Promotion: Rolling Stone.

I have been gone to Oklahoma for my Thanksgiving "break" and came back to a fresh Rolling Stone - something else to keep my mind off doing all my homework. So, I sat down on my couch and began my reading. In the Reviews Top Singles section the Heartless Bastards were mentioned with a sweet blurb about their new single, "The Mountain." I've been extremely partial to this song because I think it's absolutely breathless, but then again, I do work for the Bastard's management team. After reading the blurb I called my boss, Megan, to tell her the good news. She then said, "Oh yeah, the Smoking Section mention?" (The S.S. is a part of the magazine where new information is passed on to the public - they also have an online S.S.) I was confused, "No, they're mentioned in the Top Singles section..."

So, I looked at the online S.S. and found this...



To be given the title "Best Song in the World" is a f***ing big deal, especially coming from the music publication, Rolling Stone. Lest we forget that words can be exaggerated, but still, this is going to be quite the ego boost for the Bastards and a boost to their play count on MySpace. It would have been good for the C3 management team to track how much their counts increased over the few days after the S.S.'s song props. Too bad I didn't know of this happening or I could have watched the increase, if any. Oh, and if you haven't listened to the song yet, get your ass on it.

Promotion: My Designs.

In memory of my time with C3 Presents I thought I'd share a few of the designs I worked up for our bands we managed. Yesterday was my last day there and I had a great run - June to December - whooo! So, feast your eyes upon my design work. I'd like for you to keep in mind that artists like to have a say with everything - all work has to be approved, so these may not be as "designey" as I would have liked, but no worries. It gets the point across I suppose.

For Ben Kweller's European tour...


One of the many Heartless Bastards digital flyers...


My favorite flyer for What Made Milwaukee Famous...


My favorite poster for Black Joe Lewis...


It's been real. Peace, C3.

Traditional Advertising: Market Research.

I journeyed to Antone's in Austin, TX this past Thursday (Nov. 13) evening for my market research. My intentions were to discover how folks heard about their show, booked by C3 Presents, and to see if anyone saw the flyers C3 always hands out for their shows.

The band, The Lost Trailers (seen below), are a country act from Nashville with the hit song "Holler Back." They're a pretty hot little group right now and they'll be opening for Tim McGraw and Rodney Atkins, both big name country singers. So, needless to say, these guys are doing great.



The doormen and owners of Antone's were very welcoming of this little intern with my little notebook and pen ready to poll the concert attendees. So, here's how it went down: I sat at the front of the club and asked every single person (even the drunk ones who didn't know where they were) who came through the doors how they heard of the show. Once they gave me that answer I then asked if they had seen any flyers or posters about the show. And here are my results:



Out of all the concert-goers, the most popular way people heard of the show was in the "other" category, with 69 % of those polled. Some of the answers I got were they heard it through a friend or they were friends with the band. Next in line is that folks heard about the show through the Internet, either the Lost Trailer's Web site, MySpace or an e-mail, with 20 %. Radio and newspaper (The Chronicle was the paper of choice) both received 5 % each. And finally, there's the flyer/poster category with a whopping zero %. Of all those who came to the show, none of them were there because of a flyer or poster.

So, my next step was to see if anyone there even saw a flyer or poster, and here are those results...



Of every person at the show, only 1.8 % actually saw a flyer or poster. Since this was such a rare occurrence, I asked the woman to give me details. She had received a handbill at a Gary Allan show she had attended about a week before the Lost Trailers show. However, she had already bought her tickets to the L.T. show, so the handbill had no real influence on whether or not she was attending the L.T. concert. Interesting.

So, for these country music-lovin' folks, the main way they were reached was through word of mouth. Many of the folks there had heard through a friend or was a friend of the band, supporting the idea that sometimes word of mouth is the absolute best advertising. Next, the Internet had a hold on plenty of the attendees, with people checking out the Lost Trailer's Web site, MySpace page or receiving an e-mail from the band. The Internet has many opportunities for bands to get their tour dates out and about, so this method seemed effective or helpful for the L.T. The radio, KASE 101 to be particular, was helpful in getting the word out about the show. A few of the folks who heard from this method were actually ticket winners to attend the show for free. The Austin Chronicle drew in a few folks as well, with the show listing in their concerts section. A few of the Chronicle people I talked with were out-of-towners from NYC who had just opened the paper to find a good show, saw Antone's and knew of it's reputation as being one of the best venues in Austin, and came on over to enjoy the live music.

