MSi9W – Epilogue ~ Summing It All Up

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  5 Responses »
Sep 132010
 

Music Success in Nine Weeks – Another Self-Help Book? Why Darryl, Why?

What is Music Success in Nine Weeks? The title of a book? A mindset? A road map for a golden path to marketing enlightenment for musicians? Or is it just a marketing gimmick to get musicians to blog and talk about Ariel Publicity and CyberPR? I feel the answer is yes to all of the above in varying percentages. But most certainly I do think it is a great tool box for the entrepreneurial musician. And, as with any self-help book, it all depends on the point of view of the reader and whether or not the reader has the fortitude to apply the teaching the book offers.

I first picked up Music Success in Nine Weeks (MSi9W) in the Fall of 2009 because I was searching for answers to my questions about how to focus my songwriting and performance efforts. I wanted to create a sustaining cash flow from performing and from my songwriting. I just needed guidance. When I got the book I was also starting one-on-one coaching sessions with Debra Russell, so I put the MSi9W book aside and concentrated on the actions my coach was giving me for my performing as well as for my studio business (Blue Cave Studios).

Fast forward to June 2010. I had just finished 6 months of coaching with Debra Russell, learned a ton of stuff about business/marketing/personal-focus and felt I was ready to apply my nascent skills in the real world. That’s when I saw a Twitter post from Carla Lynn Hall about the new MSi9W challenge and figured since I already owned the book, why not jump in? I thought that perhaps in doing the challenge I could focus what I had already learned from my coach to an even tighter beam. Plus I was getting out of school (I’m a public school teacher) and would have the whole summer to devote to applying what I learned from Debra and what I was about to learn from MSi9W and Ariel Hyatt.

What I Learned

The material in MSi9W held no real surprises for me and I was already aware of much of the information that was covered. That said, I still found a treasure trove of info-bits that I added to what I did know. One thing I found to be helpful was to go over the material as a way of check-listing myself and shoring up some of the loose ends that I had in my marketing plans, web presence and social media strategies.

I really liked Ariel’s approach to presenting the material. It was methodical and step-by-step which made it easy to follow and check-off progress. My web presence and marketing ideas were reinforced from going through this challenge and I added to what I had in place by applying concepts that Ariel suggested. I gained a new appreciation of social media’s subtle power and how it can enhance an artist’s ability to get the word out.

Results and What I Gained from the MSi9W Challenge

So what results did I have from spending 9 weeks of my summer vacation blogging about MSi9W? Let’s go chapter by chapter.

Week 1 – Goals
I set 2 month goals, 12 month goals, music-career goals, 12 month money goals and Lifetime intentions and goals. That in and of itself is an accomplishment, but lets focus on the 2 month goals. I put the results in BOLD under the stated goal:

  • 25 new people on my email list by 9/5/10
    • signed up 40 new fans
  • 1 print or radio interview by 9/5/10
    • got a print story in a local paper in Cleveland when I was on tour
  • 3 new songs written by 9/5/10
    • finished 2 and have one just about finished
  • 5 songs demo-ed by 9/5/10
    • 4 songs in the can (finishing the last one this week)
  • Book 4 gigs in 4 states by 9/5/10
    • booked 2 and I’m still talking to another, but only 1 state
  • purchase a new PA by 9/5/10
    • decided to wait due to financial considerations, but I did research

Week 2 – Pitch
I did have a pitch, but this chapter made me think about adding to it and then putting it all on a business card. I did not have a “Darryl The Performer” card until now. I had one for my studio, but not as a performer.
Result = new pitch + new business card.

Week 3 – Optimizing the website and web presence
This chapter made me look at all of the places I had a web presence and making them look consistent.
Result = Twitter, Facebook, Website all have the same or similar colors and photos plus the pitch.

Weeks 4 & 5 – Social Media, Blogging and Podcasting
In this week I gathered a working list of bloggers and podcasters that I can build a relationship with and comment on.
Result = in less than a week I had my music played on two podcasts and I have been reading and commenting on a few blogs.
I amped up my use of Twitter and Tumblr.
Result = new fans in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and a referral for my studio ($$).

Week 6 – Newseltter and Fan Communication
In this week I added more calls to action in my newsletter by asking readers to get involved in my next CD. I also recommend music of other artists to my list and give them an insight into what I’m doing beyond my music.
Result = fans have been telling me of their anticipation to hear new tracks – I’m creating a buzz!

Week 7 – Building the List
I used strategies from the this chapter to get more names onto the list.
Result = new 40 people during the 9-weeks.

Week 8 – Networking
These are the strategies I took away from this chapter:

  • Be a Listener
  • Know What to Ask For
  • Be a Gatherer
  • Have a Plan ~ Be Prepared
  • Follow Up

Result = new sign-ups for my list, a gig that paid $200 for playing 2 songs, another new venue to play in Cleveland, a new way of approaching events with a strategy and a goal.

Week 9 – Creating a Sales Funnel
I write music and perform songs. Not enough! This chapter got me to start thinking outside of the standard box.
Result = 8 new ideas of how to repackage my music.

