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GMC Forum _ Todd Simpson _ Promoting Your Playing And Your Music And You!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 26 2010, 02:19 AM

One great way to get the word out about your playing and your music is none other than youtube. I"ve kept a youtube channel for a few years now and have have more than one million views and have met wads of great players all over the world.

In particular, GERMANY! I LOVE Germany! More than half my views are from Germany! 600,000! Here is a graphic showing the views from the "insight" portion of youtube that allows you to visualize all the data related to your account.


If you don't have a youtube acccount, START ONE! I have gotten THREE ENDORSEMENT DEALS JUST FROM MY VIEWS ON YOUTUBE! It's a great way to get noticed!

Todd

Posted by: jafomatic Aug 26 2010, 02:36 AM

One thing to remember, and it saddens me how much this happens, is not to neglect your youtube account. Most folks here do have them, along with myspace, facebook, twitter, etc, but they end up just uploading a video and ignoring it.

I can't stress enough how much more activity you'll get if you interact (even just a little) with your fans. Look at the folks out there who have become "internet famous" and you'll see they all maintain the perception --real or not-- that their fans matter to them. After that, go look at shreddy guitarists. There's maybe one or two out there who will even bother to respond to their fans.

Your fans will do half of your marketing for you if they think that you might recognize them or speak to them in return.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 26 2010, 11:51 PM

Very well said! I make sure to respond to every comment, every question, every friend request on youtube as well as twitter and facebook. It's critical. Music is a social thing and social networks are a great way to meet new musicians!

Todd

Posted by: Gitarrero Aug 27 2010, 09:21 AM

Never thought about it that way...I usually deactivate the comment and rating option on my videos...maybe I shouldn't do that. Do you think the choice of how to name a video is important, too?
Hey Todd, I am amongst those german viewers! Seems like my countrymen spend most of their internet time surfing youtube...plus your style of music is kinda popular in Germany!

Posted by: jafomatic Aug 27 2010, 04:56 PM

QUOTE (Gitarrero @ Aug 27 2010, 03:21 AM) *
Never thought about it that way...I usually deactivate the comment and rating option on my videos...maybe I shouldn't do that. Do you think the choice of how to name a video is important, too?
Hey Todd, I am amongst those german viewers! Seems like my countrymen spend most of their internet time surfing youtube...plus your style of music is kinda popular in Germany!


If you want people to see it, naming and tagging are VERY important. The question is whether or not you want to entertain the trolls at your own expense.

If you don't want the trolls (or the views) then using the "unlisted" option will allow you to link/embed it freely for REC and MTP entries without the video showing up on any of youtube's searches. I used to simply not tag my "learning to play" videos and that kept trolls and viewers away. The only people that ever saw them were GMC members and ... mom wink.gif

If you really do want people to see your stuff:
- tag liberally, anything that might relate to the video! Gear used, song style, techniques used, etc.
- spell the name of the famous song that you're covering correctly.
- do not use a "backing track" for the copyrighted song you're covering. Play it yourself or risk its removal.
- answer questions in the comments. if no questions are asked, just thank people for the kind remarks.

The "internet famous" folks are mostly successful by promoting themselves as a brand, they interact with their viewers and with each other.


Posted by: maharzan Aug 27 2010, 05:02 PM

Just having a YouTube account isn't going to help. smile.gif I hardly get 100 views on mine. I noticed it goes beyond that if I post to GMC.. biggrin.gif

So, what other ways are there to increase views and get noticed? I think I need to start doing covers of famous songs. That seem increase views to 1000s as I have seen on some of the channels. smile.gif

Posted by: jafomatic Aug 27 2010, 05:11 PM

QUOTE (maharzan @ Aug 27 2010, 11:02 AM) *
Just having a YouTube account isn't going to help. smile.gif I hardly get 100 views on mine. I noticed it goes beyond that if I post to GMC.. biggrin.gif


Think how many more you'd get if you tune your guitar first! <3

QUOTE (maharzan @ Aug 27 2010, 11:02 AM) *
So, what other ways are there to increase views and get noticed? I think I need to start doing covers of famous songs. That seem increase views to 1000s as I have seen on some of the channels. smile.gif


Famous songs work wonders, look at pomplamoose. They completely remake a popsong every few months and get millions of views. Toyota licensed their cover of "mister sandman" for a national commercial in the US.

If you hate popsongs, and I totally understand that, then take the song and totally remake it in your favorite style. It's a pain in the butt, it's great practice, and you don't need to do it that often.

Also of import is the VIDEO RESPONSE BUTTON. Submitting REC for a GMC lesson? Post that sucker as a video response to the instructor's original, most of the guys have them on their youtube accounts.

I think you (maharzhan) did Muris' Lukather lesson, right? Note the views right now, and see if you can repost it as video response to Muris' original --Don't forget to tag it properly!-- and check the views again around the end of 2010.


Posted by: jafomatic Aug 27 2010, 05:25 PM

QUOTE (maharzan @ Aug 27 2010, 11:14 AM) *
haha.. jafo.. I am on to it.. for sure.. wink.gif

Yep, I am transcribing cry for you by andy timmons... that might do wonders for me, (hoping)... smile.gif


That's going to be a start, but it's deceptive. Remember... that name is known only to other guitarists. That's not going to get the same results, I think. The song title will help a bit more, but those are not hugely famous songs.

Posted by: Santiago Diaz Garces Aug 27 2010, 05:52 PM

One thing that has worked for me is to play something not very common from a well-known player (In my case, Serrana by Jason Becker). And then, all the rest of my videos are from my projects or stuff of mine. It's like a presentation letter

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 27 2010, 09:59 PM

1.2 MILLION VIEWS! 3,000 SUBSCRIBERS! HERE'S HOW smile.gif

Getting your videos watched is of course crucuial. I"ve made it to 1.2 million views and 3,000 subscribers so far using some pretty simple rules.


ANBODY can do this. Just look at our main man Kristopher Dahl's youtube page! HUGE views, STELLAR responses. Lead video he is playing behind his head.

http://www.youtube.com/user/KristoferDahl

Simple Rules
#1 - Post videos that encourage repeat views such as good lesson videos with tablature if possible.
#2 - Tag every video using tags that will help people find your vids. Borrow tags from vids that have HUGE views but don't "tag Spam"
#3 - Respond to every question, comment and friend request no matter how long it takes, WARNING: It seems to take forever but it's fun and it's worth it to meet all those great players and students on youtube.
#4 - Find students who you could help and suggest your vids to them.

Pretty simple stuff. I'm a "Youtube partner" now and get to share revenue with the ads that are on my channel. It's also led to several endorsement deals (EMG, Minarik, Fretlight). It's a great way to get yourself heard and seen. Not to mention it's a great way to share your skills with aspiring students and pimp GMC! Go for it!

Todd

Posted by: maharzan Aug 28 2010, 02:54 AM

Thanks for sharing Todd. I will followsuit. biggrin.gif It would be cool to get endorsement deals... wink.gif

Posted by: Gitarrero Aug 28 2010, 07:47 AM

Thanks for sharing! I think I'm gonna tweak my youtube channel today...

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 30 2010, 01:55 AM

PROMOTING YOURSELF / YOUR BAND / YOUR MUSIC!

Social Media - They key to it all.

Another great place on the web to promote yourself and your music is FLICKR.Com. This is the original pioneer of photo sharing sites. Start taking pix of your band, your studio, whatever, and keep posting and sharing! Just another way to share yourmusic and yourselff.

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PROMOTING YOURSELF / YOUR BAND / YOUR MUSIC!

Social Media - They key to it all.

Another great place on the web to promote yourself and your music is FLICKR.Com. This is the original pioneer of photo sharing sites. Start taking pix of your band, your studio, whatever, and keep posting and sharing! Just another way to share yourmusic and yourself.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/primalscene/sets/72157624299528072/show/

PROMOTING YOURSELF / YOUR BAND / YOUR MUSIC!

Social Media - They key to it all.

Another great place on the web to promote yourself and your music is FLICKR.Com. This is the original pioneer of photo sharing sites. Start taking pix of your band, your studio, whatever, and keep posting and sharing! Just another way to share yourmusic and yourself.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/primalscene/sets/72157624299528072/

Embrace Social Media smile.gif Flickr, Myspace, Facebook, etc.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 1 2010, 04:23 AM

BRANDING YOURSELF AND YOUR MUSIC:

It sounds lame, "branding" as if you are some type of detergent or mouthwash that needs a lable and slogan. It's offensive. However, it's also crucial. You need to develop yourself in to something of a recognizable commodity in the great big world. Even if you are only known to a handful of people.

Your "brand" or "Rep" will get places ahead of you. Good or bad it will tell people things about you ahead of time. For example, if you want to join a band, or get a job, somebody will google you. They will find you on facebook, myspace, etc. and whatever pics and text you have up there will form the basis of their judgements about you even before they know you.

So be careful about what you put up online and who you share information with. It's critical that you put yourself out there enough to be relevant and searchable, but don't put out the wrong message. Don't post pictures of yourself intoxicated or half cloathed or what not. These pix float around forever on the web and can bite you later on. So be careful but be pro active about your online "image", "brand", "rep", etc. Be kind, be professional, don't rage or hate as it always makes you look silly.

Now that we have that covered, here are some things you need to be doing to keep up your "brand".

1.)Facebook Page - Updated regularly
2.)Twitter - Same
3.)Myspace - Same
4.)Youtube - Same
5.)Blog - Same

the good news is you can use www.hootsuite.com to login and post to all your social media for you! You make one post, it goes out everywhere you want it to go and you can determine when! Very handy and FREE!

Take a look at my Signature below, it's got all the links to my social media shiz. Sometimes it can be a pain to update all of this, especially at first when it's only for a few people. But you have to start somewhere. Make it part of your daily routine, just like practice!
Todd

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 16 2010, 02:22 AM

GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT YOUR AND YOUR MUSIC! (Efficiently)


Hopefully by now you guys have all created a facebook page, twitter account, etc. and Try to post things regularly to start building base of listeners so that as you create music, join bands, etc. there will be people who want to hear it. It always starts small, so even if it feels like you are writing to three people, keep going. Crowds come after the effort, not before it.

However, posting to all the various social media sites is a PAIN! So I've found a great, free, site that lets you create a post once and distribute it to all of your social media at once! You can even schedule when the post will go live. For example, you've recorded a new track, or demo, or your first CD. You make a post about it that night and want it to go out in the late morning so that folks will have it at the top of their news/twitter/facebook feed. So you create the post, with links to the music and tell hootsuite.com to post it the next day at about 10:30.

The best news is that hootsuite.com is free! They should give me a mug/tshirt/calender for pimping them though. Here is a link to them and a picture of the hootsuite interface.

http://www.hootsuite.com/



Todd

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 17 2011, 01:28 AM

Getting Your Band/Music Project Out there and noticed.

here are some basic things to do first to promote it once you have a band identity (name, logo, artwork, graphics, etc.) and some tunes.

1.)Create a Facebook "Fanpage" / "LikePage" just for the project.
2.)Create facebook profiles for members and link them to project page.
3.)Create a myspace page for the project
4.)Create a sonicbids.com electronic press kit for project.
5.)Create a twitter account for the project.
6.)Create a hootsuite.com account for the project (as in the previous post, this will let you update all your social media at one time)

This isn't an exhaustive list, but it's a good start. Also, post frequently. The more frequent you put out information, the better recognition you will generate. Don't spam certainly, but stay active.

Todd


Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 17 2011, 10:46 PM

Here is a great article from TUBEMOGUL.COM and BRIGHTCOVE.COM (both big players in streaming/analytics) about the current state of affairs and future trends in online video viewing. Clearly, streaming is the future and knowing how people consume media can give you a big advantage when trying to promote yourself and your music.

http://www.tubemogul.com/marketing/Q3_2010.pdf

Todd

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 18 2011, 05:09 AM

THE SHRINKING MUSIC BUSINESS AND HOW TO THRIVE DESPITE IT

The sad news is that "Music Business" that is the biz of selling units of music is shrinking. It continues to shrink every year. But fear not, with change comes opportunity. Have a look at this chart.


This trend promises to continue well in to the future indicating the "Traditional" Music Biz is simply going away. But it's not really going to disapear. It's just changing. That's great news for you as an emerging artist. The first thing you have to do is forget the measure of success in the old model. Usually this involved getting signed by a big record company and such. These days, most of those companies are dead broke and inches from bankruptcy. So what to do?

The good news is there has never been a better time to be a musician. Distribution is now free (the internet) but your music should also stay free. This is something many new artists struggle with. But at first, until you have a pretty big following, your main enemy is OBSCURITY, or the fact that nobody knows you or your music. So give your music away, put it in indie movies, short films, anything. You just need to get it out there and get it heard.

You may be thinking "How will I make money if I give my music away?". You won't, at first. Once you reach a certain critical mass, (once you have a decent following that is statistically verifiable whether on youtube, twitter, whatever, that is a kind of currency, a kind of wealth. You can take that to vendors, (folks that make stuff you want like guitars and amps) and ask for a "sponsorship" essentially you agree to pimp product X to your audience in exchange for getting product X for free or crazy cheap.

You may say this, is great, but it won't pay my bills. Your right. To do that, you will need to find places to put your music. Sign up for as many online music services (like one mentioned here in the forums, minusdrums.com) and wads of others that will either buy your music for licensing / selling to others, or license it for you and split the proceeds. Many of these companies offer "non exclusive" contracts meaning you can put the same song on more than one sight.

Also, try to make friends with up and coming film directors. Contact the film program at every school/university near you and offer to help score student projects. Even if by "scoring" you just offer up some songs. Odds are some of those directors will find work, and when they do, you have a history with them and by then a relationship and that leads to opportunity. Next thing you know you are making music for movies.

Same is true for games. Insert yourself in the lives of creative people and establish relationships. It's these that will provide the best opportunities.

I've just listed a few ways to monetize your music. I didn't touch on touring, gigging, etc. But I wanted to go in to areas you might not think of. This is a great time to alive and to be making music. Embrace the change and find your path.

Practice!
Todd

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 18 2011, 05:42 AM

THE SHRINKING MUSIC BUSINESS AND HOW TO THRIVE DESPITE IT

The sad news is that "Music Business" that is the biz of selling units of music is shrinking. It continues to shrink every year. But fear not, with change comes opportunity. Have a look at this chart.


This trend promises to continue well in to the future indicating the "Traditional" Music Biz is simply going away. But it's not really going to disapear. It's just changing. That's great news for you as an emerging artist. The first thing you have to do is forget the measure of success in the old model. Usually this involved getting signed by a big record company and such. These days, most of those companies are dead broke and inches from bankruptcy. So what to do?

The good news is there has never been a better time to be a musician. Distribution is now free (the internet) but your music should also stay free. This is something many new artists struggle with. But at first, until you have a pretty big following, your main enemy is OBSCURITY, or the fact that nobody knows you or your music. So give your music away, put it in indie movies, short films, anything. You just need to get it out there and get it heard.

You may be thinking "How will I make money if I give my music away?". You won't, at first. Once you reach a certain critical mass, (once you have a decent following that is statistically verifiable whether on youtube, twitter, whatever, that is a kind of currency, a kind of wealth. You can take that to vendors, (folks that make stuff you want like guitars and amps) and ask for a "sponsorship" essentially you agree to pimp product X to your audience in exchange for getting product X for free or crazy cheap.

You may say this, is great, but it won't pay my bills. Your right. To do that, you will need to find places to put your music. Sign up for as many online music services (like one mentioned here in the forums, minusdrums.com) and wads of others that will either buy your music for licensing / selling to others, or license it for you and split the proceeds. Many of these companies offer "non exclusive" contracts meaning you can put the same song on more than one sight.

Also, try to make friends with up and coming film directors. Contact the film program at every school/university near you and offer to help score student projects. Even if by "scoring" you just offer up some songs. Odds are some of those directors will find work, and when they do, you have a history with them and by then a relationship and that leads to opportunity. Next thing you know you are making music for movies.

Same is true for games. Insert yourself in the lives of creative people and establish relationships. It's these that will provide the best opportunities.

I've just listed a few ways to monetize your music. I didn't touch on touring, gigging, etc. But I wanted to go in to areas you might not think of. This is a great time to alive and to be making music. Embrace the change and find your path.

Practice!
Todd

Posted by: Fran Feb 21 2011, 12:13 PM

Just added these articles to our knowledge base Todd smile.gif

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Promoting_Your_Playing_And_Your_Music
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Making_it_in_the_music_business_today



Posted by: Todd Simpson Apr 15 2011, 12:32 AM

FOLLOWING UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA: JUST PASSED 3500 SUBSCRIBERS ON YOUTUBE! (You can too!)

I wanted to share a happy thing with all my GMC brethren. I just made it past 3500 Subscribers on my youtube channel which has been a goal of mine for some time now. I set my sub goals in 500 subscriber chunks so next up is 4k. Keeping your goals attainable is important. If you can keep progressing on the goals you can attain, it makes the bigger ones seems not nearly as daunting. Here is a screen grab. (Pushing my goal of 1.5 Miillion views as well and getting close!)

What's the secret? Easy. Read on.

[http://youtube.com/techniqueswithtodd

Let's go over my "Tube Tips" again. Getting yourself out there and heard has never been as easy as it is now.

#1 - Post videos that encourage repeat views such as good lesson videos with tablature if possible.
#2 - Tag every video using tags that will help people find your vids. Borrow tags from vids that have HUGE views but don't "tag Spam"
#3 - Respond to every question, comment and friend request no matter how long it takes, WARNING: It seems to take forever but it's fun and it's worth it to meet all those great players and students on youtube.
#4 - Find students who you could help and suggest your vids to them.


