Madalyn's Blog

Here's to your success for a great 2008. Take the time to reflect on what you have accomplished and what you need to work on. Focus on your goals. Make them your top priority!

If you need some direction, please get in touch with me. My fees are very affordable.

Copyright © 2007 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach, consultant and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 11 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world - U.S., Canada and Japan thus far. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

I spent some time chatting today with Steve Tveit of OMNIsound Studios in Nashville, TN. Be sure to check out their web site for information at http://www.omnisoundstudios.com/.

From their web site:

OMNIsound Studios has been one of Nashville's premiere recording facilities for over 20 years. The goal has always been to push the sonic envelope by combining state-of-the-art digital with vintage analog gear. API, Focusrite, Urei, GML, Univeral Audio, DBX, Studer, Neumann and AKG is just some of the gear you'll find here. From the beginning, OMNIsound has recorded with top artists from many musical genres and styles. Let us record your next project--you won't believe the difference it makes!

Labels: recording studios

I spend a great deal of time working and consulting with indie musicians about Myspace marketing. There are so many tips and tricks to increasing your effectiveness that in turn helps you see better results. I have stories to share from fellow indie artists. Many have written me discussing what has worked for them. I'll share some of these stories with you...

Lee Runchey of the Silver Media Group says:

"Whenever I leave a comment on a myspace page, I include my myspace flyer. It's a photo of me with a cat and a different way of saying thanks-for-the-add. As a result, people often recognize me when I'm out. They'll say 'Hey, you're Lee from Myspace' or 'Hi, I'm one of your Myspace friends.' This type of recognition has not only led to new business for my PR agency, but one night I even scored free drinks at a club."

Great advice, Lee! I find that personalizing as much as possible and using a really great photo with your image can do wonders. I too get recognized when I'm out traveling to music conferences because of my Myspace profile photo.

I hope you find this information useful. Please feel free to share your stories with me!



If you haven't done so already you can download my FREE Report on Myspace Marketing for Musicians at http://www.myspacemarketingformusicians.com/

To your music success,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

Labels: myspace marketing

Wishing you...

FREE REPORT: Myspace Marketing for Musicians

Get Madalyn's FREE REPORT on Myspace Marketing for Musicians!

What's covered in this FREE Myspace report?

How to use Photobucket, a free site to store your images and photos on Myspace

How to improve your Myspace layout without HTML knowledge

SPECIAL BONUS: My top 25 music industry Myspace links (you'll want to be friends with these!)

Go to www.myspacemarketingformusicians.com to access your FREE REPORT!

Also check us out on Myspace!

www.myspace.com/myspacemarketingformusicians

We don't know about you, but we're tired of hearing the same old stuff labeled "new" on the radio. We know the labels aren't taking risks on new ideas they way they used to anymore, and we think that is a big part of what's missing in today's music. Artists with anything original are expected to prove themselves on their own with their own budget. The burden of all the marketing, promotion, management, touring...everything is put on the artist. Who can be all those things and still be creative? We want to do something about it. We want to create something new, something fresh, something fun to work on. So we're opening up this contest to everyone out there who has something creative to offer, something to say. We've got the industry team put together to give the professional polish to one winner who can show they have something creative that will catch our interest.

The winner will receive:

+ An all expenses paid trip to Washington, DC to work with international producer Blake Althen on a 3 song EP.
image coordination and a photo shoot with killer photographer, Roy Cox, and his image team.

+ A club remix of one of their songs by world renowned DJ Yiannis.

+ A consultation with Entertainment Attorney Brian Goldstein of Fettman, Tolchin, and Majors

+ After the creative work is done, a consultation on your marketing plan by Eugene Foley of Foley Entertainment

+ A DVD full of great marketing advice by Madalyn Sklar of GoGirlsMusic.com & IndieMusicCoach

Finalists may be contacted for more information before prize is awarded.

For more info on the sponsors:
Brian Goldstein: www.ftmartslaw.com
Foley Entertainment: www.foleyentertainment.com
DJ Yiannis: www.outstandingproductions.net
Roy Cox Photography: www.4-optic.com
Human Factor: www.humanfactor.net
GoGirlsMusic.com: www.gogirlsmusic.com
IndieMusicCoach: www.indiemusiccoach.com

Creative Production Team:
Blake Althen, producer
Roy Cox, photographer
Jennifer Quinn, makeup artist
Unawndi Teal, stylist
DJ Yiannis, remixer

Get all the details at http://www.myspace.com/freeridecontest

Musicians! Filmmakers!

the early-bird submission deadline draws near…

ARE YOU IN YET?

