Saturday, August 27, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
How To Throw A Fan Listening Party On Google+
Listening to music can be an intensely private experience. Nobody else hears a song the same way you do. But on the other hand, when was the last time you went to a party without music?
We’ve seen a slew of new inventions that allow people to listen to the same music at the same time online, chatting about it and deciding what to play next, from Turntable.fm to Wahwah.fm. These apps take the social experience of recommending, discussing, and arguing about music from the offline to the online world, leaving the “party” aspect intact.
Even Google has gotten in on the action. A neat feature in Google+ Hangouts lets anyone set up a listening party and invite friends (or strangers) to join, listen, chat, and pick the next song. The system draws its music from YouTube, which might be considered the world’s biggest legal music sharing service.
If you thought embedding YouTube videos on Facebook was neat, just wait until you see how Google+ lets people throw group listening parties. To give it a try, follow these simple steps:
1. Start a Google+ Hangout. To get the party started, go to click the Start a Hangout button on the right side of the main Google+ page, like so:
2. Think about muting audio and video. Before anyone shows up, we recommend muting your audio and video for a “traditional” group listening experience that’s all about the music, with text chat to accompany it. However, you can leave video enabled if you want everyone to see you, and audio enabled if you want to be able to “push to talk” in order to introduce songs or shout out a request:
3. Invite people. You have a few options for inviting people to your party: individual people, one or more of your Circles, or Public, and we recommend casting the net as wide as you’re comfortable with, because people need to be around now in order to join, and most of your friends probably won’t be around:
4. Play that funky music. To play a new video in your listening party, use the embedded search box. NOTE: You can’t queue songs up, so wait for the previous one to end. You can search by the name of the uploader as well as the title of the video and other metadata. Anyone in the room can search for a YouTube song and play it for the group, and people can cut each others’ songs off by choosing a new one, so this system works better amongst friends.
5. Turn it up. When Google+ Hangouts plays its first YouTube video, the volume starts out very low, probably so that people can talk over it. There’s no talking at a group listening party, so boost up the volume. You’ll only have to do this once, because the volume setting will stay the same for the following videos:
6. Talk amongst yourselves. Click over to the Chat area, and you’ll be able to talk about the music you’re all listening to, trade war stories about seeing the bands live, and so on:
Pro Tip: If this is something you want to do a lot, we recommend setting up a Circle just for your group-listening friends. To help build that Circle, you might send status updates to your contacts periodically asking if they want to join your music Hangouts. Add those people to the Circle, and you’ll be able to summon them to the room in an instant, whenever the mood strikes.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
21 Great Ways To Collaborate With Other Artists To Get More Fans
One of the best ways for emerging bands to gain new fans is to be exposed to another band’s audience. Especially if you have similar target markets, fans are more likely to trust a recommendation coming from a band they already know and like. Some ideas on how you can collaborate with other artists and bands to grow your fan base:
Collaborate On Live Shows
Likely the easiest and most common way to collaborate with other bands is to play gigs together. Here are a few different ways to collaborate on gigs:1. Gig Swap
This is of course a no-brainer. Find other like-minded bands whose musical style either compliments you, or even better, that would make for an interesting combination, giving fans of both bands a unique experience. You can open for each other at different shows, and this will work especially well if the other band is based in a different (but nearby) city. You can do gig swaps to help each other break into new markets.2. Festival Gigs
If you’re playing a festival and there is an artist or members of a band that you want to collaborate with, why not create a special environment at your festival gig by collaborating on a song or two? I’ve seen artists collaborate on festival stages big and small, and it usually makes for a buzz-worthy performance that gets people talking.3. Conference Showcases
Same idea as with festivals, but if you manage to get a showcase at a music conference, why not bring in another artist to collaborate on a song? Just be sure to have rehearsed it live before showcasing.4. Tours
Take the concept of playing live with another band even further and book a tour together. It could be just a weekend tour of a few cities close to home, or a full-out regional/national tour.
