In a new video, author and producer Jesse Cannon shares the easiest way to spot modern music business con artists.
Spend enough time in music, and you’re bound to hear someone tell you that the fastest way to make money is by exploiting the dreams of others. That way of thinking actually applies to most industries, but it’s particularly true in entertainment. Music is a business built on dreamers, and each one is searching for the next thing that will propel them forward. Many are so desperate that they will do anything, including giving money to self-proclaimed experts (aka con artists), for the chance of becoming a star.
But here’s the thing. The vast majority of those claiming to be masters of the music business have no legitimate knowledge to share. They may have worked in the industry for years, attended conferences, and even read several books on success, but when pressed to show an understanding of what makes someone successful, they have nothing to share. They promote themselves as false thought leaders because they know there are enough artists desperate for success that will give them money without researching their claims. It’s a trick as old as time, and it’s sadly not going anywhere in the foreseeable future.
Thankfully, people like Jesse Cannon exist. Jesse is an internationally recognized music marketing master and record producer who can back up his claims of success. He’s worked with artists big and small to further their career through practical advice and hard work, most of which he now dispenses for free through YouTube. He also has two great books.
Jesse recently posted an in-depth video on music con artists, how to spot them, and the reasons why their scams are successful. We could go on and on about why it’s a must-see clip, but you might as well watch and see for yourself.
From the description:
In this video, I discuss the con artists, scammers, grifters, and other crooks in the music business. I break down:
►How to spot people trying to rip you off in music
►How music business roadmap and blueprint pyramid scheme type people who try to sell you subscriptions con you for your money.
►How Facebook & Instagram ad gurus rip you off
►How Spotify playlist placement salesman steal from musicians
Social media is [literally] a job in itself. Balancing a music career with your engagement efforts online can be more complicated than many are willing to admit.
There is a moment in every superhero origin story where the protagonist fails. Maybe there is a bomb in an amusement park or a plane falling out of the sky two-thousand miles away, and for whatever reason, the hero cannot save the day. These moments are viewed as character building events because the hero’s response to failing often signals how they see their responsibility to protect others moving forward. Some double down on the heroism, but others choose darkness.
The lesson is always the same: No one can be everywhere all the time, nor can anyone expect to do everything. Even the strongest and most gifted among us are incapable of perfection, including you.
The music business tells us something different. Music industry experts often say that every artist is a business and that every business needs social media to survive. You need to tweet your specials, post Instagram updates featuring your product, and offer timely responses to fans who comment anywhere you have a presence. The music industry also tells us that we need to create original content for every channel that utilizes the space allotted to us on each platform. That means vertical videos for Instagram Stories, 280-character bursts of genius for Twitter, and something ‘Likeable’ for Facebook, and so on.
Experience teaches us that the music industry experts are mistaken and that our culture’s current obsession with social media is not a good enough reason for artists to become update slaves. No artist, but especially no up and coming artist, can hope to build a lasting music career when they are throwing away countless hours trying to develop a following online.
Don’t get us wrong. It would help if you had fans, and having a presence online can be essential to engaging with your audience. It can also help build an audience in places artists cannot travel themselves and open doors that may otherwise remain off-limits. However, if making a following online comes at the cost of doing something artistically rewarding that brings joy to those whose passion is music above all else, it may be time to rethink how we view our relationship with social media.
On the season premiere of Music Biz, host James Shotwell explores the cost of social media versus its impact on a musician’s bottom line. There is an easy way for any artist to how much time they should focus on social media, as well as where those efforts are most effective, and James reveals it in this video. Check it out:
A new report from BuzzAngle Music, the industry’s leading source of consumption data, is turning a lot of heads around the industry. The takeaways are numerous, but one fact is clear: Streaming popularity is going to hit the stratosphere in 2017.
According to the report, which can be read in full for free on BuzzAngle’s site the rate people around the world consume audio streams grew a staggering 86% in 2016, totaling more than 250 billion streams. In fact, there were more song streams on any given day last year than there were song downloads for the entire year. Think about that.
