Interview with Raj of: GUITAR TONE TALK
For many musician’s deciding which guitar to buy can be the first decision in deciding what kind of music you want to play. Too much twang in your guitar and it might ruin your dreams of becoming a punk rock prodigy.
When I was a Senior in High School I attempted to learn the Guitar. (I had already failed at learning drums, clarinet & singing.) I always thought it was my calling to be the guy that always pulls out his guitar at camp fires, on the beach, at tail gate parties. (Also… he’s the one that gets the ladies… right?) After one year of lessons I realized I sucked at playing the guitar.
STEPS 9 & 10 OF PERSONIFY
The 5 P’s of survival are Plan, Personify, Promote, Plug-in and Play. If you’re reading in order you have survival tips 1-6 of Personify. Today I give you #7 and #8.
9 _ GET SPONSORED: Athletes get sponsored so why can’t you? Find sponsorship from company’s you like. Use this as a way to have food when you’re on tour, custom gear when you’re on stage and clothes to look steezy always. Then hook me up!
10 _ CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE ADVERTISING: Where are your fans? Are you advertising there? Are they reading it? Talk to your fans, find out what they respond well to, advertise in ways that work … stop wasting money on advertising that isn’t helping you.
STEP 7 & 8 OF PERSONIFY
The 5 P’s of survival are Plan, Personify, Promote, Plug-in and Play. If you’re reading in order you have survival tips 1-6 of Personify. Today I give you #7 and #8.
7 _ PUT CONTACT INFO ON EVERYTHING: Put your contact info on your cd, on your cd case, on your photos, on your shirts, everywhere. Fans, bands and industry professionals will get in contact with you if you make it easy.
8 _ MAKE MERCHANDISE: Most bands don’t make a lot of money on cd sales. They do however make money selling t-shirts, stickers and other band merch. Make some … then put your contact info on it.
STEPS 5 & 6 OF PERSONIFY
The 5 P’s of survival are Plan, Personify, Promote, Plug-in and Play. If you’re reading in order you have survival tips 1-6 of Personify. Today I give you #7 and #8.
7 _ PUT CONTACT INFO ON EVERYTHING: Put your contact info on your cd, on your cd case, on your photos, on your shirts, everywhere. Fans, bands and industry professionals will get in contact with you if you make it easy.
8 _ MAKE MERCHANDISE: Most bands don’t make a lot of money on cd sales. They do however make money selling t-shirts, stickers and other band merch. Make some … then put your contact info on it.
STEPS 3 & 4 OF PERSONIFY
The 5 P’s of survival are Plan, Personify, Promote, Plug-in and Play. I gave you the first two survival tips of Personify. Today I give you #3 and #4
3 _ BUY YOUR DOMAIN NAME: You aren’t truly you until you own your name. As soon as somebody buys your domain name … they are more you than you. Even if you don’t know how to design a web site you need to own your domain name.
4 _ CREATE A SOLID WEB PRESENCE: This has multiple meanings. First, be searchable on the web, people need to be able to find you. Second, tie all of your web concepts together visually. This will let people recognize you without seeing your name.
STEPS 1 & 2 OF PERSONIFY
The 5 P’s of survival are Plan, Personify, Promote, Plug-in and Play. You have my 10 survival tips for Planning. Today I give you tips #1 and #2 of Personify.
1 _IT IS OK TO BE COMMERCIAL: It is ok to fear the man. However you should not fear some of the words “the man” uses. ultimately you have two options with your music: make it a hobby, or make it commercially viable.
2 _ MAKE SMART DESIGN CHOICES: Poor design choices will reflect poorly on you. You may be a wonderfully talented band, but if your graphics suck, people are going to assume your sound sound sucks. If you’re not good at design, hire a designer.
HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA
Last week, Michael Brandvold from Michael Brandvold Marketing along with Hisham Dahud from Fame House, gave a presentation at NARIP entitled How To Use Social Media To Promote Music.
The event was sponsored by NARIP, an abbreviation which stands for National Association of Record Industry Professionals and hosted at SAE. On a side note, you should really look into SAE, it’s a campus dedicated to training students for success in the Audio and Entertainment Industries…
SF MUSICTECH SUMMIT IX: Media
The SF MusicTech Summit brings together visionaries in the music/technology space, along with the best and brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce.
STEP 5 & 6 OF PLANNING
The 5 P’s of survival are Plan, Personify, Promote, Plug-in and Play. You have survival tips 1-4. Today I give you #5 and #6.
5_DON’T BE CHEAP OR YOU’LL LOOK CHEAP: Everything costs money. Some things cost more money than others. This is why many bands lean towards using cheap alternatives to the more costly commercial products. The down side is… You look cheap! You didn’t realize you were being judged but I received your lame flyer/cd/poster and instantly judged you. Consider this the next time you try and save a couple bucks.
