Indie Ambassador

Weekly Tips Round-Up 5/21 - 5/25

2012-05-25T17:15:50+00:00

This week our contemporaries on the Internet covered the gear you need to record for under $500, when it's right to plug yourself, the role of free music in your bigger picture, the funneling of radio stations over the past 30 years, and what to consider before walking into a professional recording studio.

There's no way musicians in search of advice have the time to read through all the new, helpful content published online every day. We've pulled our four favorite articles from this week and posted them below so you don't have to find the best articles yourself! This week our contemporaries on the Internet covered the gear you need to record for under $500, when it's right to plug yourself, the role of free music in your bigger picture, the funneling of radio stations over the past 30 years, and what to consider before walking into a professional recording studio.

-Aidan

Recording on a Budget

You can’t buy experience and expertise, but in 2012 you can buy audio recording equipment capable of creating a solid album in your room for a reasonable price. Marcus Taylor of The Musician’s Guide breaks it down. (Knowthemusicbiz.com)

Don’t Be That Guy

Many aspiring entertainers incorrectly assume that it can’t hurt to at least try and promote yourself to someone in a position of power. As Wesley Verhoeve emphasizes here, that is far from the truth. It CAN indeed hurt your career, present and future. (Wesley Verhoeve)

Freebies – Right for All?

One never would have thought 15 years ago that giving free music away as bait for more would be the business model of the future. On Music Think Tank, Mark Knight implores DIY artists to give free music away the right way. (Music Think Tank)

Radio Consolidation

This one’s not so much of a tip as it is info to be keen on. As we in Boston learned last week, the last major independent radio station in our city is putting its Clear Channel pants on. This article on Hypebot, while using some deceptive arithmetic, sheds light on media consolidation over the last 30 years using a spiffy infographic. Join the raging debate in the comments if you feel so inclined! (Hypebot)

Studio Prep

We’ve covered studio prep checklists for artists and engineers on a few occasions, and this post from Marcus over at The Musician’s Guide serves as another important reminder on the necessity of recording prep. Data backup, rehearsal, sobriety and more are all covered. (The Musician’s Guide)

Shaker’s 3D Meetup Spot To Rock North America At June 8th Launch With Live Nation, BandPage

2012-05-24T15:27:15+00:00

Shaker won TechCrunch Disrupt SF last year with its 3-D virtual nightclub built on top of Facebook, and June 8th it will finally launch in North America with the help of the music industry’s Live Nation and BandPage.

We all find ourselves staring blankly at the white and blue abyss that is Facebook for portions of our day, and sometimes the "Social" aspect of the site gets pretty lonely. Other social tools like Google Hangouts have yet to be as widely common amongst social networkers, so is there a solution to make sitting at your computer feel more like hanging out with friends? Shaker is planning on doing just that, and has announced that they'll be teaming up with music powerhouses LiveNation and RootMusic (BandPage) to create a live concert experience through their platform. This will aim to create more of an environment to the audience as if they were actually at the concert, rather than watching a live stream. Share your thoughts with us below; could you see yourself using Shaker or does the thought of cyberspace replacing real life socializing make you a little depressed?

-Mike

(TechCrunch.com) - Shaker’s 3D Meetup Spot To Rock North America At June 8th Launch With Live Nation, BandPage

Until then you can sign up for Shaker, and when you do, you’ll get a classic album cover of Bob Marley, The Clash, or another legend remixed with your Facebook photos and data. The partnerships, promotion, and landing page all point to a big focus on music as a social lubricant for hanging out with people on Shaker.

It’s been a wild eight months since Shaker won Disrupt. It raised a $15 million Series A led by Menlo Ventures, and joined by CrunchFund, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors, Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter, Justin Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun, and Israel’s Pitango Venture Capital. It also scored some more money from Motorola Mobility (now owned by Google), threw some online parties for New Year’s Eve and the NBA All-Star Game, and hosted a peace conference featuring Hillary Clinton.

