I kinda wandered away from my subject just recently, didn't I? OK, well, I'm doing a little radio interview thing tonight, so I'm not going to get back on track this evening, but I'll be back with the continuing saga of OMD's, and their place in the Independent Artist's promotional armoury, in a day or two....
I'm going to extend the discussion into video upload sites too, actually. Since you are here, though, why not wander through some of my archived posts? You may find some stuff of interest...
By the way, you might want to comment.... I don't mind, that's up to you!
Showing posts with label Internet Marketing of Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Internet Marketing of Music. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
What's next?
Ok, so what ideas do these OMD's have to solve this? Solve what? Oh, yeah, I remember..
When you are new to an OMD website, and you disapear from the latest uploads list, you effectively slip over the potential listeners horizon, on a typical OMD site. Out of sight, out of hearing. So what can you do about this? Actually, not a lot, except upload some more music. Well, the OMD's have an answer...
'Friends'. That's their answer. You need to make some 'Friends'. So, ever helpful, the OMD provides you the facility to make contact with other Artists on the site, usually recommending you visit the pages of Artists similar to yourself, leaving your calling card, a 'Friend request', and a comment or two. The other similar Artists you visit may already have some 'friends', and they probably beaver away during the lonely hours of night, just as you might, making more. The OMD advice is that by making 'friends' you are promoting yourself across the site, and generating interest in you and your music.
Ok, that seems like a good idea. Anything else? Well, yes, join the Forum. Forum? Yup, Forum. OMD's like forums. If you join 'the Forum', the OMD will cheerfully tell you, you can discuss all sorts of things to do with music, make more friends, and promote you and your music. Ok, fair enough, another good idea... and the Website Chat, well, ok, that's self explanatory....Ok, you do those things.
Alright. So let's look at these facilities, one at a time, and see what they have to offer...
'Friends'....Genuine friends are few and far between on these websites, and, though, occasionally, you will find someone who is really interested in you and your music, and with whom you might strike up some sort of mutually supportive relationship, by far the majority of people will add you to their list, simply to wear your name, like a badge of approval, in the list of other 'friends' on their Artist Band page. Often, they will never have heard your songs, and won't be interested enough to bother listening. Whether they say they like your sound and material, or not, you can be sure that most of these folks won't have bothered to listen. Sometimes, they don't even bother to reply.... remember, on an OMD website, other Artists are your competition, and they are much more interested in promoting themselves than they are in promoting you...they are usually so busy doing that, that they don't have time to listen to your music...
'The Forum'.... You join the forum, and you get lots of friendly, welcoming noises, usually from the most opinionated and frequent posters...most don't look at your Band page, and don't listen to your music, whatever they say. If they do take a look, or a listen, don't expect a second visit... Forums are commonly cliquey little places, which often seem to be dominated by, and run, for the benefit of a vociferous few, who seem to regard it as their own special little province. There, they can support each other in maintaining their little empire..The Forum is the perfect 'comfort zone' for the barely motivated and hardly creative...
'OMD website Chat'... The place to be if you want to descend into complete zero productivity. Like the 'Forum', you can distract yourself from the issues you should be dealing with, to your heart's content...
Now, I'm not saying that all these facilties, if used creatively, aren't of value or benefit...they can be used very effectively, if approached in the right way...that right way, however, is another discussion, for another day...
Most Independent Artists will use these facilities and progress a little, pick up a few plays, get heard a little more, and maybe create a slightly more prominent profile on the OMD website. Generally, though, achieving all that takes time and draws the Artist ever more into the website....
So, what are the 'Friends', 'Forum' and Chat room all about?
In a word....HITS..... Unfortunately, not Chart hits, but Website hits....
OMD's sure like to look after us though, don't they?
When you are new to an OMD website, and you disapear from the latest uploads list, you effectively slip over the potential listeners horizon, on a typical OMD site. Out of sight, out of hearing. So what can you do about this? Actually, not a lot, except upload some more music. Well, the OMD's have an answer...