NOT JUST ABOUT THE MUSIC
photo by: Stefan – SF Intercom article by: Jeff Watkins Here’s three examples that illustrate the importance of some extra attention to your live show at any stage in a band’s development. It is clear from watching American Idol every year that mass audiences respond well to showmanship. Big name acts like the Flaming Lips [...]
SRO (STANDING ROOM ONLY)
SRO (STANDING ROOM ONLY) SRO is an acronym for Standing Room Only. It refers to an event that is so well-attended that all of the chairs in the venue are occupied, leaving only flat spaces for attendees to stand. SRO is the accepted… and generally only way to see a indie show in San Francisco. [...]
EPK (ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT)
EPK (ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT) An electronic press kit (EPK) is a press kit equivalent in electronic form. In business, electronic press kits are more commonly referred to as online or electronic media kits. They are used to promote artists and businesses via mass media. A press kit is a packaged set of promotional materials, such [...]
MYSPACE INVITES SUCK
photo and article by: Stefan – SF Intercom I received 11 new e-mails in 7 days and none of them were specifically addressed to me. STOP SENDING ME INVITES… IT MAKES ME WANT TO HATE YOU! There is a reason myspace has an option allowing fans to block bands from adding them. Yes! Your stupid show [...]
NOTES FROM INDUSTRY NOISE
photo and review by: Stefan – SF Intercom Noise Pop has come and gone. Industry noise was a pleasant day with a lot of speakers. I took notes so that you wouldn’t have to. Industry noise is a collection of industry professionals that get together once a year to talk about trends in the music industry. [...]
THE YELLOW DRESS’ ADVICE FOR BANDS
video & article by: Ian Tuttle Lessons from The Yellow Dress — Front Man Dan Weiss on How to Make it as an Indie Band FIRST: The Yellow Dress will be performing next on March 29th at the Knockout with Tempo No Tempo and World’s Greatest Ghosts Second, in this interview Dan Weiss shares insights, [...]
WHAT IS SF INTERCOM
SF Intercom is a survival guide for bands!!! The advice on SF Intercom comes from people who know. If you’re a fan, band or Industry professional we want you involved! If you have experience being in a band, being an uber fan or are or have been a professional industry person, we’d love to hear [...]
NO CD NEEDED
photo by: Boy in The Bubble
review by: Stefan – SF Intercom
Do CDs have a future? What is the record industry going to look like in the coming years? Can you still make money selling CDs? What is the next big trend?
NOISE POP SCHEDULE – STEFAN
Noise Pop 2010 is suddenly upon us. I’m super thrilled… but at the same time find myself with a lot less money than I had last year. Thus… listed are the shows I recommend… keeping in mind you and I are both on a budget.
ANXIETY
Photo by: Stefan Aronsen Article by: Stefan Aronsen In life… there are a lot of things you can control. Anxiety is not one of them. I started this article feeling a little deflated and overwhelmed… Then realized there is a lesson in it. I’ve spent my life specializing in graphic design. I take a lot [...]
EVERY MONDAY NIGHT
Photo & Article by: Stefan Aronsen Monday night is not the best night for social in the mission. In my opinion there is only one place to go: Amnesia for Bluegrass. Well that is all changing. Last night I was walking from Gestalt towards Amnesia. I was with my friend TJ, we were starving and most [...]
DEAR pink house rEcords
Photo & Article by: Stefan Aronsen DEAR pink house rEcords, It is with great excitement that I have discovered your 20 track cd. One does not generally find such listening pleasure on a rack designed for visual pleasures. Sincerely, Stefan I spend a lot of time at Atlas Cafe, my art studio is barely a rock [...]
CRITICISM AND ADVICE
Photo Courtesy of: Josh Draluck Article by: Robert – Body or Brain One of my favorite things in the world is meeting new people. In playing a band, I meet people, and connect with people very often. Hand shakes, hugs, and high fives are always flowing around. One thing I also enjoy, if not more [...]
A PIECE OF SF IN NY
Photo & Article by: Stefan Aronsen The drinks in NY are too expensive, the girls in NY don’t smile back, casual conversations don’t work and cave men seem to get all the play. Then just when I was starting to give up on NY… I found Williamsburg! I have never described myself as a hipster. I have plenty of friends [...]
Finishing Grad School – Arriving in NY
Photo & Article by: Stefan Aronsen Stefan, you just finished grad-school, lost your job and have tons of time on your hands. What are you going to do now? “I’m going to NY?” That’s right… I finally finished grad-school. Some thought it would never happen others never knew it did and some are still finding out. For [...]
