How important is video to your music marketing?

Most teenagers dream of having their own band and going all over the world on tour. However, this is something that not many of them can pursue, since most of the time, the reality comes in and they end up doing something else. People that are passionate about music however will always try to start a band and do whatever it takes to become famous.

Becoming famous with your band requires a lot of promotion, because there are surely thousands of bands already in the genre you chose, so you must come up with something unique but also viral that will stir up the the attention to your band.

Probably the best way to promote your band is by creating a video. Sure, demo CDs will also work, but seeing the band in action visually is more impressive, and will surely bring more attention to your band. Some of the best video environments where you can create and share such a promotional video is surely YouTube.

You can see the advantages right on the spot: the medium is free, and you don't have to pay anything. One can also share some of the tracks for free, in order to gain additional visitors to the channel. Be sure to post information about your band in the description and also include links to your albums, if you already have it on iTunes or any other similar stores.

Video clips will also share the passion you have for your music with the audience. The best idea when you create a video clip is to hire a well known video production company that can also help you with the distribution process, as most of them have already lots of connections in this field of work.

If your videos are popular enough on YouTube or any other similar platforms, you will surely be awarded more gigs than you are right now. This is the most important thing you can do for promoting your band.

After creating and distributing the videos, you can also use other promotional methods to make your band more popular, such as creating a website for the band, developing unique t-shirts, sharing flyers with upcoming shows, be active on social media and make giveaways to your fans from time to time. While these may seem simple, at least in the beginning, they will surely help you use the fame you got from the videos to your advantage.

As you can see, promoting your band using a video is one of the most important aspects of band marketing. Also, keep in mind that people will expect regular videos and updates from time to time, which you can load up on your YouTube channel. Being active in social media also helps, as you will show your fans that you appreciate and you want to keep a close connection with them. So, go to a professional video production company and transform your dream into reality.

Your job is just starting when you walk off the stage!

People go out because they need a release, They need to forget what happened that day or that week. They are looking for something to take their mind off the rough times in their life. You are what they are looking for. You need to never compromise the goal of achieving this every single night. From the moment you enter the venue,  you need to focus on your goals, on creating an experience for everyone. Give the audience an Experience and they will come back for again and again. The days of hiding in the dressing room are over. You need to  be engaging every person you come in contact with.

Part of your job off stage is to acquire people and unite them into a party experience. I guarantee you that if you engage the staff, and the audience and start a relationship, these people will look forward to seeing you again. Furthermore, by achieving this you will actually start to expand your fanbase and in turn make more money. Every member of the band needs to commit themselves to this strategy. No excuses. Not engaging people just makes them think you don’t care or you are full of yourself and you don’t need them as a fan. Guess what? They will leave and never think about your band again. They don’t care if you’re sweaty or tired or you had a rough day. It’s your job to engage your audience. Excuses lead to mediocrity.

Excellence comes with discipline, commitment, strategy and effort. These principles never take the night off. If you think they don’t apply to you or your band, you’ve already allowed failure as an option.  If you do these basic principles of engagement, you will not fail. Think about it, you are attempting to guide an entire group of strangers that the only thing that matters in this moment is having a good time. You want them to become part of your experience, part of your tribe.

A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.” 
                                                                               ― Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Word of mouth travels fast and is the strongest form of advertising. People will become familiar with your Experience/Party/Tribe. They will persuade newcomers to quickly join the party. You will start to see bigger crowds and a more engaging audience. They will look at you as friends and not just a band that plays music that you enjoy. Those are the people who will drive hours just to see you perform because they enjoy the experience so much.

Your job doesn’t end at the venue either. With social media such as Facebook, twitter, instagram, youtube, etc. You need to continually engage with your fanbase. Check all these social media sites on a regular basis and if someone tags you in a post, you need to respond immediately. If you post are where you are playing that night, you are dropping the ball. Your post should include things like personal facts, funny post work great, anything that brings a fan into your tribe. If you come off as too busy to get back in sufficient time, they will be too busy to buy you CD or come to your show. Every band member should  have a twitter and facebook account and interact with your fanbase constantly. Remember, Record Labels are looking for bands with a large interactive fanbase and they are paying attention to how you interact with your fans. Don’t drop the ball!

Go Interact!       

5 Vital Tax Tips for Musicians

Found this on Pledge Music. A good read!