Practice!
Todd

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 11 2011, 01:52 PM

Here is a really informative article about SELLING YOUR MUSIC in the new age of the Music Biz.


http://talenthouselive.com/blog/how-to-sell-and-market-your-music-using-the-latest-research/

Here is an excerpt....


Posted by: Sinisa Cekic Aug 11 2011, 09:46 PM

How I haven't seen this topic before ?!!? Thanks buddy !!! smile.gif

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Aug 12 2011, 09:23 PM

Thanks Todd for sharing these useful tips, awesome initiative, and great activity! smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 13 2011, 06:30 AM

QUOTE (Fran @ Feb 21 2011, 07:13 AM) *
Just added these articles to our knowledge base Todd smile.gif

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Promoting_Your_Playing_And_Your_Music
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Making_it_in_the_music_business_today


Thanks much! They look great in the Wiki smile.gif You RAAAAWWWWWWWKKKKKK!.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 19 2011, 05:41 AM

QUOTE (Sinisa Cekic @ Aug 11 2011, 04:46 PM) *
How I haven't seen this topic before ?!!? Thanks buddy !!! smile.gif


No problem smile.gif I've gotten great feedback from this thread. Glad you are digging it!

QUOTE (Ivan Milenkovic @ Aug 12 2011, 04:23 PM) *
Thanks Todd for sharing these useful tips, awesome initiative, and great activity! smile.gif


Thanks for checking it out smile.gif Much more on the way! It's a great time to be a musician!




7 FACEBOOK APPS EVERY MUSICIAN SHOULD BE USING TO PROMOTE/SHARE YOUR MUSIC!

Great article talking about 7 Killer Apps for facebook to help you share your music with the world.

http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-music-apps-2010-10

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 19 2011, 09:31 AM

"MAKING IT" and "MAKING YOUR WAY" in the "BIZ"


I wanted to share this post in my Promotion Thread here as it's very pertinent to the topic. It's from a KILLER thread where Ben shares his "Guitar Bushido" and the instructors talk about making a living with music. Here is a link to the full thread and below that is my post that started the snowball rolling.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=41613&st=0&gopid=553449&#entry553449

----------

The days of "value added plastic" (CD's/DVD's) are gone. Big acts can make money touring, but smaller acts struggle to break even doing live shows for the most part. The trick is really to get you or your band across the threshold from being a local, to a regional, to a national act. At that point, tour money can be enough to live on if done wisely. But it's not just about touring.

At this point in the industry, it's about putting together multiple revenue streams.
1.)Touring
2.)Merchandise
3.)Songs for Hire
4.)Appearances/Lessons
5.)Private Gigs
6.)Endorsements
and above all
7.)Licensing.

That last one is the biggy. If you can license your music to a TV show, Movie, Video Game or commercial, You can do really well financially. Once you establish yourself as a business (a few forms in most places) and create some music and go through the copyright process for your band name etc. You are ready to start selling.

It won't come to you, but you there has never been a better time to be a musician. Gear is cheap, you can put together a home studio that would have cost as much as a house about 10 years ago. You can use social media to get yourself out there. Skip the record lable. This is the age of DIY (Do It Yourself)

Start with social media (youtube / facebook) and get ready to spend wads of time pimping yourself/band. In a perfect world, we would just create music, and the rest would take care of itself. Sadly, we live in this world, not the perfect one. But again, the playing field is more level than ever. Go forth!

Todd

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 12 2012, 05:10 AM

TODDS TOP 5 BEST PRACTICES for POSTING TO YOUTUBE (Secret Techniques of Getting More Views!)


*Want more views on your YOUTUBE videos? Follow the "P"s!

1.)Pre Pimp Posts
-Put out through hootsuite.com (which hits all your social media in on go, spiff! go there and sign up if you haven't already, it's free and CRUCIAL!) that you are about to release a new video. Maybe a day or two ahead.

2.)Pimp the Post
-Use the BULLETIN feature on youtube to create a bulletin about your new video. Also, hit hootsuite.com again and send out tweet/facebook/etc. that you have a new video up.

3.)Parlay the Post
-Parlay your post in to results by running a search on the keywords you think might work best. Find what key words are working for top view count vids and STEAL THEM.

4.)Pepper the Posts
Pepper all the posts you find with similar key words and high view counts with video responses containing your new vid! It's still there, just scroll down a bit.

5.)Pay to Play
-Pay up and start a low budget google adsense campaign or a "promoted video" campaign right on youtube. If you don't have a google adsense account, GO MAKE ONE! It's free. Here is the link.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/ads/publisher/#utm_source=adsense&utm_medium=login&utm_campaign=ww-en-et-adsense-pubsollink

If you want to know more about paying for promoted videos on youtube, check this link.

http://support.google.com/youtube/bin/topic.py?hl=en&topic=16040

To promote your video, Budget about 30 to 50 euro each month. Bid slightlyl higher than top suggested bid for important key words, but limit your total spend to set amount. That amount becomes your ad budget smile.gif

Finally EMBRACE ANALYTICS! (Youtube has great built in tools to help you track how your videos are doing and how people are finding them. Here is a screen grab.



Also, GET THIS BOOK! It RAWKS! It's packed with tips on leveraging SOCIAL MEDIA (facebook, youtube etc.)

http://www.amazon.com/Fans-Friends-Followers-Building-Audience/dp/1442100745/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1326341165&sr=8-2-fkmr1


Posted by: maharzan Jan 12 2012, 07:24 AM

I just revisited my channel, edited info, added tags, submitted few video responses. This information is really helpful. I have been getting quite more views now. Last time I posted, I used to get about a 100 views. Now its more like 300/400. I have started to do covers and that has helped a bit. I will do more and see where I will reach in next 3-6 months. Cheers, Todd, very valuable advice. smile.gif

Posted by: Gitarrero Jan 12 2012, 10:08 PM

Great advice Todd!
I recently checked my youtube account and will edit my tags this weekend and start putting up more stuff on a regular basis.
I am preparing a couple of lessons based on german bands at the moment, it is for the Student Instructor section here but my few lessons are the videos which have the most views. I am also thinking about a few covers, they really seem to boost views.

Christian

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 12 2012, 11:24 PM

QUOTE (maharzan @ Jan 12 2012, 01:24 AM) *
I just revisited my channel, edited info, added tags, submitted few video responses. This information is really helpful. I have been getting quite more views now. Last time I posted, I used to get about a 100 views. Now its more like 300/400. I have started to do covers and that has helped a bit. I will do more and see where I will reach in next 3-6 months. Cheers, Todd, very valuable advice. smile.gif


Well done! Glad the advice is helping smile.gif More to come!

Todd

QUOTE (Gitarrero @ Jan 12 2012, 04:08 PM) *
Great advice Todd!
I recently checked my youtube account and will edit my tags this weekend and start putting up more stuff on a regular basis.
I am preparing a couple of lessons based on german bands at the moment, it is for the Student Instructor section here but my few lessons are the videos which have the most views. I am also thinking about a few covers, they really seem to boost views.

Christian


Covers are a great way to boost views. Also, creating backing tracks and posting them to let other folks solo over them can generate good hit counts. Social Media is kinda like guitar, you learn as you go and it just takes practice smile.gif

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jan 18 2012, 12:57 PM

Excellent work Todd, these are some valuable tips smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 27 2012, 12:32 AM

QUOTE (Ivan Milenkovic @ Jan 18 2012, 06:57 AM) *
Excellent work Todd, these are some valuable tips smile.gif


Thanks smile.gif More to come!


THE CRITICAL FIRST 15 SECONDS OF A YOUTUBE VIDEO

(How to Keep Them Watching)

*From the Youtube Creators Handbook

The First 15 Seconds!
Many viewers decide whether they are going to keep watching your video within the first 10-15 seconds. Attention spans can be short and they are just one click away from abandoning your video. The videoʼs content - “What am I Watching?” - should come across in the first few moments and hook them early to give them a reason the stick around.

Compelling Content First
o The first thing the viewer sees should be compelling, whether it is the personality or the content of the video.
o Personalities should address/welcome the audience, ask a question, spark the viewerʼs curiosity, tease the rest of the video. o Use a ʻteaserʼ for the content of the video; start with a quick clip of whatʼs to come later in the video.


Branding and Packaging Later!
o Branding, flashy intros, and packaging can create a professional quality to your content, but itʼs not the star of the video.
o Let the content or the personality be the star upfront; then the viewer has a reason to watch past the intro and continue with
the video.
o Or you can make sure the branding is compelling content that the viewer is entertained by. For example, College Humorʼs
Jake & Amirʼs opening branding features a different joke each video; their packaging is the content.
o Packing and branding should be minimal and short. Weʼve found 5 seconds to be an optimal length.

What am I watching?!
o In a lot of cases of non-fiction programming, it is important to make it clear to your viewers what your video is, and what theyʼll be watching. If the viewer still doesnʼt know exactly what theyʼre watching in the start of the video, theyʼre gone.

So..
1.)Capture their attention.
2.)Then some branding/logo/id (Optional)
3.)Keep them hooked with great content.
---------

The first 15 seconds is crucial. If you don't catch the viewer by then, they are more than likely going to leave. So make your video really pop at the start, then give any station id/logo, then keep the good stuff going! You can use youtube analytics to see how much time they spend before leaving. More on that to come!



Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 16 2012, 01:31 AM

A great article on how to leverage FACEBOOK to get more views/listeners/buyers for your music! It's a great read with simple, effective tips.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/elm_201202/index.php#/78/OnePage



Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 20 2012, 08:34 PM

Thanks Todd! Wonderful tips mate! I have reached almost 1200 subscribers and 360 000 views on my channel and they keep raising every day. I bet that if I apply the stuff you're sharing here I can boost this sky high biggrin.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 22 2012, 11:10 PM

GET SIGNED BY ROADRUNNER RECORDS!

The great guys at indie Metal lable ROAD RUNNER RECORDS want to hear your music and sign you to a record deal! smile.gif Well, if they like your music that is. They have a web page where anybody can submit their music and get a deal! This isn't a get rich quick scheme guys, as even with a record deal, you'll still have to work your can off.

But check out this link and submit your music and see what happens!

CLICK BELOW - SHOOT THEM YOUR TRACKS!
http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto

http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmetohttp://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto

 

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 23 2012, 11:13 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Feb 22 2012, 10:10 PM) *
GET SIGNED BY ROADRUNNER RECORDS!

The great guys at indie Metal lable ROAD RUNNER RECORDS want to hear your music and sign you to a record deal! smile.gif Well, if they like your music that is. They have a web page where anybody can submit their music and get a deal! This isn't a get rich quick scheme guys, as even with a record deal, you'll still have to work your can off.

But check out this link and submit your music and see what happens!

CLICK BELOW - SHOOT THEM YOUR TRACKS!
http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto

http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmetohttp://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto


Hehe! Thanks Todd! Just filling up the form as I'm writing this biggrin.gif

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Feb 29 2012, 06:15 PM

Awesome tip Todd, thanks! I'll check it out. You're master of internet marketing smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 12 2012, 09:52 AM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Feb 23 2012, 05:13 AM) *
Hehe! Thanks Todd! Just filling up the form as I'm writing this biggrin.gif


Nice! smile.gif Shoot everyone a link if you have not done so! smile.gif



QUOTE (Ivan Milenkovic @ Feb 29 2012, 12:15 PM) *
Awesome tip Todd, thanks! I'll check it out. You're master of internet marketing smile.gif


Thanks much! smile.gif I"m actually a "Consultant" on this sort of thing in the "Real World" but I"m happy to share tips and tricks with my GMC brethren!

If anyone else has not signed up, do it! You might get SIGNED TO A RECORD DEAL!

http://signmeto.roadrunnerrecords.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto&utm_campaign=YouTube+Channel+Banner+(Signmeto

Posted by: audiopaal Mar 12 2012, 11:38 AM

Good thread ,thanks! smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 12 2012, 11:32 PM

QUOTE (audiopaal @ Mar 12 2012, 06:38 AM) *
Good thread ,thanks! smile.gif

NP wink.gif Much more to come. Social Media is the great Democratizer. It can bring big guys down and lift little guys up. Hop on youtube/facebook/twitter and go for it!

Todd

Posted by: FrontlineGuitar Mar 13 2012, 04:12 PM

Thanks a lot for this thread Todd! Really great info here, will definitely be trying all this...

I agree with your point about Social Media being the great Democratizer, and all the massive record labels are going down, because everyone can do virtually everything themselves now, in front of their computer!

"It's a great time to be a musician" - AMEN! wink.gif


Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 14 2012, 12:27 AM

QUOTE (FrontlineGuitar @ Mar 13 2012, 11:12 AM) *
Thanks a lot for this thread Todd! Really great info here, will definitely be trying all this...

I agree with your point about Social Media being the great Democratizer, and all the massive record labels are going down, because everyone can do virtually everything themselves now, in front of their computer!

"It's a great time to be a musician" - AMEN! wink.gif


Happy to help! Give it all a shot! It really is a great time to be a musician! Go for it smile.gif

Todd

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Mar 14 2012, 08:11 AM

It is an awesome time indeed smile.gif thanks to the exposure GMC and Youtube have given me, I can now think of taking advantage of some really interesting opportunities like sponsorships and endorsements - thank you GMC!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 17 2012, 11:35 AM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Mar 14 2012, 03:11 AM) *
It is an awesome time indeed smile.gif thanks to the exposure GMC and Youtube have given me, I can now think of taking advantage of some really interesting opportunities like sponsorships and endorsements - thank you GMC!


Well said! smile.gif GMC RAWKS as does youtube and I love how the expansion of social media has served as a "democratizer". Anyone can share their music with the entire planet! It is indeed a great time for musicians and for music smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Apr 23 2012, 10:15 PM

Great video talking about the Pros and Cons of giving your music away for free as a promotional tool. From the BERKLEE College of Music.


Posted by: Todd Simpson May 20 2012, 02:15 AM

LOOKING TO LICENSE or SELL SOME OF YOUR MUSIC TO MOVIES/TV/Etc?

I recently came across a new web site I've since joined called MUSIC XRAY and I wanted to share it with you guys. I found them through soundcloud.com and they are parnters actually. You can link your accounts and your music is available to producers and such and you can apply for various opportunities for you and your music. Here is the link.

http://www.musicxray.com/

http://www.musicxray.com/

 

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 25 2012, 10:44 PM

Checkout BANDCAMP.com if you have not already to promote your music! It's free and provides a great platform for musicians to give/sell their music. Here is my bandcamp page. I just started one and hope to add wads of stuff! smile.gif


http://divinusmortus.bandcamp.com/

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 26 2012, 08:01 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Sep 25 2012, 09:44 PM) *
Checkout BANDCAMP.com if you have not already to promote your music! It's free and provides a great platform for musicians to give/sell their music. Here is my bandcamp page. I just started one and hope to add wads of stuff! smile.gif


http://divinusmortus.bandcamp.com/


I heard about bandcamp too - I can't wait to have Aria's EP in my hands so that I can place it all over these sites biggrin.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 15 2012, 02:30 AM

There's never been a better time to be a Musician/Band in terms of being able to get your music out there and shared with the world. The internet can be a wonderful thing smile.gif

Of course that has to be balanced against the internet being the vehicle for making even "Paid" music "Free" and constricting the music "biz" as a whole to a fraction of it's former Glory. Still I personally think the trade off's have been worth the costs. Under the old system, bands like TESSERACT and PERIPHERY may not have ever gotten very far (of course some folks may think they would have gotten a huge record deal), due to somewhat limited commercial appeal and the fact that they were able to record/produce their own work in their bedrooms and share it on the internet to get some heat, instead of having to do it the "old way".

In the "old days", they'd have been paying for studio time, hustling their demo and trying to get any metal lable to care. But being able to generate their own "hype" via the web and produce their own music using home computers/software, gave them a HUGE leg up (IMHO).

The GOOD NEWS is that technology has flattened many of the old barriers to entry. So I vote everyone takes maximum advantage!!

Todd


QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 26 2012, 03:01 AM) *
I heard about bandcamp too - I can't wait to have Aria's EP in my hands so that I can place it all over these sites biggrin.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 15 2012, 04:11 PM

Tried and tested Todd!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 15 2012, 09:52 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 15 2012, 11:11 AM) *
Tried and tested Todd!


Cool! Share some links and such!



Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 16 2012, 08:06 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Oct 15 2012, 08:52 PM) *
Cool! Share some links and such!


I wanted to ask for a little piece of advice here smile.gif

I am planning to work with a distribution label (it's a Universal Records subsidiary here in Romania) offering to distribute the Aria EP on the most important channels available. Now the question is, does it make any sense to work with MORE distribution labels, if this one gets your music in the right places?

Posted by: tonymiro Oct 16 2012, 10:58 AM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 16 2012, 08:06 AM) *
I wanted to ask for a little piece of advice here smile.gif

I am planning to work with a distribution label (it's a Universal Records subsidiary here in Romania) offering to distribute the Aria EP on the most important channels available. Now the question is, does it make any sense to work with MORE distribution labels, if this one gets your music in the right places?


It really depends on the contract Cosmin and whether it's for physical and/or digital distribution. Also, if the contract is exclusive then you can't use any other distribution channels in any of the areas named in the contract.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 16 2012, 04:52 PM

QUOTE (tonymiro @ Oct 16 2012, 09:58 AM) *
It really depends on the contract Cosmin and whether it's for physical and/or digital distribution. Also, if the contract is exclusive then you can't use any other distribution channels in any of the areas named in the contract.


Hey Tony! It's only digital and I have no clue about the exclusivity clauses just yet...

