Tip and Hints from BandApp – Guest blog

June, 10th 2013 15:54

 

Band App Icon

 

Biography – As a band who is not well known yet, it’s important that you tell the world a bit about yourselves – when you formed, your sound, what you’ve achieved so far and what you’re currently up to (recording a new album, on tour etc) are all good topics. Make sure it isn’t too long winded though, no one wants to read your life story, but don’t simply put “A band from Billericay”. A couple of paragraph’s would be perfect. You can also include a couple of quotes (if you’ve received any) from the press or mention if one of your songs has been played on a reputable radio station’s.

Music – It amazes me the number of unsigned bands out there who don’t make their music available on their BandApps and other social media outlets like Facebook. If you want to be heard more and build your fanbase, then make your music as easily accessible as possible

“But we haven’t got any recorded material yet”, I hear a few of you saying. Well sort out your priorities and focus on writing some (preferably good) songs and get them recorded and stop arsing around on BandApp!

Shows – You’d be surprised by the number of bands that don’t even put up their tour dates. It’s also a sin not to put up any information about the gig/s i.e. the time, location (add a map), where to buy tickets etc.

It is frustrating for a punter like me to have to continually go to external websites, whether it be to listen to your music, see your tour dates or watch your videos, when your BandApp can do it all from one platform!

Photo’s – Obviously your fans want to see what you look like, so don’t be shy, get your pose on! We want to see up to date quality images though, not all iPhone photo’s, so make sure to get a decent set of promo shots/gig shots sorted. On a tight budget? Then get in touch with photography student to do it for free! They’re always looking for ways to bolster their portfolio and most love working in other creative fields like music.

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Optimising YouTube – Video Descriptions and Thumbnails

April, 23rd 2013 12:44

We are getting a lot of questions about Optimising your YouTube channels and using is as a tool to promote your music. We are going to post regular blogs on tips and hints to optimise your YouTube channels and try to make it an easy and clear process for all Zimbalam artists!

This week we are going to talk about the video description area within YouTube. When uploading a video direct onto YouTube or using our video system, we advise for the description to include a subscribe call to action and the title/performer of the video. YouTube’s algorithm takes into account the description information, so making sure the title of the video and the performer is inserted into the description is important to make sure videos are optimised for search.

For the subscribe call to action, we advise a simple piece of text such as ‘Subscribe to the official (Your channel name) channel here’.  You should then insert the direct subscription URL or a bit.ly link. The subscription URL for your channel will be: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=yourchannelURL Note: where ‘yourchannelURL’ is, you should replace this with the YouTube URL of your channel.

By following this tutorial your descriptions of your videos would then appear like this:   Subscribe to the official (Your channel name) channel here! (Followed by a bit.ly link or the subscribe URL)   Video title/ performer of video   More detailed description of the video.       Following this tutorial will mean your videos are optimised for search and subscribers within the description section. Read entire entry »

Spotify Charlotte Church Competition!

February, 20th 2013 16:38

To tie in with the launch of her new EP ‘Two‘, Charlotte Church is giving away a prize bundle to one lucky winner and a signed EP and poster to two runner ups. To be in with a chance of winning subscribe to the playlist below. Winners will be drawn at random once the competition has ended on 3rd March 2013.

Charlotte Church – Getting Funky from the Demented Realms

The Prize:

Charlotte Church branded canvas bag including ‘one & two’ posters, a signed EP, a T-SHIRT plus a limited edition tour poster from Charlottes first ever UK tour.

Two runners- up will receive a signed EP and poster.

Competition Rules

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CMU Tips: Making Money from Copyright

February, 1st 2013 13:16

CMU Tips: Making money from copyright

Copyright

If you write music and/or lyrics, and then record your songs (at your own expense), you are now a fully fledged copyright owner. Well done. In fact, you own three separate copyrights in every song: there is one in the music, one in the lyrics and one in the sound recording (by default – ie unless a contract says otherwise – the musical and lyrical rights belong to the creator, the sound recording rights to whoever paid for the recording to take place).

We all know copyrights make money, but how? Well, if you are the owner of a copyright, then there are certain things that only you – as the copyright owner – are automatically allowed to do in relation to your song and/or recording. These ‘things’ are called the “acts restricted by the copyright” in law, and in the UK they are listed in Section 16 of our Copyright, Designs & Patents Act.

Which says the copyright owner has the: – exclusive right to copy the work. – exclusive right to issue, rent or lend to public. – exclusive right to perform, show, play or ‘communicate the work’ in public. – exclusive right make an adaptation of it. Read entire entry »

A musicians guide to Tumblr

December, 19th 2012 17:10

 

If your not already on Tumblr, get signed up ASAP! Tumblr is a great promo tool, especially for musicians. Read on for a step by step guide on everything from setting up an account to how can you can use tumblr to really push promo on your music and gain loads of fans. Read entire entry »

Free giveaways…. the pro’s and con’s

December, 13th 2012 19:13

 

Everyone loves a freebie, even if we don’t actually like the product, most of us will take it if it’s free! That’s the reality. So as artists we have to ask ourselves whether it’s really worth it? Giving up something that we’ve worked so hard at and spent so much time on to be downloaded by someone who may not even like it…? It’s a balancing game, weighing up the pro’s and the con’s, so we have kindly put together a list for you! On one hand, a free giveaway is a great promotional tool, everybody loves a freebie. On the other hand it can devalue your work. Read on for the positives and negatives of a free giveaway… I’ve even alternated the pro’s and con’s for you, so you’re not reading a massive depressive list! Read on…

Negative :(
loss of devoted fans

The problem with reaching out to new fans, is that very few are likely to become devoted fans… It’ll mean you gain loads of downloads on that track, but those people will not necessarily come to your gig or buy your CD.  But, that aside, its a great way to share your music, and chances are you will gain some true in the process!