Collaborate on RecordingsRecordings
For your next album, try and think of some like-minded artists that you can collaborate with. Collaborating on recordings can be done in many different ways, here are a few to consider:5. Guest Performances
The simplest thing you can do is perform on each other’s recordings (sing, play an instrument, DJ, rap, etc.). If you want to get the most bang for your buck, make sure that in the song title it actually lists the other artist “X Song Name (Featuring X Artist)”.6. Co-write A Song
Next step would be to co-write with another artist. This will not only be great for the sake of collaboration, but might help with each of your songwriting abilities and open up some new ideas, which is never a bad thing.7. Cover a song
Why not cover a song by a fellow emerging band whose fan base would like your music? It’s a great way to flatter the band and also generate buzz for both of you.8. Produce each other’s music
An even more involved way to collaborate in the studio is to take turns producing each other’s songs. This can give each of you a new perspective on the songs you choose to produce for each other.Often emerging artists can’t afford to hire a producer, but having that objective ear can really help improve the songs. So if you have an opportunity to have a peer produce a song, it might be worthwhile to give it a try.
9. Remix songs
Another great way to collaborate is to approach an artist to do a remix of one of your songs. You can even remix each other’s songs, or take it further and do remix albums of each other’s music.
10. Release an exclusive single/EP
If you’ve collaborated with another band through guest appearances, songwriting, production, remixes, etc., why not release an exclusive digital single or EP through your website? Even better, couple that digital release with the release of a limited edition vinyl: Vinyl sales already up 41% on the yearCollaborate Using Video
There are also lots of possibilities to use video for collaborations:11. Official music videos
If you’ve guested on a song, or co-written a song together, collaborating on an official music video is also a no-brainer.12. Live videos
If you’ve collaborated with another band live on stage, be sure to get some footage of it for both bands to use to promote to their fans.13. Cover song videos
Even if you haven’t covered the band’s song on your album, you can still release videos covering songs of fellow emerging bands that you want to collaborate with. Chances are that both of your fan bases will get a kick out of this.14. Videos from the Studio
If you’re doing any kind of collaboration in the studio, be sure to get some footage of it to release on your website/YouTube, etc. Remember, when you’re in the studio, don’t shut out your fans.15. Live streaming video
Why not use live streaming video while in studio, at a live gig, or even after a gig to chat with fans of both bands?Collaborate Using Your Website
Don’t forget to use your website to help in your collaboration with other bands. Here are some of the ways to drive people to your website:16. On Your Blog
It can be as simple as blogging about the other band. You can:
- Talk about why you like their music
- Do a review their album
- Interview the band
17. Photo Galleries
Use photo galleries to highlight collaborations with other bands, including pictures from studio sessions, pictures from live shows, or just the bands hanging out together.Note: Live Video & Exclusive Music - If you do decide to use live video streaming in your collaborations, be sure to host the video on your own site and not the streaming service’s site. Most services will let you embed HTML to host the feed directly on your own website.
And as mentioned earlier, if you do collaborate on a recording with another band, why not release the track(s) exclusively through your website? Take advantage of any excuse to drive traffic to your website where people can sign-up to your mailing list, shop at your online store, etc
Collaborate Using Social Media
And last but not least, probably the quickest way to collaborate with other bands and help each other out is to use social media. You can:18. Exchange Tweets
Tweet praise about each other and encourage your fans to follow each other’s band.19. Host a Twitter Chat
Why not organize a Twitter chat session for fans of both bands so you can chat with each other’s fans. What’s a Twitter chat? Here’s a great article that explains what it is and how to set one up: http://mashable.com/2009/12/08/twitter-chat/20. Use Facebook status updates
You can each talk about why you like the other band and be sure to link to each other’s fan page.21. Post a Facebook Note
Create a Facebook note talking about the other band, just be sure to tag the other band in the note as Madalyn Sklar pointed out in her recent guest blog about Facebook Notes here on Bandzoogle.Note: And it goes without saying, use social media to drive fans to your website to view your blog posts, video blogs, live video and other exclusive content on your website.
The bottom line is that the more emerging artists can help each other out through collaborations, the more buzz it will generate, which will no doubt result in more fans for each band.
Rappers do it best
The amount of collaborations and guest appearances that happen in hip hop eclipse’s other genres. As discussed in a Digital Music News Article “The Top 8 Reasons Why Rappers Make Better Businessmen…”, guest appearances help amplify your music to new audiences, and rappers use this tactic often and to great effect.
