Artist Branding via the Web
More from Gerd Leonhard via Berklee Today
1. Think hard about what you are all about and the message you want to relay to people. Are you the next hot guitar player or the new John Coltrane? Shape your image and message to support that.
2. Attract as much attention as possible. Performing live is a must, but you can set up your own radio station that allows people to take your music and make widgets, which are embedded objects like a YouTube player. Fans can then have-and distribute-your music by copying the player and putting it on their own site. The player actually sits on another site and links back to YouTube. That’s syndication. You want your music available for people to cut and paste and put somewhere else to play creating a syndicated viral system.
3. Put your photos on Flickr. Upload photos of everything you do, from band rehearsals to backstage moments to scenes on the tour bus. Just make sure they are authentic and convey your “brand.” The images don’t necessarily need to be high quality.
4. Write about what you do on a blog and publish things on Twitter. Set up your own YouTube channel. Fully exploit the Web-which is pretty much free-to create a large output. Offer everything for free initially.
5. Create applications that can be downloaded to mobile phones. Many bands have done this to create a personal window to their world on mobile devices. Be advised, though, that this avenue of music distribution involves some costs.
“This output becomes the foundation for your audience,” Leonhard counsels. “You’ll know pretty quickly if people like you. These efforts-coupled with live appearances, e-mail newsletters, and working the social networks-will help you build a fan community. Once you gain a lot of followers, those who are really hooked will help you do the rest of your marketing. This is the mechanism that will increase your revenue.”