BTTV BLOG » bands on tour

Your Band Needs A Sponsor – No Really

todd — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:00:03 +0000

Tap into some the $1 billzo bucks floating around out there and hook up a sponsorship already. Is it selling out? Could be if the brand in no way aligns with anything your about (think Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs if your Earth Crisis). But even small companies are looking to get behind a band that’s working hard and touring. It lends authenticity to their brand and you will get some cash and free stuff. Or not, and just go at it alone. Up to you.

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Over $1 billion is spent on sponsorships every year in the music world.

As one might expect, most of that money goes to mega tours, huge music festivals, and to artists who have already found success. But the subject of securing sponsorships comes up often in my work with independent bands, and the key to obtaining your share of that pot of gold is knowing your audience, knowing how you can benefit a company that might sponsor you, and being creative with your ideas. It is easier than ever to figure out who your audience is, at least in terms of their age, gender, and location. If you have a Facebook page, a Reverb Nation account, or something along those lines, you can access that data with a few mouse clicks.

Unearthing more in-depth details about who your fans are can be slightly trickier, but if you start with certain specific questions, you can at least make educated guesses. Where do they shop? What are their hobbies? Do they buy music online or at record stores? The more questions like these that you can answer, the better your pitch will be when talking to sponsors.

Read more @ We All Make Music

75% Of Topspin Sales Have Physical Goods

todd — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:48:39 +0000

Perhaps another good excuse to beef up that merch table with a few more goods. Maybe even lock up that online store you’ve been putting off.

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Everything may be going to bits-and-bytes, but it turns out that fans still love something tactile. Not only that, they’ll pay premiums for packages that include collectibles like colored vinyl, signed lithographs, and whatever else fits the audience.

The proof? According to information shared with Digital Music News, a whopping 75 percent of Topspin revenues involve some sort of physical product. “We’re beyond the one-size fits all product world – thankfully,” said Topspin CEO Ian Rogers, discussing the numbers at New Noise Santa Barbara. “What we see is, 50 percent of what we sell is digital, and 50 percent of it contains something physical. The 50 percent that contains something physical is 75 percent of revenues, or more.”

via Digital Music News

5 Social Media Touring Tips

todd — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:37:20 +0000

It’s time for tour! Just getting to this point takes a ton of work and doesn’t happen for every band on the planet. You’ve got some shows booked (hopefully) and maybe more on the way. You’ve got your merch ready to sling and of course your band is crazy-tight and ready to kill it. Now it’s time to gas up the van, head out and let the cards fall where they may. Right? Wrong. You’ve got more work to do.

It’s time for a little social media 101. You’ve got Likers, Followers, Friends and Fans that you want to follow every happening on the road. While they do, they’ll help spread the word about you through their networks. Why? Well, they like your music and want everyone to know about it. Or it’s because you’re a band on tour and everyone wants to do that, or at least be a voyeur to your shenanigans. So here are a few tips to help you keep them up to date and possibly get more people out to shows.

Facebook
If you don’t have a Page, make one. Maybe even swing by RootMusic and sign up for a free “band page” which ads some “band-centric” functions to Facebook Pages. Most importantly keep it updated and fresh. Talk to everyone who talks to you. Post photos and videos from tour on it constantly. Of course it helps if someone in the band has a iPhone, Blackberry or Android, but there’s a lot of down time on tour. Find yourself some internet and have at it with your laptop.

Another simple idea is to make Events for every show and invite all your Likers to every show. Even if they don’t live that city, they may have friends that do and suggest your show to them. It’s all about the personal referral.
Twitter
If you don’t have a profile, get one. Then follow all of the people from your email list (you have one right?) and start tweeting and retweeting as much as you can. Try to stay consistently engaged. People want to know what you’re doing at all times. So much of touring is “hurry up and wait” so it’s a great time killer to just sit around, drink a beer and tweet away while waiting for sound check. Just make sure it’s some-what
Tour Diary Blog
I used to think this made sense but with Facebook and Twitter not so much anymore. Bands usually keep at it for a few days and then fall off. You can try if you like, but I’d stick more short-form communication that’s closer to real-time.
Foursquare
It’s new. It’s fresh. It’s all about checking at places and getting fake prizes. Yes, it does sound kind of lame but it can work for you. Create a profile that’s the name of your band. Next, when you’re at the venue or cool spot check-in at that location to see what other users are there, and then send them a friend request. The same goes for your shows. If the venue is set up as a “Place” and other Foursquare users have checked-in, they’ll show up in the application and you can send them a friend request. All the while be sure to check in at every place you stop. It doesn’t hurt to leave a “Tip” about your band or show at every venue you play. It’s just another way for people to find out about your band.
Keep at it!
One band that I see really on top of their social media is Freelance Whales. Personal tastes aside, they really do make an effort to update their fans on what’s happening, when/where they’re playing and creating good conversation. When they first started only a few people where paying attention, but they kept at it and it’s paid off. They’re able to really engage people on every stop on tour and get a lot of free publicity out of the deal.

I’m sure there are a ton of other ideas and if you have them, throw a comment on here. It’d be great to hear them. Don’t forget that a lot of this stuff you can do when you’re not on tour. You can even prime the pump pre-tour and hire someone like War Room PR to get things going. Remember, being in band is essentially a story you get to tell while it’s happening. Everyone loves a good story. Just keep pushing it out, keep it interesting and remember it’s all just one big conversation.

BTTV is Off The Record

todd — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:34:38 +0000

Huge thanks to Austin Powell for the interview and post today on the Austin Chronicle. If you are at all intrigued, continue on to read a little more (you’ll need to scroll down a little).

We Have Liftoff

todd — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:48:15 +0000

Hey…a big thanks out to Launch787 for covering BTTV and mentioning the pledge drive today! Oh happy day. If you live in Austin, stay inside today…103 degrees…crazy-time.

Eavesdropper!

todd — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:43:23 +0000

Huge thanks to Tolly at Austin Eavesdropper for helping to spread the word about BTTV and our pledge drive! Also, stay tuned as we are crafting a bit of an online store where you can buy a bunch of BTTV stuff.

BTTV Interview and New Friends

todd — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:20:48 +0000

We did a quick interview with Jon from “Tour:Smart”. He asked few and we answered. You can read up right here. Then Kelly from Union Records who found us through Kickstarter gave us and the pledge drive a nice shout out.

Thanks to all the people who’ve backed our project so far! Word spreads and it is good.

So many links in the post. Jeez.

It’s Pledge Drive Time! Free tshirts and posters!

todd — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:57:00 +0000

We reached out to the BTTV masses for ideas on how to make BTTV better. They hit us back with all sorts of suggestions and we’re going to make them happen!

Before we do, we have to raise a little cash to hire the programmer and designer to make our dreams reality. Thus we have started the BTTV Pledge Drive!

If you do pledge, you’ll receive a BTTV tshirt and/or a limited edition poster. Check em’ out below.

How About A Revival!

todd — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:20:47 +0000

A big thanks out to Modern Revival Media for the post today. The have championed BTTV with gracious words and calls to action; just like any good revival. Read up on it.

Let’s Go Dutch

todd — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:31:23 +0000

BTTV got a solid mention in De Standard a couple days ago. Our bad, the details are just trickling in and Papercut our PR robot has been scolded for dropping the ball.

It’s a good read on trying to predict where social networks are going. Read on (BTTV is mentioned under item #1).