The Longest Post in SOFT History?

roninriot

Banned
This post is in response to an original thread posted on http://soft.com.sg/forum/music-kopi-tiam/84247-what-do-you-guys-think-local-music-movement-2.html :)




Hello guys! This will be a LONG post so bare with me, but I hope that if you take the time to read it carefully, you will find many useful ideas that will aid in your success as a local musician :) I've always had my gripes with the limitation of the local scene here but have also been a huge optimist and worker at heart.

While I agree with James on all the above points he has posted (visit original thread link above), I do feel that we’ve heard the same suggestions over and over again from the scene as a collective.We’ve been repeating ourselves for years – saying we should do this and should do that, but the end result is still the same . These points will improve the scene on a temporary basis but will not lead to the big boom we want.

I feel that it is crucial for us to abandon the notion that these are the only forms of improving the scene. They're great suggestions still though.

We need a reinvention, a total overhaul of the mindset that we have stuck in our heads from the many years of practice.

These following points will mention my personal experiences, and in no way is meant to sound boastful or 'Mr. Smarty Pants Thinks He Knows His Stuff!'. I'm just sharing my experiences, the obstacles I've faced and overcame. There's plenty more to learn but the uphill task has always thrilled me.

The following post is both filled with facts and personal opinions that I have been researching on over the past few months.

Once again, this is a super long post but I urge you to read it through. It will change your perception of how to truly change your idea of what the local scene can accomplish as a whole, and what you can achieve as an individual musician. I know these type of posts of mine don't get as much response as my usual insults and rants, but it's certainly more productive :p

_______________

Introduction:
One of the things that has irked me the most about the scene recently is the tendency to mope and moan and our collective inability to keep up with the times. We are basically operating on a very early 2000s mentality rather than shaping ourselves up to become a part of the global music community TODAY. With the rise of the Internet - be it social networking sites, online album distributions, online international licensing, etc – the global opportunities are right there for us, IF we take the time to source them out and filter out the nonsense from the more-cents.

The best philosophy to create the new revolution for the local scene is this, and it's a simple one
"Invest in yourself what you would have others invest in you"

Invest in your music and the rewards will come.




WORK THE CROWD
Here is an example. Once again I stress that this is in no way meant to promote myself. I am merely using this as an illustration of the effectiveness of the ongoing revolution that most Singaporean bands are missing out on.

ASTRONINJA first ventured onto the Internet approximately 4 months ago. Through extensive online promotions (on a daily basis, 3 hours a day, not once a week), we've gone from zero plays to more than 300,000 unique MP3 plays on a number of our social networking sites in just under 3 months (It took 1 month to set up these accounts) These sites include Purevolume.com, Facebook, MySpace, Vampirefreaks.com, Newgrounds.com, imeem.com, Reverbnation.com, and a few more).

The majority of these plays - approximately 95% - do not come locally but from overseas fans from the US, Australia, and Europe.

As a result of just 3-months of intensive online promotion, we have had more than 9,300 in pre-orders of our album, from young people situated all around the world. While that number is sure to be reduced from some wavers and perhaps the economic crisis, the fact of the matter is, even if you reduce that number by a whole quarter or half, the final sales figures easily trumps those of bands who still insist on promoting themselves in the 'old-school' manner that is commonplace in most promotional methods done by Singapore musicians.

With a base number like that, exponential growth in figures will be a result of it.

The thing that most people will surely ask is "But how can a Singaporean band win over an American or European when they already have so many great bands there?"
While it is true that it's a tough musician's world out there where every band from all over the world is competing for the attention of fans, I've found that the following step-by-step approach works best (and rapidly) in winning over the global market. And it will definitely work for you too!!!!





1. GET RID OF YOUR WHINING AND START GETTING CREATIVE
The simple answer is this: A large number of Singaporean musicians mostly cling onto the pessimist's way of thinking. A pessimistic person always looks at the obstacles first and begins the journey feeling discouraged.

That is the wrong approach and one that will guarantee failure in any field - NOT just the music industry. You have already failed if you begin your career thinking that you'll fail. You've already failed if you are not willing to adapt from the old-school style of promotion into the new revolution that is happening around the world. You have already failed if you are stuck in the past and refuse to bulge and put your weight into this new form of highly effective marketing.

So my simple suggestion is this; think OUTSIDE of the box, and work OUTSIDE of your safety zone.

Fact: Promoting online costs a fraction of the cost of printing flyers, and takes up a fraction of your time compared to having to cuddle and suck up to the media for exposure, recognition and popularity within Singapore. Promotion online also reaps greater and quicker benefits compared to playing 100 free shows in a year.





2. FINDING YOUR TARGET MARKET
How many times have musicians hear clicked on that beautiful SEARCH button on their social networking sites?

