Madalyn's Blog

This blog post from Aug '06 is so good I wanted to share it again...

The only way to start to improve your life is to start.
Once you're sure you're on the right road there is no need to plan your journey too far ahead.
Don't burden yourself with doubts and fears as to the obstacles that may bar your progress.
You can only take one step at a time.

You don't need to know all the answers in advance.
Just maintain a clear idea of the goal you want to reach and the answers will come in their own time.

If you can get up the courage to begin,
you'll have the courage to succeed.
It's the job you never start that takes the longest to finish.
Go after what you want and you'll get it.

THE DAILY GURU
©2006 by Max Steingart

Madalyn’s Note:
These words are so true. Much of your success lies with you starting something. Just do it! I love that famous Nike quote. Why is it that so many people have a hard time just doing it? Is it fear of the unknown? Fear of failure? Or my favorite, fear of success. Yes, of success. Sometimes we are held back because we are not sure we can, should or want to succeed. Erase the doubts. Just do it. Get the courage and just do it. If you want it just do it. From there things will fall into place. But nothing and I mean NOTHING will happen until you just try and do it.

Why not now?

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

2008 7th Annual DFEST MUSIC CONFERENCE & FESTIVAL

DISCOVER THE NATION'S BEST ALL INDEPENDENT MUSIC CONFERENCE & FESTIVAL

July 25-26, 2008 Tulsa, Oklahoma

150 Artists
13 Stages
50 Music Industry Panels
Musician Clinics (Past Clinicians Billy Sheehan & Will Calhoun)
Industry Mentoring Session
A&R Demo Listening

Click below to submit your music now!
www.dfest.com

Perform + Music Industry Tradeshow + Music Clinics + Music Industry Panels + A&R Demo Listening + Every Member Gets All Access Badges & Hip Tradeshow Bags Chock Full of Great Stuff + FREE Guitar Strings for each member!

100+ (ALL GENRE) Unsigned & Emerging Artists will be selected for 2008!

[Madalyn's Note: this will be my 5th year to participate at Dfest. I'll be moderating one of the music business panels!]

Labels: dfest

Learn how to get sponsorship deals!

Proven methods for getting big name companies to take you and your band seriously as an advertising vehicle for their products

by Tish Meeks

E-book Price: $19.99

"This book covers everything from where to look for endorsements to creating an image to writing a proposal. If you are serious and want to get to the next level this e-book will help!"
-- Madalyn Sklar, GoGirlsMusic.com & IndieMusicCoach

Tish Meeks is well-known in the independent music community as the feisty front person of Texas Party Punk band, 3 Kisses. In addition to live music performance, Tish has worked with numerous bands across the US providing motivation, education and support to help them further their music careers.

Get your copy at http://www.gogirlsmusicstore.com/

Are you a happy person? Are you doing what you love?

It's so easy to go through the motions in life and not really do what you feel is in your heart. Music is your life so why are you not pursuing it with passion and gusto? Why not give it your all?

I know, we have a life and responsibilities. We have bills to pay and mouths to feed. But that should never hold you back. Last night I watched an amazing 3 minute video called The Dash. It moved me and will move you too. Watch it then think long and hard about where you're at and where you'd like to be. Only you can make a change. You can view the video at http://www.dashpoemmovie.com/.

Find your happiness.

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach, consultant and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 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.

This was originally posted back in April. It's so popular that I'm reposting it today.

I found a bunch of resources on PRESS KITS that I passed along to one of my consulting clients who was seeking out information. I thought I would share what I found with you. The links below are from doing a simple GOOGLE search.

Ingredients of a Demo and/or Press Kit
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/demo.htm

How to Make A Great Press Kit - A Musician's Guide
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Make-A-Great-Press-Kit---A-Musicians-Guide&id=59384

How To Improve Your Press it
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/knab/articles/presskits.htm

How to Make A Press Kit
http://www.getsigned.com/presskits.html

Band Press Kits, Music Press Kits, or Press Packages
http://mediawebsource.com/Presskit.htm

Band Press Kit Sample Outline
http://mediawebsource.com/bandpresskitsample.htm

I hope you find this information useful. If you are looking for something and need help, please leave me a comment.

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

Labels: press kits

Attention All Artists!

Check out this GREAT web site where you can sell your CDs in digital format. I'm a fan of earBuzz.com and encourage you to check them out. Don and his staff are awesome.

Sign up now and go live this week while receiving 100% of your digital download sales. Artists receive 100% of the purchase price from digital download and physical CD sales at the new earBuzz.com, supporting indie artists 100%. “no other site comes close” - Indie-Music.com. Artists membership is $2/mo and $25 per CD title. Sell your music to the world within a week and keep all of the purchase price. High-Quality 256-bit AAC and mp3.

