A lot to talk about, hardly know where to begin. I’ll start by saying that this was originally a 5 page letter discussing the CANCELLATION of the BLITZKRIEG OF THE BANDS @ TIP TOP TAVERN. After the events of the APRIL FOOL’S DAY show last night, I’ve decided to modify my message in a simple (and hopefully shorter) numbering system which will more concisely orchestrate my frustration, disappointment, and yes, anger! And no, this isn’t an April Fool’s gag…….
Archive for Networking
CAUTION: EYE OF NAP under construction!
Please be patient, it will be a couple weeks before we really get the ball rolling here. New interviews coming soon, in the meantime, please feel free to send me some site suggestions at: mad247@weirdness.com !
Promotional Tips/Ideas…
I’m really big into studying promotional and marketing techniques that are used outside of music and selecting the ones that might crossover into the music industry. It can be like finding a needle in a hay stack but every once in a while you find a place that offers a lot of good ideas.
The first thing I’ve got for you is a youtube video show called “The Joe Show” where they basically run through a whole bunch of products that can be used as promotional tools.
For example this week was all about St. Patrick’s Day promotional idea’s.
Next I wanted to share with you something that I found would work very well in the music industry. It’s something that is very hard to do as a band because you often have little money and little resources but this is the story behind John Bello who made the small beverage brand SoBe so viable that PepsiCo bought him out for about $370 million.
(Via Successful Promotions Trend Report Vol 48)
How did he do it? Among the many tricks Bello used to build a grassroots following for the brand was a heavy dose of branded promotional products featuring SoBe’s now iconic lizard logo.
Now, a decade after Pepsi acquired his beloved brand, Bello is at it again with new brand Adina Holistics. To get his line of herbal elixirs noticed, he is going back to his old tricks – namely giving away plenty of branded products. This time around, he is leveraging his monkey logo and sayings like “Drink no evil!”
“At SoBe we gave away 400,000 T-shirts via our in-store offers over five years,” says Bello. Why do it again? “Simple logic: This is a consumer reward and continuity device.” Adina Holistics consumers can collect three under-the-cap “herbalisms” noted on tear-off pads to get a free “Show me the monkey” or “Got herb?” T-shirt.
The offer is “one point-of-sale piece that always gets put up because it is something that the store owner or manager is doing for the consumer; something for nothing compliments the store and the consumer gets a T-shirt as a bonus,” says Bello. “Most companies are too small or too big to make this happen. At Adina, it is job number one, all day, every day.”
As of press time, more than 5,000 shirts had been requested. “They are already being offered on eBay,” says Bello. “With slippage, that’s about 10,000 cases out the door just for redemption and a huge number of ‘Drink no evil’ advertising impressions.”
Part of the trick is having cool giveaways and a cooler logo, says Adina Chief Marketing Officer Bruce Burke. “We have an icon that appeals to young and old. It goes beyond just the beverage and lends itself to promotional products. People have asked for the file so they can screen their own T-shirts. Another woman wanted it tattooed on her back. We know we have a very nice symbol for years to come.”
UnSignedBandPromotion.com
A great resource I’ve used in the past for ideas that include:
101 Resources for Marketing Music
101 Band Promotion Ideas
101 Reasons Why Your Band Needs A Website
Check out the rest of the site: unsignedbandpromotion.com
5 Tips for Musicians to Engage their Fans Digitally
There was a time when celebrity musicians were positioned as unreachable idols. Those days are long gone; in today’s wired marketplace, musicians have to forge a personal relationship with their audience to keep their fans’ interest. And for many, that means creating opportunities for fans to have an inside look into all aspects of an artist’s life.
In the current music industry climate, many artists are realizing that they must go further than ever before to be seen as approachable — they must run their organization with almost complete transparency. Save for major mainstream stars, the days of artists being put on an isolated pedestal are long gone; fans are far too savvy and options far too many for a musician to appear to be operating in a different universe. Fans demand access at unprecedented levels, so a band must either provide this access or be skilled at creating the illusion of it.
SEE ALSO: MUSICIAN’S TIPS FOR SELF PROMOTION
New DWELLERS Podcast
For those natives who might not know, THE DWELLERS are an wildly experimental 4 piece band from right here in Nap Town.
During their “psychedelic jazz” induced performances, they often trade up instruments, opening to completely new soundwaves and influences.
Recently they held a listening party at their rehearsal space, where various bands (including myself) were invited to bring whatever music they had most recently completed. Needless to say, a lot of jamming incued (and some drinking and smoking as well), and the following was produced.
The first ever DWELLER’S PODCAST featuring yours truly, AMERICAN SYNDROME, FIBER and more! Good times were had by all and it looks like THE DWELLERS will be doing this every month, so stay tuned.
And be sure to check out their official website: www.wearethedwellers.com for 12 albums worth of goodness. They will also be performing 3/18 @ TIP TOP TAVERN on 13th and Capitol for a RE-LEGALIZE INDIANA event, featuring AMERICAN SYNDROME and more. FREE SHOW!
How Musicians Are Using Social Media to Connect with Fans
Sent to us by Will of AMERICAN SYNDROME (who will soon be a regular contributor for EYE OF NAP).
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“Today’s musicians, both mainstream and indie, are using social media to connect with fans, build anticipation, and generate revenue in new and unique ways. The products range from singles to mix tapes to digital six-packs, even oddly shaped USB sticks, vinyl, and the occasional traditional album.
“But how are these artists reaching their new fan bases online through social channels? Much like the business world, social media promotion for musicians is still a very new game, with no exact recipe for platinum success.
“There are however, some innovations being put forth, and a new connection is being formed between artists and fans — a connection that empowers both to give each other what they are looking for.”
mad247
websyndrome