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 16 2012, 11:21 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 16 2012, 11:52 AM) *
Hey Tony! It's only digital and I have no clue about the exclusivity clauses just yet...


Toni brings up a great point here. Distributors don't often like to cover the same territory someone else is covering, sometimes it doesn't matter. But try to find out if the lable wants "exclusive" distribution rights for physical or digital or both. Find out what level of distribution they are offering, how many locations for physical, units, shelf space, etc.

Big labels like Sony will sell you distribution these days, as will many others. But the promotion in these cases is often still up to the artist, with the decline in physical media, many distributors are open to letting artists subsidize their existing distribution chain to fill in where some smaller labels used to be.

Todd

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 17 2012, 08:00 AM

I have no clue just yet, if this branch of Universal is also taking care of physical distribution, but I think the best thing here would be to settle a meeting with the dude in charge of this whole thing and see what their services consist in.

Posted by: tonymiro Oct 17 2012, 09:33 AM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 16 2012, 04:52 PM) *
Hey Tony! It's only digital and I have no clue about the exclusivity clauses just yet...


As far as I know pretty much all of the main re-distributors, not just Universal, will put digital out to the major channels like i-tunes and Amazon. In this case you probably need to pay close attention to the payment structure that Universal want, whether its a flat fee, a % of sales (and how that is structured), a mixture, when and how it is paid, etc., and also any other issues like exclusivity.

Also be aware that Universal will almost certainly insist that your release has appropriate ISRC and UPC and may apply their own if they aren't there as i-tunes etc usually won't carry your product without them. If the release hasn't been mastered Universal may suggest that you use their in-house mastering studio. Again read the terms and any contract carefully as very often it's Universal who contract the mastering engineer rather than you. That means you are not the client and the studio often then will not deal/speak with you. I'd suggest that you have a chat with your mastering engineer about this.

If you are in any doubt about the contract then your manager should really get a music industry lawyer to look at it before you do anything.

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Oct 16 2012, 11:21 PM) *
...
Big labels like Sony will sell you distribution these days, as will many others. But the promotion in these cases is often still up to the artist, with the decline in physical media, many distributors are open to letting artists subsidize their existing distribution chain to fill in where some smaller labels used to be.

Todd


Correct - the redistributor usually has nothing to do with promotion and publicity, and often little incentive to push sales.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 18 2012, 08:28 AM

Wow! Thanks Tony! Really, REALLY valuable info here!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 14 2013, 05:29 AM

YOUR BAND NEEDS A WEB SITE!!!!


Your band should have a WEB SITE in addition to your Social Media, (facebook, myspace, tumbler, whatever). These can all be linked to your site, and integrated if you like smile.gif But ideally, if you have a "Band" you should make a "BAND SITE". There are several sites that will let you build something quick and easy using only your web browser. These have benefits.

1.)Anyone can build a site!
2.)No HTML required!
3.)No software required!


Handy eh? Some of these sites charge money. Some don't. Of the ones that charge money,

http://www.bandzoogle.com
is a good choice. But if you are on a budget, I have found one that's FREE.

http://www.get-ctrl.com/


Both are easy to use and will allow you to get your band on the web instead of just having a profile.


Todd



Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 14 2013, 08:40 AM

Everyone needs a website indeed! Now, the level of complexity and options is SO big that you might easily get lost in there. I will tackle the scenario in which you want to invest some time and learn how to use the Wordpress platform as out of what I understood, they are being very flexible and offer a lot of interesting options.

Anybody here skilled in this area maybe? biggrin.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 14 2013, 11:12 AM

The good news is that with todays tools there is almost no skill required to make a presentable web site. WORDPRESS is always an option, but I'd suggest you take a look at


http://www.get-ctrl.com/

which is a place designed just for musicians. For FREE it will walk you through all the steps to creating your band web site online. It integrates your social media and has a built in email capture page. You can do a lot with word press, but the default free templates are not that sexy and tweaking it for a band site can take a decent knowledge of PHP and CSS and other things most musicians would rather just not mess with in general.

I"m going to build a test site on get-ctrl for my DIVINUS MORTUS project to test it out. I"ll share the link when it goes up!

Todd


QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Feb 14 2013, 02:40 AM) *
Everyone needs a website indeed! Now, the level of complexity and options is SO big that you might easily get lost in there. I will tackle the scenario in which you want to invest some time and learn how to use the Wordpress platform as out of what I understood, they are being very flexible and offer a lot of interesting options.

Anybody here skilled in this area maybe? biggrin.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 27 2013, 10:38 PM

Anyone remember myspace? It's fallen out of favor as a social media destination in the states. However, don't ignore it in your social media strategy. You can set up hootsuite.com to post to all of your social media at one time which is a great time saver. There are some parts of the world where myspace is still used so believe it or not it's a good idea to maintain your profile. Myspace recently relaunched with minimal fanfare so get ready to have to change your profile for the new platform. Myspace does allow customization. Here is my current profile. Share yours smile.gif


http://www.myspace.com/techniqueswithtodd


Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 28 2013, 03:11 PM

Great vid talking about building your fan base BEFORE you try to "Sell" anything. Unless you have about 2,000 to 2,5000 actual fans (not just likes but actual fans that respond and who've given you their email address) You are really better off just giving your music away than trying to sell it.

Below that threshold your just trying to raise awareness more than anything. This does mean eating the costs associated with putting anything out which is why it's a good idea to go purely digital until the fan base makes physical product financially viable. Here is the vid.


Posted by: PosterBoy Mar 1 2013, 12:05 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Feb 14 2013, 10:12 AM) *
The good news is that with todays tools there is almost no skill required to make a presentable web site. WORDPRESS is always an option, but I'd suggest you take a look at


http://www.get-ctrl.com/

which is a place designed just for musicians. For FREE it will walk you through all the steps to creating your band web site online. It integrates your social media and has a built in email capture page. You can do a lot with word press, but the default free templates are not that sexy and tweaking it for a band site can take a decent knowledge of PHP and CSS and other things most musicians would rather just not mess with in general.

I"m going to build a test site on get-ctrl for my DIVINUS MORTUS project to test it out. I"ll share the link when it goes up!

Todd



Get-ctrl looks rather intriguing,

Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 5 2013, 01:03 AM

It's a great option and it's FREE!! smile.gif It's still new so it's got some bugs, but nothing too major.

QUOTE (PosterBoy @ Mar 1 2013, 06:05 AM) *
Get-ctrl looks rather intriguing,


Posted by: Todd Simpson Mar 6 2013, 04:32 PM

A really spiff article on REVERB NATION about getting your Music on iTunes. REVERB NATION is a great free resource for promoting your band/music. I know it seems like all these sites are a pain to keep up with, but it's all part of getting the word out about your music. If you don't have a reverb nation profile, go set one up. I'm working on mine now.

Here is the link.

http://www.reverbnation.com/band-promotion/digitaldistribution?utm_campaign=a_distro&utm_content=button_get_started_now&utm_medium=email&utm_source=feature_artist_digital_distro

Posted by: lassem May 18 2013, 03:47 AM

I was going to share some of my experience when it comes to Youtube and marketing and found this thread started by Todd, so I might be repeating what's already been shared here but it might be something new. smile.gif

Something that is really important when it comes to getting ranked high in Google and Youtube is links to your video from blogs and all the social media sites. While it is good to get links from your own facebook and Twitter accounts you should try to get all your friends to also tweet, and share on Facebook and Google plus, the more the better. You can also use annotations in the video to incourage people to share with their friends.

(When you edit the video it is a good idea to put an image in the video that says "please share" or something that stands out a little bit, an image looks a lot better than the annotation.

If you have a website or blog than it's a good idea to make an image inside the video clickable for example an image that says "Click here to visit my new website") This is a pretty new feature in Youtube and it will for sure increase visitors to your website. (Something for GMC maybe)

Keywords in the title and description has already been talked about but it's very important to get any views other than from friends and channel subscribers. If yout put "My new guitar video" as a title and nothing in the description you will not get any views from search. If you put "Cool Guitar Riff in the Style of Hendrix" and also write something about this riff in the description and also include keywords and tags you will have a much bigger chance of getting many more views.

If you have a website you can embed your video. Something that helps the ranking is to also put a link to your video or channel just under the video itself or somwhere in the text.

Finaly chose a good thumbnail you know the picture that you see on the side and in search. For example if you make a how to play something and have tabs to share make a picture that illustrate that you share the tabs, everybody wants tabs so they will likley click on your video first.

There is lot of very good videos with hardly no views at all so if you shoot a good video take a litle time and go through these steps to give it a chance.

If you are serious about your music or have a band you should register a domain it is only $10/year and the hosting of the website cost from $5-10/month.

If you need any help with setting up a wordpress blog just let me know, I have some pretty good templates you can use. I don't have a ton of time but if you want to promote your music I will be happy to help.

/Lars

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 24 2013, 04:32 AM

Some very good tips! All of these are really worth doing. If you've got a handy word press theme, please do share! I'd love to see it smile.gif Word press is a great way for musicians to get involved with the web.

Todd

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 24 2013, 07:03 AM

The graphic design for my site is almost ready, will share as soon as it's done - I'm curious to see what you guys think smile.gif

Posted by: Darius Wave May 24 2013, 08:51 AM

QUOTE (jafomatic @ Aug 27 2010, 04:56 PM) *
If you want people to see it, naming and tagging are VERY important. The question is whether or not you want to entertain the trolls at your own expense.

If you don't want the trolls (or the views) then using the "unlisted" option will allow you to link/embed it freely for REC and MTP entries without the video showing up on any of youtube's searches. I used to simply not tag my "learning to play" videos and that kept trolls and viewers away. The only people that ever saw them were GMC members and ... mom wink.gif

If you really do want people to see your stuff:
- tag liberally, anything that might relate to the video! Gear used, song style, techniques used, etc.
- spell the name of the famous song that you're covering correctly.
- do not use a "backing track" for the copyrighted song you're covering. Play it yourself or risk its removal.
- answer questions in the comments. if no questions are asked, just thank people for the kind remarks.

The "internet famous" folks are mostly successful by promoting themselves as a brand, they interact with their viewers and with each other.


You're right. Interacting with people makes some kind of bond that makes mechanizm working. It's importnat to be "a human" in the web" not only a face with guitar. The only problem is that the more viewers You get, the harder is to respond to all and still have a time to record anything new smile.gif

Posted by: lassem May 26 2013, 04:33 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ May 24 2013, 03:32 AM) *
Some very good tips! All of these are really worth doing. If you've got a handy word press theme, please do share! I'd love to see it smile.gif Word press is a great way for musicians to get involved with the web.

Todd


Here is 2 screenshots of the frontpage of 2 similar themes with top slider. I have a few others but they look almost the same just different options, these 2 are pretty easy to get started with.

Features:
Multiple Slides Support (Images/Video)
looks good with Smarts phone
Color options (White, Black, Brown, Blue, Green, Pink, Purple, Red, Yellow)
Gallery / Contact Us Page Template
Drop down menu
AJAX based Options Panel (More Easier)




/Lars

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 26 2013, 03:01 PM

I strongly support Darius' statement about communication smile.gif I never even thought about acquiring such a following on my Youtube channel (I have 2200 subscribers so far and counting) but I took care to answer each nice comment and of course, ignore the trolls biggrin.gif While at it, I was very constant in uploading videos, thanks to my GMC lessons (I always upload the main video of each lesson on my Youtube channel, having the gmc link in the text description so that anyone wanting to find out more can visit the link)


Posted by: Todd Simpson May 27 2013, 02:53 AM

Aint it the truth!!! At one point I was spending several hours each day just responding to youtube questions from my vids. I actually slowed down making vids as I just couldn't answer everything. I have since started spending more time here @ GMC than on youtube.

Todd

QUOTE (Darius Wave @ May 24 2013, 03:51 AM) *
You're right. Interacting with people makes some kind of bond that makes mechanizm working. It's importnat to be "a human" in the web" not only a face with guitar. The only problem is that the more viewers You get, the harder is to respond to all and still have a time to record anything new smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 27 2013, 06:57 AM

Todd, I would be very grateful if you could explain in a few words how the monetizing process takes place on YT... I have activated this option about a month and a half ago and it says that there are no available statistics for monetizing sad.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 31 2013, 11:10 PM

Sure smile.gif (P.S. shoot me a pm in cases of direct questions if possible with alink to the forum just so I don't space out and miss it!)

The Basic process is

1.)Youtube invites you to be a "partner"
2.)You create a Google Adsense account.
3)You turn on monetization in youtube.
4.)After wads and wads of views, you get a little bit of money.

It takes HUGE amounts of views to get any money. Personally, I turned off ALL pre roll ads since they are lame and drive people away from your vids and reduce views. Honestly, monetization is almost pointless unless you are HANNA MINX or one of these youtubers with 10 million subscribers.

With most cases, it just turns people off your vids when they have to watch ads before or during so I turn all that off. I let the small banner ads play though and it makes a hundred bux or so each month. It's pretty paultry.

Todd




QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ May 27 2013, 01:57 AM) *
Todd, I would be very grateful if you could explain in a few words how the monetizing process takes place on YT... I have activated this option about a month and a half ago and it says that there are no available statistics for monetizing sad.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 1 2013, 10:01 AM

Hey man! Thank you, got the PM this morning biggrin.gif Will reply in a gippy!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 3 2013, 02:09 PM

FREEMIUM????

E.G. MOVING FANS FROM FREEBIES TO PAYING CUSTOMERS


Getting fans/followers/likes is often seen as a goal in and off itself. While it's certainly important, it's only a means to an end. At some point, (hopefully once you have achieved a degree of critical mass, e.g. semi large following) you will need to convert your likes/followers/friends/etc. to paying customers in order to help fund your music projects. This is a daunting task but not impossible.

Most of the literature/data suggests that making a small leap is the best approach E.G. Give your music away until you reach a decent following, then start charging 99 cents for special songs, and offer exclusive bundles that can't be purchased elsewhere via your web site. Give fans a reason to come back.

Here is a great info graphic that illustrates how few people on any give subscription/sign up /social media/streaming service actually pay and how many are freebies.

http://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/making-freemium-add-up/


Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 17 2013, 11:45 PM

NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL BANNER!!!!


YOUTUBE has changed the way each channel looks and they have a new banner size. Here is a jpg template to base your new banner around smile.gif It shows what will be cut off for each platform (mobile/tablet/etc.)



P.S. Here is a link to the YOUTUBE CREATOR ACADEMY a full video course to help you maximize your viewership!

https://creatoracademy.withgoogle.com/unit?unit=1&lesson=1

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 9 2013, 01:48 PM

PROMOTING YOUR MUSIC.




!! GO GET A REVERBNATION.COM ACCOUNT!!!!


Here is mine, smile.gif Check it out for reference.


http://www.reverbnation.com/techniqueswithtodd



Also, when you make your FREE PROFILE, connect with me via ReverbNation and I will connect back with you!! Follow this same procedure with any band you like on reverb nation and invite your friends in bands to join and connect to you as well. It's a great way to create a network of connections and contacts online and in the real world.

Also, you can sell your music with the FREE online reverbnation store and even sell Tshirts WITHOUT HAVING TO BUY THEM FIRST!! you can upload your design or make one using the web site. You don't have to buy the Tshirts. They just make them as the order comes in so your cost is NOTHING!!!

HERE IS THE LINK TO SIGN UP.


https://www.reverbnation.com/signup


Posted by: Darius Wave Sep 9 2013, 03:54 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Feb 27 2013, 09:38 PM) *
Anyone remember myspace? It's fallen out of favor as a social media destination in the states. However, don't ignore it in your social media strategy. You can set up hootsuite.com to post to all of your social media at one time which is a great time saver. There are some parts of the world where myspace is still used so believe it or not it's a good idea to maintain your profile. Myspace recently relaunched with minimal fanfare so get ready to have to change your profile for the new platform. Myspace does allow customization. Here is my current profile. Share yours smile.gif


http://www.myspace.com/techniqueswithtodd




I've left MySpace because through 2 or even 3 years I was NOT ABLE TO CHANGE MY DESCRIPTION :/ Mainly the biography section...I was pissed off and removed my account (funny thing...this I was able to do...)

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 17 2013, 11:01 PM

If you are recording your own music, take a minute and...

GO JOIN REVERBNATION.COM!!!!!


It's very spiff site for Indie musicians (E.G. Not on a Major Label) to promote themselves and their music. I know, I know.

"I can't keep up with it all, I don't have time to twitter, facebook, and do this!"

Believe it or not, yes you can do all of these without killing yourself wink.gif There is a free service called

http://www.hootsuite.com

that will let you post to most of your social media in one go and even schedule posts for later on. Anyhooo!!!!!

Back to REVERBNATION. You can upload your tracks and you get ranked based on your area.

I"m CURRENTLY #2 FOR METAL IN ATLANTA!!!!

http://www.reverbnation.com/techniqueswithtodd



And it's not that hard to get ranked pretty high depending on how many people are in your area. Here is our own DIETERLE!!!

DIETERLE IS RANKED #2 in his area!!!!



Also, it will lead you through PUTTING YOUR MUSIC IN ITUNES!!! It's a killer site for musicians to get their music out. So much more focused than facebook and free of course. smile.gif Join up and start getting your music ranked and out there!!


Posted by: Caelumamittendum Sep 17 2013, 11:07 PM

Just signed up for it now, Todd. https://www.reverbnation.com/stormlinnebjerg

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 18 2013, 06:19 AM

Super Congrats!! So far you are the only one to respond to the post or create an account that I can find. I think many folks may feel they are not "ready". I'd say, if you have anything recorded, your ready smile.gif I checked out your page and it's looking good!!!

