Passive Promotion

The Electronic Copyright Office

May 21, 2009

I’m a big fan of the whole “paperless society” thing, as my Kindle will attest to. Going electronic saves time, money, and resources – unless you’re dealing with the US government. Every few years I register a new album with the United States Copyright Office, and every time I wonder if I’m supposed to submit [...]

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Real Songs for Real People

May 14, 2009

Todd Durrant of A Different Drum here. Brian asked me to write about a project I’m working on with Marcus Fellechner of Rename. During the past few years, we’ve seen the music market become more open to independent artists thanks primarily to the internet, and also less profitable, thanks again to (ironically) the internet. Though [...]

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Is Jango Payola?

May 8, 2009

My last article on Jango sparked spirited discussions on the Just Plain Folks forums, the CD Baby forums, and Music Think Tank. Words like “scam” and “payola” are recklessly thrown about. We need to dispel these unfair and inflammatory accusations before we can have an honest debate. Is it a scam? Absolutely not! It is [...]

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The Lead-Up EP

April 30, 2009

Some argue that the album release cycle is a thing of the past, and that artists have moved into an “always on” mode of promotion. Even in the studio, we blog, Twitter, and post videos of our recording sessions on YouTube. Some argue further that the album format itself is dead. Personally, I’d like to [...]

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What Artists Should Know About Jango

April 23, 2009

Would you pay $1 for a new fan? Would you pay 2 cents to have your song played to a fan of your favorite band? I would, and did, with Jango Airplay. Jango offers free internet radio that plays listener-selected artists alongside similar artists. Tell it which artists and songs you like and dislike, and [...]

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8 Reasons to Release a Follow-Up EP

April 17, 2009

You’ve just released the album of your life. The songs are honed to perfection, the production is top notch, and you found your true voice as an artist. How can you possibly top it with your next release? I suggest you don’t even try. Instead, follow it up with leftovers. You may call them outtakes, [...]

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Is a Last.fm Powerplay Campaign Right for You?

March 31, 2009

In my previous post on Last.fm, I promised to follow up with the results of my Powerplay campaigns, which target a set number of radio plays to a particular group of users. Four packages are currently offered: $20 for 100 plays, $100 for 500 plays, $200 for 1,000 plays, and $400 for 2,000 plays. Since [...]

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Final Items on My Promo To-Do List

March 29, 2009

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on [...]

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Help Me Win the John Lennon Songwriting Contest

March 15, 2009

Recently my song “If It’s My Time to Go” took the Grand Prize in the electronic category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. [Audio clip: view full post to listen] On Thursday, the next phase of the contest begins, and I need your help to win it. I’m only up against one other person, so [...]

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What Artists Should Know About Last.fm

March 9, 2009

On the surface, Last.fm and Pandora seem redundant. Both recommend new music based on your current favorites, and allow you to influence their suggestions by approving or disapproving of each song as it plays. But while Pandora suggests songs based on their underlying musical characteristics, Last.fm relies on guilt by association. The formula is right [...]

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