On being who you are...

"Stage presence" doesn't mean be someone else for 60 minutes....

Or does it?

If you are a touring musician, you will find no shortage of advice for how to perform. Out there on the road, there are people who will try to tell you how to be. Fans, presenters, your mom…

Some of the advice you receive you should listen to as openly as you can muster, and some you should hear but politely disregard. Sometimes, they’ll tell their priceless advice to your road manager or agent or manager, and that person will hopefully practice good judgment to determine if the information will be vital/helpful, or a distraction from what really matters in getting you on your way.

If you're out there toughing it on your own, try to be open to what people have to say - but also remember that criticism is subjective. While everyone’s a critic, only you will be able to ascertain when criticism should be considered and acted upon. When something is worth internalizing as something to grow on, and when it is coming of that person's own issues and concerns and may not be universal.

Remember the audience.

I tend to find one of the best guides to hold criticism up to is Joe The Audience member. (Joe The Plumber joke intended) But seriously, take what a person said to you and try to imagine three other audience members saying it to you or to one of their friends. If the advice still sounds realistic coming out of their mouths, in your imagination, then it is probably worth thinking about more. If the advice is so subjective that you can’t imagine it coming from another audience member in that or any other room, then take it with a grain of salt and stay your course.

Self-awareness, experience and confidence are a huge part of your development path...

As a performer, and as a person, you live somewhere on a Kinsey-like scale of your own confidence level in what you do on stage, not to mention your confidence level in who you are – on and off the stage. Over time, as you grow, the way you feel about this will change. It’s different for everybody, but above all, don’t feel like you have to have a fixed opinion and stick with it. Your relationship with yourself as a performer WILL inevitably change the more you learn.

Chances are, right now, you can either handle talking about your “show” directly, or to you thinking and talking about how you behave on stage intimidates you. You might feel it undermines "the magic" for you and discussing it only makes it harder for you to navigate. Because of your character, or because of where you happen to be in your own development of self-awareness as a performer and a person, just have patience with yourself.

All of these things take time, openness and practice.

It doesn’t matter what type of person you are, or where you are in this development process. But it does matter that you recognize and accept the way you are – at any given point in time. Where you are in development may greatly change the type of people you should look to work with, what communication styles will work best with you, and what you expect and what you need from them in way of support. How direct or nuanced they should be when they communicate with you about these topics. Whether they should push you or let you be.

Who are you on stage?

Or the real question first is… Who are you?

There’s an ongoing debate I’ve had with various musicians I have worked with over the years. And there may or may not be a right answer - but it is a fruitful debate and one you should consider for yourself. It is the debate over whether or not the person on the stage and at the merch table at shows is the same person who gets into bed at night back at home.

Is the person who performs and peddles the music the same person who lives the daily life of the musician? And if those people are separate, then who writes the music?

Some musicians claim they protect themselves a little when they perform, by placing an intangible layer of distance between the character they play at shows and the unedited person they are at home. They do develop a character that is based on who they really are – they just play up the elements of their personality they figure the fans most admire, the elements that make them feel best able to perform, and they keep some of the other, more vulnerable, complex, or even objectionable parts of who they are for home and personal use only. For people inclined to work this way, having that differentiation helps them plan and play their shows, helps them know how to "be" in interviews, helps them know what personality to channel and portray when fatigue and road wear make them really just want to be on a couch watching TV somewhere. Musicians in this school of thought claim doing it this way not only creates a buffer so they feel like they still have retained part of themselves that is private, but they also say it helps them maintain the energy level that is required for a life on the road.

Now on the other hand...

Other musicians find the creation of a “stage persona” to be exhausting – like keeping up a series of fibs and not being sure how to remember all the things they’ve said in order to keep up a lie. They prefer to be entirely themselves on stage – and contend that their fans really want that person anyway. Otherwise, why would they come out to shows? This approach to celebrity is certainly in part in response to the 24 hour news cycle and the way social media and other forms of instantly updates sources have created a new era in fandom - the papparazzi-like masses. In a world with instant media, it can be hard to keep up any sort of persona. And so, artists in this camp tend to believe the best thing they can do is be their authentic selves - and hope that is good enough to be adored. That in any flaws or misunderstood moments will be an element of truth that the fans will trust in a way that they can't trust the constant performer.

On face value, if asked, most people would say truth is best. It is considered better to be honest than to lie. It is considered better to be the real thing than to be a fake.

Right?

We all want to think that who we really are is good enough for people to love. And in our private space, that is absolutely true. But what about when we turn our personality out to the public?

Welcome to the mixed message that is consumer response!

I once heard an agent say:
“The audience wants you to be real, but not TOO real.”

What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?

When you’re just being you, trying to do your thing, how do you know if you’re being real or too real? People don’t work that way… A musician can’t be constantly analyzing how they are being. Then nothing will be real. And everyone will get all caught up inside their heads, unable to create, perform or drive to the next gig.

A manager once pulled me aside at SXSW and asked my opinion of his artist’s showcase performance, “Do you think she’s being too cutesy? Like, not grown up enough?”

He seemed almost scared – as if cute was the kiss of death. Tho I’m not sure if he was scared she was not grown up or scared she was pretending to not be grown up or scared people wouldn’t like cute. I tried not to BARF at the sexist inclination of his observation and focus on the question he was asking for my comment on. To me, it just seemed like she was behaving as the creative, theatrical performer she is – which in my opinion is what is so special about her – to fans and industry folks alike. I told him so, but have no idea what he did or didn’t say to the artist. Ugh... What did he say to the artist? (Yet another future entry topic – how business people navigate communication with creative people.)

Every artist navigates the extent their public persona matches their “at home” persona in their own time, in their own way.

You will find your balance point of accessibility with the audience while still enjoying some level of personal comfort zone. If you are an indeed an artist who thrives in live performance, and keeps your show fresh and new for the audience over time, you will likely revisit your boundaries on this front many times over the years in different cities and environments.

Wall Street versus Art Street

One of the most challenging things about a life in music is the inevitable and perpetual need to navigate the delicate balance between business and personal. Between music being your job and music being your love. The need to pay the rent versus the need to do what you love and believe in. The desire to have long term financial and life plans versus the ongoing challenges of paying for gas, paying the band, feeding the band, airplane tickets, the fee for a one way drop rental car, and that unexpected speeding ticket just trying to get home from the gig.