Perhaps even more impressive is how this growth compares to the growth of video, which has long been heralded as the biggest source of media engagement online. BuzzAngle’s report, as you can see in the image above, shows just 7.5% growth in video consumption, with total views for the year topping out just over 181.3 billion.
Increased consumption is good for everyone, but it’s also worth noting that competition for consumer’s attention is also growing at an alarming rate. There were 28 million unique songs streamed over the last twelve months compared to just 7 million unique songs being sold.
More people are listening to more music than ever before, and even if they are not buying an individual song or album they are more than likely accessing the media through a premium subscription service that does pay royalties to the performer. The streaming industry saw overall subscriptions more than double in the last year. Those numbers are likely to double again, if not triple, in the year ahead.
This is all good news, but there is one thing that remains crucial to any individual artists finding success in the digital age. Ease of access is everything in today’s music climate. Why put your new single on one service when it can be on all of them? Why rely on Spotify and Apple Music when Soundcloud and Bandcamp have less barriers to entry? Make your music easy to find and cheap (or free) to access. Make it so easy to engage with you that people feel they must give you a chance.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, video is the future of communication. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but from everything I’ve seen in 2016 it appears to be an undeniable truth. In a time where fake news is causing a kind of global disruption we have never really witnessed before, video driven content can be a powerful tool for shaping the dialogue around pretty much anything.
There will always be a need for the written word, so please do not consider this post as a reason to slack off or stop writing every day. You need to write, but you also need to recognize the fact that people are consuming more information than ever these days through many more channels than ever before. A good amount of people still read the news, but many also listen to news related podcasts and watch lengthy video editorials about hot topics. Some learn everything they carry with them each day through video segments shared over Facebook. You can believe that is a good thing or not, but that doesn’t change the fact its true, and if you want to continue growing your audience in the new year you’re going to need to focus more on video. Here’s why:
Video helps people know, like, and trust you.
One of the coolest things about the internet has always been the fact it enables everyone to have a voice and share their opinion. As social media has taken off and further empowered this idea the ability for any one writer or thinker to stand out has become incredibly difficult. Discerning one writer’s work from another when most are communicating in 140 characters or less can be hard on consumers, but there is no denying who you are when you put yourself on video for the world to see. By presenting your thoughts and opinions through video you are able to establish a connection with your audience that the written world simply cannot duplicate. People will feel like they know you even they you have never met, and if you choose to broadcast live you can interact with your audience in real time (something, again, that written word cannot offer).
Videos can humanize you in a way the written word cannot
There is no escaping troll culture. No matter where you go or what you write there will inevitably some – likely anonymous – commenter who tells you that you are somehow a lesser than them and the rest of the human race. It happens to everyone everywhere online and making video content will not change that, but it can lead to a more immediate connection between you and your audience. People seeking out information online regarding the things they love are looking to hear that information from people who share their passion, and our brains are wired in such a way that we make that judgment far faster visually than we do through text. You can give the appearance of looking smart and informed far easier than you can make people believe you know what you’re talking about through text. Again, this is both a good and bad thing, but it’s a truth nonetheless. By putting yourself front and center you are inviting the audience to experience life with you, as well as through you, and if they enjoy that journey they will stick around, binging your updates as if they were the latest Netflix original series.
People are consuming more and more content on the go, and most of what they consume is video.
The Ericsson Mobility Report highlights how 50 percent of mobile data traffic currently comes from video, and in 2016 that number is expected to rise to 52%. Reuters predicts video will grow 14 times within five years and account for 70 percent of mobile network traffic. You can debate whether or not written word provides more depth and detail, but there is no denying what these numbers tell us about how consuming behavior is changing in the digital age. People want video, and there are no signs of that trend changing in the coming years.
If you don’t embrace video you will get left behind. It’s that simple.
