Decisions – D-I-Y or Pro
Merchandise
Chapter 2

Once you have decided that you want to have your own merch for your project, there are several crucial things you need to make decisions on before you can make any move toward actually getting your merch.

First how are you going to have your merch made? The two obvious choices are do-it-yourself (D-I-Y) or have it made professionally. Both of these options have their pros and cons and both sides are going to cost you money. You have to look at several things to make that decision and those things require honesty with yourself and your project. That decision is usually based on a few things, which are: artistic skill level, funds, quality, time, manpower and laziness.

• Artistic skill level: This has to do not only with the band member’s skills, but with the skills of family, friends, dedicated fans or anyone who wants to help out with making the merch. If your drummer knows a kid in graphic design who said he would give him a deal on making tees, get his info and a sample of his art. Try to pool your resources as much as you can on this, because this is where your quality will come from, and quality is very important. If you have no artistic talent available then you may not want to try your hand at D-I-Y and professional work may be your best bet.
• Funds: Your money you are willing to spend has to be looked at very carefully. While it can be extraordinarily cheaper to make it yourself, you have to account for many separate charges as opposed to professional work. You have to think about shipping for everything; merch, merch making equipment, and various other fees. With pros you usually have one fee that has everything in.
• Quality: Your quality is going to determine how much money you can make off your merchandise. Poor quality work cannot be sold at the same price as well done or high quality work. D-I-Y has to potential for both high quality and low quality work dependant on skill level and care taken in the creation process. You need to be assured in your ability to create the quality of work you require when you do it yourself. With professional shops if the quality doesn’t meet what you paid for, you can have it remade; depending on the company you work with. With do-it-yourself there are no such second chances.
• Time: It takes a great deal of time to make your own merch as opposed to getting it made for you. With D-I-Y you have to order everything, wait for it all to arrive, then prep your merch and then make it. Whereas with pro all you have to do is order it and wait for it to arrive and you are ready to price it.
• Manpower: Manpower is most applicable to D-I-Y. This is the group of people involved in the band willing to help make merch. Be it members (it should always be at least one), friends, family, these are the people who are going to make the bands life just a little easier by preventing the situation of just one person making all the merch. Situations like that can cause more problems than new merch can solve.
• Laziness: Are you as a band willing to put forth the effort needed to produce your own merch, or would you rather not worry about that aspect of the business. This is the biggest factor, even bigger than funds and you have to be completely honest with yourself about what you are and are not willing to do. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to hear a band say they ordered everything to make merch but no one ever sat down and made it. That was money wasted that could have been made back in just a few shows.

So let’s take a moment to think about some of  the Pros and the Cons of both DIY and Professional Merch.

1. Do –It – Yourself
   1. Pros: It is more cost effective, you have more control over what you have, how its made and how much of it is made. You can make more merch as soon as you run out, not waiting for it to made for you.
   2. Cons: You can end up with a lot of error and lost money on merch you can’t sell to poor quality and you lose someone to blame for that poor quality. You can end up being the only person to make your bands merch.
   3. Professional
      1. Pros: You don’t have to exert much effort. If there is something wrong, you can have it re made and fixed.
      2. Cons: No instant gratification of making more merch as soon as you need and you have less control over how and what you have made.

Once you’ve evaluated all these things you should have a clear idea of what you are capable of and what you want to. There are many options and many ways to have a middle ground between D-I-Y merch and professional made. You could decide to make all you buttons and have your shirts made for you. It’s all in what fits your needs and skills.

•  If you decide that you are going to do D-I-Y merch then make sure you read my post on the D-I-Y process.
•  If you decide on professionally made merch than make sure you read the article on ordering precisely what you want and how to get the right order the first time.

Come to class next week and make sure you bring your notes.

Getting Fans and Turning Fans to Friends via The Internet
Marketing
Chapter 2

You’re a musician, you already know about Marketing. It’s where you tell people about your show, where it is, and how awesome your set is gonna be, right?

If it were that simple, we would all be rock stars.

