Archives for the category ‘Features’
September, 8th 2011 13:48
In our last post we told you all about royalties and took a look at the key collection agencies. This week we’ve decided to give you a look into the world of the record label, and what they expect from artists. So, firstly, what types of record labels are there, and what’s the difference?
As you should know there are two types of record label – the major and the indie. In today’s music industry the four major record companies that dominate the business are Universal, Sony, Warner and EMI – all of which are made up of many smaller labels and companies for different markets and regions. The other labels are all indies – independent labels that are much smaller than the majors, with a much smaller budget to match.
Difference between majors and indies:
The obvious difference of income and budget affects how much a label can do for an artist, but there are also other factors that separate the type of label -
- Advance – With a major the amount of advance an artists receives will be bigger; with an indie, you may not get an advance at all.
- Royalties – however, with an indie, you will get a much greater percent of your royalties back.
- Promotion, contacts and influence – Because of the size and the larger budget, majors have more to spend on things like promotion and marketing for an artist. They also have a lot of contacts, and a lot of influence in the business, which will make the process easier and quicker. BUT, majors also have a lot of artists on their books, so the amount of dedicated attention they spend on you won’t be as much as an indie could offer.
- Masters – Major record labels own the master copy of your recordings, whereas with an indie you usually get to keep ownership.
- Creative control – There is a danger when being signed to a major label that a band or artist will lose creative control in the interest of business. With an independent label, you get given a bit more respect for your vision, and get to keep control. (more…)
Tags: Advance, CD, Company, Creative Control, Demo, Distribution, EMI, Getting Signed, Independent, Indie, Label, Major, Mp3, music, Music Video, MySpace, Record, Recording, Recording a demo, Royalties, Signed, Sony, Tour, Universal, Warner, Zimbalam
Posted in Industry Advice | 3 comments »
September, 1st 2011 17:26
Last week we gave you our top 5 self management tips, leading on from this we thought we’d explain the world of royalties and have a look at the key collection agencies. So first up, what are collection agencies and how do they benefit you, the unsigned artist?
Collection agencies are organisations within the music industry that simply collect your Royalties. Every time your music is played on Radio, used on TV, Played in a pub or club, Performed Live, or sold, you are entitled to money. Without these agencies, collecting all the money that’s owed you would be an impossible task. There are three main agencies that will benefit you at this stage in your career. They are PRS (Performing Rights society), PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) and MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) although PRS and MCPS have merged to become PRS for Music. These agencies collect money based on performing rights and mechanical rights.
Performing rights entitle you to receive royalties whenever a song is played or performed in public, for example:
• When your music is played on TV or Radio
• When your music is Listened to online or downloaded
• When your music is played Live
• When your music is played in a club, bar or shop
(more…)
Tags: Collection Agencies, Copyright, Mechanical rights, MU, Musicians Union, Performing, Phonographic, PPL, PRS, Royalties, tips for musicians, understanding music industry, unsigned artists
Posted in Industry Advice | No comment »
August, 25th 2011 14:30
After our look at press releases last week, this week we thought we’d give you a bit of insight into the world of management, and what unsigned artists are expected to be doing for themselves.
When starting out as a band or artist there’s a lot to think about, and the management aspect often gets overlooked. However, it’s important for unsigned acts to know what to do to maximise their potential, before they can get a professional manager. Here are our top five tips to help you on your way:
- Options – When your band starts to generate commercial interest is generally around the time management companies want to get involved, but until then there are pretty much two options that you can do for management. Firstly, look at the strong points and interests of the members of the band – one of you might sideline as an artist and create amazing artwork for your record, while another might have a passion for numbers and can take care of the accounts. (more…)
Tags: Artists, Bands, Demo, gigs, Management, Manager, Marketing, music, Promo Pack, Promotion, Self Management, Tips, Tour, Unsigned, YouTube
Posted in Industry Advice | 4 comments »
August, 18th 2011 16:59
Last week we had a look at what blogs artists should use and the kind of content they should post, this week we thought we would have a look into how to create a good press release. So firstly what is a press release? Press releases are sent to media organisations in order to inform them about an artist’s album release or tour. The aim is to get some coverage in a magazine, newspaper or radio show etc. Many artists regard press releases as something that’s difficult to create and only big signed bands really need to worry about them. This is not true; a press release does not have to be complicated. Have a look at our top tips below.