Shaker’s racked up tens of thousands of requests from people wanting to set up their own place to gather online with friends, fellow activists, and sexy strangers. Many of them will get their first chance to party or mingle on June 8th at 7:53pm PST when Shaker launches its first public meeting place.

Read the entire article here!

Capitalizing on your Branded Session

2012-05-24T14:30:57+00:00

Whether you’re an artist that has done a branded video session before, or are planning a session for the coming weeks, it’s important to know how to make the best out of your session.

Whether you’re an artist that has done a branded video session before, or are planning a session for the coming weeks, it’s important to know how to make the best out of your session. Several labels, studios, and other music brands are making use of live-in-studio videos with high quality audio to benefit both the brand and the artist, maximizing exposure for both. Some companies hosting session videos with bands include our friends Audio Tree, RAWsession, Sideshow Alley, TourStop, and even non-music related brands such as Converse (check out Rubber Tracks) and Mountain Dew (check out Green Label Sound).

In our case, Indie Ambassador wants you to be able to use your IAtv session videos as a tool for your benefit! Oftentimes with these sessions, both parties win in the case of good promotion; Artists get additional exposure through a new network, and the brand benefits by having artists with a large fanbase attracted to their content. Here’s a list of a few promotional methods we’ve found work well when promoting your branded video sessions.

Showcase Unreleased Material

Playing an alternate live version, a deep cut, a b-side of your album, or an unreleased song is a great way to take advantage of your session. This offers your band the opportunity to showcase material that your audience might not see otherwise, or promote upcoming music before it is released. Hosting videos of this type in your Presskit is a great way to grant advance, private access to press outlets for early reviews of new material.

Share the video across your Social Networks

Embedding your session videos on your website, or any other social networks your band has across the interwebz can help increase video views. Since Indie Ambassador uses YouTube to host our videos, each view (whether from YT or from an embedded player elsewhere) is counted and contributes to the total number of views. YouTube makes it easy to embed the video on Tumblr, Facebook (via YouTube apps or FBML pages), and even on your own channel as a featured video or part of a playlist.

TourStop Sessions at Mastermix Studios with Mychildren Mybride

Promote on the day of your shoot

If your shoot is on a day that you have a show in that town, do some promoting across your social networks to get local buzz going. Live tweeting and facebook posts with local tags will get it going around the twitterverse. For example, tweeting about your video and tagging @IndieAmbassador or #IAtv can get it floating around the twitterverse and will surely get a retweet on our end! Capturing behind-the-scenes footage with mobile tools such as Viddy can help to compile a teaser video, or could be uploaded directly to Facebook during the shoot.

B Roll

If any member of the band has downtime during setup, why not take some b-roll on your phone or camera? Fans love updates from their favorite bands while they’re on the road, and don’t always need to be hearing music. They like to hear what you have to say as well! Think of this as an opportunity to give a fun journal update from the road. Because this update snippet will take little to no editing time, you can post it online soon after it’s recorded and use it as more way to promote the upcoming session video.

Behind-the-scenes footage of Love in Stockholm's IAtv Session

Submit your Video to blogs

Although you’ve probably done this step before for past reviews of music or shows, submitting your videos to music blogs is a great way to get more eyes on your goods. It’s important to remember that blogs are capable of more than just text, so reach out to those that have reviewed your content before or are similar in taste to your music, and they’ll hopefully review and embed your videos. Hypemachine is a great tool that musicians can use to track the places that their music has been written about before.

Be on your Performance A-Game

Although not everybody has the same experience with being in front of a camera (whether it be a photo or video shoot), recreating the stage presence that you would hold in your live show will make your video more representative of you as an artist. Trying to recreate your live performance in the studio will present the best results to both you and your audience. So if you’re the headbanging type, the animated type, or simply just smile, pretend the video crew is your hometown audience and recreate a live performance to the best of your ability.