Marketing in business terms is “The management process through which goods and services move from concept to the customer.”  Your goods/services are your music and merch and your customers are your fans. So in music terms, Marketing is getting your music to your fans, but who are your fans? Hopefully they are your friends and family, the people who love you and support you no matter what you do. They would be your beginning fan base and that is a great thing to start with, but if you want to go anywhere, you are going to need to expand beyond that group. How you are going to that is your Marketing.

First place you need to stop is your friends. Talk to all of them about what you are doing, and how much their support would mean to you. If they already support you, thank them and tell them how awesome they are. Call them, talk to them in person, do not send a mass message on social media like Facebook, because it will lose its sincerity. Yes, this will take time, but having a dedicated fan base is a powerful tool. With a diehard fan base, you have more draw to shows, and more draw to shows means being able to book bigger and better venues, which gets you more exposure and more fans, which grows your fan base. See the cycle in that? You need to have fans that are your friends, because you are going to need their help in the future, and if they are there from the beginning that gives them a sense of involvement you can’t beat. Once you have talked to your friends and gotten their support, where do you go from there?

You move on to social media. You need to get your Brand out there, and give yourself a presence on the web. Do you have a Facebook Bandpage, or a personal website? Not a MySpace, because MySpace is dead and usually generates less feedback than the effort put into it. If you do not have a web portal of some point, this is where you need one. Facebook is a good place to start; make a band page. If you are feeling adventurous and want to make a personal website, there are many places that host free websites. My personal favorite is webs.com, because of how customized you can make it with little to no knowledge of website design. Whichever you decide there are things you need to do to get it off the ground. Make sure there is at least one decent demo on your site, it doesn’t have to be your best song, but if you grimace when you hear it, do not put it up online. Direct all your friends to your site, ask them to like your page and leave a comment on your wall, perhaps challenge them to post a fun memory of your music. Also, ask them to suggest your music to friends that they think will like your music. This will generate activity on your page and allow you to get in contact with people who you don’t know personally with your music. Once you get 25 likes on a Facebook BandPage, you can select a custom URL. Make it something memorable but also linked to your band. This would be a great time to think about making a webcast or video blog once every two weeks or so, just to give your fans a chance to see what you are up to when you aren’t playing a show. The more you talk to them and get them talking about you, the more likely you are to see them at a show.

Here are some tips on how you should interact with any fans, not just new fans on the internet. Facebook is my primary example because it is such a wonderful tool and I use it primarily, but these apply to websites just as well.

•  Make your band page a place for new releases, peeks behind the scene and just general news about the band. Get your fans involved; ask them what they did with their weekend or what their favorite Saturday night hotspot is. Communicate with them; don’t talk at them, talk with them.
• Don’t just get online to ask about shows, get on for at least an hour a day commenting, making conversation. Be more than just a band, be a friend.
• If someone likes your page, thank them personally on their page. Even do a shout out if you feel so inclined. Nothing makes someone feel more welcomed than “Welcome INSERT NAME, we appreciate your support and you are now even more awesome than you were before”
• When you contact fans, make sure it is about THEM, not you. A fan is going to be more receptive if you make the interaction about them, it makes them feel like your value them as a person and not just a faceless fan. Which you should because without fans, you are nothing. A good way to lead them into a show request is to ask them if they are free that night. Have a conversation, don’t just be an advertisement.
• Make yourself approachable. Be there for your fans and friends when they ask you something online or say something, get back to them as soon as possible. You don’t want to wait days to know if they are coming to the show, don’t make them wait days to know how much the cover is.
• Don’t use Facebook to spam your friends about shows by sending the same form message. Make it personal, take the extra five minutes to ask about something you know going into their life. It will make a difference in their response to you. This makes you more human.
• NEVER use a band contact as your Farmville workhorse… you will lose more contacts than you will ever grow virtual flowers.
• When updating do the following: have a sense of humor, ask them questions in your updates, get them to give you a response. Social Media mantra is this: Listen! Engage! Share!
• DO SHOUTOUTS! Nothing makes fans feel more awesome than knowing the band just told their entire fan base that they are epic. Just make sure you don’t shout out to the same person all the time, you don’t want to turn fans off with obvious favoritism. Do Fan of the Week, do Best Fanpic of the Show, remind your fans that they are important.
• If a fan gives you a great idea and you use it, make sure you credit them. If you don’t use it, let them know why and thank them anyways.
• Host contests with prizes your fans will want. Make the prize a beer on the band, or something crazy creative like a picture with them and the band as your profile picture for the week.
• Ask for help. If there is something you need help with and can’t figure out on your page, ask your fans, they want to feel like they are involved and knowing they helped you encourages that.
• Remember that you should treat your fans like you treat your friends, and if you do this, they will come to regard you a friend which is valuable in a business driven by how many people can you get into a show.

