The DIY Guide to the Music Biz - indie music business success



ORDER NOW! What Do Platinum-Selling Recording Artists Know That You Don’t? by Carla Lynne Hall I love to watch a DIVA perform. Whether it’s pop, R&B, country, or any style of music in between, there’s no one like a performer who takes the stage, commands your attention, touches your soul, and just plain steals your heart. After watching a great concert, you often leave the show singing their songs, and buying more of their music and merchandise. If you’re a singer or musician yourself, you might compare this concert with your own last performance. You’ve often thought of what your Madison Square Garden or Wembley Stadium show will look like, *when it’s your* turn in the spotlight*. Britney Spears and the American Idol contestants have nothing* on you, and you know it. Deep down, you know that you could bring down the house if you had the shot. But how exactly do you get that shot? A band currently appearing on the Billboard charts may have a top manager, a sell-out tour, and multi-platinum record now, but this band also had its share of rehearsing in garages and playing lame gigs, just like you. This band also has a collection of rejection letters, just like you. There’s probably no substitute for paying your professional dues, but if you believe that your talent is at the same level as anyone on the music charts, success in the music business comes down to having the correct information. “What about luck?” you ask. What about it? I believe that we create our own luck. Learn everything you can, and be ready to jump in when chances come your way. As Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” So the question is: *Are you* ready? Before you answer, imagine what you could do if you had access to techniques used by successful musical artists – major label as well as the hottest indie artists. How much would this information be worth to you? How much would your odds of success improve as a result of using just a few of their methods? The DIY (Do It Yourself) Guide to the Music Biz is just such a collection of invaluable tools and techniques – and as soon as you decide to read it, you’ll discover the methods that separate the superstars from the wanna-bes.** But more importantly, you’ll wonder how your band survived all this time without them. In Anthony Robbins’ groundbreaking book Unlimited Power, he writes, “Success leaves clues. It means that if I see anyone in this world producing results if I’m willing to pay the price of time and effort. If you want to achieve success, all you need to do is find a way to model those who have already succeeded.” *The DIY Guide to the Music Biz* is filled with practical methods and examples that will take your music career to the next level. Whether you are looking to sign a major label deal, or build your street cred as an indie artist, The DIY Guide to the Music Biz is the exclusive compilation of articles inspired by interviews with successful musicians. Why not save time and learn from artists who have already made it? The DIY Guide to the Music Biz gives the scoop on: Imagine a Saturday night at the hottest music club in your local music scene when you are the headlining act. Inside the club, the audience is packed with fans wearing your t-shirts; Outside the club is a waiting line of your fans that arrived after the room reached standing room only. Your merchandise table is set up, and your “Merch Goddess” has already sold three of your CDs before you even take your place on the stage. This fact does not go unnoticed by the two A&R reps in the audience who are both interested in meeting you after the show. The word is already out that label reps are in the house, and excitement is in the air. Finally, you are experiencing the breakthrough night that you have waited for all of your life. It feels like a miracle, doesn’t it? WHO AM I? Like you, I am a musician. I’ve written songs, played countless gigs, even toured the world as someone else’s backup singer. I’ve had my share of fun and excitement, but I am also a road warrior who has earned her degree in The School of Hard Knocks. I’ve had awesome shows where there were thousands of people in the audience. I’ve also had gigs where the only people in the club were there for the pool table. But still, making music is my passion, so I’ve spent a lot of time looking for that big break. Sound familiar? After moving to New York City to focus on being a singer/songwriter, I launched my first music website. I heard that writing articles from my experiences could bring more exposure to my site, so I sent my articles to all the music business websites that I could find. And my articles found an audience: other musicians like you. My articles attracted the attention of MusicDish.com, who then syndicated and archived my writing. And my own website became popular like I hoped. But the strangest thing that had happened: Writing about music temporarily kept me from making music. THE VOICEMAIL THAT CHANGED MY LIFE Four years ago, I received a voicemail from Vibe Magazine that changed everything. Because I’m a musician, I knew that getting a call from a music editor could get me more press for my music. Finally, my big break was here! I returned the call, trying hard to contain the excitement in my voice. Imagine my surprise when the senior editor did not ask to schedule my photo shoot and interview for their Next section feature (for up and coming musicians), but for me to start their column on the music business. I had to sit down. Internationally published urban music publication *Vibe Magazine actually* wanted to pay me to interview celebrities and write a music business column for them. I didn’t know whether to be insulted or flattered. Quickly I regained my composure. I had a split-second to tell the senior editor what she could do with her column, but it hit me: I could continue to be stubborn and do it my way and remain a struggling musician, or I could use this column as an opportunity to learn first-hand how successful musicians become that way.