While my research gave some insight on the effects of flyers and handbills on concert-goers, there is plenty I'd look at differently. One, this show didn't have a huge turnout so my sample wasn't as hefty as I'd like. I would have wanted to look at a vast audience to get a better feel for how those folks heard about the show. Maybe country music fans don't use flyers or posters as their main determinant on show choice? Maybe there were other huge acts in town that evening?

My next step was to speak to the head of concert marketing at C3 Presents to hear how she believed flyers or posters and other forms of concert marketing help their artists and venues to have a successful show. The discussion was interesting and eye-opening...stay tuned...

(PS-Pat on the back for me for making big girl charts.)

Traditional Advertising: Flyers.

At C3, there is an extensive marketing team with lots of interns on designing flyers for shows that C3 books. As a part of my exploration of traditional artist and concert promotion I wanted to see if these flyers are beneficial (or not) for the artist, venue and promoter.

As you can see there is a clipboard right by all these flyers - this is for the C3 Street Team. Street Teams are efficient ways to get your flyers out around town without taking up your own time. Often, Street Team members are compensated for their time by getting free tickets to shows, posters, swag, etc., so if you're a student wanting to hit up great shows without having to pay for a ticket, a little time handing out flyers can get you in. Also, specific artists have street teams - Ben Kweller, for instance - who will be mailed posters, flyers, stickers or whatever else to hand out to pump up the artist in their area.





My next venture will be chatting with some Austin concert-goers to see how they learned of the show they're attending. Until then, my friends.

Traditional Advertising: Old Man.

I've been planning my next few blog posts about traditional advertising and getting things ready to go, but am haulted with a nasty cold. So, just a few more days, my friends, and we'll be back on track.

However, I do have a story today about traditional artist advertising. As I'm sure many of you have seen, musicians will plaster their name wherever they can - on street signs, light poles, sidewalks, trashcans, etc. I've illustrated that point in this post. Well, this morning as I made my way to the communications building I spotted an old man. Picture this. Ernest Hemingway with snow white hair, sunglasses, sneakers with mid-calve socks (somewhat scrunched), above-the-knee cargo shorts, a button-down collared shirt with a razor in hand. As soon as I saw him I started watching his actions. Why did he have a razor blade? What was the seemingly-normal man going to do with it? Slash students Freddy Krueger style? Nope. He was walking around Guadalupe Street scraping musician stickers off the poles, street signs and anything else in the city that had been molested by the musician.

I walked slower so I could watch his face as he scraped - it seemed like he was personally hurt by these musicians and their abandonment for any city aesthetics. He would shake his head in disappointment, much like a father would shake his head after finding out his daughter was dating the town's biggest thug. And then I had a sweet flashback to a poster-hanging assignment I was given.

At C3 I was given a stack of posters for a Black Joe Lewis show and told to go "plaster them in the city." So, I hesitantly took my stack and a roll of package tape. (I was hesitant because I try to save as much paper as possible or use recycled paper when I have the opportunity. This was just against my little green code I have. But oh well.) So, I walked to the Austin Convention Center and started putting up the posters on light poles. I felt like I was breaking the law, which I probably was. I felt sneaky, but not in a good way. I kept looking over my shoulder. It was probably really funny if you were a fly on the wall watching me creep around. After doing about 10 posters I started to head back toward my car - then a man started following me. He was a businessman, staring at me and saying things under his breath but loud enough for me to hear.

"You shouldn't be doing this." "This is defacing Austin." "This makes our city UGLY." "You suck."

