Content IS Promotion: Internet Music Marketing presentation

Hey thanks to Jason @ Depot Artspace and all those who came along to hear my very first presentation on digital music marketing and stuff.

As it turns out I get more than a biscuit. But the important thing for me was really some points I can make – as I often do – that are relevant to artists and one of the most important things I’ve been talking about recently but had to quickly skim because my talk was damn near 2 hours! Definitely room for improvement there. But I did feel good that even though I went on way too long and had to skim some of most important stuff about engaging fans and monetizing fan relationships, most people stuck around even though I went on and on.

The fact is, that online music promotion is complicated. You can catch up with some of those posts in my 7 part series here:

Part 1 is here: In digital we trust - preparing for digital music marketing and promotion

And part 2 is here: Are you ready? Content you need for your digital online promotion campaign

And part 3: Google and the importance of words on the web: more “who’s going to write our blog copy” now then “who’s going to direct our video”

Part 4:  Getting your head around using social media and web 2.0 to promote your music

Part 5: Setting up a music artists website

 Part 6: Music Artist Website promotion: Marketing and Sales

Part 7: Music Artist Website Promotion: Engaging, EMail and Monetizing

And don’t forget: Our new artist community has launched @ http://www.newmusicmarketing.com - it’s still free to join in July and we’re starting to add new in depth content already.

 

 

So in a lot of ways for me this presentation was a bit like a gig – and though I don’t see myself packing out stadiums at $50 a head for presentation talks on online music marketing - like most gigs when you’re starting out, it was an opportunity to get experience engaging deeply and in person with an audience.

I knew it was an opportunity to develop my presentation skills. Now there’s a reason that this applies and that’s not just about developing my skills as a performer.

It’s about the growing power of audio and video to provide a platform to really connect with a large, focused digital audience.

That means although there was an opportunity to improve my performance – which is really important for musicians, more so than for marketers – it was the knowledge that there would be a lot of power in digitally distributing this performance.

I knew there would be audio taken at the event and that I would be able to get into doing some videos based on the presentation content aftwerwards, and syndicate those videos (if theyre decent!) out over multiple online channels thus multiplying the effectiveness of my efforts.

Also it raises some points about how you engage.

There was some mention that I didn’t really use my talk as a platform for Kurb. I’m not one to shy away from a marketing opportunity, but this was about creating positive engagement.

I could have talked up myself and what I do, but there really is no substitute for value. If people who engage with your material walk away thinking “Wow, that was really good!” Then most of the work is done.

And that’s what it’s about. By just focusing on being as good as I could be and giving value to the audience . . . they know who I am, they know what I do, so will those who hear the podcast and watch the videos. The rest will just follow.

A lot of top bloggers can come across as quite sanctimonious and holier-than-thou when they talk about engaging audiences using new media. It’s all very well for them to talk about high quality, high value when they’re doing 5 figures a week and you’re still working your crappy job.

But I made a fresh assertion during this presentation when I said that “content IS promotion” during this talk, because every piece of high quality content is an opportunity to engage with your audience and advance the relationship.

When I think about all the work I’ll be doing on my videos over the next few days, and waiting on the audio stuff from Jason, I know it’s hardly going to convert directly into big profits and opportunities. (well, it might)

But I do know that it’s going to create opportunities to engage my existing audience as well as drawing in new people from around the world who are interested in the way I do business with and for musicians. If more people are going to get more value from this content then it’s going to foster relationships that lead to profitable interactions.

I emphasised this in different ways in my talk, but I know, especially when I get a frantic email or call from a musician that though many people do connect with my blog, my bulletins etc. and that’s been great, video and audio content gives you so much scope for real engagement and real connection.

This is how I’m talking about engaging fans.

It is the 80’s again – without video you could be losing your edge in your ability to connect with people about what you’re doing.

I kept on thinking about radioheads New years webcast which I checked out in regards to these videos I’ll be working on.

I’ll admit I do tend to avoid listening to a lot of music and watching a lot of music video simply because I am very easily influenced. But given the massive buzz around Radiohead, I couldn’t help it!

And watching their webcast we could see the way that Radiohead make their music, as they performed it in their own rehersal/recording space, we could see them performing with passion, we could see that their drummer does look kinda weird, like drummers do, but he’s definitely into it. On the stroke of midnight they stood around in the pitch black freezing cold in a field outside the studio and did an acoustic version of one of their songs.