Ghost Thrower's IAtv Session

Preparation

Much like with a live show, you’ll want to make sure that everything logistics wise is taken care of before the shoot. Sending a stage plot or input list to the audio/visual crew will surely go a long way, and will help them prepare the studio to better accommodate you. Furthermore, if you send along a recording of the song, it might help give the crew a better idea of how they’ll go about handling the audio, as well as the visual direction that best suits your musical style. If these things aren’t taken care of in advance, then the longer it will take the crew to set up and the more rushed you’ll feel when performing.

The Cover Session

It should be pretty apparent by now that you’re bound to get more attention for a video of you playing a famous song on YouTube than you are for playing an original. We’re not suggesting you play cover songs during your firs session, but if you already have a lot of other sessions under your belt in which you play originals, it might not be a bad idea to throw a cover out there every now and then. In cases like that of Karmin, covering songs in a unique way sent them soaring to the top and into the arms Ellen Degeneres, QuestLove, SNL and Epic Records. However, keep in mind that licensing fees do come into play on YouTube when you cover another artist’s song, and the original songwriters will be privy to their cut of any money generated from a cover session.

Thank Your Hosts!

Like we said earlier, these session videos are mutually beneficial for both bands and brands. However, as difficult as it is to monetize these videos on the brand side (they’re usually considered part of a marketing budget or a loss leader), chances are it will do more for your band’s career than it will for the brand’s future. This means it is absolutely essential you thank your hosts when in person during the shoot and afterwards on all online promotion. Being polite will pay dividends should the brand ever want to work with your band in another respect down the road.

A Lot Like Birds interview on TourStop at Mastermix

Get creative with your promotion!

Any other tools that your band has found useful in the promotion game should be used in promotion of your videos! Whether it’s word of mouth, social tools, or press writeups, getting the word out about your branded video session will help with the overall exposure and reach of your content. Remember, you have a great tool for your band, why not let the world know about it?

How the Moog Became a Moogle

2012-05-23T17:28:49+00:00

Bob Moog, also known as the grandfather of electronic music, was born May 23, 1934. He built the very first synthesizer, “The Moog.”

Bob Moog, also known as the grandfather of electronic music, was born May 23, 1934. He built the very first synthesizer, “The Moog.” You can thank him for advances in electronic music and any of your favorite electronic genres. If he hadn’t created the Moog you could say goodbye to 8-bit, techno, and chiptunes. Technically we can even credit Bob Moog for dubstep, but I’ll let you decide whether to thank Bob or curse him for that one.

-Cheryl

(VentureBeat) Wondering why Google’s homepage is a working synthesizer today?

Google is celebrating the birthdate of Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. How? Oh nothing major, they just converted the logo on the most-used search engine in the universe into a working synthesizer. Users can record their creations to their Google+ pages for public sharing, similar to last year’s Les Paul tribute.

The interactive Google Doodle was created by “Chief Doodler” Ryan Germick and Google Engineer Joey Hurst, and took nearly four months of development. Hurst spent his free time (where Google allows its employees to do whatever they want) building the synthesizer, but it wasn’t until the recent Web Audio API was added to Google Chrome that the project finally reached its full potential.

Interview w/ Cab 20 Manager Tom Callahan on VC Funding

2012-05-23T14:06:53+00:00

You may have heard of the reality show Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs present their ideas to a panel of investors, or 'sharks.' These 'sharks' decide whether the entrepreneurs' ideas are worth their cash. Tom Callahan, manager of southern Californian rock band Cab 20, saw this as an opportunity to explore an alternative way of funding the band's music.

You may have heard of the reality show Shark Tank, where entrepreneurs present their ideas to a panel of investors, or 'sharks.' These 'sharks' decide whether the entrepreneurs' ideas are worth their cash. Cab 20 manager Tom Callahan saw this as an opportunity to explore an alternative way of funding the band. Their initial proposition of $200,000 in cash for 20% of all Cab 20 revenues (other than publishing) was modified by the investors to the tune of $200,000 in exchange for 50% of these same revenues. Tom ultimately turned them down but gained insight into the world of venture capitalism in the process. We interviewed Tom to see what other bands could learn from Cab 20's foray into a new kind of funding for musicians.

