Thursday, August 27, 2009 

FREE 3-MONTH MUSICIAN’S ATLAS ONLINE ACCOUNT

Madalyn's Music Biz Blog and GoGirlsMusic.com have arranged for you to get 3 FREE MONTHS of the Musician’s AtlasOnline – the ultimate music biz machine.

Regarded as the industry's most comprehensive and accurate networking database, the Musician's AtlasOnline makes it easy for you to book more gigs & sell more music with updates and new listings added every day.

Artists, managers, record labels, and other industry professionals use the AtlasOnline to book Club, Festival, College and other gigs; get Radio Airplay; promote their music to Print & Web Journalists; and network with industry decision-makers.

The AtlasOnline interactive tools make it easy for you to:

• Contact Talent Buyers, Record Labels, Publishers, Music Supervisors and more
• Book & Manage Tours
• Conduct Email Campaigns and Generate Mailing Labels
• Plan & Implement Promotional Campaigns
• Build, Manage & Email Fan Lists
• Track Merch & Record Sales

Click here to get started!

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009 

How I Got A Bunch Of New Facebook Fans

by Madalyn Sklar

So many people ask me how to effectively increase Facebook fans on their music or business page. First I have to say it's not an easy task. We are all used to easily adding friends on Myspace and seeing instant results from it. When it comes to Facebook, that isn't the case. They don't allow you to add friends on public profiles (fan pages). You can only do so through your personal profile.

This is where you have to get creative... or just go ahead and steal my ideas. Actually I'm giving you this information so you can try it out. All I ask is that you report back to me on your success - what worked, what didn't.

A few weeks ago I devised a giveaway to try out on the GoGirls "fan" page. I did what I learned from Jack Canfield (author of The Success Principles and Chicken Soup for the Soul books and was featured in The Secret). He says instead of  Ready, Aim, Fire it should be Ready, Fire, Aim. That means just do it and figure it out as you go. Many times we over plan, over think and in the end get nothing done. I don't work like that. I just do. So as I developed this giveaway I was ready and fired. While aiming I came up with a name for this type of Facbeook giveaway: "FAN US, SHARE US, COMMENT US".

Side note: If you're not familiar with GoGirlsMusic.com, it's an online community I developed well over thirteen years ago that promotes, supports and empowers indie women in music. It's interesting because in looking back I created a social network before any of us knew what a social networks was.
Here is the GoGirls Facebook "fan" page:



How I did it:

I started the giveaway on Friday, August 14. My thinking was do a quick one that would end on Monday afternoon. I wanted to see if over a weekend I could generate more interest in our site. And keep in mind GoGirls is a niche so it doesn't appeal to everyone. On that day we had 299 fans. I wanted to give away something I knew our audience would want - a 2009 Musician's Atlas. I posted a comment on the wall at 4:34pm announcing the giveaway and encouraged our fans to click on the "share" button located at the bottom of the left side column on our page. I even attached a screen shot image showing them and highlighted the "share" button. Hey, I wanted to make this as easy as possible! I then said to come back and post a comment on our wall letting us know you did this. That was it. Simple! And it worked. Within minutes comments were cropping up letting us know they posted this to their wall.



Here is where it got cool. Less than 30 minutes later I received a message from my friend Steve at Music Business Registry saying he wanted to donate some prizes to this too. He offered up an A&R Registry and a Music Publisher Registry. I was floored how viral this was in such a short period of time. So I now had three prizes to give away!

My thinking was it's late Friday afternoon so I'll let this sit over the weekend. On Monday I posted a reminder on the wall that the giveaway would end that afternoon. I couldn't believe how many comments came in. As promised on Monday afternoon I randomly selected three winners. And we now had 401 fans. I was wow'd at how easy this was. And the best part was reading all the cool comments and what people posted about us on their own wall.



So I now had a cool way to quickly increase our number of fans. It shows us all the power of marketing yourself on Facebook.

Then an interesting thing happened.... someone copied my idea. It was actually one of our winners. She was so impressed with this that she did the same for a site she manages and thanked GoGirls for the contest idea. In thanking us she included our Facebook fan page link which promoted us even more!



What will I do differently next time?

I'm planning to do this same giveaway on my other fan page, Social Networks for Musicians. This time I plan to launch it on a Monday and let it run for a week. I'll send out periodic reminders throughout the week.

So try it out and let me know how it goes for you. The only thing I ask is you not steal the name I gave it... "FAN US, SHARE US, COMMENT US". Take my idea but at least get a little creative here and come up with your own name.

Until next time...