Also I noticed you tied some of your other social media in to it. smile.gif Well done there as well!! The secret sauce to leveraging the internet to your advantage as a musician doesn't require wads of cash or miracles, just a bit of time and effort.

Push back through this thread when you get a chance, it has some great tips on gaining ground in the Social Media World for your music smile.gif Other than touring non-stop, this is a great way to spread the news about your playing/music!

Todd



QUOTE (Caelumamittendum @ Sep 17 2013, 06:07 PM) *
Just signed up for it now, Todd. https://www.reverbnation.com/stormlinnebjerg

Posted by: Taka Perry Sep 18 2013, 07:22 AM

Hey, these services look pretty spiff and useful.

I have a Youtube account too (http://www.youtube.com/user/TakaPerryOfficial), but I don't really get any activity on it. I'm not sure if it's a matter of time, as I can definitely say I've built up a following on SoundCloud.

The idea of starting up a new following is scary, especially considering that I've already gotten a following on SoundCloud and Facebook. If I'm already happy with using these services, what are the advantages of me promoting my Youtube account as well?

I want to keep music as my focus, and not have to spend lots of time staying on top of different services. smile.gif What would you think? Thanks smile.gif

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Sep 18 2013, 07:28 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Sep 18 2013, 07:19 AM) *
Super Congrats!! So far you are the only one to respond to the post or create an account that I can find. I think many folks may feel they are not "ready". I'd say, if you have anything recorded, your ready smile.gif I checked out your page and it's looking good!!!

Also I noticed you tied some of your other social media in to it. smile.gif Well done there as well!! The secret sauce to leveraging the internet to your advantage as a musician doesn't require wads of cash or miracles, just a bit of time and effort.

Push back through this thread when you get a chance, it has some great tips on gaining ground in the Social Media World for your music smile.gif Other than touring non-stop, this is a great way to spread the news about your playing/music!

Todd


Cheers, Todd! I'm not a grand player or anything (yet! laugh.gif ), so I don't have much to show off, but perhaps people will see some progress then and enjoy the journey with me. smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 19 2013, 05:58 AM

Sort the same bits I was mentioning in the other thread about Social Media and the idea that you NEVER want your "fans" to type your name/band in a search box and come up empty. The good news is that reverbnation offers some bits that other sites don't offer like Electronic Press Kits, getting tracks released on iTunes, help in creating promotional campaigns, regional, national rankings etc.

In short, it's just for bands. Not like facebook which is for pretty much everything. So it's very focused. Soundcloud is a great place and I'd say it's crucial to be part of it. Facebook/Twitter are less about music but still vital to your Social Media strategy. As you continue on youtube, check your ANALYTICS!!! This can tell you who is watching what and for how long. It's the key to finding who your audience is and isn't.

One way to get more traction on one site, is to promote it with your accounts on the other sites. E.G. link back to a youtube video from soundcloud/facebook/etc. embed the vid everywhere, pay for a promotional campaign, etc. smile.gif

FOCUS ON MUSIC: I don't know if you saw in my other post in another thread of yours, but you can use a site like hootsuite.com to let you post to most of your social media at one time and schedule posts to happen later. So you can spend far less time on social media and more time on music smile.gif So yeah, focus on music. Just be smart about how you do social media!


QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Sep 18 2013, 02:22 AM) *
Hey, these services look pretty spiff and useful.

I have a Youtube account too (http://www.youtube.com/user/TakaPerryOfficial), but I don't really get any activity on it. I'm not sure if it's a matter of time, as I can definitely say I've built up a following on SoundCloud.

The idea of starting up a new following is scary, especially considering that I've already gotten a following on SoundCloud and Facebook. If I'm already happy with using these services, what are the advantages of me promoting my Youtube account as well?

I want to keep music as my focus, and not have to spend lots of time staying on top of different services. smile.gif What would you think? Thanks smile.gif



That's the idea! smile.gif It's good to "stake a claim" so to speak early so that you can be building your "following/fans" as you go.

QUOTE (Caelumamittendum @ Sep 18 2013, 02:28 AM) *
Cheers, Todd! I'm not a grand player or anything (yet! laugh.gif ), so I don't have much to show off, but perhaps people will see some progress then and enjoy the journey with me. smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 19 2013, 08:18 AM

Todd! I would be very interested in understanding how Adsense works and how I can use my Youtube account in combination with AdSense - I can't monetize my videos unless I do that and they are asking me for my website, which I don't have, at the moment.. Thank you millions!

Posted by: Taka Perry Sep 19 2013, 08:21 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Sep 19 2013, 02:58 PM) *
Sort the same bits I was mentioning in the other thread about Social Media and the idea that you NEVER want your "fans" to type your name/band in a search box and come up empty. The good news is that reverbnation offers some bits that other sites don't offer like Electronic Press Kits, getting tracks released on iTunes, help in creating promotional campaigns, regional, national rankings etc.

In short, it's just for bands. Not like facebook which is for pretty much everything. So it's very focused. Soundcloud is a great place and I'd say it's crucial to be part of it. Facebook/Twitter are less about music but still vital to your Social Media strategy. As you continue on youtube, check your ANALYTICS!!! This can tell you who is watching what and for how long. It's the key to finding who your audience is and isn't.

One way to get more traction on one site, is to promote it with your accounts on the other sites. E.G. link back to a youtube video from soundcloud/facebook/etc. embed the vid everywhere, pay for a promotional campaign, etc. smile.gif

FOCUS ON MUSIC: I don't know if you saw in my other post in another thread of yours, but you can use a site like hootsuite.com to let you post to most of your social media at one time and schedule posts to happen later. So you can spend far less time on social media and more time on music smile.gif So yeah, focus on music. Just be smart about how you do social media!





That's the idea! smile.gif It's good to "stake a claim" so to speak early so that you can be building your "following/fans" as you go.


Awesome! Thanks a lot Todd, I'll have a look at Youtube stats and see how I can improve my reach. smile.gif I saw your post on Hootsuite earlier and gave it a shot. I still haven't gotten used to it but it seems pretty solid.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 19 2013, 08:44 AM

I wanted to share some NEW INK!!! I recently did an Interview for the

UNDERGROUNDGUITARIST.com Guitar Blog!!

Here is the link smile.gif

http://undergroundguitarist.com/interview-with-todd-simpson-on-learning-awesome-guitar-technique

There are TONS of sites like this all over the web and they often give underground musicians/bands a break and some nice ink smile.gif If you have a musical project and some songs/links/band site, even a reverb nation page, be outgoing and Contact as many of these sites as you want and ask them if you can do an interview or have your music reviewed/featured!!

That's how I got this interview! I emailed him with my links/sites/music and asked for it smile.gif


Posted by: Caelumamittendum Sep 19 2013, 11:50 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Sep 19 2013, 09:44 AM) *
I wanted to share some NEW INK!!! I recently did an Interview for the

UNDERGROUNDGUITARIST.com Guitar Blog!!

Here is the link smile.gif

http://undergroundguitarist.com/interview-with-todd-simpson-on-learning-awesome-guitar-technique

There are TONS of sites like this all over the web and they often give underground musicians/bands a break and some nice ink smile.gif If you have a musical project and some songs/links/band site, even a reverb nation page, be outgoing and Contact as many of these sites as you want and ask them if you can do an interview or have your music reviewed/featured!!

That's how I got this interview! I emailed him with my links/sites/music and asked for it smile.gif



Very nice, Todd! I enjoyed that read smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 20 2013, 08:47 AM

Thank you for the tip Todd! I will write them too smile.gif

Posted by: Taka Perry Sep 24 2013, 12:38 PM

Todd, I followed your advice and set up a Reverbnation account a few days ago. I finally got my tracks up, filled out my bio, connected my accounts etc., and for some reason I'm #2 in my area. ohmy.gif I really don't know how that happened.



Anyway, http://www.reverbnation.com/takaperry so let me know what you think! Thanks man smile.gif

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Sep 24 2013, 02:01 PM

As far as I know the rank system is based on "genre in area" though. I'm about 30th in my area for metal, I think. Might have been higher if I had chosen some other genre,

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 24 2013, 11:07 PM

Super Congrats!!!! smile.gif One suggestion, change your LOCATION to a BIG city that is near by. It's great to be high in the rankings but if you are high in the rankings for a really tiny place that folks have never heard of, it takes some of the gravity out of it. What is the biggest city that's closest to you? Whatever that is, change your location (the help section will walk you through it) to that city. It will porbably keep your high ranking and make it seem far more legit!





QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Sep 24 2013, 07:38 AM) *
Todd, I followed your advice and set up a Reverbnation account a few days ago. I finally got my tracks up, filled out my bio, connected my accounts etc., and for some reason I'm #2 in my area. ohmy.gif I really don't know how that happened.



Anyway, http://www.reverbnation.com/takaperry so let me know what you think! Thanks man smile.gif



Genre is part of it, but also, LOCATION is a HUGE factor. You want to try to pick a large city near you if possible rather than your actual location if your actual location is a place folks have never heard of. Being top of the charts in the stick/boondocks/heck of nowhere doesn't carry much weight. But naturally if you are a METAL band from UPSALLA sweden, you are in a tough market since there are TONS of Metal bands there!!

Todd




QUOTE (Caelumamittendum @ Sep 24 2013, 09:01 AM) *
As far as I know the rank system is based on "genre in area" though. I'm about 30th in my area for metal, I think. Might have been higher if I had chosen some other genre,


Posted by: Taka Perry Sep 25 2013, 12:42 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Sep 25 2013, 08:07 AM) *
Super Congrats!!!! smile.gif One suggestion, change your LOCATION to a BIG city that is near by. It's great to be high in the rankings but if you are high in the rankings for a really tiny place that folks have never heard of, it takes some of the gravity out of it. What is the biggest city that's closest to you? Whatever that is, change your location (the help section will walk you through it) to that city. It will porbably keep your high ranking and make it seem far more legit!

Genre is part of it, but also, LOCATION is a HUGE factor. You want to try to pick a large city near you if possible rather than your actual location if your actual location is a place folks have never heard of. Being top of the charts in the stick/boondocks/heck of nowhere doesn't carry much weight. But naturally if you are a METAL band from UPSALLA sweden, you are in a tough market since there are TONS of Metal bands there!!

Todd


Awesome smile.gif The biggest near me is definitely Sydney, once I get home I'll give it a try smile.gif The only thing I don't like about Reverbnation so far is that it keeps nagging me to 'Pay to Promote' and 'Run Campaigns' and et cetera.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 25 2013, 01:57 AM

Yeah, the "nag screens" are just them trying to pay the bills. You just gotta click around them smile.gif The good news is, the site is free to use, but they will still keep pitching as that's how they make money right? It's a business, not a charity so I don't begrudge them hustling for a buck, but I don't spend any money there smile.gif Not yet anyway!

Todd


QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Sep 24 2013, 07:42 PM) *
Awesome smile.gif The biggest near me is definitely Sydney, once I get home I'll give it a try smile.gif The only thing I don't like about Reverbnation so far is that it keeps nagging me to 'Pay to Promote' and 'Run Campaigns' and et cetera.


Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 25 2013, 05:33 AM

Good idea!! The guy that runs the site is very cool and always up for an interview with a new Artist! I"ll email him to let him know your coming his way!

Todd

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Sep 20 2013, 03:47 AM) *
Thank you for the tip Todd! I will write them too smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Sep 25 2013, 07:42 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Sep 25 2013, 04:33 AM) *
Good idea!! The guy that runs the site is very cool and always up for an interview with a new Artist! I"ll email him to let him know your coming his way!

Todd


Thank you very much good sir! smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 25 2013, 10:06 PM

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF FACEBOOK!!!


We've discussed how important it is to have a FACEBOOK FAN PAGE and that this is ENTIRELY DIFFERENT from y our PERSONAL PAGE. Your Personal Page is for family photos, and friends and such. Your "FAN PAGE" is just for sharing information about your music with your fans.

If you have NOT created a fan page, HERE IS THE LINK!! smile.gif

https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/

Go make one. It's quick and easy smile.gif And it's something that can be viewed without logging in to facebook, and can be found via google. (your personal page is NOT viewable to google or to folks not logged in)

Once you get going CHECK YOUR FACEBOOK ANALYTICS PAGE!!!

This will tell you how effective you are being at reaching your fans. You may need to set aside a small bit of money to promote your posts just to get above the noise level of facebook. Odds are, your posts never actually reach the news feed of people who have "liked" your page. Sadly, if you want a post to show up, you have to pony up some cash. It doesn't have to be much, you can spend $10 to promote a given post and get good results.

The new analytics page on facebook is very spiff. It shows how effective or inefective your efforts at reaching your fans are. Being able to make sense of this type of information is very important. It's not as sexy as making a new solo, but it's just part of the game. smile.gif





Posted by: Dieterle Sep 25 2013, 10:47 PM

Hello !

So for Germany i must say because of Fan pages and Sites like that ,

You must have a IMPRESSUM on the page visible from each page !!!

Soo Full Name and Full Adress Phone Fax and E-mail !!!

If not the charging will start from 500 until 50.000 Euro


http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressum


Sins spring this year they started massively to control websites all over the place .



Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 2 2013, 06:10 AM

Ouch!! I have been watching DWTV (Deutche Welle) News and I've been seeing something about this. It seems very concerning. The German government seems a bit worried about all the activities that the United states CIA has been doing lately and are very focused on privacy issues and on controlling the internet.

I don't know where this will end up but it is not looking good so far sad.gif The good news is that even if they require full contact info, you can get around it smile.gif

1.)Get a GOOGLE VOICE number.
-It's free, voice.google.com and you can give out this number without worrying. It's not a "real" number so it's not tied to you and can't be used for identity theft smile.gif

2.)Get a Post Office Box
-I use my P.O. box for all public listings of my address. Your real address can be used for identity theft so keep that off the web.

3.)Email
-As long as your email is not your full name, your fine smile.gif



QUOTE (Dieterle @ Sep 25 2013, 05:47 PM) *
Hello !

So for Germany i must say because of Fan pages and Sites like that ,

You must have a IMPRESSUM on the page visible from each page !!!

Soo Full Name and Full Adress Phone Fax and E-mail !!!

If not the charging will start from 500 until 50.000 Euro


http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressum


Sins spring this year they started massively to control websites all over the place .


Posted by: Taka Perry Oct 3 2013, 07:38 AM

Hey Todd,

I've basically read this whole thread from the start now. You've stressed the importance of having a YouTube channel, and a lot of people have YouTube channels here at GMC, including you, Cosmin, Darius, thefireball and many others. I think YouTube is simply a bigger network than SoundCloud, and thus there is more chance of somebody stumbling upon your music.

So here's what I'm wondering; I've reached the point on https://soundcloud.com/taka-perry where I can get a steady stream of followers every day, and I can log on to see that I have a few new comments/likes. I'm not too sure how I got to this stage.

I do have a YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/TakaPerryOfficial), but at this current stage, everything is fairly stagnant. I've been uploading videos at a fairly consistent pace (about 2-3 a month), but it kind of feels like there is nothing happening. I'm guessing YouTube channels are kind of snowball effect in that once you get your initial momentum going, everything will come naturally. smile.gif I'm kind of considering starting fresh with a new YouTube channel that is more focused on music and guitar specifically. What are your thoughts?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 3 2013, 10:59 AM

QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Oct 3 2013, 06:38 AM) *
Hey Todd,

I've basically read this whole thread from the start now. You've stressed the importance of having a YouTube channel, and a lot of people have YouTube channels here at GMC, including you, Cosmin, Darius, thefireball and many others. I think YouTube is simply a bigger network than SoundCloud, and thus there is more chance of somebody stumbling upon your music.

So here's what I'm wondering; I've reached the point on https://soundcloud.com/taka-perry where I can get a steady stream of followers every day, and I can log on to see that I have a few new comments/likes. I'm not too sure how I got to this stage.

I do have a YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/TakaPerryOfficial), but at this current stage, everything is fairly stagnant. I've been uploading videos at a fairly consistent pace (about 2-3 a month), but it kind of feels like there is nothing happening. I'm guessing YouTube channels are kind of snowball effect in that once you get your initial momentum going, everything will come naturally. smile.gif I'm kind of considering starting fresh with a new YouTube channel that is more focused on music and guitar specifically. What are your thoughts?


