Musical Etiquette: The Fine Art of the Myspace Page

Dear Musical Etiquette:

My band has tasked me to get our Myspace page set up and get a million profile views. I've never set up one before but I've been on Myspace for a long time and I know how other bands do it. Is there any advice you can offer me?

XXXXX

Myspace remain relevant as a great resource for musicians to post and promote their recorded music and keep their fans appraised as to new shows and happenings within the band. Where else can I see blog posts about a bands crazy next door neighbors and house pets? As far as I can tell that is all that remains at Myspace, ten million bands all promoting the crap out of themselves to other bands, promoters and music bloggers. There is some competition to Myspace that I can recommend. Last.fm provides good media management tools and purchasing links for the interested musician. Facebook has some rudimentary tools for musicians but as I've never used them, I cannot either recommend them or throw them into the flaming pits of hell. I digress.

Myspace is a pit of despair.

As previously mentioned by fellow blogger Amber Dawn, there is a dangerous tendency towards ocular mugging in the creation of a Myspace page and the hand of restraint is needed. Make sure that your page is simple, easy to read, easy to find the relevant information and that the color scheme doesn't cause your viewers vertigo or projectile vomiting. Here's a partial list of things that should never occur on a Myspace band page:

• Fucking Animated Glitter
• Blinking Logos
• Autoplay
• Webcam Bio Pictures
• Pleading
• Last Login January 15th, 1857

Please use it and respond

As to that last point above: If you are going to go through the trouble of creating a Myspace page use it. For fucks sake if I send you a message and it takes three months to get a reply I will never look at that page again. You don't need to hang out all day like a 12 year old with a crush but DO look at the thing at least once a week. As I've said the only possible use of Myspace is for music promotion and if you don't actually do any interaction..... well that's not really promotion is it?

Everyone is influenced by Radiohead

It's true. If you have touched an electric guitar at any point past February 1993 you are probably influenced by Radiohead. It's alright. Even you Utter Snobs who hold them in the lowest possible opinion have got a touch of it. You can't avoid it. Please don't bother to mention this. Everyone already knows.

So who are you influenced by?

If I like the "soulful aching harmonies of Elliot Smith" will I like your band? Maybe. Music is funny that way. Be honest about your influences (exception: Radiohead) and try to represent them honestly. If your Myspace page tells me that your primary influence is the Pixies and you sound like every other shitball radio friendly Disturbed clone I will laugh so hard you will hear it clear across the internet. On the other hand, tell me that Mudvayne is your fucking hero and I might believe you. In fact, you just won a little respect in my eyes. Not many people are willing to own up to this being their primary influence.

Update Your Music Please

If you are interested in repeat visits to your Myspace page, add new songs on occasion. Refresh the list and provide the visitor with something they can't get anywhere else. Upload your drunken practice from last night, a song your wrote on the front porch with some friends, it really doesn't matter. Remember that the entire point of social media is to make a real connection with people and if you don't break out of the traditional top-down media distribution methods then you aren't using these tools to their fullest extent. Give me something unique and I can guarantee I'll be back to listen.

Focus on the music

The tendency with these things is to go all out. You hire a PR firm to design a logo, pay an ITT graduate to build your profile and then get yourself 30,000 followers. All this cost you the entire sum of money you had earned from two years of shows, the 5 large your Mom lent you and every penny earned from part time jobs. On the other hand you have no gas money for the van, no money to cover beer and haven't recorded or written anything in the month since you decided to be "big time". You, my friend, have just made a very large mistake.

I listen to music. It's a thing I'm into. When I go to a bands Myspace page I load it in the background and listen while I work on something else. The music is the only thing I pay any attention to and if it fails to impress, the slick background image you've uploaded won't do anything to change that.

In summary:

• Keep it simple
• Use an eyeball friendly color scheme
• Don't waste your money on crap
• Respond to people
• Rock on

Until next time sweet music fans,

Eriq Nelson


Do you have a burning question in your heart? I have Tums. Hit me.

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Music Marketing: Making money the new fashioned way!