Making the news these days is the high-profile collaboration between Kanye West and Jay-Z called “Watch the Throne”. But I’ll end this post with a more old-school example.
Here’s a video of one of the most famous collaborations that crossed over genres and garnered both groups increased sales, awards, and arguably spawned a new genre of music:
21 Great Ways To Collaborate With Other Artists To Get More Fans
One of the best ways for emerging bands to gain new fans is to be exposed to another band’s audience. Especially if you have similar target markets, fans are more likely to trust a recommendation coming from a band they already know and like. Some ideas on how you can collaborate with other artists and bands to grow your fan base:
Collaborate On Live Shows
Likely the easiest and most common way to collaborate with other bands is to play gigs together. Here are a few different ways to collaborate on gigs:1. Gig Swap
This is of course a no-brainer. Find other like-minded bands whose musical style either compliments you, or even better, that would make for an interesting combination, giving fans of both bands a unique experience. You can open for each other at different shows, and this will work especially well if the other band is based in a different (but nearby) city. You can do gig swaps to help each other break into new markets.2. Festival Gigs
If you’re playing a festival and there is an artist or members of a band that you want to collaborate with, why not create a special environment at your festival gig by collaborating on a song or two? I’ve seen artists collaborate on festival stages big and small, and it usually makes for a buzz-worthy performance that gets people talking.3. Conference Showcases
Same idea as with festivals, but if you manage to get a showcase at a music conference, why not bring in another artist to collaborate on a song? Just be sure to have rehearsed it live before showcasing.4. Tours
Take the concept of playing live with another band even further and book a tour together. It could be just a weekend tour of a few cities close to home, or a full-out regional/national tour.
Collaborate on RecordingsRecordings
For your next album, try and think of some like-minded artists that you can collaborate with. Collaborating on recordings can be done in many different ways, here are a few to consider:5. Guest Performances
The simplest thing you can do is perform on each other’s recordings (sing, play an instrument, DJ, rap, etc.). If you want to get the most bang for your buck, make sure that in the song title it actually lists the other artist “X Song Name (Featuring X Artist)”.6. Co-write A Song
Next step would be to co-write with another artist. This will not only be great for the sake of collaboration, but might help with each of your songwriting abilities and open up some new ideas, which is never a bad thing.7. Cover a song
Why not cover a song by a fellow emerging band whose fan base would like your music? It’s a great way to flatter the band and also generate buzz for both of you.8. Produce each other’s music
An even more involved way to collaborate in the studio is to take turns producing each other’s songs. This can give each of you a new perspective on the songs you choose to produce for each other.Often emerging artists can’t afford to hire a producer, but having that objective ear can really help improve the songs. So if you have an opportunity to have a peer produce a song, it might be worthwhile to give it a try.
9. Remix songs
Another great way to collaborate is to approach an artist to do a remix of one of your songs. You can even remix each other’s songs, or take it further and do remix albums of each other’s music.
10. Release an exclusive single/EP
If you’ve collaborated with another band through guest appearances, songwriting, production, remixes, etc., why not release an exclusive digital single or EP through your website? Even better, couple that digital release with the release of a limited edition vinyl: Vinyl sales already up 41% on the yearCollaborate Using Video
There are also lots of possibilities to use video for collaborations:11. Official music videos
If you’ve guested on a song, or co-written a song together, collaborating on an official music video is also a no-brainer.12. Live videos
If you’ve collaborated with another band live on stage, be sure to get some footage of it for both bands to use to promote to their fans.13. Cover song videos
Even if you haven’t covered the band’s song on your album, you can still release videos covering songs of fellow emerging bands that you want to collaborate with. Chances are that both of your fan bases will get a kick out of this.14. Videos from the Studio
If you’re doing any kind of collaboration in the studio, be sure to get some footage of it to release on your website/YouTube, etc. Remember, when you’re in the studio, don’t shut out your fans.15. Live streaming video
Why not use live streaming video while in studio, at a live gig, or even after a gig to chat with fans of both bands?Collaborate Using Your Website
Don’t forget to use your website to help in your collaboration with other bands. Here are some of the ways to drive people to your website:16. On Your Blog
It can be as simple as blogging about the other band. You can:
- Talk about why you like their music
- Do a review their album
- Interview the band
17. Photo Galleries
Use photo galleries to highlight collaborations with other bands, including pictures from studio sessions, pictures from live shows, or just the bands hanging out together.Note: Live Video & Exclusive Music - If you do decide to use live video streaming in your collaborations, be sure to host the video on your own site and not the streaming service’s site. Most services will let you embed HTML to host the feed directly on your own website.