OK, not that last one, but that's kinda how I felt. So, I pretended to be on the phone with someone having a really important conversation. So, needless to say, there are some people in the city who despise these flyers, stickers, posters, etc. and will say/do anything to get them down. Like Hemingway earlier today, this businessman was pretty passionate about the flyers - just in a different way.

So, for the promoters or musicians, what is the line you draw? Do you have a specific area to post your ads? Do you say f*** it and go on with your business? Is there another way to promote your show/band without paper? (This, by the way, is what I'm hoping to do in the business - find new and fresh ways to promote that are not on paper.) In the next few posts we'll see if little handbills and flyers actually get folks to shows. Stay tuned.

The Economy: A Discussion.

As most of you know, my professor, Mike Mackert, is my independent study watchdog. We'll communicate about my blog via comment posting. He asked an interesting question after this post and I'd enjoy discussing it in more detail as a post. Enjoy!

I've heard reports in a couple places (Wall Street Journal This Morning podcast, I think) that a couple of the major movie studios are delaying releases right now, to avoid releasing a big movie right into the teeth of this recession (or whatever it is that we're in). What are the differences between movies and music, do you think? Are there some, or is this two pretty similar industries taking different strategies into a rough economy? - Mackert

Oh man, there are HUGE differences between movies and music - especially in the physical aspect. Let's take a looksie...



One: Movies are so static, meaning you just sit in a comfy chair and gorge yourself on popcorn. There's no involvement outside the brain, no body movement. Don't get me wrong - movies are great! Just not as active. Concerts, live, fresh, breathing concerts, are more of an active process. You jump around (except for the orchestra shows I've been to), you get close to the band, you have a total body experience. It's fantastic.

Two: Movies are just showcases of an actor's ability in a box. That actor can't improv in the movie you're watching - what's filmed is filmed. However, at a concert everything is on the fly. If a band plays a wrong note, it's there. I was at a Counting Crows show in 2004 and the lead singer was belting out their most amazing ballad while a huge june bug went diving down his throat. It was great and it's a memory for everyone there.

Three: Actors are on the screen, out of touch with humans. Maybe this is why so many Americans are fascinated with the out-of-reach-and-unattainable movie stars? Musicians at concerts are live in the flesh. You can run onstage and hug one. You can get a high five. Or a drumstick. Or sweat flung on you. Yes.



Now, to address your question on these industries and their actions with the recession. Since these industries have very different looks and feels, we'll treat them that way - as separate entities. I think it's interesting that the movie execs are delaying the release of certain blockbusters. Along with the music industry, who is focusing more on touring that the hard sales of records, the movie industry has a real opportunity to give U.S. folks the opportunity to "get away" during the recession or economic downturn. While researching this I found an interesting quote to share...

"The bottom hasn't fallen out of it," said Steve Feldstein, a vice president at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. "Historically, home entertainment has withstood economic downturns. Most folks would rather watch a movie than watch the stock market."

Can anyone say "Staycation"??? (Sorry, had to use it again to drive you crazy.) So, it's going to be interesting seeing how the nation is going to "deal" with the woes of their finances in terms of the entertainment they find. In my future I hope to see folks going back to riding bicycles and playing outside with their children instead of plopping them down in front of a $200 gaming system where games cost too damn much. Or going to cheap outdoor concerts - Orchestra in the Park - and dancing around like fools. Maybe we'll all sit down at the dinner table together instead of pillaging on fattening fast food. Maybe the family game nights and the ever-elusive Movie Nights will be back! Break out the popcorn, folks! It's time for a recession, but more importantly, it's time to cut back on our extravagance. Maybe this is a good thing?

Voting...

So, it's not related to music promotion, but it's worth the post...



GO VOTE!

Touring: The Economy Update.

After discussing this post about the economy's impact on the touring industry with my boss, Megan, she introduced me to the C3 Presents ticket master, Michelle Alldredge. She's in charge of all the ticket sales C3 has their hands on - be that Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, or shows at the venues C3 books. I sat down with Michelle to chat about whether ACL has been a part of the economic downturn or if it's is doing just fine, like Lolla did. (Lolla sold a record 180,000 tickets this summer.)

