From his site, iWearYourShirt.com:

"In this up and down economy I’m outsourcing my wardrobe (namely shirts) to corporate america and you! I’m going to wear a different shirt for 365 days straight in 2009, take multiple pictures throughout my day and blog about it. Days are sold at 'face value' so January 1 is $1 and December 31 is $365."

Here is an example of what you'd get for your money...

Used to see a lot of this stuff during the the late 90s. Obviously, it still works. Perhaps your band could do something similar... ]]>Well, not his body exactly, but the t-shirt which covers it... From his site, iWearYourShirt.com: "In this up and down economy I’m outsourcing my wardrobe (namely shirts) to corporate america and you! I’m going to wear a different shirt for...noWell, not his body exactly, but the t-shirt which covers it... From his site, iWearYourShirt.com: "In this up and down economy I’m outsourcing my wardrobe (namely shirts) to corporate america and you! I’m going to wear a different shirt for...David HooperWell, not his body exactly, but the t-shirt which covers it... From his site, iWearYourShirt.com: "In this up and down economy I’m outsourcing my wardrobe (namely shirts) to corporate america and you! I’m going to wear a different shirt for...Advertising, Creativityhttp://www.musicmarketing.com/2009/11/man-makes-85000year-selling-his-body.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MusicBusiness/~3/OdCjP4Js_0Q/music-business-shark-tank.htmlGeneral BusinessDavid HooperMon, 02 Nov 2009 17:38:45 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83451720369e20120a63b9c9a970b

I'm not a TV person, so I'm a bit behind on this, but a friend of mine just turned me onto a show called "Shark Tank" (watch on Hulu) and I think it's worth a mention here.

The show is based on a BBC/CBC series called "Dragon's Den" and features entrepreneurs with big ideas, but not enough money to make them happen.  Each episode, a group of self-made millionaires from all corners of the business world take their own money and offer some to these entrepreneurs for a piece of their businesses...assuming the idea is any good and everything is in order.

As I was watching, I noticed some similarities between the entrepreneurs on the show and upcoming musicians.

Here are some "big ideas" that you may find helpful in your music business pursuit, since overlooking these will likely kill your music career before it gets off the ground:

1. Attachment is Deadly

The best example of this is the "Monkey Trap" used in Africa.  Like the aspects of life "attachment" affects, there are several versions of this trap.

How it works...

The trap consists of a container with a hole cut into it just wide enough for a monkey to stick its empty hand into. The container is baited with something attractive to the monkey, such as a nut.

The monkey reaches for bait. The monkey can't take its hand out of the trap as long it's holding the nut.

The monkey could leave at any time simply by opening its hand, but it wants the bait so badly, it will literally stay at the trap and be captured (or clubbed over the head) rather than let go.

It's easy to think, "What a stupid monkey," but we humans do similar things all the time and "Shark Tank" is a great example of this...over and over again.

The best "music business" example I can think of is being attached to songs.  They're like babies and we don't want to change them of give them to somebody else, even though that might mean a better life.

I know a guy who had a great song that caught the attention of an upcoming artist.  He had the option of getting it cut and released or holding on it and working it as an artist himself.

He chose that latter...which turned out to be a big mistake, since the "upcoming artist" was Garth Brooks.

In all fairness, nobody knew Garth would be as big as he is, but even an "upcoming artist" cutting and releasing his song was a sure thing; his record deal was not.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose... Still holding onto an idea (or anything) too tightly will kill it.  100% of zero is zero.

2. Know Your Numbers

What would the Super Bowl be like if nobody was keeping score?

What would gambling be like if no money was involved?

Keep score!  If you don't know how much your albums, live shows, and other expenses are costing your, or how much they're making you, you're shooting yourself in the foot.  Without metrics, you could be losing a fortune and not even know it...or making a fortune and not know you need to do more of that to make even more money.

This works on many different levels...  A club owner isn't going to book you without knowing how many people you're going to bring.  A bank isn't going to loan you money with your publishing catalog as collateral without knowing its value.

Keep track of your numbers.  Know where you're making money and where you're losing it.  Do more of what makes you money and less (or none) of what doesn't.

3. Prove the Concept

Think you've got a great album?  Think your band has what it takes to go national?

Numbers (see above) don't lie and "measurement eliminates argument."  Prove your stuff is good by showing it on a small scale.

Why small? 