Here is a great article about a new trend in making money in the music industry. This industry isn't going anywhere. Making money is still possible. Everyone from labels to unsigned musicians are figuring out a new way of doing it. This article was published in 2007. It's proving to be quite accurate:



Music's New Trickle Up Economics
by Jason Rosenbaum, The Seminal October 30th, 2007

For years, the music industry has operated using top-down economic structures. A&R men recruited bands for labels, who in turn asked artists to sign away the rights to their creations. The bands recorded albums using label money and these albums were promoted through mass media to the American public. Label executives played public taste-maker, deciding what kind of music was “in” and what wasn’t worth recording, let alone promoting. Labels controlled the means of record distribution and collected the vast majority of the profits. Bands were lucky if $1 or $2 of a CD’s purchase price made its way to their wallets. Money in the record industry flowed from the top and was collected at the top, while quality seemed to largely decline.

At one time, there was good reason for this structure. Creating and marketing an album was expensive. Recording studios, filled with esoteric gear operated by highly skilled professionals, were expensive to build and operate. Albums reproduced on vinyl, cassette, or CD were expensive to manufacture and package. Radio and television stations, as well as other mass media outlets, charged premium prices to promote musical products. Courtney Love put the cost to a label of recording and promoting an album at $4.4 million dollars. Steve Albini of Nirvana fame puts it at almost $1 million. No matter what numbers you use, that’s serious cash.

As Albini and Love point out, the artists themselves didn’t need to invest a lot (at least up front) to be signed to a label, but they didn’t realize the majority of the profits either. Love estimates that a band that sells a million records makes $45,000 a year, or about as much as they would have earned working at 7-11. Albini is more pessimistic, arguing that a band who sells 250,000 records (a more reasonable number) actually owes the record company $14,000 when all is said and done. Meanwhile, the label grossed $6.6 million or $710,000 respectively. read more...

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Service Announcement: There's No Place Like Home

Would you be shocked to find out that people actually read blogs? Okay then would you be shocked to know that there is a lady named Evy who wants to get to know your band and then possibly write about you and/or do a podcast interviewing you?

Well both are true. Do the math.

The following is a message from one of CIMTB's favorite friends, the wonderful Evy Metal. Evy runs an 'online guide to kick ass rock and roll in your own backyard'. -- Ste. Goldie


Photo of Portland band, Prize Country at an interview for Evy Metal


----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Evy Metal
Date: Jun 29, 2008 2:31 PM


The name does not limit the types of bands Evy wants to talk to - looking to hear from any bands who are actively playing shows, recording, touring and interested in a little promotion. THERE ARE NO STRINGS ATTACHED - NOT NOW - NOT EVER.



Evy Metal is at full speed with her own recording/editing set up. Plans are to post 2 interviews a month. If you have an upcoming tour or CD release you would like to promote, or if you just want to get your name out there - get your band on the schedule now; the timing of your interview posting will be in conjunction with whatever you are promoting.



Evy Metal is all about the music ~ there are no fees ~ no strings ~ no obligations.

You show up for the interiview prepared to talk about your band and your music - Evy does the rest. Okay, one thing and one thing only is requested ~ promote the interview on MySpace or through whatever methods you have available.



Are you ready? Contact Evy here on MySpace or at evymetalpdx@gmail.com

IF YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED TO ONE OF THE PODCASTS - PLEASE GO TO THE WEB SITE - www. evymetal.

com - LISTEN TO ONE OF THE AWESOME INTERVIEWS WITH PRIZE COUNTRY ~ MORA TAU ~ MADRASO

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Indie Music Marketing Tip o' the Morn: Don't Self Promote Like a Jackass!

Reading Seth Godin's blog this morning reminded me of something I've been meaning to share with you.

When you post a Myspace bulletin don't start with the stand by:

I'm awesome so check me out!

Try as statement more like this:

The awesome was so strong that I had to surrender to the magic that was being created. Will you join me in the awesome?

THE SAME GOES FOR FRIEND REQUESTS!