FACT: A filtered search of people around the world with musical interests that are the same as yours will produce the quickest response. A search for fans of bands who sound like yours will most likely lead to them liking (and purchasing) your music too.

For example, a filtered search of fans who like, say, My Chemical Romance, will produce several MILLION profile hits on MySpace alone, not to mention the huge number of OTHER social networking sites online.

If you take the time to message a hundred of these users a day and ask them to check out your music, I can almost guarantee you that half of that number will take the step to visit and listen to your music, with about half that number becoming fans. That's approximately a 1/4 success rate, which isn't half bad considering you're working with the tens of thousands here.

But let's be serious.
Out of 1/4 of these converted fans, perhaps 1/4 of those will actually purchase your album or music online (given the high rate of illegal file sharing)
But because you are working with such bulky numbers, the result will still lead to a significant and very rapid increase in support for your band (Let's not forget the most powerful promotional tool of all - the word of mouth!)

But here's the golden trick to sustaining a high ratio of converted fans vs. mass messaging.

BE PERSONAL!!!!

This is the most tedious step in all your online promotions but it is the MOST important.

ASTRONINJA has always made it a point to find out a person's ACTUAL NAME first before sending them a message, asking them to check out our music. We read every single profile we visit, find out their personal interests (like their favourite movies, songs, etc) before we even click on the COMMENT button/

What this does is create a connection between you and the fan. It shows that you have taken that extra bit of effort to reach out to them, to show that you're just like them, and to show that you're willing to invest the time to get to know them. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that by showing genuine interest in their lives, THEY will show genuine interest in the music you are playing and could perhaps be turned into a loyal fan.





3. BE RESOURCEFUL!
It is extremely important to be resourceful in your approach. Opportunities do not come to slackers and it is in seeking that you will find the success you are looking for.

In just the space of 3 short months, ASTRONINJA has had our music forwarded to SONY PLAYSTATION and THQ for consideration of placement into their video games. We’ve done interviews with various independent publications and have also been approached to be added onto the playlist of radio stations in the US in six different states. Fans have also taken their own initiative into including their own stories of us in their college publications - all of these things have happened overseas.

All these opportunities came about from being resourceful – which is something all of us are capable of doing if everyone puts the time into it! But to make life a bit easier, here are some useful links you should seriously consider checking out to further your music exposure on a global scale.
 
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RESOURCES:
www.taxi.com
Think of TAXI as your online licensing partner.
What they do is collect a pool of music from indie artists and forward them to clients, usually big companies. Big companies approach TAXI when they have big projects or are looking to sign artists. Indie artists submit their songs exclusively through TAXI, TAXI evaluates if the songs fit the projects, and then forwards them directly to the big companies. Most big companies DO NOT accept unsolicited material, so places like TAXI will help you officially submit your songs in the right way.

But TAXI is not the only company of its kind on the Internet.
Do a Google search on ‘Online licensing indie’ and you’ll hit several others.


www.cdbaby.com
They are the #1 online indie distribution company with 150,000 shoppers visiting their site daily. All you have to do is send your albums to them, and they’ll do the messy work of shipping to buyers. Once you join CDBaby as a member and send your music over, they will also handle you digital distribution to iTunes, Rhapsody, MSN Music and more. The best part is that from every sale you make, YOU get the lions share of the sales. So it’s a winning situation for you. I strongly encourage every musician reading this to check out the site and consider joining up.

But yet again, they are not the only ones who provide such services.  Also check out

www.interpunk.com
www.smartpunk.com

And if you want to get on iTunes, along with 9 of the MOST POPULAR digital distribution sites which have given out in access of 100 MILLION dollars in sales profits, go to
www.tunecore.com

And you can check out this review site of suggested places to sell your music online.
www.bandpromoting.com/
And
www.bandseyeview.com/
(Don’t be lazy! READ!)



www.indiebible.com
The magic book which contains the direct contact and listing of THOUSANDS of services which musicians can seriously consider. Touring agents, promotion companies, indie labels, online websites, college radios, indie magazines, etc – most of which would GLADLY welcome submissions from you. I’m not exaggerating when I say thousands – there are listings from ALL OVER THE WORLD in this one book. So do yourself a favour and check it out today. It has greatly benefited us and it will greatly benefit you.



www.musicbizacademy.com/bookstore/htpromotemusic.htm
HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR MUSIC SUCCESSFULLY ON THE INTERNET
Written by a guy who started out working some 9-5 job before making a living out of being an indie musician. He now earns a more than modest $8,000 a month.
I’ve read dozens of books and I must say, this is by far the best one. Inspiring!
It teaches you how to create MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME, how to navigate your way through the good and bad resources, and how to sustain yourself as an independent musician.


***************\


4. BE INDEPENDENT!
Independence is empowering but with empowerment comes personal responsibility. What this means is walking the walk and not just talking the talk.