** I swallowed my pride and agreed to write a music business column for Vibe Magazine. Oddly enough, it was that decision that led to my “big break”. SING AND GROW RICH Looking back, another reason I accepted this writing assignment was that *I had always been a fan of the book Think and Grow Rich* by Napoleon Hill.** It’s an exciting title, yes, but this book has been a bestseller since its original publishing in 1937 because of its content. According to the book’s introduction, “Robert L. Taylor, Governor of Tennessee and owner of Bob Taylor’s Magazine employed Hill, then twenty-five, to write a series of success stories of famous men, the first of whom was Andrew Carnegie [Head of United States Steel Corporation]. Hill so impressed Carnegie that he commissioned him to do a job that would become a twenty-year assignment – interviewing 504 of the nation’s most successful men in order to find through their experiences a success formula that would work for the average man. Among those Hill interviewed were such famous names as Ford, Wrigley, Eastman, Firestone – as well as three United States Presidents.” I’ve read Think and Grow Rich dozens of times, and the idea of studying successful musicians and bands up close held a bit of a thrill for me. I secretly enjoyed the possibility of being the Napoleon Hill of the music business. Over that next year, I interviewed tons of people from different parts of the music industry. I asked the questions that musicians like myself would ask if they had the chance, and was amazed at the what I learned. From entertainment lawyer to the stars Donald Passman (Author of Everything You Should Know About the Music Business) to Patti LaBelle to music legend Clive Davis to the notorious Luther Campbell, music industry superstars shared their stories with me. Cool, huh? I never saw myself as journalist. I was just a fellow musician having a little chat about the industry, and I had the BEST conversations. For an hour’s worth of conversation, a superstar became my mentor and I was a willing apprentice. BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR MUSIC CAREER? I admit that I was starting to worry about my own music career. I mean, I had moved to New York City to make my music, right? At least once, my musical frustration led me to telling my editor to find another writer. And at least once, she ignored my resignation. I was living and performing original music in New York City, and recording SUPERNOVA, my first professionally produced full-length release with producer Christian Cassan. Early reviews described my musical style as "Norah Jones meets Sade on their way to see The Beatles". Was I excited? You bet! I didn’t need the aggravation of chasing celebrity publicists and minding monthly editorial deadlines. I had better things to do. This was finally my time, I thought. And halfway through production of my long-awaited CD, my marriage fell apart. Great. Aside from all of the emotional issues I was dealing with, production of my CD came to a complete halt. I had also come to a major crossroads in my music career: was I going to be a musician who was also a writer, or a writer who used to play music? Interviewing celebrities to learn from them was a good idea, but now, if SUPERNOVA was going to have a chance, learning how the music business really worked was crucial. Writing and recording SUPERNOVA allowed me to call myself a musician. My income from “The Biz” column allowed me not to have to get a roommate while I was now single. Completing what I considered my masterpiece was going to have to wait til I got back on my feet, and writing a music business column for Vibe Magazine was now part of the solution. I also started speaking to musician organizations to raise funds to complete SUPERNOVA. After all, speaking to a group of people is a lot like performing, right? I finally made peace with who I was: I am simply a musician with a lot to say. “NEVER LET THE ODDS KEEP YOU FROM DOING WHAT YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART YOU WERE MEANT TO DO” .............................................................................- H. Jackson Brown, author of Life’s Little Instruction Book I recommitted myself to writing Vibe’s music business column. Each new column’s topic introduced me to a new person or angle in showbiz, and I learned new ways to apply these methods to marketing SUPERNOVA. What I didn’t have in funds I soon made up in marketing know-how. The release of my new CD was held up due to my post-divorce budget, but SUPERNOVA already had amazing pre-release reviews, and a ton of new fans waiting to buy it on CDBaby.com. I just had to keep the faith and press forward. I borrowed successful techniques used by well-known artists, and watched my own star rise. My first CD, Front & Center, received airplay on college radio, and I began to book PAYING gigs on campus colleges. Not bad, eh? After using the networking technique featured on page 46, I signed with a booking agency. Production for SUPERNOVA was back on track, and my new music release was finally scheduled for early 2006. Coincidentally, *during the run of my music business column, Vibe Magazine’s* popularity went through the roof.