Thursday, June 28, 2007 

Madalyn's Smart Tip

Why put up a video on YouTube or Myspace? I say, why not! Both YouTube and Myspace are free and a great way to promote you and your music.

Check out video by Steph Hayes



Video cameras as so inexpensive now that it's worth it to invest in one or find a friend with one and shoot a song at your next show. It can be helpful to let people see your live performance, especially when trying to book shows. It would then be worth it to upgrade your Sonicbids EPK account to "supersonic" so you can add your video there. Show off yourself and your music!

I have several YouTube pages:

GoGirls at YouTube

IndieMusicCoach at YouTube

My video camera is a JVC Everio GZ-MG27U that I bought last year for $421 at Click for Digital. It's even cheaper now! What I love about it is that it's all digital. No tapes! It also came with super easy to use video editing software. I'm telling you all this because it's an inexpensive way to get more of your music out to the masses!

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Madalyn Recommends:

What is INDIE?
A look into the world of independent musicians
available in the GoGirls Music Store

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007 

To Tour Or Not To Tour…That Is The Question!

By Sheena Metal

It’s every musician’s fantasy. The tour bus rolls up to the arena (full of groupies, beer and pizza). Fans are crowded out front hoping to catch a glimpse of America’s hottest band. The group is escorted to their dressing room (full of more groupies, beer and pizza). They enjoy the various pleasures of stardom while roadies set up the stage. It’s show time. The artists take the stage. The crowd is screaming. The lights are glaring. The amps are humming. The drummer clicks off the first song and…

You wake up in the back of your PT Cruiser. Your bass player’s elbow is in your ear and the drummer’s asleep on your foot. You’ve eaten nothing for the last week but corn dogs and frozen burritos. This is not the tour you imagined. This is not your Lilith Faire. This is not your Lollapalooza. This is not your Warped Tour. This...sucks.

Every musician dreams of touring. Getting out of their same boring town. Trying their tunes out on new crowds, in new areas, for fresh faces. Bonding on road, writing new tunes in the motel room, free food, free drinks, getting paid, getting laid…living the life.

But the music biz is full of touring horror stories. Bands stuck on the road with no money to come home. Musicians not eating for days. Clubs canceling gigs the night of with no warning. Negative reactions from bar patrons and local bands. The list goes on.

So, how do you make sure that your touring experience is a positive one? What can you, as musicians do, to eliminate potentially negative experiences and create positive ones.

The following are a few tips that add success to your touring experience:

1.) Don’t Plan A Tour Because You’re Unhappy At Home---Just as an affair will not fix the problems in a marriage, a tour is not the cure for: problems within the band, problems in the band members’ lives, or a general malaise for your local scene. A tour is strain and stress and loads of work. You should be excited, and enthusiastic and positive when planning.

2.) Over Prepare Before You Leave---You can never plan too much or take too many precautions. At home is the time to rethink ever scenario and arrange accordingly. Get the van tuned up. Pack extra emergency money. Bring a list of additional clubs in the area in case your gigs fall through. Pack extra strings and sticks. Bring a backup guitar. Pack extra merchandise. Bring emergency food/water. Pack extra batteries and power cords. Bring cell phones.

3.) Be Humble And Thankful---You’re in a strange town and a new club, act like a guest. Nothing ticks off a club owner/promoter who’s taken a chance on an unknown band more than out-of-towners swaggering into a club like Paris Hilton in an episode of “The Simple Life.” No matter how cool you are in your own town, this is unproven ground and your first impression is important. Ask, don’t demand. Set up quickly. Play at an appropriate volume. Clean up after yourselves. Be friendly and courteous. Say “please” and “thank you”. Unless you’re booking in Jerkville USA, this positive attitude could set you well on your way to a repeat booking with better perks and more local support.

4.) Seize Every Opportunity---If you’re going to take the time away from work, family, and the buzz you’ve built in your own music community to head out into the great beyond and conquer unknown lands…you might as well come back with something other than lovely memories and an out-of-state parking ticket. You’re in a new place and the possibilities are endless. Sell CDs. Sell T-shirts. Get new names on your mailing list. Solicit local reviews, interviews, and radio. Introduce yourself to other club owners for future bookings. Find out who books local festivals. Play an impromptu house party after your gig. Make new friends that can street team for you next time. Think of something I haven’t even written here and do it!

