Marianne Bennett is the founder of Marianne Bennett Productions and Element Music, two high-end music event companies that book entertainment for private events. She got her start in the music industry in  the 1980s as a rock/pop singer/songwriter, performing in venues throughout New York City such as The Bitter End, Kenny’s Castaways, The Limelight and CBGBs. She first got involved in the music events industry when she worked as a wedding and private events vocalist for hire. Eventually, she combined her love of performing with her passion for the business side of music and decided to start her own music event company.

Recently, I got to talk to Marianne about her experience in the industry, how artists can break into the private events space and why passion and dedication are critical to a successful career in the music business.      

Musician Coaching:

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Marianne. How did you get started in music?

MB:

I started as a songwriter and a performer in an original rock/pop band playing all the downtown New York City clubs, like The Bitter End, Kenny’s Castaways, The Limelight, CBGBs, etc. I just was always performing all the time and had a great love for songwriting and singing.

Right after college, I decided to pursue my artist career. At that time, which was in the 1980s, the music business was very different from how it is now. Obviously we didn’t have all the social networking we have now or the internet. So the way artists carved out their own path was to constantly approach label people, play as often as possible, try to get their demo tapes in the right hands at the right time with the right people, etc. It was a very different time. I played frequently in the clubs and tried to meet and greet whoever I could. Eventually I got hired at CBS Records, which is now Sony. I was trying to get myself in front of whatever record executives I could so I could have people around to submit my demo tapes to. It was a very exciting time, but very different from the way things are now. I actually think this is a great time for artists, because there are so many possibilities, and so many different ways to get yourself exposed and get people to see who you are.

Over the years – after pursuing my artist career and realizing I was meant for other things in music – I slowly started getting into the event industry and producing music events for social occasions, everything ranging from corporate events, weddings, fashion release parties, opening night galas for Broadway shows, etc. It’s been a great journey and a lot of fun. Now I run Element Music, which is a high-end music events company. We have people that travel throughout the world and the U.S. But primarily, most of our work is in New York.

Musician Coaching:

I get asked all the time by artists, “How do I get my band hired to play covers at corporate events, weddings and other similar places?” How did you make the transition between being an artist and getting corporate gigs?

MB:

Like many things in life, this happened by chance. When you’re an up-and-coming artist trying to get yourself out there, you still have to pay your bills. I started doing wedding work as a vocalist to pay my rent. And as I got more entrenched in that business, I found it really interesting how every weekend I found myself working with unbelievably talented people. There were so many people like me that were original artists and needed to pay their rent. I found it to be a really great time to get to know a lot of musicians, songwriters, etc. So, how I really transitioned was through that need to put food on the table,  get the rent paid, etc. But it ended up being something I really enjoyed. I had also always enjoyed the business side of music. And in the event industry, you really have to have the ability to deal with all different types of people and their needs, and that happens to be something I’m good at.

Musician Coaching:

Having access to musicians certainly seems like the easy side of the equation. But how did you go about putting together the right marketing materials? Also, a lot of people try to put together event companies and have live music for hire and fail dismally. What is it about your corporate approach that is different from the approach of the other people that don’t make it?

MB:

I think really it’s about dedicating yourself to what you’re doing and having a passion and love for what you’re doing. If you have those elements, the people you work with will pick up on that. I feel really strongly that anyone who is an artist, whether  a songwriter or a person that runs an event company like myself – if you are anyone who has something that involves your passion, you really love what you do and know how to present it to other people in your marketing tools. Truthfully, I never had really fancy marketing tools; I just had a great love for what I was doing and a great belief in myself. I portrayed that on a day-to-day basis with all the people I would meet in my travels as a musician. I find that all the musicians I’ve known over the years that have had great success in their own careers – even if it’s in different legs of the music industry – all have this one thing in common:  A dedication to working hard every day at what you do, and having the ability to share that with people you meet all the time. I can’t say I had any fancy marketing tools in the beginning, because in the beginning there was lack of cash flow, so I could only work with what I had.

Musician Coaching:

I am surrounded by musicians who are having the damndest time getting gigs. And it sounds like both on the artist side and on the corporate side, you’re not even bringing that topic up, because it sounds like it has never been a big struggle for you; it always came naturally to you. How is it that you found yourself always playing, and what advice would you give for someone that wants to always find ways to play?

MB:

You have to grab every opportunity. If you’re a vocalist – and I tell this to all the singers that work for me – whatever your craft is, you have to take every opportunity you have. The opportunity might be singing for free in the library, but you need to get heard wherever you can and wherever there is an audience. The gig might be paid or unpaid, but it’s about honing in on your craft and perfecting your craft. If you’re a great performer and a great entertainer, people are going to be attracted to you and offer you work. It’s that simple. If you have something that is engaging and keeps people interested, people will offer you work. I’ve always followed that principle throughout my career.

Musician Coaching:

So, it’s honestly just about playing as much as possible and being known, using one gig at a time to meet people. And it sounds like that’s what enabled you to found this corporate company.

MB:

Yes. In the earlier stages of my career, anytime anyone had an opportunity for me, I grabbed it, no matter what it was. You never know who is listening to you or who is in the room. I have a great story about that. Years ago, I performed at an event. It was at a really cheesy catering venue out on Long Island. And there happened to be someone at that event that thought what I did was great, and he offered me a job. You never know who is out there. It’s a willingness to get yourself out there and be dedicated to it all the time. I was just reading about an artist yesterday that said the same thing. She said it was just about doing it night and day. She gets up in the morning and does the things she needs to do just to pay for her life. While she’s out – whether it’s at her job or just when she’s out for coffee – she’s always talking about what she does with other people and all that is involved in what she does. It’s about networking all the time and constantly talking up what you do. Personally, I think it’s a non-stop process.  And then people pick up on it. I wish I could say there was some magic answer, but there’s not. It’s just an intuitiveness and a belief.