Michelle informed me that since 2004 ACL has sold out or has been extremely close to selling out. Good news there. Just the other day, Oct. 2, C3 put a block of cheap tickets up for ACL 2009. So, since we're in the thick of this economic downturn, one would figure that folks would be holding on extra tight to their wallets - aka, no ticket purchases yet. However, that block of tickets (the number would not be released) has already sold out. Clearly, festival lovers aren't going to let these hard times affect their attendance to next year's show.

Or, are they thinking strategically? Are these ticket buyers smarter than the average bear, understanding that the next block of tickets will be more expensive, so they better buy the cheapest they can find? Another thought: Are the folks buying these tickets the generation who isn't as affected by the economy as much? A good point was introduced to me - my generation isn't really feeling the pain of the current recession. Instead, we're somewhat reaping the benefits with lower gas prices ($2.49 by my apartment today.) My generation is predominately who is attending these festivals, and since we don't have retirement funds, 401ks, huge stock investments, etc., then we can focus on what entertains us now rather than worry about the money we haven't really lost. Interesting.

Traditional Advertising: Flyers and Posters.

So, as a part of this blog, I am exploring all types of artist promotion, whether online, at festivals or traditionally, like radio ads, print ads and flyers for shows. As a student of advertising, I am certainly interested in the traditional aspects of artist promotion, since this can allow me to delve into older artists and how they could rise to fame without the assistance of the internet. This first post will be an introduction to the art of flyers. I walked around the city of Austin and took photos of many different posters that advertised festivals, concerts and bands in general. The next time I cover this topic I plan to interview people about their attention to these posters. So, to whet your appetite, here are a few images around town...


Here is a poster for a show - the photos are pretty captivating and interesting...


And a flyer for Fun Fun Fun Fest, which is coming up soon! The typeface for the bands on this flyer is pretty boring, but I guess you have to be informative so viewers can actually read the talent...still, I would pick something a little more eye-catching.


I thought this little guy was interesting. It's a "flyer" for a show, but it was about 3 inches by 3 inches - see the Fun Fun Fun Fest poster next to it??? This little thing is hardly noticeable, so I wonder why the promoter decided to print such baby-sized flyers. If I were walking down South Congress, this would NOT be noticed.



Here is a big cluster of flyers at the South Congress restaurant, Home Slice Pizza. As an advertiser, this is my worst nightmare: getting lost in all the clutter. So, how would an artist or festival promoter make an impression in all this junk? (The answer in a later post.)



Now in the next few posts I'll try to uncover if these posters are actually working or if they're wasting space and being ignored.

Touring: The Economy.

In the Oct. 2 issues of Rolling Stone there's an article about the tour business and its problems and successes with the weak economy. As an advertising graduate student, I'm concerned for the advertising industry - jobs are being cut left and right and advertising budgets are taking a drastic slash. The weakened economy is showing no mercy with the ad industry, obviously, but I often breathe a sigh of relief after I remember that while I'm getting a masters degree in this field, it doesn't necessarily mean I'll be working at an agency post-graduation. No, I'd rather be working in the music industry doing music (festival, concert, artist) promotion, which, according to this article, is mostly doing all right! Read on...

Tour Biz Strong in Weak Economy
By Steve Knopper

At the end of the key summer concert season, the world's biggest promoter reports that high gas prices and a slumping economy did little to dampen business. "Across every metric, we've had one of our best summers in recent memory," says Jason Garner, CEO of Live Nation's North American division, who points to a slate of blockbuster tours, from Tom Petty to the Police, to explain the success.

Petty's summer gross, according to Pollstar, was more than $32 million - almost $9 million higher than his entire 2005 tour, because of higher ticket prices and his increased popularity with a younger fan base. Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, the Police and Rush did their usual solid business. And the Jonas Brothers sold out amphitheaters everywhere, averaging almost 18,000 people a show and grossing more than $11 million.