Don’t Expect To Conquer The World In One Tour---Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your touring empire be. Have fun. Enjoy each trip and using it as a building block to make each tour to that particular place better and more elaborate. Play your cards right, and after a few trips you may be making terrific money, have secured lodging (either new friends let you crash or a club pays for a motel), get food and drinks comped, and guaranteed press and radio coverage.

In short, touring can be the best thing that ever happened to your band if you work hard, play it smart, and follow through correctly. But no matter how much you love to tour, always remember to keep your foot in the door locally. It’s the great work that you do at home that makes other clubs excited about you bringing your show to their town.

Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007 

All about house concerts

House concerts have become quite the rage for indie artists looking to increase their income. What's so great about it? Imagine playing in an intimate setting where people really want to hear you and experience your music. Not some noisy bar laden with loud drunks.

I have put together a list of links that you will find useful in your quest to learn more about this cool way to build your fanbase, sell more CDs and earn more $.

Concerts in your Home - the most comprehensive and up-to-date house concert site on the web
HouseConcerts.com - great list of venues across the U.S. to check out
House Concerts - great info on how to put on your own house concert
FolkMusic.org - lists house concert venues across the U.S.
The Complete Guide to House Concerts - interesting book on the subject, available at Amazon
House Concerts - a great how-to guide online
House Concerts FAQs - another great how-to guide
Article: Acoustic Music, Live From the Living Room - great article!
Article: UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL, The Joys and challenges of playing house concerts - another good article
Article: Musicians and audiences alike make themselves at home at house concerts - excellent article!
Article: House Concerts - Promoting Music & Freedom of Speech - interesting article addressing the legal aspects of hosting a house concert

This is just the tip of the iceberg on the subject. I hope you find this information useful. If you need help with your music career feel free to get in touch with me at madalyn@indiemusiccoach.com


Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/


Madalyn Recommends:

Teleseminar: Basic Steps of Music Publishing
Madalyn Sklar interviews Robert A. Case of New Pants Publishing and discuss information on publishing for indie artists.

Monday, June 25, 2007 

The importance of Myspace today

I found this video clip off my favorite music resource web site, Artistshouse Music.

Dina LaPolt, an entertainment lawyer in Hollywood California, talks about the importance of MySpace today. She believes that MySpace is a great tool for an artist to use. MySpace has replaced the costs involved in finding and promoting an artist. She mentions that one person can monitor MySpace for several months and determine who's hot. She also discusses the vast amount of networking going on between performers on MySpace.





Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Friday, June 22, 2007 

Motivation for Musicians - today's text message

“What would you do differently today if you knew you would not fail? Think about it.” -- Madalyn Sklar

I feel stongly that we all need some motivation from time to time. That is why I started Motivation for Musicians. It's a way for me to bring you something to help jump start or boost you to succeed. We can all succeed at whatever it is we set out to do.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Madalyn Recommends:

Indie Music Success - Getting Motivated!
Filmed at Hyperfest May 2007

Thursday, June 21, 2007 

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest and Summer NAMM '07


Here is a great opportunity I found on Sonicbids today. I was at Summer NAMM last year and it rocked. And I did watch several bands perform on the John Lennon tour bus stage. It rocked and you couldn't miss it!

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will be hosting live performances at its stage at Summer NAMM, taking place July 27-28, 2007 in Austin, TX.

There are at least 5 slots available for Sonicbids members to play the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus opportunity at NAMM. Performers can be from any genre and will be responsible for their own travel and accommodations.

Performances will take place from 11:30am - 2:30pm on 7/27 and 7/28, and will be 25 minute sets.

Get all the details here!

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Madalyn Recommends:

Artist Development
A Distinctive Guide To The Music Industry's Lost Art
by Eugene Foley

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Tuesday, June 19, 2007 

Check out my latest YouTube video

This is from my new DVD, Indie Music Success - Getting Motivated! I talk about one of my valuable keys to success: removing not enough time and/or money from your mind. It holds us back. And believing in yourself. It's so important!



DVD is available at the GoGirls Music Store.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Monday, June 18, 2007 

Music Talks Sessions - "MARKETING MADNESS" PANEL

I attended Music Talks Sessions in NYC back in Feb. 2006 and found it to be incredibly awesome. It has now expanded to L.A. with interesting and informative sessions geared for indie artists. Founder David Knight has done a great job bringing the music community together to discuss pertinent issues we all face. Below is the latest information on their "marketing madness" panel that I found on their web site.

