The MIC Newsletter Q3 2003
Transcript of The MIC Newsletter Q3 2003
-
8/14/2019 The MIC Newsletter Q3 2003
1/4
www.mt101.com
www.mt101.com
Volume 1, Issue 4
STATION PEOPLE: Station employees are sometimes
recruited to work an artist, and will tell you that they know
what stations want. This sounds convincing, but in reality,
taking the calls (which they do/did at the station), and making
the calls, are very different animals. Until station people are
trained (at a label or indie), they make poor promoters.
OWN CHART: When you do hire a real
promoter, make sure he/she is not affiliated with
the chart that they say they are going to promoteyou to. Some promoters actually publish their
own chart, and they can put you on it wherever
they want to. And they can take you off just as
quick. Worse, any advertising money you place
with the publication actually just goes straight
to them. They wont make any of this clear to
you... youll have to ask around.
BIG CLIENTS: The most-often used sales technique of
promoters is to tell you they have worked some big artist,
and that this would benefit you. Ask them what they mean by
worked. Were they solely responsible for charting that artist?
Probably not (you will have to ask the artist to verify this...
the promoter is just not going to tell you the truth.) More than
likely, the promoter was probably just partnered with a label
or another promoter, or worse, was just an assistant or sidekick.
Again, they WILL NOT tell you they were not the only
promoter. You will HAVE to ask the artist or the artists
management directly.
Continued on page 4...
If you are hiring a promoter to push your artist to radio, here
are a few things you can consider which will help you have
the greatest chance of success. (And when I say promoter, I
mean an airplay promoter, not a club or booking promoter.)
The big concern with this process is, if you choose the wrong
person(s) to promote your artist... and end up with bad results...
you cant just go back and do it over again. Thats it for that
CD (at those stations). That CD is now an
old project at those stations, and you cant
go back to them until you have a new release.
USING A FRIEND: Non-experienced
friends sometimes offer to work artists to
radio for free or for a few dollars. This is
fine as long as you use them for the right
tasks... like helping with the mailing, etc. If
you are working college radio... say, no more than 20-30
stations... then they could make some calls too. But if they try
to call any more stations than this, or if they try to call
commercial radio, they will probably stumble after just a
couple of weeks. And forget any capacity of doing reports or
trade charts.
SOMEONE FROM THE MAJORS: Staff promoters at
major labels sometimes offer to help you out on the side for
a fee. On their days off, or on the weekend, they say they will
make some calls for you. What happens is that their company
finds out and disallows it, or, the person gets tied up on their
days off and cant do it. You are then stuck. Either way, it is a
conflict of interest for them.
PR PEOPLE: Public Relations (or publicity) people
sometimes offer to work an artist to radio for airplay. But
dont, however, confuse PR with airplay. A real radio campaign
has nothing to do with publicity. They are two separate
techniques, with different contacts, lead times, terminology,
call frequency, and so on. A person who is good at one is
usually terrible at the other. This is why they are always
separate departments at labels.
Music Industry Connection
RADIO AIRPLAY 101
Network!
Negotiate!
Know the Business!
SPECIAL PRINT EDITION OF THE MONTHLY E-ZINE (ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE) THE MIC
Third Quarter 2003 F r e e !
Network! Negotiate! Know the Business!
Get updates onMusic Therapy 101Workshopsand the Music Bizby joining the email listat www.mt101.com
Independent Promoter Checklist, Pt. 1
Are Radio Programmers &
Music Directors Spineless
C O W A R D S ?See page 4
Bryan has spoken at Music
Therapy 101
-
8/14/2019 The MIC Newsletter Q3 2003
2/4
www.mt101.com
www.mt101.com
The MIC
A practical plan, a passion to succeed and a
willingness to innovate are most important in
marketing your independent release. First, make
sure your product stands the test of time. In short
your music should be HOT! You will spend a
great deal of time and financial resources
promoting your music, if is not HOT do notpromote and sell it.