Indie Ambassador: Where did the idea of trying to fund the band like a startup with VC money come from?

Tom Callahan: I had seen the show and thought it was fascinating, and they had never had a band on before....I bumped into a friend of mine and the subject came up and he said he was friends with the executive. Producer Clay Newbill. So I just took it from there.

IA: Can you give us the specifics of the deal you were proposing? Why did you decide to leave publishing revenue out of the equation?

Tom Callahan: Well the way the show works is you can always increase the money you are asking for but not come down. So rather than ask for a large sum I was using the publishing as an incentive to get more money. They didn’t come in in price and I wasn’t going to give the pub away unless it was substantially more money

IA: If you would have secured the money, what would you have used it for?

TC: The money would have been used for tour support, maybe a promoter for an indie single to radio, buying a van, internet marketing....maybe shoot a more expensive video?
Money goes quick.

IA: Would the equity holders have had any influence on your creativity?

TC: None haha

IA: Do you think fundraising is how bands will take off in the future? Are the days of slowly generating more revenue through traditional avenues like EP sales and smaller shows over?

TC: I think it is definitely an option. Kickstarter and others seem to generating favorable outcomes

IA: Do you think going after investors is a smart idea for every band? At what point in a band’s existence is it right to try and raise funds in return for equity?

TC: I think when you are ready to take that next step and the resources are just not there. There is
always a way however with or without money. Money can hasten the result.

IA: Did anyone in the band have an ethical issue with it?

TC: At first the leader of the band Bert wasn’t so sure, but it wasn’t and ethical issue it was more of a coolness issue. But they had a great time doing it and they are smart guys and understood the benefits of it. Let me say here though appearing on the show wasn’t all about the money it was as much about performing in front of 7 million viewers and using the publicity angle. There were no guarantees I would be offered the money.

IA: Is there anything as exciting as reality television in Cab 20’s future, or are you taking a break from the extreme?

TC: We will be doing a mudwrestling event where Bert will wrestle anyone for $1. If he wins you owe him $2

Crocodiles

2012-05-22T15:03:28+00:00

The Band:
Crocodiles

The People:
Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez

Current Projects:
Endless Flowers release

Hometown:
San Diego, CA

Links:
Facebook | Twitter | Blogspot | Buy

Well, we’re here. We’ve finally made it to the end of our Presskit.to Bus Session videos. Sob. The good news is that we have a nice wind-down session to close out the set from Crocodiles.

For some reason the name Crocodiles sounds right for a noise pop band hailing from Southern California. It makes even more sense when you learn that the duo of Charles Rowell and Brandon Welchez sport a thorny us against the world mentality, or that they come from a place they consider next to dead on the artistic scale. This semi-jaded outlook in understandable for two guys who’ve been at it for over a decade in various musical incarnations that puttered out, and have grown tired of all those stereotypical band musings like eating ramen and having the van break down.

As we’ve seen in past Presskit session articles, the spurring event that starts building a band’s momentum often comes from an unexpected angle. In the case of Crocodiles, they got mentioned as part of noise pop contemporary act No Age’s year-end best-of List on Stereogum, and the resulting excitement around them was enough for Fat Possum to take note and release their debut, Summer of Hate.

Just to recap, in the past three weeks we’ve had bands generate buzz for doing things like making exercise videos (Crocodiles also made an infomercial), signing on to act lead in a movie in Jamaica, and now just for being approved by the right band in the right place at the right time. Since then, Crocodiles has recorded albums with Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford (2010’s Sleep Forever), and is now one of the most loudly buzzing bands around in the weeks before their upcoming full length, Endless Flowers.