1- Be concise
Keep your press pack straight and to the point, no one will sit and read through you waffling on about your bands dreams and desires and where you went on your summer holiday. (more…)
Tags: advice, digital, physical, press pack, Press Release, Press Releases, tips for musicians
Posted in Industry Advice, Press Releases | No comment »
August, 11th 2011 15:23
So, you have your social media and networking sites all set up, you’re interacting with fans, and your YouTube channel is growing all the time – but there’s something missing: your blog. Your very own website where you can give your fans more content so they can get to know you better; where you can build a brand for yourself, or your band.
Music marketing guru, Bob Baker (who also runs thebuzzfactor.com) states that a blog should be the hub of your online activity, with your social media sites being the out posts – increasing your presence online, but ultimately there to drive traffic back to your own website. Many bands and artists use MySpace for this purpose, but with the uncertainty about whether it will shut down, it’s important to have a website that YOU control the fate of. With a blog, you also get total control over the layout, and the decisions about your branding. On social networking sites, there are many widgets and distractions for people viewing your page, whereas on your blog you can have a personal relationship with your fans without the clutter and competition that social media sites have.
(more…)
Tags: Band, Blog, Blogspot, Bob Baker, Brand, Content, Email Grabber, gigs, Hosting, Marketing, music, MySpace, News, Self-Hosting, Social media, thebuzzfactor.com, Traffic, Tumblr, twitter, Video Diaries, Wordpress
Posted in Industry Advice, Social Media | No comment »
July, 29th 2011 16:14
Continuing on from the previous post, in part 2 at our look into social media sites we’ll be casting our eye over twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn, to see what they bring to the table.
Twitter. Although reports show that Facebook is better than twitter for connecting with fans, twitter is still one of the main three (the other being MySpace) social media sites to have.
- Song.ly – Twitter has some great add-ons that are useful to artists, one of these being song.ly. This app allows users to type in a song title or link, and then post it as a tweet. This allows people to listen to your music, or a song you like, without having to download it -meaning exposure for your music.
- Tweetdeck – Allows artists to schedule updates for the days you’re not near a computer/are too busy playing amazing music. TIP – scedule a tweet in the middle of a gig asking people to tweet back requests. Instant audience participation right there
- Twitterfeed – also a good thing to use, as it automatically updates a new blog post or an RSS feed to twitter. Simple.
- ‘@’ tweet and re-tweet – The power of the ‘@’ tweet and the re-tweet are also not to be underestimated. Or actually just the power of the tweet in general. The minimum you should tweet is 2-3 times a day, but people who have the most followers tweet 22 times a day – you probably want to aim somewhere in the middle. Follow people that you want to network with so you’re on their radar, and re-tweet a lot of what other people say/news/funny tweets etc.
(more…)
Tags: LinkedIn, Musicians, MySpace, Search Optimisation, Sites, Social Ntworks, Song.ly, Tweetdeck, twitter, Twitterfeed, Virtual Networking
Posted in Industry Advice, Social Media | 3 comments »
July, 28th 2011 17:26
Last week we imparted our wisdom on the top 10 mistakes that artists make on social media. Following on from that post, this week we’re focusing on the five main social media sites out there, with today’s post being about seasoned pro Facebook, and newcomer Google+. Tomorrow we’ll be giving an overview of the other social networks out there, and what they can offer up to artists.
With the addition of Google+ to the already diverse social media market - and speculation over Facebook ‘Vibes’ - what social networking sites offer the most to artist, by way of tools and features, in terms of promoting yourself online?