'Friends'. That's their answer. You need to make some 'Friends'. So, ever helpful, the OMD provides you the facility to make contact with other Artists on the site, usually recommending you visit the pages of Artists similar to yourself, leaving your calling card, a 'Friend request', and a comment or two. The other similar Artists you visit may already have some 'friends', and they probably beaver away during the lonely hours of night, just as you might, making more. The OMD advice is that by making 'friends' you are promoting yourself across the site, and generating interest in you and your music.
Ok, that seems like a good idea. Anything else? Well, yes, join the Forum. Forum? Yup, Forum. OMD's like forums. If you join 'the Forum', the OMD will cheerfully tell you, you can discuss all sorts of things to do with music, make more friends, and promote you and your music. Ok, fair enough, another good idea... and the Website Chat, well, ok, that's self explanatory....Ok, you do those things.
Alright. So let's look at these facilities, one at a time, and see what they have to offer...
'Friends'....Genuine friends are few and far between on these websites, and, though, occasionally, you will find someone who is really interested in you and your music, and with whom you might strike up some sort of mutually supportive relationship, by far the majority of people will add you to their list, simply to wear your name, like a badge of approval, in the list of other 'friends' on their Artist Band page. Often, they will never have heard your songs, and won't be interested enough to bother listening. Whether they say they like your sound and material, or not, you can be sure that most of these folks won't have bothered to listen. Sometimes, they don't even bother to reply.... remember, on an OMD website, other Artists are your competition, and they are much more interested in promoting themselves than they are in promoting you...they are usually so busy doing that, that they don't have time to listen to your music...
'The Forum'.... You join the forum, and you get lots of friendly, welcoming noises, usually from the most opinionated and frequent posters...most don't look at your Band page, and don't listen to your music, whatever they say. If they do take a look, or a listen, don't expect a second visit... Forums are commonly cliquey little places, which often seem to be dominated by, and run, for the benefit of a vociferous few, who seem to regard it as their own special little province. There, they can support each other in maintaining their little empire..The Forum is the perfect 'comfort zone' for the barely motivated and hardly creative...
'OMD website Chat'... The place to be if you want to descend into complete zero productivity. Like the 'Forum', you can distract yourself from the issues you should be dealing with, to your heart's content...
Now, I'm not saying that all these facilties, if used creatively, aren't of value or benefit...they can be used very effectively, if approached in the right way...that right way, however, is another discussion, for another day...
Most Independent Artists will use these facilities and progress a little, pick up a few plays, get heard a little more, and maybe create a slightly more prominent profile on the OMD website. Generally, though, achieving all that takes time and draws the Artist ever more into the website....
So, what are the 'Friends', 'Forum' and Chat room all about?
In a word....HITS..... Unfortunately, not Chart hits, but Website hits....
OMD's sure like to look after us though, don't they?
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Another little Quantum....
At this point, I want you to understand something... It is easy to assume that, because your music has not been a massive and instant hit on the internet, there is something wrong with it, that it doesn't cut the mustard, that it just isn't good enough.....Don't make that assumption, because there may be many reasons as to why you are not setting the world alight, immediately, but, in all probability, 'music not good enough' is the least valid alternative of all those you might consider, in the early stages of promotion. You see, before you can make a judgement of that sort, you need to be satisfied that your target audience has had a chance to accept or reject your music...and I would suggest that a handful of plays is not a satisfactory basis upon which to conclude that they have.
Of course, it is possible that you have got it wrong, that, no matter how hard you try, you will never make your current songs into chart hits, but, before you reach a judgement of that sort about your material, first consider this very simple point. If no one hears your music, how can they convince themselves that is good enough to buy? They can't hear it, because they don't know it exists, and no one knows what they don't know....
I have described a pretty depressing scenario, so far, I think....However, fear not, Musical Pilgrim. The OMD's, a pretty resourceful lot, have a way of overcoming this 'I'm not being heard enough' problem...and, of course, that's simply because they want to make you a star....
Of course, it is possible that you have got it wrong, that, no matter how hard you try, you will never make your current songs into chart hits, but, before you reach a judgement of that sort about your material, first consider this very simple point. If no one hears your music, how can they convince themselves that is good enough to buy? They can't hear it, because they don't know it exists, and no one knows what they don't know....