Once you have the band page figured out and you are interacting with friends/fans online regularly, you should think about a meet and greet. My favorite way to do this is to get a couple of bands together, find a local park and have a BBQ with an acoustic set. Invite the fans of all the bands to come and bring one item of food and drink. This is a great networking opportunity and lets you have face time with your fans. This is also a great time to try out new merch if you have it, or offer up new merch ideas to get a pulse for what your fans want.

That is only one way to do a meet and greet, but there are several others. Meet and Greets with just your fans gives you a chance to strengthen your friendships with them, and meet and greets with multiple bands gives you more exposure. It is all in how you want to do it.I do however want to stress safety on this point; you should be wary about deciding to throw it at your house or a band mates house if you are inviting people you don’t know well. Doing it in a public place makes it safer for everyone attending and your personal property.

Now armed with some social media etiquette, how to get new fans and some ideas for meeting your fans face to face, you are one step close to being a Marketing Master.

Show up to class next week and don’t forget to bring your notes.

Class is in Session
Intro to Branding, Merchandise and Marketing
Chapter 1

So, you have a band or are a solo artist, you have a solid set, regular shows and a small fan base that isn’t just your mother and her friends from work, but you still aren’t making enough money at the shows to pay for your gas. Aside from whining that the venue didn’t pay you enough, what can you do fix it. This is when someone asks ‘do you guys have shirts?’ and suddenly you see cash signs. Before you go running off to blow your savings on the best band shirts the world has ever seen, pause. You are about to tread into the tangled jungle of merchandising, and with merchandise comes marketing.  As an artist, you are (hopefully) familiar with marketing, even if it’s just spamming your friends with phone calls/texts/messages to come to your show and bring a friend. If you aren’t that is fine too, that’s what I’m here for.

Before we go into anymore of the actual details, let me tell you who I am to be telling you about Marketing and Merchandising. I am a band manager, who has hand-made every piece of merch that has every come into my bands inventory and made money on doing it. I’m also a D-I-Yer on pretty much everything in my life, not just in my bands Marketing and Merchandise. “Well, if you are managing a band, how come I have never heard of you, and if I haven’t how do I know you know what you are talking about” right? Well, to back that up, I am a junior in college taking Business Management with minors in small business marketing and entrepreneurship. So I am actually going to school for this, but enough about me, now to what I am here to pass on.

Marketing and Merchandising are the breadwinners of any business, and that is what your music should be to you if you have any intention of making those dollar signs I was talking about before. If you go around acting like one day Jive Records is gonna drive by your garage/gig/jam and sign you on the spot, you are going to set yourself up for disappointment and failure. Band = Business and that is how it should stay in your mind. Now that we have that done and established, now what.

First you need make some decisions on your Brand. What is a Brand? “A brand is the idea or image of a specific product or service that consumers connect with, by identifying the name, logo, slogan, or design of the company who owns the idea or image” It is what helps your fans remember you, and makes you stand out in the sea of bands out there. How do I build a Brand? As a band/artist you have a stage name, be it your own name or the Raging Octopi, and that is going to be the foundation of your Brand. Now you have to build on it by coming up with the following.

1)    Logo: Logos meant to be eye catching and memorable. They can vary from cute and simple to complex.  A good way to come up with ideas for a logo is ask yourself ‘What does my name mean to me, what image comes to mind.’ Or you can do what I dig and have a fan base logo contest. It gives the people who are paying to come see you a chance to tell you what they think your music means and helps if you have all musicians and not a single artist in the band. It also helps pre amp your marketing campaign by getting fans involved from the start.

