus your calls, emails, and more.
P.S. It’s October Podfest this month for The CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast which means we’ll be publishing 4 episodes this month–one every monday. Wha-whooo!
Surprise, surprise–The new Zune music player fails to compete with Apple’s new line of iPods. Kevin, Chris and Robert offer their own thoughts and processes on songwriting and Robert shares his secret songwriting weapon. Chris Robley discusses the near impossibility of getting your music on mainstream radio. Plus, calls from our audience.
Show Your Love. Nominate and vote for the CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast for the annual Podcast Awards.
Chris Robley’s article/diatribe/rant on radio promotion.
Don’t set yourself on fire with bad lighting equipment. Back up your recording sessions. Keep an eye on your producer when she takes your masters to the bathroom with her. Be careful what you record on another label’s dime. These stories and more, plus the return of vinyl and bands on bikes.
As always our call in message number is 206-426-5683
Guess what? We’ve got a hotline: 206-426-5683. We’ve asked artists to call in and tell us about mistakes they’ve made in their music careers and what they’ve learned from these mistakes. In this episode, find out what songs you shouldn’t play at an Narcotics Anonymous meeting house, why not to taunt your audience at a roadhouse in Ohio and more. Plus music news and other indie delights!
As mentioned in the show : Nielson Soundscan’s State of the Industry Report
Closing song is by CD Baby artist: The Morals