And as mentioned earlier, if you do collaborate on a recording with another band, why not release the track(s) exclusively through your website? Take advantage of any excuse to drive traffic to your website where people can sign-up to your mailing list, shop at your online store, etc
Collaborate Using Social Media
And last but not least, probably the quickest way to collaborate with other bands and help each other out is to use social media. You can:18. Exchange Tweets
Tweet praise about each other and encourage your fans to follow each other’s band.19. Host a Twitter Chat
Why not organize a Twitter chat session for fans of both bands so you can chat with each other’s fans. What’s a Twitter chat? Here’s a great article that explains what it is and how to set one up: http://mashable.com/2009/12/08/twitter-chat/20. Use Facebook status updates
You can each talk about why you like the other band and be sure to link to each other’s fan page.21. Post a Facebook Note
Create a Facebook note talking about the other band, just be sure to tag the other band in the note as Madalyn Sklar pointed out in her recent guest blog about Facebook Notes here on Bandzoogle.Note: And it goes without saying, use social media to drive fans to your website to view your blog posts, video blogs, live video and other exclusive content on your website.
The bottom line is that the more emerging artists can help each other out through collaborations, the more buzz it will generate, which will no doubt result in more fans for each band.
Rappers do it best
The amount of collaborations and guest appearances that happen in hip hop eclipse’s other genres. As discussed in a Digital Music News Article “The Top 8 Reasons Why Rappers Make Better Businessmen…”, guest appearances help amplify your music to new audiences, and rappers use this tactic often and to great effect.
Making the news these days is the high-profile collaboration between Kanye West and Jay-Z called “Watch the Throne”. But I’ll end this post with a more old-school example.
Here’s a video of one of the most famous collaborations that crossed over genres and garnered both groups increased sales, awards, and arguably spawned a new genre of music:
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Google+ for Music Marketing
Google+ for Music Marketing
Tech geeks the world over have been drooling the past few weeks over Google's new social platform called Google+ (which is simply pronounced "Google Plus").
You may already be using it. But if you're not, don't feel bad. Google+ is so new, it's still officially in "beta" mode and by invitation only. Word has it that it will go fully public within a couple of weeks.
If you're just now learning about it, take a quick look at this page for Google's overview.
Reportedly, 18 million people have signed up in its first few weeks, and it has a lot of prominent bloggers and social media experts buzzing.
Opinions on Google+ range widely, from calling it a "Facebook killer" to asking "Why in the hell do we need another social networking site to manage?"
I'm still getting acquainted with the features myself. And I've seen lots of buzz sites come and go nowhere, like Quora.com. And let's not forget Google Wave, a project that was closed within a year of its launch.
So I'm very cautious about predicting that any new thing will become the next Big Thing. But since it is getting a lot of attention, and since it is powered by the Google machine, I think it is worth starting a Google+ account and at least exploring what all the hoopla is about.
By the way, you can find my Google+ profile here.
Running Around in Circles
One of the first features you'll notice that sets apart G+ (as all the hipsters refer to it :-) is something called Circles. In essence it's a way to divide the people you keep tabs on into separate groups.
This function is actually nothing new. On Facebook you can create friend list subgroups, but few people use it or even know about it. Twitter also gives you the ability to create lists that display the feeds of people you select.
The difference I see with Google+ is that it places a big emphasis on Circles. And it gives you a more visually appealing, drag-and-drop way to categorize the people you want to follow and interact with.
Here's a Google video that explains it:
Some obvious Circle categories for artists might be Fans, Media People, Music Biz Tips, Other Musicians, etc.
As the video above explains, when you post updates, you can choose which of your Circles will see them. That way, you can post specific messages just for fans or only for other artists, etc. That is something that sets Google+ apart from Facebook, Twitter, and others.
Set up your Google+ account today. Make sure u add me TJ Chapman...