 

Positive :) It’s great promotion

That aside…. as I said earlier, people will download a free track, even if it’s not their cup of tea. So reach out to those who may never stumble across your music, by giving them a free track. Some people may even tweet that they just downloaded a freebie, or post it to their Facebook, so it’s great promo!

 

Negative :( Loss in Money

You will lose money giving away a free track… pretty obvious, but honestly, it’s not the worst thing that can happen. Focus on working on the relationships with the new fans and it should pay for itself soon!

 

Positive :) New Fans

You will make new fans – Just try and maintain the relationship with those people who downloaded your track for free. Maybe you could swap the track for an email address? Once you have that, you can let them know of your future releases and keep them updated about gigs.

 

Positive :) Less leg work

As I said before, your music will spread fairly quickly with a free download, making less work for you!

 

Positive :) It’s like a business card

 

You maybe inclined to give away a track you don’t think will sell well, but don’t! Give away an amazing track, that people will play over and over. This will really push people to buy your next release, and help the track go viral!

 

Have you ever given away a free track, we want to know!

 

Twitter: Techno_Jones

With thanks to Grassy Rootsy

 

Simple Social Media rules all artists should follow:

December, 6th 2012 13:38

Social media platforms are the easiest way to reach your entire fan base, and provide great promotion for artists. But don’t switch off just yet, this is not a really boring, long winded, techy blog, Read on for the 5 most basic rules of social media… there’s even a picture for those who are too busy to read :)

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Stay healthy this winter!

November, 29th 2012 16:00

 

Musicians…. Tired of getting sick? Stay well this winter with these basic health tips:

With the temperature plummeting, here are some health tips all musicians should follow, whether your a club DJ or a studio producer, read on… With irregular sleeping patterns, long working hours, and cramped venues, we as musicians are more susceptible to picking up grubby bugs than most. Here is some sensible advice to avoid the illness this winter….

  • Consider the Flu Jab

If like me, you pick up a cold or flu at least once a year, it maybe worth considering a flu jab. Flu can mean no gigs for 10-14 days minimum. This can mean letting down venues, and more importantly your fans.

  • Top up on your vitamins (More specifically:)

Fish Oils (Omega 3) – known to protect joints, so dose up and avoid strumming/drumming/performance related injuries!

Vitamin C – vitally important for keeping away flu’s, cold’s and other viral infections. If like me, you’re not into popping vitamin pills, red peppers, kiwi’s and oranges are a great source of vitamin C, so it may be possible to get your allowance through pizzas and cocktails :) Aim for between 75 – 90 mg per day.

Lutein – This protects your eyes from the harsh studio lights and flashing club strobes!

Vitamin D – let’s be honest, winter sun in the UK is almost un-heard of, so does up on your vitamin D, especially on your long studio days. High levels found naturally in tuna, salmon, mackerel and sardines. For any veggie’s or vegans, vitamin D can also be found in eggs, milk and mushrooms.

A multivitamin tablet maybe handy on tours, especially if you are skipping meals, or eating lots of fast food.

  • Keep Hydrated

This will increase both your mental and physical performance. The recommended dose of water is 2 literes a day but try and drink more on performance days. Topping up on the H2o also has many other health and beauty benefits!

  • Catch up on sleep

Again, this may seem obvious, but with long studio days, and gigs, getting in some sleep may prove difficult. Try and get in 6 – 8 hours a night. This will not only help keep you well, but will also help creativity and give you better energy levels.

  • Protect your hearing

As musicians, our ears are our most important asset. Ears are sensitive, and it is probably a good idea to protect them at every gig! Each country has different guidelines as to what is considered a safe level and exposure time, so it can be hard to know what to listen to (Excuse the pun!) I would always advise tailored ear plugs at every gig. Although they are pricey, in my opinion, they are definitely worth it. You can take a quick hearing test here.

  • Take care when lifting

It may be an obvious one, but at the end of a gig, getting home quickly may seem very appealing, but take care when lifting speakers, or equipment, especially if there’s alcohol involved.

So follow this advice and hopefully, all of you will be playing all winter!

Jenna Jones

Jennaj_tweets

 

With thanks to BARRY GARDNER

 

 

Zimbalam Sessions 2012

November, 22nd 2012 17:22


This week sees the very first Zimbalam Live Sessions in London town. We have handpicked 4 fantastic artists, that have released music through Zimbalam to perform, not only in a renowned live music venue, but also to get in front of a network of music industry professionals and A & R’s. For our debut Zimbalam Sessions, we are proud to be showcasing, Jennifer Left, Mouth of Ghosts, Leaving Atlantis & Miccoli. You can check out them out, along with some other great acts, on our Spotify playlists.

Over the next few months we will be picking acts to play at our 2013 instalment of Zimbalam Sessions, details to follow.

We would love for you to come and join us. Tickets are available here: http://bit.ly/TVdqe

Over the next few weeks, we will also be announcing brand new partnerships that we have in place to benefit all of our artists, so stay tuned.

For tips and tricks:
Join us on Facebook > https://www.facebook.com/ZimbalamUK
Follow us on Twitter > https://twitter.com/ZimbalamUK

Jenna blogs… on Facebook

November, 15th 2012 16:07

We all use Facebook, it can’t be avoided, even my Gran has an account! As well as being a way to keep in touch socially, it is also an essential marketing tool for both artist and labels. It is undoubtedly the quickest and easiest way to interact with Fans, feedback is now readily available from your entire fan base, by a simple update. The site itself is constantly changing, making it easier for you to update at any time. How did we manage without it? The majority of bigger artist have a team of people, devoted to managing social media accounts, but for the majority, it is something we just have to keep on top on ourselves. Read entire entry »