North by Northeast (NXNE), Canada’s #1 showcase for the best new independent music and music-related films, wants YOU!

Musicians: Get your early-bird submission in for next June’s festival. Until January 1, it’s just $25 to get your act onstage in front of fans and key industry pros at the talent-fest of the year. From January 1 on, it’s $35 to submit. So save yourself some last-minute stress. Spend the ten bucks on guitar strings, drum sticks, holiday gifts, or, okay, booze.

The final submission deadline is January 31/08. No extensions—this ain’t a homework assignment. Visit www.nxne.com to apply.

“Thousands of artists showcased by NXNE directly to key music and film executives. This is where you bring your entertainment vehicle if you want serious industry attention.”
- Rob Halford, Judas Priest

Filmmakers: Put away that Stanislavski (before you go blind). NXNE film submissions run for another six weeks, until January 31. For just $20 (or $40, if you dick around till after January 19), you submit your festival application electronically—follow the links at www.nxne.com. NXNE scoops world premieres and brings cool film folks to town—without any fawning speeches or fashion gossip. At NXNE films, music is the star.

Fans: Next June, NXNE will rock Toronto like never before at almost 60 clubs and outdoor venues. Fans will flood the city, checking out 500 of the world’s best indie acts: rock, blues, techno, hip-hop, country, reggae, punk, folk, and some shit that’s plain unclassifiable. The music will spill out of the clubs onto the streets, into the parks, and beyond.

NXNE will also screen the best music movies from around the world—concert classics and indie docs, with incredible historical, cultural, and musical range.

Plus there’s the NXNE Conference, featuring rare celebrity interviews and no-b.s. music-biz panels. Stay tuned for breaking info!

Check the site for mind-blowing deals: NXNE festival wristband and all-access pass info will be up at www.nxne.com in January. Don’t book anything else for June 12-15, 2008—you’re going to need each second and every ounce of energy to get maximum blast from this explosive festival.

redpipe.ca presents

North by Northeast XIV,

rockin’ Toronto June 12-15, 2008

“NXNE is an exciting combination of indie music and a film lover’s gourmet feast. We had a great time and would love to come back.”
- Stewart Copeland, the Police

The North by Northeast (NXNE) Music & Film Festival and Conference is renowned for showcasing the best new independent music and music-related film. Since its launch in 1994, NXNE has become recognized worldwide as the place for fans to see great performers at intimate venues, for musicians to get vital local and international exposure, and for industry professionals to meet and exchange new ideas about the biz. Catch North by Northeast XIV, June 12-15 2008 at over 40 venues in downtown Toronto.

I know it's easier said than done... be your best each and every day. The problem is life gets in the way. Opportunities are missed. No matter how hard we try someone else wins. Well I firmly believe in doing your best and keep on trying. If you didn't get the dream gig, it's okay. Keep trying. Keep working it. Keep doing your best!

Bottom line: don't give up!

I challenge you to doing something great every day, starting with a positive attitude. Then go make one more phone call, spend one more hour researching online, focus on making one more friend on Myspace. Do something great. Do something every day.

Be your best every day and soon enough you will see great results!

Copyright © 2007 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach, consultant and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 11 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world - U.S., Canada and Japan thus far. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: motivation

I spend a great deal of time working and consulting with indie musicians about Myspace marketing. There are so many tips and tricks to increasing your effectiveness that in turn helps you see better results. I have stories to share from fellow indie artists. Many have written me discussing what has worked for them. I'll share some of these stories with you...

John from Osirus says:
[For an upcoming show] "...consider putting the venue and perhaps the bands in your top friends space of your MySpace page so people can easily find them and check them out."

This is excellent advice! Why not cross-promote? It's win/win. Let the venue and other bands on the bill know what you are doing and ask them if they will do the same. I hope you find this information useful. Please feel free to share your stories with me!



If you haven't done so already you can download my FREE Report on Myspace Marketing for Musicians at www.myspacemarketingformusicians.com

To your music success,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

Ready... Set... Go!
From time to time we think about all the great things we want for our music career. We want to sell a bunch of CDs, get radio airplay, make new fans, play bigger venues, etc. How do we get there? Start by setting realistic goals for your music career. Write it down. Put it where you can see it regularly. Now the tough part. Discipline! Most people lack it. You have to think long term and put in some effort to make things happen.

