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The Four Habits of Highly Successful Musicians

Written by Bob Baker

Wednesday, 21 March 2001

It's official! Spring has sprung, and as always, our Publicity expert author Bob Baker (Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook) has some sound music marketing ideas that will help your budding music career blossom! Bob says the most successful musical acts use 4 powerful habits to their advantage, and this week, he reveals them here.

Spring has sprung. As we enter a season of warmth and new life in many parts of the globe, it seems like a good time to cover some sound music marketing ideas that can help your budding career blossom. What follows are what I consider to be four of those most powerful habits used by the most successful musical acts.

1) Every time you engage in a music marketing activity, have a specific objective in mind.

Taking action for the sake of taking action isn't the most effective use of your limited time. Simply getting someone on the phone or sending an e-mail to a music business contact may seem like a worthwhile activity, but to get the most out of it, ask yourself, "What do I want to accomplish with this communication?" Begging an editor for a review or a club owner for a gig may lead to some press and show bookings, but having a fresh and detailed slant to your pitch will yield far more exposure.

Example: Let's say that March is National Fire Prevention Month (I don't believe it actually is, but just play along) and one of your band members is a volunteer fire fighter. You're also aware of a local children's hospital that has a special unit for burn victims. Contact a hip local club with the concept of a charity show, with proceeds going to the burn unit. Once it's set up, contact area editors to specifically inform them of the event and pitch a story idea that ties in with your musician fire fighter.

You can even take this idea further by asking a local pizza chain to provide free food during a pre-show party the night of the concert. The pizza chain benefits by being associated with such a worthy event. You should also allow them to distribute coupons that night. In return, they promote the benefit concert at all of their locations during the weeks leading up to it.

Which do you think would be more effective? Contacting people with a specific, focused idea? Or just asking, "Hey, can you give us a gig?"

2) Connect with your fans, the media and industry contacts on a regular basis.

People are bombarded with more information and demands today than at any time in human history. As much as we like to think our music contacts sit around and think about us often, this simply isn't true. Whether they be fans, media contacts or industry big shots, they have to be reminded at regular intervals that we are still there.

Your solution: Put together an eye-catching post card (good) or amusing newsletter (better) and mail it out at least once every two months. If you're sending your information by e-mail, make a connection at least a couple times a month. Whatever you send out, make sure the piece attempts to inspire some kind of action from the recipient -- coming to a show, ordering your CD or new T-shirt, e-mailing you for more info, etc.

3) Commit to being consistent with how you position your image.

Lots of music people throw around the word "image" when talking about music promotion. They talk about fashion statements and attitude and having a certain look. That's all well and good, but I'd like to introduce another buzz word: positioning.

The thing to be aware of is that positioning doesn't take place in photos, on concert stages, web pages or magazine covers. It takes place in the minds of music consumers (as a result of using the aforementioned tools). You can have all the advertising money and attitude you want, but if it doesn't click in the minds of enough music fans, it doesn't matter.

The way to position your music is to know who you truly are as a musical artist and then be aware of how that image compares to what's come before and what's happening right now trend-wise. Even though you're staying aware of other artists on the scene, your position still comes from within you. Never cop an image that doesn't fit you.

Most artists (and humans in general) are complicated beings. There are probably at least a few aspects of your personality and musical style that could be emphasized to position who you are in the minds of music consumers. But don't market every one of your many dimensions. Choose the one aspect you feel strongest about and that best fits in with what's going on in the local/national/global music scene.

For instance, if there are already three female artists on the charts (or in your area) who, like you, examine abusive relationships of the past in their songs, that would probably not be the best tack to hang your image on. But if you happen to be of Native American ancestry and also sing about the fragile state of the environment, you might consider positioning yourself as the true American environmental songstress. People drawn to your music would also appreciate your relationship themes, but the position they give you in their minds would be different (and unique to you).

Once you decide on a positioning angle, you must remain consistent with the theme for quite a long time. Please note: When done successfully, a mental position is nearly impossible to change. Why do you think Pat Benatar's blues albums or Vanilla Ice's hard-edge rap projects never sell as well as the original style of music they were known for? The position has been firmly claimed in the minds of fans.

So make sure you're happy with your positioning slant and then stay on it relentlessly until it connects with your core target audience.

4) Commit to being patient when waiting for results.

Here I go overstating the obvious, but all good things take time. It takes time for people to finally get what you're about, to recognize your name, to show any support for your music. Cherish the small victories and know that greater success will be yours if you persist. It's happened many thousands of times to artists around the world. Those who have a burning desire and definite purpose withstand the obstacles and, with great songs and a little luck, eventually come out on top.

Sadly, many of the artists who fail give up right as they're on the brink of success. They'll never realize how close they actually came to breaking through the struggling-band stage. But you'll be different because you're going to persist until you reach a higher level of success and recognition.

There's a warm, fuzzy thought for you as we head into spring. If you truly put these ideas to work, I guarantee the coming months will be more fruitful.

Have a great week!

-Bob

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Bob Baker

Bob Baker is an author, indie musician and former music magazine editor dedicated to showing musicians of all kinds how to get exposure, connect with fans, sell more CDs, and increase their incomes.

Bob Baker is the author of "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "Killer Press Kits" and "MySpace Music Marketing" and more. He also publishes TheBuzzFactor.com, a web site and e-zine that deliver marketing tips, self-promotion ideas and other empowering messages to music people of all kinds. Get your FREE subscription to Bob's e-zine by visiting http://TheBuzzFactor.com today.

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