Musician Coaching:

I agree with you. I don’t think there is a magic pill. If you met yourself now when you were just starting out, is there any advice you would give yourself that you think would’ve helped you out a great deal?

MB:

Yes. Throughout my own career, there are many times I see opportunities that I didn’t recognize. When I look back at my accomplishments, I’m pleased with what I’ve done. But I definitely would’ve changed how I handled certain opportunities. I think if you have an opportunity, it’s important to jump on it right away, and not  even wait a few days to get back to somebody or to give a bio or your photos out. You really have to be on top of your emailing. Of course, when I started, it was about phone calls and tapes and sticking things in the mail and getting your photo out. That’s one thing I wish I’d done better.

To learn more about Marianne Bennett and her work, you can visit the Marianne Bennett Productions and Elements Music websites. You can also follow her on Twitter as MBennettMusic.

Top 5 Music Business Mistakes of 2010 (#2)

#1 – Waiting

#2 – Unreasonable Expectations

Before I start on another rant about the top mistakes let me point out that I find these mistakes frustrating because I am often guilty of them myself from time to time.  I am especially guilty of #2 – unreasonable expectations.

Roughly twice per day I get an email from a musician who tells me that he or she “just wants to get to the next level.”

In my head my first response is usually “Oh that’s easy just press Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right A B Select Start.”  (This got you many extra lives on the game Contra for Nintendo)  For better or for worse – there is no special code for the elusive “next level” in the music business.

This kind of message is always a bit disheartening as I am pretty sure that when I ask people who send me these messages to clarify their needs they either will not have defined it for themselves or they have just started out promoting their businesses in the last 2-3 months and they want Jay-Z’s phone number (Which I don’t have by the way).

Yes, that is absolutely an extreme example and no- I’m not suggesting that everyone out there has such a warped perspective but I do find that people unfairly compare themselves to people who have become icons.  If you look around long enough you will find that most overnight successes were not so overnight.

I was fortunate enough to work with Kid Rock in the 90s and most people remember when he arrived with his first big single “Bawitdaba”.  What most people forget (or never knew) is that ten years earlier he was signed and subsequently dropped from Jive Records, signed an indie label deal (with a label that went out of business), put out two records on his own (before such things were as turn-key as they are now) and built up a network of over 50 very active street team members all over the U.S..  Prior to “Bawitdaba” was also a single called “I am the Bull God” that only mid charted at radio and there were moments where one could feel that the culture of Atlantic Records could have gone either way in supporting (or not supporting) his career.  There is an obvious lesson in such perseverance and I know many people who would have given up over any one of those setbacks let alone the whole string of them.

Perhaps Kid Rock is another example that is too large or too exceptional.

How about this?

The majority of people I encounter don’t appreciate that it takes a long time (often many years) to get anyone to care about you or your music.  Most people need the time to get better at what they do.  It takes a ton of mistakes and gigs where you say to the crowd  “Be sure and tip your bartend…Oh…. You are the Bartenders and waitresses…” I don’t think people appreciate that those kind of gigs are the formative gigs where musicians get better at what they do.

I keep hearing the implication that the Internet was supposed to usher in this era where anyone and everyone could make a living at music.  Really?  So everyone is a rock star?  That means there is no one in the audience because everyone is on the stage.  That would all of a sudden makes my accountant a rock star…  God forbid!

This is what I’ve learned about expectations being around the business of music for the last eighteen years – I hope it takes you less time to learn these things than it took me:

1)   The artists who seemed to make a living / become well known were simply the artists who were still artists ten years later

2)   You can look around and compare and despair almost no matter who you are.  I wonder if Chris Martin from Coldplay laments that he isn’t Bono or if Bono laments that he isn’t Elvis…

3)   The awful saying “It’s a marathon – not a sprint” really does apply.  Far too often I see people blowing their budgets and wrecking their credit on high cost / short term promotional strategies over the course of weeks when better investments would be strategies that endure.

4)   People who don’t invest in their careers (with both their money and time) don’t grow their careers.

5)   Those who were consistent in their efforts tended to fare better than those who were sporadic.

You can continue on to the third part of this article here.

If you missed part one check that out- here.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with a music Licensing Executive named Tanvi Patel.  Tanvi is the President / CEO of Crucial Music, a company that places songs for labels and independent artists.  They do not accept everything that is sent to them but rather select only the songs and artists that they think can get placed.  Crucial has placed songs in academy award winning films such as Brokeback Mountain and a Beautiful Mind and Emmy winning TV shows like six feet under, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons and National commercials by Sprint and Verizon.

Musician Coaching:

Tanvi, first of thanks for taking the time to speak with me.  One of the most common questions I get asked when working with artists is “How do I get my songs placed in Movies, TV or Commercials?”  I often suggest that it is difficult for an artist on their own to get the attention of a music supervisor when cold calling because music supervisors respond better to people calling with a large volume and variety of music – would you agree?

