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LESSON THREE:
A band that I represent was the #1
downloaded band on several major Internet "download" websites for more than 2 weeks in a row.
I received a call from a "major" label representative who told me that their staff monitors these sites and they "noticed" the band's position ("We're #1!"), and they were now very, very interested in the band. We're still talking....
What's the point? The point is that these labels called me - not the other way around. They called me because my clients were able to get their attention by creating real sales - both "brick-and-mortar" units
that were recorded by SoundScan (because my clients got a UPC barcode) as well as through digital downloads recorded on major "download" websites - that were
monitored by their "in-house" staff. They called me because today the labels are looking more and more to the "outside" for "test market" results (unlike the "old days" when the labels "test marketed" their own products through lots of small deals as described above). And when my clients demonstrate real results - real money generated - the labels call me, and then I'm much more able to parlay the situation into a more favorable result for my clients.
How did my clients generate their sales?
Well, unfortunately, it's not just about whether you have a good band. As I said before, there are a lot of good bands out there and not a whole lot of deals. A lot of it is about marketing and promotion which doesn't necessarily have to cost a lot of money. But you have to expect to spend some money on promotion and marketing if you want to successfully compete - particularly with all the unsigned bands and "indie" labels who are out there spending money actively promoting themselves. On one extreme, a press agent colleague told me that any time any of my clients wants a 2 page article in a magazine like "People", together with a nice color photo and any story angle you want, he'll do it for a fee of about $35,000 and you're in. Do you really think it's a coincidence that Joe Blow & the Schmoes is on the cover of The Rolling Stone this week, on Howard Stern this morning, Jay Leno tonight, "Good Morning America" tomorrow morning, Letterman tomorrow night, etc. plugging their movie/record/book which will be released the day after tomorrow? Of course not... it's the result of another mega-corporate advertising campaign to grab buyers' attention and their cashish.
Can you compete with that kind of advertising? Probably not unless you're independently wealthy.
But scale it down a bit. After all, one of the great contributions of America to Western Civilization is: "Advertising Works!" The idea that you can simply start a band, write and record some good tunes, put up a website, submit a demo and then get signed - the modern equivalent of an old Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland teenage fantasy showbiz movie ("Gee, We're All So Talented So Let's put on a Play in the Barn and Get Discovered and Live Happily Ever After, Etc....") - sorry if I'm dating myself - anyway, it's exceedingly naïve - particularly in these uncertain times. But bands are still getting signed. And I'm seeing somewhat of a resurrection of "development" situations (read: "small", "look/see" and - what-do-you-know - "singles" deals - once again illustrating the clichés "the more things change....", and "what goes around...."). But, seriously folks, I've seen the best results - e.g, read: bigger deals - when a good band independently generates sales through not necessarily expensive - but almost always very, very inventive - marketing as illustrated by the final lesson for today - a true story from the very annals of rock 'n roll history:
LESSON FOUR:
The manager of the classic
rock band "Kansas" got them signed to a "major" label by going around a college campus where the band was going to be playing and advertising "Free Beer" at the gig. Well, several thousand
students showed up (most of whom had probably never even heard of "Kansas" before but who definitely heard about the free beer).
Several hours into the gig, the manager brought an A&R guy from the record company into the club who witnessed a kick-ass performance by the band in front of thousands of screaming "fans". "Kansas" got signed shortly thereafter. Now, I'm not advocating giving away alcohol to underage college kids - after all, I'm an "officer of the Court" in three states - well, the main point about that "free beer" is: it wasn't "free" and it didn't materialize out of nowhere. Somebody thought it up and, yes, somebody paid for it. Did it have to cost a zillion dollars? No. Did it cost something? Yes.
So the moral of the story is that you have to be more than "good" - you also have to be creative and willing to spend at least some bucks if you want to generate sales. And most important, those sales
that you work so hard to generate need to be able to be monitored by the labels. So investigate getting a UPC barcode for your CD (yes, it costs some money, but not a lot...) and also investigate selling your CD through
channels that are hooked up to SoundScan as well as via the "download" websites. Maybe instead of selling your album length CDs at your gig, you give away a promo CD single together with a coupon for $1 off your
album if they go to "Mom & Pops' Record Store" which is hooked into SoundScan and where you've got your product for sale at a special "insider" price. Or something like that....Then maybe you'll get that
call that could make your dreams come true. And maybe if they offer you a $200G advance and you've already sold 35,000 units at $7 or $8 wholesale a unit and you do the multiplication and then divide by the number of your new
potential "partners", you might find yourself "re-thinking" the whole affair anyway.
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