Speculation has been rife across the media that Facebook will be adding a streaming, and possibly downloading, service, potentially called ‘Vibes’. A hacker, who goes by the name of Jeff Rose, claims on his blog to have discovered an indication of this new service in html coding for the new video calling app launched by Facebook three weeks ago. If Rose’s revelations are true, and Facebook does in fact go the route of offering a download service, it could rocket the social network into competition with iTunes and Amazon for the top downloading provider. Originally it was rumoured that Facebook’s ‘Music Dashboard’ would be a partnership with Spotify, but new reports from Giga OM suggest that it will be a collaboration with lots of different providers. (more…)
Tags: Amazon, circles, Daria Musk, Facebook, Facebook Connect, Facebook Vibes, Giga OM, Google, Google Music, Hangouts, iTunes, Social media, Social Network, Zimbalam Player
Posted in Industry Advice, Social Media | 6 comments »
July, 25th 2011 12:40
Followers of our blog will know by now that every Monday we announce our featured artist for the week, and more recently featured label too. We have decided to move this feature to our shiny new tumblr which has been created specifically for this purpose.
Expect interviews with the bands, unseen videos and lots more. We have also archived all the previous artists so go have a look through the artists we have already featured.
The new blog kicks off today with this weeks featured artist Great Imitation. Let us know what you think!
Click on the picture to check our new tumblr out.
This post is by Zimbalam UK Manager Hannah Donovan @hannahbarracuda
Tags: Blog, featured artist, featured label, Great Imitation, Interviews, Tumblr, unseen videos
Posted in Featured Artists, Features | No comment »
July, 21st 2011 14:06
If you followed last week’s advice, you should have the format of your newsletters sorted. This week, we’re focusing on the mistakes that artists make when using social media. It’s not enough to just have facebook, twitter and MySpace – there’s a great deal more that you have to do to ensure that your online presence is successful.
So, here are the most common errors that artists make on social media, and how to fix them:
- Not providing basic information – You have all your pages, complete with videos, pictures and updates, but when it comes to the most basic, but essential, information, your lacking. Your fans want to feel like they know you, not just what you do. You need to include full names of all members, what you all play, where you come from, and when you started. If you haven’t got the simplest of information, it will keep your fans at a distance- not good for holding down a fan base
- Not creating connections – It’s important that you connect with your fans. Not doing so will massively decrease your chances of new fans joining, and of maintaining your following. People want to feel like you care about them – not having a community in your fans will put people off and will stop your fans generating new ones. Create a community where fans can speak to you and each other – whether that be a topic discussion on facebook or replying on twitter. Not having a relationship with your fans is a massive mistake, as they’re the ones that will get you where you want to be.
- Not writing about yourselves – You’re in a band! Its interesting! Don’t just write about upcoming gigs and post links to buy new tracks. For the same reason as giving your fans your basic information, they want to feel like they’re part of something – so let them know what you’ve been up to, in the studio, on tour, or just in general. A great way to do this is a blog. It’s as essential as a facebook or twitter account for keeping fans up-to-date. (more…)
Tags: Blog, Creating connections, Facebook, fanbase, links, mistakes made on social media, MySpace, niche market, Social media, twitter, website, Wordpress
Posted in Industry Advice, Social Media | 6 comments »
July, 18th 2011 12:53
It’s that part of the week again! And this time around our featured artist is band My Pet Shadow.
This trio hail from London and have an individual and recognisable sound – an alternative combination of electroacoustic, funk and nu-jazz. They’ve been doing the gig circuit in the capital, so you may have caught them at venues like Cafe 1001, 93 Feet East and Hoxton Bar and Kitchen.
The band have an eclectic mix of influences, which probably accounts for their stand-out sound – among a long list of others are Dave Matthews Band, Jeff Buckley and Daft Punk.
My Pet Shadow have just released their new single ‘Headphones’ which comes from their second self-titled EP – both are available on digital release. Before you rush to buy them, here’s a little taster of what to expect:
This post is by Believe Digital/Zimbalam Social Media intern and blogger Jess Boyer @jessroseboyer
Tags: Alternative, Daft Punk, electroacoustic, Funk, Headphones, Jeff Buckley, My Pet Shadow, Nu-Jazz
Posted in Featured Artists, Features | No comment »