Their was some weird kinda arty stuff and short poems between each song.

So long story short, I was engaged. They got me, and here I am, responding positively to the free secondary content from radiohead I engaged with.

Radiohead perhaps had some deal for the webcasting of the video but really, there wasn’t big money in this webcast for them. It wasn’t about sales and marketing, it was about engaging fans with content, and letting the rest take care of itself.

I think for those who purchased “In rainbows” it would feel like a bonus, but the flip of that was that for those who didn’t purchase “In Rainbows” it was a step forward in building that relationship through engagement with content to a point where that could certainly happen under the right circumstances.

For those who did purchase John Reese’s “Traffic Secrets” they probably felt they already had received much value in the free videos they watched, paying for the full program was just a follow through.

I’m going to be putting up notes from my talk on my blog soon – both from my hand out and from my own extended notes . . .

Because we all know – more content – more words – more love from google – more opportunites to engage with content and foster relationships and interactions that lead to monetization.

Just like John Reese says: “Own more of the net!”

And Matt Turner says: “Content IS Promotion”

 

Kurb is an online promotion company specializing in digital music marketing and artist management.

Follow our blog at http://musicmarketingblog.info for cutting edge web promotion as we launch http://newmusicmarketing.com - the exclusive artist community putting artists in control of their online promotion and revenue management.

Within New Zealand we also provide low cost and hassle free CD DVD duplication and printing as well as poster design print and placement in Auckland.

kurbpromo@gmail.com

http://www.kurb.co.nz

http://www.myspace.com/kurbpromo

http://www.youtube.com/user/kurbpromo

http://www.twitter.com/mattnz

http://www.cd-dvd-duplication.co.nz
http://www.aucklandposters.info
http://www.kurbartistmanagement.info
http://www.newmusicmarketing.com

Attack of the innovators

What is going on?

Just trying to have a chilled weekend and not work 12 hours every day and what happens????

I’ve gone and innovated EVERYWHERE.

Whoops. Sorry.

I’m just innovating all over the show. I can’t turn around without innovating some product or service or brand.

I was just casually innovating my business model like I often do, thinking about innovating on my blog, when suddenly I just started innovating spontaneously and decided I might record myself talking about how to become a famous on the internet for an hour or something and sell it for like 99c on itunes.

Just another way I’ll be earning $1 a day for the rest of my life.

Y’know?

You need to innovate. Just as much as you need the next song you write to be the best thing you’ve done, you need to be thinking of new ideas about how you do things, taking your strengths, taking the best and most successful parts of what you do and taking that forward to a unique new position.

Look at possible new ways to minimise areas where you’re skills are not strong, areas that drain your creative and emotional energy because you don’t enjoy them.


I’ve been innovating like crazy.

On one hand I had clients lining up at the door, on the other I was troubled that I wasn’t delivering the best service possible for my current clients.

I was troubled by the Jerry Seinfeld dilemma. Where was my mid range product?

It's not about me, it's about you, if you want to spend $20 on promoting your music, where is my product for that niche?

have you got a product for every niche, the casual fan, the supporter, the wealthy obsessive collector?

Expanding your business operation is not something to take lightly – ladders can turn into snakes if you take your eye off the ball.

So this week we’re going to be talking about innovating and some exciting new developments at Kurb so I can share what I’m doing with more artists at a price that more artists can afford and create even more value.

Stay tuned.

viral video marketing, death of old media - and still whinging about amplifier.co.nz

I can’t stop marketing even though I really should!

Still got way too much work on!!!

You see if I stop testing and developing new online marketing strategies then how am I going to create further and increasing value to my digital promotions clients by providing the most effective new techniques?

It’s really time I made some more videos but I’m trying to find a unique angle.


That USP (unique selling point) is essential in what you do!

We have the internet now. If there’s something better, than people are going to find it.


I’m always trying to find something better, I think that’s what I just told you. But you can't always be the best.


But you can always be unique!



So I’ve been planning for a while to try some true viral video marketing techniques – that is – focus more on being “remarkable” than actually pushing my product and reasoning why people should give me their money.




This is more of a branding exercise. Selling stuff is so 20th century. Building relationships and attention with your audience is the new paradigm.



I was going to do a typical TV ad style video going on about how “bands were exploding” online and have a warzone bunker theme with explosions going off in the background and musicians who were literally blowing up.



