Archive for the 'music business' CategoryPage 7 of 22

Build Your Fanbase Through The Niche Music System

published
on April 22, 2010
by
Alan Khalfin
in DIY, music, music business, and tools for musicians
. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .


As the music industry continues to evolve, artists are presented with more and more great options for marketing and distributing their music online and through mobile devices. This abundance of choice has left many artists, managers and labels confused as to how to navigate these digital waters, and use digital tools together with classic strategies (like playing shows and selling merch) to succeed.  Direct-to-fan campaigns are a big part of the new model, but before you can effectively engage in these strategies, you need to have a core group of fans that you can actually market to. It’s the classic get 1000 true fans and you will succeed concept, and while you don’t need 1000 fans right away, you do need at least a small group of loyal fans before direct-to-fan activities become viable.

Enter the Niche Music System. Created by Hagop Tchaparian, the Niche Music System is a strategy designed to help you succeed in the music business through the leveraging of music niches. The idea is to carve a small, local niche for your music in order build initial traction and then promote and rise up through that niche to grow and widen your reach. The logic behind this is that for every niche, there is already an existing audience that is pre-exposed to the sound of that niche. So while you may need to tweak your sound to fit into a specific niche, the Niche Music System provides you with a much easier way to build an initial following.

Hagop initially created the system to mirror the processes his own band (Symposium) went through to gain attention, build a core following, play for more people and make more money. Subsequently, he helped implement a similar system in his work with English electronic artist Hot Chip (pictured below) to help them build early traction, rise through their niche and ultimately get signed by DFA/EMI.

The Niche Music System has now been turned into a 12 week video/audio/PDF course designed to help you get people to care about your music and come out of obscurity.  For a great intro to the course, you should take the time to check out the video below. While the course is normally $47/month (for three months),  because you are an Evolving Music reader, you can get it for $27/month! To sign up and receive the discount, click here.

MobBase Growing 100 Percent A Month With 200+ iPhone Apps Released

published
on April 19, 2010
by
Alan Khalfin
in future of music, MobBase, music, music business, technology, and tools for musicians
. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
MobBase grew explosively throughout the first quarter of 2010, doubling the number of iPhone apps released each month, month-over-month.   The steep sales ramp is proving the market for iPhone applications that connect musicians with fans. MobBase is the new service that makes it easy for musicians, record labels, recording studios, radio stations, music festivals and others involved in the music business to create, launch and manage their own, custom iPhone application.
“We’re seeing the proverbial hockey stick sales curve,” said Charles Feinn, CEO and co-founder of MixMatchMusic, MobBase’s developer.  “We’re delighted MobBase is taking flight.  We’re also excited that we’re helping shape the way artists and the music industry use mobile applications to connect with fans, build careers and audiences.”
MobBase launched in November 2009, releasing its first 50 apps in 90 days.  Since then it has doubled the number of apps released every month, reaching the 100 milestone in March 2010 and 200 in April 2010.
“The majority of our music is being spread by our fans,” said Eric Rachmany, guitarist and lead vocalist of Rebelution. “Our MobBase app gives them the opportunity to have everything Rebelution in the palm of their hands at all times, to project to whomever and whenever they feel. It’s a great marketing tool.”
MobBase is a low cost way for musicians to create a mobile app and share music, photos, videos, tweets, news, information about shows, merchandise and other content with fans on their mobile devices. MobBase apps are priced for starving artists and also artists who remember what it is like to starve, with many artists paying as little as $0.50 a day for their own custom iPhone app.
MobBase apps are being used by artists as diverse as Pepper, Veronica Ballestrini, Jump Smokers, and Iration, and also by labels such as Controlled Substance Sound Labs/Silverback Artist Management and Town Thizzness. The Showtime network’s Nurse Jackie television series has its own MobBase app for the show’s soundtrack, as does the Sound Healing yoga audio companion.
Additionally, radio and music discovery pioneers including IODA Promonet, House Music Channel and Flawless Radio have made MobBase their preferred way to connect with fans on their mobile devices. And music industry blogs and media such as Indie Music Tech, Remix Comps and Wink Sound rely on MobBase apps to extend their reach and impact.

FanBridge: Fan List Management

published
on April 1, 2010
by
Sandra
in DIY, fans, music, music business, social media, technology, and tools for musicians
. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , .

We’ve talked ad nauseum about the importance of interacting with your fans via the many social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, via your very own iPhone app, and also via a newsletter. As you fanbase grows, however, you’ll need a way to manage this process. Enter FanBridge. What FanBridge does “is very, very simple: help musical acts email and text their fans.”

FanBridge, which is all about “powering valuable fan relationships,” will help you not only get more fans, but also keep them engaged, and track your analytics so you can see what’s working and what’s getting them excited. After all, that’s what you’re working toward isn’t it — getting (and keeping) your fans excited? Let’s examine their 3 steps: 1) get more fans, 2) excite your fans, and 3) keep your fans engaged.

Get More Fans

Let’s say you’re somewhat organized and established and you already have a list. It’s super easy to add said list to your account. They’ll even do it for you for free if you want. Once you’ve got a list going in FanBridge, then you’re ready to start growing it.

