My Black jack code

A couple of my groups favorite Celtic bands are Enya, Loreena McKennit and the Chieftains. I guess I kinda liken the Brobdingnagian Bards to these groups. Like Enya, we play some beautiful romantic mood music. Like Loreena McKennit we add a popish flare to our performance. And like the Chieftains, we play many riling Celtic tunes.

So what do you think? Pretty good endorsements? Do you have an idea what kind of music my band plays? What it sounds like? Guess what? Sure I'd "liken" my bands to those and now when you next hear those names, you will think of the Brobdingnagian Bards (although you may not be able to say it, at least The Bards) and you will think of me.

But you know what, despite what you think WE may sound like, you'd probably be wrong. Enya uses synth, Loreena is a pop diva, the Chieftains...well, honestly, I'm not to familiar with their music (I apologize to other Celtic artists out there). We play the autoharp, recorder and mandolin. Yes, the sound is quite different from all three of those bands. But hopefully you get the "idea" of what we sound like.

By endorsing a popular band or artist, people who have not heard you before will have a general idea of what you sound like, and they will be a little more susceptiple to listening to your music. All you need is one chance to convince someone you are the best and you'll have a chance to win them over.

Of course, you also run the risk that they will be disappointed and alienated, if you sound nothing like the band you are endorsing, but that is a risk you run daily so it's nothing new.

So your task for this week is to find a band, local or national. Start endorsing them. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll even get a chance to open for them...or better yet, they open for you.

At the end of August 2000, I read some advertisement transcript at CelticWays.com. In it Toilet Wilmott, NMA Promoter, spoke of a new way in the music market. He predicted CDs were going out of style to be replaced by MP3s and the new digital technology. And he awoke in me a desire to look into the new music theoretical account establish in MP3.com.

Three calendar months later, the Brobdingnagian Bards are nearly $4000 richer, and have got been #1 on the World/Folk and Celtic Language charts, plus, a Top MP3.com creative person for a over two hebdomads in January 2000.

So the inquiry many of you are asking is how did we make it? Are there a peculiar formula that you used to accomplish this success? At the hazard of creating some awful competition, I'm going to give you my step-by-step formula for making a number ONE hit on MP3.com.

First, allow me state you some rudiments about us. We execute regularly throughout Southwest. Yes, we have got a mailing listing with nearly 400 subscribers. But quite honestly, I don't believe that those were the head factors in our success, because our success struck nearly two calendar months after our last gig!

No, rather, it flexible joints on something else. And here it goes.

1. Pick a song. Any song. While I believe with adequate promotion you can do any song a hit, it assists tremendously that it is your best. So do it the best recording, the best songwriting, the best at everything. If the production sucks! Remake it. Hell, record a unrecorded version professionally. You can do a good solid recording of one song for under $40. So make your best.

2. Name your song creatively. Quite honestly, you might necessitate to rename it a few times to happen one that gaining controls the attending of MP3.com visitors. I establish out through experience that "The Bridge" was no where as interesting as "Tolkien", or even better "Tolkien (The Hobbit & Godhead of the Rings).

Now prove it out. See if people are willing to chink that name. How? Ask some friends. Post to newsgroups. Join mailing listings and inquire them. Contact other instrumentalists and see what name lodges out. Ask your mailing list.

Also, see naming it something with which people can associate it. The amusement industry is a good start. Political events can be hot if timed right.

Remember that on the MP3.com charts, it's not about what your song sounds like, it's all about the song title! Desire some more than great tips? Order a transcript of "50+ Tips On How To Maximize Your Income on MP3.com."

3. Instrumental songs make better. So if you have got an instrumental songs, see using that as your chief hit to break. Quite honestly, instrumentals make better on the charts because they can be anything to everyone. If you don't desire to utilize an instrumental fine. But you will probably accomplish greater success if you lodge with an instrumental ballad. The cool thing is when your instrumental songs starts climbing the charts, you can utilize its success to pushing up your non-instrumental tunes. You see my whole end was not to force "Tolkien" to the top, but rather acquire all of our melodies up the charts. The success of "Tolkien" brought us over twenty melodies in the Top 40 throughout MP3.com!

4. Post the song in the right genre. From twenty-four hours one, "Tolkien" was in the Celtic Language genre. It could've gone in "mood music" or some other classical genre, but we picked one that tantrums the style of the song. It's named after a phantasy author. Most phantasy music could suit in that genre.

However, there is one of import short letter here. The Celtic Language genre is not an easy one. While I state the right genre, the right genre is the 1 that gives you maximal exposure with minimal effort. Remember that it usually works best to start your song in a class as deep as possible. The ground is that once you acquire to the top of one chart, you will automatically be moved into the adjacent peak chart.

For instance, "Tolkien" was posted in > World/Folk > Traditions > European > Celtic. As it climbed it moved to the #1 place in each of those classes before hitting #1 in World/Folk and finally #34 on all MP3.com.

5. Add song short letters and lyrics. Though it is up for argument just how much clicking through to read the song short letters and words really increases your payback, it makes supply interest. So add some short letters about your song. State your hearers how your song came about. It do the song more personal. Plus, many sites will utilize the line drive short letters for reviews. If you don't have got any, you might acquire lean reviews.

