I recently came across a posting on a music mailing list in which someone was
venting about the apparent apathy of indie music people. He wrote "People
tend to be lazy and greedy -- a sour combination. Many people aren't even
aware of these traits in themselves."
Here are some thoughts on this topic:
I totally agree with that statement. People naturally do take the easy road
and think primarily of themselves. That not only includes indie musicians and
small label people, it also includes music industry bigshots and media people
of all kinds.
We can bitch about the sorry state of human beings or we can learn to work
with it.
How?
By doing these two things:
1) Make it easy for people to help you.
I used to be a magazine editor/publisher. Like many indie media people, I was
overworked and underpaid. Far too many bands sent out sloppy packages without
focus and then expected me to do all the work to give them exposure. The
bands who gave me what I needed, came up with interesting story angles and
made it easy to cover them usually got press (as long as they had a story
worth telling).
It's no different with your fans and people in other areas of the music biz.
Make it simple and easy for people to get on your band wagon, order from you,
etc... and make them look good in the process. Which leads to...
2) Let people know up front what's in it for them.
If all you're doing is asking for handouts and taking, it's no wonder you're
coming up short. Use other people's self-interest to your advantage and let
them know what you can do for them.
Most bands who try to book gigs talk about how great their music is and how
many CDs they've sold. Does that matter to the agent or club owner? Hopefully
it does, but usually all he/she cares about is the cash register ring at the
end of the night.
This past year I booked several solo shows by sending out a simple post card
with a large headline that read: "I want to help you sell more beer!" Many of
the bar and cafe owners who received it were impressed that an artist
actually kept their needs in mind. It hit their self-interest square on the
head.
The bottom line is: Accept the fact that people are human and use their
tendencies of laziness and greed to your advantage. Take control of the
circumstances, don't be controlled by them.
Bob Baker is an indie musician, former music magazine publisher and author of
"The Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" and "Ignite Your Creative Passion."
Get a FREE subscription to Bob's music marketing tip sheet, The Buzz Factor,
by sending a blank e-mail to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
';
document.write( '' );
document.write( addy_text30774 );
document.write( '<\/a>' );
//-->\n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
- or visit the Buzz Factor online.
| Comments () >> |
 |