Less than a week after enabling users to manage multiple accounts at once the team at Instagram has taken further steps to please the numerous brands, bands, and celebrity personalities that rely on their application to reach consumers. That is, as long as their social media game is on point.
Yesterday, February 11, the world’s most popular image sharing platform revealed plans to make video view counts available to users in the very near future. This marks the first time analytics outside of Likes and Follows has been made available to consumers, and it’s likely similar feature will follow in the weeks/months ahead.
Writing to users about the new developments on their official blog, Instagram thanked consumers for improving their platform through visual storytelling. They wrote, “Since launching video two years ago and introducing Hyperlapse and Boomerang, you’ve made video storytelling on Instagram take off. Whether sitting front row at Fashion Week or spending a day on the beach, nothing brings moments to life like video. Adding view counts is the first of many ways you’ll see video on Instagram get better this year.”
View count capabilities are rolling out now, so don’t be surprised if you see an update alert on your phone or tablet device later today.
Looking to the future, what additional tools/feature would you like to see Instagram make available?
With the digital age giving us that ability to explore the world of music from the comfort of our own home there is no longer any denying the importance of strong visuals. Having great videos and photos can make the difference between someone clicking on your band or someone else, and the ability to become great at crafting strong visual accompaniments to your music is entirely within your means. It takes time to refine your talent, of course, but with a little hard work you can begin separating yourself from the throngs of aspiring full time musicians with slick visuals that help take your career to the next level.
Today, we are excited to share a guest piece from My Body Sings Electric, which is one band that knows all too well the power of having strong visuals. We have been blown away by their work, both in the studio and through the videos they release, so we felt they were the perfect people to speak to the growing importance of a imagery as it relates to a career in this industry. You can read their thoughts below.
As a musician, it’s a struggle to grab anyone’s attention long enough to listen to a three minute song. We’ve all become so attached to the tiny screens in our pocket that we’re always distracted. We prefer to tap around the apps on our devices while listening to music at home or at a show rather than truly immersing ourselves in the experience, and it’s making it more difficult for musicians to build their fanbase.
Today’s music industry is an economy based on attention rather than dollars. Nobody buys your $8 albums but everyone has a brand new $900 computer in their hand — go figure.
Bands used to compete for shelf space at the local record store, but now they battle against Buzzfeed’s mind poison, Facebook posts from grandma and the potential for partial nudity on Snapchat.
In the last 30 years, humanity’s preferred communication method has shifted away from listening and speaking to almost entirely communicating via visual media.For musicians, it means the very fruits of our creative endeavors exist in a medium that is going the way of the dodo. Soon our ears will have evolved into direct ports for our brain computers.
So you’re in a band? Good for you, but let me tell you something: nobody cares, especially not me. Nothing is cool.
It’s not because I’m an asshole (I am), it’s because I’m your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill, lizard-brained, idiot human being. I’m primitive, I don’t think for myself, and I have access to billions of photos and videos at my fingertips. How the hell are we supposed to get anywhere in the music business if it’s so hard to win anyone’s attention?
Here is my best advice – as a fully-grown manbaby who has wasted his entire adult life and all of the boundless potential that exists in the richest country in the world in order to drive around in a shitty van with his buddies: you need a stellar visual element involved with everything that you do.
Song Teasers & Lyric Videos
Time to release a new song? Use YouTube over Soundcloud. Create a series of teaser videos with photos from the band to build the excitement. Then, release your music using a photo slideshow or a lyric video. Keep it simple, but keep it visual.
Music Videos
You don’t need to break the bank. You have an iPhone that captures 4K video and iMovie is $5.00. Think of something that is simple to shoot, but has a big impact from a visual standpoint. Colors and movement are the keys to a good video. And remember, if you go setup in a field and pretend to play a live show, there is no hope for you or your stupid band.