2)    Image: You as a musician/band have an image and you want that to come across in your merch. This image is a message you are sending to your fans. If you are a punk rock band, you don’t want pink shirts with flowers and kittens (and if you do, I wanna see that marketing because it has to be brilliant), but this also doesn’t mean you have to have black shirts with lightning on it. Find something that fits how you present yourself on stage.

3)    Merch Concepts: These are drawn up plans of what you want; you may not always get what you want, but having an image down on paper, even stick figures helps. A good idea is to come up with a couple of ideas, especially for shirts and buttons. This is also when you throw out there ideas about uncommon merch ideas, like throwing darts or paper fans. The more creative you are in this part the better. If you are in a band, have everyone submit an idea, it adds to teamwork building and gives you a range of what to do.

Now that you have these three things, it’s time to research your options with your fans before you do anything else and I don’t just mean shirt sizes and colors. You need to talk to your fans, for example have a fan meet and greet and show them some of your ideas. Ask what they think and what they like. You will get a good gauge of something that is worth putting your money into if they are eager about a certain design or item. Remember, you might think it is awesome, but if the fans don’t like it, they won’t buy it and the point is for them to buy it. You may even find out that you have a fan who knows someone who knows someone who can get you a deal on shirts. Get their number if you don’t have it already, you will need it later. This meet-and-greet also gives you face time with your fans, which they will love you for.

Now armed with ideas for merch and eager fans ready to buy them as soon as they are in, you are one step closer to building your Brand and becoming a Marketing and Merchandise Master.

Show up to class next week and don’t forget to bring your notes.

PRODUCER: Top supervisor in the Commercial Theatre although Not-For-Profit Theatres may on occasion have this position as well. The Producer serves as the CEO raising and administering funds on behalf of investors. On Broadway, each show is incorporated as a unique entity to protect investors from personal liability in the case of bankruptcy. Whether in Commercial or NFP operation, the Producer is the final arbitrator regarding hiring, firing, finances, and contracts. Even when some of this authority is delegated, it is only at the discretion of the producer.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (film): At times a producing corporation may manage multiple projects. This is quite common in the world of film and television, but may also occur on occasion in commercial theatre. In these cases, each specific show will be assigned a producer, while supervision of these multiple producers will be under the auspices of the head of the corporation, or the Executive Producer. Jim Henson, while alive, for instance, had many shows simultaneously on television from The Muppet Show to Fraggle Rock. Each was, in fact filmed in a different country. Henson couldn’t be everywhere so her retained overall control of the enterprise while delegating control of specific projects to subordinates.

A similar example can be seen in TV news “magazine” format. The show, 60 minutes may have multiple segments, each with its own writers, locations, and crews. Therefore multiple supervision is necessary. Here too the Producer – Executive Producer format will be used.

This format of overall supervision of subordinates that supervise specific projects is a pattern that occurs frequently in other areas of theatre work. Note examples as they occur in this outline.

PRODUCING DIRECTOR: This position is most commonly found in Regional Theatres and is quite similar with the position of Producer in a Commercial theatre enterprise. The producing Director, however, serves at the discretion of the company’s Board of Directors. Also the day to day leadership of the company is split between areas of fiscal and artistic leadership. Here, the Producing Director is charged with the financial and operational management of the company, with Artistic Management falling to The Artistic Director. Needless to say, these two must work in tandem toward the same ends if a company is to succeed.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: This position is found in Not-For-Profit companies with multiple production seasons. Such companies commonly include theatre, opera, and ballet. The model here follows that of Executive Producer supervising subsidiary Producers. Here the Artistic Director administers the artistic direction of the company as a whole from formulation of the season to the selection of individual directors for each specific production. The Artistic Director is then the direct supervisor of these specific production directors, and commonly directs productions for the company as well on occasion. A company’s Artistic Director closely shares supervisory responsibility with The Producing Director. Needless to say, the Artistic Director shares both managerial and artistic supervisory duties.

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Charged with organizing or coordinating the various resources of finance, personnel, space, and scheduling so as to allow for the highest caliber of production possible.