All of the noise and clutter the daily debate creates can make it hard to see the tree for the forest. And when you finally get a moment with your friends, who love you, all you want to do is be safe from all the decisions and worry. But then you are faced with the question of whether and how to tour with them. Because as much as you try to avoid it, inevitably y’all get to talking shop…

Music is a life that breeds collaboration, in fact, screams for it and needs it. People in a room making sounds that move us, inspire us. cheer us, worry us, and ultimately bring us together. In your fellow musicians and songwriters you find inspiration, and you inspire. All of the greatest periods of creativity in human history were also times, coincidentally or not, when the greatest artisans of the time collaborated and competed in ways that compelled them even further in their craft.

Communities of songwriters thrive in cities from Seattle to Atlanta, Austin to Boston – and that’s just the USA. Here in Massachusetts, we have a wealth of songwriters who know and admire one another, and often work together here or on the road. Some come here chasing the heritage of Cambridge, because of the world-changing folksongs that were bred here. They tirelessly labor after a new sound, a new Cambridge – retaining the truth and courage they find in being in the town where Joan Baez and Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and others collaborated. Some are after the community that has been nurtured here. Because you really can go into a handful of small joints in Cambridge on any given weeknight and find some of the nation’s best players, songwriters and collaborators playing together. It’s like a Harlem renaissance of honest music. I’m pretty sure it’s what people think they will find if they go visit Nashville, but little do they know they would find it if they just wandered the streets of Porter or Harvard or Inman Squares on the average Thursday night.

So, with all this community comes Collaboration.

And of course it’s fun cousin Competition.

As you grow and build, you may silently feel disappointed in yourself to find that you start to think… Your friends are competitors. And your competitors are friends. And you hate that – about the business of making music, and the fact that you even think about it. But it’s true nevertheless.

As you realize this, you determine you are part of a finite ecosystem. And the choices you make about where you tour, who you tour with, how you promote, who you align with – all seem to impact your path and plight in the ecosystem. And you then begin to navigate for yourself the things you value most, and the balance you keep between driving your music career forward and remaining true to your community of fellow artisans – who are all also making their own choices of priority.

So when the beast of business rears its head in the middle of your song circle, what should you do?

Should you feel guilty and ashamed when someone you personally love and admire asks you to play shows with them and you don’t know what to say? Should you pray at the altar of Woody Guthrie and the gods of hootenannies that you won’t be punished for immediately thinking about the fact that your friend is unlikely to sell tickets?

We like to pin business on the big labels, the old ways, and the bad guys. We assign business the archetypes of evil things – money, greed, ambition, maneuvering, distrust. And we assign craft the archetypes of good – virtue, honesty, purity, meaning, worth, sacrifice, giving. It may seem a clear black-and-white ethical debate, but real life is so much grayer.

Well let’s see, what do you do?

You can get a manager, agent or other business partner, and assign them the task of being “the heavy.” They look out for your best interests and by nature of their job description. They keep you on a business path while you keep you fight for artistic integrity. Ahh the lovely friction.

You can piss off all your friends, tell them they aren’t as cool as you, and travel thousands of miles with strangers for five years, only to find out that your friends are the people who are still in the business ten years later and you really wish you’d done more with them when you started out in the first place.

Or, you can take these things as they come to you. Make these decisions and navigate on a case by case basis. Stumble sometimes, apologize sometimes, and be relieved you did. You just gotta find your own way to be honest with your friends about your goals, and honest with yourself about what you may need to do (or not do as the case may be) in order to achieve them.

The best thing you can do for yourself is get a plan. If you have a plan, then making decisions like these becomes a lot easier. Even if the plan changes. And changes often. Get a plan.

Oh, that means I’m gonna have to write an entry about how to get a plan, doesn’t it? Hmm… Okay…

Gig swap rules of the road

Don’t just swap. Swap smart.

THE DOs and DON’Ts of GIG SWAPPING…

1. Don’t swap with someone whose music you don’t like. It’s not a very nice thing to do to your audience.
   
2. Don’t swap gigs with people who have the same fans you do. As in IDENTICALLY the same people who came to their gig last night came to your gig last week. Or even 50% crossover fans. It defeats the purpose. Mix it up a bit. Swap with people who are kindred but not the same.
   
3. Swap gigs with people who are strong in markets you actively WANT to pursue (as in, don’t just go there because it’s a gig and you didn’t have to book it yourself). Think carefully about what markets/venues you want to build in 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years. And be realistic about what you think you can achieve, so you select the right gigs to get there.
   
4. If someone offers you their hometown, try to give them your hometown or a market where you can draw what is the equivalent of what they are offering you – it’s only fair. Especially if their hometown is difficult to gain audience in.
   
5. If you take a gig with someone now with the promise of a future gig with you later down the road, don’t forget and let the gig never happen. That’s rude. Even if it never seems to work out, at least follow up for a while to make sure you’ve tried to make good on the deal. People don’t like jerks.
   
6. Seriously, I meant what I said in rule #1. I don’t care how polite you are, how much you like the artist personally, or how desperately you need a gig in that market. Don’t do it. Afterall, chances are their fans won’t be people you’re gonna want to return to in 6 months anyway. And you’ll be kicking yourself when you drive 5 hours to get to the gig and play miserably because your ears hurt.

I’m sure there are others, and I will add as they come to me…

What is a manager?

The business school answer:
It depends.

The Monkey's answer:
It's not what everyone makes it out to be, but that's not such a bad thing...

I read it in a book somewhere...
Donald Passman does a decent job describing the official textbook role in his music biz book called "All You Need To Know About The Music Business." He suggests a young musician look for someone who's connected as a Business Manager and someone who's organized as a Personal Manager. He threw in something about trustworthy, won't steal from you, and ruthless negotiator for good measure. But even so, the whole thing still confuses the hell out of me, especially with how quickly the business of music has been turned upside down...

I mean, what does it mean to be connected in this day and age anyway?

It's not what everyone makes it out to be, but that's not such a bad thing...
The music manager of the future is not the proverbial rainmaker, as "Hit Men" manager lore and music industry magazines will have you think. It's not a buncha back slapping, hand shaking, and napkin back deal making anymore. Not that I've seen, anyway. The managers of tomorrow are professional, tech-savvy, entrepreneurial marketers. They generally know more about music and creativity than they let on. And they network of people they bring to the table is very different from managers of days gone by. They people they need to know are often unexpected.

There used to be unsurmountable barriers between indie musicians and mass marketing channels. And managers were in place to help scale those barriers.

It used to be an artist had to...
- sign their soul away to a deep-pocketed label,
- wheel and deal with a clunky distributor,
- nose their way onto a big booking agency roster,
- insert a catheter for a payola-pushing radio promoter,
- beg and plead for a percentage of sync from their vaguely (i mean vastly) networked publisher,
- play anywhere for anything just to get people to hear the music.

