2010 marks Bruce Lee’s 70th Anniversary if he was still alive…
One Sixth Bruce is going to be releasing some very nice-looking 1/4 Scale busts this year in conjunction with Enterbay, to commemorate the master of Kung-Fu..
Just because you are a musician does not mean you are a genius when it comes to music marketing. Mistakes are bound to happen. Music marketing is a niche with its own particular challenges. If you have already dabbled in your own marketing you might be wondering which techniques are working for you and which ones are a waste of your time. Here is a short overview of some music marketing mistakes you may be making.
Music Marketing Mistake #1 – Poor Planning
It may be the bane of many new entrepreneurs, but planning is the major key to success when you begin a new venture. The first thing you do when you begin a business is to develop a marketing plan. In this respect, starting a new business and marketing your new music have much in common. It makes little sense to simply throw yourself out into the world with no idea what to do once you get there. Having a plan gives musicians a direction, goals to focus on, and potentially positive outcomes to pursue.
Music Marketing Mistake #2 – Not Branching Out
For many artists that are just getting their feet wet, they may think that social media is the place to be. It is true, there has been success there. However, successful musicians use a variety of different marketing techniques to expand their fan base. It is never a good idea to put all your effort into one avenue. Just as music fans have various ways to connect and enjoy their favorite music, there are various ways to reach them. The internet is all the rage right now and having a website and social media presence is essential. Not all music fans circulate the web though and artists need to get out there and be creative to truly share their sound with potential fans. Live shows, tours, meet and greets, interviews, and reviews are all important to add to the marketing portfolio when trying to get your songs out to the masses. Some people find new music on the radio, some by going to live shows, others by word of mouth and, yes, there are many searching the Internet for new music.
Music Marketing Mistake #3 – Social Media Abuse
While no one can deny that social media sites have become a haven for new and independent artists, only using them when marketing is foolhardy. Elemental-Consulting.com (2008) wrote “While it’s good to have a presence at most sites so that fans can potentially find you, it still takes time and effort to update and maintain those pages and drive people to them.”1 Popular social media sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are fantastic ways to keep connected with your fans but having said that, here are some things to consider before registering at all these sites. Social media works best when you are dedicated to maintenance and upkeep. If you cannot keep all the sites you are associated with updated and current, then the audience that follows you on these sites will get bored and look elsewhere for their music connection. There is also no real way to track the progress you are getting out of these kinds of sites. Just because someone asks to ‘friend’ you online, does not mean that they will become fans who will pay for your music, merchandise and live shows.
Music Marketing Mistake #4 – Being Stingy
Online sharing sites truly changed the way music industry veterans think about their product.
If you are offering something for free, how are you to make any money?
Many artists and recording labels panicked and the result is a crackdown on the distribution of music. While locking down the product to ensure that the public is paying for what they own, it eliminates much of the ability to share music with individuals who might enjoy it. For all the critics of file sharing, there are others that believe offering some of the product for free enables more people to find it, use it, love it. Marketing guru, Seth Godin (2008), has done much writing speaking to the idea that if you are interested in selling a product or expanding a market, you have to offer something for free to get attention. He also mentions the following “If the product you make becomes digital, expect that the product you make will be copied.”2 Artists should spend some time finding a happy medium between giving away their work and earning profits with it.
These types of music marketing mistakes are just the beginning when creating a strategy on how to sell your music to the public. Another important promotion technique is to remember not to give up. Most musicians do not fall into success overnight.
Source: www.En-Derin.com
FOOTNOTES
1 – Elemental-Consulting.com. (2008, May 27). 9 Myths and Mistakes in Online Music Marketing. Digital Marketing Strategy.
2 – Godin, Seth. (2008, January 7). Music Lessons. Seth Godin’s Blog..
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-Until Next Time
En Derin
Only two weeks left until the Superbowl and I think it’s the best time to post some photos of the sexiest NFL cheerleaders of 2010.
[ By Steph in Architecture & Design, Guerilla Marketing & Ads, Subvertising & Counter-Ads, Urbanism. ]
While spending 30 seconds on an escalator, where do you look? Most people just stare straight ahead – making escalators an ideal location for advertising. But some ads are more colorful, clever and controversial than others, using both the ideal eye-level platform and shape of the stairs to their full potential. These are the kinds of ads that make people pause and marvel for a moment before continuing on their way.
Canadian Red Cross Escalator Ad
(image via: allbusiness)
From the top of the stairs, this ad looks so realistic that it could prompt people to rush down so quickly they injure themselves – completely undermining the purpose of the campaign. Created for the Canadian Red Cross, the decal intends to promote the knowledge of first aid with a message reading “Know What to Do.”