TANVI:

Yes, I agree with that point.  It’s really best for the artist to work with companies that have great relationships with the supervisors to get their music heard and possibly used.   Companies like Crucial exist because it’s a full time job.  The artist needs to be aware of all aspects of the business, but unless they are remarkably gifted, and can work 24/7, there is no way one person can manage writing great music, recording, touring, selling CDs, securing film/TV placements etc.

If you can get a fair deal with Crucial or other companies, then making 50% of something is way better than 100% of nothing.  Also from the viewpoint of a supervisor, they’d rather work with a company that has the legal stuff with the artist already worked out, then having to chase down multiple parties to get things cleared during a time crunch, especially in television where the deadlines are weekly.  Also, they are bombarded with music every day, and I’m not saying most supervisors are like this, but they are probably going to spend their attention on material that comes from respected sources, even in discovering new artists.

Musician Coaching:

You have had great success in getting to know music supervisors who are notoriously difficult to approach.  Do you have any advice on how to do this?

TANVI:

Persistence, knowledge of the production they are working on, and having the goods to deliver.  You’ve got to know what type of music the show or film is using.  Then you’ve got to have something that fits within the framework of the production. After that, assuming that the song(s) is (are) lyrically applicable and the production quality is high, then it’s a matter of pitching the music without becoming a nuisance.  Which is hard to do.  Your chances are better if you follow up only once a month, versus weekly.

Also, start pitching at the beginning of the season or when a film is in pre-production; it may take a month just to get the material heard, and then it may take a few months to find the right opportunity for a placement.

Musician Coaching:

What is it about a song or an artist that makes you think you can get them placed?  Is it song-craft or is it more about texture?  It is clearly less about the type of song craft that used to get songs on the radio – any thoughts?

TANVI:

Regardless of the genre, there is a quality that a song has that makes it perfect for audio/visual use. It’s really hard to pinpoint but I (or any film/TV (et al) supervisor) can hear it in the first 30 seconds.  What makes a song a great album cut or radio single may not make it a great film/TV track.  At the end of the day, the song has to be a hit, lyrically applicable (universal in nature), have a great hook, masterful production quality and great vocals. Sometimes you get a song that has all but one of any of the above and it kills it.  A song has to have energy, evoke emotions and create a mood.  It has to support the visual in all matters.  A great placement is when a person is moved by the whole visual/auditory experience.

Musician Coaching:

Is there anything an artist should be wary about when signing either their masters or the publishing to one or different companies?  Can this hinder getting songs cleared and therefore getting placed more often in your experience?

TANVI:

If the artist owns its own masters and publishing, its best to assign both sides to one company, that way the company can negotiate for both clearances.  It doesn’t make sense to split that up.  It’s not unusual to have the song (master & synch) repped non-exclusively by different companies, and the more savvy artists have done that.  I’ve come across this on a couple of songs in our catalog, and really it is all down to relationships…whomever has the better relationships gets songs placed.  Crucial’s contracts are non-exclusive, so that the artist can work their own material as well as having others work it.  When a song has been pitched by more than one person to the same supervisor, I let the supervisor decide who gets the placement.  I’m not going to jeopardize a long-standing relationship with someone over a few dollars.  This is becoming a common place. Remember, in commercial music, you have the same thing happening… you have labels pitching, publishers pitching, film/TV reps pitching.  They are all going for the same spots.

Musician Coaching:

What should people be vary of when partnering with music placement services like crucial – surely there are some terms in contracts out there that you would consider pitfalls that could harm an artist’s career, what are they?

TANVI:

Never ever give up any Writers share to a publisher.  Publisher receiving Publisher’s share is standard.  Sometimes if you are an artist, and have created something specifically for a production library, you may be asked to give up a % of the writer’s share.  This in my opinion is unethical.  For placement companies, there is no reason to sign an exclusive deal; there are way too many companies out there that offer non-exclusives. The artist may not make the best choice on the first round so it is better to have more people working for them and see which one really delivers.

Also, beware of single page contracts and verbal commitments.  Licensing music is a complex procedure and you want to make sure that you and the company understands the terms and responsibilities each party has.  Copyright infringement is not a laughing matter.

Musician Coaching:

I am told that many placements for developing artists are buyouts, meaning that the ad agency or their client or the film makers / movie studios collect the ASCAP and BMI royalties – do you have supervisors asking you for this kind of deal often?

TANVI:

No.  The only time I’ve come across that is when a studio is looking at theme songs for episodic television. Obviously the performance revenue can be quite large for a series, and so it does make sense for the studio to want to have a theme song they own.    However, it’s really NOT in the best interest of the artist for the studio to own the publishing revenue on their songs for single needledrop placements.

Musician Coaching:

I often hear about developing artists getting called from major networks who offer to use their music but want a gratis license- is there any push back that a lone artist can ask for that you think they could get?

TANVI:

I don’t believe in GRATIS licenses.  It devalues the music, and is degrading to the artist. After all, isn’t the artist trying to make a living as an artist? A TV producer wouldn’t allow his TV show to be used for free by the network.  An employee of the network wouldn’t work for free. Why should the artist allow his music be used for free; regardless of how much promotion is promised?  Promotion can’t be definitively quantified into revenue. At the very least the artist should ask for $500 for the use of master and synch for broadcast productions and indie films; anything less is not worth your time.

Musician coaching:

If you were suddenly to start your life over as a musician and were able to retained all you have learned about music placement and licensing what would your plan be to get your music placed?

TANVI:

As an indie musician, out there working on my own, I would research all of the various placement companies on the internet, and review their credit list, their history in the business, their deal terms, their contract, the look of their site (seriously, the way their site looks is an indicator of their legitimacy), and listen to the songs that the company is representing.  A placement company is only as good as its catalog.  I would contract the A players in the market to work my catalog; so that I can focus on what makes me happy, which is creating music.

