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This page: Web Marketing....
Web Marketing....
'I can't get, can't get there from here!' -- R.E.M.
How do you get your music to the public? The Internet. One unbelievable network of untapped consumers.
You need a Web site so fans can find you. You can create these yourself, but I suggest hiring a Web designer who really knows what they're doing to build one for you. Get your own URL -- my Web address is www.scudieri.com. Web sites with long URLs (location addresses) will make it much harder for your fans to find you. Spend time on the Web and find musician sites that are interesting to you. What will make your site stand out from the rest? I was asked to come up with six words to describe my music, and my designer tried to incorporate those ideas into the site. I scanned pictures from the CD and used my wife's artwork on each page to give a nice flow from each link.
I have a direct link to Amazon.com. I chose Amazon because of their excellent reputation for shipping books and music. They also have a great program for independent books and music called Amazon Advantage. With my busy promotion schedule there was no way I could deal with the aggravation of shipping. Amazon has an excellent page layout for artists. My dedicated Web page includes the album cover, my bio, reviews, and of course RealAudio clips of all my songs. The coolest part of Amazon is the customer review section. This allows people to review your album and rate it after they've purchased it. So far I have 20+ five-star reviews! Exciting! Real interaction with fans!
As good as Amazon is, it does take a big cut of the sales. My CD costs $12.99 plus shipping & handling. I would charge $8-$10, but I wouldn't make a profit with the current arrangement. (CDs should not cost $18, but that's another article!) Other companies are offering artists 100% of retail sales. I am looking into their networks and waiting to see who survives the dot-com scramble gamble. This is an ever-changing, ongoing experiment.
Work it! Having CDs, t-shirts, and even stickers (pictured here) at shows will help build your fan base. |
Once my Web site was online and hosted by Nomonthly.com, I had a huge release party. By utilizing my fan email list and some local and regional press, I sold 100 CDs at the party and 500 in the first eight weeks. To capitalize on this initial success, I made sure to keep my fans informed biweekly of my progress and asked them to write online reviews and help spread the word.
Many people leave their email address when they write reviews on sites like Amazon. I have spent literally hours upon hours emailing people one at a time who've reviewed albums in my "genre." I let them know I read their review and I give them a brief description of my music with a link to my site. It works. I have received some great feedback and have seen sales go up in correlation with how hard I'm pushing the envelope.
I contacted online radio programs like Acoustic Café and Music Sojourn and submitted my CD for airplay consideration. There are many stations on the Web where the DJs actually pick and choose the songs they want to play. I believe that, in the future, we will see the transformation of corporate-programmed radio into privately owned, free-form broadcasts. The public will demand it. Artists below the radar of the celebrity-oriented music business will emerge on regional scenes. Their ability to connect with hundreds of millions of fans will be the result of working hard locally and thinking globally at the same time.
I'm also staging events rather than just playing a gig. By "event," I mean a real show. I'm working with volunteers to promote the shows. They wear Scooter Scudieri t-shirts and help me hand out free tapes and flowers to everyone. My friends are making sure everyone gets on the mailing list! I have a listening booth for those interested in hearing the CD before they purchase one. I'm incorporating lighting and sound effects into my show, as well. Soon, I'll do live Webcasts from all shows. My Web site has a clock counting down the weeks, days, hours, and minutes to the next event.
I wrote a short article called "I Am a Soldier on the Front Lines of a Music Revolution." It is an evolving essay responding to the numerous questions I get about free downloads. I posted it on Tecnocrat.net and I was overwhelmed with feedback. It even landed me this writing job. I continue to post the letter online and direct people in chat rooms to the article. My Web site is always linked to any correspondence.
The response to my article and to my music has been inspirational. I have received creative feedback, praise, and empowering ideas. The letter even got to John Perry Barlow (Grateful Dead lyricist and cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation) who responded, "If what [Scooter] says is true ... he's a harbinger."
What I say is very true.
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