How to Get Your Next Music Video for Free
Leverage your network.
This is the key to success in the the music industry… and any industry for that matter. It always has been. Advances in technology give artists the tools to create masterpieces easier than ever. Hit records can be made almost anywhere and music videos with almost anything.
Alongside the advances in our ability to create art, technology now allows you to know who everyone of your fans are and how they can add value to your mission. Understanding who in your network has the skills, and is willing to help you, turns out to be priceless.
Recently, Ryan Leslie spoke at the MIA Music Summit in Miami. MIA’s tagline is “Where Silicon Valley and Miami Rock Together.” Here are the best take aways from and how you can use them to Leverage Your Network:
Direct to consumer is the only way for an independent artist to survive in 2015. Record labels are not as willing to invest as they once were, and albums are not selling in the same way. Any artist that can know their fan base has a huge advantage when promoting their next project or tour. Having the data of who has transacted with you is more valuable than the money generated from a one time purchase.
Too many times artists dreams are stifled by the prospect that they can never make a living off of their craft. They are pushed into more traditional jobs that seem more “safe” and “guaranteed.” By eliminating the middle man and selling direct to your consumers, artists no longer have to sell millions of records to survive. Artists no longer have to make sure that everyone else eats before they do.
Let’s picture two artists, selling their new album at $12. A major label artist has to sell over 15,000 just to recoup their $100,000 advance and break even. A SuperPhone artist has to sell 8,000 albums to earn $100,000 in revenue, and can continue to build and monetize every single one of those relationships.
Relationships are a two way communication. Unfortunately, many of our artists have forgotten this. Artists are constantly pushing content out to their fans: “By my album!” — “Come to my show!” — “Check out my new single!” They do not invest any time or effort into the receiving end of the relationship.
By offering relationship building opportunities to our fans, from something as simple as a thank you text or as complex as a flight on a private jet, fans will appreciate an artist that takes the time to build up a real relationship. That appreciation evolves into $$$.
What Do I Do Now?
- Make sure you know the job and skill set of everyone of your fans. Text everyone in your current SuperPhone Audience Bank who you don’t already have this info for. You could have the next Hype Williams sitting in your phonebook.
- Make sure you are pushing your fans to support you on a direct to consumer platform like Gumroad or Shopify. Knowing who bought your album is more valuable than the actual money from a single transaction.
- Make one of your fan’s days by replying to their tweet or instagram picture — and make sure they are added to your phonebook as a result.
-Ben Thomas, Marketing Associate at DMM.
Want to learn more about turning your contacts into currency? Check out the full video of Ryan Leslie at the MIA Music Summit:
