FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 10 BUZZ BUILDERS FOR INDIE ARTISTS

HEY! Rising artists, here is a check list to make sure your building your buzz properly.

1) Magazine and blog placements

2) Get real youtube, twitter and facebook following using ads. Set a monthly budget and build your audience.

3) Internet radio and college radio. Make a radio team because there are 100's of radio stations that can promote your music.

4) Street promotions, make sure your have small flyers and business cards to network at other peoples events.

5) Set up listening parties and shows. If you can't bring people out to see you, you will never sell any records.

6) Get to know A&R reps by doing showcases or label meetings.

7) Make a schedule and set goals for example, contact 20 radio stations, magazines, blogs monthly etc..

8) Come up with new creative ways to promote and market your music. Funny videos, funny qoutes on twitter etc..

9) Collab with people that are buzzing in your hood.

10) Make sure you release new music and videos on a schedule every year.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: BUILDING A FAN BASE

When building a fan base, a critical component is creating some sort of bridge where fans have access to the artists. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, or post-show events, there needs to be some way for a segment of fans to have direct contact and communication with the artists. When this is built from day one it becomes part of the artist’s identity and leads to real community being formed around the music.

The two biggest mistakes artists make when building a fan base are launching selfish campaigns and not narrowing their target audience. Fans are responsible for providing an artist with financial and therefore professional and social leverage to aspire and achieve. Don’t blow that opportunity by making fame and numbers (albums sold, hits to website, followers/friends on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace or YouTube subscribers) primary motives. If the goal is longevity, quality outweighs quantity as does relationship-building.

Unlike air and water, all music genres are not universal. Therefore, know and pitch to the primary, secondary and alternative target audiences often.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: INDIE RECORD LABEL

-Indie Label-

The term ‘Indie Label’ can be a bit misleading these days, due to the fact that some large Indie labels are actually distributed by Major Labels. Nevertheless, a ‘true’ Indie Label means they are independent from any Major Label.

Now, there are numerous amounts of Indie labels; all varying in methods and genres and experience levels, etc.

According to the Record Labels & Companies Guide, the best way to succeed in the indie record label game is to specialize in either local music or genre music. These are two areas that the major record companies may ignore.

The Internet has also done a lot to promote the success of independent record labels. If they have trouble getting retail stores to carry their product, indies can sell albums over the Internet. The Internet has also been host to a variety of contests for music artists wherein the winner receives a record contract with an indie. If you're interested in independent record labels, check out IndieCentre, GarageBand.Com or theCollege Music Journal.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: MAJOR RECORD LABEL

-Major Label-

You might have the impression that there are many Major Labels to choose from, but the truth is that there are only 4 Major Labels: Sony-BMG, Universal Music Group, EMI, and Warner Music Group. All those other so-called “major labels” are actually sub-labels under one of the 4 Major labels. For example: Columbia, Arista, Epic, Provident, RCA, are all Subsidiary labels under Sony-BMG. It’s like one big money-making musical family-tree, all beginning with the 4 major labels and branching out from there.

WELCOME TO FOOD FOR THOUGHT: INSIDE THE MUSIC BUSINESS

Food For Thought is a new blog catered to bringing artists of all genres and walks off life the proper details on how the industry works along with methods and strategies on how to be successful in this ever changing industry.