———

If you are interested in getting music placed by Crucial please visit Crucial Music’s music submission website.

I was lucky enough to be invited by Ariel Hyatt to watch Tom Jackson work with a local band in a studio in midtown a few months ago.  I have never seen anyone do what Tom does.  For lack of better words he is a live music producer.  He helps bands make emotional connections with their audience and either improves a band’s live performance or gives them a whole new perspective on how to make their live show work.  Tom has worked with Taylor Swift, Casting Crowns and Jars of Clay among others.

Musician Coaching:

Thanks again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with me.  I get a great deal of requests from the people I work with to give them constructive criticism on their live performance but my suggestions are usually limited to taking the microphone off of the stand, move around more and remember to engage your audience.  You on the other hand have made helping a band with their live show an art form.  Please tell me in your words what it is that you do.

Tom Jackson:

I’m a live music producer.  I do very similar things to what are record producer does except I deal with the show.   It has to do with re-arranging the songs and creating moments. If you asked me in one sentence what the goal of my work is, it is to create moments in a musician’s shows.  How you create those moments can be verbal, visual, musical…  There is a bunch of different ways.  I have been fortunate how to figure that out and do it.

I’ll tell you what it is not too- it’s not choreography, it’s not drama, it’s not dance.  It’s not goofy stuff.

Musician Coaching:

What would you say, having done this for a number of years, that the top three show killing behaviors are and what is the philosophy you use in helping people to correct these behaviors?

Tom Jackson:

Not being teachable kills the show more than anything.  To me by far that is the biggest thing. The funny thing is that we have been trained in the music industry that of course when you go into the studio you get a producer, of course you get a bio or an EPK produced by professionals.  You get help every step of the way but when it comes to the show you are magically supposed to know how to do it because you are a performer or an artist and that’s a big killer because it’s not the case.

Musician Coaching:

That’s definitely a big one.  Do you run across an archetype?  Is it the musician just standing there gazing at their shoes or maybe failing to make eye contact?

Tom Jackson:

A big thing is an artist not being able to emotionally connect with their audience.  Everybody is communicating from stage- always.  The question is what are they communicating?  What they feel like they are communicating and what they are really communicating are very often two different things.  They don’t understand that non-verbal skills are important.  How you stand, where you stand, your countenance, your authority and who you are…  So the non-verbal skills are just randomly made up and sometimes artists copy other people who don’t know what they are doing.

Musician Coaching:

Interesting, that leads into my next question.  Sometimes I see people who are killing it live musically but it they are shy or introverted and it is apparent both on and offstage.  It is just obvious that they are not comfortable in their own skin or in the role they are playing onstage.  Unless you are Robert Smith from the Cure this kind of behavior can really work against you.  Does your work involve breaking people out of their shell?  I am guessing that would apply both on and offstage.  Can you offer any advice to people who might be in that situation?

Tom Jackson:

Yea, in fact it is one of the four areas that I work with when working with an artist.  It is the psychological, the emotional and spiritual part of who they are and who you are is more important that what you do.  It takes a relationship to be able to prod people and free them up.  What you want to do is to create freedom in the room, in a rehearsal room and then obviously in a venue that you are playing in so there can be an emotional love fest.  If you are bound up in your emotions or self conscious all the time- then it’s more than likely not going to happen.

Musician Coaching:

And this is something that you help people learn?

Tom Jackson:

Yes, in fact one of my biggest comments over the years has been that “Tom helped free me.”  It’s helping people deal with fear… It’s what I call authority.  Being able to have authority on stage – it’s not arrogance.  In fact, authority comes from humility.  I can’t teach authority but I can be a psychologist and help lead them to that place.  I can show them what IS working and through that help them gain more confidence and authority a process that hopefully perpetuates itself.  Hopefully they gain more and more and more and eventually this performer becomes a monster, in a good way.

Musician Coaching:

It sounds like some of what you do is guiding people to their strengths rather than “step this way” or “walk that way”…

Tom Jackson:

That’s the misconception of what I do.  That’s really only 10-15% of it.  The re-arranging of the songs, the psychology we have been talking about and the vision for the shows are more important.  One of the reasons artists do not succeed is because they have lost the vision for their shows.  They are just out playing songs and without vision you end up nowhere.  So it is much more than choreography.

Musician Coaching:

Let’s talk about arrangement…

Tom Jackson:

That is actually the thing that I spend more time on than anything.

Musician Coaching:

It makes sense that people would spend a great deal of time on arranging a song for radio but it doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t spend time on arranging a song to go over well live.

Tom Jackson:

Yes, that’s exactly right.

Musician Coaching:

I also wanted to talk to you about the difference between large and small shows.  You help people prepare to play in front of big crowds, as that is the end game in your work, but can you explain what the difference would be in coaching someone to play in front of a large audience vs. a small audience?  Is there a difference in stage behavior when playing in front of 40 people at a club vs. playing a big shed?  Is the emotional connection you often speak about different in those two situations?

Tom Jackson:

Conceptually the answer is there is no difference.  You still need to make an emotional connection, technically there are still things you can do while performing, songs do need to be re-arranged for live performance and you still need a vision.  Yes I spend most of my consulting or producing is with acts that are signed but most of my teaching is for indies who are just coming up.