I totally agree about the snowball effect! I started my Youtube account in November 2010, at the same moment that I started activating in GMC. I uploaded each and every lesson I made and posted each video in a lot of groups on Facebook religiously - I should stick to doing it now as well, but I don't have that much time on my hands as I used to have back then. Somehow - SOMEHOW - the Drop A Breakdown video and the Metalcore Groove video started gaining momentum and they dragged the whole channel after them. Now I have about 2400 subscribers and closing in on 850000 views. I need much more in order to make myself noticed internationally, but right now, in Romania, I think that I am number one - I have to check tho laugh.gif

Posted by: Taka Perry Oct 3 2013, 11:05 AM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 3 2013, 07:59 PM) *
I totally agree about the snowball effect! I started my Youtube account in November 2010, at the same moment that I started activating in GMC. I uploaded each and every lesson I made and posted each video in a lot of groups on Facebook religiously - I should stick to doing it now as well, but I don't have that much time on my hands as I used to have back then. Somehow - SOMEHOW - the Drop A Breakdown video and the Metalcore Groove video started gaining momentum and they dragged the whole channel after them. Now I have about 2400 subscribers and closing in on 850000 views. I need much more in order to make myself noticed internationally, but right now, in Romania, I think that I am number one - I have to check tho laugh.gif


Wow, that's quite a story! I wonder what those videos contained that made them very popular? Maybe it was the tags? I think YouTube is great because unlike a Facebook post, you can have videos that are 3-4 years old that will still bring you new listeners everyday smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 4 2013, 08:21 AM

QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Oct 3 2013, 10:05 AM) *
Wow, that's quite a story! I wonder what those videos contained that made them very popular? Maybe it was the tags? I think YouTube is great because unlike a Facebook post, you can have videos that are 3-4 years old that will still bring you new listeners everyday smile.gif


I think the titles were making a difference at that point - oh and there's one more thing to know smile.gif The more views your video has, the more it will appear in the recommended zone in respect to search terms that a certain category of people have introduced often. So if you are a metal guy, most probably that YT will recommend certain videos smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 5 2013, 04:06 AM

Youtube is MUCH bigger than pretty much any of the other user created content networks. So yup, it's where the "eyballs" are smile.gif
The thing that frustrates most folks is getting any traction/views. It takes some trial and error, but it's certainly possible to build a following as evidenced by the GMC instructors and many students smile.gif

However, it's not really an "either or" kind of thing IMHO. Each site/network has it's purpose and place. Soundcloud is a very different thing. But it's a very important place to be if you want your music to be heard IMHO. You may notice that every record label on earth has a soundclound account as does mostly any band worth noting.

Some things make sense to post on soundcloud and not youtube. Sometimes, the other way around.

As for getting some traction on youtube, it's an art to be sure. Here are some tips.

1.)do some research on youtube and pick 5 or 10 channels that you like and want to emulate in some way. I know you want to be original, but using some examples/role models is a great way to gain a foothold.

2.)Look at the videos on the channels you've picked. Break them down, watch them WITHOUT AUDIO. What is in the frame? Does the video look like it's shot in a bedroom or a studio or outside? What camera angles are used? What do you see in the frame?

3.)Turn audio back on. What types of videos on these channels are getting the most traffic? Original Music? Cover Music? Gear Reviews? Lyric Videos? Take note of what works and try to adapt your content just a bit in order to compete.

I wish I could simply say "Be yourself, just let the music do the talking" but sadly, there is an element of salesmanship and showmanship that go in to making a compelling video and a compelling channel. You can tell which channels are compelling pretty easily. Look at the view count and subscriber count. More than a MILLION total Views? Probably something can be learned from that channel smile.gif Less than a Million views? Maybe still something to be learned but perhaps not quite as much.

That's a pretty basic breakdown of the entire system and an approach that has worked for me smile.gif Of course, there are UNLIMITED WAYS OF APPROACHING IT. You just have to decide which approach to take based on what works for you smile.gif

Hope this helps!
Todd




QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Oct 3 2013, 02:38 AM) *
Hey Todd,

I've basically read this whole thread from the start now. You've stressed the importance of having a YouTube channel, and a lot of people have YouTube channels here at GMC, including you, Cosmin, Darius, thefireball and many others. I think YouTube is simply a bigger network than SoundCloud, and thus there is more chance of somebody stumbling upon your music.

So here's what I'm wondering; I've reached the point on https://soundcloud.com/taka-perry where I can get a steady stream of followers every day, and I can log on to see that I have a few new comments/likes. I'm not too sure how I got to this stage.

I do have a YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/TakaPerryOfficial), but at this current stage, everything is fairly stagnant. I've been uploading videos at a fairly consistent pace (about 2-3 a month), but it kind of feels like there is nothing happening. I'm guessing YouTube channels are kind of snowball effect in that once you get your initial momentum going, everything will come naturally. smile.gif I'm kind of considering starting fresh with a new YouTube channel that is more focused on music and guitar specifically. What are your thoughts?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 5 2013, 01:21 PM

Great insight Todd - I think you pointed out a great way of analysis in respect to getting yourself out there. My account is almost 850000 views and hopefully, it'll reach the million this year. I will try and experiment myself with the indications you posted, might be I will get a little boost biggrin.gif

Posted by: Darius Wave Oct 5 2013, 02:12 PM

Dietrle....can You post some english version of that issue? I'm not quite sure what's it all about but it smell bad as far :/ Do I get it correctly...sort of cash punishment for not having full contact info on Your facebook page ? :/

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 5 2013, 09:41 PM

Happy to help!! You are getting really good traction it looks like but every bit helps!

Todd

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 5 2013, 08:21 AM) *
Great insight Todd - I think you pointed out a great way of analysis in respect to getting yourself out there. My account is almost 850000 views and hopefully, it'll reach the million this year. I will try and experiment myself with the indications you posted, might be I will get a little boost biggrin.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 6 2013, 03:42 PM

Thanks again man - the thing is that I noticed a little but too much of a drop in the increase. I should post more vids more often, I guess smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 8 2013, 12:31 AM

It's only natural smile.gif what's happened recently is that companies with DEEEP pockets are paying to promote their own "viral" vids so competing with them is starting to really make things hard for the little guys like us!!!

You can promote a vid via facebook "promoted post" and get some good results. But usually it's 1 vid play per 1000 impressions or so. Bottom line, if you promote a post and get 10,000 views on facebook, the youtube vid in that post might only get 100 plays. And youtube stops EVERY vid around 300 plays to make sure it's not spam and then after it's approve the play count can increase smile.gif

Todd


QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 6 2013, 10:42 AM) *
Thanks again man - the thing is that I noticed a little but too much of a drop in the increase. I should post more vids more often, I guess smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 8 2013, 08:15 AM

One thing which I used to do and I don't do anymore, was to post my vids into about 200-300 musician groups on FB. I think that helped a lot, you know and maybe it would be a good idea to start doing it again, at least for a period, to see if it will really boost things as I thought it did before. Have you ever tried this?

Posted by: Darius Wave Oct 8 2013, 10:08 AM

Saddest thing is howall those views and social activities relates to real life. I very often come to this conclusion - play gigs, visit constantly a list of places You played before. Your audince will grow each time and it gives more real life profits than having 1 milions views on YT video.

Of course it's very cool to have a lot of internet fans and listeners butvery often it doesn't affect Your regular life that much.

Also...focuinsg on one big thing that You belive in would be best choice. I wonder how would look my position i nthe market if I would stop all those little collabnorations and made my own solo project, focusing only on this in all aspects - recordings, YT and social promotion, gigs management etc.

Very often I think of how true is that - "If You want something to be done well, do it yourself"

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 8 2013, 07:07 PM

THAT"S A BRILLIANT IDEA!!!!!


Active posting in FB groups is a wonderful idea and can help make your vids get some serious traction. I hadn't thought of that but it's a great idea!!

Todd




QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 8 2013, 03:15 AM) *
One thing which I used to do and I don't do anymore, was to post my vids into about 200-300 musician groups on FB. I think that helped a lot, you know and maybe it would be a good idea to start doing it again, at least for a period, to see if it will really boost things as I thought it did before. Have you ever tried this?



Certainly a valid approach and it looks to be very worth doing given your success! But as I mentioned in previous posts, a nice balance of web/live can enhance both smile.gif Internet/web promo can give you a fan base beyond where you can physically play. Ola Englund is a good example of this. He created a somewhat global fan base from his bedroom and parlayed that in to other offers.

QUOTE (Darius Wave @ Oct 8 2013, 05:08 AM) *
Saddest thing is howall those views and social activities relates to real life. I very often come to this conclusion - play gigs, visit constantly a list of places You played before. Your audince will grow each time and it gives more real life profits than having 1 milions views on YT video.

Of course it's very cool to have a lot of internet fans and listeners butvery often it doesn't affect Your regular life that much.

Also...focuinsg on one big thing that You belive in would be best choice. I wonder how would look my position i nthe market if I would stop all those little collabnorations and made my own solo project, focusing only on this in all aspects - recordings, YT and social promotion, gigs management etc.

Very often I think of how true is that - "If You want something to be done well, do it yourself"


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 8 2013, 09:41 PM

I think it worked a lot of times - especially that in here we have about 40 groups that are rock communities of each city - Bucharest Rock Community, Timisoara Rock Community and so on smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 9 2013, 04:16 AM

I'm actually going to borrow this idea it's a really good one!!

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 8 2013, 04:41 PM) *
I think it worked a lot of times - especially that in here we have about 40 groups that are rock communities of each city - Bucharest Rock Community, Timisoara Rock Community and so on smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 9 2013, 08:32 AM

Hehe biggrin.gif Glad I could help - are there any groups like this in the USA? Dunno, something like Wisconsin Rock Community?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 9 2013, 06:51 PM

There are TONS of groups on facebook for Rock/Metal/Guitar related stuff in the U.S. Just winnowing them down will be a bit of a chore, but well worth it I'm sure smile.gif A quick search yielded wads of them.

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 9 2013, 03:32 AM) *
Hehe biggrin.gif Glad I could help - are there any groups like this in the USA? Dunno, something like Wisconsin Rock Community?


Posted by: Darius Wave Oct 9 2013, 07:34 PM

Have too add some interesting thoughts I had sometimes...biggrin.gif

It's useless to promote Your playing within guitar players....they ain't gonna get You a job because they will keep it for themselfs biggrin.gif
Now...imagine to have as many "other instruments" friends as we usually have the guitar dudes on FB. They are the ones that could need a guitar player time to time biggrin.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 9 2013, 08:01 PM



I got an email that "Five Finger Death Punch" had subscribed to me on twitter. At first I was a bit taken aback. Then I noticed they have just tons of folks they follow. They are using "following" on twitter as a promotional tool to get "follow backs". This is yet another of those strategies that sucks up wads of time and works best when farmed out to someone else who gets paid or volunteers to do it.

Many folks (not all, certainly, NOT ALL) will give you a "Follow Back" on twitter if you follow them. So following folks that look to have similar interests in music can create more followers for your twitter feed.

DISCLAIMERBefore the "anti" posts begin, I'll say again that such advice on using social media is only intended for folks who spend some of their time trying to leverage social media. There are plenty of folks who find it a waste of time so this post is really not meant for those people. smile.gif

I did want to point out this practice as it's used by some larger bands. They have interns, paid folks who can follow people all day. Doing it yourself requires BALANCE that cosmin and I keep talking about. smile.gif


Posted by: Taka Perry Oct 10 2013, 12:43 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Oct 10 2013, 06:01 AM) *
I got an email that "Five Finger Death Punch" had subscribed to me on twitter. At first I was a bit taken aback. Then I noticed they have just tons of folks they follow. They are using "following" on twitter as a promotional tool to get "follow backs". This is yet another of those strategies that sucks up wads of time and works best when farmed out to someone else who gets paid or volunteers to do it.

Many folks (not all, certainly, NOT ALL) will give you a "Follow Back" on twitter if you follow them. So following folks that look to have similar interests in music can create more followers for your twitter feed.

DISCLAIMERBefore the "anti" posts begin, I'll say again that such advice on using social media is only intended for folks who spend some of their time trying to leverage social media. There are plenty of folks who find it a waste of time so this post is really not meant for those people. smile.gif

I did want to point out this practice as it's used by some larger bands. They have interns, paid folks who can follow people all day. Doing it yourself requires BALANCE that cosmin and I keep talking about. smile.gif



I agree with what you say, and I can see it all the time. I did it for a while, before I decided it was stupid. I can tell you first hand that while following masses of people will get you masses of followers, generally those followers only follow you because you followed them and generally have no interest in your music. I think out of every 100 followers, about 2 or 3 take the time to check out your music. Having 100,000 followers on Twitter might sound great, but if they are not focused and engaged followers, I would rather take 10 people that I can make a connection with.

The attitude on Twitter on Facebook are very different. On Twitter, I can get a follower, and then they will unfollow me a day later, probably because I didn't follow them back. What they should understand, is that if they use lousy grammar and drop an F-bomb every other tweet, I'm not going going to follow you! Yes, I probably would follow a fellow musician back if they followed me, but the fact that 'following back' has become common etiquette is a bit sad. On the other hand, on Facebook, my page growth is a lot slower, but I can tell straight away that every like I get is somebody that I can connect with.

Now, a guitarist I look up to a lot, called Andy Othling (or Lowercase Noises), has a blog especially for independent musicians like us. He http://www.andyothling.com/the-truth-about-one-of-the-worst-attitudes-in-music/ this morning about different attitudes people can have towards their music. It was a very good read, and if you have the time, I'd really suggest everyone reads through smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 10 2013, 02:45 AM

You bring up a good point here. Follow backs are really flakey. And ideally in a perfect word I'd like to only deal with followers I can make a solid connection with. However, until the perfect world arrives, the number of followers one has at any given time on these services speaks volumes to potential folks who may be considering an opportunity or partnership with you. I know this is somewhat offensive especially to newer musicians. But at least knowing how the game is played has it's own value. Even if it's a bit sickening.

For example, say you are looking to establish yourself as a review guy. Like Ryan Bruce, Ola Englund, Keith Merrow,etc. Being able to approach vendors and point out that you have good numbers is key. If you have really low/bad numbers, it just broadcasts that you have yet to achieve "relevance" in the eyes of most of the biz. Not that this is bad, you can make AMAZING music and be "relevant" to only 3 people. If that is ok then bingo!

If not, being able to understand what is involved in generating enough traction to make vendors want to send you stuff to review or keep has some value. But if you would rather skip all that and just pay as you go for gear, then it really doesn't matter if you are on social media at all. You can let people find you. As I've mentioned some folks take this route and let the music only do the talking. It's certainly a valid approach smile.gif

Personally I try to achieve some level of balance. I keep up with social media ideas and concepts/best practices to a degree so that I can get some traction as I really like reviewing gear that I don't have to buy smile.gif But hey that's just me smile.gif

Todd




QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Oct 9 2013, 07:43 PM) *
I agree with what you say, and I can see it all the time. I did it for a while, before I decided it was stupid. I can tell you first hand that while following masses of people will get you masses of followers, generally those followers only follow you because you followed them and generally have no interest in your music. I think out of every 100 followers, about 2 or 3 take the time to check out your music. Having 100,000 followers on Twitter might sound great, but if they are not focused and engaged followers, I would rather take 10 people that I can make a connection with.

The attitude on Twitter on Facebook are very different. On Twitter, I can get a follower, and then they will unfollow me a day later, probably because I didn't follow them back. What they should understand, is that if they use lousy grammar and drop an F-bomb every other tweet, I'm not going going to follow you! Yes, I probably would follow a fellow musician back if they followed me, but the fact that 'following back' has become common etiquette is a bit sad. On the other hand, on Facebook, my page growth is a lot slower, but I can tell straight away that every like I get is somebody that I can connect with.

Now, a guitarist I look up to a lot, called Andy Othling (or Lowercase Noises), has a blog especially for independent musicians like us. He http://www.andyothling.com/the-truth-about-one-of-the-worst-attitudes-in-music/ this morning about different attitudes people can have towards their music. It was a very good read, and if you have the time, I'd really suggest everyone reads through smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 10 2013, 09:16 AM

Well, to go back a bit to Darius' observation - it is very true smile.gif Promoting guitar stuff among guitarists can't be that great, but promoting it among people that want to learn the instrument can be good and if you know how to wrap it up, it will also catch the ears of normal listeners. That's why a catchy theme is always welcome tongue.gif

Posted by: Fran Oct 10 2013, 12:26 PM

I tried to get all relevant info in this thread in this wiki entry, which I just updated, let me know if it's okor missing something Todd cool.gif

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Promoting_Your_Playing_And_Your_Music

Posted by: Darius Wave Oct 10 2013, 04:02 PM

Just my thoughts while adding new virtual friends Cosmin biggrin.gif

Posted by: vonhotch Oct 10 2013, 04:45 PM

I had kind of a positive experience with the follow back technique from a small band that found me on twitter. I hadn't done too much with it, and have about 4 followers, but got notified a band called Outlet started to follow me, so I checked out their music and whether it was dumb luck or not was music I really like. So I followed them back and tweeted them about trying my picks and now I have some on my way to them. It was an example of how that worked out for both of us. Hopefully.... But I wouldn't just follow somebody back to be polite if I had no interest in what they were about. And I really wouldn't care if somebody followed me if they didn't care about what I was about.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 11 2013, 08:58 AM

QUOTE (Darius Wave @ Oct 10 2013, 03:02 PM) *
Just my thoughts while adding new virtual friends Cosmin biggrin.gif


D-man, it's the world we live in biggrin.gif

Von, I think it's very important to have a very clear segmentation of the people we want to reach, as Darius pointed out - we should promote the content very well directed, in order to get the most out of it. One example is that I always write the presentation texts when I post something on Facebook, in Romanian for the Romanian groups and in English for the English speaking ones.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 12 2013, 03:49 AM

WOW!!!


That is an AMAZING job on pulling all these thread ideas together in to one Tapestry of Information!!! FREAKING WELL DONE FRAN!!!!!!! You RRRRRAAAAAWWWWKKKK!!!!!



QUOTE (Fran @ Oct 10 2013, 07:26 AM) *
I tried to get all relevant info in this thread in this wiki entry, which I just updated, let me know if it's okor missing something Todd cool.gif

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Promoting_Your_Playing_And_Your_Music


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Oct 12 2013, 08:05 AM

Hehe, indeed, great work Fran!

Posted by: Frankster Nov 6 2013, 09:13 PM

That is a great thread and should be pinned at the top of the forum biggrin.gif

At the moment we have no videos so Youtube will be nice for promotion in the future but at the moment we will concentrate on Facebook and Homepage.