Still, the economy did hurt some artists. According to Adam Friedman, CEO of L.A.-based Nederlander Concerts, acts that appealed to younger, less-affluent audiences, including Nine Inch Nails and Maroon 5, hit soft spots or notched fewer sellouts than in recent summers. "It isn't just solely gas - it's the hardship of people losing their jobs and cutting back because prices are high," Friedman says. "Do I think that had an impact on the concert industry? Absolutely."

Adds Warped Tour founder, Kevin Lyman, "People were holding their money tighter to their vests this summer." In response, many amphitheater tours, including Stevie Wonder's, Motley Crue's and Maroon 5/Counting Crows', reduced lawn prices drastically to fill the venues.

Festivals, which have been booming for the last five years, may have hit their saturation point, with at least 15 major events, compared to just seven in 2003. Bonnaroo and Coachella failed to sell out (although Lollapalooza set sales records with 180,000 tickets over three days). "The scene is completely overpacked, and attrition is going to be a reality," says a concert-business source. "It's started."

Tickets for many tours actually went on sale before gas prices skyrocketed, which may have insulated promoters. The true test may come in the next few months, when AC/DC, Metallica and Madonna are expected to be the top acts. "People are going to look at it and go, 'The economy is impacting these shows,''" says Andy Cirzan, vice president of concerts for Chicago's Jam Productions. "But we might not see it until the fall."

Summer 2008's Top Five Tours
1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - $32.1 million
2. Dave Matthews Band - $29.5 million
3. The Police - $28.3 million
4. Neil Diamond - $19.2 million
5. Coldplay - $16.7 million

So, in short, the economy hasn't hit the music industry. Yet. Or, in my optimistic mind, it won't even come close to hurting the concert monster. I do have my worries, but why worry now? I'll live like the Buddhists and not think about the past or worry for the future - instead I'll enjoy the "now" and hope for the best come May! Granted, I will work my ass off to ensure landing a job - duh. Another thing I'd like to note is that Lollapalooza had record ticket sales - and C3 Presents, where I currently intern, is who puts on Lolla. Success! So, I suppose we'll really have to wait to see how Madonna and Metallica do with the recently shotty economy and bank failings. Good luck to us all...

Austin City Limits: My Experience.

This year's fest was just great - lots of amazing acts, fun memories and crazy experiences. I had the opportunity to assist my boss Megan (here's an interview with her) in getting our bands to their appropriate interviews, shows, etc. This proved to be quite the adventure in some cases. A lot of the time, bands don't want to do interview or deal with the press simply because they'd rather be checking out the festival acts they'd like to see. If we lived in a perfect world, bands wouldn't need press, everyone would be famous and get to check out all the bands at ACL...but that's not the case. By a long shot. So, bands need to do press time to help get their name out and to shed some light to what the artist's personality is. Fans like getting that glimpse into the soul of the musician - just think back to old interviews of Jimi Hendrix. These interviews or press conferences give the fan some insight to why the legend plays why he does.



Although I wasn't working with Jimi Hendrix with press, I did have the awesome opportunity to run around with What Made Milwaukee Famous, Black Joe Lewis and the Heartless Bastards. Here are a few photos to show some of the facets of my weekend. Enjoy!

Here I am at the Milwaukee show - since I work for C3, I got the fancy purple wristband that allowed me access everywhere. What a joy! So, I got to be on the stage for shows that I wanted to check out.



Here are the guys - Michael Kingcaid (vocals, guitar) and John Farmer (bass). Check out the crowd behind them - they had a great turnout for their show.



After the show we took the guys over to the press area to knock out some interviews. The first two are a video interview with METV and the third photo is of the guys doing a live radio interview with 101X.





Also in the press pit was Paste Magazine. This photo is of Joe Lewis (guitar, vocals) and Zach Ernst from Black Joe Lewis doing a video interview for Paste. The questions they were asking were like, "If you were running for office, what would your campaign song be?"



And finally, here is a backstage shot before the Heartless Bastards set. There is a lot of scrambling around to get the stage cleared and set up before the next band goes on.



The way ACL has it set up is that each stage is staggered to play, so the bands go on at an exact time (with only a few delays) and play for only the amount noted in their contract. Most of the time each stage has only 30-45 minutes between each show, so the roadies have to bring their A-games in order to get the gear on and off stage in time for the next band to perform.