The artist rarely had a say about expenses, but was expected to recoup nevertheless. Reports were generated monthly (sometimes) by the label, distributor or manager. Figures sprayed across dot stipple-printed spreadsheets as if they actually came from real data sources, and yet somehow nobody ever audited the labels or distributors. Only the artists were audited. Cassette tapes grew on trees, but no matter how many albums sold somehow most were still returned to the distributor and/or destroyed.

Return? Destroy?

Young managers and artists think that is some kind of joke. Like, "I used to walk 5 miles to school uphill in the snow..." Really, it happened. Return. Destroy.

What about the future? No more returns. No more stocking fees. No more shelf position. No more wasted inventory. Essentially, no more mass market blanketed PUSH.

"Push" marketing is much easier than "pull" marketing because it's just basically throwing money and reach/frequency at artist development. New forms of pull marketing - digital and social media, and other of the most measurable forms of direct marketing - they all can get complicated. And that is why managers of the future must be marketers.

I find myself with every new client that comes to Market Monkeys pausing to ask, "What's my job again?" The answer always comes back in some form of why I got into this business in the first place...

My job is to get songs into the ears and artists into the lives of people who will love them. Every listener and every listen matters.

In order to understand what a new music industry manager does, it is important to understand what's changed so much to make new managers necessary. See the new manager in his/her natural habitat, if you will.

Okay, here's the part where I pontificate on the future of music. So if you're sick of that stuff, I highly recommend skipping to the manager's list of survival skills below...

The future of music is a smorgasbord of all things good and evil in the history of our great(ly troubled) industry. Mainstream music's Managers, Agents, Labels and Publishers will continue opportunistic ventures that stifle a great majority of our nation's talent, and elevate a small minority of artists/albums in initiatives that stimulate the top (but not the bottom) line. It is important to understand the economics of these ventures.

The music industry has historically been about cash flow, short-term gains, and revenue (top line)... NOT net income/profit (bottom line). The Internet boom in America did more than just rapidly develop a new technology to facilitate digital music distribution. New technology is created every day.

The dotcom boom of the late nineties did much more than just invent digital downloads for musicians, though most people don't recognize it. The Internet boom rattled personal, public, corporate, and governmental awareness of the importance of bottom line financial results in business. Somehow we had gotten fat and happy for a spell there, and we were dazzled by the big figures at the top of our Income Statements. It created a shiny diversion, keeping us distracted from the part of business that has something to do with profit. The dotcom boom and bust taught venture capitalists a lot about qualified investments and dissemination of capital risk. The growing national deficit is fixing to teach us this lesson even more so in the next 3-5 years, so pay attention to this. It affects you!

Why is this important?
Because the time has come for the music industry to learn these lessons, too! And what better time than when it's terribly hip in the business and financial world to do so? Record label execs are nothing if not fashionably dressed, party-going and gift-receiving venture capitalists. They have to start thinking, investing, and behaving like it. You can be sure as the likelihood of an American football stadium name changing in 1998 that the VCs are watching SG&A (Sales General and Administrative expenses) nowadays. Labels should, too. As should artists.

(What did she just say? Artists should look at SG&A?)

Musicians are the CEOs of their entrepreneurial ventures. Some are small, sustainable ventures. Some are large, risky, and ambitious. Some are combinations of these and other elements. Music careers are like snowflakes. Whatever the goals and scope of a musician's business venture, the path is difficult and MUST have a determined and committed artist CEO at the helm.

Musicians are no longer hired by the labels. They are hiring the labels - letting the labels in on the deal, and partnering with labels to assemble the best possible team to promote their music and their brands. Musicians hold the assets, and if they can manage to leverage themselves enough to take on the bulk of the risk, they will reap the bulk of reward. But to do this, it must be a conscious decision to take on risk. And don't forget that the words "manage to leverage themselves" includes the word "manage" - while it's more lucrative than the old way, it takes a lot of work. And for some musicians, this means learning skills they never knew they would need, just to keep owning their songs.

The musician must assemble a team that supports his/her business goals. He/she must have a mission, brand, product, packaging, pricing strategy, event planning, promotion, distribution, marketing, and if possible they must advertise. The team members a musician hires to help their venture soar must be chosen carefully for their relevant intellectual property, experience, relationships, goodwill, and most importantly for their strategic plans and ability to execute.

You heard me right. Musicians are CEOs.

So, just as labels will no longer hire musicians, managers will no longer push musicians and other industry players around. Really. Managers shouldn't even try. It's embarrassing...

The music manager can't get by just being good at wearing black, hanging out with lawyers, A/R people, DJs, and promoters, and throwing weight around anymore. They can't make a business pulling the wool over people's eyes with promises of grandeur followed by an intimate walk down an unlit back alley. Managers can't strongarm, snub, sweettalk, or charm their way to success. They can no longer make a living out of writing contracts that artists sign out of need for the cap feather manager. The artists write the contracts now. And the manager signs. (Well, maybe it's not that severe. But certainly, the artist and manager define the relationship together and at the end of the day it is in the manager's best interest to manage the artists' expectations along the way.)

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying Managers are obsolete or no longer helpful. I am just saying Managers are being held to new standards of performance. Managers, Labels and Musicians still have places in one another's lives - but as equal business partners with shared goals... Make and evangelize great music.

New managers have to be superheros in strength, stamina, passion, confidence, intuition, and intellect. In short, the modern day manager's gotta hussle.

Here are just the first twenty survival skills of new music managers that come to mind...