But I will create a http://www.reverbnation.com/ account asap because it looks really interesting

As hobbyband should we also create an account here ?
http://www.bandcamp.com
http://www.musicxray.com

Thanks
Frankster

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 7 2013, 01:38 AM

Thanks! smile.gif Most of it is in our GMC WIKI! smile.gif Another great resource for information! Our WIKI GURU Fran has put it all in wonderful order!! He did a much better job organizing it than I did on presenting it for sure! Here is the link!


http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Promoting_Your_Playing_And_Your_Music

Be sure to share your new places on the web with the GMC Community! smile.gif

Todd


QUOTE (Frankster @ Nov 6 2013, 03:13 PM) *
That is a great thread and should be pinned at the top of the forum biggrin.gif

At the moment we have no videos so Youtube will be nice for promotion in the future but at the moment we will concentrate on Facebook and Homepage.

But I will create a http://www.reverbnation.com/ account asap because it looks really interesting

As hobbyband should we also create an account here ?
http://www.bandcamp.com
http://www.musicxray.com

Thanks
Frankster

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 7 2013, 12:24 PM

Hey mate smile.gif It's a lot to talk about, but the first step, as Todd suggested, is to look in the thread and read from the shared knowledge of everyone gathered here smile.gif

Then, as you progress with your promotional activities, use this thread to communicate with us and tell us what's what - each step has different observations and the dynamics of this sort of activities is something that has to be undertaken at that point at which it is planned or already happening - if you get the drift wink.gif

Posted by: Frankster Nov 10 2013, 12:00 PM

My ReverbNation site is online:

Take a look http://www.reverbnation.com/rewind12

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 10 2013, 02:00 PM

Alright mate! Now I can read stuff about your band - your rhythm guitar is named like a Japanese guy but looks European biggrin.gif What's the story?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 10 2013, 08:02 PM

Congrats!!! smile.gif It's great to tie all y our social media together. That way your fans can get to your stuff no matter what social media they use and they can skip from reverbnation to facebook in one click smile.gif

QUOTE (Frankster @ Nov 10 2013, 06:00 AM) *
My ReverbNation site is online:

Take a look http://www.reverbnation.com/rewind12


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 11 2013, 09:34 AM

Another interesting tool would be MailChimp - it allows you to organize e-mail campaigns and it keeps track of the subscribers on your site, offering you analysis tools to keep you updated smile.gif You will need a bit of time to understand how it works and maybe even have someone to help out with coding a bit. I've been using it in various music or non music related projects and it works amazing! Check out more here: http://mailchimp.com/

I'm sure that there are other solutions of this kind as well, so let's see what the other guys say smile.gif

Posted by: Frankster Nov 11 2013, 06:32 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Nov 10 2013, 02:00 PM) *
Alright mate! Now I can read stuff about your band - your rhythm guitar is named like a Japanese guy but looks European biggrin.gif What's the story?

*g*
Good question...........
I dont know *g*
I will ask

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Nov 10 2013, 08:02 PM) *
Congrats!!! smile.gif It's great to tie all y our social media together. That way your fans can get to your stuff no matter what social media they use and they can skip from reverbnation to facebook in one click smile.gif

Thanks

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 12 2013, 12:32 PM

Haha biggrin.gif Amazing - do ask, it can be a great story for the fans wink.gif

Have you tried Mail Chimp? smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 13 2013, 03:26 AM

Mail chimp is a great way to track your fans smile.gif there is an email capture feature built in to reverb nation and lots of bands are using their reverbnation.com page as their main page. This is fine of course, but having your own site is always a good idea smile.gif MAIL CHIMP has a free plan and will let you capture email address on your band site. That way you can start and email list of of fans and mail them updates/specials/etc. smile.gif


QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Nov 12 2013, 06:32 AM) *
Haha biggrin.gif Amazing - do ask, it can be a great story for the fans wink.gif

Have you tried Mail Chimp? smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 13 2013, 11:20 AM

For instance, I set it so that it will announce me regarding the number of new subscribers to the mailing lists of the projects in which I have installed it. It's a really cool tool biggrin.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 23 2013, 12:20 AM

Here is a link to a FREE video course on YOUTUBE created by youtube. Very helpful info!!


http://creatoracademy.withgoogle.com/course


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 23 2013, 07:39 PM

Hehe! Thanks man! I'm curious if it can do something for my channel - it has been in a slow progress for the last 4-5 months, but it is somehow stalling..

Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 28 2013, 04:08 AM

Sure smile.gif Why not? A giveaway contest is a good way to bump up traffic. Contact the folks that you represent in terms of gear and see if they can give something that you could give away in a video contest on your channel. smile.gif

Also, look in to putting a little ad spend in to play. A little ad spend can go a long way smile.gif]
Todd




QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Nov 23 2013, 01:39 PM) *
Hehe! Thanks man! I'm curious if it can do something for my channel - it has been in a slow progress for the last 4-5 months, but it is somehow stalling..


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Nov 29 2013, 08:33 AM

Great idea! Thanks Todd! biggrin.gif I will see what I can cook up in terms of a contest then and lay down a plan.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 15 2014, 07:41 PM

Wanted to share the findings of something done by buffer.com, big shock, on FACEBOOK, LONGER POSTS DO POORLY!!! smile.gif

I"m guessing everyone knows this. But just in case. When posting on your facebook "Fan Page" (if you don't have a fan page for your music, go make one, it's free) try to keep the posts short. Longer posts just don't generate good returns in terms of folks reading or responding. Here is a handy chart to illustrate.

The "sweet spot" is about 120 characters for a facebook post smile.gif This is even SHORTER THAN TWITTER!!! (140 characters) so basicallly, your fan page posts should be shorter than a tweet!


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 16 2014, 10:01 AM

Good call here man smile.gif Facebook is an INSTRUMENT which can and should be used as such. A short announcement pointing out to something behind a link, is the way to go - am I right? smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 18 2014, 08:04 AM

Pretty much smile.gif It can be a post about anything your fans may be interested in, just keep it short and always use either a PICTURE or a VIDEO in the post. Text only posts generate very little response sad.gif

Todd

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jan 16 2014, 04:01 AM) *
Good call here man smile.gif Facebook is an INSTRUMENT which can and should be used as such. A short announcement pointing out to something behind a link, is the way to go - am I right? smile.gif


Posted by: Taka Perry Jan 19 2014, 04:56 AM

Hmm, interesting. On my personal profile, I can get quite response on posts and photos, but A lot of my posts on my Facebook page don't seem to get much of a response. In fact new song announcements tend to have the worst response of all. Is there something behind this

My page:https://facebook.com/TakaPerryMusic

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 19 2014, 09:14 AM

I think that I am somehow having the same problem smile.gif By this I mean that my personal artist page doesn't receive as much attention as I would like it to. On the other hand, I haven't quite took enough time to post there that often and somehow, I don't know how, I managed to make people expect news on my personal profile. I will dig more into this after the new Days of Confusion video release and let you know what I think we should do. If you discover something, please post here as well wink.gif

Posted by: miguelbatalha Jan 19 2014, 11:07 AM

It's just the FB works. It makes FB page owners promote their posts. :/

Posted by: Taka Perry Jan 19 2014, 02:26 PM

QUOTE (miguelbatalha @ Jan 19 2014, 09:07 PM) *
It's just the FB works. It makes FB page owners promote their posts. :/


You're right, after all Facebook is a business and all they need is money. I think its a good practice to point people to your website, because you have total control over that smile.gif that's what I do.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 19 2014, 04:07 PM

QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Jan 19 2014, 01:26 PM) *
You're right, after all Facebook is a business and all they need is money. I think its a good practice to point people to your website, because you have total control over that smile.gif that's what I do.


Good point here man - we will get our site up tomorrow most likely and try to redirect things there as much as possible... maybe even create a monthly newsletter..

Posted by: Taka Perry Jan 20 2014, 03:35 AM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jan 20 2014, 02:07 AM) *
Good point here man - we will get our site up tomorrow most likely and try to redirect things there as much as possible... maybe even create a monthly newsletter..


Awesome! Let me know how you do the newsletter, I still don't know how to create one smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 20 2014, 08:19 AM

QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Jan 20 2014, 02:35 AM) *
Awesome! Let me know how you do the newsletter, I still don't know how to create one smile.gif


First of all you have to decide on what newsletter sending service you shall use smile.gif I for one am going for Mailchimp -> http://mailchimp.com/

Then, make an editorial calendar based on what you want to announce - that means, if you will have 1 newsletter/month, which I personally think is enough for our level of activity at THIS point, you will have to prepare 12 subjects (12 months - 12 subjects) which you think your fans would be interested in, based on your activity. Each newsletter should have interesting stuff in it, revolving around news regarding your activity, tips and tricks on composing and orchestrating your songs and pretty much everything you feel like your fans would find engaging and nice, interactive and all that smile.gif You can even start a contest once you have a fan base of 200-300 people tongue.gif

I hope I sparked something there biggrin.gif

Posted by: Socky42 Jan 25 2014, 07:12 PM

Found a site that could be useful, it's called PayWithATweet:

http://www.paywithatweet.com/

You give a download link that people have access to after tweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.

All it takes is one person to get the viral ball rolling.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 26 2014, 03:29 PM

QUOTE (Socky42 @ Jan 25 2014, 06:12 PM) *
Found a site that could be useful, it's called PayWithATweet:

http://www.paywithatweet.com/

You give a download link that people have access to after tweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.

All it takes is one person to get the viral ball rolling.


Hmmm... interesting concept mate, tell me, does it work? I mean, have you tried it?

Posted by: Taka Perry Jan 26 2014, 03:35 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jan 20 2014, 06:19 PM) *
First of all you have to decide on what newsletter sending service you shall use smile.gif I for one am going for Mailchimp -> http://mailchimp.com/

Then, make an editorial calendar based on what you want to announce - that means, if you will have 1 newsletter/month, which I personally think is enough for our level of activity at THIS point, you will have to prepare 12 subjects (12 months - 12 subjects) which you think your fans would be interested in, based on your activity. Each newsletter should have interesting stuff in it, revolving around news regarding your activity, tips and tricks on composing and orchestrating your songs and pretty much everything you feel like your fans would find engaging and nice, interactive and all that smile.gif You can even start a contest once you have a fan base of 200-300 people tongue.gif

I hope I sparked something there biggrin.gif


That sounds awesome. I've actually tried Mailchimp a few times before, and I don't if this is just Australia, but they always needed my home address. It was for some spam prevention or something. Anyway, I found out every time someone subscribed to my mailing list, it publicly showed my address, which was no good. I never worked out how to hide my address, but maybe I didn't look hard enough :\


QUOTE (Socky42 @ Jan 26 2014, 05:12 AM) *
Found a site that could be useful, it's called PayWithATweet:

http://www.paywithatweet.com/

You give a download link that people have access to after tweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.

All it takes is one person to get the viral ball rolling.


This sounds very promising. Especially for musicians, I think it's more important that people hear your music than buy it.

I'm glad that that there is the option to share on Facebook. I find thinhns gets drowned out on Twitter, because it seems to be just a constant stream of advertising biggrin.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jan 26 2014, 06:56 PM

QUOTE (Taka Perry @ Jan 26 2014, 02:35 PM) *
That sounds awesome. I've actually tried Mailchimp a few times before, and I don't if this is just Australia, but they always needed my home address. It was for some spam prevention or something. Anyway, I found out every time someone subscribed to my mailing list, it publicly showed my address, which was no good. I never worked out how to hide my address, but maybe I didn't look hard enough :\




This sounds very promising. Especially for musicians, I think it's more important that people hear your music than buy it.

I'm glad that that there is the option to share on Facebook. I find thinhns gets drowned out on Twitter, because it seems to be just a constant stream of advertising biggrin.gif


Mate - I am using an 'official' mail address so it's not a problem smile.gif If you have a website, you can create an [email protected] address and use that one - why not? smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 17 2014, 01:33 PM

Quickie about a new social media service called "KLOUT". I know what your thinking already, "Good night, yet another social media time suck!" and I feel your pain!! The good news is that klout is really just a way to measure your impact on the social networks you are involved in.

DISCLAIMER: ONLY FOR FOLKS INTERESTED IN LEVERAGING SOCIAL MEDIA TO INCREASE VIEWS/LISTENS!!

So then, go join up @ www.klout.com and link it to the social media that you use on a regular basis. Klout will then track the impact you are having on the networks you inhabit. You will then get a "KLOUT RANK".

The ONLY reason the klout rank number matters is that biz folks see it as a "Hard Metric", meaning a number that can't be faked. You either have X amount of "reach" on social media, or you don't. So when approaching a vendor/manufacturer, this can be part of your arsenal of data to show why it's worth it for them to send you free stuff. smile.gif

Here is my KLOUT SCORE

not a ground breaking score, but in the top 20% of "influencers" which is something you can point to when establishing you/your brand to anyone your trying to pitch.



Here is a breakdown of my social networks.



A handy chart showing where I have the most "reach". These types of "metrics" are becoming more and more important and as more and more folks establish themselves online. So steak your claim and watch your metrics!!

Todd

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 18 2014, 09:25 AM

Hey Todd smile.gif Thanks for the tip man!

I was thinking that I could add this sort of metric to my presskit as an artist, each time I am approaching a potential partner/ company and so on. But keeping it as a dynamic info, updating that certain page each time I send a kit.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 21 2014, 08:00 AM

Bingo!! smile.gif Adding any hard data/metrics to a press kit is a good idea. Being able to quantify the eyes/ears is very important. Investors in many cases are less interested in perceived talent and more interested in the numbers. Being able to show a quantifiable audience is a very good thing smile.gif

Todd

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Feb 18 2014, 03:25 AM) *
Hey Todd smile.gif Thanks for the tip man!

I was thinking that I could add this sort of metric to my presskit as an artist, each time I am approaching a potential partner/ company and so on. But keeping it as a dynamic info, updating that certain page each time I send a kit.


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 21 2014, 10:23 AM

We are meeting Monster - the energy drink and Jack Daniel's next week, in order to discuss a collaboration/sponsorship contract. I am working on building a sponsoring request which will most likely contain the stats regarding Days of Confusion's exposure. I will keep you updated and I will most certainly try to use this - especially if it provides a shiny looking report that those 'number' oriented people like to look at wink.gif Thanks again Todd!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Feb 22 2014, 01:13 AM

Congrats! I hope the meeting go well smile.gif Many corporate folks are aware of the importance of social media and they respond well to hard data/metrics. So the more hard number you can show, unique visitors per month, streams per month, impressions per month, fans, likes, shares, the better smile.gif

Todd



QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Feb 21 2014, 04:23 AM) *
We are meeting Monster - the energy drink and Jack Daniel's next week, in order to discuss a collaboration/sponsorship contract. I am working on building a sponsoring request which will most likely contain the stats regarding Days of Confusion's exposure. I will keep you updated and I will most certainly try to use this - especially if it provides a shiny looking report that those 'number' oriented people like to look at wink.gif Thanks again Todd!


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Feb 22 2014, 12:45 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Feb 22 2014, 12:13 AM) *
Congrats! I hope the meeting go well smile.gif Many corporate folks are aware of the importance of social media and they respond well to hard data/metrics. So the more hard number you can show, unique visitors per month, streams per month, impressions per month, fans, likes, shares, the better smile.gif

Todd


Thanks Todd smile.gif I'll keep ya guys updated and I will also post the presentation example here, so that everybody can use it as a tool for their meetings with sponsors and the like. Let's get through with the meeting first smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Apr 7 2014, 10:44 PM

"BEST PRACTICES" in SOCIAL MEDIA
E.G. How to use facebook/twitter/etc. to reach new fans!

This is a really spiff article on using social media to your advantage to promote just about anything. In our case, probably going to be best applied to promoting your new song/e.p/album/video/lesson/etc. smile.gif

http://bitly.com/bestpractices_socialmedia

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 29 2014, 09:46 AM

Quick tip!!! Make sure to link your SOCIAL MEDIA on your youtube page!! You can link your Facebook Fan Page, Soundcloud page, instagram feed, and twitter account right on the front of your youtube channel page smile.gif The little icons will show up and look spiff smile.gif


Just go to your youtube account and click on 'EDIT LINKS' on the right side of your banner. If you don't have a banner, MAKE ONE!!! smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 30 2014, 09:46 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ May 29 2014, 08:46 AM) *
Quick tip!!! Make sure to link your SOCIAL MEDIA on your youtube page!! You can link your Facebook Fan Page, Soundcloud page, instagram feed, and twitter account right on the front of your youtube channel page smile.gif The little icons will show up and look spiff smile.gif


Just go to your youtube account and click on 'EDIT LINKS' on the right side of your banner. If you don't have a banner, MAKE ONE!!! smile.gif



Heh, yours looks so nice! Mine is not up to par, but I admit not taking care of my Youtube channel that much in the last few months. It's time to get into it! Thanks for the reminder man!

How many of you guys have Youtube channels and how often are you taking care of them/promoting and posting vids?

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 30 2014, 11:38 PM

Good question! If you guys don't have a youtube channel, go make one smile.gif If you do have one, connect your other social media to it. It's very easy smile.gif

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ May 30 2014, 04:46 AM) *
Heh, yours looks so nice! Mine is not up to par, but I admit not taking care of my Youtube channel that much in the last few months. It's time to get into it! Thanks for the reminder man!

How many of you guys have Youtube channels and how often are you taking care of them/promoting and posting vids?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu May 31 2014, 11:44 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ May 30 2014, 10:38 PM) *
Good question! If you guys don't have a youtube channel, go make one smile.gif If you do have one, connect your other social media to it. It's very easy smile.gif


My Youtube channel has helped me A LOT during the last 4 years - it's important to keep a frequent presence and post vids at least once a month, if you want to create some awareness.