Silly stuff.




I thought about making a funny video based around Seth Godin’s “purple cow” concept the original metaphor for “remarkable” marketing where some hick farmer calls me up wanting services from Kurb because they’ve used purple food colouring to make a purple cow and now they want to “Mana Tai’s” it

(that’s monetize for all you non Maori :p)

This is stuff that people want to see and share. Not me asking for money.



The state of new media in New Zealand leaves me with mixed feelings, much like the slashing of EMI’s operation in New Zealand (and throughout the world) just recently is sad given EMI’s historical role in developing New Zealand talent, and that this does represent decreased opportunities for New Zealand artists, but on other hand once again, it represents increased opportunities in the market for people like me who are digital strategists and innovators.



Because . . . there’s a lot of Dinosaurs just waiting round for the next meteor.



I am going to have to stop being polite about Amplifier.


I know its Chris the lawyer, and Simon who I love and Richie from One Million Dollars and all but seriously!!!

STOP THIS WEB 1.0 NONSENSE IMMEDIATELY!

Only 50% for the artists? NO! (itunes offers 70%)

No share of advertising revenue for artists? NO! (sites like Reverb nation and Squidoo are already rolling out revenue sharing, while myspace has struck such a deal with the Majors)

No variable pricing determined by artists? NO!

Widgets only for P-money? NO!

Incredibly limited features? NO!

No access to fan data? NO!!

No social or any other discernable web 2.0 features? NO!

I may have to come out as an official critic of www. amplifier. co. nz

Amplifier, please!!!!! SORT IT!!!!!

Why if I wasn’t bigger and tougher I’d innovate their faces in!!!!

What is so ironic is that AMPLIFIER HAS A MYSPACE PAGE.


I was looking at the myspace of another popular traditional NZ Music media institution, not geographically that far from amplifier, thinking about 2006 when so many people capitulated and accepted that being on Myspace just had to be done.


How frustrating it must be to be part of the old media. Doing things like setting up a myspace page and probably thinking . . .


will this increase our readership or advertising revenue?

Not realising that the massive backlash against traditional advertising has already begun.


Television, Radio, Magazines – the authority of this old, centralized, gatekeeper style of media based on the disruptive power of advertising is just going to lose any relevance and quickly.


I’m not expecting to make a lot of money as a result of making silly videos, doing my blogs, and building my very own personalised media communication, specialized for my audience who trusts my authority.


But I will be very very surprised if I don’t.

online band / music / artist marketing and promotion diary April 08

Kurb provides online promotion and revenue management services for musicians and artists internationally And the best value fast turnover physical media services in New Zealand including CD / DVD printing and duplication and poster services.


I guess less time sitting around scratching my head means more time to talk about practical, hands on online promotion strategies rather than selling the idea.

But the first thing I most stoked to announce is that I am earning almost $10 a month from blogging now, unfortunately you have to earn $100 before you get paid so could be waiting awhile.

But I am stoked because it proves that ad supported revenue – which as it turns out I happen to be a firm advocate of – does have potential because I know that what I have done now is only a fraction of what is possible because ad supported revenue will scale vertically as well as horizontally

Meaning: Not only will individual income streams grow, but further income platforms related to content provided will be possible. A dozen platforms combining to create 30c a day now can be scaled long term to 100 platforms combining to create hundreds of dollars a day.

Why am I obsessed with ad supported revenue?

Not only because it is a “make money while you sleep” strategy as praised by Derek sivers recently . . .

But because it’s future proof. Whatever happens to the recorded/digital music industry in the next 5-10 years, ad supported strategies worked by the individual content generator will be able to be worked outside the infrastructure of the industry.

You don’t need to be signed to a label or any other aggregator, with ad supported revenue being developed on your site and your blog its not Myspace or Apple or anybody else calling the shots.



So with the influx of clients I haven’t quite got to the point of informing anyone they will have to join a waiting list BUT I am being picky – I’m going to be more inclined to want to work with Auckland artists, New Zealand artists, more committed artists, more experienced artists and artists prepared to commit to working with me for at least 3 months.

I’m more interested in results now than turnover.

Most of the clients have their myspace pages being promoted with targeted campaigns, and we have established 2 supplementary blogs for each artist to start building content there that will bring in search authority and traffic.