** Vibe won a National Magazine Award for General Excellence in its circulation category. For the first time, an urban music magazine topped magazines like The New Yorker, Gourmet, and Wired. Members of Vibe’s editorial department were soon being courted by other top magazines. My editor accepted an offer from another magazine, and her section was overhauled to reflect the magazine’s new direction. So after 22 consecutive months, that was the end of my music business column. SO NOW WHAT? I was a little confused at first, when I realized that my long-running column was over. Then I felt relief beyond measure. SUPERNOVA’s marketing machine was in motion, and I could once again focus on my music. As they say, “Everything happens for a reason”, right? Besides, I had one more idea… THE DIY GUIDE TO THE MUSIC BIZ In 2000, I self-published a spiral-bound booklet titled The DIY (Do It Yourself) Guide to the Music Biz. I wanted to have something to sell at my music marketing lectures, so I compiled a booklet of my pre-Vibe music biz articles. The booklet sold well, but I always thought that it could use some thickening. But who had the time to do it? Now that my Vibe column had come to an end, I now had an encyclopedia’s worth of information that musicians wanted. I thought, why should I keep it all to myself? While my SUPERNOVA CD is being prepped for its 2006 launch, *I decided to update The DIY Guide to the Music Biz* as an eBook for 2005. Now filled with celebrity quotes and insights, this new edition of The DIY Guide of the Music Biz had the distinction of being the only music business eBook to feature success stories from independent and major label artists. Take a look at some of the article titles and see how amazing this information really is: Just imagine learning one performance, promotion, or networking strategy that you can use right now to make your CD sales explode. Are you ready to use The DIY Guide to the Music Biz to increase the visibility of your music? I don’t blame you. I’d be excited too! A web marketing guru suggested that I sell this eBook for $197. He felt that the information inside was exclusive enough, and therefore worth the price. I reminded him that my book was aimed at musicians, not superstars who already had that kind of money and wouldn’t need this book. But you won’t have to pay $197 to get this treasure chest of articles. Instead, buy right now and you can have the entire book in PDF format, containing over 50 articles and all 5 bonuses --- all for only $37. Here's how to order right now! Click here for an instant download of the ebook in PDF format. Once your credit card is approved, you will be taken to a special web page where you will download the ebook instantly along with your FREE Bonuses*. INSTANT ACCESS Purchase Online with Credit Card by Secure Server Click Here NOW to download your* PDF copy! It doesn't matter if it's 3:00 a.m. in the morning! You will be downloading and reading the ebook and incredible bonuses within just a few minutes... and using it to take your music career to the next level! As you can imagine, if just one technique helped you attract more fans, this investment would be well worth the price. But you know you’ll find more than one useful article out of the 50 you can use right now to take your music career to the next level. · So, are you ready for your musical success? · Are you ready to increase your fanbase? · Are you ready for the record labels to start wooing you? If so, click here and order. If not, what’s stopping you? Truth is, the only thing stopping you is your own doubt. Admit it. You’re asking yourself things like… · Will these techniques really work? · Will these techniques really work for me? · Should I trust this woman about what she’s telling me? All good questions, of course. But it’s that very voice of doubt that is keeping you from moving forward. I know it’s tough to swallow but doubt is the reason most people don’t take action, and consequently why most people stay stuck. Well, let me ease your concerns… Your Money-Back 60-Day Guarantee Here’s the deal: Your satisfaction is totally guaranteed or your money back. Since you are receiving a lifetime’s worth of information, you can imagine how fair this deal is. Obviously, that guarantee is beyond fair. So here’s the real question: Are you ready to take action, or are you still letting doubt stop you? As you’ll learn in the eBook, doubt is often self-sabotage at work. Are you going to control it, or let it control you? The choice is yours. After all, if you can learn how to pack your next performance for only $37, and this is backed with a complete iron-clad guarantee, why in the world not do it right now? But let’s see if I can help you even more… Go ahead and order right now. You have nothing to lose. Besides, the sooner you learn these techniques, the sooner you can begin attracting the musical success that you know that you deserve. Are you ready? Order right now… See you at the top! Carla Lynne Hall, “The DIY Diva” Musician and Music Business Expert www.TheDIYGuide-MusicBiz.com PS – If you’re not 100% convinced that The DIY Guide to the Music Biz shows you exactly how to use the techniques to get more exposure for your music, then simply tell me, and I will issue you a prompt and courteous refund for $37. But take advantage of this risk-free offer today, before time runs out. Order here. 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