Do It Yourself!!!

i tunes App Store

I recently read an article where a man created a cell phone game is his spare time (he still held a day job) and uploaded on apple’s
i phone application store. For those of you who don’t know what that is, the i phone application store is a store like i tunes where you can buy games and other programs for your i phone. The man priced the application at $4.99. It was reportedly downloaded over 250,000 times!! He quit his job and started his own company making software apps, which by the was is his passion. (Sorry guys I did not save the article and I can’t find it, if anybody has it please post link in comments link below).

Indie Artists You’re Right!!!
I keep receiving emails and questions asking for contacts and how to get a deal. First let me say you are all right when you say I’ve got the talent, I’ve got hit songs, and I’ve got the look. Most of these celebrities have NO TALENT!!! They are in fact to different than you, it is purely politics and money. Yes there is the occasional break out store where somebody makes it through, just as there is the occasional lottery winner. IT IS NOT DIFFERENT. Joe Plumber bought 100 Quick Pick lottery tickets in FLorida on July 12 and you bought 100 Quick Pick lottery tickets in Florida on July 12. Joe Plumber won you did not. What did you do wrong? NOTHING!!

Do It Yourself
Trust me when I tell you DO IT YOURSELF Indie artists. Do it yourself just like the man above who created the cell phone app!! He did not wait for Apple or some cell phone company to hire him as a programmer, he did it himself. Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, the three young programmers who created YouTube worked day jobs at Pay Pal until they created one of the most popular Internet applications of all all time.

The reality TV shows are fake and celebs are using them to promote themselves in a struggling economy and entertainment industry. Diddy’s Making Of the Band is a platform for him to promote himself, music, clothing line and other business ventures he DOES NOT WANT YOU. In a terrible economy they’re only hooking up themselves and their immediately family (Miley Cyrus & Billy Ray Cyrus). Don’t blame them, you would do the same especially in an economy like this.

Cell Phone Game Man, Not Joe The Plumber
Indie artists do what this man who created the cell phone application game did. By the way, his game was like computer Rubix cube, match up all the like colors and pieces — a simple yet innovative adaption to technology. Create your own music, promote yourself and put it out there. Create your publishing company with ASCAP or BMI. ASCAP is much cheaper by the way. WORK PEOPLE!!! You may be saying I’ve been doing this and it’s not working. Than change what you’re doing!! If something does not work make adjustments and keep going. The first time Walt Disney launched Disney World it flopped!! He went back to square one, added a mouse as an icon and relaunched!!

Change, Adapt, Change, Adapt (repeat…)

Here are some ideas of ways to adapt or change your current ways of promoting:

1. If you already have a MySpace, FaceBook and YouTube page, get even more pages on different social networks. Look at Weloop.com, WeMix.com, HotIndieMusicWorld.com and others.

2. If you don’t have your own web page (yourbandname.com) than get one!!! Buy your own domain and host it somewhere. Don’t just buy a domain and route it to MySpace people. Make sure your bandname.com is linked together.

3. Hop on as many social networks as you can even if they’re brand new, just make sure they’re not illegal.

4. Make your own social network with a service like ning.com. I discussed how to do this in a previous post (read here). There are others I’m unfamiliar with them. I use ning myself have had very few problems.

5. Look at your webpages and make sure people can access them from their cell phones. The new phones being launched are designed for internet use. These cell phone companies are in bed with the Internet companies, they’re smart. You don’t see them begging the White House to bail them out do you? Go with the Internet people.

6. If you’re not blogging, blog! Make sure you’re blogging and your blog is linked to your webpage.

7. Get an account on Second Life and other 3d virtual worlds and hold virtual concerts in 3d worlds.

8. Create a Guild on World of War Craft for your music band. Create guilds or groups on other MMORPGs and online multi-player games for your music band or solo artists.

9. Team up with independent game and cell phone app developers, like the one mentioned above, and ask them if your music can be the background music in the game. Just make sure they put you in the credits “Visibly” with a link to yourbandname.com so everybody knows it is your music. Also get some kind of agreement in writing. You may have to do it for free, but it is great publicity and exposure. Think 250,000 people bought the game in the above example, can you imagine if that was your song?

10. Think of ways on your own!!

Bottom line GET CREATIVE PEOPLE AND KEEP EVOLVING AND CHANGING.

MTV just aired its last episode of TRL because it was not effective as a marketing tool anymore due to the Internet and downloading. In the past being on TRL guaranteed an artists record sales. Today, it means you’re going to be in the face of a few hundred screaming teenagers who camped outside the doors of TRL’ studios. The numbers did not lie so MTV shut it down, read the article yourself (here).

The times are changing you must adapt and adjust to technology. More importantly you must continue to adapt. You must continually research formats and technology. It takes time to build a following and it is normal to feel like quitting. Hell I have those days, but you must persist. Nothing is given to you and if you do it yourself you own it all. Just ask the man who created the cell phone application.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jamille Luney
Music Analyst

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