How often do you guys post vids?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 26 2014, 05:52 AM

WHERE THE KIDS (EARS) ARE!!!

Getting your music heard is a big part of process smile.gif
So, where are those crazy kids listening to music? Let's focus in on the key "demographic" of high school students. This demo is the largest consumer of music so they are a good indicator of many things. Of course, they are just one demo of many, so per usual, your mileage may vary.

Let's take a look at where they are listening to music online. This is critical as most music discovery and enjoyment is now taking place online and not through traditional outlets of yesteryear (e.g radio/mtv/etc.). To with, a handy chart.

Bottom Line: Get your music on Pandora!!! smile.gif It wont make any money of course, but it will get you in front of a key demo smile.gif

*just don't use any sweeps/arpeggios and avoid instrumentals. smile.gif



Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 27 2014, 08:21 AM

Thanks for the statistics Todd! You know, there's a funny story - I was talking to Ian Kenny from Karnivool last Friday and I asked him: Ian, if you could change one thing about music industry nowadays, what would that one thing be?

You know what he said?

'Mate, I'd destroy the internet...'

On one hand, I understand him one the other, I don't - I found out about their music 8 years ago online biggrin.gif But I sure do understand his problem with piracy - even if they are absolutely stellar musicians, they struggle for a living.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 27 2014, 05:43 PM

Destroy the internet!! Got a huge giggle on that one smile.gif I can see how it can have a big negative impact on sales so I get it to some degree of course. But like you, I find most of my music online, not to mention GMC is online smile.gif Without the web, I would not be able to be part of this great community of players so I vote we keep it plugged in smile.gif

I understand his frustration though. I read another study confirming that digital pennies will never make up for analogue dollars. Bands that could earn a living prior to the web are being cut out of the middle. Which should emphasize what we have talked about in this very thread, the need to organize multiple revenue streams, since unit sales are not gonna do it for most bands.

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 27 2014, 03:21 AM) *
Thanks for the statistics Todd! You know, there's a funny story - I was talking to Ian Kenny from Karnivool last Friday and I asked him: Ian, if you could change one thing about music industry nowadays, what would that one thing be?

You know what he said?

'Mate, I'd destroy the internet...'

On one hand, I understand him one the other, I don't - I found out about their music 8 years ago online biggrin.gif But I sure do understand his problem with piracy - even if they are absolutely stellar musicians, they struggle for a living.

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 28 2014, 08:01 AM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Jun 27 2014, 04:43 PM) *
Destroy the internet!! Got a huge giggle on that one smile.gif I can see how it can have a big negative impact on sales so I get it to some degree of course. But like you, I find most of my music online, not to mention GMC is online smile.gif Without the web, I would not be able to be part of this great community of players so I vote we keep it plugged in smile.gif

I understand his frustration though. I read another study confirming that digital pennies will never make up for analogue dollars. Bands that could earn a living prior to the web are being cut out of the middle. Which should emphasize what we have talked about in this very thread, the need to organize multiple revenue streams, since unit sales are not gonna do it for most bands.


Frankly, most people who don't get to their level and beyond and most people who don't have a clue about what it really means to be in a band and especially, a band who's making a living out of their music, would probably think him crazy. But believe me, I understand him too. Although I was ready to tell him - Ian, if it weren't for the internet, you wouldn't be standing here in a little mountain town in ROMANIA! The dude doesn't realize the context. This was the FUNNIEST thing EVER for us. The organizer didn't bring them in Bucharest, but in Brasov, which is a medieval historical city, packed with heritage from our ancestors and in which indeed, there is a lot of cultural activity.

I was stunned to find out that there were only 260 people at the gig - the club is small so it looked uber packed. But hey, it's Karnivool man, it should ve been at least 1000... God this world is so weird... My system of values throws the 404 in too often lately..

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 28 2014, 07:11 PM

QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jun 28 2014, 03:01 AM) *
My system of values throws the 404 in too often lately..


Good one!!! I get more than my share of "404" issues in life as well it seems smile.gif It's very cool that you got to chat with the guys from the band. They sound like cool folks! I do hope they embrace the web for all it's potential smile.gif It can really be a big benefit to Artists when used well. smile.gif

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jun 30 2014, 09:43 AM

They are very cool folks and amazing musicians. Their sonic knowledge and level of exploration has gotten them very far and I really do think that they have just begun to grow, really.

They still live off touring, so life is not that easy, when you have to sit in the nightliner all the time and earn your cash little by little, so showing a bit of compassion for them is the right thing to do - even if it sounds weird at first smile.gif That's why I tried not to be intrusive, regardless of how friendly they were.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 4 2014, 11:00 PM

DOWNLOADED MUSIC FALLS TO ALL TIME LOW


In case you needed any proof that that STREAMING IS THE FUTURE of the Music Business as a "Business", ........



Those unable to adapt in any system, are the first ones to lose out. So ADAPT! smile.gif Get your music on as many streaming services as humanly possible. Don't do it for the money. THERE"S NONE TO BE HAD! smile.gif Do it for the same reason you keep a youtube channel. It's one more step in getting people to know who you are and what your music is all about!!

At this point, you main stumbling block is ANONYMITY!! E.G. Nobody knows or cares who you are or what your music is about. So that's the thing to fix first! smile.gif Once you crack the shell and get some recognition, then the real effort begins! GO!


Todd

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 5 2014, 01:12 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Jul 4 2014, 10:00 PM) *
DOWNLOADED MUSIC FALLS TO ALL TIME LOW


In case you needed any proof that that STREAMING IS THE FUTURE of the Music Business as a "Business", ........



Those unable to adapt in any system, are the first ones to lose out. So ADAPT! smile.gif Get your music on as many streaming services as humanly possible. Don't do it for the money. THERE"S NONE TO BE HAD! smile.gif Do it for the same reason you keep a youtube channel. It's one more step in getting people to know who you are and what your music is all about!!

At this point, you main stumbling block is ANONYMITY!! E.G. Nobody knows or cares who you are or what your music is about. So that's the thing to fix first! smile.gif Once you crack the shell and get some recognition, then the real effort begins! GO!


Todd


Aye, right you are Todd - my band is featured on Deezer and Spotify as well and a lot of folks know us from there smile.gif

I think these two are the most important, right? What would be a top of the first 5 streaming sites?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 6 2014, 12:48 AM

BINGO!!! SPOTIFY is HUGE in europe and growing like a weed here!


Also, theres

1.)YOUTUBE (most folks discover new music on youtube believe it or not so making lyric videos or picture vids or music vids of EVERY SONG YOU HAVE is a great idea!)

2.)PANDORA (one of the biggest streaming sites)

3.)BEATS (Dr. Dre's new outing is growing fast and has tie ins with cell phone vendors)

4.)LAST FM (another great resource to share your music on!)

5.)ITUNES (they are making the switch from file based to streaming!)


That's enough to get folks going smile.gif Each one of these is different in terms of getting your music on. You'll have to approach each, and do your research. It's a constantly changing landscape so change with it! smile.gif

Todd




QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jul 5 2014, 08:12 AM) *
Aye, right you are Todd - my band is featured on Deezer and Spotify as well and a lot of folks know us from there smile.gif

I think these two are the most important, right? What would be a top of the first 5 streaming sites?

Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 6 2014, 07:38 AM

Great to know about Spotify! We are also on iTunes, Amazon and Deezer with both the 'Seeds' EP and the 'Bloodstream' single.

We are currently discussing if signing with Universal is really a good thing for the band - they don't seem to be offering anything but the distribution and the physical production of the CDs. We can do that for about 1300 bucks - 500 pieces. I wouldn't tie the band up for 5 years with a contract for that kind of money if you ask me... Sponsorship or crowdfunding sounds more likely as an option to me smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 12 2014, 05:55 AM

I agree wink.gif The major lables are now offering deal to many folks which amount to "pay to play" just to keep their infrastructure moving along. Since you have nothing to lose, don't be afraid to ask for the Sun and the Moon with Universal smile.gif As they say "He who cares least, prospers most in a negotiation"

Todd





QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jul 6 2014, 02:38 AM) *
Great to know about Spotify! We are also on iTunes, Amazon and Deezer with both the 'Seeds' EP and the 'Bloodstream' single.

We are currently discussing if signing with Universal is really a good thing for the band - they don't seem to be offering anything but the distribution and the physical production of the CDs. We can do that for about 1300 bucks - 500 pieces. I wouldn't tie the band up for 5 years with a contract for that kind of money if you ask me... Sponsorship or crowdfunding sounds more likely as an option to me smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 12 2014, 05:08 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Jul 12 2014, 04:55 AM) *
I agree wink.gif The major lables are now offering deal to many folks which amount to "pay to play" just to keep their infrastructure moving along. Since you have nothing to lose, don't be afraid to ask for the Sun and the Moon with Universal smile.gif As they say "He who cares least, prospers most in a negotiation"

Todd


Thanks for confirming my thoughts man smile.gif I will act accordingly wink.gif I have also discussed this with my mates and it's an unanimous decision!

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 31 2014, 03:53 AM

Using "BRAND SYNERGY" to get your name out there!!!

I know it sounds like marketing speak and it sort of is smile.gif But using "brand synergy" is a great way to get the word out about you as a musician as well as get traction for your music. In the online world, the hardest thing to do is just get above the noise level of everyone posting everything all at once. So...

Here is an example. As you guys know I"m a HUGE fan of OVERLOUD TH2 guitar processing software. So when I make a video for a GMC collaboration, I make a note in the vid info as to what gear I'm using. That way, any of the vendors that like the vid, can share it on their facebook page or wherever. They get free demo vid of their product, and I get free eyeballs from folks who look at their page.

In this particular example, eyeball count is pretty small as overloud are a very very small company and compared to AMPLITUDE and GUITAR RIG they represent a tiny fraction of the market. I'd never even heard of them before a fellow GMCer told me about them. But I digress.

I used Overloud on a collab vid and the overloud folks posted/shared the vid on their facebok page! Instant synergy smile.gif So the takeaway is, tag your videos with whatever gear you are using. The folks that make that gear routinely run searches to find people demoing their stuff. It could lead to more vids or even endorsement. Tag away!!



Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Jul 31 2014, 05:24 PM

Hey Todd - great approach here wink.gif

Any of you guys owning a piece of gear that you are using and that you like - why not make a video showcasing the ways in which it improves your playing and then, maybe even post it on the producers page smile.gif If you make a habit out of it, most likely they will notice and if they like the vids... well, as Todd very well stated, the possibilities could become very interesting smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 2 2014, 04:19 AM

Yup! smile.gif Also, TAGGING is VERY VERY Important. When you post something on facebook, TAG IT!! E.G. if you have an IBANEZ guitar in your vid, or picture, or whatev, tag it on facebook and mention the word in your post. On youtube, put the word in the key words section. Make sure it's easy to find smile.gif Vendors routinely search their own brands on social media.



QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Jul 31 2014, 12:24 PM) *
Hey Todd - great approach here wink.gif

Any of you guys owning a piece of gear that you are using and that you like - why not make a video showcasing the ways in which it improves your playing and then, maybe even post it on the producers page smile.gif If you make a habit out of it, most likely they will notice and if they like the vids... well, as Todd very well stated, the possibilities could become very interesting smile.gif


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 2 2014, 05:49 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Aug 2 2014, 03:19 AM) *
Yup! smile.gif Also, TAGGING is VERY VERY Important. When you post something on facebook, TAG IT!! E.G. if you have an IBANEZ guitar in your vid, or picture, or whatev, tag it on facebook and mention the word in your post. On youtube, put the word in the key words section. Make sure it's easy to find smile.gif Vendors routinely search their own brands on social media.



Great point here - not only the brands, but also potential fans, who want to see vids featuring their favored brands. Did this on Youtube and Facebook alike since the very beginning and it always payed off! wink.gif

Posted by: Socky42 Aug 2 2014, 06:10 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ Jul 31 2014, 03:53 AM) *
Using "BRAND SYNERGY" to get your name out there!!!




Definitely; and you can extend that idea to any brand, not just products. Did this cover last year of another guy on youtubes song and got it shared with 100k people on facebook and another 300k of his youtube subscribers.

Ended up with over 200 new subs and 40k views.


Posted by: Cosmin Lupu Aug 3 2014, 07:19 PM

QUOTE (Socky42 @ Aug 2 2014, 05:10 PM) *
Definitely; and you can extend that idea to any brand, not just products. Did this cover last year of another guy on youtubes song and got it shared with 100k people on facebook and another 300k of his youtube subscribers.

Ended up with over 200 new subs and 40k views.



Very nice man! Tell us a bit about your Youtube channel - how many subscribers do you have right now and which video is the most popular - do you know why? biggrin.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 12 2014, 10:01 PM

Nicely done!! This is a great example of what I"m talking about smile.gif

QUOTE (Socky42 @ Aug 2 2014, 01:10 PM) *
Definitely; and you can extend that idea to any brand, not just products. Did this cover last year of another guy on youtubes song and got it shared with 100k people on facebook and another 300k of his youtube subscribers.

Ended up with over 200 new subs and 40k views.



Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 29 2014, 01:14 AM

THE EVOLUTION OF THE MUSIC BIZ IN THREE CHARTS

In the "Old Days" Tapes/Vinyl Ruled

Then the CD took over

Now look at the fragmentation


The modern music industry is defined by it's "fragmentation". Monolithic formats are history. So getting your music in as many outlets as possible is your best bet smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Oct 23 2014, 10:46 AM

GOING GLOBAL!


I wanted to share a recent facebook analytic. My recent share/post from FACXEBOOK. I always try to focus any "Paid Posting" in areas of the world where I"ve gotten some traction in the past. In this case, all the countries in this list have worked for me in the past. Notice the breakdown between countries.

The united states is entirely absent.


Posted by: Todd Simpson Nov 30 2014, 07:51 PM

REVERB NATION STATS

If you don't have a REVERBNATION.com account, GO GET ONE smile.gif It's free and a great way to get your music online and ready for folks to hear and gives you a place to point folks to go hear your stuff and to help promote it.

A big part of it is your STATS. They help you track the statistics of your "reach". Who are you reaching, how many, etc. Being able to even roughly understand this is a very handy way to help you focus your effort and reach more folks.

I know, your saying "i hate marketing, I want people to find me." I hear ya smile.gif Wanting is free. It's everything else that costs time/effort/etc .Anyhoo, here is a recent screen grab of my stats. Login and see how your music is doing!



Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 24 2015, 10:06 PM

GETTING YOUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL GOING!
Leveraging Your Youtube Channel Part 1
Your channel is a place where viewers can go and find something they want to watch now and later. You will want your viewers to subscribe to your channel so they’ll come back and watch the content you’re uploading.Here are some tips!

*Subscribers watch more

Subscribers are your biggest fans and are critical to your success on YouTube! If you create original content, gaining subscribers can be the best and fastest way to increase watch time and views.

Subscribers spend more time watching videos on YouTube than your casual visitor or someone who watches embedded YouTube videos through other sites. They also tend to be responsible for many more views on a new video than non-subscribers, especially right after you upload that video. This is a critical moment for a video to increase its watch time.

So how can you get more subscribers? You will want to set up your channel in a way that helps people subscribe and create content that keeps them coming back for more. In short, always be on the path of increasing the quality of your vids in terms of how they look, how they sound, and how they grab and keep audience. If humor is your gift, make use of it. If technique is your thing, make use of that. Make your channel unique. smile.gif Give people a reason to subscribe and give them reminders often with SUBSCRIBE buttons and such smile.gif

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 1 2016, 04:32 PM

Watch time is golden :
Leveraging Your Youtube Channel Part 2


*How long people watch your vids, determines if more of yours get suggested to them

In the past, the number of views on a video drove its discovery and rank. Videos getting the most clicks were rewarded, rather than those that held the longest viewer attention. Now, YouTube looks at watch time - the actual amount of time people spend watching your videos - rather than only the number of views, as a more accurate gauge of how a video performs. Views only show the number of times a video was accessed, but not how much of the video was watched.
YouTube suggests videos in search and recommendations that are likely to increase how much overall time a viewer spends watching and uses watch time to improve the ranking of videos in search and recommendations. If people click on your videos and stick around to watch, your videos are more likely to appear more often in suggested and recommended videos and growth in new views could increase. If your videos drive more watch time or inspire your viewers to check out a related video (either yours or someone else’s) your channel gets an advantage!

---

The bottom line is that youtube has changed how it ranks your vids. It now matters quite a bit how much of a given video of yours was watched. If someone watches most of a given video of yours, you get higher rank in terms of another video of yours being suggested for the viewer to watch next. So dig in to your "YOUTUBE ANALYTICS" and find out how long each video is being watched. If you have a lot of 5 minute videos, that are only being watched for 2 minutes, you can actually LOSE position and not have your other vids suggested to viewers smile.gif

https://www.youtube.com/analytics

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 4 2016, 09:16 AM

Get that click: Part III


Check out a few ways that you can entice viewers to watch your videos and subscribe.

Create a compelling channel trailer to encourage those unfamiliar with your channel to subscribe.

Update your branding to ensure your channel looks good across all devices and that you are sending a consistent message about your content to potential subscribers.

Tell a story with your thumbnails, title, and description so your viewers know what your video is about.

Include a call to action in your video encouraging viewers to subscribe (both using a verbal cue and visual cue). Take advantage of annotations.

Review your YouTube analytics views report to find out where your traffic is coming from, who your viewers are, and how long they’re watching.

Experiment. Try cross-promoting with other channels your subscribers are interested in.