6. Brand the song available for download. Yes, you can fervently seek to protect all your music from being pirated, or you can have got a figure 1 hit. It's your choice. I have got yet to see a Top 40 hit that was not available for free downloading.

People desire to take your music with them...so they can state their friends. Plus, believe of it in this terms. A visitant come ups to your website, listens in HiFi. He wishes your song. So he downloads your tune. You've just gained TWO listens from one listener! If that individual listens and wishes more than of your tunes, you'll derive a batch more.

Now a speedy tip. MP3.com makes not properly label MP3s. The lone label
that you have got control over that they make properly tag is the lyrics. So, whether you have got words or not, include some contact information in the words section. That way, when they start sharing your MP3 with their friends, their friends will cognize how to acquire back to your website to download more music, and purchase your CDs!

A amusing short letter about "Tolkien", our MP3.com top 40 hit in January."Tolkien" was originally spelled "Tolkein" because that name is one very commonly misspelled name by fans. But despite the mis-spelling it still was a major hit on the charts.

7. Your dam CD. Just like in the world outside of MP3.com, cadmium gross sales bid the charts. If you are selling well, your songs ascent the charts. If not, they don't. For two months, "Tolkien" sat just outside the Celtic Language Top 40. Finally, in early January, I was talking to my friend Rimbo, he decided to travel ahead and purchase a transcript of our new CD, the "Best of the Bards". The adjacent day, we leapt in to the Celtic Language Top 40 and kept climbing! Honestly, I am forever thankful to Rimbo for his assistance, so delight driblet by his site and listen to some slayer music (including another J. R. R. Tolkien tune).

8. Price Your cadmium Low. While we're talking about merchandising CDs, retrieve to terms your cadmium LOW. That agency $6.99. Why? Well there are many reasons. First and first is you will sell more than CDs, especially overseas. All of our cadmium gross sales this calendar month have got been from outside of the United States. Basically, foreign transportation is expensive. If your cadmium terms are low, other countries will see purchasing your cadmium more.

Also, you can follow Ernesto Cortazar's illustration (and now our own) and apparatus regional distributors. Thus, you can promote your fans to purchase big measures of your CDs and sell them in their regions. This manner you sell more than CDs and your songs go on to climb up the charts. Check out our Bard Distribution programme for an example.

9. Use Your Mailing List. While the mailing listing did not acquire us going, it did impel us to the top. I had a good mark of Nagians who were listening and downloading our music day-to-day to give us an other manus at pushing our music up the charts. Your fans are an invaluable resource so usage them, but don't maltreatment them. Also, retrieve to offer inducements now and then. It'll do the the success all that morning.

11. Pay It Forward. Some of you may retrieve the article I wrote a few calendar months back on effectively using the the "email a friend" mathematical function on MP3.com. Well after start the Pay It Forward plan, where we put up a web page with just email golf course and told people, if they enjoyed our songs to "Pay It Forward" and share the music with a friend, we started having 5-20 people emailing others with our music per day. That was up from zero before the program. So see encouraging your fans to "pay it forward".

12. Play live. Alright, this is of course the most obvious, and I surmise everyone's saying, "yeah, yeah, I know, and I read it elsewhere about a twelve times". Well of course it is deserving mentioning because after "Tolkien" took off. We started having gigs a few hebdomads later. And at those gigs, people began requesting this song. It also gave us an chance to stop up the song. "Yes, caput over to MP3.com and you can download it free. Just see mp3.com/thebards". It worked. When our stats started to sag, the unrecorded gigs kept the song at the top. So acquire out there and stopper your music live!

13. Custom HTML. This was one of my absolute favourite small fast ones that really helped our music to soar. Head over to http://mp3.com/thebard and expression at the usage hypertext markup language we set up there. There's quite a few golf course listed, right?

Well all of those golf course were indispensable to our success. You see, when I started adding golf course directly to our page, I had only a few. Immediately, I noticed that every song in that listing was climbing the charts. Basically, people dropped by proverb some golf course and downloaded or listened using our links. Well, while the MP3.com affiliate programme was going I saw 100s and then thousands of people clicking each of those golf course so I added more.

Then I added direct golf course to the audio data files on my other sites. If you travel to the Brobdingnagian site and hunt for "(Princess Bride) Buttercup's Lament", or "Eleanor Plunkett" you won't happen them. You see, both of those songs are listed on different sites (Marc Gunn, Bard & Classical Celtic, respectively). But anyone who came to the Bards site could listen to songs from these other sites and these other sites would acquire paid for the listens!

So now I have got three sites making money. Next thing you know, you could've checked out our MP3.com net income while we had a #1 hit, and you would've seen only $100 per day. But we were actually making about $130-150 thanks to those other two sites (and not including the affiliate income).

Then, I started the BardsCrier Network to assist out some friends. So adjacent thing I cognize all of my NMA people like Rimbo and Carol Stober started making an other vaulting horse or two from people at our site downloading like crazy!