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. 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

Saturday, August 22, 2009 

Myspace Disables Auto-Play Songs

by Madalyn Sklar

If you haven't noticed yet, Myspace has disabled auto-play on the song player. Why? Seems they can't afford 10 million per month in streaming fees. Turns out the auto-play streams account for a billion plays each month. That is a lot! However, I wonder what the true number of real listeners are when you take away those who scam the system using bots to increase song plays. I am amazed at how many music pages I come across that have a crazy number of song plays yet very small number of fans.

Now if you are fearing that Myspace is dead, think again.

According to Tech Crunch:
In July we reported that traffic grew tenfold over the nine months since launch: niques have grown 190% since launch in September 2008 and 1017%. It has grown 4.2 million unique monthly visitors to 12.1 million since launch. It is now solidly in the no. 2 position behind AOL Music, and growing fast.

For some interesting Myspace Music stats, check out: MySpace Music Appears To Be A Hit, Increases Traffic Tenfold Year-Over-Year

And of course this week Myspace bought out iLike. This will be interesting to watch unfold because iLike is the largest music application on Facebook and well we all know that Myspace and Facebook are rivals. It will be very interesting.

Let me know what you think about what's going on at Myspace. I'd love to hear from you.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. 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

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Friday, August 21, 2009 

Win HD Digital Camcorders for the Whole Band!

by Madalyn Sklar

Do I have your attention? That is quite an attention grabbing headline. I found this blog post today and have been sharing it all over the web ~ Facebook, Twitter and now my blog. I think it's awesome when a cool site like Blue Comet TV wants to give indie artists the chance to promote themselves and in the process give them free camcorders.

About Blue Comet TV:
Blue Comet TV is a video service for bands and fans to share music videos. Like if YouTube were only local acts and cellphone clips. We’re a group of musicians and audiophiles who started the site to share the stuff we love. And we love a live show, whether it’s a small room or a stadium.

To enter this cool contest, head over to the Blue Comet TV blog for all the details.

Good luck!
Madalyn

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. 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

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009 

Facebook for iPhone 3.0

by Madalyn Sklar



If you're an iPhone user like me who spends a great deal of time on Facebook you are probably waiting on the edge of your seat for the new Facebook for iPhone 3.0 app to emerge. And if you're like me you've probably been following the reports about how awesome it's going to be, what all it will do. I know, it will definitely rock.

Head over to Inside Facebook and read today's review showing you cool screen shots and all the awesome capabilities.

Here's a list of new features:

1. Full News Feed Interaction, with Likes and Comments
2. Full Support for Facebook Pages
3. New Home Page Navigation
4. See Upcoming Events and RSVP
5. Video Uploading
6. Complete Photo Management
7. Write Notes and Read Your Friends’ Notes

Finally, an app that will help us manage our "fan" pages on-the-go! I can hardly wait. They say it's been sent over to Apple for review and should make it into the app store very soon. I'm waiting patiently...

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. 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

Monday, August 03, 2009 

We Recommend Crystal Clear Disc, Promo and Apparel



They rock! Plain and simple. You know, there are so many CD manufacturers out there but who really knows their stuff and cares about the customer? Hands down, it's Crystal Clear. Give 'em a call and see why we are happy customers! -- Madalyn Sklar

CDs – DVDs – T-SHIRTS - PROMO
Madalyn Sklar at IndieMusicCoach & GoGirlsMusic.com recommends her friends at Crystal Clear Disc, Promo, and Apparel for your CD/DVD replication, T-shirt/apparel, and other music promotional needs. Serving the regional and national independent and major label music industry for over 35 years, Crystal Clear has grown to become one of the largest, most experienced and respected replication and music promotional products companies anywhere in the country. Visit them on the web at http://www.crystalclearcds.com/gogirls or contact the head of Crystal Clear, Jim Cocke directly at 800-880-0073, ext 114 or jim@crystalclearcds.com. Be sure to let Jim know you were referred by Madalyn Sklar for great discounts and special offers!

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Saturday, August 01, 2009 

GoGirls Interview with Laurie Jones

by Madalyn Sklar



What drives your music? When did you first know you had to do this thing called music or bust?

Fortunately, (or unfortunately.... depending on the day) I got infected with the "music bug" at a rather young age. I was playing in a rock band when I was 14 years old and began writing my own material out of frustration for all the covers I was having to play and for the lack of inspiration on popular radio. There really isn't anything I've been more passionate about than writing and playing music... so it's been "bust" from the get-go.

Describe your music style and name three musicians you have been inspired by and why.