I have described a pretty depressing scenario, so far, I think....However, fear not, Musical Pilgrim. The OMD's, a pretty resourceful lot, have a way of overcoming this 'I'm not being heard enough' problem...and, of course, that's simply because they want to make you a star....
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
I should be famous now, what went wrong....
The thing is, if you believe everything people tell you, uncritically, and without close examination or thought, you will not progress much in this life. I'm not saying that most people are, at heart, cynical deceivers, because that would be a little unfair. Most people are sorta decent folks, and do mean well. Just because they mean well, though, is not to say they are actually helping well; none of us are perfect... No, what I am saying, is that whenever someone, (or an organisation), wants to encourage you to do something which they see as mutually beneficial, they tend to emphasise the upside of their argument, and barely mention the downside, or ignore it altogether. Now, as a sweeping generalisation, the internet, is, in many respects, a microcosm of the world at large. Accordingly, because OMD's are run by people, they tend to follow the natural tendency of most folks, to put a mostly positive spin on their potential benefit to you. As far as that goes, that's ok, because OMD's do offer potential benefits. Those benefits will always remain, potential benefits, however, if you are not alive to, and aware of, some basic realities of life on the web.
So, lets go back to to your OMD website, the one you built a Band Page on, and uploaded some music to, only to enjoy a very brief moment of glory, and then not much else...Lets try to see what the 'reality' actually is, and why you are not on your way to the top of the charts....
You created a band page on the OMD of your choice. You told the world what is so good about you, your band and your music, and you uploaded a song or two...That's fine and dandy, that's what we all do. So far, so good. Your songs appeared in the 'latest 50 uploads' list on the site's 'Home page' or 'Genre page' for your music. Yup, fine, been there too, done that...
Ok. Your songs got some brief attention from random surfers or website subscribers. Why? Because they were briefly at the top of the 'latest 50 uploads' list, you and your songs were new, you were an unfamiliar name, in the list of 'usual suspects'. Our random surfers were curious, and took a listen. So, you got a play or two. In a short while, more uploads came in, and you began to slip down the list. Now, new or not, you are getting less attention from the people clicking in, because you are mid list, and surfers tend to click the first thing they see as new and interesting. Sadly, because most surfers are basically lazy, (er, me too!), and 'click happy', that's often the songs or bands at the top of the list...As time goes on, and more uploaded music comes in, you slip further down the list, and become, first, less noticeable, and then, almost, if not invisible....
So, you had some slight interest on day one, which slowly tailed off.... A couple of random surfers actually liked your music, and, maybe, played it a couple of times, perhaps even over a day or two, so, you get a few more plays, then the tailing off line goes completely flat....Nothing.
You are, now, nowhere to be seen on this OMD website. Yes, your Band Page still resides, in all it's glory, somewhere on the Website's servers, and if folks knew where to look, they might be able to find it. The odd random straggler might, actually, find it, but most web surfers will not know your name, or the titles of your songs, and, therefore, have no way of knowing that you and your wonderful music exist....
That, my friend, my fellow Indie Artist, is reality, on a typical OMD. It is why your name is not yet on the list of planned stars for Sunset Boulevard, why you aren't famous. It's what went wrong....
So, lets go back to to your OMD website, the one you built a Band Page on, and uploaded some music to, only to enjoy a very brief moment of glory, and then not much else...Lets try to see what the 'reality' actually is, and why you are not on your way to the top of the charts....
You created a band page on the OMD of your choice. You told the world what is so good about you, your band and your music, and you uploaded a song or two...That's fine and dandy, that's what we all do. So far, so good. Your songs appeared in the 'latest 50 uploads' list on the site's 'Home page' or 'Genre page' for your music. Yup, fine, been there too, done that...
Ok. Your songs got some brief attention from random surfers or website subscribers. Why? Because they were briefly at the top of the 'latest 50 uploads' list, you and your songs were new, you were an unfamiliar name, in the list of 'usual suspects'. Our random surfers were curious, and took a listen. So, you got a play or two. In a short while, more uploads came in, and you began to slip down the list. Now, new or not, you are getting less attention from the people clicking in, because you are mid list, and surfers tend to click the first thing they see as new and interesting. Sadly, because most surfers are basically lazy, (er, me too!), and 'click happy', that's often the songs or bands at the top of the list...As time goes on, and more uploaded music comes in, you slip further down the list, and become, first, less noticeable, and then, almost, if not invisible....