What was the BIG TAKEAWAY?

For me the big takeaway was the holy trinity of Product, List and Relationship. First of all you need good songs/stage-show/musicianship. Then you need a list of people who want that product. Then you need to develop relationships with the people on your list so that it grows and consequently grows your business.

The other big takeaway from Music Success in Nine Weeks and from Debra Russell is that this takes time and consistent work. Goals take time and scheduling. Building a list and developing relationships through a newsletter and social media takes time and consistent work. None of this happens overnight even though fans may think so. It’s a business. It’s a process.

How Will I Use This Book In The Future?

I feel that Ariel wrote this book so that it functions on different levels. First it is a basic guide for those artists just starting in the world of marketing, social media and fan relationship building. I can see this as a primer for her new PR clients: “Here, read this and then I can help you…”. It’s also a jumping off point for those indie artists that need that extra push to find the niche that they belong in. I feel that this is where I am, and I will definitely keep referring to this book and checking in on the message boards in Ariel’s mastermind site to keep on the right track.

I will recommend this book to my artist friends but it definitely needs to be supplemented with other business books and music marketing books. This is a basic beginning to a world that is constantly changing. Between the time I had purchased my copy of MSi9W and when I started the MSi9W challenge, Ariel had put out a 2nd Edition due in part to the changing landscape that the book was addressing.

I just want to say thanks to Ariel, Carla and the rest of the artists who took part in the challenge. I was inspired by the blog posts and the messages on the mastermind site. For those of you about to take the challenge, if you make it through to week 9 you’ve definitely won more than a PR campaign. I plan to put my blog posts into an eBook format so that those who plan to read the book can benefit from the insights I gained from doing the challenge. I hope it helps.

Peace -

Darryl

MSi9W – Week 9.1 ~ Creating the Funnel of Love

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  1 Response »
Sep 052010
 

I am at the point in this 9 part exercise where it truly becomes evident that I am a business. This is where I figure out how to bring in a consistent revenue stream that can support my activities as a songwriter and musician. I am creating the funnel that draws in customers and entices them to pay more and more for my products.

Everything up to now has been laying the foundation for the store that I am building. I have my basic product which are my songs and live gigs. I have interaction with my customers through my newsletter and social media. I am collecting information on my customers so that I can better serve them. And I am scheduling time to keep this cycle going so that it all grows. Watering the garden.

Now I need to lure the customer in further and get them to send me money consistently and at higher levels of pricing. the basic product is what it is, but it can be packaged in different ways so as to make it seem more valuable to the consumer. The idea behind getting fans to pay more is to think of it as a funnel where the least expensive items that would be appealing to the widest demographic is at the top. As you go deeper into the funnel to the tightest point, the products get more expensive and the number of fans who would buy at that level becomes more exclusive.

As I read through this chapter I took a look at my website to see what exists in terms of the funnel. At this time I really only have two levels. Level 1, the widest, consists of free mp3s in exchange for an email address. Level 2 is the purchase of my CDs. Very basic and very obvious. I’m sure that this is what a lot of artists have on their sites: here’s a taste for some information and then you can go buy the whole CD. See you at a show! If any other business were to operate like that they’d go out of business in a week.

I need to think outside of the basic “Buy My Music” paradigm and brainstorm other products and other ways of packaging my basic product. Here’s what I came up with:

  • lyrics on t-shirts
  • lyrics on mugs
  • personalized songs
  • Gift-a-Song: songs for your friends and family as a gift
  • Gift-a-Gig: concert for a friend
  • USB flash drive with all my music and videos
  • stickers with my CD cover and info
  • songs as themes for your business, podcast – commercial
  • mp3s, CDs

Here’s a possible T-Shirt idea with a song lyric:

The take-away from this chapter is that there is more to the music that I write than just the obvious application of recording it and plying it live. Bob Baker often says that we as musicians can learn an awful lot from studying how other businesses market their products. He also says you can’t really have ‘sales’ until you’ve had ‘marketing’.

The other aspect that I am going to have to convince myself of is that this is a viable way to think about my music. As I have had to do constantly over the course of these 9 weeks, I have to convince myself that I am an entrepreneur.

The next thing I need to think about is which of these packaging items I think will work and then where do they fit on the funnel. Here’s what I think it may look like (a first draft):

I did not include the prices since I’m not quite sure what those prices would be at this point, but they would be priced according to the depth of the funnel.

I found this chapter enlightening. This is the ‘think-out-of-the-box’ type of thing that really makes money for an artist and also spreads the product around. This is also something that takes time to develop and does not just happen overnight. When I look at the things I can develop, I may not have that deep of a funnel as compared to other artists. But it all starts with a taste, the ‘pink spoon’ from the ice-cream store an then that leads to an ever more evolving relationship with your fans.

MSi9W – Week 7.2 & 8.2~ Building the List & Networking – addendum

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  No Responses »
Aug 272010
 

I want to add an update to these two post topics and it comes from an experience that I had last night at an outdoor gig.

