In an effort to learn how to market our original rock band and move beyond the pay-to-play level, I am paying an experienced band manager for some advice. I had thought I was pretty clear in my initial emails that although were a new band, were not complete noobs, just that we want some help in consolidating the vast sea of advice and opinion out there to form a solid business and marketing plan. Seems I wasnt clear enough, perhaps.
Her first reply, upon checking out some of our material, was that our style is dated, and isnt whats selling right now. She then sent a lengthier note, outlining how the industry works:
Style is important for success. You should identify who your clients are. Certainly, the people at your shows are clients. But what about the venue operators, arent they clients also? If they dont like you, do the audiences ever get to see you? I call this the Gatekeepers and the End Users.
It is the same in the recording industry. There are Gatekeepers such as the labels, the radio stations, and the critics. Then there are the End Users which are the people who actually buy music. You can not get to the End Users in any significant numbers without being accepted by the Gatekeepers. That is where style comes in.
If you do not fit the perceived style requirements of the Gatekeepers, the End Users will never know that you exist. Labels try to structure their product (recordings) to appeal to radio first as they can not get anywhere without radio. The cost of marketing is very high and every time a 4 minute song is played on the radio it is like purchasing 4 minutes of commercials on a radio station. In the real world that would cost you in the neighborhood of $600 or much more for a major city station. Multiply that by hundreds of plays across the country and you begin to see why radio is so important.
Radio stations are broken down into five categories: Rock, CHR, AC, Country and nonmusic. The music charts are also done on that basis with some sub-divisions depending on who is creating the chart, Hot AC, New Country, Rhythmic, etc. are some of the subdivisions. These divisions are called formats. They are very tightly programmed on rigid lines and if you dont fit, you dont get on. In Canada many of the rock stations have become gold, so there is a limited market.
Sigh Reading between the lines, Im hearing another Rock is dead message. Really? How come its all over our local alternative station, then? How come bands like Foo Fighters are selling out stadiums all over the world? However, Im not going to waste my money trying to have that debate with her. She has her experience and is entitled to her opinion. Thats not what were paying her for, anyway. Our music, dated or not, comes from our hearts and were not going to magically morph into another genre (even if we could) and try to follow a trend that may be gone tomorrow. Following trends never works, IMO.
Today, as we all know, new artists have to create their own following, build their own popularity. In most cases, the so-called Gatekeepers will promote anything they think they can make a buck from, regardless of style. If a band is popular, if theyre selling out clubs and creating buzz, the Gatekeepers will be all over it. So my questions back to her were about the best ways to develop a band and build a following in order to be of interest to the Gatekeepers down the road. (I should add that were not interested in working with major labels, but we do see the merit of working toward radio coverage and press, and wed be very happy to work with an indie label. In the meantime, were in production on our first album, which is DIY and going very well so far.)
Id love to hear your opinions of what she wrote. Also wondering what business advice you guys have received throughout your careers that was helpful and what was not! I have read Toms thread on "How to Succeed as an Original Band," but thought it might be fun to share gripes and successes in a less formal way.
Her first reply, upon checking out some of our material, was that our style is dated, and isnt whats selling right now. She then sent a lengthier note, outlining how the industry works:
Style is important for success. You should identify who your clients are. Certainly, the people at your shows are clients. But what about the venue operators, arent they clients also? If they dont like you, do the audiences ever get to see you? I call this the Gatekeepers and the End Users.
It is the same in the recording industry. There are Gatekeepers such as the labels, the radio stations, and the critics. Then there are the End Users which are the people who actually buy music. You can not get to the End Users in any significant numbers without being accepted by the Gatekeepers. That is where style comes in.
If you do not fit the perceived style requirements of the Gatekeepers, the End Users will never know that you exist. Labels try to structure their product (recordings) to appeal to radio first as they can not get anywhere without radio. The cost of marketing is very high and every time a 4 minute song is played on the radio it is like purchasing 4 minutes of commercials on a radio station. In the real world that would cost you in the neighborhood of $600 or much more for a major city station. Multiply that by hundreds of plays across the country and you begin to see why radio is so important.
Radio stations are broken down into five categories: Rock, CHR, AC, Country and nonmusic. The music charts are also done on that basis with some sub-divisions depending on who is creating the chart, Hot AC, New Country, Rhythmic, etc. are some of the subdivisions. These divisions are called formats. They are very tightly programmed on rigid lines and if you dont fit, you dont get on. In Canada many of the rock stations have become gold, so there is a limited market.
Sigh Reading between the lines, Im hearing another Rock is dead message. Really? How come its all over our local alternative station, then? How come bands like Foo Fighters are selling out stadiums all over the world? However, Im not going to waste my money trying to have that debate with her. She has her experience and is entitled to her opinion. Thats not what were paying her for, anyway. Our music, dated or not, comes from our hearts and were not going to magically morph into another genre (even if we could) and try to follow a trend that may be gone tomorrow. Following trends never works, IMO.
Today, as we all know, new artists have to create their own following, build their own popularity. In most cases, the so-called Gatekeepers will promote anything they think they can make a buck from, regardless of style. If a band is popular, if theyre selling out clubs and creating buzz, the Gatekeepers will be all over it. So my questions back to her were about the best ways to develop a band and build a following in order to be of interest to the Gatekeepers down the road. (I should add that were not interested in working with major labels, but we do see the merit of working toward radio coverage and press, and wed be very happy to work with an indie label. In the meantime, were in production on our first album, which is DIY and going very well so far.)
Id love to hear your opinions of what she wrote. Also wondering what business advice you guys have received throughout your careers that was helpful and what was not! I have read Toms thread on "How to Succeed as an Original Band," but thought it might be fun to share gripes and successes in a less formal way.
