English · Tips

6 Guerilla Marketing Tips For Your Band

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Especially when you have a small budget, Guerilla Marketing can be the right way for you to promote your band. It is a marketing tactic which is famous for surprises and unconventional interactions. The following tips will show you that you don’t always need wide-spread media campaigns in order to promote your music.

1.   Stamping Dollar Bills
Go and get a personalized stamp with the link to your band’s homepage. You can also add a cheeky slogan like “This is all you have to pay for a night full of fun” (for example if your concert tickets cost 20$) and put the stamp on every 20$ bill that falls into your hands. A personalized stamp will cost you about 15$.

2.   Temporary Tattoos

There are temporary tattoos that only last up to 1 or 2 days. So why not do something crazy and get a ‘tattoo’ of your band’s name and the link to your website on your arm, your leg …or even your forehead? With your new look, you can go to a concert for example or almost anywhere where you can meet people who are interested in music.

3.   Surprise Concert

Why don’t you give a surprise concert in the city-center or at any other place that’s crowded? Distributing flyers and CD’s will help people remembering who you are. Don’t forget to mention where your next gig takes place so people can come and see you again.

4.   Business Cards and Flyers

Go to your local library or bookstore and search for books about music or band biographies. Put one of your flyers or business cards in each and every book. This is a very cheap and effective way to reach your potential fans.

5.   Disco Time
Do you still have the stamp you used for stamping the 20$ bills? Good, because you will need it again! Many clubs use stamps to mark the people who already paid admission. So why shouldn’t it be your stamp that is used? Go and ask the organizer of the event if he would agree to use your stamp for one night. People will remember the link to your website even on the next day! ( The ink seems pretty permanent even after having a shower, doesn’t it? ;-) )

6.   CD-Store

Here is a special offer for your local CD store the owner just can’t dislike: Ask him if you can give a little concert in (or in front of) the store. He could also give away your CD’s for free or for a special price. This is a mutual benefit: Promotion for your band AND for the CD store.

What are your tips for effective Guerilla Marketing?

by Sara Shirazi

English · Tips

5 Things You Should Avoid When Making Music

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1.      Working on songs you don’t like

If you want your songs to be really good, you should have FUN working on them. You can work on a song for hours but if you don’t put your heart into it, it will never have that certain “Je ne sais quoi” – and people will hear that.

2.      Not coming to an end

A typical phenomenon in the music industry is the constant urge to edit a song over and over again. Many people find it hard to come to an end and to finish a project, so they keep rearranging the audio track and rewriting the lyrics. Congratulations, you will be getting nowhere if you are caught up in this loop of indecision! Remember: You can only make progress and improve yourself if you finish something and start with a new project, a new idea!

3.      Working together with annoying people

If you are not working on a commercial song, you can pick the people you want to work with by yourself. Nothing will stress you more out than a studio partner who is always late, who has nerve-racking habits or useless ideas. So make a wise decision concerning your co-workers!

4.      Wearing blinders

Maybe you are used to a certain way of producing your songs. This way might not be bad but you should prevent yourself from wearing blinders all the time. If you try out new things, like a new technique or a different musical genre, your music will take a big step forward. Not only you, but also your listeners will benefit from this development for sure.

5.      Being distracted

If you let yourself distract from other people, the phone, the TV, the radio … you can sure as hell not work on your song in a concentrated way. Being focused is the key to success. That doesn’t mean that you can’t have a break while producing. Going for a short walk or for dinner with friends can be fun and refreshing – and you will have the energy to carry on with your work afterwards. Focused and productive!

by Sara Shirazi

English · Interviews

Interview with Jörg Ingram Hiller

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JörgIngramHiller
Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I´m working in the music business for over 30 years now. I started with a concert agency and today I am concentrated on publishing and consulting artists.

In the history I worked 20 years for AMV (Publisher) as an A & R consulter, I worked with Toni Catania (producer and composer SCATMAN JOHN), Ace of Base,Berman Brothers (producer and writer, based in L.A.), Michael Blair ( author for THE RASMUS, SUNRISE AVENUE and others) , COVENANT from Sweden ,etc. .

Have you licensed your music / signed your artists internationally? Which country do you think is the best to license music to? Why?

Publishing is worldwide (mostly).But I try to help out for license deals, too – but there is no “perfect partner”. Each market has its own interests and style.

If you had to work together with someone to license his music / sign up his artists for your region, what sort of music are you looking for? Why?

Not easy to say ! I love innovative , creative music with a pop appeal , I love also to work with scandinavian artists ! I mostly go with my gut – the music must touch me! But I have to sort out a commercial possibility.

Are there notable projects you have completed?

There are several – some were successful, other less or not…

Upcoming projects / tours?

I am working on my cataloge right now and new signings will be developed soon.

What do you think is the largest problem faced by the music industry today? How do you think it can be resolved?

The music industrylost time in the end of the last century and they had (and still have) problems with the new digital situation. A lot of legal problems are not regulated and the digital development will become faster and faster!

Your plans for 2013?

To stay in the right shape!

A good word on Music2Deal?

This platform is important for the possibilities of good communication between ALL kind of people from the music industry and it allows them to get in touch without pressure.

Thank you, Jörg!

www.edition-ingram.de

by Sara Shirazi