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The Record Shop teams up with The Funky Umbrella

Funky

A little over a year ago I was out catching a set with one of our artists. I noticed a guy with a camera darting back and forth across the front of the stage in what looked like gymnastics maneuvers, but what was most likely his valiant efforts to catch the best shot he could in the crowded venue.

We were looking for a new addition to our video production team so I asked the club owner if he knew the guy. He said, “Oh ya, that’s Kaz, he’s here all time. He films all of the bands and offers them a great deal on the footage after their set.” I thought, “What a great concept. This is the type of dedicated, big picture work ethic that we’re looking for.” Of course before I was able to grab his attention, I got sidetracked with some friends, and we were headed to the next venue.

I was disappointed that I didn’t have a chance to chat with him. From what I could tell, this Kaz character was the hardest working videographer in Nashville. However, the disappointment was short lived. Sure enough, the next night I ran into him at a different venue. Or maybe it was his clone. I swear the dude is everywhere.

As our video department expanded we brought Kevin on for a few gigs and he nailed the project every time. He was always ready to work, but if he was ever tied up with another gig, Kevin would make some calls and have a crew ready for us right away.

So you can imagine that I was floored when he told me about his involvement in a new multimedia company called The Funky Umbrella. It is essentially a team of Kazanaters that have an unwavering dedication to their work and a genuine support of their clients. Could it be true? Did I finally find our match made in heaven? The Funky Record Umbrella Shop? While the name is a work in progress, I’m blessed to have the pleasure of working with these guys.

The Funky Umbrella is a unique media company that offers a wide variety of services under…….. (wait for it) one umbrella. They provide video, photography, web design, branding, and much more. But this ain’t the “one man, one stop shop” you’re used to. The Funky Umbrella has an amazing team of professionals, each with a specific skill set, working collectively to offer a comprehensive package of services for everyone from musicians to executives. (After reading that I realize I sound like I could be narrating their latest commercial, but what the hell, these guys are great!) But I’ll get off the soapbox and let you see for yourself.

Check out Thefunkyumbrella.com

The Funky Umbrella has teamed up with The Record Shop to handle the production of Balcony TV as well as our live video shoots and artist press kits.

We are stoked to be providing audio recording and mixing for The Funky Umbrella’s productions as well.

I am very excited about this new partnership (can you tell?) and look forward to continue offering our friends valuable resources in the development of their projects. Among our recent work, The Funky Umbrella and The Record Shop have teamed up with Lightning 100 to produce a video compilation of the Live On The Green Concert Series featuring Will Hoge, Los Lonely Boys, Edwin McCain, Ten out of Tenn, Here Come The Mummies, Brett Dennen, and many more. You can catch the videos here…. Don’t forget to check out The Funky Umbrella on  Facebook to see their latest work and viral resources!

Catch you next time

-Giovanni

The Record Shop

therecordshop1 (@) gmail . com

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I Tunes Considers High-Def Downloads, will the average consumer care?

Michael Ide, from itproportal.com ,  says that “new reports suggest that Apple may soon replace low bit-rate music tracks with upgraded, higher quality ones. This move could likely be the result of Apple’s licensing agreement with the leading record labels in the music industry. Earlier, Business Week reported that the agreement between the two sides was now on the verge of being finalised, and also that upon being fully implemented it will allow Apple to go through a user’s entire iTunes collection and mirror it”…. read entire article here

While I am in full support of Apple making the effort to maintain the sonic quality that we as Producers spend so much time perfecting, I wonder if the average consumer would go for the idea. In the eyes of the mass consumer, is a high fidelity recording worth the extra space it will take up on hard drives and Ipods? Let us know your thoughts!

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Sue Basko Interview with The Record Shop

Sue Basko, Lawyer for Music and Film, was kind enough to feature The Record Shop as part of her blog…

Sean Giovanni, Nashville Music Producer/ Balcony TV Nashville

by Sue Basko

The Record Shop is one of Nashville’s new creative, up-and-coming recording studios. Sean Giovanni is The Record Shop‘s owner/ music producer/ recording engineer.