CASTING DIRECTOR: It is important to note right off, that The Casting Director does NOT determine the casting of a show! What the Casting Director DOES do is to manage the resources that will lead to effective casting of the production by that production’s Director. This includes maintaining a pool of potential candidates as well as screening likely candidates for the parts to be cast.

The Casting Director may work as well in the same mode as the Executive Producer vs subsidiary Producer combination. In this case, the casting director may be charged with selecting the cast for a season of productions. The various production Directors will then choose amongst themselves, selecting individual cast members from this company assembled by The Casting Director. In some instances, especially in cases involving opera, a cast may be assembled even before a director is hired. The same may happen in the case of “star” billing. In these cases, final hiring decisions are made by the company’s Artistic Director.

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER: Here too, this position is usually found in a company charged with the production of various shows in a season. In this case, there will be a Stage Management Staff with various Stage Managers assigned to specific shows. The PSM, then supervises the team and coordinates schedules and resources between the various shows, working closely with the production Manager.

The PSM may be distinguished along another line as well. In the case of a Broadway or other large Show, extensive planning is needed long before the show even goes into production. In the case of a show like a complicated musical, there is a premium on those Stage Managers with extensive backgrounds in managing such ventures. In these cases, a PSM will be hired who will have a supervisory role through the planning and rehearsal process. Since the show may play for years, though, once it opens, the talents of such an experienced manager would be wasted in the repetitive day to day run of the production, so at that point a Stage Manager takes over operation of the production freeing the Production Stage Manager to move on to planning of the next large project.

STAGE MANAGER: The stage manager literally manages the day to day operation of the activities that happen on the stage. The SM supervises the work of the actors in rehearsal in executing the instructions of the director. The SM manages the rehearsals and has prime management responsibility once a show moves into the technical rehearsal stage. At that point, the SM supervises the running crew as well as the actors.

After a show opens, the SM is charged with maintaining the level of performance. Duties here would include the rehearsal of understudies, and conducting brush-up rehearsals as needed.

Among the many, many duties of the Stage Manager, the SM maintains a prompt script as a record of casting, script changes, blocking, staffing, rehearsal activity and performance activity. The stage manager “calls the cues” and supervises scene shifts.

A brief word about unions:

Actors and Stage Managers are represented by AEA…(Actors Equity Association).
Designers and Scenic Artists are represented by USA…(United Scenic Artists).
Technicians and most film crew are represented by IATSE….(International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees).

Artistic Staff
(and their associated craft departments.)

DIRECTOR: At the artistic helm of specific productions in both commercial and Not-For-Profit companies. The director is the final arbitrator of production concepts working collaborator with other artistic staff including the various members of the design team.

SCENIC DESIGNER: Collaborates with the director and other members of the design team in creating the spacial environment of the production. Charged as the default designer of all stage properties as well.

RESIDENT SCENIC DESIGNER: Again, this position follows the mode of supervision of multiple productions. In this case, the Resident Designer is hired by a company producing many shows in a season. Individual production designers may then be jobbed in. The resident designer will then see that the guest designers are properly briefed and acclimated to the practice of the company. The Resident Designer will usually design portions of the company season as well, or in many cases, the entire season.

CHARGEMAN: Head Scenic Artist. A crew supervisor. Charged with the surface treatment of all scenery to the specifications set by the Scenic Designer. The term “Scene Painter” is outmoded since scenic decoration techniques involve many materials besides simple paint. Sculptural techniques are frequently required as well.

SCENIC ARTISTS: The crew under the supervision of the Chargeman

PROPERTY MASTER: Properties which include set decoration and dressing, furniture, and hand props used by actors are by default designed by the Scenic Designer. At The scenic designer’s discretion, though, some of the design responsibility may be delegated to the Property Master. Whether the case or not, the Props Master is charged with the execution and or assembly of all prop items.

In traditional theatre practice, mechanical (non electronic or recorded) sound effects are under the auspices of the property crew. These effects may include door slams, crashes, doorbells, wind machines, and the like.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Charged with the visual environmental design in films. Strictly a film position.

ART DIRECTOR: In film, the Art Director is charged with executing the set construction and surface treatment according to the specifications of the Production Designer. Many specialized skills are required in this process, so the Art Director can be viewed as the supervisor of The Art Department of the film staff.