Honestly, I do very little different with someone like Taylor Swift.  Sure I have more tools to play with, you know, most people don’t have a waterfall to fall under at the end of their set.  That’s not the norm… but the concept is the same.  The waterfall is the payoff.  We may not have a waterfall but what payoff can we use to get the response in a club with 40 people that will get a response in that room.  If you practice that…  I have never seen an artist who developed these concepts not grow.

Musician Coaching:

In watching you work you discussed the “cheese factor” it was great of you to point out that too much rehearsal and too much planning can backfire.  When people don’t have someone like you to give them feedback and are trying to improve their live show- how do they know when they have gone too far?  Is this something they have to test live?

Tom Jackson:

A lot of it has to do with testing things out live but when it comes to cheese factor there are two reasons you get cheese.  One is not enough rehearsal in other words you’ve got something in your head but it isn’t in muscle memory.  It looks like you are thinking about it and nobody wants to watch somebody think.  Thinking about smiling or thinking about raising their arms or walking to a certain place.  So in one way it’s not enough rehearsal.  The other side is when there is too much rehearsal.  Things can be so rehearsed that they become mechanical.  It’s about finding that balance…

Musician Coaching:

When watching you work recently I noticed that you went out of your way to coach the group to use the whole stage and you went as far as moving the monitors to give them more room.  Explain the logic of this if you could

Tom Jackson:

I try to get rid of the barriers between me and the audience and not just the barriers.  When I walk into a venue mostly everything is set up for the production people.  The second thing it is set up for is the artist and the third thing that it is set up for is the audience and that’s backwards.  It needs to be the audience first, the artist and then whoever is setting up the gear.  I fight for every inch I can so I can have an emotional connection with the audience.  I have played gigs where I have fought for an extra eight inches so I could get that much closer to the audience at the right time.

I’ll finish with this.  What make a good hotel great?  It’s the little things.  It’s not flying beds.  It’s fat towels.  It’s a phone by the toilet.  It’s a mint on the pillow.  It’s all the little things.  There is not much difference between a good hotel and a great hotel when it comes down to the basics – bed, TV, dresser, bathroom but – and this is for any artist reading this – who gets more money?

Musician Coaching:

So that’s the difference between the Holiday Inn and the Ritz Carlton.

Tom Jackson:

Totally and we have this routine of taking whatever comes out way and not going the extra mile and not learning the things we are talking about to make that difference.  Artists need to provide their audience with an experience to have an emotional connection, not something random.

You asked me earlier about mistakes artists make – every artist has experienced those moments on stage that are magical.  For some reason the planets align, you can actually hear the monitors and everything is working and there is a love fest in the room.  Here’s the problem- they don’t know why it happened.  The next night you go out and do the exact same thing and it won’t work and the artist doesn’t know why.  Without sounding arrogant, I know why.

Musician Coaching:

Thanks again for your time Tom, this has been great.

————-

If you would like to find out more about Tom’s DVDs and / or get some guidance from him on your live show please visit  www.onstagesuccess.com

I had the opportunity to sit down with a gifted Music marketing executive named Marc Schapiro recently to discuss how new bands should be focusing their marketing efforts. Marc has had a very colorful career working at labels like Mute, Roadrunner, Ferret and Artemis and recently left to start his own marketing company called Branch Marketing collective. During his career he has worked with artists ranging from Prodigy to Steve Earl To Nickelback. Marc is a highly sought after freelance marketing executive / product manager in the world of hard rock and was kind enough to take the time to discuss his craft with me recently.

Music Coaching:
Marc, first of all thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. It is rare most musicians get access to a marketing executive with the degree of experience that you have. Music marketing can cover a wide range of tasks, can you explain what you consider to be your role when working with a band?

Marc:
I have a couple roles when it comes to marketing depending on how I’m working with the band. One of my main concentrations is with “partnership” and “sponsorship” marketing. So basically it is figuring out the band’s demographic and then finding partners for promotions around the record, tour, etc. Once we find the right strategic partners, my role gets a bit more creative in coming up with the actual promotions themselves. Starting with things as basic as logo placements or contests, all the way to the more “experiential” things that involve interaction with the band. Experiential marketing is definitely one of the most important things you can do since that is how a lot of “word of mouth” is spread and it gives fans a more personal connection with the band.

Music Coaching:
What are some must have marketing techniques that every band must have that don’t cost very much?

Marc:
The obvious answer here is the Internet. I’m beating a dead horse, but if a band doesn’t have an updated MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube page, then they might as well not even try to tour or release a record.

Music Coaching:
How do you determine who is the right audience for a band or artist?

Marc:
If I knew the exact answer to this, I’d be a millionaire! What bands don’t realize is that they have so much data at their fingertips. They just need to know how to use it. You can look at your merch sales when opening for certain bands or headlining. You have SoundScan. You have websites like ReverbNation that give you data on your fan base. And if you are running your own site, you need to install Google Analytics (free) which gives you so much information on where people are finding out about you, as well as where they are from.

Besides all the analytical things about the band itself, when finding the right partner, you need to make sure their audience links up. Just because your band is selling a lot at Hot Topic doesn’t mean you should partner up with a hair gel company. The is a term “psychographics” which is like demographics, but its more about the person’s lifestyle. Where do they shop, what do they drink, how often do they go out. I know this all sounds very calculated and more like a college class in statistics, but really it’s just talking about all these things and the next thing you know, you’ll know you fans better than ever.

Music Coaching:
How important is it in your mind that a band have their own website in addition to profiles on the key social networks and why?