Giovanni also runs Balcony TV Nashville. Balcony TV is an internet music show that brings in well-known musical acts to do one acoustic song apiece out on a balcony overlooking a scenic part of a city. Balcony TV was founded in 2006 in London and has since been franchised worldwide to Dublin, Hamburg, Poznan, Brighton, Auckland, Paris, Brisbane, Edmonton, Rennes, Prague, Toronto, and Mexico City. Nashville was the first U.S. city to have Balcony TV, and has been followed by New York and Austin. I love Balcony TV!

Sean Giovanni offers these insightful answers to my probing questions: Read The Full Interview Here……

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Three Reasons Every Artist Should Have A Newsletter

Maintaining a dedicated fan base is one of the most daunting tasks faced by musicians. We all know the importance of social networking, working the press, and promoting shows. If only there was a way to incorporate all of your promotional efforts into one source that could be easily distributed to your target audience. Well guess what? There is! It’s called a newsletter. Newsletters are a simple and effective way to build a “community” around your music, while keeping in touch with your fans on a regular basis. This week we discuss the three reasons why every musician should have a newsletter. 

 1) Build a real fan base

Want to know the secret to developing a solid fan base (after you write good songs)? Offer valuable content to your fans. David in Portland is probably not going to visit your site just because you sent him a comment about your new song. Now, what if you told David that by signing up for your newsletter he would receive a free download of an exclusive song that you wrote while touring in Portland. I’d bet your odds of a response would be looking much better. 

There are many great ways to build your fan base by offering valuable content through a newsletter, but first you will have to develop your mailing list. Incorporating a news letter sign up box on all of your web sites is a great way to start. Offering free content for newsletter members is an effective way to encourage potential fans to sign up. 

Unlike a social networking site, where members can join your page with a simple click, your fans will have to share their email address in order to join. Due to the endless amount of spam email’s generated on the web, most people are not likely to give out this information unless they are going to receive valuable content in return. Therefore, an email newsletter gives you the opportunity to connect with fans that have a genuine interest in your music.  

2) Stay in touch with your fans

Most artists have a wide variety of viral outlets for their music. There’s myspace, facebook, twitter, youtube, reverb nation, last fm, band camp, just to name a few. If you have spent any time promoting your music on the web, I’m sure you have noticed that it can be difficult to keep your fans interested in all of your pages. Most fans just don’t have the time to browse through every page. With all of the artists out there fighting for attention, it can be difficult to stand out amongst the crowd. One of the greatest advantages of an email newsletter is the ability to share all of your sites and content in one place. 

Your newsletter can also be a great way to interact with your fans through fun contests and promotions.Through offering exclusive promotions for newsletter members, you can maintain interest in your music and establish value within your content. You can also build relationships with your fans through incorporating a fan of the week, answering questions from fans, or encouraging them to vote on a poll related to your music. There are endless possibilities for creative fan participation within a newsletter. 

Promoting upcoming shows is another effective aspect of an email newsletter. It’s great to post events online and throw up flyers around town to promote a gig. However, with your newsletter you can communicate directly with your core fan base. If you are planning on touring, you can organize your mailing list by region and send out invites to fans in the surrounding areas. With an event posting or flyer, you are limited to the basic details of your show. In a newsletter you have the opportunity to tell your fans more about the performance or offer discounts and giveaways to members who attend.

3) Connect with the press

A newsletter is an excellent way to build rewarding relationships with press and radio. These companies receive countless messages every day from artists who are looking for valuable exposure. If you want a shot at gaining entrance to the gatekeepers of promotion, it is important to offer plenty of valuable content. Mailing a press kit is great, but your banking on the chance that your cd makes it through their endless pile of submissions. If you work on developing a relationship and can make it into the coveted inbox of a writer, you will have the opportunity to maintain their interest with your valuable content.

As we discussed earlier, showcasing valuable content is essential to maintaining your fans interest in your project. This is even more important in connecting with the press. Everybody is releasing new songs and playing shows. The key is to show that what you are doing is notable enough to share with their audience. It is also important to consider how your content could be beneficial to the press. For example, if you are using a product, website, or promotional campaign that has been effective in developing your project you could share your experience and explain how it could benefit their readers. 

Once you have received some coverage, you can use your newsletter to share this content with your readers. Through including a link to the article in your newsletter, you can show your appreciation of the press outlet that showcased you project. This method of promotion can go a long way in developing long-term relationships with the press. If you can provide an outlet to draw traffic to a publication, your value to them will greatly improve. 

Are you ready to promote your music with a email newsletter? Still wondering if a newsletter is right for you?