1. Don't assume people are going to think your music is awesome. Especially if you aren't even checking out their interests or your 'mutual friends'.
   
   
2. If you go on a Myspace friends binge consider spending some quality time doing it. Get to know your neighbors and start building a network not just a large friends count. Ask them who their favorite local band is or something.
   
   
3. Offer your new friend something in return. "if you are at the show come introduce yourself and I will get you a copy of our sample EP..."

image from i am bored

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Indie Music Marketing: Blogs and Online Press Kits (and a plea for love)

The Joggers are on tour check out there blog and look at how awesome their Portland indie music blog is.

By the way if you are in a band and want to have a sweet online press kit check out the one AristeiA did posted on their blog...

Death and The Maiden by Egon Schiele

***********************

Dear Real and Imagined Readers of This Blog,

What I really wanted to blog about is:

We are not getting paid nor does this blog drive traffic to a business website (I wish there was a Crappy Indie Music Industries that would be hilarious). We drive traffic to other blogs and MUSICIANS AND BANDS...

If you blog about Portland Music and you are reading this blog please leave a comment. I would like to strongly encourage those of you who blog for local newspapers (ie; The Mercury or Willamette Week) to introduce yourself.

And if you leave a comment please feel strongly encouraged to use your name and add the url that would direct us to your blog. We love you. Why don't you love us?

-- Ste. Goldie

PS do it for the kids man

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They blogged it so hard!

Here is an example of a great band blog. And the band is not horrible.

....Linking to the blog.
End Blog Post

-- Ste. Goldie

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Northwest Noise: My Champion!

Oh I feel in love with Northwest Noise. If you love to read about NW music and multimedia I think you will fall in love as well.

Subscribe to the Northwest Noise RSS Feed go here: http://www.northwestnoise.com/rss/

Check out this article about Vision + Hearing.

Northwest Noise was also gracious enough to link to our blog!

When you visit Northwest Noise please be sure to check out the column on the right hand side. Scroll to the bottom of the page and check out the link list called "Huge Enemas". It is sure to be a family favorite.

-- Ste. Goldie

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Unlease your inner Indie Music Dominator! Write a blog!

Marketing is not just about wasting natural resources like florescent pink 8 1/2 x 11 inch pieces of paper.

It is about SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.

If you have a band, recording studio, record store or t-shirt company you need a blog.

Blogs are:

web·log (wĕb'lôg', -lŏg') pronunciation
n.

A website that displays in chronological order the postings by one or more individuals and usually has links to comments on specific postings.

That is what they are defined as at answers.com, but what they really are:

1. Current, relevant, topical information posted in bite size chunks
2. Specific in scope.
3. Open dialogs
4. Found by people looking for answers.
5. Published at the rate of 3-7 times a week
6. Written by people are enthusiast and knowledgeable about a certain, specific subject or just plain clever

INTRIGUED? Then leave a comment. Ask me what you want to know.

As a self proclaimed member of the Web 2.0 revolution I ask you to join me! This epic journey into online marketing of your crappy indie band or whatnot will take you to new heights! IT MIGHT EVEN GET YOU THE #1 SPOT ON A GOOGLE SEARCH!!!
USE YOUR REAL NAME or BAND NAME or BUSINESS NAME

When you leave a comment you are getting a hit on the web!

Plus -- we don't have anything to hide here. The internet is not just for stalkers. It's for real people who are living a real life. Leaving comments using your real name or at least a link to your site builds your online reputation. (ask me why that's important if you care!?

Sincerely with an overly abundant supply of sunshine on a cloudy day in Tehran 4eva,
Goldie Davich*

P.S.
Here if you are hot to learn:
Here is a blog guru: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Here is where you can start one for free:
Blogger http://www.blogger.com/
WordPress http://wordpress.org/
TypePad http://www.typepad.com/

OR:
Start with your myspace blog and make it PUBLIC


*this my real name, the link is suppose to be a joke.

**photo credit dailymail.co.uk and yes that is Tony Robbins

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