All in all, I was very impressed with how ACL is put together and organized. It's quite busy backstage, but in the alcohol-drenched artist lounge you can find a little oasis in which to chill and meet some of the brightest minds in the music industry, be it managing, drumming or singing. I've learned that it's extremely important for bands to do interviews with as many publications or radio stations as possible. Although it can sometimes be like pulling teeth, in the end it gives the fans a glance into the inner-workings of the musician's brain. And in most cases, bands will tell you that the reason they do music is because it's "all about the fans." Then let the fans see into your psyche a bit...it's worth it.

Austin City Limits: An Interview.

Megan McDiffitt, C3 Presents, does artist management for Ben Kweller, Heartless Bastards, What Made Milwaukee Famous and Black Joe Lewis. I decided in lieu of the Austin City Limits music festival I would ask her opinion on the importance of artist promotions at the fest. Enjoy...

Why are press interviews at ACL a big deal for bands?

Well it’s not so much that it’s press at ACL that’s a big deal; press anytime/anywhere is always beneficial, but at ACL all the press is combined into one location so it’s just easy to knock out several interviews in a short time. It’s also easier for us since we work with the media company, Fresh and Clean Media, that handles all the press for the fest. We get a helping hand from them if we need it.

What advice do you give smaller bands playing ACL in regard to getting press time?

Smaller bands just need to walk through the media area with many cd’s to give away and ask anyone that isn’t doing an interview if they’d like to do one or just want a cd to check out their music. It’s hard to catch the media off guard, I mean if they’ve never heard of you or are not familiar with you, they will most likely not want to interview you because they haven’t done their research. So the best advice I would give is to just spread the word about your band, drop off as many cd’s and contact cards to the press peeps as possible and hopefully at the next fest, they will be familiar with you and will want to speak with you.

What does playing at ACL mean for a smaller, unknown band?

It means a lot of attention that you would not normally get. Even if you’re opening the fest on a small stage, people that have not ever heard of you before will be there ready to listen so you should give your best performance, you’ve only got 45 minutes to win these people over. Hopefully some press will be at that stage and will take notice as well.

Do you see any direct results for WMMF, HB, BJL, BK after an appearance at Lolla or ACL? Merch sales? MySpace hits? Bookings? Stalkers? Etc...

Absolutely, there are always more MySpace hits, play counts and merch sales. There are more interview requests afterwards as well. It doesn’t necessarily bring in more bookings, but it does certainly help to get bookings later on. Saying that you’ve played a fest like ACL just looks good, ya know?

What would you recommend to a smaller, unknown band to do if they wish to play at ACL?

Ha, well, have a great booking agent for starters and great ticket sales.

What are your thoughts on artist rebellion at ACL - do you think the crazier/weirder they act the more press they may get? You may wish to discuss the Ben Kweller nosebleed of 2006.

Of course, press was all over BK’s nosebleed situation. Even the next year the press was still talking about it and wanted an interview to hear the details on it. If you’re outgoing and demand attention, you’ll get it, especially from the press. Juliette Lewis is one I always think of on this note. Lollapalooza 2007, she stormed into the media area with all her quirkiness and the press just flocked to her.

Austin City Limits: 2007 Recap.

I can feel it. The air in Austin is starting to become electric...or is it the glow coming from Zilker Park as the production folks set up the stages? Yes, folks, I'm talking about the ever-so-exciting Austin City Limits music festival! In five short days our little city will be filled with musicians and fans alike to see one of the best festivals around. And I'm pumped.

Let's recap ACL 2007 - I had just moved to the city to begin grad school at UT and I was ready for a festival! Jeff, my man, and I got one day passes for the Sunday shows - the three day passes sold out pretty quick. No bueno. But, we did get to see Bob Dylan, which was breathtaking and tearful at the same time. What a great feeling to be in the vicinity of a legend, but his voice was so scratchy from years of smoking and singing. We also got to see a few more favorites: Bloc Party, Ben Kweller, Regina Spektor, My Morning Jacket, etc. I was in heaven and it was just a reinforcement that this is the industry for me to work in. Some photos for you to check out.