Before we continue you will need either a
computer or a pen and paper, so that you can
take a few notes. Now make a list of music retail
stores, night clubs, colleges & universities, high schools, coffee houses,
malls, college and community radio stations, college, high school and local
magazines and newspapers. The list of venues and locations should be
within a one-hour driving distance of your home market. This will give
you the opportunity to penetrate your home market and build a solid fan-
base. This is especially, important for the independent label and artist who
count on selling CDs, merchandise and tickets to live performances to pay
the mortgage.
The next step is to obtain the physical and email address, phone and faxnumbers of each location mentioned. Begin contacting the colleges and
high schools that have school newspapers. The goal is to get the music
and/or entertainment writer to either interview you and/or write a review
of your HOT Music. The writers should receive your type written bio, an
8x10 black & white glossy photo and professionally recorded CD. However,
always correspond with the music reviewer before submitting your
materials, as some writers may have special requirements. For instance,
they may accept a black & white 4x6 photo versus an 8x10 black & white
glossy. In addition, you may find that when dealing with commercial
publications, meaning publications for profit, that you will be able to secure
a positive review once you have placed an Ad with that particular magazine
or newspaper. While all publications do not require you to place an Ad
before they will write a review, some do, so artist beware. Before your
jaws drop consider the following. Most publications for profit make theirmoney from advertising dollars. Since, a review of your music brings
awareness to you as an artist and your new release the magazine is helping
you gain greater exposure, which may lead to increased CD sales and
attendance at your live performances. Hence, some magazines require that
you spend advertising dollars before they will write a review of your music
worth reading. In turn you receive a review and the magazine will receive
advertising dollars; it is a mutually beneficial opportunity.
While simultaneously getting music reviews you should be working on
performing live. When you are beginning your career, you will want to
focus on perfecting your craft and building a loyal fan base. This is achieved
through performing live at every venue possible. If the opportunity presents
itself for you to perform in front of 1,000 people do it, likewise if the
opportunity presents itself for you to perform in front of 10 people do it.
The goal is the same, perfecting your craft and building a loyal fan base.With that said here are some ways to make the most out of your live
performances. First, invite every person on your contact hit list to your
live performances. Yes, music writers, DJs, music retail store managers,
club owners, record pool directors, etc. Remember your goal is to get your
music heard by potential fans that will buy future releases and merchandise
and support your concerts. One way to get people to try something new is
by offering a discount. For example, you may want to sell your full length
CD for $7. Some companies have been extremely successful at selling
more products by lowering their prices.
Here is how you turn a live performance into a Window of Opportunity
Continued on page 4...
Marketing YourIndependent Release
Publisher/Editor N Chief-JaWar
Writers
Bryan Farrish, JaWar
Layout Crafted by - Alfred Bacon
Music Industry Connection, LLC
P.O. Box 52682, Atlanta, GA 30355, USA
800-963-0949 www.mt101.com
The Music Industry Connection, LLC is
meant to inform you about future Music
Therapy 101 Seminars, give you industry
insider information and provide you with
tips and resources to help you achieve your
goals and realize your potential. Receive
the MIC monthly by joining the email list
at www.mt101.com. Know thyself.!!!
Copyright 2003 Music Industry Connection
Subscribe to Music Industry Connection for $4/year.
First Name: _______________ Last Name: ____________________
Physical Mailing Address: __________________________________
City: ________________________ State: ______ Zip: __________
Email: _______________________________________________
Phone #: (____) __________
Where did you get this paper from? ____________________________
Fill out and mail a $4 money order payable to Music Industry Connection,
LLC PO Box 52682, Atlanta, GA 30355.
Music Industry Conference
(The-MIC)
Oct. 17 & 18, 2003 at the Sheraton Hotel in
Birmingham, AL
Scheduled are: Artist showcases, A&R Luncheon &
Dinner, Networking Socials, Educational Workshops,Music Critique Panels and Exhibitors.