We are happy to answer any questions and help you get started in developing your content! Drop us a line…

We work with Constant Contact to create valuable email newsletters for artists and businesses. We are now offering a free trial of the program. Feel free to drop us a line for more information!

As always, we appreciate your feedback! 

Feel free to leave us a comment with your thoughts, experiences, suggestions, or anything else you’d like to tell us about! 

 Want to hear more from The Record Shop? Sign up for our newsletter here…

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5 steps to effective internet marketing for musicians

The music business….what can be said that hasn’t been repeated over and over and over again. Let’s skip all the details we’ve been whining about these last few years, and get down to it.  Basically, there’s not much room at the top these days. I often wonder, with great uncertainty, if there will ever be another Beatles, Madonna, Michael Jackson, or any of the “superstars” of past generations. Is it just vintage nostalgia that everyone’s favorite rock band is still Zeppelin, or have we reached a point where the focus on “commercial appeal” has resulted in a mass audience that has the attention span of my dog? (shout out to Jops!)

I don’t think anyone has the ultimate answer. (If you think you do, leave us a comment!). However, there is one thing that we can all agree on. Music is a product. In order for a business (the artist) to sell their product, they must market it effectively. Viral marketing is an essential aspect of a comprehensive marketing plan for artists. This week we lay out 5 steps to effective internet marketing for musicians.

Before you can develop an effective viral marketing campaign, it is important to understand the importance of offering quality content. In their book, Inbound Marketing, advertising guru’s Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, call this process “creating remarkable content.” The idea is that viral marketing is far more effective when the business develops an original strategy that is “remarkable” enough for the consumer to share with others. Twitter has proven that, in some cases, what you ate for lunch can prove to be remarkable content. However, this is only true if you are already a high profile figure. For the rest of us, success in the online domain rests in our ability to create our own, unique content. Once you have developed a creative marketing plan, that stimulates continued interest in your project, implementing the following strategies will become far more effective.

Note- For this article, we’ll assume that you have already developed professional social network profiles and a website. For more information on design, check out our blog: Why do I need a professional website…

1. Social Network Marketing: Build Your Core Fanbase

There are over 8 million music profiles on Myspace. Want to know how you can make like Waldo and stand out in the crowd? Build a core fan base. Mass friend requests are not an effective way to build real fans. Sure your stats will look great, but are they going to buy your record, probably not. Start by inviting friends that fit your target demographic. (age, location, interests, etc) Rather than just adding them to the page, include a personal message. Provide an incentive for them to visit your site, other than “check out my music.” People love getting stuff for free. Use this opportunity to show your appreciation of their support by offering some form of free content (download, ringtone, e-book, etc). Once you have developed your core fan base, make sure you give them a reason to check back on a regular basis.

Here is a list of important updates:

Personal messages
Daily status updates
New songs
New pictures
Consistent blog entries
News

As you develop a steady stream of media, remember that your goal is to create “remarkable content.” Rather than asking fans to buy your new song, write a blog on how the song came about, or a fun story from the studio. Providing your fans with a personal experience will give them a way to relate to you and your music. If you take the time to utilize these techniques on a regular basis, you will be on your way to developing a dedicating fan base that will support your efforts and, most importantly, tell their friends!

Popular Social Networks:

Facebook
Myspace
Twitter
Bebo
2. Blog, Newsletter, Live chat: Develop your community

Everyone loves to be “part of the group.” If you provide a medium to interact with your fans on a personal level, you will be able to build a community that everyone wants to be a part of.

Creating a blog is a great way to start building your online community. Once you have developed your blog page, embed your blog on your website to make it easy for fans to find. Once again, creating remarkable content is an essential aspect to the success of your blog. It is also important to urge your fans to leave comments and suggest topics for your blog. By providing your fans with a fun way to interact on the site, you will build a personal experience that will help develop your community.

Popular blog sites:

Word Press
Blogger
TypePad
SquareSpace

Sending out an e-mail newsletter is another excellent tool to engage your fans. Make sure your newsletter sign-up is easy to find on your website and social networks. Giving away free content for newsletter subscribers will help boost your submissions. Your newsletter should include news, pictures, excerpts from your blog, contests, etc. Offering creative ways for your fans to be a part of your community is key.