So, you had some slight interest on day one, which slowly tailed off.... A couple of random surfers actually liked your music, and, maybe, played it a couple of times, perhaps even over a day or two, so, you get a few more plays, then the tailing off line goes completely flat....Nothing.
You are, now, nowhere to be seen on this OMD website. Yes, your Band Page still resides, in all it's glory, somewhere on the Website's servers, and if folks knew where to look, they might be able to find it. The odd random straggler might, actually, find it, but most web surfers will not know your name, or the titles of your songs, and, therefore, have no way of knowing that you and your wonderful music exist....
That, my friend, my fellow Indie Artist, is reality, on a typical OMD. It is why your name is not yet on the list of planned stars for Sunset Boulevard, why you aren't famous. It's what went wrong....
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
OMD's and the Independent Artist....Continued...
So there you are. You have your Band Page on Myspace or Soundclick.Com, or somewhere like that, you have a few of your best MP3's posted and ready to play, you've told the world what a wonderful Artist you are, how fantastic, original and different your music is, and, maybe, you have a CD ready to sell. Now, all you have to do is wait, while you watch your music climb up your chosen website play charts. Naturally, when that happens, your entranced public will be desperate to buy your record, the orders will flow in, and Artist Management and Record Companies will be falling over themselves to sign you up to lucerative deals, guaranteeing untold wealth, fame, fortune, and an assured future in the music business....That's what you have been encouraged to believe, and it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect it to happen, in just that way...So, a with backward, admiring glance at your band page, you click away to the website's homepage and peruse the latest upload listings, and smile with quiet satisfaction, when you see your songs are listed...
The next day, you check the listings again. Sure enough, your songs are still listed, and, hey! you've had a play or two...Ok, not all of the songs were played, but a couple were, that's good, and, it's early days, anyhow, so no worries...Hmmmn...you aren't top of the upload list now, you are at number 12 in the 'latest 50 uploads' list, but, well, that's ok, a song or two was played.... good progress, let's just see what tomorrow brings. Tomorow brings another play or two, two songs have had 5 plays between them, but all the others show a big fat zero.
Another day or two goes by...7 more plays for your first two songs, good, somebody likes them, but no other plays...still, early days, huh? You notice that your songs left the 'latest 50 uploads' list, days ago...A week later, when you check, no plays at all...
Tomorrow.... I should be famous now, what went wrong?
The next day, you check the listings again. Sure enough, your songs are still listed, and, hey! you've had a play or two...Ok, not all of the songs were played, but a couple were, that's good, and, it's early days, anyhow, so no worries...Hmmmn...you aren't top of the upload list now, you are at number 12 in the 'latest 50 uploads' list, but, well, that's ok, a song or two was played.... good progress, let's just see what tomorrow brings. Tomorow brings another play or two, two songs have had 5 plays between them, but all the others show a big fat zero.
Another day or two goes by...7 more plays for your first two songs, good, somebody likes them, but no other plays...still, early days, huh? You notice that your songs left the 'latest 50 uploads' list, days ago...A week later, when you check, no plays at all...
Tomorrow.... I should be famous now, what went wrong?
Monday, August 06, 2007
Back to the OMD thing, and getting closer to the point...
Anyone who drops by to see what cud I'm currently chewing, will notice that this blog doesn't follow a precise pattern, but, nonetheless, pattern lovers, there is a pattern of sorts...to paraphrase Winnie the Pooh, who was explaining the vagaries of his spelling to Piglet one day, it's a good pattern, only it's a little wobbly. The pattern works like this; I pontificate on a subject, usually in small chunks, guess you could call them sort of blog quanta, and intersperse little pieces on other subjects among the main theme... The idea is to present a slightly different way of looking at things of importance to the Independent Musician, in bite size chunks...to provide a different perspective from the conventional wisdom... and break up that dry old stuff with other bits and pieces, sort of random noise, from my life and the Universe at large, to try and keep this place a little more interesting and alive.
