Info overload! We know it all too well. If you have a little time you can put together a pretty potent Twitter list the lets you keep tabs on the music industry or any area of interest. RWW breaks down the steps for building out a solid list that helps separate the feedback from the sweet tones of distilled information.
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There is simply nothing like Twitter for being a fly on the wall. People sit at work and tweet about what they’re doing. They tweet at night, they tweet in the morning and they tweet a lot on the weekends – find a vein of good tweets from a group of people you want to learn from, watch it over time and the world is your oyster.
That’s my theory, anyway. One of the things I’m interested in tracking are the streaming music services. So tonight I built a Twitter list of people who work at Rdio, Pandora, Mog and Spotify. (Then I remembered Grooveshark!) Give it a click and you can follow it too. I’ll show you how I made it below – and of course this process could be applied to any field.
Yep, it’s upon us. In a couple weeks your taxes are due. Early on I learned a lot from a buddy of mine about the importance of saving receipts and doing your taxes…the right way. There’s a HUGE benefit to keeping track of expenses when you’re broke and trying to tour. It’s called a tax REFUND.
Read below for some quick tips and click through for more details on each. If you’re in the market for a great tax guy, hit up my people at Fox Tax. They are in Minneapolis but can do taxes nationwide. Tell them BTTV sent ya. (That’s a pic of their office / art gallery).
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It’s a common misconception that if you don’t receive a 1099-MISC for something then you don’t have to report it. Income or compensation that you receive for anything – shows, session work, teaching, bartending or whatever it may be – must be reported, including cash, regardless of whether or not you get a 1099. If you’re in a band with several members, beware that club owners and promoters hate issuing individual 1099’s to each band member, so often times the band “leader” will receive the 1099 and report the entire amount on their Schedule C. The “leader” then has to issue 1099’s to each member of the band or any other person paid (sound, lighting, guest musicians) so that it can be taken as a deduction on the Schedule C. Don’t stick yourself with all of the income and forget the deduction.
Here’s a list of the most important items that can potentially lower your taxes.
$99 bucks a year to keep track of your “buzz”. The price seems a little steep, dont you think? Put that cash in your van’s tank. Or maybe not. Thoughts?
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This chart provides bands with a Heat Score, which is calculated using online sources such as MySpace Music and Next Big Sound. Billboard launched the “Social 50? chart in December. It also uses Next Big Soundto measure online buzz.
What’s particularly interesting about this service is that it also hopes to give new artists a boost when it comes to exposure. Bands will get the chance to be mentioned in the Billboard Bulletin, could have their music featured on a weekly playlist on the Billboard website, and could even be selected to play at events and conferences such as SXSW.
Right now, interested parties can sign up for a four-week free trial, after which it costs $99 per year.
When a group of passionate people unite to combine their musical talents, it’s usually called a band. When a band sets long-term goals for themselves, getting signed is usually one them. It’s really just common sense. You want to be promoted by people that have the money to promote you and you want to get paid by people that have the money to pay you. It’s all about exposure and profit. Who reaps more benefits: the band signed to Sony or the singer-songwriter at your local coffee shop?
I’m not trying to bash the struggling artists or the bands that would much rather take the DIY route. In fact, I applaud them. I just don’t understand why nearly 25% of the ones surveyed would rather not be signed. Fear of losing control of your music and image? Being a “sell out”? I mean, there’s alternatives. The whole crowdfunding thing seems to be working for a select few. In the long run though, I think being signed is still what musicians strive for. This survey obviously proves that.
If you’re in a band, do you want to be signed? If yes, what label tickles your fancy?
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In a recent survey conducted by ReverbNation and Digital Music News, over 75% of indie Artists said that it was one of their goals to get signed to a record label. The exact percentage varied from genre to genre, including a high of 81% of hip hop artists wanting a deal, and a low of 63% of alternative artists wanting to get signed.
When asked which labels were at the top of their wish lists, artists surveyed consistently listed Sony, Universal, Atlantic, Warner, Columbia, Epic, Capitol, and Interscope.
I’m a big fan of lyrical content and personally think lyric videos are a great idea, BUT only if they’re perfectly executed. No Microsoft Word fonts, cheesy band photos, and choppy transitions. It has to be smooth, look stellar, and have the ability to imprint the lyrics into the viewers soul. These kinds of videos are sure to rake in a ton of views. So, find someone who excels at this type of design and give your fans a treat.