Remember that you still need good content. If you don’t have anything people want to watch, well, people won’t stay. And, longer watch time does not mean you need to make longer videos - if you have a four minute video idea, keep it four minutes long and make sure to follow best practices for making engaging content. By making videos that your viewers want more of, and by optimizing your channel to help viewers find and watch more of the content they like, you’ll likely see increased subscriptions, recommendations, and more!


Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 13 2016, 05:15 PM

KNOW YOUR YOUTUBE ANALYTICS!! smile.gif


Youtube is a great way to find out who is enjoying your creative work. I'd say put EVERYTHING you've ever done on youtube. Take your songs, put a picture with them if needed, and export them as video and upload them. Do this about once a week or so. You can then use the youtube analytics page to see who is watching and from where and for how long. This info can help you tweak your videos to gain a pinch more exposure to a Global audience.

People will be able to find your music from all over the world which is just a wonderful thing smile.gif Here is an example vid of a review I did for a micro amp. Reviews do tend to do better, for many, than just songs, so I'd say do both!! One can benefit the other. Here is the analytics breakdown. Notice how many countries around the world are watching this one little vid.



As a result, they end up clicking on my other vids as well. So they end up watching music stuff as well as review stuff. But as they say "you gotta get them inside the tent" so to speak. So making some review vids might be a good way to introduce you and your music to a wider audience.

Here is the vid in question that the analytics are pulled from.



Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 4 2016, 06:00 AM

Our resident wiki God FRAN has taken all the info from this thread and condensed it in to a Wiki Page!!! Much easier to read through IMHO. Here is the link and Fran, once again you RAWWWWKK!!


https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Promoting_Your_Playing_And_Your_Music

Posted by: Fran Aug 4 2016, 11:14 AM

Anytime Todd smile.gif

Edit: I'll add some more interesting stuff from this thread into the wiki article. There are loads of great posts here.

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Aug 4 2016, 04:05 PM

Good work, Fran smile.gif

I still wonder why the wiki isn't more present in the website layout. Or am I blind?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 4 2016, 06:34 PM

Good point! It used to be linked on the front page but now I doing see it either?

Todd

QUOTE (Caelumamittendum @ Aug 4 2016, 11:05 AM) *
Good work, Fran smile.gif

I still wonder why the wiki isn't more present in the website layout. Or am I blind?


Thanks much smile.gif As Ben mentioned, is the wiki no longer linked on the front page? I don't see it?

Todd

QUOTE (Fran @ Aug 4 2016, 06:14 AM) *
Anytime Todd smile.gif

Edit: I'll add some more interesting stuff from this thread into the wiki article. There are loads of great posts here.

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Aug 4 2016, 06:42 PM

I honestly think it would great if it was present in the forum as well, maybe in the top menu? smile.gif But I don't know how visited the wiki is in general, but there may be a reason for that (that it's not too visible).

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 12 2016, 12:40 AM

I think the only reason is that they ran out of block graphics to link to it on the first page. sad.gif Maybe email KRIS and Mention it as he really is great about responding to the desires of GMC members. smile.gif

QUOTE (Caelumamittendum @ Aug 4 2016, 01:42 PM) *
I honestly think it would great if it was present in the forum as well, maybe in the top menu? smile.gif But I don't know how visited the wiki is in general, but there may be a reason for that (that it's not too visible).



Here is a vid by OLA ENGLUND sorta breaking it down in terms of being an "indie" artist. E.G. Not being on a Major Lable and still making a living. He's brutally honest in this one.


Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 26 2016, 06:55 AM

KILLER Video that breaks down HOW TO MAKE A LIVING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY "TODAY"

If you don't want/need to earn money from your music, GOD BLESS YOU. This post/vid is not for you. However, if you are hoping to either transition to music as a full time gig, or just want to start building an income with music, here is how you start smile.gif



Here are her TOP FIVE THINGS TO DO.



Here is an interview with her, with more info.


Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 14 2016, 04:39 PM

The very cool folks over @ iConnectivity (I've been using one of their audio interfaces, the iConnectivity4+ lately) have been so kind as to feature me in their Blog!!

http://www.iconnectivity.com/blog/todd-simpson-shreds-his-iconnectaudio4

This brings me to a good point about "self promotion". If there is a bit of gear/kit that you have, that you like, and use all the time, reach out to the folks that make it. Tell them how great it is and that you'd love to help them spread the word about it in any way you can. Offer to help, essentially smile.gif If you have any kind of traction on social media, they will usually respond right away. Even if you don't have any real traction on social media, reach out all the same. They may feature you on their social media and just that can get you some good exposure to new potential fans who might otherwise have never seen you . smile.gif



Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 23 2016, 06:38 PM

If you don't yet have a REVERBNATION.com account to help promote your music and yourself as a player, it's time to make one! smile.gif It's easy to do, it's free and yet another way for folks to connect with you and your music. Don't be shy smile.gif Share any music you are proud of, collab, solo, etc. Have your promo in place for 2017 and here's to hoping it's a great year smile.gif


http://bit.ly/divinusmortus_reverbnation


Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 21 2017, 10:09 PM

GOING PRO ON SOUND CLOUD


Soundclound.com offers two paid options, one is 7 bux a month and one is 15. I'm going to try the 15 a month for a while to see how it goes as it gives very detailed stats on who listened to your tracks and where they are coming from. This would allow a musician to be able to tailor his music a bit for the audience he/she is actually serving. I had no idea that I was big in INDONESIA. The stats were almost shocking, France, Brazil, big fans. Who knew? It also shows the web site where your traffic is coming from. Lots of mine is from GMC, no shock there. A good bit is straight google from other countries around the world.


Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 26 2017, 03:52 AM

GREAT vid about how to get started reviewing gear for various companies, even if you are just starting out. Some very good advice.


Posted by: Todd Simpson Jul 29 2017, 07:43 AM

TYPICAL FOUR WEEK PERIOD ON A "PARTNER" YOUTUBE ACCOUNT: E.G. MAKING MONEY ON YOUTUBE?


Here is a screen grab from a typical 28 day cycle on my youtube account. Keep in mind that I DON"T use "Pre Roll ads" (these are the adverts that roll before a vid that you can't skip and that I HATE, they make the most money.) I also avoid any ads other than the small box graphic ads that you can easily click away from. The only way to make money on youtube imho is to use wads of ads. However, unless you are OLA ENGLUND reviewing an amp that costs more than my car, most folks won't wait, they will just click off, so you have to find a balance. Anyhoo!! Here it is smile.gif



Yup! Just over $1, one Dollar in earnings for about 5,000 views. That's about average for me in a typical month. I used to put more adverts on my vids, but it was only getting me $100-$200 a year and I hate ads so I backed off. However, I have been able to use youtube to get "eyeballs" and turn those eyeballs in to FREE GEAR!! Some of that gear I kept, some of it I sold. It's just another one of the many "REVENUE STREAMS" that the modern musician has to string together in order to try to get as close to "Pro" as possible smile.gif

Anyone else care to share youtube results for a given month?

Todd

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 3 2017, 04:44 AM

HOW TO MAKE YOUR VIDEO GO "VIRAL"?


1. Influencer outreach
More than any other piece of advice on this list, this is the single most powerful factor for gaining viral status on YouTube. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that you can ignore everything else – we’ll get to why in a moment.

Influencers are individuals and platforms with massive followings. Pewdiepie, the most subscribed to YouTube channel for several years, is an example of an influencer. If you are able to reach out to a number of people with a following like this you can vastly increase the chances of making your music video go viral.

However, you can’t just throw any old video their way and expect it to work. Your music and the video’s concept will have to line up with the influencer’s audience. Using the previous example of Pewdiepie, a large portion of his subscribers are millennial gamers. Therefore a music video that incorporated gaming culture would likely be well received and have more chance of success.

It’s also important that you pay attention to quality. Influencers have spent years of time building a brand. So, they don’t have time for endorsing the mediocre.

2. Participation is king
Some music is just plain catchy. If you want to go viral, the best thing you can do is to make your song unbelievably easy to sing along to. Simple chord progressions, upbeat and danceable beats combined with easy vocal melodies might sound too simplistic to work, but this just makes it easier for your audience to get engaged.

Think about a nightclub full of people. When the DJ sticks on certain songs, everybody starts belting out the lyrics together. It’s almost spiritual. Strangers lock eyes and throw their arms around each other in spontaneous camaraderie.

Anything you can do to that makes this easier increases the chances of your song going viral. Some music videos feature content sent in by fans to help the word of mouth marketing – who could resist the urge to show off to their friends and family that they are in a music video?

Of course, simple catchy beats aren’t enough on their own, which brings us to the next point.

3. Make it relatable
Aside from influencers, the other main transmission vector you need to focus on to make a video go viral is to make it shareable.

What this means exactly can vary from one video to another, but one of the best ways to do this is lyrics that make your audience want to share the video, captioned with the words “omg this is literally me.”

You can go serious or silly with this. The Chainsmokers’ song ‘Selfie’ was a ridiculous, almost pointless song. But it did hold up a mirror to hookup and social media culture in a way that made it funny for those who felt it reflected them. It was also quite satirical, and went over pretty well with people who absolutely hated this sort of thing precisely because of how blatant it was.

When it’s time to spread the word about your music, it’s time to look at Promote It

4. The video concept is fascinating
Making a viral music video places the emphasis on the video. You can have a song that is by all accounts good, and sometimes it can be downright terrible, as long as the production quality is high.

But YouTube is a visual medium, so you’re going to want to give more attention to those elements than you normally would.

You can make a fascinating video concept in a literally infinite number of ways. Comedy is a great way to go, but more serious or even abstract ideas can also work. The key idea is that whoever is listening to the song won’t be able to tear their eyes away from the screen either.

Dance routines are another routine that works well, and also lends itself brilliantly to the concept of helping the audience participate. A great example of this is Silento’s Watch Me, which gained a huge amount of popularity as people uploaded videos of themselves copying the dance moves.

5. There’s no set formula for viral videos
Sorry, but there it is. It’s more or less impossible to make a viral video on purpose. The only thing you can do is make a great video, a great song and then promote it everywhere. What catches on can’t be predicted.

Having said that, you can cheat a little. So many things go viral that there’s no reason why you can’t ride the coattails of their success. Incorporating ideas from other viral content, such as dances, images or even phrases is an easy way to do this. For example, the phrase ‘cracking open a cold one with the boys’ spiked online in June 2017, and using this as the hook for a summer party anthem would have been a great way to siphon off some of that popularity.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 4 2018, 02:27 AM

Getting some traction on Instagram (really any social media). I made sure to put my Hotone Audio pedalboard in the background of the latest Gabe colllab solo that I did and tagged the video on instagram (also put it on youtube and facebook) and Hotone Audio re "grammed" it and put it in their instagram feed. As soon as they did that, the view count shot up and I started getting wads more traction on the vid. I'm using a vintage Ibby so I also posted it in the Ibby users facebook group where it also got very nice traction/eyeballs.

All this is to say, once you make a vid you like, think about "crosspolinating" it to social media and make sure to try to put something in the shot that will encourage a bigger fish to repost/share it. If you have a Mesa Amp, put the Mesa amp in the shot and tag the pic #mesaboogie and the folks at boogie may repost it on their feed. Just another way to leverage social media and take advantage of videos that you already have in the can smile.gif

Here is the hotone repost

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jan 13 2018, 10:43 PM

NEW Youtube Handy Bits! Youtube has added something called
"END SCREEN AND ANNOTATIONS" that lets you pick a couple of your own vids and a picture/button for folks to click to subscribe to your channel. You used to have to do this by hand and it was a bit of a pain. Now there are templates for it. That way, at the end of your vid, you can link two more vids that are related and thus keep folks watching your content. Also you get a button that allows them to subscribe.Just pick your template and bam!



Posted by: Todd Simpson May 12 2018, 04:44 AM

One way to get on Spotify and other services is through something called TUNE CORE. It's not free but it is cheap. I've looked through most of these and so far I like this one best. If anyone else has another option please do share!!!
www.tunecore.com
--
Here’s some of the awesome stuff you get through TuneCore:

Worldwide digital distribution to over 150 stores, including iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play
Pre-orders for iTunes & Google Play
Daily Trend Reports to keep a day-to-day eye on your sales in Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon.
TuneCore’s commitment has always been to our artists. That’s why we never take a percentage of your sales, and never withhold any of your distribution rights.

------

Another way is through REVERBNATION.com for $1 per song, they will let you pick six streaming services (spotify etc.) to stream your spiff song through smile.gif

The price was so good, that I put my recent collab with Hamin from Iran on reverbnation to see how it does.


Also, it's not very hard to get a ranked position on reverbnation.com, and its something you can add to your social media, and press kit etc. To show how easy it is, I'm currently ranked in the Top 10.



---

Let's Not forget CDBABY.com !! As RAMMIKIN pointed out, they have a one time fee for releasing albums instead of a fee per year!

Here is some info from Rammikin

QUOTE (Rammikin @ May 12 2018, 09:14 AM) *
There are many such services to choose from. In my experience the key difference among them is the fee structure. Some charge an annual fee to keep an album available, while others charge a one-rime fee when you release it. The former usually costs less up front while the latter cost less in the long run. For example TuneCore charges $30 the first year for an album and $50 per year after that. But CDBaby (the service I use) charges a one time fee when you release the album to make available forever (or at least as long as they are in business). I think I paid $75 for my latest album.


Posted by: Caelumamittendum May 12 2018, 11:57 AM

Has reverbnation fixed their 8 mb limit for songs? That was always a problem for me.

At the moment, it seems you still have to pay 13 bucks a month to upload anything over 8 mb.

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 12 2018, 08:34 PM

I just uploaded an MP3 as that's the most often streamed format and mine was not that long. But I can see how it would be a huge problem for you as you have songs that are 30 minutes long! I do think you have have to pay extra for big files from what I remember reading. However, as was mentioned in another thread there is always CDbaby.com !

Here is some pricing info from Rammikin

QUOTE (Rammikin @ May 12 2018, 09:14 AM) *
There are many such services to choose from. In my experience the key difference among them is the fee structure. Some charge an annual fee to keep an album available, while others charge a one-rime fee when you release it. The former usually costs less up front while the latter cost less in the long run. For example TuneCore charges $30 the first year for an album and $50 per year after that. But CDBaby (the service I use) charges a one time fee when you release the album to make available forever (or at least as long as they are in business). I think I paid $75 for my latest album.




QUOTE (Caelumamittendum @ May 12 2018, 06:57 AM) *
Has reverbnation fixed their 8 mb limit for songs? That was always a problem for me.

At the moment, it seems you still have to pay 13 bucks a month to upload anything over 8 mb.


Posted by: Caelumamittendum May 12 2018, 09:00 PM

QUOTE (Todd Simpson @ May 12 2018, 09:34 PM) *
I just uploaded an MP3 as that's the most often streamed format and mine was not that long. But I can see how it would be a huge problem for you as you have songs that are 30 minutes long! I do think you have have to pay extra for big files from what I remember reading. However, as was mentioned in another thread there is always CDbaby.com !

Here is some pricing info from Rammikin


8 mb limit is just like 4 minutes in good format though, from the top of my head, is it not?

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 12 2018, 09:10 PM

True smile.gif

A quick googling revealed CD baby will let you upload a 290 MB file as a single for $9.99, it looks like it's good forever if I'm reading it correctly, which is great deal!
https://members.cdbaby.com/cd-baby-cost.aspx
Also, it's perpetual, so CDbaby don't charge each year to keep it up. They just take a 9 percent rake on sales, if there are any sales. Sadly,

In 2011: 94% of digital tracks in 2011 (that’s 7.5 million tracks) sold fewer than 100 units, and an astonishing 32% sold only one copy.
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/11/youre-losing-money-why-a-vast-majority-of-artists-should-not-use-tunecore.html

Putting music online is really more of a promotional tool than a sales tool until you reach a certain critical mass. Until then, it can costs you wads of money with some services to just keep them up even if nobody is buying.. That's one cool thing about CDbaby, you just pay once.

Spotify is offering a way to listen to high quality files but the cost is quite an increase. Most streaming services offer the basic plan with compressed streaming. So unless your subscribers are willing to pay the exra to hear music in higher quality, it won't matter what quality you submit the file at, they will hear it squashed.

Here is a link to what spotify is doing to offer better stream quailty. Each vendor has a different pricing model, they all have their ups/downs. As bandwidth increases on mobile networks, I have no doubt we will see a move toward higher resolution audio. The same way we saw an increase in the quality of streamed video as available bandwidth increased.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/5/15168340/lossless-audio-music-compression-test-spotify-hi-fi-tidal

I'm not sure whether you are looking for higher resolution, bigger file size or both? At the current state of affairs, each vendor has their own pricing plan so each one is worth looking in to. Your case is a bit unique just due to length of songs. Given the plethora of vendors a bit of research should turn up at least one willing to stream long files without price gouging. Same with increase in bandwidth, increases in service side storage will take costs down as well. In a couple/few years, longer songs, higher resolutions, will probably be part of the standard package for most vendors I'd wager.


Todd

QUOTE (Caelumamittendum @ May 12 2018, 04:00 PM) *
8 mb limit is just like 4 minutes in good format though, from the top of my head, is it not?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 1 2018, 05:06 PM

Reverbnation.com runs promotions where they claim that your music will get seen by Record Label people who are just stoked about signing somebody from reverbnation, supposedly. They are often free to submit to. I just submitted to one of them today. Have you guys ever tried something like this and did anyone get any traction from it? I"m trying to blaze a trail and save folks the drama of being scammed so I'm neck deep in seeing if this stuff is real.




I've submitted music to WADS of these things on reverbnation. I"ll let you guys know if any of them get any traction.

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