Whereas I will use sites such as Craigslist.com and Squidoo.com for SEO authority, Reverbnation.com on the other hand has tools and a vibe about it which I see as being practically useful, with revenue sharing in place.



Squidoo also has revenue sharing platforms, but the thing about social and web 2.0 marketing is you must use the double movement. Not only are you building backlinks to create search authority but you’re using content to emphasise your unique selling point.

This is where I usually get to on myspace: We’re carrying out the promotion systematically but to create a real point of engagement we need to create a concept around a unique selling point or proposition.

Will it be a free download, will it be a competition, what is the motivation for the fan to interact or sign up for the mailing list, etc.?

I have also established .info domain names for each client as we expand their online presence. I discovered a domain name forwarding to your myspace will bring your myspace up in a localised search, and a myspace page is going to blow the arse off most NZ served pages in terms of authority.

But another reason for the .info thing is the real issues I have with web designers!!! Whether my clients come to me with a website built and functioning or not, the task im attempting to carry out is to tweak the site, or the myspace page etc. slowly over time to bring visitors to the site/page and then compelling them to take actions that are ultimately leading to financial gain by the artist.

If it’s a nightmare to make these tweaks you will never bring your site to the point I have got to with http://www.kurb.co.nz where every day the beast is slowly evolving, bringing visitors closer to exactly where I want them, and closer to creating more reward from less effort on my part.

That’s where I came up with the idea of Kurb Music – not a label, but a platform where I can freely develop search, social and revenue functions for my client base as a whole without the obstruction and complications of addressing individual clients

I’ll be looking at the way unique selling points and propositions deployed in targeted marketing campaigns can help promote the content on this platform, and how this platform can be expanded.

Right now it’s a way to contribute value to my clients as well as working towards a personal goal – a bottom up approach to implementing my business plan for the choice as NZ music portal

Yes, Kurb Music is another one of those “Matt Ideas” like kurb 50/50 or plasticast. The point is not whether the project functions practically, it is that an innovative concept has a complete model and is ready to be developed and tested under the right circumstances.



On my site, search returns continue to surge, all that SEO work is paying off and google searches are accounting for 75% of my traffic.All that really means is all the traffic I’ve lost from myspace over the last 6 months is probably now being made up for.


The issue im trying to face right now is the seinfeld issue. Either you see watch Seinfeld on TV for free or you fly to Vegas and catch him at US$200 a ticket.

Seinfeld has no mid range option.

With me either you read my blog for free or you pay me US$200 a month to help you. Kurb Music is something I’m trying to develop as a mid range promotions product of $10-20 p/week value.

What Trent Reznor did by offering so many different variables and products on his last release was create value at so many different levels for his fanbase.

By creating everything from a blog with a few google ads to DVD’s packed with multimedia content, that’s what Kurb is trying to do for artists.

Here’s an interesting link covering all the social music services.

http://www.social-music.info/

You know how I feel, DON’T waste your time signing up for every music service under the sun.

HOWEVER there is definitely a thread running through the internet marketing community right now that suggests that we shouldn’t be afraid of a little hard work.

Web 2.0 is different. It’s a vast network without the dead ends of Web 1.0, it doesn’t matter where you start as long as make a start!

Also my habit of focusing on my blogging only one day a week has produced some weird results - I’ve seen something similar before having 500+ visitors to my myspace blog alone in the course of a day or two after a series of posts.

Frustratingly, because its myspace and theres no detailed stats, I have no idea where these people are coming from or how they found my blog!!!! I only have 30 odd subscribers so . . . and it’s not like it generated a whole lot of leads – 500 visitors to the kurb home site would definitely turn out several leads.

Kurb is a media promotions company providing a regular blog on digital music promotion, marketing digital content and creating revenue from new media online.

Kurb also provides online promotion and revenue management services for musicians and artists internationally And the best value fast turnover physical media services in New Zealand including CD / DVD printing and duplication and poster services.

Our physical media services come with free graphic set up and support, free delivery, and free promotions advice and support for musicians.

http://www.kurb.co.nz/
http://www.myspace.com/kurbpromo
http://www.youtube.com/user/kurbpromo -
http://kurbpromotion.wordpress.com/
http://kurbpromotion.blogspot.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/kurb

All the best with your project, from Kurb
For direct enquiries get us on gmail as kurbpromo


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