Manchester Orchestra nailed it with this one.
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If you begin to get a fanbase, what will inevitably happen, is fans will share your songs as YouTube videos. If you get an even bigger fanbase, you will want to become one of YouTube’s content partners and make money from your popularity. While it is common knowledge you should post all of your songs to YouTube with at least a single frame video, what is not common knowledge is that you should also give your fans a better experience than that if you want to get them to watch your YouTube videos instead of the other one’s out there. One way to do that is by making a lyric video, since most fans wont put this amount of effort in. You can also add together quick live footage or behind-the-scenes pictures that fans wont have access to. All of this can make it so that your YouTube’s are what the fans go to.
It’s been a week since our city withstood the SXSW invasion. With so much happening it’s hard to make sense of what was even accomplished. Hypebot as a few great ideas on what was seen through the fog.
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The din of musicians and companies vying for attention at SXSW 2011 reminded me standing in NYC’s Time Square enveloped in a mashup of humanity, honking taxis and blinking Jumbotrons. But several important and sometimes surprising messages did rise above the noise:
The Disruption Has Just Started - The music industry is starting to move beyond the disruption of the digital age, but other industries from mobile to banking are still in the middle of it. What happens next with things like micropayments, smartphones, bandwidth will impact how music is discovered and consumed in ways that we can barely imagine.
Collaborate Or Die - Whether you a music tech startup or a musician, you can’t do it alone. Look to your left and right. These should probably be your new partners. Companies that don’t embrace partnerships and collaboration won’t be at SXSW next year
Stars Still Matter - I’m not talking about the lines outside Duran Duran, but rather that sadly most people still care that Kayne uses your app, Timbaland produced your track and Esperanza Spalding is on the same record label.
You Still Need To Update Your MySpace Page – Some very smart and informed people believe that MySpace will make comeback. One pointed to the fact the the major label – who own part of MySpace – have a vested interest in a resurgence.
You’re Fucked If You Can’t Describe What You Do In 10 Words Or Less. (Shit, it took me 14 words to say that.)
Crowdfunding is all the rage these days. Here’s six tips on how to do it the right way:
1. Identify Your Allies – Crowdfunding is a team sport. Success will require help from your friends, family and wider network. Make a list of your teammates, including direct collaborators, high impact financial contributors, and broadcasters (press contacts and social leaders) who can spread your project to wider circles.
2. Create a Great Project – Make sure that your project is worthy of your time and other people’s attention. Why is your project important to you? If your answer is powerful enough it will resonate with you and others.
3. Be Creative With Rewards – The rewards serve as the foundation for the exchange – so be creative when putting the rewards together. Having the various price points is key to effectively monetizing your network. The different levels of rewards let all those who wish to be involved participate in your crowdfunding campaign – based on their financial means. $20 is the most popular price-point, $50 is the average, and the $100 level is the 3rd most popular. Every reward should be fun to read and must contribute to your brand as a musician. Think of what you can offer beyond the obvious – i.e. if you are a musician that can bake cookies you can tap into your culinary skills to develop original rewards.
4. Prime the Pump – No one wants to be first on the dance floor – it’s equally true in Jr. High School and in crowdfunding. Your first wave of contributions will demonstrate that your project has the momentum necessary to reach your fundraising goal. Before your project goes live, ask your closest friends and supporters to contribute early.
5. Spiral Outward – After securing your first wave of contributions, reach out to wider circles of friends. Thank supporters publicly, via social media, and celebrate the milestones you pass. Keep your connections talking about your progress and encourage them to spread the news through their respective networks.
6. Meet the Press – Once your project has momentum, follow up with the broadcasters mentioned above. With the social proof of your network’s support, your project is ready to meet a larger audience.
Good god. That’s right. Now you can use the ole’ Facebook to start a new BTTV profile or log into your current profile (as long as the email address you use with Facebook is the SAME as the one you used with BTTV. If so, we merge that together and you can use your Facebook login INSTEAD of your BTTV username and password.)
Why you might ask? It’s simple. People trust Facebook and it speeds up the registration process. We DON’T pillage your data or post stuff to your wall. We just pull in some basic info to auto-fill your profile so you don’t have to do it. That’s about it. Don’t worry Zucks and Co. already know everything about you and if not them, then Google has you covered.