Fans that come to your website/blog/myspace etc. need a place to type in their email address so you can add them to your list. FanBridge will whip up the code you need for these forms which, of course, are totally customizable in look and feel. They even have downloadable signup forms for live shows/events that’ll work without an internet connection.

If you are offering a fan incentive, like a free download with signup, they handle everything. You just upload the incentive. Easy.

Excite Your Fans

FanBridge makes converting browsers into buyers easy with simple tools that take visitors to the point of sale for whatever it is you’re selling (i.e. tickets, merch etc.) Whatever actions your fans take are tracked and converted into data that help you understand which of your campaigns are most effective, who is clicking on what, and what you need to do to reach out to your most active fans.

Another important feature is the tour calendar. Your calendar can be part of your newsletter and is also posted on your fan “action page.” Fans can even set reminders about your shows.

FanBridge understands how valuable your fans’ friends are, and gives your fans the tools they need to share your music with them. Viral marketing tools like contests, prizes, “share this” links, etc. are automatically integrated into the system. Remember, the easier it is for your fans to share your music with others, the more likely they are to do it!

Keep Fans Engaged

Artist-fan interaction has become the norm. Finally. It takes a LOT of work to stay on top of all the various ways you are interacting with your fans, though, and you can’t afford to waste your valuable time toggling between twitter clients, facebook pages, and everything else. FanBridge solves this problem by allowing you to communicate with fans across many networks all from a single location.

Email newsletters (which are super important) are a breeze to send out, because FanBridge handles all the backend stuff for you. You simply need to come up with the irresistible content that goes in them.

Another brilliant feature is their mobile text messaging platform. Imagine sending last minute text messages to your fans to remind them about your upcoming show or sending updates from backstage! You can schedule them to send later, too, so you don’t have to worry about doing it live all the time.

This service is priced insanely low for all the cool stuff you get. Seriously. Really cheap.

In case you’re still not convinced you need FanBridge, they’ve come up with 5 simple reasons why you need them: 1) you get superior client service from real, live people, 2) their only priority is making your fan list more valuable, 3) they automate the fan-getting process so it’s working for you 24/7, 4) they do all the analysis so you don’t have to, and 5) you can communicate with all your fans in one place.

Be sure to check out these handy FanBridge resources too:

Tips on Sending Effective Fan Newsletters

3 Fan List Basics for Musicians

How Do I Get More Emails at Live Shows/Events?

MobBase: iPhone Apps for Bands, Musicians and the Rest of the Music Industry Too!

published
on March 30, 2010
by
Alan Khalfin
in MobBase, music, music business, social media, technology, and tools for musicians
. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

You probably know that MobBase makes it easy for musicians, bands, artists and DJs to create, launch and manage their own, custom iPhone apps. You may have even downloaded one of the more than 150 MobBase artist apps available in iTunes. But, if you’re not a musician, band, artist or DJ, did you know that MobBase makes it easy for you to make your own mobile app too?

If you’re a music industry blog/publication, record label, radio station, venue, music festival, music school, recording studio, gear/instrument company, or other music related project/company, MobBase can greatly help you connect with your audience through a custom iPhone app. For as little as $0.50 a day, you can use MobBase to build a dynamic app that shares music, photos, videos, tweets, news, event info, merchandise and other content with fans on their mobile devices. Here’s a little taste of the different types of music industry players that are using MobBase to connect with their fans:

Music Industry Blogs, Publications and Resources:

  • Indie Music Tech: A blog that explores the technologies enabling the music industry.
  • Remix Comps: A community of remix contest enthusiasts that provides information on the latest remix contests going on across the web, and features streaming versions of remix contest winners.
  • Wink Sound: A resource for music production videos and tutorials on Ableton, Logic, Pro-Tools, Reason, and Cubase, as well as on mixing, mastering, recording audio, beat making and Djing.
  • Evolving Music: You’re looking at it dude 🙂

Record Labels and Other Music Companies:


Radio and Music Discovery:

  • IODA Promonet: A promotional distribution network from IODA that helps fans discover and share music from thousands of top independent artists and labels around the world.
  • House Music Channel: A destination for all things house music, featuring exclusive music, mixed sets, news, information, and events from today’s hottest names in house music.
  • Flawless Radio: An app that helps you discover new music and news from the hottest emerging and developing hip-hop artists.
  • LyricShare: A Gospel and Christian music destination that gives unrivaled access to music, pictures, lyrics, sheet music, and videos.

Soundtracks and Soundscapes:

28 MobBase iPhone Apps Released in Just 2 Days

published
on March 11, 2010
by
Alan Khalfin
in MobBase, music, music business, technology, and tools for musicians
. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

It’s been quite a busy week over at MixMatchMusic HQ, where the MobBase team has released 28 new iPhone apps in just two days! Amongst all the fuss going on about “cookie cutter” iPhone apps earlier this week, the release of this batch of apps makes one thing pretty clear: MobBase apps are much more than just web-views and RSS feeds. All in all, there are now 134 MobBase apps in iTunes!

This batch of apps was made by musicians and music companies from around the world, and features a variety of eclectic content for you to enjoy. The apps turned out really well, and as you can see below, they aren’t cookie cutter at all — each MobBase app can have its own unique image, look and feel.  Check out all the new MobBase apps here. Or, find out how to make mobile applications.