When I was up on stage playing I could clearly see that people were digging my music. People were smiling, laughing at my banter between songs and bobbing their heads to the groove. Yes! They like my stuff. They will definitely come up and talk to me afterward, I know it! I made a point of inviting people to talk and to sign up on the list.

My set ended and another performer was up. Out of respect to the performer I did not work the crowd when she was up. I was preparing myself for the networking that was coming up after she was done. I was going over things in my head that I wanted from this crowd and it was mainly email addresses. I didn’t expect to sell CDs since the crowd was being asked to donate money for a charity, but I had them out anyway. I created a goal for myself of getting at least 5 email addresses. That was reasonable and it was a large crowd of about 40 people and their kids and dogs.

Dickenson Park, Newtown CT

This is what happened that makes me take a different look at collecting emails at gigs. I was on stage for a last song with all of the performers and prior to getting on stage I happened to ask my lovely wife to pass the email list around until I got off the stage. That was the key: asking my wife (or someone other than doing it myself) to work the crowd. As the song finished I saw people stand up and start to leave! I had to put away my guitar, unplug, get off the stage, talk to a few officials who were thanking us, etc. I was stuck on or near the stage and people were leaving. WAIT! I want your email addresses… I finally got off the stage and started to network in the crowd, but then I got caught up in single conversations that took time; people were leaving!

At some point, as the sun was disappearing beyond the trees, I bumped into my wife and she handed me my clipboard. It had 10 email addresses! I had gotten 2 using my iPhone to automatically sign them up to my Constant Contact service. So, wait let me do the math… 12 emails! 200% of my goal!

Here’s the takeaway: I will get more from an audience in terms of email addresses, tips, CD sales, etc, if I have a team member there to help out.

To have someone whose task is to simply ask for an email address is a huge asset. I, as the performer, am at a disadvantage. I just got done with a performance, I have to pack up. If I do talk to people, they want to have a conversation which keeps me from mingling. But having a person work the room with just 2 questions to ask: Did you enjoy the show? Can you sign p for Darryl’s list? That’s creating a system that works.

Now I just have to get my wife to come to ALL of my gigs with her clipboard!

MSi9W – Week 7.1 ~ Building the List

 Music Success in 9 Weeks  2 Responses »
Aug 212010
 

It’s all about the list!

I must admit that working through this book is a lot like going to therapy. In order for the material and the concepts to really work, you have to be honest and you have to own up to a lot of unproductive behavior and negative thought patterns. There’s just a lot of stuff here that I don’t want to do and that I have always told myself that I’m not good at doing. Asking people for help and asking people to do things is at the top of that list. I’m not a salesman – well too bad Darryl – it’s time to sell!

Here I am in a business model that requires people to lend an ear and a hand and I have not been asking enough of them to join me in this effort. I suppose it’s a fear of rejection when I avoid asking someone for their email address. I ask an audience – it’s easy to ask a crowd, but asking individuals is hard.

Why would they want to be on my list? Well why not? I have faith in my art. I put out a fun newsletter. And all they can say is yes or no – if no, then I know that that person is not a person I would want on my list or who would send me money. In week 6 Ariel is not allowing me to “wimp out” as she puts it. I must build my “fan” base and consequently my email list and I have to do it fearlessly.

Here are the suggestions that Ariel makes in this chapter for increasing your email list:

  • Add friends and family
  • Filter your email for potential email sign ups
  • Give something away for them to sign up
  • Trade lists with other bands
  • Start a text message list

Adding friends and family is easy you’d think, but if they only hear from you via your gig list then they might get a little testy about the relationship. My sister once said to me that she was tired of getting spam fro me and never a call to say hello. I’m going through my Holiday card list and sending a carefully worded email to those who are not on my fan list.

Ariel suggests setting up a separate mailbox for emails that come from people who might be potential sign ups. I think that this is a good idea, but one that should be approached with caution. Perhaps a relationship should be established before asking. This is one that I need to think about.

Giving something away is a great idea and was addressed in a previous chapter. I have a sign up box at the top of my website that bribes the potential fan with not one but TWO free tracks. Artist sites like Reverbnation make it easy to set up.

Trading a list with another band is a little sticky. I tell my fans that I don’t share their info with anyone, not even another band that I would love to see get more exposure. An alternative to that would be asking another band to send an email to their list on your behalf. They could say something like: We found this great new songwriter that you should hear! We’re going to go out and catch a show this Friday – come join us. You could then do the same for that band. But I would never share my list with other entities.

I don’t text message. It’s not on my phone plan, so I don’t use it. Therefore starting a text message list is not in my communication DNA. I have read stories of Lady GaGa texting her crowd while on stage. Those people are not in my audience and that goes back to knowing who your fans are and what their preferences are.

I’m getting better at asking people for things like email addresses and such, but it still stings when they say no. It’s my issue not theirs. I have added this task of building my list to my weekly rhythm register and it ends up on my daily to do list at least once a week. I set a short term goal at the beginning of the MSi9W project that I would have 25 new sign ups by September and as of this writing I’m at 22. Thanks for the new suggestions Ariel – I’ll get right on it!

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