SET DECORATOR/DRESSER: Serves in film work as the designer/fabricator of the set decoration and props within the style and parameters set by the film’s Production Designer. The Set Decorator tends to have extensive training in period style and form and is thus a valued member of the design team.

LIGHTING DESIGNER: A collaborative member of the design team and artistic staff. Designs the lighting for the production including instrument placement, color, cue structure, and light levels. May also design various effects if a specialist is not at hand including projections and pyrotechnics.

In traditional theatre practice, water effects are also under the supervision of the LD and the electrics staff (from the days when a LD worked with gas)! These effects may include rain, fountains, and running water in sinks, etc.

In a film, lighting is supervised by The Director of Photography.

MASTER ELECTRICIAN: Charged with executing the lighting design according to the specifications of the Lighting Designer. Duties include supervision of the crew, assembling and installing all equipment. Focusing the lights, maintaining the look of the production, and supervision of the control of the lighting.

ELECTRICS CREW: Charged with the installation and running of the show under the supervision of the ME.

DECK ELECTRICIAN: Example of one member of an electrics running crew. This individual handles items requiring attention on the stage during a production. Duties may include plugging in various items as scenery units move, seeing that lines do not tangle during performance, re-patching lighting units during a show, and changing colors on lights during a performance.

COSTUME DESIGNER: Designs all clothing and costumes worn by cast members. If it isn’t worn, it is most likely a prop. If clothing is not on the body it is especially likely to be under the auspices of the props crew. Some items such as purses, and eyeglasses, canes, and the like, may be handled by either crew and must be agreed on.

COSTUMER or COSTUME SHOP SUPERVISOR: Charged with the execution of the costumes to the specifications set by the Costume Designer. NOT a design position.

WARDROBE MASTER: Head of the costume running crew. Sees that costumes are repaired and maintained between performances. Distributes costumes to the actors. Sees that costumes are properly laundered.

DRESSER: Specialized member of the Wardrobe crew. Assists actors with special dressing needs. In cases of important actors or complex character costumes, may supervise the handling of specific costumes. Traditionally serves as a confidant.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Charged with seeing that scenery is constructed and properly installed and maintained according to specifications of the Scenic Designer. While the look of the scenery is determined by the scenic designer, construction materials and techniques not integral to the look are determined exclusively by the TD. The TD supervises a number of specialized crew heads who in turn supervise specific crews.

MASTER STAGE CARPENTER: direct supervisor of the scenery on the stage. Serves under the TD.

HOUSE CARPENTER: Comes with the theatre space and is responsible to the management of that facility for all the equipment that comes with the space. Supervises all crew members who operate house equipment. Show specific equipment is supervised by The Master Stage Carpenter.

FLYMAN: Specialized member of the house or stage carpentry staff. Operates the rigging used to “fly” scenery.

SHOP FOREMAN: Manages the shop facility in the same manner that the House Carpenter manages the stage machinery. Supervises use of shop tools and facilities. Orders materials necessary for the running of the shop. Maintains tools and administers shop policy. Contrast with Master Shop Carpenter who is tied with construction of a show within the shop facilities.

SOUND DESIGNER: Collaborates with the director and other design staff in formulation of the aural environment.

SOUND TECHNICIAN: Charged with the execution of the sound plot according to the specifications of the Sound Designer. Engineers the equipment requirements and supervises the run of the show.

MAKEUP DESIGNER: Collaborates with the director, performers, and other design staff in creating the physical look of the performer. Many specific crafts may be involved including wig ventilation and prosthetic appliances. This is the “newest” of the design areas.

More Film Folk

FOLEY ARTIST: Creates and manages all ambient sound effects from clanging milk bottles, to fight grunts and fist impacts, to footsteps. A highly specialized form of performance craft.

SKETCH & STORYBOARD ARTIST: Creates a visual scenario parallel to what a playwright might do with words. Provides structure to a shooting script and serves to unify all areas of film action and visual decisions.

CONTINUITY, SCRIPT SUPERVISOR: Serves to supervise all elements in a shot to assure matching. Since most films are out of sequence, action and visual elements must appear to flow without interruption from shot to shot as in real life.