DHL Gridlock Escalator Ad
(image via: adoholik)
Hong Kong traffic is notoriously nightmarish. But even the gridlocks of this city can’t stop DHL, or so they insinuate with this escalator ad which depicts their trucks speeding down a convenient (though imaginary) fast lane, located on the moving handrail, as the rest of the cars remain at a maddening halt.
IKEA Staircase Ad
(image via: directdaily)
IKEA is practically synonymous with “organization”, something nearly everyone could use a little help with. That makes these stair stickers that much more effective, depicting neatly stacked clothing and linens in drawers.
Hopi Hari Escalator Ad
(image via: adland)
When people momentarily forget they’re on an escalator, imagining themselves having a great time at an amusement park instead, you know that an ad is special. This one for a Brazil amusement park called Hopi Hari turns each step into a snapshot of a couple enjoying a roller coaster.
Nationwide Staircase Ad
(image via: ads of the world)
Bad things happen every day… like bizarre automobile accidents that send your car flying in the air like the General Lee, if this Nationwide Insurance staircase ad is to be believed. It certainly takes full advantage of the huge set of stairs at the end of Fashion Show Drive in Las Vegas.
Revita Beauty Center Shiatzu Escalator Ad
(image via: adland)
When possible, it’s best to avoid stepping on people – unless you’re a professional masseuse. While this ad may make some people uncomfortable, others may be reminded of just how good it would feel to let someone work out the knots in their backs.
Table Soccer Staircase Ad
(image via: ads of the world)
An outdoor guerilla ad campaign to promote the first international table soccer world cup featured realistic-looking flyers shaped like table soccer figures on stair handrails around the city of Hamburg, Germany.
Consol Energy Coal Mine Escalator Ad
(image via: ads of the world)
Consol Energy reminds people of what it takes to power our world with coal – descending into deep, dark, dirty mines – with an ad bound to make environmentalists cringe.
Coca-Cola Escalator & Staircase Ad
(image via: ads of the world)
Coca-Cola engaged in some targeted marketing in a joint campaign with McDonalds. Regular, full-calorie Coke was advertised to people who take the stairs, while the people getting less activity by taking the escalator see ads for Diet Coke instead.
Jeep Parking Space Ad
(image via: toxel)
Capitalizing on the Jeep’s reputation as a vehicle that can go places other cars can’t, these guerrilla-style ads create parking spots in the most unlikely places – like stairs. No word on whether Jeep owners that took the ads up on their offer got reimbursed for pricey parking tickets.
Gillette Venus Escalator Ad
(image via: ads of the world)
Who was the advertiser that looked at the side of an escalator and thought, ‘hmmm, that looks like a leg’? Someone had to have made that questionable connection to come up with this eye-catching ad by Gillette, which featured small decals of razors on the handrail.
Greenville Literary Association Staircase Ad
(image via: toxel)
It’s not hard to grasp how book lovers at the Greenville Literary Association came to see a stack of books in a flight of stairs. This ad, created to generate book donations, takes full advantage of the shape of the advertiser’s chosen medium.
Juice Salon Escalator Ad
(image via: adland)
How many different haircuts can one man possibly get? This creative example of escalator advertising attempts to answer that question, putting a different style on every step, each of which briefly join with the man’s face at the bottom of the escalator to demonstrate the effect.
South Carolina Time to Thaw Stairs Ad
(image via: bounce agency)
The same agency that came up with the creative Greenville Literary Association book stairs also turned a set of stairs into stacks of suitcases, inspiring passersby to “pack your bags: it’s time to thaw.” The ad encourages travel to South Carolina.
Pizza Kingdom Escalator Ad
(image via: ads of the world)
Is the sight of a pizza lying on a dirty escalator, stepped on by thousands of pairs of feet, really all that appetizing? A chain called Pizza Kingdom hoped that it would be with this strange ad, designed to demonstrate “extra cheese” stretching from step to step. Amazingly, it worked: revenue increased by 53% within a month.
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[ WebUrbanist - By Steph in Architecture & Design, Guerilla Marketing & Ads, Subvertising & Counter-Ads, Urbanism. ]
Many space scientists, sociologists and sci-fi authors agree: when humanity finally unloads its stems someplace other than the planet of our birth, Mars is our most expected destination. Unemotional, empty (as far as we know) and frighteningly distant, Mars still bids the most beneficial hope for a human race whose figurative eggs have been held in one basket for far too long.
The Good Lifestyle On Mars
(image via: Erbzine)
Back in the days before the Space Race really got going, our impressions of landing, living and lasting on Mars came courtesy of sci-fi writers like Ray Bradbury at first, Hollywood producers after.
(images via: Fan de Cinema, Moviepro and Atomic Redhead)
Films like Robinson Crusoe On Mars, Abbott And Costello Go To Mars, and Santa Claus Conquers The Martians took a lot of liberties when it came to portraying life on the Red Planet – who was going to argue?
