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(MUSICIANS)- Marketing and DIY

by Coolstro
10 replies
As a Musician what do you need help with most? I was thinking of offering services to musicians, I am asking because What I think you need is less important that what you actually want. Building your fan base, booking gigs, engaging your fans etc I'd like to hear from you what problems you have moving forward to being a successful musician.
#diy #marketing #musicians
  • Profile picture of the author serprider
    I found that a lot of musicians and artists have a hard time setting up a professional portfolio and breaking into social marketing. I used to offer services to help them setup a wordpress blog, arrange for a photographer to do a photo shoot and help them get everything wrapped up and online. Then you can upsell social media marketing... I found most of my customers by scraping existing wordpress blogs for "musician" keywords and shooting them a email.
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  • Profile picture of the author xxxjay
    Booking DIY gigs and getting paid.
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    htttp://www.jmdigitalmarketing.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Chris-
    For a creative musician, the challenge is basically making money out of your own creations. It's easy enough to make money as a musician if you play other people's music, but creating your own, it's a big challenge. So I'd set up a site telling musicians how to make money from their own creations. You need to aim this at non-classical musicians, because nearly all classical musicians have had any creativity educated out of them in order to be accepted as a "classical musician".

    One example is that I upload library music and sound FX to library music sites, and get paid a residual income. That means I create whatever I want, whenever I want, and I make money from it. The best self-service library-music site is pond5.

    So tell musicians things like that, and lots of other real methods of making money from creativity. That's my suggestion

    Chris
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    • Profile picture of the author illiptic
      I am a musician myself, and unfortunately music is just not really the best way to make money....lol

      However, more musicians would have a much better opportunity to build a following if they simply more consistent with a) being consistent with social media and b) learning the dynamics of marketing in general.
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    • Profile picture of the author pdrs
      Originally Posted by Chris- View Post

      You need to aim this at non-classical musicians, because nearly all classical musicians have had any creativity educated out of them in order to be accepted as a "classical musician".
      What a small minded, ignorant thing to say. Are you racist as well?

      Or are you just one of many crappy musicians who uses their "creativity" to justify a lack of real understanding and skill, while shitting on those who are actually out to hone their craft?

      I'm a rock/blues guitarist of 20+ years, a singer/songwriter, composer of various sorts and I have 8 years of classical training (currently finishing my last of year of a masters degree in performance). I won't claim to be any good, that's subjective, but I do know that it wasn't until the classical education that I really felt able to produce/create what was going on in my head and I still work at it every day.

      Look at any university music program and you'll find some of the most creative people you'll ever meet. Go a little deeper and meet the composition majors and they'll be doing stuff you've never dreamed of.

      And OP yes, they could all probably use some help with their marketing efforts... portfolios, professional websites, social media education etc... etc...
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  • Profile picture of the author ppetri
    Do you have a list of clients already? You may want to create a free survey and ask them to answer it. If you have a responsive list, you will great answers to help you decide what products and services to create. They will also be the first ones to buy it from you!


    Free survey creation: www.surveymonkey.com/
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    • Profile picture of the author KenJ
      All musicians need a solid base of repertoire. This should be readily available in digital format and live format. You should be able to produce a piece of music in a moment because you never know who wants to know.

      The repertoire has to be coherent and work together. Once you have this, is it a matter of finding an audience and trying to get paid. In the music industry there is a huge divide between the top 10 music and working musicians.

      The musicians I know who make money are either producers, session players or just get lucky.

      KenJ
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      • Profile picture of the author Chris-
        Originally Posted by KenJ View Post

        All musicians need a solid base of repertoire. This should be readily available in digital format and live format. You should be able to produce a piece of music in a moment because you never know who wants to know.

        The repertoire has to be coherent and work together. Once you have this, is it a matter of finding an audience and trying to get paid. In the music industry there is a huge divide between the top 10 music and working musicians.

        The musicians I know who make money are either producers, session players or just get lucky.

        KenJ
        I make a residual income as a musician/composer/producer. I do it by creating whatever music I want, whenever I feel like creating it. I upload it to Pond5, and people buy it. I would rather create what I want to, than what someone else wants me to, and am happy to have a residual income from it

        So I guess I am a "producer" and a "session player"!

        Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author Nytshade
    It's good to see that there's musicians here...

    I'm a music producer, dj, remix artist and record label owner and what I can say is that most musicians need help with promoting their stuff. By stuff I mean CDs, T-shirts, Digital Downloads etc. and most of all increase their online/offline presence, get more gigs, pop bottles and get groupies

    and enjoy life.

    But a good marketing strategy for musicians is what I think we all want.
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    • Profile picture of the author Coolstro
      Yes you said it, and Marketing a Service that covers all or most of this I am sure could work
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