Marc:
You definitely still need to have some site outside of the social networking worlds. You never know how young or old your fans might be. They might not be on MySpace or Facebook. They might have firewalls at work where they can’t get this information. When you do your own website, you should make sure your news is on an RSS Feed so people can get updates right into their email inbox if they have problems getting on certain sites while at work or school.

Music Coaching:
I know you work a great deal with branded tours and music and brand partnerships – is this something that you recommend for artists that are just starting out and if so, how?

Marc:
Everyone saw the article that companies are going to spend over 1 BILLION dollars on music venues and festivals this year. So of course everyone wants a piece of it. If you are a new band, don’t expect to get a sponsorship until you have toured and have a record out. There are obviously cases where you might get lucky because you have a friend at a company that will help you out but you need to form your OWN BRAND as a band first. Down the line you can partner with others and form mutually beneficial relationships.

Music Coaching:
As a guy in hard rock you work with bands who spend a great deal of time on the road- is there any advice you would have from a marketing perspective on what a developing artists with limited means could do to market their touring efforts?

Marc:
Yeah, in the hard rock world, we all know that touring is the most important thing you can do. Chances are you aren’t getting on TV or the radio, so the best way to connect with your fans is by putting your stuff in storage and hopping in the van. What if you can’t afford to do this? Well, play local shows. Video tape them. Put them online for the world to see. Also these days, everyone wants limited edition and exclusive items. Look on EBay after ComicCon and you’ll see things going for crazy prices. So, do the same. Make limited edition 7″s and t-shirts. Things people can’t download.

After your show, sit with your fans and sell these items to them directly. Don’t go drinking in your dressing room. I know some bands might want to keep their aura “mysterious” and be the next Tool. But you have a .005% chance of being the next Tool, so go out and meet EVERY fan you can.

Music Coaching:
Talent aside – how do you go about separating your artists from the pack both on social networks and online in general?

Marc:
Be creative. You are going to have fans that are in college and do computer programming. Reach out to them and brainstorm, because they will come to you with some of the most creative ideas since they are outside the industry. Having your fans be part of the creation of your marketing will make them feel even more connected and you’ll have them for a lifetime. And not to sound like a jilted industry guy, but put out f**king good quality music. If you are a new band, don’t put your demo on your MySpace, don’t put up a crap video. There are SO many bands out there that you really only have one chance at a first impression these days. If this means delaying the launch of your site, delay it. Music is the most important part of, well, being a band.

Music Coaching:
In your experience, how important is it to a band’s success that they keep a mailing list and actively communicate with their fans?

Marc:
Everything I’ve said above is about a band focusing on being interactive with their fans. Obviously you don’t need to email them every day with what you had for breakfast, but if you send them announcements first via email (before they read it on the web), then they are going to feel even more special and will probably spread the news even faster.

—
If you are looking for music marketing help, I highly recommend you check out Marc Schapiro and his Company Branch Marketing Collective On an Unrelated note if you are looking for a great New York Bourbon Bar - check out Mark’s new Bar Idle Hands on the lower east side

I am sitting at the edge of the Grand Canyon with a teaspoon trying to fill it in. That’s what marketing and self-promotion can feel like in the digital age or at least, that’s the way it feels to me.

I walked into a cavernous Barnes and Noble last night. They just opened another location by me on East 86th street in New York. I can’t begin to describe how big it is. I’ve lived in Manhattan my entire adult life so I do a double take when I see wasted space- but this? This place is ridiculous. It completely freaked me out. I felt a primal fear that I haven’t felt since Sylvia Rhone (former CEO of Elektra) used to scream at me but that’s a whole other blog post. I’ve spent considerably more time than I originally thought I would writing and creating content for this website and to realize that this one store contained a million or more books and these were just the books that were deemed the best by major publishers meaning the total volume of writing out there is… staggering.

What could I possibly have to offer that wasn’t already written somewhere?

It made me think about the quality of what I write and the quality of my coaching.  You really have to be exceptional to make it these days.  It reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend Mark Hermann recently about “just because you can – should you?”

We were talking about music and how there were no more barriers to entry and how on the one hand – what a wonderful freedom! On the other hand – how can we hear any one thing if we are in a stadium full of people screaming and demanding to be heard? Would we know if one of these voices was the next Beatles? Probably not. I love that image and wish I could claim it as my own but it belongs to Mark and I think he’s right on. One of the larger music management companies in New York has a sign on the door that reads “It’s about the music, stupid.” I think we are very quick to forget that these days.

I have been consulting and coaching artists informally for years but have only really begun Musician Coaching as a business in the last month which is when this site went live. I help people make sure they are in all of the right places online and to make sure that their website accomplishes what it needs to accomplish. I help people by providing a critique of their audio and video materials and their marketing efforts, their live show and the way they approach the people who sit behind one of the many desks where dreams go to die that stand between them and opportunity.

Sometimes I need to spend more time telling people to continue to develop their product and how best to do that because it can be worth the wait. The Beatles wrote a hundred songs before you ever heard note one of their first record and had played covers for several years. R.E.M played pizza joints in Athens Georgia in complete obscurity for a long time. Peter Frampton toured non-stop for three years before recording Frampton comes alive.

I can wake up tomorrow, write and record a song and have it up on MySpace tomorrow but should I? I’m not saying there is anything wrong with doing so but I do think if you are just starting out you should have realistic expectations of your abilities and the level at which you expect people to respond.