1. Representing the artist with pride, professionalism, and integrity at all times.
2. Understanding what the artist is trying to achieve, and sharing the same goals.
3. Being open about what they are personally/professionally trying to achieve - I mean, it's only fair, and a manager's interests can impact the recommendations they make to musicians
4. Boiling down brand strategy and messaging, so it's easy for everyone on the team to know what to say about the artist, the album, the tour, the article, the interview, the what-have-you...
5. Understanding the artist's target market and fanbase - both in demographics and in common personality traits/behavioral characteristics.
6. Project management and interpersonal skills to mobilize a full team of people (both hired and volunteer) with diverse expertise to execute a fully integrated marketing program - usually on a small budget, with severe time limits, and with people who are not accustomed to being "briefed" or "managed"
7. Over-communicating, over-planning, over-analyzing, and over-reporting (meaing doing it a lot, not to be confused with over-stating)
8. Utilizing ALL forms of communication, having a sense of, sensitivity to, and respect for the forms different people in the business prefer to utilize (i.e. Snail Mail, Phone, Fax, Email, Blackberry, iPhone, IM, Text Messaging, Facebook, etc.)
9. Constantly innovating - always being willing to try new tactics, trespass unchartered territories with confidence and patience, and encouraging the CEO to do the same.
10. Dynamically weighing the pros, cons, and priority level of every new initiative and adjusting strategy to remain current.
11. Not only prioritizing what projects are most important, but also constantly auditing the best use of his/her own time to be sure every effort has anticipated return (in fanbase growth, fan lifetime value, or relationship-building, if not in short term gains)
12. Valuing past learning. Just because the industry has changed does NOT mean that all learning from the "old guard" is obsolete. I can't imagine anything further from the truth. Afterall, the first vinyl record sales happened similar to the way Hear Music has sold CDs in recent years... Through unique in-store product placement and creative distribution tactics.
13. Honestly accepting responsibility for mistakes and/or failures - and actively seeking to learn from these events. Sometimes accepting responsibility for the artists' mistakes and/or failures - but only when it has been clearly and mutually decided that the manager will do so.
14. Reading people. Understanding their interests/intentions. Knowing when it's the right time to fight a battle, and how is the most advantageous way of approaching such a situation.
15. Ability to talk to the artist about anything, bring up subjects others are afraid to approach, and do so with tact and the interest of the music/artist in mind (just as a chief operating officer would with their CEO).
16. Respecting the expertise of other team members, especially hired experts. (Basically, the manager shouldn't BS when there's someone in the room who actually knows what the heck they're talking about.)
17. Listening, leading, learning, deligating, motivating, executing, and continuously planning.
18. Running the artist's web site like a B2C retail ecommerce sales engine - with prioritized profit channels, sales goals, acquisition cost targets, customer lifetime value knowlege, regular analytics reporting, and ongoing optimization to enhance user experience and conversion rate.
19. Insisting on measuring anything and everything measurable all the time everywhere, and unabashedly throwing tantrums whenever a musician balks at record-keeping tasks.
20. ... And when necessary, recognizing the human need to stop pushing for a moment, leading the team in a collective deep breath, and reminding the artist why they took this all on in the first place.

Happy Managing,
mc

P.S. An afterthought posted a couple days after the initial publication of this blog entry... I realize that I have usually provided outside reading suggestions in my previous entries. There's plenty of more reading on the subject of managers, past, present and future. Recently, a column written by Janis Ian for Performing Songwriter was brought to my attention - it's called "Managers and Messengers" and it's on her web site (www.janisian.com). While the column appears to be 10 years old, it's still relevant. It is a great study in mutual gains negotiations/relationships between musicians and managers. There are always things to take and leave, as with any article. Let's hope this trend continues, for the good of us all and the music!

Ringtones. No, I'm not kidding. Ringtones.

Major labels are not ALWAYS idiotic, you know...

I've noticed in the last few years that people seem to think marketing/sales channels are either for major labels or for indies. Like, if the majors do it, then it's not cool for indies to do it. And if the indies do it, then it's small time.

I will agree that the majors tend to try to make revenue streams out of things that should be free. And that there are many folks who have worked in the major label structure for so long that their judgment about what is promotion and what is commerce is quite clouded. But just because majors choose to charge for things doesn't mean that indies should completely disregard them and exclude them from the marketing suite.

Ringtones are a great example. Yes of course Hip Hop and Country music from major labels have dominated the ringtones offered by AT&T and Verizon. Yes of course indie companies like GroupieTunes have made it possible for independent musicians to distribute their music via ringtones. Yes Apple iTunes has made it possible to buy ringtones on their site and push them to your iPhone. But WHY DO THAT? I mean, why not just edit your MP3 yourself and make a ringtone if you want wan from the band you love that bad?

People - make your ringtones free. And while you're at it, don't freaking put your whole song or even your voice in your ringtones. How vain! Think about the sounds on your album - the elements that would be cool if someone's phone was ringing in your house. Was there lapsteel or slide guitar? A drum roll that was catchy? Piano solo?

Think about why people might want to use your ringtone - what it says about THEM not you.

People set ringtones as an expression of their identity to the immediate world around them. This is vital to understand when you go about making and offering ringtones. And also vital to understand why ringtones are actually perfect for indies, not as perfect for major labels.

People change their ringtones because they want to express something different about themselves and their preferences. I love Folk music. So when I change my ringtone to be part of a song by John Gorka, I'm not just trying to say I love John Gorka's music. I want people to know that the vibe he creates in his music is one I feel inside. I am trying to express that the way I feel is acoustic in nature, and it kinda feels like a warm sunny room with the windows open and a slight breeze, a thoughful and approachable and articulate kinda feeling - it feels human. Or when I change my ringtone to be Bonnie Raitt's slide guitar, I'm not doing that because I'm such a huge fan of Bonnie Raitt. I'm doing that because I want people to know that I feel that lazy, twangy, bluesy thing - it's part of me. And especially, that's how I feel that day, or that week, or that month, and that's how my ringtone sounds.

If the big labels/artists only knew...

• On some days, I feel electric and eager, rowdy like I want to party. And on those days I might change my ringtone to be Dave Matthews Band or Wilco or Ani Difranco.
• On other days, I feel tormented, dark and intense. And on those days I might change my ringtone to be Tori Amos or Dolores O'Riorden or Evanescence or Lucinda Williams.
• On other days, I feel lazy, slow and dazed. And on those days I might change my ringtone to be Norah Jones or Lyle Lovett or Feist.
• On some days, I feel retro. I mean I don't know, either I'm reminescing about a time when I was alive or I'm thinking about where the music I love derrived from. And on those days I might change my ringtone to be Woody Guthrie or Johnny Cash or Paul Simon or Carole King.

But the point is, they don't know. Or they do know but haven't caught on.

So that means YOU can know. You can be the artist who gets ringtones and why people use them. You can be the artist who creates ringtones people actually like and are not annoyed by. Really. You can.

When you make a ringtone, think about who you are to your fans, what about their own personalities you might represent. Is it your connection to the environment and the earth? Is it your kickass instrumental skills? Is it your dark and creepy voice? Is it your dry wit and humor? Is it your rock out vibe?

Take that thing and make that your ringtone. Even if it's not music.

• Make it available on your web site for free.
• Host it on a page/location that is easy to type into a mobile browser, and easy to remember so people can tell others verbally and IM and email around easily.
• Make the file size small so people can download it right from their phone if they need to. (some phones have max filesizes for downloads)

By all means, continue to let iTunes sell your ringtones. If people want to pay, they will. No need to stop them. But remember, when a fan uses your music as an expression of who they are - you should take that as a compliment not a an act of commerce. And you should encourage that behavior, because ringtones are conversation starters. And conversations about you are helpful to your cause. And most of all, if they compliment you by using your music as their ringtone... welll... It means you're doing your job well!

Is saying your name on stage like advertising?