Snapchat / Vine / Instagram
It’s no secret that Facebook pages are turning into flaming hot piles of garbage and Twitter is imploding under the weight of its own incompetency. The masses (not just the kids) are moving toward more visual platforms. Use them, and get good at them. There are kids who sing 6 second covers on Vine who make more money than your parents.
Live Shows
During your live shows, it’s your job to create something more visually interesting than whatever your fans can find on their phones. The reason EDM is so popular right now is partially due to the insane light displays, but you don’t need that kind of budget. You can think of a simple, but effective way to incorporate lights into your performances.
If lights are beyond your means, you can start with the basics. Make sure you are moving! You are the most important visual element in your show, so shake your money maker.
Lastly, make sure your group looks the part. If your bassist insists on wearing Jnco’s and a weed leaf t-shirt to your indie shows it’s time to find some other mouth-breathing high school dropout string plucker to fill his or her place.
Brandon Whalen sings for My Body Sings Electric, owns a cat, and works as a freelance marketing consultant to fund his impoverished lifestyle as a musician.
Hello again, everyone. For the latest Blogger Spotlight we’ve decided to turn our focus from the world of writing to the world video. There are many great video teams creating content, and starting today we are going to do a better job of highlighting their efforts.
This site exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
We spend a lot of time focusing our efforts on highlighting the best writers the world of music journalism has to offer, but we would be outdated dinosaurs if we did not acknowledge the fact there are some incredibly skilled media people who are also making their mark in the industry today. One such team of individuals, Real Feels TV, hails from Michigan. Today, in text form, we share their incredible story.
Thought I too call the mitten state home, my knowledge of the Real Feels team prior to setting up this feature was based largely on their work and the correspondence I read in promotion emails. Their talent was never in question, but to be honest I was a little worried I didn’t understand their multimedia efforts well enough to craft an interesting feature. I soon realized that the fact I didn’t fully understand what they did was the perfect reason to feature them, as they as managing to separate themselves from a very flooded marketplace, and they are doing it with content of the highest quality. I sent a few tweets, then an email, and just last week were finally able to connect. What follows are highlights from that conversation:
H: Hey there, thanks for joining us. Before we dive in, please take a moment and introduce yourself to our readers. Most only know your site, so why not let them know who you are:
RF: Hey, Haulix! My name is Jesse Speelman. I run Real Feels with my friend Todd. I’m 23 and live in Detroit. We’re a music outlet dedicated to sharing great music, whether it be local or national acts. We film live performances and interviews, write articles and album reviews, photograph concerts, and more.
H: It’s great to have you with us, Jesse. I know we have been hoping to make this happen for a bit, but the holidays derailed our initial plans. How has the holiday season treated you?
RF: The holiday season has been great. We’ve had a handful of filming projects and have a nice amount of work to edit and release, so we’ve kept ourselves busy.
H: Real Feels is based out of Michigan, or at least it seems that way based on the venues most frequently featured on your site. Are you a native resident?
RF: Our team right now lives in the Metro Detroit area, but we have done a little bit of work in other states as well. Venues like The Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac have been so helpful in giving us a place to film. We don’t want Real Feels to be just a Michigan thing. We’d love to have some people across the country in the future.
H: I’m from Michigan as well, but now live in Boston. I do miss the mitten state. Have you given any thought to one day leaving the area, or do you think you’ll call the great lakes state your home for life?
RF: I’m personally running a wedding photography business here and don’t have any plans to leave. Detroit has a fantastic music scene, amazing history, delicious food, and just something special about it. The weather can be rough, and the roads are atrocious, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives.
H: Before we get to the site, I’d like to know a bit about your history with music. Can you pinpoint a time in your life when you realized your interest in the arts was a bit more, shall we say, passionate than others?
RF: I think I just realized it recently. So many albums in the past few years have affected me in a way I’ve never felt before. I’ve been surrounded by amazing music since the time I was born, and until now I’ve taken it for granted.
I can’t help but show my friends and family the music that has done so much for me. I’m that kid that steals your AUX cord and turns your volume up.