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

Madalyn Recommends:
	Learn how to make the most of a music conference! Get the MP3 download! available in the GoGirls Music Store

GoGirlsMusic.com & IndieMusicCoach presents...

“How to get Band Sponsorships and Endorsements”

Madalyn Sklar

Tish Meeks

Join us tomorrow, January 23, for this free 60-minute "teleseminar" and listen to Madalyn Sklar, founder of GoGirlsMusic.com and IndieMusicCoach interview musician and author Tish Meeks.

Wednesday, January 23
8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific

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

I've put my DVDs on sale for only $12 each!
Click here for more info.

Indie Music Success DVD - Getting Motivated! 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!

Indie Music Success - Unlock Your Potential Are you ready to unlock your potential and make it as an indie artist? Earn more money! Have more fans! Jumpstart your music career with this powerful seminar aimed to help you reach your goals.

Testimonial:

"Madalyn's Indie Music Success Workshop gave me a DYI shot in the arm. Understanding and accepting the time commitment required to get your music to a professional level is a very important step, and Madalyn explains this daunting concept in encouraging, supportive ways. Also, the tips on making the most out of your time at music conferences are fantastic."
--Rob Simpson, Manager of Kagero - Brooklyn, NY

There is one music magazine out there that I totally love and read regularly and that is Music Connection. It's been around for a very long time and offers some great articles and insight into the music business. I recommend it for both indie artists as well as music industry professionals.

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

Be sure to watch Judy Davids on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch on Thursday, January 17, 10:00 PM ET on CNBC. Judy is the author of Rock Star Mommy (Citadel Press). She'll discuss her transformation from soccer mom to rocker mom with maverick CEO Donny Deutsch, and how it led to a book publishing deal. She is the guitarist for the Mydols.

Judy has been a GoGirl Elite Member since 2005. She recently wrote on her blog "I am a faithful reader of the GoGirlsMusic newsletter. I want to thank Madalyn for the motivation she gives girls like me to follow their dreams. She knows her stuff and it works."

Check out Judy's book at http://www.rockstarmommy.info/ and info on The Big Idea at http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838512

Here is an excerpt from my upcoming eBook, Myspace Marketing for Musicians.

So you are looking for the right Myspace "adder" program. What is an "adder" program? It's software used to automate the process of adding friends on Myspace. There are lots of them out there. Some good, some not so good. I have tried most of them and my top 3 favorites are:

FriendBlasterPro

Legal Adder

Open Adder

What's cool about these programs is that they offer a FREE TRIAL so you can try before you buy. See which one you like.

Now some of you are saying, "yeah but I thought you are not allowed to use those?" Well technically just about everything we do on Myspace is cause to get our accounts deleted. I mean think about it, it's a free service. They can do whatever they want. When it comes to using adder programs it's about being smart. It's how you use it.

When my eBook comes out I'll show you ways to use an "adder" program correctly. I'll talk about what to do and what not to do.

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

I have spent a great deal of time over the years working Myspace so I know what works and what doesn't when it comes to promoting your music. That is why I'm writing an eBook about it! I love sharing information so here is today's tip. It's an excerpt from my soon-to-be released eBook.

Here is what I have found to be MY success to marketing on Myspace:

1. Consistently generate new friends
2. Turn your friends into fans
3. Turn your fans into buyers and advocates

How do you make this happen?

Consistently (daily is ideal) add friends, respond to messages and comments, send comments to everyone who comments you and comment all your new friend requests. Regularly (but not daily) send out bulletins and post blogs. When you have a new blog post, be sure to put out a bulletin to announce it.

You can get way more information about this in my upcoming eBook. Stay tuned for details on how you can order your copy!

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

GoGirlsMusic.com & IndieMusicCoach presents...

“How to get Band Sponsorships and Endorsements”

Madalyn Sklar

Tish Meeks

Join us January 23 for this free 60-minute "teleseminar" and listen to Madalyn Sklar, founder of GoGirlsMusic.com and IndieMusicCoach interview musician and author Tish Meeks.

Wednesday, January 23
8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific

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

Labels: teleseminar

Check out this cool site!

* Free to sign up, free to upload songs and Artists make the most money from their 99 cent downloads because they set the price and we don't take a penny!

* Fan Base builder and Free HTML email campaigns directly from their profile, no matter how big their list is and as often as they want! Just import your CSV file

* Free Music Videos when artists perform at My Record Label events and they can take the embed codes and use the videos on all of their promotional sites etc.

* There's absolutely no catch, My Record Label is 100% free to accepted artists!

Check it out at www.myrecordlabel.net/

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

This is one of my other sites. I put it together on Myspace because I'm currently writing an eBook on the subject. It will be filled with practical advice and information on how you can make Myspace marketing work for YOU.