Register at WWW.THE-MIC.COM or by calling 256-859-6741
Not affiliated with The MIC (Music Industry Connection)
Newspaper
-
8/14/2019 The MIC Newsletter Q3 2003
3/4
www.mt101.com
www.mt101.com
-
8/14/2019 The MIC Newsletter Q3 2003
4/4
www.mt101.com
www.mt101.com
Radio Airplay 101...Continued from page 1
Promoters who really do work major label projects just do not like to work
with entry-level projects. With major label projects, the indie promoter
ALWAYS has staff promoters at the label doing a ton of the work, in addition
to heavy retail (the CD is on the shelf at most bookstores), touring (20-200
cities in major venues), and press (10-100 articles in major publications
like Spin or Billboard, along with 50-500 articles in small publications.)
And all this is on top of TV appearances. So if you think that the indiepromoter is the one person who made the artist chart, think again. He will
not be able to do the same for you.
Contact Bryan Farrish at: Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion, 14230 Ventura Blvd.,
Suite A, Sherman Oaks, CA, 91423. Phone: 818-905-8038
Marketing Your Independent Release ...Continued from page 2
and build a loyal fan base. Before each performance designate someone, a
group member, manager, brother, sister, etc. to collect names, phone
numbers and email addresses of potential fans. Ensure your representative
have the tools necessary for success. For instance, give them a preprinted
mailing list sheet and pen. Your group representative should have a table
with CDs and merchandise to sell as well. Your retail ready CDs should be
priced to sell. For instance, your CD should sell a few dollars less than a
national recording artist. Therefore, if a Jay-Z or Jill Scott CD sold for
$13.99 you may want to sell your music for $9.99. If you did not use any
of your money to press your retail ready CDs you can sell your music for
much less and still make a profit. Yes, you can press 1,000 retail ready
CDs without using your own money, but that jewel is reserved for attendees
of my dynamic workshop How to Market & Promote 1,000 Retail Ready
CDs Without Using Your Own Money. For dates and locations of future
seminars visit www.mt101.com or call 800-963-0949.
JaWar, Chief Visionary Officer of Music Therapy 101 (MT 101) since 1998,
has given informative seminars in and around the Atlanta area. He created
the workshop to identify and share vital information in a step-by-step
process necessary for success and ultimate longevity in the music biz with
aspiring artists and those willing to be involved in the music industry.
When your event demands practical, relevant, and useful information froman enthusiastic speaker who has legitimately been there by releasing
two independent CDs of his own, consider JaWar, Chief Visionary Officer
of Music Therapy 101 and Kemetic Records. He may be contacted at either
800-963-0949 or [email protected]. Written by JaWar
Music Industry Conference Calls comingsoon. For updates join the email list at
www.mt101.com
Network with A&R and Record Executives from Bad Boy Records,
Epic Records, Elektra Records, Jive Records, UniversalRecords, Capitol Records, Interscope Records, VirginRecords, J Records and Def Jam Records etc. on November 1,2003 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the 2BAW MUSIC SEMINAR.
Matthew Knowles, manager of the Grammy award winning group,Destiny's Child and father of one member, Beyonce Knowles will re-ceive the 2BAW Entertainment Music Seminar Lifetime Achievement
Award this year.
For location, time and registration details call the Seminar Hotline at310-226-8441 or go to www.2bawentertainment.com. Tickets sell outfast! Act Now!
Spineless Cowards ...Continued from page 1
With all the great music available do you think that radio programmersand music directors are spineless cowards for not implementing a morediverse playlist? Music fans and industry professionals you are encour-aged to share your thoughts by sending an email [email protected]. To ensure that you receive the full article ad-dressing if radio programmers and music directors are spineless cow-ards, music industry opportunities and updates on the Music Therapy
101 Seminars join the email list at www.mt101.com.ADVERTISE HERE CALL 800-963-0949