(We use Constant Contact for email marketing. Their site is easy to use and offers excellent services at affordable rates. For more information on setting up your email marketing account, drop us a line at therecordshop1@gmail.com)

Live video chatting is a new trend that has beecome very successful for artists in developing their community. Stickam.com is one of the more popular sites for this application. Live video is a great way to build relationships with your fans. It is much more personal than the other methods because your fans get a chance to actually interact with you in “person.” You can give them a behind the scenes look at rehearsals, studio sessions, and shows. Other popular concepts include: Q&A sessions, online performances, and sessions on the road. Keep in mind that, unlike blogs, your fans “see” everything on live video. It is important to maintain a strong image and attitude when the camera is rolling.

3: Video content: Build your visual presence

As we have discussed throughout this article, it is important to personalize your marketing strategy. While many of us have become accustomed to communicating on the web, visual interaction is still an integral aspect of developing relationships with fans. Since the first video of a cat jamming on the piano, viral videos have been a leading source of online entertainment. You Tube is the clear frontrunner for viral videos. However, sites like Myspace Video, Vimeo, Metacafe, and Daily Motion are also worthwhile platforms to promote your content.

Building your visual presence through viral video is a exceptional method for promoting your music. Once again, the emphasis on remarkable content is important to consider as you develop your viral presence. Remember, you want to offer something different than everyone else. Performance videos are great, but should be supported with other unique concepts. So pick up a camera, hire a videographer, and keep it rolling. You never know when something remarkable is going to happen.

Here is a list of suggestions for viral videos:

Live Shows (with quality audio and a good crowd)
Clips from studio sessions
Interviews
Exclusive performances (shot specifically for your video stream)
Tour video blog
Contest for viewer submitted video reponses

4: Online Media Promotion: Build relationships with the press

Now that you have built your fan base, community, and visual presence, its time to meet the press. Writers are flooded with countless requests from bands everyday. In order to get their attention, you have to take the time to build real relationships.

The local press is a good place to start. Your town probably has a local music zine and several community newspapers that cover local music. Call the office or visit the website to find out who chooses featured artists. Rather than just mailing in a press kit, share your interest in their work. Show your support at their events or on their blog. Through supporting their efforts and networking with their team, you will have the opportunity to build a relationship with the publication. Once you have developed a repoir, invite them out to a show or set up a casual lunch meeting. If you have followed the previous steps, you will be able to provide plenty of remarkable content that will hopefully gain their interest in supporting your project.

Online review sites are also a great resource, but even more difficult to break in to. In this case, rather than competing with your local community, you are up against every other artist on the web. Fortunetaly, you have developed your online presence and understand the importance of building relationships. Just be patient, these sites receive endless requests from artists. Most of them will get back to you eventually, but if you send them a message every day, your likely to get black listed.

The Indie Bible is an excellent resource for online press publications.

5:Internet Radio: Increase your exposure

Internet radio is one of the fastest growing, online promotional resources for artists. There are thousands of broadcasts on countless sites. Taking advantage of this opportunity is the final step in solidifying your comprehensive online marketing plan. Achieving substantial radio exposure takes creativity, time, and a lot of dedication. When done correctly, it can make the difference between making music and making a living making music.

In order to build your relationships with DJs, music directors, and radio promoters, you can use the techniques we discussed in the previous section. You’ll find that stations will be much more supportive of promoting you, if you have a method to promote them. Try offering a promotional campaign that advertises their station, inquire about ad space, and show your support by plugging their broadcast on your sites.

Once you begin to build these relationships, nuture them carefully. While you want to keep them up to date, you don’t want to overwhelm them with information. Invite them to sign up for your newsletter or blog so they can choose to stay up to date with your project. A monthly call, or email, to touch base and offer your support can also be effective.

Here is a list of the top internet radio stations:

Pandora.com
Live365.com
Slacker.com
Jango.com
NPR.org
Shoutcast.com
Radiotower.com
Streema.com

The Indie Bible is an excellent resource for online radio stations.

So there you have it. The 5 steps to effective internet marketing. Now its time to get to work! Remember, the three keys to following these steps are consistency, remarkable content, and…..consistency.

I hope this article provided you with the information you need to developing your online marketing plan . We would love to hear your questions, comments, and feedback! If we can be of any assistance, feel free to drop us a line!

Giovanni-

therecordshop1 (@) gmail.com

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