H: What was your first concert?
RF: Music has been as important to my parents as it is for me, and I’m very thankful for that. The first concert experience I can recall is seeing Pat Benetar. I was young, so unfortunately there is no story to go along with that.
H: I typically do a lot of research for these interviews, but finding information on you has admittedly been a bit difficult up to this point. Have you sought out any formal education beyond high school? If so, what did you study and where did you study at?
RF: I took a semester at a community college, and realized early that it wasn’t for me. I learned photography and video from just doing it. If you come up against any problems, search YouTube or Flickr forums. Someone is bound to have had the same problem. Show your friends and family. Ask them to critique your work. Make yourself better.
H: You are stilling making your name known in the music business, but based on what you have seen and accomplished do you feel pursuing a college degree is or even useful in the hunt for permanent work in the music business?
RF: That all depends on what field you’re interested in. It might be beneficial if you’re working for a label or doing PR or something like that, but as a photographer / videographer, I think it’s more detrimental than helpful.
The only way you’re going to learn to take pictures is to take them. You can read every book there is, take every class, get every degree, but if you haven’t put in the 10,000 hours with your camera, you’re still going to suck. Save yourself years of paying off student loans, buy a camera, and just start shooting.
H: Okay, let’s get to the site. When did Real Feels launch, and what initially inspired you to step out on your own?
RF: We started up Real Feels at the end of 2013. I had done work for a few local outlets in the past that were starting to fizzle, and I wanted to dive in a little deeper.
H: The name ‘Real Feels’ is one that rolls off the tongue rather easily, but the meaning behind the name has remained a mystery. Can you please share with us the origin story of the name ‘Real Feels’?
RF: We consciously chose a name that was easy and fun to say, but we wanted it to mean something too. We’re chasing music that makes you feel something real. Whether that’s happy, sad, silly, serious: it doesn’t matter. We just want to feel something.
H: I should say that the proper name is ‘Real Feels TV.’ Do you get upset when people shorten it?
RF: The proper name is Real Feels. We’ve just been releasing our video work under the name Real Feels TV. We’re working on getting ahold of the Twitter handle, etc..
H: How would you define the content found on your site to someone who has never visited your URL in the past? What sets your efforts apart from other sites in the alternative music realm?
RF: The first thing that sets Real Feels apart from other music outlets is we’re working with bands that we really believe in. If a band has a lot of buzz and isn’t good, we don’t have any interest in working with them. If a band is fantastic, but somehow hasn’t caught a break, you better believe we ARE going to work with them.
Secondly, in our interviews we’re asking bands the questions that no one else asks. We’re tired of hearing questions like “What is your craziest tour story?”. YouTube has created this world where every 16 year old girl with a camera thinks she should interview a band, and for some reasons publicists APPROVE THEM. We’re asking questions that make the artists think, and that give you an idea of what they are like.
Real Feels is a passion project. We’re not trying to get rich from this. Every cent we’ve earned in the past year has been reinvested directly into what we’re doing. We want to grow and become a bigger platform for people to find great music.
H: Video is obviously a big part of the Real Feels TV, and I’m curious what initially attracted you to that area of media creation. Have you always had a strong interest in video?
RF: I began in music photography when I was 12 (more than 10 years ago now), and just recently started getting serious about video. The two seem to go hand-in-hand, but in reality each is its own entirely different world. Audio is its own third world, but I leave that up to our sound guy Jan Calo.
H: What was the first video you shot for your site, and how did you go about setting up the shoot?
RF: The first video we did for Real Feels was with my close friend Joshua Waldorf. Josh used to play guitar and sing in the band Strange Vacation (previously The Boys Of Summer). After leaving the band, he continued to write music but kept it to himself. When he played some of his songs for me, I was blown away and knew I that people had to hear it.
H: Do you have a video segment you’re most proud of? I’ve personally watched your acoustic session with Emarosa roughly two dozen times since its initial release. In fact, I’ll probably include it with this post.