The Air Up There
(images via: Chemistryland and BCA’s SciFi Club)
As robotic probes like the Mariner orbiters and the Viking landers revealed the red planet’s forbidding nature, Hollywood shifted gears slightly and gave us screen gems like Total Recall. While short on hard science and heavy on Ah-nold, Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall (1990) at least tried to give a reasonable impression of what the seedier side of life would be like if grafted onto the Martian landscape.
A Savage Beauty
(images via: English Online and Doobybrain)
While Mars’ rugged beauty cannot be denied, the facts, figures and photos show the planet to have a harsh, unforgiving environment that will be a huge challenge for the first colonizers to deal with.
(images via: JPL/NASA and Arcadia Street)
Even so, enough raw materials, sunlight and most importantly water are all available on Mars – if we have the strength and stamina to use them.
Land Ho!
Landing on Mars isn’t easy to begin with, and when manned spaceships try it it’ll be even more difficult. Bouncing ball landings like those the Mars rovers conducted are out of the question, of course, so rocket-assisted landings such as the one made by the Apollo astronauts (on the moon) and the Phoenix lander are the alternative.
(images via: Slipperybrick and Space Gizmo)
At least parachutes can be used to slow the lander down during descent through the thin Martian atmosphere.
Discovering New ‘Territories
(images via: Daily Galaxy and Ren Wicks)
Once on the ground, it’s time to look around. At first, astronauts landing on Mars will focus on conducting scientific experiments, finding & testing mineral samples and generally exploring the landing area. They’ll do this in souped-up variants of the reliable solar-powered rovers who have vastly outlasted their original projected lifespans.
Building Shelters
(images via: Meet Matt Browne, Antiquark and Telesavoirs)
Shelter will be a priority for explorers who plan on staying a while. The first “homes” on Mars will likely be spaceships designed for a one-way journey: if they can survive the rigors of space flight, their structure should be able to handle anything Mars throws their way.
Homes In Bloodshot Red Soil
(images via: NASA, Disturbed Pixels and Planet Masters)
Along with shelter, food is an essential requirement for anyone who wants to stay on Mars after all the packed rations have been consumed.
(image via: NASA)
Martian greenhouses filled with (and inflated by) Earthly atmospheres will draw upon the ice that, as reports from the Phoenix lander indicate, can be found mere inches beneath the surface. Will Martian soil be to the liking of earth crops? Thorough testing will have to be done to make sure it is.
Making Martians
(image via: Frank Frazetta)
We have seen the Martians, and they are ourselves. It’s only natural that once Mars colonies are established, the colonists will do their fair share to help the colony grow… by doing what comes naturally.
(images via: Blemya, Space Frontier Foundation and Malin Space Science Systems)
That “heart” above? Just one of the curious features of the Martian surface which, along with the famous Face On Mars, look eerily familiar but are completely natural.
Urban Planet 2.0
(image via: Baens Universe)
From tiny acorns, mighty oaks will grow… and so it will be with the first permanent settlements on Mars. The time will indeed come when today’s science fiction is indistinguishable from science fact.
(images via: Books On Mars and Tim Landry)
How mature Martian cities will look is purely speculative but if one applies urban trends on Earth, the results on Mars don’t seem so surprising. The urban model isn’t exclusive to Earth – cities, once established, will grow and evolve regardless of which planet’s soil they stand upon.
Terraforming Mars
(images via: Globalnet)
Ready to think big? Instead of adapting our lives and lifestyles to suit Mars, why not adapt the planet to suit OUR needs? It’s called terraforming and it takes time – hundreds to thousands of years (as opposed to Total Recall’s 2 or 3 minutes).
(images via: Wikimedia and Hudsonfla)
The results would be well worth the time and effort, however, as these images of a terraformed Mars show so well.
New Planet, Old Habits?
(image via: Between The Lines)
Colonizing Mars is one way for humanity to start over, as it were, with a clean slate. This is a challenge we’ve accepted before, following Columbus’ (re)discovery of the New World… the results were mixed, depending on who you ask. Will we have better (or worse) luck with Mars?
Molotow magazine has posted this:
The 100 Pieces in 100 Days Project featuring Swet has started december 1st 2009! From that day on danish graffiti writer Swet tries to set up a new record. Swet about the project: “for me it’s a challenge to see if I can find the time to paint even more without neglecting work or my family. And of course see what I can do with my style when all the pieces have to be different and with only one fill in colour to work with…” Good luck! 100 Pieces in 100 Days. Here you can follow him until march 10th 2010. In use: the Molotow Premium 400ml Swet100 Traffic Red.
I’m really feeling this guys blog at the moment. Vizie One is an avid vandal who has a goodhandstyle and seems to appreciate global handstyles too. Expect to see lots of tags by Sacer and Adek etc from IRAK crew as well as loads of other random graffins….
