Okay, I’m always looking for ways to make the process of going through submissions better. So I’ve come up with alternative way for indie artists to not only submit projects for me to check out, but also to expose it to the rest of the community. How I plan to do this is by creating a thread on the IndieHipHop Facebook page once a week where I’ll allow rappers, producers, or any other creative hip hop media to be posted on that thread.
There’s close to 7,000 fans currently on the page, so those posting will be exposing their music or links to other Read the rest of this entry »
1. Posting the same content across every social media platform:
This is a common mistake artists make. Why follow you on Twitter if you’re posting the same content you post on your Facebook page? Some things work better on one platform than on the other. This is particularly annoying when I’m Facebook friends with someone, become a fan of their page, and see their content in my timeline posted twice from both sources. Learn when to separate and diversify your feed of information.
2. Trying to manage too many social media profiles:
You don’t need to have a profile on every social media platform. If you focus your networking energies using a only a few of them, you’ll find greater success than if Read the rest of this entry »
You work hard to create something you think is great. Getting that something noticed oftentimes feels like the most challenging part of the process that is to follow. Marketing itself can be creative and artful at times. Promotion can be costly. Developing the plan for it all can be time consuming. How do you get them to press play? How do you make them a believer? Hey, maybe posting that same video to the same group of friends everyday on Facebook will work. Buy some YouTube views or go ape shit blasting your email list and social networks.
The truth is, we’re all growing numb to it. When overexposed, viruses sometimes become resistant to antibiotics in the same way we have become resistant to the overexposure of traditional marketing and advertising. We ignore your pleas for attention without even thinking about it. It’s almost a knee-jerk reaction. Admit it, you do it to others. You’re the hot chick in the club that’s been approached all day by dudes using the same lame ass delivery. She’s not a Read the rest of this entry »
It was only a matter of time before the tech savvy geniuses behind YouTube caught up with those gaming their system. But who knew that the punishment would be so sporadic and severe? The massacre started a little over a week ago, and even major labels, Sony and Universal, were stripped of 2 billion fake views.
Some are just having some of their views removed. Some had their videos taken down with a warning or explanation. Others have had their videos removed with no notice at all. I personally know a few who have been hit. Some of them had the only existing copy of Read the rest of this entry »
Social networks like Facebook oftentimes switch shit up on you whenever they feel like it. And it sucks that you’re powerless to do anything about it. These changes can have huge effects on your marketing and promotional strategy. Recently, this is exactly what Facebook did with their Pages. Facebook is now restricting your posts from reaching the majority of your fans because they’d like you to pay for that reach.
You’ve probably already noticed that lately the number of fans seeing your Facebook page updates has decreased tremendously. Now, depending on Read the rest of this entry »
1. A creative video or visual can make your music more interesting:
If done right, a video can make an otherwise uninteresting song interesting. It can also give a more powerful impact to the message that you are trying to convey in your music.
2. Easy sharing:
Uploading a video to a service like YouTube makes it much easier for you and your fans to share it. Mp3′s oftentimes max out the capacity of email inboxes, causing recipients to trash emails with attachments to clear out space. Links to your video, sent via email, don’t burden the recipient with this problem. The experience of listening Read the rest of this entry »
How do I make my video go viral? This is a question I get asked often. It’s as if there’s a magic formula, out there somewhere, that can be applied to any video to make this possible. There isn’t one.
Want your video to be seen by millions of viewers? Create something that makes it hard for viewers not to share it. If you’re not a mainstream icon with a fan base eagerly waiting for your next visual, you better take the time to create something irresistibly buzz-worthy.
Before you finish your next video, think; Will this video entice the viewer to share it with his friends? Is there an element or scene in the video that compels the viewer to watch it again?
If the answers to either of these questions are no, then you don’t have a viral worthy Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s part 1 and part 2 of a MUST WATCH interview of marketing guru, Seth Godin by publicist and author, Ariel Hyatt . They discuss the new music industry and what the mindset of indie artists should be today. This interview should be bookmarked and revisited every time you think you’re losing your motivation to pursue your dreams in this. It’s good stuff!
