|
I recently read
an online posting 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 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.
I once 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 ... and
profited as a result.
The bottom line is: Accept
the fact that people are human and use their tendancies of laziness and
greed to your advantage. Take control of the circumstances, don't be
controlled by them.
FREE
Reprint Rights - You may publish this article in your
e-zine or on your Web site as long as you include the following author
bio/blurb at the end of the article:
Bob Baker is the author of
"The Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" and "Branding
Yourself Online: How to Use the Internet to Become a Celebrity or Expert
in Your Field." Get FREE music marketing ideas by e-mail when you
sign up for Bob's weekly newsletter, "The Buzz Factor." Just
visit www.bob-baker.com for details.
|
