The Social Jazz goes to Bremen

Yes, I know it's been ages since I posted here - take this as an example of what not to do with your blog!  I've been putting together jazz music marketing workshops and trying out the material on a poor unsuspecting musician, getting feedback and improving them.

I've also just started working with a very talented young jazz musician, helping him out with press coverage, airplay and PR.  No, I'm not going to say who it is - if I do my job properly you'll be hearing him on the radio very soon ...

Today I'm heading to JazzAhead in Bremen, Germany to attend a presentation on best practice in coaching musicians and meet some of the great people I've come to know over the last few months.  You can find out more about JazzAhead here http://www.jazzahead.de

I've got a ton of resources and half-written blog posts to help you with your music marketing - as soon as I get back from Germany we'll be back to regular posting.

Meantime, thank you to everyone who has asked for help over the last 11 months.  If I was able to help even just a little bit, I'll be happy.  Looking forward to meeting (and hearing) you in person!

Best wishes,

Sandra

How online retailer amazon.com can get you more fans

You’ve worked really hard and at last you’ve got a great band together and the gigs, fans and music sales are increasing.  Then you see another artist in the same town or city playing the same kind of music as you, maybe playing the same instrument and approaching the same venues.  So what do you do?

Some musicians make the mistake of becoming rivals, competing against each other.  Just this morning I overheard one musician invite another to their live show only to get the quite frosty response “I’m not sure where I’ll be.  I’ll probably be performing myself.”  That chilly musician is missing out on a huge opportunity to meet more fans!

When the online retailer amazon.com launched, one of the reasons people liked and returned to it was because of the now familiar “Customers who bought this item also bought ...” feature.  Me and my friends went online, bought music, got suggestions for other artists and then listened to (and often bought) more music. 

It may be hard for you to admit, but your fans listen to other artists!  As a consumer I have a fondness for jazz piano and listen to (and buy) music from any number of jazz pianists.  Very often I’ll discover one artist by listening to or reading about another.  As someone who helps musicians grow their audience and fanbase, I’ll look for fans of one musician and introduce them to another artist that I think they might like.

Why not try the amazon.com approach yourself?  Here’s some easy ways you can support a fellow artist:

·         Tell your Twitter followers about their upcoming gig

·         Comment on their blog/Facebook/Youtube posts

·         Mention them to other musicians, venues, bloggers or press

·         Review/comment on their CD listings (including the ones on amazon.com!)

·         Offer to open for them at a live show

Do this with a genuine heart and build a trusting relationship, both on- and off-line.   Why?  Because you’ll develop a healthy respect for each other and along the way you’ll naturally be introduced to each other’s fans. 

Don’t worry about losing gigs, fans or CD sales.  You have your own niche and your own loyal fanbase who’ll love you even more for introducing them to new music!

Do you already do this?  What results have you had?  Please feel free to leave a comment and tell me!