NY: JUNE 26 LA: JUNE 24

If you ever attended a marketing panel during a large-scale expo and walked away asking yourself “ok, what was that about?” then the MTS Marketing Madness panel is for you. After several MTS sessions on marketing, I felt the need to put such a panel together. It’s more like a focus group. We are asking members from several levels of the marketing community to join us. Panelists will consist of grass roots, online, corporate, and contemporary creative marketing professionals.

[Register: NY] [Register: LA]

Check out their web site for more information, http://musictalkssessions.net/

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Friday, June 15, 2007 

ALWAYS TRY TO DO YOUR BEST AT EVERYTHING

Make it your life rule of living to always do your best.
It's your constant effort to be first-class in everything you attempt that will help you conquer the heights of excellence.
Let superiority become your trademark.

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.
There is always a best way of doing everything. Find it.

Do a little more than average
and from that point on your progress multiplies itself out of all proportion to the effort you put out.

Do more than you're supposed to do
and you can have or be or do anything you want.

If you want to enjoy enduring success,
try traveling a little in advance of the rest of the world.
Your greatness will come from being great in the little things.

THE DAILY GURU
****************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart

[Madalyn’s 2 cents: I love the part that says, “do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.” Could you imagine how much more you can accomplish and how much more successful you would be if you did a little more?? I just love that. It’s something I talk about in my seminars: the power of “one more”. Do one more thing today. Make one more call. Find one more resource. Reach out to one more fan. Sell one more CD. We can all do it! Okay check out my newest thing (yes, I come up with ideas daily!) that you will hear more about in the coming days. It’s called the Brainstorm Sessions Mastermind Group. It’s an email based mastermind group I’m starting for indie artists. I'll have info about it here next week. Until then, rock on!]

Like receiving motivation stuff? Check out my new site, Motivation for Musicians.

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Thursday, June 14, 2007 

FREE Teleseminar next week!

GoGirlsMusic.com & IndieMusicCoach presents...

“Basic Steps of Music Publishing”

Wednesday, June 20th at 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific



Join us June 20th for this free 60-minute "teleseminar" and listen to Madalyn Sklar, founder of GoGirlsMusic.com and IndieMusicCoach interview Robert A. Case of New Pants Publishing.

Sign up FREE at http://www.indiemusicseminars.com/

Missed a call? No problem!You can order copies of previous calls at http://www.gogirlsmusicstore.com/

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Wednesday, June 13, 2007 

Indie Music Success - Getting Motivated! DVD now available

Check out Madalyn's latest DVD!



Indie Music Success - Getting Motivated!

Recorded live at the Hyperfest Music Conference, it's a motivating seminar on achieving greater success in the music business. Click here to view trailer!


Check it out at www.gogirlsmusicstore.com

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Tuesday, June 12, 2007 

Motivation for Musicians - today's text message

“You can achieve what you conceive. Go ahead, try it!” -- Madalyn Sklar

I feel stongly that we all need some motivation from time to time. That is why I started Motivation for Musicians. It's a way for me to bring you something to help jump start or boost you to succeed. We can all succeed at whatever it is we set out to do.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Monday, June 11, 2007 

GoGirls Songwriting Competition



GoGirls Songwriting Competition

deadline is June 30th!

GoGirls is proud to host its first ever Songwriting Competition. Now's your chance to get heard by top indie music movers and shakers and win cash, prizes and prestige! Judging will be based on songwriting as well as overall delivery & performance of song. All genres accepted! Judging panel includes Eugene Foley of Foley Entertainment, Tish Ciravolo of Daisy Rock Guitars, Martin & Jude Folkman of The Musician’s Atlas, Rhonda Kelley of Rainmaker Publicity, Louis Meyers of Folk Alliance, Wil Sharpe of Sharpe Entertainment and more. Details at www.gogirlsmusic.com/songwriting

SUBSCRIBE

WHO IS MADALYN SKLAR?


    Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 15 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

    Madalyn's Sites:
    * GoGirlsMusic.com
    * Social Networks for Musicians
    contact: madalynsklar(at)gmail.com

         

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