Incorporating big company advertising procedures into how we promote independent art...

The other day, I was reading a listserv used by a bunch of folk music people like me. The debate of the day (among other topics) was should a musician say their name 15 times on stage because that's what advertisers do to get people to remember them. (Okay, the real debate was about whether or not performance coaches are helpful, but I don't really feel qualified to blog about that and my personal opinion ain't worth much to you either, so I'm going to latch onto the part about advertising and self-promotion here...)

Here are a few snippits from the healthy debate so you get an idea of the diverse perspectives on the topic, as well as my thoughts on the issue to follow:

Question: Should a musician say their name 15 times on stage?

DEBRA (performer's coach):
Think of the hyperbole as telling someone to do something 10 times, maybe they'll do it once. I can't tell you how many times I've seen openers who never say their names -- not once. Maybe the announcer says it at the beginning -- just as often, not. There are ways to do this, where it's not obnoxious. And I think that for most performers, the issue is a complete lack of self-promotion because of stark terror that they might be perceived as self-promoting. In the advertising world, it is an accepted fact -- 15 times -- that's the magic number. Someone has to see/hear something 15 times on average before it sinks in and becomes real in their minds. 15 times.

MIKE (audience member):
I find that an excess of self promotion from the stage to be very distasteful as an audience member. I find it a big turnoff when a performer prefaces every song with "And here's another song from my CD..." or the like. It's OK to plug it, but not to excess. If you're worth remembering, I'll remember you. [...] Yep. After I hear the name 15 times, I REALLY know whom to avoid. Again, a personal perspective, but holding up the advertising world as a model to follow is absolutely the wrong tactic to take with me. There are brands that I'd sooner be in a dragon's colon than buy because of their obnoxious ads.

ANNIE (musician):
i have to admit this is one of the most difficult things for me. i just find it awkward. i don't know why. guilt? catholic school? i know i just wish i could just give them away to people as gifts & watch them smile. that's the truth. i'm told time after time that i don't tell my audiences enough that i have cd's for sale. i know many other artists struggle with this as well. i'm told "annie, aren't you proud of your music? don't you stand behind it? aren't there people & reviewers who tell you they love it too?... then just tell your audiences you're proud & excited to have cd available... or at least just tell them you HAVE cd's!"

MATT (audience member & house concert presenter):
I find such conduct from a performer a real turn-off. It's important to say your name, of course. But if the music is good and speaks to me, I'll make it a point to find out who the performer is. If the music doesn't make an impression, then saying one's name or mentioning one's CD over and over won't change that -- it just annoys, and may leave the impression that the performer doesn't have much faith in value of their music.

SCOTT (show promotor/presenter):
If the presenter/MC is doing his or her job, the performer won't be put in the awkward spot of pushing her name and her product. I make sure to reinforce the opener's name while the applause is still ringing ("Remember that name......I'll bet you'll be hearing it again") and to say something like "And for your convenience, he's put his name on every one of the CDs he has for sale in the lobby."

VIC (audience member):
Perform good songs with energy, skill and conviction and entertain your audience. If you do that you have already done all the on-stage self promotion you need.

What Market Monkeys Had to Say...

Well, I gotta bite on this one. Anybody who knows me would know that I can't let the advertising discussion go by without saying something. And I hope I don't come off as the devil here...

(Note - I've found that generally artists don't trust advertisers so I had to lead off this way. Who can blame 'em? For decades advertisers have exploited creative talent for their own purposes, and they flood the market with useless chatter about products we don't want. But it's important to learn something from society's failures. It's important to learn from advertising, and harness certain parts of the profession to further independent music and the arts. Otherwise we would have all endured the neverending heavy-up of 30 second spots and teaser/reveals for no reason at all.)

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
There are good things and bad things to learn from the world of advertising. I'm a lifelong student of advertising, and I'm not ashamed. It's how I built my career, and it informs the way I help the musicians I manage and promote navigate the tough decisions they make in development of their careers. But I tend to rely more on the tertiary things I learned from my career in advertising and online marketing. Because those are the things that actually work.

It's true that in advertising you build awareness by putting as many impressions as you can afford into a given space, targeted at a certain market segment. Likelihood of brand recall and intent to purchase increase the more you saturate the market with your impressions. Sure, I know this. When Lori McKenna does it I'm happy for her - when Walmart does it I cringe. But either way, it's true.

Advertising Combines Reach, Frequency & Integrated Channels
Thing is -- it's not just about the frequency with which you say your name when you're performing that's going to make an audience remember you. In advertising principle, it's a combination of "reach" and "frequency" that matters. Also, advertisers are beginning to recognize that it is an integrated approach that not only builds true customer loyalty, but also satisfaction and evangelization. It's not how many times you hear a name in one mode - it's how many times combined with the different modes and the quality of channels in which you hear it.

How does this translate in music?

We're actually all culprits of this type of marketing. How many times have you heard a new artists' name, and then a buddy of yours at another venue, or another radio station, or another manager mentions that same person to you? Then you go back to the CD they sent you 2 months ago to hear what everyone's talking about. It's not just about repitition - it's about multiple modes and channels of impressions, and the credibility you assign the "brand advocates" - in this case, your colleagues.

Scott has a good point - when the promoter announces the artist it's a third party endorsement. It goes a long way, and the artist can choose whether or not to say it again. But it really does help when it's not just the artist saying the name - it's also someone else saying their name.

Sometimes when you are playing a gig, it becomes uncomfortably obvious that the presenter doesn't know, or isn't around, but it is clear that nobody is intending on introducing you to the stage.

What do you do?

Say Your Name Like You Mean It
A good study in this is Johnny Cash's signature move -- comes on stage and says who he is. "Hello. I'm Johnny Cash." Now that's something. Because everyone knows who he is, and it's a moment that takes the crowd by surprise. In some way, he also says, "Sure I'm just an everyday guy."

I generally say, if an artist is opening -- say your name at the beginning and the end of your set (especially if the presenter doesn't help you out). The headliner might say your name too, and that's gravy. If you're a headliner, well, you know... People already paid to come see you, so I hope they know your name. You can say it if you like. Some folks might have just wandered in off the street. The tickets at the venue might not have your name on em yet. Be like Johnny Cash tho. Say it in an impactful way, at an impactful moment. Maybe you say it after the song you think is the strongest in your set. Work it in naturally when you introduce your band. You'll know the right way to do it. It will be authentic.

The moral of this blog:
Advertising is as much about integrating efforts as it is about reach and frequency of impressions.

You probably don't have to say your name 15 times. Rather, try saying it 15 ways...