RF: Circa Survive has been very important to me through my youth, so having such an intimate conversation with Anthony Green meant a lot to me. We had a lot of time to prepare the set, and we managed to stretch the 10 minutes we were given with him to 20. It helps to care about the music you’re covering, because you know which questions to ask. Anthony was very candid and honest in the interview, and it was a pleasure to talk with him.
H: You have featured a number of smaller bands on your site, as well as plenty of headliners. Do you plan to continue trying to maintain this balance, or do you have your sites set on working with bigger and bigger talent as time goes on?
RF: I think we’ll try and keep the balance. I love being able to pick the brains of artists that have already made a name for themselves, but there is just SO MUCH incredible local music that people need to hear.
H: At the end of the day, what are the main goals of Real Feels?
RF: Our goal is simply to share the music that we love. We want to keep improving the content and growing our viewership.
H: You mentioned this on Twitter not long ago, but aren’t you currently working on a new website?
RF: Yep, we’re currently in process of developing our first custom website. The site is launching at the beginning of March, and along with it will come some more content, merchandise, and announcements.
H: You’ve been on Tumblr up to this point. Will you still be using that platform as the backbone to your site, or are you launching a standalone effort?
RF: We’ll continue to use Tumblr but the custom website will take over as HQ for us. We wanted something that sets us apart and gives viewers a place to find out exactly what Real Feels is about, and Cemah Creativeis doing a beautiful job designing that for us.
H: What are the biggest lessons you have learned running your site over the last year? We’d love to have some fresh advice/perspective to share with our readers?
RF: If you want something, make it happen. This year I toured with one of my favorite bands (Conditions), interviewed another one of my favorites (Circa Survive), and photographed another (The 1975). The industry is smaller than it looks, and you can work with the bands that you love.
H Where do you hope the site is at this point in 2015? Go on, dream a little:
RF: We have big plans for the year. Like we talked about, the website is launching in March. I don’t want to give too much away, but we’re in the planning stages for a full-length documentary film. The third FeelDay is planned, and we’ve assembled some of Michigan’s best musicians to perform for us at The Warehouse in Marine City. We want to continue growing our team and working with as many new, great artists as we can.
H: What are the biggest obstacles standing between you and these goals?
RF: Absolutely nothing. We’re so fortunate for the opportunities we have, and plan to make the best out of them.
H: I thank you for taking so much time to speak with us and share your view of the industry. Before I let you go, are there any closing thoughts/comments you would like to share with our readers?
RF: If you’re in a band that is interested in working with us, e-mail us!If you’re interested in writing, photographing, videographing, designing, or just spreading the word with us, e-mail us!
This has probably been mentioned at least three times in the past on this blog, but YouTube is already the number one source for music discovery amongst young listeners. Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube—that’s almost an hour for every person on Earth, and if you want your career to go anywhere in 2014 you better lay claim to as many of those hours as you possibly can. Viral videos will certainly make a splash, but the likelihood of your next clip landing on the front page of Reddit is about one in a million, if not more. The smart play, at least for those who are willing to make time to create content properly, is to develop a video strategy they can maintain for the foreseeable future. We can help.