For the sake of argument, let's say you only have $1000 to spend.  It's much more effective for you to spend it all in once place, hitting the same people again and again, than spread it out over several places.

Think of it in terms of "flyers."  If you've only got 1000 flyers to hand out, you'll make a much bigger impact on the guy who sees 10 of them than the guy who only sees one.  One flyer, unfortunately for you, isn't enough to do anything.  Put some muscle behind it by focusing your marketing efforts on one area and hitting it hard.

Keep this in mind... If you can do it in one place, you can do it several places.

Humans like to think that we're all different, but the reality is that we've got a lot more in common than not.  If 1000 people make a certain decision, such as buying your music, it's likely that 5000 people will make that same decision, if you do the same thing 5x bigger.  Because of this, it's easy to get a feel for how your music, your marketing, or anything else will do on a massive scale by testing it on a smaller one.

So go "small" to prove what you've got works.  The people you're wanting to get the attention of will get this since nobody in business is going to spend a ton of cash "testing" something on a national audience. They know a better option is to have less risk by working with a smaller audience, so they'll understand.

4. Having Options Means More Money

In business, having more demand than supply is synonymous with getting the most money for what you've got.  When there is only once product (you) and more than one person interested in buying it, the price always goes up.

Do what you can to get more than one person/company interested in what you're doing and you'll get a better deal.  In the music business, this is knowing as a "bidding war."

How do you make a bidding war happen?  Prove the concept and know your numbers.

5. Play Big

The difference between the average musician and the ones who make a ton of cash is how they play the game.  Successful musicians go balls out and take chances.  They don't wait to be discovered, they make discovery happen.

If you watch one of these shows, you'll also see the investment made is based on the person behind the idea, not the idea itself.  The difference between a "good idea" and a successful business is the person (or people) behind it.

Most musicians are like hitch hikers.  They go to the highway with some idea of where they should be going, but not really, they just know where they are right now isn't working for them.  So they wait around for somebody and do things according on somebody else's schedule and plan.

Successful musicians take risks and control their own situations.  They're the ones driving the car.  It it crashes, they take responsibility, but the car goes exactly where they want, not just in the general direction.  And like driving a car, they're constantly evaluating where they are and recalibrating, based on where they want to go.

Ask yourself this question:

Are you just trying to get a little father away from where you are now or are you going somewhere specific? 

6. Bet Everything

You don't get big results by having a "Plan B."  Having something to fall back on gives you an excuse not to work as hard.

If you're really certain of your music business success, why have a backup plan?

Uncertainty is what causes failure. Is this you?  If so, all is not lost... The solution is to work so that you make your success inevitable. 

What are the things you have to have in place to make your music business goals happen?

7. Get Realistic

If you're not honest with yourself and able to get a realistic opinion of where you are now, you'll never be able to improve. 

As I mentioned earlier, "Measurement eliminates argument."

Where do you start?  If I were talking about weight loss, it would be for you to get on a scale.

What is the "scale" for the music business?  Number of gigs you're playing?  Amount of people on your mailing list?  Number of albums sold?  Probably all of the above...and then some.

If you really want to do this, you need to know this information and work to improve it.

The harsh reality...

If you don't have numbers, aren't really committed to this, or have no idea if your "big idea" works, give up the thought of ever really doing this on a big level.  There are too many people who have these things in order and that is who investors, labels, publishing companies, and fans always go with.

Why settle for anything less?  It's doubtful you do coming at it as a music fan.

Regardless of the economy, the state of the record business, or anything else, there is ALWAYS room for great artists and people will ALWAYS pay for it. 

People want art.  More importantly, they want a break from their day-to-day lives and they're looking for somebody to provide it.  This can be you, but you've got to do the work to make it happen.

 Answer These Questions Below:

Let's take you out of the question and pretend you're looking at somebody just like you...

Wanna see something really scary?

Believe it or not, this year, the average American will spend $56.31 on Halloween.  That's down from last year's number, which was $66.54.

How much money is that?  In total, $4,750,000,000.00.

This is according to the Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch.

If you're not doing a special promotion for Halloween, you're leaving money on the table...

Personally, I see Google as one company who can actually pull something off that competes with iTunes.

Thoughts?

Very smart of them to do this.  Releasing free albums online is old news.  This is the next step.

What YOU need to think about is not streaming your live show, although that wouldn't be a bad idea, but how you're going to be the first at something similar.