If you don’t have a fan list, you need to start building one. What I’m referring to is a list of people and their email addresses. But this is not just any list. You don’t just put any email address you can grab on it.. This list should only consist of those who have taken the time to purchase from you, come out to a show, or genuinely take an interest in your music.
It’s okay if the list consists partially of relatives.It’s also okay if this list starts out small. In fact, I encourage you find reasons to take people off the list. What if you had of just 20 people to start with, and you knew that those 20 people were passionately into Read the rest of this entry »
This is an excerpt from our e-book Online Grind, Hip Hop Directory
Some artists will never know why they aren’t getting their music submissions accepted, or why they never receive a reply. A large percentage of them make some very avoidable mistakes. After running a blog for over 3 years, these seem to be the most common…
1. Bad Subject Headings:
Artists, when sending music via email, often put very bad titles into the subject heading of their messages. If you haven’t established a personal relationship with the recipient, a simple subject heading like “music submission” is usually enough to tell the receiver what the nature of the email is.
Subject headings like. “CHECK THIS OUT!!” or “NEW RELEASE” mean nothing to a recipient who doesn’t know who you are.
As the widely respected and well connected CEO of Total Access Talent, Melissa Sessoms is a veteran with some of entertainment’s biggest artists at her fingertips. Formerly a publicist at Sessoms PR she has advanced into the booking realm.
Lola Sims: Tell us about Total Access Talent?
Melissa Sessoms: Formerly Sessoms PR, Total Access Talent, Inc, is an international celebrity procurement and communications firm with limitless capabilities we are multi-lingual and the bottom line is, we get the job done! At Total Access Talent, Inc, success is the standard by which we operate; as we help our clients reach and maintain key milestones. Our clients not only benefit from our expertise and execution, but they also enjoy success based on the results of our efforts—from the ground upwards, we are with our clients every step of the way! Through our personalized approach, we are committed to client needs leaving no stone unturned. Our mission is to create relevant, “buzz-worthy,” meaningful opportunities for our clients in order for them to attain the visibility they seek; while propelling them to Read the rest of this entry »
For the past few months, my team and I have been researching to build a database of resources that support independent hip hop artists. Searching for blogs, Internet radio stations and DJs that truly support your music can be exhausting. So I wanted to create a vetted list of those resources into an e-book directory. That directory will be called, Online Grind.
I looked around and noticed that there was no directory that catered specifically to our genre, and none of them contained a listing of Read the rest of this entry »
After many conversations with experienced and talented producers and various hip hop artists, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are several parts to the act of pursuing music. However, performing is only one piece of the puzzle for aspiring, and already made, musicians. Yet it seems to be an overlooked task. What attributes to it not being taken seriously, or considered at all, is the hard task of booking shows.
But, before you take the time and work necessary to book a show, it’s crucial to understand the elements of performing. Thrown in with basic expectations such as knowing your lyrics, timing, and on-point breath-work are extra bits and pieces One part, possibly the basis, is feeling the music, being in the moment . The next part is Read the rest of this entry »
Artists today are looking for and experimenting with alternative ways to diversify their income. Most of these ideas fall under the umbrella of what is called “branding”. This word means different things to different people depending on who you ask in the industry. To me, it’s simply expanding your influence by becoming a symbol of an idea or movement, and nothing bonds fans together with this idea better than a logo.
Artists who have successfully accomplished this, benefit greatly when attaching their logo to their own merchandise. Sometimes a logo can become more symbolic and Read the rest of this entry »
Onesheets used to serve the primary function of informing distributers about your new release. Now, onesheets can be very useful tool when also contacting promoters, labels, Djs, booking agents, and the press. When done right, these condensed press kits can create a great first impression.
Here’s a example of a well organized artist onesheet.