GAFFER: Film equivalent to the theatre’s Master Electrician.

GRIP: Film equivalent to the Master Stage Carpenter. Oversees installation of the scenery and changeovers. The term can also reflect other areas of a film’s running crew. For instance the person that pushes the camera dolly might be called The Dolly grip.

BEST BOY: A term that comes up in numerous “trivial pursuit” type games. The Best Boy is strictly the Gaffer’s first assistant. Recently the term has been applied to other department assistants as well.

MATTE ARTIST: Films quite frequently require fantastical or grand visual environments that would be either impossible or impractical to realize. The Matte artist, paints these fantastical or large scale environments on glass. The scene is then filmed through the glass matte allowing the actors and their immediate environment to combine visually with the matte. This is a highly specialized art form. Much of the environment in films such as Star Wars is created by matte artists

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-The Indie Band Survival Guide – Randy Chertkow & Jason Feehan, (www.indiebandsurvivalguide.com)

-The Musicians Handbook – Bobby Borg (www.bobbyborg.com)

-This Business of Concert Promotion and Touring – Ray Waddell, Rich Barnet, Jake Berry  (www.billboardbooks.com)

-This Business of Music Marketing and Promotion – Tad Lathrop (www.billboardbooks.com)

-This Business of Artist Management – Xavier Fascogna, Lee Heherington  (www.billboardbooks.com)

-This Business of Songwriting – Jason Blume (www.billboardbooks.com)

-Tour:Smart – Martin Atkins, (www.tstouring.com)

-Nielsen Ratings – To report venue sales.

-Feed The Muse – To raise funds for your project.

-Reverb Nation – This website is great for generating mailing lists, creating banners and widgets for your website.  They also provide exclusive opportunities to make extra money through participation.  Basically, the more you use the site and it’s features, the more you earn.

-Clear Channel – Love them or hate them, here is a listing of all the radio stations they own.

-Better Than the Van – A website made of volunteers offering living space to traveling musicians on tour.

-Squidoo – This site let’s you create individual lenses for your events, bands, etc.  Amazingly enough, the more information and lenses you build, the more your main site (i.e. www.anyonesguessmusic.com) climbs the list on google.com.  It has something to do with the information that they pull.  I didn’t believe it at first, but it’s true.  After building some squidoo lenses our site went from second page to second on google.

-WhoTune.com – Play a live set on camera.

-Ariel Publicity – She is an electronic PR company.  Purchase the book “music success in 9 weeks”.  It’s got some great ideas on how to get your promotions going on your own.  You don’t have to spend big money to get the ball rolling in your favor.  Also download the article “Indie Maximum exposure List”.  This is a free e-book that is STUFFED with helpful information and websites.  Sign up for her newsletter while you’re at it.  Sometimes she tosses out good advice for free.

-Indie Music - This is a weekly newsletter that does indie reviews and links to other articles as wells as resources by sponsors.

-Tune Core – A great site for digital distribution to nearly all online music sites.  They’ll also give you a widget to allow fans to purchase downloads directly from your website.

Last FM – Signed and unsigned band web-radio.  Acts like Pandora, but includes bands from all over the spectrum.  You can create an account for your band and put them in the mix.  Plays, likes, comments etc. are tracked by www.sonicbids.com 

-CD Baby Pod Cast – This is a MUST listen for anyone who wants to take their performance to the next level. Tom Jackson is the MASTER of performance coaching.

Spreadshirt - Open a free online store and sell merchandise.

Artist House – Helping musicians and music entrepreneurs create sustainable careers.

-SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization

-Some search engines can take several months before your weblink appears.

-There are websites such as AddMe.com that allow you submit to multiple search engines at once. However, it is best to do them one at a time.

-Develop a site map for your website to increase the traffic. Search engines have better results with one in place.

-Be weary of companies that call you out of the blue offering search engine services.

-Don’t over load yourself! You will find we’ve provided a ton of engines, take your time!

Google Tips:

This page has a video from Matt Cutts, a MUST watch!
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/free-search-engine-optimizatio-tips/

Additional links we suggest:

http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/google.shtml

http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35291

http://www.alexa.com/