In the upcoming posts you'll get to learn all about ACL 2008, which I'm going to actually be a part of. My summer internship with C3 Presents has led me to work with the bands I'm helping manage: What Made Milwaukee Famous, Black Joe Lewis and the Heartless Bastards. I'm going to go around with my boss, Megan, to make sure our bands make the press interviews they're scheduled for. Check back often - this year's show will be pretty amazing and I'm going to tell all about it!

Online: Play Increasing.

I ran across this site, Promo Plays, and learned more about the MySpace play increasing software that so many bands are eager to purchase. Read what they have to say about their product:

"Welcome
you have just found the website other artists & bands do not want you to know about! How would you like to login to your MySpace account and see hundreds of friend requests, comments, and more...?

How would you feel when you see your image on the Featured Profile section of My Space? ... I'm sure your on the right path. The law of attraction wouldnt bring you to our website for no reason. The time to act is now.

We can help you get that record deal you where aiming for. How you ask? Simple. By increasing your Total and Daily Plays on MySpace, along with profile views to thousands, ultimately making your band climb the MySpace music top artist charts FAST! Record Labels are constantly on the lookout for the next big star, you should already know this, the music business is not what it used to be. Before there was MySpace, Facebook, and CD store alternatives like iTunes and MySpace's own SnoCap. Label executives would have to invest a small fortune on independent artist development. Radio, Press, Media.. etc. and would take that risk in hopes of returning a nice profit. Heres how technology changed all that.

Now that technology has advanced to the point where your fans can instantly purchase and download their favorite albums and songs via online stores, and where your press kit can be viewed by millions. Labels don't take risks as often as they used to. Why? Because Artist Development is on the artist, in todays market, Basically you have to have a proven Fan Base, Sales patterns, Publicity, overall a good Press Kit before any label would take a serious look at you.

(if you didn't know this. your myspace profile is a big part of your press kit, Labels look at your Total Plays, Daily Plays, Profile Views, Friends and Comments)

So if you want to get things going, take the first step. Order our 5,000 Plays for only 99¢ and see for yourself what PromoPlays.com has to offer!"

So, my problem is that some bands are getting the recognition from record labels and booking agents under false pretenses. What a crock that the bands are now cutting corners to increase the plays on the site. If a band has a genuinely unique and enjoyable sound, people will willingly check them out, thus increasing the page views and song plays - no need for some hack software to do the work for you. It just seems a bit lazy to me, that's all. I wonder if the crappy bands who use this software still get picked up by record companies - or do the companies see a live show that has about 32 people in the crowd and go, "Oh...looks like they don't have as many fans as their MySpace page says. They suck. No deal for them." I'd be interested in seeing the correlation between purchasing the software and record deals.

Online: The Beginning.

Ah, the ever-changing art of artist promotion. Back in the day, artists' shows were only advertised on the big three: radio, print and television, for large tours. Just take a look at the older concert posters - very stylized, but still informative. Can you imagine one of the current indie bands using only print for their promotion? Or can you imagine what Jimi Hendrix's MySpace page would look like? Exactly. The times have certainly changed and I'm here to explore what the changes and the implications are.



Now, artists can, sometimes solely, rely on the Internet for the promotion of their shows and music. While many musicians still use creative and eye-catching posters (we'll be exploring this in later posts) for the announcements of their information, arguably the most efficient and cost-effective way to bring warm bodies to the show is to use the net.

The MySpace phenomenon has reshaped the industry and how it can greatly help a band land a record deal or to get to the top of the charts. MySpace is a social networking site that artists can use to promote their band - here is Dave Matthews Band's page, so you can get a feel for what the site can offer. Bands can post songs, videos, links to merchandise, tour dates, fans, links to download music, band history, etc. so fans can get to know their favorite groups. Artists can often get a lot of notice by the amount of "plays" on the counter - there are even codes bands can pay for to increase the amount of plays per day. (Yes, bands will actually pay hundreds of dollars for something like this.) Anyway, the reason the play counter matters is that record executives and booking agents will often keep watch for upcoming bands - aka, bands who have high play counts, meaning a high amount of listeners, meaning a high fan base, meaning a good band to sign.