It's hard to put music in a genre, I think. I've been called everything from "chick rock" to Euro Americana to alternative folk. I'd like to consider myself a singer/songwriter first, but playing live with a band certainly puts an edgier spin on the lil' folk songs I compose. I'm a huge fan of Chrissy Hynde because she not only rocks, but she is an animal activist and overall kind human being. She really inspires me to strap on my guitar, be feminine, yet give the songs hell when need be. I can't help but love the Rolling Stones. Great songs.... consistency.... legends that just wont stop. Ya gotta love it! Adam Duritz (counting crows) is my favorite songwriter... he fascinates me with his use of words, phrasing, and his melancholy approach.

What's your ideal venue atmosphere?

My expectations have changed drastically over the years.... my ideal atmosphere now is really a good sounding venue with people who love live music and songwriting in general. In the perfect scenario they would also know my material and be able to song along to what they may have heard on the radio or previous shows. I've become a bit burnt out with the club scene ..... I've outgrown having drinks spilled on me half the night and having Lynard Skynard request yelled from the back of the room by the drunkest local.

Describe how your music career has evolved since you first started performing.

It's been a great journey and I've learned so much. Looking back over the past 10 years I do have so much to be grateful for .... I've been promoting my own material...working from an indie label....doing basically my own radio promo and then finally having the opportunity to have a publicist work the latest CD in Europe. I've gone from having my music reviewed in my local hometown newspaper, to having reviews in countries that I can barely translate the language. It's more than exciting and at times seemed surreal.

How would you describe the music scene in your area?

I live in Maine, so the music scene is not as obvious as NYC OR LA... but there are definite opportunities to play and make your mark. We have great venues in New England.... I've lived close to Canada for several years and take the opportunity to tour Atlantic Canada at least once a year. Being in Maine has also forced me to travel a great deal, but it's been a great experience. It's actually quicker for me to fly London than LA anyway- you gotta love that!

What was the inspiration for your latest release?

I think I quit the music business every other day while I was writing this record. I was promoting my Better Days CD and was on the road pretty heavy and feeling like maybe it's not all worth it. I was going through a lot of personal stuff (who isn't right?) and just knew I needed to make some major changes.. professionally and personally. I really love this last CD. If it's my last, I'm very proud of how it ended this extreme adventure. That is why I titled it Laurie Jones... because I think it just about sums up everything. Maybe it should have been called "Meet Laurie Jones". Either way, I'm very happy with it.

What do you think is number one for a musician to think about before preparing for a CD project and and do you have any tips on saving time in the studio?

Plan ahead! Practice, practice, practice..... be prepared when you go in the studio. it saves so much time and money. If your taking a full band with you make sure you're well rehearsed for sure. On another note, be true to yourself and your vision. Recording is so permanent... make sure you're happy with the outcome and stick to your guns.

What makes or breaks a musician just starting out in your opinion?

Attitude is everything! Focus, Focus, Focus!

Describe your toughest moments in your quest for a music career and tell us how you overcame them.

I did the whole Nashville scene and recorded w/ a small label several years before my CD "After the Crash". To make a very long and sad story short... it ended up sour. I was very disappointed... lost a great deal of money and ended up with cases of CDs that I'm not happy with. I was heartbroken for several years over the experience. I was so naive, but gosh was it good for me! It made me understand the music biz a bit more and realize that I was in charge of my own destiny. No one was, or ever will be, handing over anything to me on a silver platter.

What advice would you offer up and coming artists that get discouraged other than don't give up?

I would say that staying positive is so important. What you put out there in the universe is gonna come back to you.... see it, think it... believe it. Ultimately you ARE doing it.. perhaps on a different level than you may be satisfied with, but hell, you're living the dream girl! You're playing your music and have the courage to pursue it. That alone is success in my book.

Tell us something you want the music world to know about you.

I'm currently taking a breather to reassess the next big move and have cut way back on my gigs. I'm loving having the freedom to write new songs right now without the pressure of having to travel and keep up with a hectic tour schedule. I'm rediscovering how much I love being a songwriter... how rewarding it really is... and perhaps the songwriting really IS the best part. I'm working on a new project to touch back on my "folk tendencies" and I'm at a comfort level that I have not felt in years.

What have you gotten out of being a member of the GoGirls community?

It's been a great resource. I've been able to do showcases in other parts of the country... meet fantastic musicians.. network on so many levels. there is so much power in numbers! chicks do rock!

More about Laurie Jones at http://www.myspace.com/lauriejonesband

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. 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

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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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