1 - once on the press release you sent to local writers 5 weeks in advance of the show,
2 - once on the posters you hung around town to promote the show,
3 - once in the newspaper, radio, and other local calendar listings,
4 - once in your email newsletter that went out at least 2 weeks in advance,
5 - once on the club's web site calendar,
6 - once on the club's print calendar at the venue,
7 - once on the poster in the bathroom that you sent to the club the month prior,
8 - once on a local or online radio show the week leading up to the show,
9 - once on the top of your email list at the merch table,
10 - once on your CD cover art (also on the merch table),
11 - once on the postcards you have for non-buyers to take,
12 - once by the person selling your merch (maybe that's you!)
13 - once by the show presenter,
14 - once by the headliner,
15 - once at the beginning or end of your set.

Okay - there are my 15 cents. Whether or not you asked for it... :)

Happy Advertising,
Michelle

Search Engine Marketing 101 for Musicians

10 Cents on Search

Search Marketing is one of the most exciting new forms consumer advertisers are using to reach potential customers – mainly because it’s cost efficient, highly measurable, and it reaches nearly the entire population of Internet users. Do you Yahoo?

So, there are two main companies that currently drive the majority of search listings on the Internet – Google and Yahoo! Search (formerly Overture). AOL is also an important provider, mainly because of its installed base of users through their ISP and IM services. Google syndicates its search results to AOL, so it means if you're on Google then you're on AOL, too. Yahoo used to syndicate to MSN, but MSN is expected to come out with a Paid Search offering in September 2005, which may make them a major player you should consider as well. There are many other smaller companies -- often referred to as "Second Tier Search Engines." Results can often be fed to these second tiers through the search networks managed by Google and Yahoo, or through network aggregators like the Search Advertising Network.

The list of players goes on and on. See, search is still a very new and budding technology. It is still being figured out. But if you're just getting started in this stuff, the two main players you have to worry about are Google and Yahoo...

What does this mean to you?

It means that there are prospective fans out there searching on terms like “new independent musician” every day, and you could put your name and album in front of them. For example on Google, "music" gets 21,000 clicks/day, "new music" gets 240 clicks/day, "buy CDs" gets 86 clicks/day, "buy music online" gets 80 clicks/day, "folk music" gets 67 clicks/day, and "independent music" gets 14 clicks/day. Now that doesn't mean you should necessarily go buy those terms, but it does give you an idea of how many people are searching on music-related terms.

It also means that you have an additional way to measure your market reach – so you can not only tell those Record Label A&R folks how many units you sold last year, but you can also tell him the % increase of searches online on your Brand Name. You can also learn a lot more about your fans by the terms they search to find you.

Okay, now that this all appears to be a little more relevant, I’m gonna get a little more technical…

Google and Yahoo! Search both have Paid and Natural components to their search results pages. That means some of the listings you see when you do a search are Sponsored (paid for), and some of the listings you see are Natural (found by engine spiders/webcrawlers, without payola). Understanding where the search listings come from, and how you can impact them is the first step toward determining what role Search Marketing will play in your overall business strategy.

Forms of Search Marketing & Industry Lingo

Currently, there are three types of Search Marketing recognized by folks who do it most. (People like me, I guess.) There's Site-Side Optimization (also called SEO), Paid Inclusion, and Paid Placement (also called PPC or Paid Search). There are some other advanced forms of search-related marketing beginning to appear - like contextual, behavioral, and psychographic profiling. But let's get started with the basic scales first -- then we can more onto barre chords...

SEO is when you look at the structure of your web site on its "back end" and how you have named your site, it's directories (folders), and pages (those files that usually end with .htm, .html, .asp, or .php depending on what type of server you are using and the functionality of your site). You go through your page header tags and create things called Meta-tag Keywords and Descriptions, as well as indexing commands, so search engines know what to do when they get to your site. Generally, SEO works to help you with your Natural Search performance - that's the stuff where the search engines send out spiders or crawlers to find contents relevant to certain keywords and/or subject matter. There's a lot you can do to help your performance - particularly if you have a lot of content or run a Blog through your site. If you’re the bloggy type, Blogspot is actually owned by Google, and as a result they are able to crawl the blogs quickly, with ease, and frequently.

PAID INCLUSION is kind of a way of cheating on Natural Search. Basically, through certain sites you can submit feeds of your site contents with tailored page descriptions so the engines are guaranteed to index you. Mind you, they do not guarantee high ranking. But basically, you pay them so you can send them whatever creative descriptions you want to - and in return they don't have to send their spider to crawl your site. Kinda fishy, eh? Yeah, they have to do less work, and you pay them. What's up with that? But, for some folks who have sites that pose problems for the search engines - like if the site's in frames or it has a significant number of dynamically generated pages (where page contents comes from a database and not a hard-coded HTML page), or if it is primarily in Flash - this is a good solution.

PAID PLACEMENT is not natural at all. You pay money to Google and Overture (Yahoo! and other syndicated search sites), and they put you up under the Sponsored Listings section of their engines. On Google, the price you pay per click is based on a combination of your Bid on a term and your Click Rate (CTR%). On Overture, it is based just on your Bid (what you are willing to pay for one click). Generally for you, I would recommend that you participate in PPC if you have eCommerce on your site and are directly selling something, but just to drive traffic it can become somewhat costly.

How to Impact Search Performance

Okay, so now to my thoughts on how search can be implemented to help a musician attain specific goals...

A Few Good Goals:
Find More Listeners
Drive Frequent Visits
Get Listed On Engines
Get PR Through Content

Find More Listeners:
When it comes to the Internet, the more you write, the more readers will be likely to find you. Really. Believe it or not, this is a space in which "If you build it, they will come," is actually true. However, it's not just because of karma. The more you write, the more contents you will have that is indexed by the natural search engines spiders. Just remember -- relevency is king. You can write until you're blue in the face, but if it isn't relevant then you'll come up on the wrong types of searches.

Once you think you've got the structure, meta tags and descriptions in pretty good shape, you can actively submit your pages to the engines for indexing – some engines allow you to do this for free, others have Paid Inclusion programs.

Then, the next step is to go and seek out sites and blogs with similar or kindred content - and then invite them to link to your site or blog. Part of natural search Page Rank performance is based on how many other sites link to yours, and to how many well-searched pages you link to. It's part of Google’s philosophy that relevant content should always rise to the top in their search engine results.

Drive Frequent Visits:
Newsletter newsletter newsletter. Capture reader's email addresses and send them the newest story - or a teaser message about it - whenever you put up a new posting. To do this, I use a tool from Topica - and can tell you more about why Topica is a good idea. Or if you want to read my POV and best practices about email newsletters, you can check out my recent blog on avoiding email SPAM filters – tips on email newsletter marketing for budding musicians.