This week we'll continue to explore how MySpace and other social networking sites are shaping the new generation of groups coming through the radio waves. Or the MySpace plays.

Welcome to the Jungle.

Well, here I am. As a second year advertising graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin I decided I needed to tune my program a little more toward my liking, so I'm embarking on a magical journey to uncover some of the music industry's secrets, flaws and brilliance in the promotional aspect. I'm talking about concert, artist and festival promotions, Austin City Limits Festival, to be clear. I'll delve into many different formats for promotion, like online promotion (think MySpace, Facebook, etc.), traditional promotion (flyers, posters, etc.) and festival happenings. You'll get some history on artist promotion, new age ideas that work and don't work, ACL reports, video interviews with professionals, and lots of insight. What can I say? I live in one of the most vibrant musical cities in the U.S. and it all just gets me riled up. So, I'll be working on my independent study in a blog format so I can look back on it someday, sigh and relive all the excellence that is to ensue for the next 13 weeks. Prepare yourself.

I began my musical experience when I was a young tyke. My mother always sang me Beatles songs, always encouraged me to listen to new music and opened my eyes to the absolute joy of live music. I attended my first concert, The Beach Boys, at a baseball stadium in Tulsa, OK. And that was the beginning. My parents let me go to alternative rock concerts when I was in the 7th grade. They even ventured to let me attend EdgeFest, where I got to see hardcore bands like Slipknot, Disturbed, Korn, Kid Rock, etc. Wow. I won't post photos from that time in my life - let's just say that I had dinosaur teeth, round glasses, JNCO jeans, polyester shirts and chain necklaces. Classy.

I have attended many shows since my younger years, and the more I see the harder I fall in love with the whole shebang: the instruments, the lights, the atmosphere, the venue, the bands, the posters, the fans, the merch and the rat-tailed roadies. It's an experience to see someone live and I fully believe that at least 93 percent of bands are much better live. Therefore I have decided that a career somewhere in this industry is my true destiny. (The "I wanna grow up to be a mermaid" thing didn't really work out.)

While I was at Oklahoma State University working on my undergrad degree I got involved in a great organization called Orange Peel. Orange Peel is a student-run concert/pep rally that happens at the beginning of football season to get fans ready for the big year ahead. We bring in huge names and sell tickets at a VERY reasonable price, ensuring the student body can afford to attend the show. In 2005 I was the assistant marketing director for the show and we brought in Jason Mraz, LIT and comedian Pablo Francisco. The show sold around 5,600 tickets - the lowest number in OP's 10 year history. I can give details on that in person. In 2006 I got to take the roll of marketing director, and it was a make-or-break year for us. The Student Union (OP's funding house) let us know that we couldn't continue the tradition if we didn't break even this year. Lots of pressure, right? Well, we signed the glorious Alan Jackson, comedian Bill Engvall and a Tulsa-based band, The Hero Factor. We were very, very happy with the lineup and apparently so was the rest of Oklahoma. We sold about 17,900 tickets - a 400 percent increase from the year before! Needless to say, I was very proud of the turnout and the way the executive committee saved the OP tradition. And thus, I fell in love with the whole experience. This photo is me with Alan Jackson on stage right behind. Very cool.

I am now, as mentioned above, at the University of Texas in Austin working toward my master's degree in advertising. While I'm thoroughly enjoying the courses I'm taking, I feel this independent study will add more depth to my love and understanding of the music promotions industry. I've also gained an incredible learning experience from my summer internship with C3 Presents - the group who produces Lollapalooza and the Austin City Limits Festival, books many venues in Austin and manages an amazing lineup of artists. I'm getting to work with one of the best in the business and I plan to use lots of folks there to help me with my research.

Well, I'm ready if you are. Let's explore the ins and outs of music promotion, and in the wise words of the great Axl Rose, "welcome to the jungle."