Head over to http://www.myspace.com/myspacemarketingformusicians and become my friend. And subscribe to my blog there because I'm always posting ideas and tips.

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

Labels: myspace

Indie-Music.com is without a doubt one of my favorite indie music web sites. There is so much great information here. I especially like the articles and interviews.

Here's what their web site says:

Our Company facilitates connections between the major players in the music business - musicians, music industry professionals, and music fans. Our cumulative 100+ years experience in the media and music industries is leveraged for our members and clients through specialized website content, including artist profiles and features; how-to articles, underground music news, reviews, & interviews; charts; radio stations; marketplace; and massive music industry search engine.

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

Hey Bands & Music Businesses:

Having a Myspace page is great but it takes a lot of precious time to really work it. Time that you can't spare. Wouldn't you rather work on your music or business while we promote you on Myspace? We have spent the last 3 years working with indie artists and bands, helping them increase their presence on Myspace. In addition we have built an impressive Myspace page for GoGirls and our affiliate business sites. It has worked for us. It's worked for our artists and bands. It can work for you!

Get additional info at http://www.gogirlsmusic.com/promo



Here's what WE can do for YOU:

We will actively add friends, post your bulletins and blogs and leave comments on your friends pages.

You can expect increased exposure resulting in more profile views, song plays, comments and messages.

Increased Myspace Exposure = Increased Opportunities for You!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For further information please contact
Carmen Allgood callgood3@juno.com

Indie 104 ~ iRadioLA named Best Internet Station




In an unprecedented move, Indie 104 ~ iRadioLA.com was named ‘Best Internet Station of
The Year 2007’ at the 7th Annual New Music Weekly Magazine Awards, held at the KodakTheater, in Los Angeles in mid-November. Based on a popular vote, Indie 104 also received the same award in 2006, the first year Internet Radio was a contender in the ceremonies.

General Manager, Mark Maverick, was on hand to receive the plaque for the station, and said:
“We are so honored to be standing on this stage, receiving this sort of recognition, and I feel our win is a victory for the millions of amazing unsigned and independent artists around the world. We won this because of the music we play, and the dedication of our staff, and the fact that everyone loves the sounds of indie bands.”

Maverick launched his streaming station in 1998, on a wing and a prayer, and the station now boasts over 4.5 million steady listeners. iRadioLA plays music by unsigned artists 24/7/365, and is also home to several syndicated shows which feature original music: Indie Traffic Jam, Indie Music Wave, The Colorado Wave, The Casey Fallen Show, On The Horizon, and The Big Dumb Fun Show.

Carmen Allgood, Marketing Director for Indie 104, is also the producer and host of Indie Music Wave, and is the first DJ in America to ever produce a local, independent music radio show, starting in 1986. Allgood stated: “This is really a great time for unsigned artists! Their material is in hot demand and this sort of recognition for these talented people is long overdue. Our goal is to present as many bands in all styles of music to an unsuspecting and appreciative audience, which loves the fresh, new sounds being delivered by all these famous unknowns.”

Additional information about the station can be found on their Website www.Indie104.com, along with a streaming player, and music submission info for artists. Stay Tuned!

Get my Indie Music Success DVDs for only $12!!


click here for info!

M:M Music’s Sunset Sessions is an industry only event that brings together radio stations, music supervisors from film and television, record companies, artist managers, some of the freshest new talent along with some legendary favorites. Its main purpose is to expose the tastemakers of our industry, and in particular the Triple A format, to the bright stars of tomorrow. The event is held over 3 nights.



This year’s event takes place February 7-9, 2008. The main stage evening performances take place from 5-8:30pm at the resort. There will also be late night lounges in the ballroom, in addition to very lively informative panels during the day. To register, go to www.SunsetSessions2008.com.

So far some of the confirmed artists for Sunset Sessions include: James Blunt, Colbie Caillat, Tristan Prettyman, Two Loons for Tea, Tift Merrit, Missy Higgins, Need to Breathe, Hilary McRae, David Barnes, Danielia Cotton, George Stanford, the Gabe Dixon Band, Virgina Coalition, and the Cary Brothers, Alexa Wilkinson, with more to be revealed....

Your destiny isn't a matter of chance, it's a matter of the choices you'll make in the coming year.
Success isn't something you wait for, it's something you must pursue in the months ahead.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities to be successful.
Seize common occasions and turn them into great ones.
Opportunities sometimes come disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.

Start where you are.
You're at this moment, standing right in the middle of opportunity.

If you act on your dreams you can live them in the New Year.
You have a lot to look forward to.

Happy New Year -

THE DAILY GURU
***************************
©2008 by Max Steingart

[Madalyn’s Note: What better way to start 2008 than with a great quote like this to motivate us. We can be successful and have it all. But don't wait. Don't sit back. Act! Opportunity is right here. Go get it!]

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

Labels: motivation