Get Listed:
If you publish a web site, add meta-tags and descriptions in your web page header tags. If you publish a blog, add a description to the top of the page on your Blog in your Blogspot settings - be sure to include important and frequently searched keywords in that description. Take a look at other blogs you've found on search engines, and see how they use descriptions to match your searches. Second, ALWAYS name your domain names, page names, and/or blogs with headlines that include keywords people will use to search for your content. This is the fun part for a creative person such as yourself - to find something that is pithy and creative but also practical for a headline. So, you might want to review your previous posting headlines with your search hat on and determine where you might be able to include search terms.

Currently, your meta-tag keywords and descriptions are probably blank, or maybe you or your webmaster have thrown a few generic terms in there -- using the same ones on every page of your site. To take your natural search to the next level, you should start by creating a spreadsheet that has a line for every page of your site. In this spreadsheet you should make columns for Page Name, Page URL, Page Header Title, Page Meta Description, Page Meta Keywords, Page Index Type. Then, go to the next step of coming up with compelling titles, keywords and descriptions for each page. This way, your meta-tags differ by content, and people who search will actually be sent to relevant information.

A couple pages you should check out for more info:
- www.searchenginewatch.com
- www.google.com/adsense

Get PR Through Content:
Online PR has started to buzz. At search marketing conferences, booths about Search PR firms have started to pop up all over - and you can now purchase service through the PR Newswire and other similar tools to enhance your PR through search. I haven't researched this stuff nearly as much as I ought, but can dig up some best practices for you if this is something you'd like to work on for your site. Likely, this is the subject for a whole other blog -- so stay tuned.

Likely Online Search PR optimizations would include adding Press Releases about your blog to your blog or web site, given that many PR engines still prefer the standard Press Release format. So, when you are writing your press releases for shows, be sure to incorporate keyword terms and phrases people would search for in both consumer-oriented search engines, and also in press-oriented online PR database search engines.

Just The Beginning
Okay, the most important thing to remember in online marketing is that there is no expert. Online marketing is always changing. A form of online marketing like search enging marketing has been present since the engines launched, and has increased in its importance as engines have become more important to the way people navigate the web. People have tried to "beat the engines" time and time again -- but the engines change their algorithms, and in fact even their business models, all the time.

So, what that means is anyone can be an expert. No one and anyone. Because search marketing is primarily about relevance, you're doing okay if you just stay relevant. Simple enough. So above all other advice, don't try to trick or beat the engines. They are in place to help people find you. Just understand their rules, and work to achieve the highest results possible.

That's the general 101 on search marketing. In a separate installment, we will cover how copywriting and keyword selection alter search, newsletter, and other online marketing response rate -- specifically for music.

Happy Googling!

MM

The Email Newsletter Monster

SPAM filters can sink your battleship. Don't let 'em.

Okay, here's the deal. I've seen it countless times. Musicians sending out their newsletters by creating Groups in their Hotmail or Yahoo web-based email clients, and sending out to each of the groups separately. The thing they don't tell you is that while Hotmail will let you send to a number of people, your emails are likely to be filtered out (by folks like Hotmail) for doing so and never actually get to your recipient.

Here's my advice... Pay the monthly fee with a vendor like Topica, YesMail, DoubleClick DARTmail, or some other email marketing provider. It is not only worth it because of the convenience of publishing, but they also provide tools like the ability to segment your list by market/region/interest, the capability for list members to update their information and sub/unsub themselves, tracking of user sub/unsub, metrics for reporting performance of email campaigns. Not to mention they will keep you updated on an ongoing basis about something I'm about to explain - the CAN-SPAM Act.


CAN-SPAM and how it applies to the singer-songwriter.

Okay, first of all we're talking about an Act signed by George Bush in 2003, so you can just imagine how confusingly simple it is. The Act itself was intended to stop all those nasties sending penis enlargement email to sweet, young, impressionable children. But instead what it's done is keep legitimate people like you from emailing your list about your gigs. You should certainly consult your lawyer about CAN-SPAM if you have one, but if you don't, I'll give you a few pointers to keep your nose clean and keep your fans from becoming lifelong enemies.

The basic gist of CAN-SPAM is don't hide. Be completely open about who you are, how the people on your list got there, and what they have to do to be taken off the list. That may sound simple, but if you're not a real tech geek (like I admit to be) then you might hide without meaning to. Don't think too much about what I just wrote - I know - it would seem that you would know if you were hiding. But when it comes to cybespace, well, anything's possible in the virtual world.


Ten Tips for Better Email Newsletter Publishing:

1. ALWAYS send your emails from the same email address. No buts. Just do it.

2. Encourage your list members to add that email address to their "Safe List" (good idea to do this in the confirmation email they get from you that says they have been added). This way SPAM filters on the ESP side won't even think about you.

3. In your email program, set the From Name to be your name, or your newsletter's name, and always use that name in the From Name field. People like to get email from people they know. But they get nasty when they think you're someone they don't know. It's a good thing this doesn't apply at dinner parties when someone doesn't recognize you, otherwise you would never go to dinner parties.

4. Send your newsletters on a regular schedule if you can (like every 2nd Monday of the month). I know it's hard because sometimes your finger is hovering over the send button because you gotta get more people to buy tickets to your show next Friday. But people really appreciate it if your are respectful of their Inboxes. Plus, you gotta use the Cry Wolf Rule. If you ping them every couple weeks with something else, they're not going to pay attention when you really do have to send them an emergency email about a show cancellation or last minute appearance on Jay Leno.

5. If you're going to venture into HTML email, use a template so it's always the same for each issue. And, always do a TEXT version of the email too, because some people opt out of HTML to avoid downloading unwanted images and clogging up their server bandwidth.

6. Test test test. I know you're an artist, and you're an incredible writer, and everyone always congratulated you on what a great speller you are, but you MUST proofread your email. You MUST send your email to a short test list of people you trust before publication, at least until you get good at this thing. Then you can just send it to one or two people you trust.

7. You should register for email addresses at places like Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, Excite, and Lycos and put those addresses on your Test List so you can see if you get filtered out into the SPAM folders on those servers. (Nifty trick, eh? Even the pros do this just to see, so they don't embarrass themselves in front of their boss when she doesn't receive the company announcement at her home AOL account.)

8. Put all your contact info at the bottom of your email, including a mailing address. Now, I know this can get hard. Musicians tend to move around. So get yourself a PO box that never changes - it's pretty cheap to do, and saves you a lot of trouble. The MOST IMPORTANT thing about the CAN-SPAM ACT says you gotta put your snail mail address at the bottom of every email announcement. I know, get with the times, GW. But that's the law. For now, anyway. You should also put the opt-out or unsubscribe instructions in that area of the email.

