You have probably seen this all over. You’ll see ads that go on for days about themselves and you’re left wondering “Why do I care?”

Bands are also susceptible to this. They’ll get caught up in their own mind and start to forget about the fans. They’ll expect the fans to show up just because they are playing. Some will, some won’t. 

If you spend a little time and engage your fans, you’ll create a fanbase following that is unstoppable. They’ll tell their friends, they’ll buy your stuff, and they’ll come to your shows. 

So, how do you do that? Well, the easiest way is to tell them ‘Thanks.’ 

At every opportunity, you should be thanking your fans for their support, their attendence, and their help. Every show, email, or conversation should be focusing on thanking the fans. 

Add that one little change to your shows and you’ll see their loyalty grow and your numbers increase.

Stealing Music: Is It Wrong Or Isn’t It?

Arrington makes another impasssioned argument, this time about the issue of downloading music. A point that he missed is that there are thousands, maybe millions, of independent bands and songwriters who would kill for people to download their music. The issue of ‘putting aside the law’ is really only a valid point for the larger bands.

The real benefit of the Web is that music listeners can discover and find new artists that they never would have found on the corporate sponsorsed radio channels. Sure, in some cases, the time of searching is an investment upfront.

But, over time, you’ll have a huge array of bands that completely fill your need for art and music.

Web Stats for Musicians Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUZdzr-aQ5A

Web Stats for Musicians Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZOtlBQZMgs

Web Stats for Musicians Part 3 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9P2r-KU5vY

More to come.

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PRWeb.com

This is a paid press release distribution site. It provides a more comprehensive distribution than the free sites, but it does cost money. ($80 for the starting membership level.) There is, however, another reason to visit the site. They have a tutorial on writing a press release and they list releases that have already been released, which you can use as examples for writing your own.

Tutorial for writing a press release - from PRWeb.com

Press Release Examples from the the ‘Music’ category - from PRWeb.com

Enjoy. The video will be up soon.

The videos are based on some common issues that bother everyone. The topics ranged from everything from time management to health. They are important things to keep in mind as you try to increase exposure. It’s very easy to get caught up in maelstrom that is the music industry and then burn out.

Video channel is here: http://www.youtube.com/InfiniteFanBase

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/InfiniteFanBase

Most bands/artists use the mailing list in the traditional way. When they have a big show coming up, they send out an email blast to their fans letting them know about the time and venue. There’s nothing wrong with this practice. If you aren’t doing it, you should be.

However, I think there are two other ways to use a mailing list that have a greater long term effect.

1) Saying ‘Thank you’ to your fans

2) Providing exclusive information or updates about the band

Saying ‘Thanks’ is something that few artists/bands do with their mailing list. An artist will almost always thank the audience at a live show, but rarely do you see it online. And, it’s a shame that it doesn’t happen more often, because fans appreciate it when they are recognized by the artist. Becoming a successful artist only happens with great fans and a little recognition goes a long way. When it comes to your fan base, you would do well to remember this quote: “I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom. ~ Author Unknown”

With the second method, when you provide information and updates to your mailing list, you are forming a connection with the fans. By giving information with no expectation of a return favor (like coming to the show), you establish a greater and more complete connection with your fans.

What do both of these methods have in common? They build up goodwill. And, as a band, there’s nothing more important for your fans to have.

Many bands use MySpace, Facebook, et. al. to spread news and info about the band. However, very few are taking advantage of the next step - a mailing list. You should keep a mailing list of fans email address (and street addresses) for your future campaigns.

I find most people don’t do this for two reasons:

1) It is work - There is some effort in making sure that you capture email addresses of fans.  In practice, there really is only a few technical details to work out, these details seem daunting to many folks. It is a lot easier to push a few buttons in Facebook than craft an email message.

2) It feels invasive - With all the spam emails being sent around,  some musicians are timid when it comes to sending out emails for fear of annoying fans. The reality is this - If they’ve signed up for your list, then they want to hear from you. As long you use discretion for distributing information to your list, your list will grow faster than it shrinks.