Nobody remembers who was second.

Post thoughts below...

The Rock Band Network is a revolutionary system which will allow bands, studios and record labels to create and sell playable game content from their master recordings using the same professional tools used by the game's developers.

You will be able to upload and submit your tracks for review by the Rock Band Creators community.  These experienced "rhythm game" players will critique your music and approved tracks will become available in the Rock Band Store and on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.  You'll get a cut of every purchase.

"Don't join the book burners.  Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed.  Don't be afraid to go to your library and read every book..." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

This got me thinking about the music business and how some of the "powers that be" are handling the issue of new technology.  Rather than look at the good it can do, they see the problems-- file sharing, piracy, etc.

You don't have to agree with something to learn from it.  And denying it's a problem will only delay your ability to turn that problem into an opportunity.

For every "problem" file sharing has caused, there have been multiple opportunities...

Let's take a look at basic distribution to press outlets, for example...

How much did it used to cost to get somebody a quality copy of your music?  How long did it take?  How many trees, pieces of plastic, and people were involved to make it happen?

File sharing changed the way the game is played and made distribution better.  For example, let's say I'm doing a last minute interview for Music Business Radio and need to get some broadcast quality music and more info on the act I'm talking to be prepared for it... 

Current technology will let that happen within minutes...not hours or even days.  And this opens up a lot of opportunity to do things, where there might not have been time before.

And taking that same concept of a "digital copy" that can be sent anywhere, almost instantly, think about how you connect with fans.  In the old days, you'd have to go through a writer, who would have to deal with an editor, who would have to deal with a printing deadline, and then work with the postal service to get your message to your fans.  Not only would it take a while, you'd also have the limitations of space, with only so much paper and ink available to you.

These days, it's not a problem.  You can set up a web page, or go on Twitter, or do any number of things which will get your message out, as you intend it, almost instantly.  And since it's in a digital format, you don't have the "lack of space" issues you once had.  Just keep typing until you run out of things to say...

Or post an audio clip, so people can hear what you're saying and really get a sense for the emotion behind it.  Or maybe video is more your style...

And think of how much less this new method costs?

Bottom line is that there is good in everything.  Focus on the opportunities and make the technology work for you.  Learn about it, even the "bad" stuff like file sharing, so you can use it to your advantage.  If you don't you're going to be left behind by somebody who is.

How are you using technology to advance your music business career?  Post thoughts below...

He said something I thought was interesting...

"There is a big difference between playing guitar and playing Guitar Hero."

Duh, right?

You know that, because you're a musician, but I've seen a few kids get the two mixed up.  But, believe it or not, I've seen even more musicians and "business owners" get their situations mixed up...  I'm talking about adults who should know better!

To build on a quote from my friend...  "There is a big difference between being in the music business and pretending to be in the music business."

Those who are really in the music business treat things a different way than those who just pretend to be in it.  They show up for gigs on time, because they know it's important and has a big impact on whether or not they'll get paid.  They promote their gigs, are nice to club owners, sell from the stage, and take advantage of merchandising for the same reason.

This isn't about record deals, fancy clothes, a new van to tour in, brand new equipment, or similar things, which so many musicians get lost in...unless you're actually making money with those things.  Being in the music business is about looking at how you're handling your career, treating your music like the job it is, and asking yourself, "Am I building something by doing this or just doing what I think 'being in the music business' means?"

Just some random, late-night thoughts on differences in the people I come in contact with via email, phone, or in person...  I hope that, if there are some things which need to be tweaked to help you with your long-term music business goals, you'll take an opportunity to do that.

What can you do to bring in more people to shows?

What can you do to maximize music and merch sales?

What can you do to bring in more traffic to your web site?

What can you do to make sure more people hear your music?

These are a few questions you should ask yourself.  Have others?  Post them below.

Want to talk more?  I do a live podcast every Wednesday at 9pm Eastern.  (347) 637-2654 is the number to call me.  Or, if you can't wait, follow me on Twitter and ask your questions there.

And the host asks you something about a situation his audience is interested in...

You're not really feeling up to talking about it...and you tell him.

But his audience is interested, so he asks again...and again.  Like during this interview, for example.

How would you handle it?  Hang up and move on to the next station, answer the question, or something else?  As a celebrity, do you have an obligation to answer questions?

Post what you'd do below...