9. Stay on top of Email Marketing research. Right now, studies have shown that emails sent on Mondays and Fridays are getting the best traction (opens, clicks, conversions, etc). Statistics have varied on this subject. Try to schedule your emails for distribution on days market research is showing to be best for your target market, too. If you want to read more, I've put some resources up on my web site at: www.marketmonkeys.com/library/email_marketing

10. Content is king. Keep it short and sweet, but don't be shy. People opted in to receive your email because they want to know more about you, your music, they want to buy your CDs, and they want to go see you play. Can you think of a more friendly audience with which to correspond? Include listings for your upcoming shows, so they don't have to go to your web site to see that you're playing down the street from them that night and wouldn't it be great to bring some folks from work. Most important of all, MAKE IT YOUR OWN.


To read more on CAN-SPAM:
www.marketmonkeys.com/library/emailmarketing
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.htm
www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=CAN+SPAM&btnG=Google+Search


AN ABRIDGED GLOSSARY OF EMAIL TERMS:

BANDWIDTH - Techie term for musclepower and room to move around.

BLACK LIST - ESPs keep a black list of domains (DNS entries) that are known SPAM offenders. Kind of like McCarthy's list, but for emailers. You don't want to be on it.

CAN-SPAM - Act put in place in 2003 that says people can sue you if you send them mail and can't prove they asked for it.

CRM - A form of direct marketing that puts you in touch with your customer through a series of direct interaction. CRM stands for either Customer Retention Marketing or Customer Relationship Management, depending on who you ask.

ESP - The people who host your mail. Be nice to them, even if they happen to also be your nasty cable company.

EMAIL CLIENT - Software you use to check email (like Outlook, Eudora, or Webmail)

EMAIL SERVER - Where email messages are stored and downloaded from ISP - The guys who host your web site. Like your bedroom floor, there is a finite amount of space on people's servers, and nobody likes to be inundated with gym socks.

OPT-IN - When someone asks you to add them. (A nice smile from across the room doesn't count.) If they haven't done this, don't do it. And even when someone you know asks you to do it for them, suggest they go to your web site. If they do it themselves, they won't forget they did and get mad at you later.

WHITE LIST - The good list. ESPs also keep lists of domains they know are less likely to be sending SPAM. If you know someone at MSN or Yahoo, you'll want to call in that favor now. You can also just send them an email, telling them who you are, and asking to be put on the white list. Sometimes straightforwardness works, sometimes it doesn't.

Postering Like A Street Monkey

On the subject of guerilla marketing...

The first thing you have to do to be a monkey is throw away everyone else's way of doing things when you set out to accomplish a task. Start from scratch, all the time. That doesn't mean ignore the learning of generations - but it does mean think for yourself. There are a finite number of tools accessible to you, but an infinite way to use them.

A lot of times people forget where the concept of guerilla marketing came from. It's not about baking cakes - it's about waging marketing warfare. You aren't all lining up in neatly packed rows, and squaring off. You've got to pick off new customers one at a time - hand-to-hand. Sometimes when they're looking for you, and sometimes when they don't even know you exist.

So that's why my very first blog is about flyering and postering before shows. As humbling as it is, it is also an important part of marketing yourself as a musician. Just like all of the other parts of your marketing efforts, guerilla marketing gets you in touch with all you are striving for in developing your career. I don't care what anyone else tells you. The most important thing about building your audience is getting in touch with the market. There is no better way to get to know your market than walking the streets and meeting the people.

Just as you have to know which newspapers to send press releases to, and which radio stations to have playing your record, and which venue you want to play in six months - you've got to get to know the streets. Get in the head of the people who listen to your music, and walk in their shoes. That's what flyering is all about. See with their eyes, instead of your own.

You'll find that you'll start seeing the neigborhoods in which you play in a whole new light. Electricity gauge boxes, newspaper stands, light poles, public telephones - they all take on a new meaning. You won't be able to pass a wall without seeing a great spot for a poster. You know you're really getting good when you start to get down the schedule on which posters are cleaned from public boards. You can start to tell which corners have most traffic, but least amount of time up.

10 Tips for Postering

1. Get in the mind of your audience. Where do they eat? What paper do they read? What's their favorite bookstore? Do they ride the subway or bus? Don't just go out there willy-nilly. Take a minute to think about your target market and plan before hitting the street.

2. Isolate neighborhoods that are most likely to expose your posters to your target market. Find coffeeshops and "the usual places" in those areas. They generally have boards to post on. It's the most respectable work you're gonna do in flyering. The rest is all pretty gritty.

3. Check the weather. If it's gonna rain today, but not tomorrow, wait. I know you need them up for as long as possible, but it's no good if they get all soggy. The day after rain can sometimes be the best cuz nobody's posted and the other posters have been washed away, leaving less competition for people's attention. If you really want to get posters up and it's raining or snowing, put them up in indoor locations like coffeeshops, bookstores, and public transit shelters.

4. Use good tape. Nothing sucks more than going out postering, exhausting yourself, and having them fall down without even being touched by the "cleaners"...

5. Don't spend a lot of money on the printing of your posters. Better to have lots of them, than have them in pretty colors. Just come up with a simple design. If you're hell-bent on spending money, get a designer to create a nice black-and-white template for your posters that you can photocopy onto colored paper. 8 1/2 x 11 is just fine for the job and easy to tote around town with you.

6. Use the same images on your posters so people get used to seeing them, and knowing it's you. Then, they'll be more likely to stop. If you have an image you use on your web site and in the press, use it for your flyers, too. Just like in mainstream marketing, repeating an image in multiple sources makes people trust is as a familiar image. They are more likely to retain information associated with it.

7. Think like a monkey. Spread out your posters - some in places you know a lot of people walk but will be taken down. Some in places that not as many people walk, but they're likely to stay up longer.

8. Don't poster over someone else, especially if they have a gig on the same day as you. It's totally wrong, and spreads bad kharma. Think of your fellow guerilla marketers as comrades at arms whenever you can. One day, they might put a piece of tape on your falling-down flyer and save your ass. If you have the tape to spare, help them out, too. If their poster falls down and the local govt gets pissed because of littering, they might take the board down and then where will you be? On the other hand, they might poster over you. Well, shit, that's life. Do what you want. We all navigate our own ships.

9. Put your posters at eye-level (not too high, not too low). Don't make your audience work to read your info.

10. Read the other announcements you are postering near. It's not bad to poster near someone who does something similar to you if your gigs are on different nights. Someone might stop to read theirs and see yours.

That's it for now. Happy monkeying...

MC