Why doesn’t anyone care anymore? It is simply because there is too much mediocrity out there. I say this often “There is no one in the audience because everyone is on the stage.” Cheap recording gear and low or no cost international distribution are now tools that are in everyone’s hands. The music business is no longer an exclusive club – if you’ve got an Internet connection and a mic in jack you can now be considered a member.

“It’s about the music, stupid.” It’s a great reminder. All I am suggesting is write 100 songs and put the best one of those 100 out for people to hear. I am suggesting that if you have to cut your teeth playing live and are struggling making it solo- try to do it as a sideman or a hired gun. 99% of the “overnight success” stories you hear involve someone working their ass off behind the scenes for a long long time before they broke. If you want a good read- check out the Hendrix book “Room Full of mirrors” – Jimmy played 2nd fiddle to a ton of people before going out on his own.

In America there seems to be this feeling that everyone gets their 15 minutes or worse yet- everyone deserves their 15 minutes. We have been sold this vision that at any moment fame and wealth may strike without working for it. There is something tattooed on the back of our brains that somewhere out there Ed McMahon is looking for each and every one of us with an over-sized check and that the rest of our lives will be taken care of from that moment on… I’m all for the Lotto slogan “Hey, you never know” but I’m sure as hell not depending on it.

What is my point? My point is, and I don’t exclude myself, we have to spend less time on marketing and more time making sure we have products that are worth marketing. There is more music out there than ever before- everyone you know is a “musician” or at least a hobbyist and consumers are very jaded. Before shotgunning your product out there and whipping your fans into a frenzy about your new release you had better make damn sure that you have a product that is not only competitive but stronger than most of the stuff you see and hear or it’s over before it starts.

Below are some examples that were sent to major label A&R people recently. How much time and effort would have been saved if these people got feedback from anyone, even their friends and family before putting this out into the world? These are extreme examples but if you wonder why music business people are jaded…take a listen.

Work More on your craft#1

Work More on your craft#2

For those that don’t know Andrew W.K. is a gifted multi-instrumentalist, performer, inspirational speaker, TV host and more recently a club owner. He is probably best known for his single “Party Hard” off of the Album “I get Wet” which was released in 2001 on Island Def Jam. What many people don’t know is in spite of the single “party hard” which became a drinking anthem, there is an enormous amount of depth to Andrew as a performer and a person.

The only comparison I can make is what happened to the Beastie Boys after releasing “fight for your right to party” and the world wrote them off as a one trick pony before they were rediscovered by the public at large as artists of real depth. The difference between the two career paths was that the Beastie Boys released “check your head” with the help of huge corporations in an era when there was still a clear mechanism to break artists. Andrew is out there converting people fan by fan in a new world.  He has been great and finding alternative ways of promoting himself on TV, through speaking engagements and through collaborations with other talented musicians. I learned that Andrew has a very different strategy than most artists…

Musician Coaching:
Andrew thanks for taking the time to speak with me. First of all, you have a record coming out very soon?

AWK:
Yes, that’s correct on Tuesday, September 8th.

Musician Coaching:
Tell me about how you built your following and were first noticed by Island / Def Jam in the mid to late 90s. Obviously people found you to be talented but there must have been a great deal of self promotion involved. Tell me about that…

AWK:
I was fortunate enough to meet several people in New York who were willing to help pass my music out and one of these guys was a man named Spencer Sweeney who I now work on the nightclub with. He helped me get my first few shows in New York and was extremely friendly and outgoing and through him I met his cousin Matt Sweeney who became my first manager that had real connections and vision and experience. It was exciting because just starting out there was nowhere to go but up. Matt got the music to Gary Hellsinger at Universal publishing who I am still working with and Gary signed me and Matt also passed the music to Lewis Largent who had just left MTV for Island / Def Jam and Lewis signed me there. Through Matt Sweeney in the course of about two months it all got going.

I don’t know if this would work for everybody but for my personal experience – I never shopped around and I haven’t really done that in general. I have had more of a faith… When an opportunity came to me I just said yes. A lot of people told me to get second opinions or that I should try to start a bidding war, back when that was more common, or I should try to not make friends with these people and not just go with the first person who wants to work with you.

All of that makes sense in theory. I do agree with that idea of getting a diverse range of opportunities to choose from but with my career for some reason I was just so excited about doing things and moving forward that taking time to decide what to do or which one to choose didn’t appeal to me and still doesn’t. I would rather be actively working and making something than deciding what to make or with whom to make it. Somehow the inertia of doing that makes opportunities come to you in a very natural way. This way you don’t have to be wary of opportunities- you can decide that these opportunities wouldn’t have presented themselves if they weren’t meant to be. That’s not to say I do every single thing but I’d say I do 90% of the opportunities that I am presented with…

When I first started playing with my band, I hadn’t even met them. I trusted a drummer who I had written a letter to, having never met him, and asked him to be in my band. He agreed and formed the rest of my band. Part of me realized it was kind of crazy to put together a band with people I didn’t know but there was something driving that whole era when I was first starting that just took away that kind of worry if this was the right choice. You can always wonder if it was right choice but I’m extremely grateful that these people came into my life and that I took these opportunities when they came up and I didn’t second guess them and I didn’t listen to other people who told me not to do them. A lot of the time I just did the opposite of what people told me to do.

Musician Coaching:
If you were starting over today, given that the world communicates completely differently than when you were first starting out, what do you think you would be doing differently with all of the online tools available or what are you doing differently now? How are you keeping in touch with fans? Can you tell us some things that have worked and maybe some things that didn’t work?