The current main theme, (he says, recognising that you may soon lose the will to live, if I don't get on with it), is Marketing Music on the Internet... where I am, at the moment, is looking at the role of OMD's, Online Music Distributors, and what I think they really mean to Independent Artists, rather than what most Independent Artists think they mean. Follow that? Good, almost confused myself...
Ok, if you read my previous posts on this subject, you'd have seen that I am making a couple of points. They are: If you are an Independent Artist and you put music on the internet, you will almost certainly be doing that through an OMD. The OMD hosts your music and provides you with a number of facilities, in order to help you gain 'exposure' and market your music and act, maybe even get 'discovered' and get a record deal. At least, that is the impression they give you. The truth is, they want to host your music, need to host your music, because that is the way in which they attract visitors to their website. By attracting visitors to their website, gaining a high internet profile and visitor hit rate, they enable a number of income streams, in order to fulfill their actual objective, Income Generation. So, far, so good, nothing wrong with that. The Independent Artists relationship with the OMD is simply a business relationship, and all good business relationships produce benefits for both parties... You get your music played, you get your exposure, they get Listeners and more Artists, their website 'hit rate' rises, they get advertising and other income...Like I said, nothing wrong with any of that. It's legal, it's moral, it's ethical...and I have no complaint with any of it, as far as it goes.
Here's the 'however'. However...the problem with OMD's is that most Artists actually derive little real benefit from this arrangement. You will note that I say most Artists. There are some Artists who benefit a great deal, but they are very much in the minority; the vast majority of Artists derive little real benefit. The real winners in the OMD/Artist business arrangement are the OMD's, themselves. They are, in the main, achieving their objectives. If they weren't, they'd all be paraphrasing Hannibal Hayes and Kid Curry... 'There's one thing we gotta get Hayes', 'What's that?' 'Outta this business!'
There are many reasons why the current situation is as it is, and, in the next couple of days, I'll be working through that aspect of the OMD/Artist relationship, and pointing out what I see as the core of the problem with current Internet Marketing strategies for most Indie Musicians...
The current main theme, (he says, recognising that you may soon lose the will to live, if I don't get on with it), is Marketing Music on the Internet... where I am, at the moment, is looking at the role of OMD's, Online Music Distributors, and what I think they really mean to Independent Artists, rather than what most Independent Artists think they mean. Follow that? Good, almost confused myself...
Ok, if you read my previous posts on this subject, you'd have seen that I am making a couple of points. They are: If you are an Independent Artist and you put music on the internet, you will almost certainly be doing that through an OMD. The OMD hosts your music and provides you with a number of facilities, in order to help you gain 'exposure' and market your music and act, maybe even get 'discovered' and get a record deal. At least, that is the impression they give you. The truth is, they want to host your music, need to host your music, because that is the way in which they attract visitors to their website. By attracting visitors to their website, gaining a high internet profile and visitor hit rate, they enable a number of income streams, in order to fulfill their actual objective, Income Generation. So, far, so good, nothing wrong with that. The Independent Artists relationship with the OMD is simply a business relationship, and all good business relationships produce benefits for both parties... You get your music played, you get your exposure, they get Listeners and more Artists, their website 'hit rate' rises, they get advertising and other income...Like I said, nothing wrong with any of that. It's legal, it's moral, it's ethical...and I have no complaint with any of it, as far as it goes.
Here's the 'however'. However...the problem with OMD's is that most Artists actually derive little real benefit from this arrangement. You will note that I say most Artists. There are some Artists who benefit a great deal, but they are very much in the minority; the vast majority of Artists derive little real benefit. The real winners in the OMD/Artist business arrangement are the OMD's, themselves. They are, in the main, achieving their objectives. If they weren't, they'd all be paraphrasing Hannibal Hayes and Kid Curry... 'There's one thing we gotta get Hayes', 'What's that?' 'Outta this business!'
There are many reasons why the current situation is as it is, and, in the next couple of days, I'll be working through that aspect of the OMD/Artist relationship, and pointing out what I see as the core of the problem with current Internet Marketing strategies for most Indie Musicians...
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