Action Tips:

* have a well thought out plan in place
* include goals that you will commit to achieving
* set a realistic timeframe

It sounds easy but will take some real work. Can you do it? Yes!

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~

Holiday Special from the GoGirls Music Store!!



Get both of Madalyn's DVDs for only $27 (reg. $18.95 each)

Indie Music Success - Unlock Your Potential
Indie Music Success - Getting Motivated!

BUY BOTH AND $AVE
Shipping included!

Click here to place your order!

What if you could earn more money than you ever imagined as an indie artist. Do you have what it takes to succeed? Stop holding yourself back from the success you desire and deserve!

Labels: indie music success

Experiencing failure is inevitable on the highway to success.
Every defeat is merely an installment to victory.

People who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed.

You won't be judged by the number of times you fail, but by the number of times you succeed.
And the number of times you succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times you fail and keep trying.

Failure is nothing but education, nothing but the first step to something better.

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

THE DAILY GURU

********************************************
©2006 by Max Steingart

Madalyn's Note: I think one of the most important keys to success is not being afraid to try, knowing that you may fail. Failure is okay. In business I have failed many times. Each time I get back up on the horse. I keep on trying. That is the most important thing. Never give up on yourself or your dreams.

Labels: motivation

the new eBook from Madalyn Sklar

details coming soon...

www.myspacemarketingformusicians.com

Labels: myspace marketing

GoGirlsMusic.com & IndieMusicCoach presents...

“All About Mixing”
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Mixing, but Didn't Know Who to Ask

Madalyn Sklar

Gary Platt

Join us December 12th for this free 60-minute "teleseminar" and listen to Madalyn Sklar, founder of GoGirlsMusic.com and IndieMusicCoach interview award winning audio engineer and mixer Gary Platt.

Wednesday, December 12
8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific

Gary will be giving away a FREE mix to one lucky caller!
Be sure to tune in!!

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

My business background for the last 12 years is not only in music but also web design. I'm pretty techie and quickly learned how to develop my own web pages as far back as 1995. The Internet as we know it now was new and quite different back then. Over the years I learned a lot about optimizing your web site for search engines.

Today I will share a few pieces of information for you that can really help.

1. TITLE

Your web site should have a TITLE tag embedded on every page. If not, you need to add it immediately.

What is a title? If you look at the very top of your browser you will see it. Here on this blog, the title is: Madalyn's Music Biz Blog - tips & resources for musicians - marketing, success, motivation, resources, promotions

The HTML code looks like this:

<title>Madalyn's Music Biz Blog - tips & resources for musicians - marketing, success, motivation, resources, promotions</title>

Make sure your TITLE has descriptive words that will help people find you when searching. If you are not sure what to put in go to Google and type in words you would use to find you. I know, it's simple.

Here's a great resource on this subject:
http://websearch.about.com/od/quicktipsandtricks/ht/meta_tags_title.htm

2. META TAGS

You also want to embed "keywords" and a "description" into the Meta Tags on your homepage.

I have found some good resources that explain exactly how to do this:
http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3496146
http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2167931
http://www.netmechanic.com/news/vol3/promo_no18.htm

3. CHECK OUT YOUR COMPETITION

It never hurts to see what everyone else is doing. I suggest going to Google and look for your competition, friends, peers, etc. You can easily view their TITLE and META TAGS by right clicking on their page and viewing the source.

I hope you find this info useful in optimizing your web site. You can always Google and find much more on this subject.

Copyright © 2007 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach, consultant and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 11 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world - U.S., Canada and Japan thus far. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

'NetteRadio is a weekly 2-hour internet radio show that is dedicated to promoting unsigned women musicians. Hosted by Annette Conlon (from band Eden Automatic) the show broadcasts live each Wednesday night from our studios in Los Angeles, CA.

From piano to punk - it's great music by Indie Women Artists, as well as discussion of current events and upcoming showcases around the globe.

Many of our artists are members of GoGirlsMusic.com and Indiegrrl.com, SongsAlive.com, Femmuse, MusicSubmit and our artist and listener base is GLOBAL (Scotland, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Germany, Holland, UK, and of course all over the US!)

If you are a female musician or in a female fronted band and would like to be played on Nette Radio please SUBMIT YOUR MUSIC.

Check it out at http://www.netteradio.com.

Labels: internet radio

MyMusicStream is a place for artists to promote themselves online, gain airtime for music and music videos, interact with fans, gain exposure and much more.

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