Because you are competing on a global scale, QUALITY CONTROL OF YOUR PRODUCT is key! You can promote the hell out of everything but it matters little if your product is not worth its price. Be your harshest critic! Demos are NOT good enough to debut on the Internet, unfinished songs are not the way to go too.

While I understand that many bands are eager to let the world hear their music, it’s important to think on a wider level (beyond just impressing your friends in your indie scene circle)

You only get ONE CHANCE to give a strong impression of your band to the world.
Once you miss that opportunity to impress a potential fan and win them over with their support, your second chance will be less than likely.

This also involves taking pride in your image. Even if you’re a T-shirts and jeans band, you can still present your band in a good and professional approach. This includes the design of your artwork, the design of your MySpace and other profiles (check out www.bandspaces.com while you’re at it!!!!) Think of the things that have impressed you in the past and emulate (but don’t imitate them)

Lastly and most importantly of all, keep up the routine of promotions and adapt when times change. If you’re starting from the very bottom, be very aware that nobody will give a damn about your music if you don’t dare to put yourself out there. Be thick-skinned but don’t be arrogant, be confident but don’t gloat. . The industry doesn’t have time to wait on the shy.

**********************

CONCLUSION!! (takes breath!!!)
Online promotion is the KEY to putting Singapore on the global music map. It goes beyond the little grievances we’ve been complaining about for years. And the best part is; the infrastructure is ALREADY THERE for you to utilize.

And I know a few of you will be saying, “But what about winning over the majority of Singaporeans first? What about doing our nation proud?” YES, that is part of the end goal of online promotions. Once you achieve an increased amount of recognition on the outside, people on the inside will soon take notice. This was true with Stef Sun, it was true with Tanya Chua, it’s true with The Suns, and it is true with you.

As for doing your country proud, in time to come, wouldn’t it be awesome if you talked to a foreigner about Singapore and they go “Oh yes, that’s where Band ABC comes from right?” instead of “Oh, you guys ban bubblegum right?”

This is the revolution that we HAVE to start working towards. It’s happening in many parts of the world now but has yet to be fully realized within Singapore. GET RID of your old school scene kid mentality. GET RID of your dated philosophies on success as a Singaporean band, and put yourself out there for the world to see.

So do we need a LOCAL SCENE MOVEMENT? YES! We do! But we have to move in the RIGHT DIRECTION, rather than move in the wrong direction and keep hitting our heads against the same walls!

So what the hell are you waiting for already? GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DO IT NOW!

Yours,
Levan
www.myspace.com/astroninary
www.vampirefreaks.com/astroninjaband

P.S. If response to this SUPER LONG post is positive, I’ll gladly post more links and resources to share with everyone! There are HUNDREDS more that I've found that I'd love to share, if anyone is interested :)

Oh yes, please give me REP POINTS pls. I think I deserve it in this case haha lol! :D
 
Awesome you've receive teh rep from moi!

Edit: Dammit can't give any more rep to you :( Sorry boss.

Edit: Oh yea and please sticky this mods. :D
 
I will be making more frequent edits to the RESOURCES post above and add on as many as I know for future references to all SOFTies :) Will fill it up with hundreds that you will be able to go through.
 
Hail levan!

Alas I believe a huge portion of your wise words are going to fall on deaf ears on alot of people!

I'll keep that chunk of verbal diarrhea in mind once I finish off my A level exams.
 
Levan,
Seeing as you are obviously quite on the ball, i assume you don't need me tell you that you should be looking for a publishing deal for this!

I'm sure there are a heap of ppl world wide looking for the next "how to make it big online" self help book
 
like somebody said in the other thread, its a crime not to sticky this.

like somebody said in this thread, u should write a book on this, and when it happens i swear, i'll buy.

too bad i cant give u rep points bro, need to spread the reps, sigh...
 
Thank you. It took a bit of time to write it but if anyone takes anything away from it, it'll be worth it.

I strongly urge people to consider Internet radio too.

Did you know that Internet radio clocks in a total of 250 MILLION listening hours a MONTH? That's more than all of Mediacorp FM stations combined!!

And here's the good news!!!
Most of these online web stations will gladly accept submissions from indie bands like yours and mine. They're always searching for new and exciting content that mainstream commercial radio doesn't support (And frankly, traditional FM radio is on a rapid decline)

You may wish to take the initiative to check out stations on these two popular Internet radio sites

www.live365.com
www.shoutcast.com


Honestly, if I see one more whiny 'why the media doesn't support local music' threads on SOFT again, I'll just bash the poster's rants in. Don't blame others for a lack of opportunity when opportunities are there for the taking. I'm so bloody sick of the whining from some people. And all the TALKING - what's the point of yakking on and on and doing nothing to take control of your own careers?

Levan
 
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