5 Vital Tax Tips for Musicians

 Brittany Cooper 17:00 29 January, 2014

Tax season is quickly approaching in the US, and if you’re a musician, you likely don’t get one clean W-2 each year, have someone else figure it all out for you and then hope for the best. While it’s true that preparing taxes as an independent contractor can feel like a mess of receipts and paperwork, here are 5 important tips to help you make it to April 15 as an organized, calm and collected individual. We can’t promise you’ll get a giant return, but here’s hoping …

1. Keep Your Receipts: 

For a freelancer of any kind, this tip really can’t be stressed enough. From the $4 latte you bought yesterday to the gas it took to get down to SXSW last year, you never know what’s going to be deductible, and some items that make the cut just might surprise you. When you either prepare your own taxes or present your CPA with a list of your deductions for this year, he or she will request that you have a piece of paper to serve as a specific record of each listed expense. That said, if you haven’t been diligent in this area, you can print your itemized bank statement as a record of any expense you paid with a credit or debit card.

It’s best to think of a good system for storing and filing receipts. If possible, create different folders or files for different categories (travel, food, lodging, entertainment, etc.) That way, when you dump the receipts from your wallet throughout the year, you can put them in the proper folder right away and save yourself a whole weekend of sorting and filing around tax time.

2. Know What’s Tax Deductible for You:

First off, there’s no shame in listing your deductions for the year. This is one area where artists and musicians really get a break from the government, and it’s worth taking it. Though you probably don’t work for a company that buys you lunch often or pays your travel expenses, the government gives you a little help when tax season comes around.

Though it’s best to ask your professional tax planner for the specifics of what you can deduct, some things you may not initially think to include are books, your subscription to “Billboard,” the album you downloaded last week, business insurance, business meals, cabs, printing, cultural events, editing software, your home studio, instruments and instrument repair, museum memberships, notepads, guitar picks, your phone and Internet, travel to and from gigs and more. If it’s something you use to further your career, it’s likely tax deductible. (Of course, the IRS has strict limitations on how you claim deductions for a home office, a phone, etc., so be sure to seek professional advice on doing this properly.)

3. Be Familiar with the Forms:

This will vary among musicians, depending on the type of work you do. If you do regular work in which you’re hired by a company or individual to record or write music, you’ll likely receive a W-2 from each employer who paid you any amount of money throughout the year. If you’re filing as an independent contractor, you can get a breakdown of the necessary forms as well as some advice on how to file electronically here.

4. Find Tools to Best Track Your Income:

In the end, the only person responsible for tracking and reporting your income is – you guessed it – you. When you have income coming from different places (i.e. if PledgeMusic artist and are having to keep track of all the Pledges you’ve received on a campaign), it can sound like a lot to handle, and it is. However, just as technology has made income more complex in that way, it has also allowed for some giant innovations in financial tracking and planning. One incredible resource for tracking income and deductibles is the one-stop free financial lifesaver Mint.com.

Mint lets you link all your bank accounts, investments and budgets into one place, so you see a comprehensive and real-time list of what you’re spending, what you’re making and how it all balances out. If you spend the time setting up your budgets through Mint, you’ll save tons of time in the end. If you don’t use Mint, you can also research other software that offers similar services, though it might not be free. Another helpful tool is setting up a filing system for your receipts, as we mentioned before.

5. Be Aware of the Self-Employment Tax:

Yes, it’s true that the self-employed among us get a number of tax breaks, but there’s also this little thing called the Self-Employment Tax. This is how the independent contractor pays Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes. If you had an employer, the company would commonly pick up half of this tax and you would pay the rest, but if you’re self-employed, this one’s on you.

Self-Employment tax is comprised of a 12.4% Social Security tax on the first $117,000 of net self-employment income (for 2014) and then a 2.9% Medicare tax on all net self-employment income. If you earn a more substantial income, beginning in 2013, you will have been be taxed a .9% Additional Medicare Tax. If you have any questions about this tax or any other tax-related issues for the self-employed, the IRS offers this helpful guide.

PledgeMusic and its employees are not certified tax preparation agents and all advice given should not be taken as official and/or legal advice. These tips are intended as informal suggestions. Please consult a certified CPA for any questions you may have. We take no responsibility for misuse of the contents herein.