If you have any questions about the content of the blog, or if you would like more information regarding the distributional services offered by Haulix, please email james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The majority of December 2013 was dedicated to sharing tips on how to optimize your presence on YouTube (here’s part 1, part 2, and part 3). Those articles were intended to give you everything needed to have a modest presence on the world’s largest video streaming platform, but in order to grow your audience and raise the chances your content will be seen by someone in a position to help move your career forward you will need a plan that includes regular video updates featuring a variety of content. What that content entails will need to be discussed between you and the other members of your group, but thanks to authors Lucy Blair and Caroline Bottomley of Radar Music Videos we were able to find the following list of basic types of video content uploaded by musicians, which we have :
Official music videos / release videos
Audio uploads of music with a static visual (aka ‘art videos’)
Live performances
Lyric videos
Behind the scenes (which could be anything from a ‘day in the life of’ to a tour video diary or the making of your latest music video)
Covers
Breaking news announcements (e.g. a new album/single/tour, or a big milestone)
Tutorials
Interviews including fan led
Video press kits promoting your latest album/single/tour
Playlists
Fan-generated videos
Competitions
Google+ Hangouts on Air
Live-streaming (archivable streaming may be necessary across different timezones)
Episodic events
It is important to note these are all suggestions, and by no means should any artist/group feel obligated to attempt everything at once. Content strategy is a lot like learning a new skill, and by that I mean everyone works at their own pace. You have to decide what you are not only able to create, but what you are able to create to the best of your abilities on a regular basis.
Once you have discussed and settled on the type of content you feel you’re best able to create, do your best to draft a release plan for your video efforts and, more importantly, stick to it. If you want to do a weekly performance/cover series, make sure you know what you’re going to perform and when it’s going to be live online. Create content as far in advance as you need to in order to ensure you do not miss a premiere. Consistency is next to quality in terms of importance, and in the world of video there are no two elements that matter more.
That is, aside from talent, perhaps, but even that is easy to fake in 2014.
Developing and sticking to a video content strategy not only helps you develop your presence on YouTube, but it also gives your audience something to look forward to every week. People discover and forget more bands and songs every month than you ever want to realize, but with the release of consistent, quality content you can further the likelihood of your efforts standing out from the herd of unsigned artists currently clamoring for attention.
On the press side of things, having a well-functioning and scheduled video content plan can offer you a variety of exclusive opportunities with blogs. If you know you are going to have a video tour blog uploaded every week on your upcoming tour, then you have a weekly exclusive to offer writers to entice them to feature your band. Same goes for covers/performance series and fan Q&A. Too many young bands struggle with marketing because they do not plan things far enough in advance to allow for proper promotion. Do not be one of those bands.
Additional points to consider….
How far out should I plan?
Good question, person we invented to transition in the middle of this article. Most artists and labels approach album releases and the promotion for them in multi-month cycles. Depending on the type of content you want to create, the same efforts should be made for planning video updates. If you want to start a new series, don’t launch it tomorrow, but rather make a plan to launch at a point in the near future that allows you to properly build anticipation amongst your fans. There is no need to rush, and doing so will only result in poor content with little-to-no engagement.
How frequently should I post content?
Again, this is a case-by-case basis. Deciding the proper amount of time to wait between video uploads will depend heavily on the types of content you plan to release. Most should know there is no real need for daily video updates, but once or twice a week certainly would not be overkill. Unless you have nothing to say or share, of course, in which case there is no reason to upload content at all. The only thing worse than a lack of content is an abundance of useless content no one wants to share or enjoy.
How do I know if the quality of my content is good enough to share?
Before you post a video update, music video, or any type of media for that matter, ask yourself this: Would I want to share this content if I were to discover it online? If the answer is no, or even maybe, then you may want to hold off on posting until something better can be created. Never release something you do not feel represents you or your band in the best way possible.
Does this really matter? What are the consequences of not posting video content?
There are those who choose to leave the video work to signed musicians and do perfectly fine without engaging the internet via YouTube. Those cases are few and far between, of course, but you are always more than welcome to lead your career in whatever direction you see fit. There are no direct consequences, per say, but you are limiting the likelihood of your music being exposed to curious music fans online.
The fact of the matter is that most artists today will do anything if they feel it will help them reach new listeners while further engaging their current fan base, and those who eventually ‘make it’ are the ones smart enough to manage their various channels of communication well. YouTube and sites like it offer a unique platform for reaching listeners that is audio and text cannot match, but it only works if you do your part and create content worth enjoying. Make a plan, stick to it, and work every day to better the skills needed to create the content your followers enjoy the most. Success will follow.