Listen to the duo’s lo-fi, stripped down version of “Stoned to Death” as played on the Presskit.to bus in the player above, and catch them on tour in Europe and in the States this summer if you’re a fan.

LMFAO on Winning Six Billboard Music Awards, Michael Jordan Comparisons

2012-05-22T15:00:14+00:00

I'm sexy and I know it.

Listen, these party rocking clowns do more than just wiggle back and forth in their music videos. Between winning 6 billboard awards, having the funniest dance moves at their performances, and creating a full-on lifestyle brand around their image, LMFAO is certainly taking a new direction to paving a road to success in the music industry. With their recent appearance at the Billboard awards, the group compared their energetic live show to the great Michael Jordan, and stood behind a student being suspended for endorsing their music. No matter how you slice it, these guys are building a lifestyle and following around their music that's unique to themselves, and it's hard not to be a fan.

I'm sexy and I know it.

-Mike

(Billboard.biz) - LMFAO on Winning Six Billboard Music Awards, Michael Jordan Comparisons

First major music award:
Redfoo: "It feels great; a dream come true. We've been thinking about this moment, dreamed about it and obsessed about it. Now it's finally here."

Their energetic peformances:
Skyblu: "We're like athletes. Some artists just stand and sing. We perform two hours per show and do two shows a day. So we're like Michael Jordan."

Starting new tour this week:
Redfoo: This will be the first time we've performed together in a while due to Sky's back injury. It's going to be exciting, brand new all over again. Two dudes wiggling, shuffling, saying some jokes between songs and really connecting with the people and giving them the whole LMFAO party rock experience."

Why their music appeals to all ages:
Redfoo: "It's centered around making people wanna have fun, dance to; it's dance party music that you can celebrate to. People will tell us 'I played your song at my wedding; my kid can't talk but he's wiggling and stuff to your music.' And the Denver kid who got suspended for saying he's sexy and he knows it: … the school should rethink it's actions. The kid is just being a kid … so for the school to do that, they should have brought in the parents and talked it out or tweeted us. To that family: we support the family and that kid. If he wants to come to the show and come onstage, he can wiggle onstage with us. There it is."

Read the entire article here!

Weekly Concert Picks (Boston) 5/21-5/28

2012-05-21T19:07:34+00:00

Every week, resident tastemaker Taylor Pile (FSOJ, Mirror Lady) lists the Boston area's must see concerts. This week's bands include Rancid, Polyphonic Spree, Ila Mawana, Ribs, Thrice and more!

Event: Rock Shop -- Future of Music Coalition presents Money from Music
Date: Monday, May 21st
Venue: Great Scott
Why: This presentation will be part of the "Money from Music" research survey conducted by the Future of Music Coalition in September-October 2011. With results from more than 5,000 US musicians who took the survey, the presentation provides data that illustrates how musicians in a variety of genres are now earning income, and that can help other musicians to create smarter strategies for making music, marketing their music, and earning money from their music. Besides Rock Shop's credentials, it’s a great place to hang out and meet like-minded people in the industry. Also, Great Scott has picklebacks, which is one of the more important drinks a bar can possess.

Show: Rancid
Date: Monday, May 21st
Venue: House of Blues
Similar Artist: NOFX, Operation Ivy
Why: First, because Rancid is on of the best punk bands of all time. Secondly, there is a great chance that you will see our CEO Ben Maitland-Lewis fanboy-ing out in the middle of the crowd like a 15 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert.

Show: Polyphonic Spree
Date: Tuesday, May 22nd
Venue: Paradise Rock Club
Similar Artist: The Flaming Lips, The New Pornographers
Why: In my opinion, this is one of those bands worth checking out even if you haven’t listened to them. It’s feel good psychedelic-rock--as long as you are down to have a good time, I find it pretty impossible for you not to do so.