AWK:
I was fortunate enough like a lot of people my age to be able to come up when there weren’t computers like there are now but young enough to appreciate them when they did come around and that’s a unique position to be in. Some of my friends who are maybe ten or so years older the computer is still newer to them and the people ten years younger than me didn’t really experience a time when there weren’t computers or at least they had a lot more time with them. I’ve always really believed in the computer as a tool and a creative instrument as much as a paintbrush is a creative instrument or a guitar is a creative instrument but on a much more powerful level. I enjoy the ways a computer can help an artist to make material, to distribute material and to interact with people about their material.

At first it was kind of strange because it (the online experience) didn’t seem to exist in a real way but the feelings that can be had do exist and the experiences DO exist. So even if it is not a physical copy of a CD or a physical location outside of a computer screen the sensations that I was experiencing and am experiencing and other people are experiencing- those are real. You can listen to a song on Vinyl or over the Internet and sure there are variations in sound quality and texture and color but if the melody of a song moves you it is going to move you either way. I guess I am a big believer in the computer as a way to expand humanity.

Musician Coaching:
What specifically are you doing to engage your fans. I noticed that you are really good at getting back to everybody. Is that what you feel your responsibility is to your fans or…tell me more about what you are doing online.

AWK:
Part of what Andrew W.K. is about is being available and accessible and present and around. It’s a friendly experience. There are all kinds of performers for whom it makes sense to not be as available and I respect that as well. My interactions are more about celebration and friendship and that really lends itself well to the Internet. The Internet is a social phenomenon in so many ways and things like MySpace and Twitter are just perfect. Before those things were really up and running as they are now I was using my website to answer questions from fans and doing everything I could to make it seem like we were in it together. If that works for a band I think it’s great but it doesn’t make sense for every artist. If it does work though, boy, it’s really powerful.

Musician Coaching:
Could you tell me, having been on both sides of the label fence, the pros and cons of being on a label vs. being on your own? What are some of the struggles on either side?

AWK:
Well I really like working with people. Working with anyone is great whether it a band member, a friend or a large record label or a large group of people working together. I was warned that I shouldn’t be friends with the people I worked with, I should keep it on a business level but from my experience when you are working with someone everyday on something you are going to become friends no matter what unless you really don’t get along and in that case you probably shouldn’t be working together anyway. It makes it a lot more fun when it feels like you are part of a team. Ultimately you are all going after the same result and that is a very thrilling and satisfying life experience to have- I hope everybody gets to have that feeling even if it is a sports team. I really like working worth labels but I really like working on my own too.

Musician Coaching:
Speaking of teamwork, let’s talk a bit about your manager Pete who I like and admire a great deal. I notice that you guys have a very different dynamic than most artists and managers – he seems to be more of a peer and collaborator on your music, your marketing and your image than a traditional manager. Would you say that this is unique to both of you or that this is something that this type of relationship is becoming more prevalent in the music business?

AWK:
From my experience not having seen more working relationships there are all types of managers just like there are all different types of record producers. There are record producers who come in and don’t play any music know nothing about music but comes in and says “this sounds good” or “that doesn’t sound good” to me and then there are the kind of producers who can play every instrument on the album and co-write the songs with the musicians. Much like that there are managers who check in on their artists and say “having fun? Okay good, I’ll see you later” it’s almost like they are just there and then there are managers who can really craft the entire idea of what the performer is going to do. They can be so creative that they are almost the artists themselves.

What motivated me to work with Pete was that he looked at Andrew W.K. as entertainment not music and that was the feeling I was having at that time. I didn’t want to just play music- I wanted to be in show business. Pete has helped me learn that there is a difference between someone who is a musician and someone who is an entertainer. Learning that I wanted to be an entertainer was extremely liberating. On the one hand I got this sense of freedom and possibility because I realized I could do anything because so much falls in the realm of entertainment. On the other hand there was a great focus because allowed everything to be very broad but gave me a sense of purpose that I had not previously had.

Musician Coaching:
I recently read that you have just started a label.

AWK:
Yes, I wanted to have the ability to work with other people on music and have a place to release it. I had been working with others and producing other artists and that’s what started the idea of having a label. I am very fortunate to be partnered with Cargo records for manufacturing and distribution. My new record will be coming out on this label as well.

Musician Coaching:
W would you say it is that you do differently that has made you successful? How are you able to open so many doors in TV and press? Is it just that you are easily bored and always seeking out new and interesting (press worthy)? Also how do you manage all of your varied projects – do you find that they help or hinder your music?

AWK:
It does seem that I am busier than ever but the varied projects I do seem to tie in to one another and feed each other. It takes away the feelings of anxiety that I am doing too much. Because of the fact that I enjoy all of the things I am doing and because they all do relate in terms of entertainment. It comes back to the inertia I spoke of earlier that makes it not so overwhelming. I am always trying to broaden myself even if it can feel like contradicting myself and sometimes it can be painful. It can feel like going against some kind of personal integrity. At times we can mistake something for integrity that is actually a fear or a self imposed limitation. So I try to do things that can be very scary and every time I’ve done it- it has opened up new opportunities.

It also helps to be nice. If you are easy to work with… That is probably the number one reason I am still working today.

Musician Coaching:

Well, I always liked you.

——————
Follow Andrew on Twitter

Check out his new record

I recently stumbled across the YouTube clip below. It is old footage of Frank Zappa discussing the music business of several years ago. Having a music career does seem to be different today then when this was recorded but there is still some great truth to his words.