Show: Ila Mawana
Date: Wednesday, May 23
Venue: Brighton Music Hall
Similar Artist: SINIZEN, Burning Spear
Why: Extremely talented, “pocket” Reggae. My really good friends Hayley and Jesse from Hayley Jane and The Primates are in this band. I know them personally to be great musicians, but the band in its entirety is also incredible.

Show: Ribs
Date: Friday, May 25th
Venue: TT The bears’
Similar Artist: Queens of the Stone Age, Coldplay
Why: Ribs continue to grow as one of Boston’s most notable live acts. Anytime they are playing in the area someone is always asking me, “You going to the RIBS show tonight?” That’s because their music translates live just as well as it does on their record. In other words, this is a highly recommended way to spend your Friday.

Show: Thrice, Animals as Leaders, O’ Brother
Date: Saturday, May 26th
Venue: Royale
Similar Artist: --
Why: The reason I mention all three bands on this bill is because they are all FUCKING SICK. Note: this show is sold out but I literally just saw 2 tickets off craigslist for 40 bucks, so if you think this lineup is as sick as I do, start searching online. If you don’t know much about these bands I personally wouldn’t bother.

Weekly Tips Round-Up 5/14-5/18

2012-05-18T18:30:39+00:00

There's no way musicians in search of advice have the time to read through all the new, helpful content published online every day.

There's no way musicians in search of advice have the time to read through all the new, helpful content published online every day. We've pulled our four favorite articles from this week and posted them below so you don't have to find the best articles yourself! This week our contemporaries on the Internet covered booking gigs outside your hometown, things to have in place before you market your music, how to approach a music supervisor, and how not to build a fan base.

-Aidan

Booking in New Territory

Ever have difficulty landing gigs in a new market? Of course you have. Everyone has. Checkout Last Stop Booking owner Simon Tam's advice on other performance ideas when you can't just book that traditional venue-based gig. (Music Think Tank)

Marketing 101

Most of you will be familiar with these music marketing basics, but a sold refresher never hurts! CD Baby's DIY Musician Blog highlights the 5 things you must have before you start marketing your music. (CD Baby)

Catching the Attention of a Music Supervisor

Everyone is constantly talking about the importance of licensing revenue these days. If you think your music would fit well on certain TV shows, then check out Musician Coach Rick Goetz' interview with music supervisor Rebecca Reinks. She has some good advice on how indie artists should approach music supervisors in general. (Musician Coaching)

Want fans? Don't Do These Things...

It might be a week old, but this list of how not to build a fan base is pretty great. (Fan Bridge)

Live Concert Streaming Through Facebook?

2012-05-18T17:00:39+00:00

Live streaming concerts is a trend that's been picking up some steam lately, and now it's possible to do through Facebook using a service called Evinar.

Live streaming concerts is a trend that's been picking up some steam lately, and now it's possible to do through Facebook using a service called Evinar. Check out Hypebot's rundown of the company below, and let us know if you'd ever be selling concert tickets for a live stream through facebook in the comments!

-Aidan

(Hypebot) Monetizing Music Videos & Live Shows With Evinar & Gyroskope

Both Evinar and Gyroskope are services that musicians can use to monetize streaming video. Evinar focuses on livestreaming via Facebook while Gyroskope features videos for which customers pay to stream as often as they like. Neither service is exclusive to musicians but both seem potentially useful to musicians attempting to diversity their revenue streams.

Please let us know what you think about these options in the comments. And please consider answering this question, what are you looking for as a musician seeking to monetize video on the web?

Evinar - Monetize Live Concerts on Facebook

Evinar offers the ability to sell tickets and livestream concerts via Facebook. Evinar takes a 40% cut of ticket sales but you can also offer concerts for free.

The process seems pretty simple from setting a date and ticket prices to using their dashboard to invite your friends and fans via social media. Viewers can buy tickets ahead of time via the Evinar Facebook tab which will display a stage image with a live countdown.

Read the entire article here!