What it boiled down to was that having easy entree golf course on your website is invaluable. People will utilize them and your songs will acquire more than listens, than if they remain in the MP3.com format. And since all of those Custom linked songs were climbing the charts, it helped pushing and maintain "Tolkien" at the top!

So what are you waiting for!? Start adding your Custom HTML!

14. Payola. Payola is variable auction bridge advertising. You can offer your song for placement in one or respective of the many genres on MP3.com. This placement travels on every page in the genre you win, so you're getting a batch of visibility.

Back in January. I offer for the top Payola places in about four different genres, including genres in which "Tolkien" is not normally associated (such as Classical, Easy Listening, World/Folk, and Books/Spoken). I offer for the top place and usually won one of the top three in each of those genres. I
received a good 15-40% of my hits from payola as a result.

But now, MP3.com have added respective other word forms of payola that are even more than valuable including: Main Page Promotions, Greeting Cards, and Search Engine Promotions.

While none of these promotional tools are the end-all and be-all of getting your song to #1. Each tin be an unbelievable tool for pushing you up the charts.

One Concluding Note About Payola. How make you offer with payola? Well if you travel to the Bards Weeper mp3 page you will happen some "secrets" in audio form. But allow me start by saying if you're not making money, it really is not wise to start command on payola. I used payola to force us over the edge, not as a crutch. Instead, start by making certain you're making a few dollars from free promotion. Once you maestro that and have got earned a few bucks, then start using payola to force you over the edge.

Most learners are capable of breaking a Equus caballus fast, which is great in dash races, and the bulk of their wins are usually accomplished under such as circumstances. However, in path races (distance of longer than 1-1/8 miles) they usually make not execute as well. This is not necessarily because they are lacking in basic ability but because they are lacking in the experience needed to properly measurement the pace of a race. An experienced jockey can enable a front-running sprinter to execute as well in longer races.

Also, give an other point to an experienced jockey on obstruction racing than on level racing. A jockey's ability goes even more than of import in obstruction racing because no substance how fast the Equus caballus is if the jockey falls off or the Equus caballus draws up, the race for that Equus caballus is over. There is not even a possible 2nd or 3rd place.

Look for value likelihood as much as likely winners. If you maintain looking for them, you will larn to descry them fairly quickly. Look for a Equus caballus that have a just opportunity of winning and is not overly backed. This is usually a good value stake in the long run. On likelihood of say, 10:1, you necessitate to win once in 10 efforts to interrupt even. Anything more is nett profit. Horses backed heavily by information services and computing machine odds-makers may win more than often, but are usually mediocre value bets.

The offshore sportsbook sites or bookmaker webpages are very well informed and have got a long experience determining the odds. Their starting terms are usually first-class indexes as to which Equus caballuses are likely to be among the first three in a given race. Sometimes the mass of the punters will set a batch of weight and money on a Equus caballus which will then travel to a false terms and because of that the other terms of Equus caballuses will float in the market, that is acquire longer. As a result a Equus caballus shown favourite or 2nd favourite in the early starting terms may then drop down the listing as the start of the race attacks and his likelihood improve significantly, that is acquire longer. This doesn't go on very often, but when it does, stake on the Equus caballus that was initially favorite. It is always a good value stake and in the long run you should do a profit.

When the path is slow or heavy, give penchant to fast starters. Slow, muddy and heavy path statuses usually prefer the Equus caballus that takes an early lead. A consecutive stake is simple, wieldy and not too hard to win. Play it but always weigh up the odds. Avoid favourites and long shots (outsiders) too. Be selective - don't wager on anything or everything. When betting straight, see betting to win and show, or each-way, if the likelihood are relatively high.

If a Equus caballus is heavily backed just a few proceedings before the start of the race and his likelihood are sharply reduced, stake on it. This is a strong indicant that person have dependable advantageous information about the Equus caballus that cipher else is aware of.

The Equus caballuses to look out for in Lightweights Disability Races are those whose overall word form shows that they are capable of winning, regardless of the class of race in which they compete. Two or more than wins in the word form shown in newspapers are often indicant of a possible large win by a low weight. An added bonus is they usually start at large prices.

When making selections, always give penchant to a Equus caballus that ran recently. A Equus caballus that have got not raced for respective hebdomads may have suffered some reverses like an hurt or an illness. No substance how good his word form was if it is not recent, opportunities are the Equus caballus will not win.

Seems every time I read an article about music promotion, they look generally the same thing. "Play in your local marketplace with a 50 statute mile radius of your hometown."

That's actually pretty smart advice. If you can construct a bombilation in your region, that local bombilation will eventually distribute outside of your marketplace into others.

But there's a problem. It is no easy undertaking for any unsigned set to construct that buzz. Take my hometown, Austin. Whew! I can't state you how many sets there are here. The marketplace is flooded. Getting through the jumble is hurting in the arse.

Guess what? I learned an untapped secret
to interrupt through the set clutter, gain you web traffic all from your local region. And you will bring forth good-will in your community.

Here's the secret. Write reviews of local businesses.

I wrote a short review of a little Irish public house just outside of Capital Of Texas called the Irish Dragoon Pub. They had no website. So I gave them one and added a few sort words.

This past St. Patrick's Day the proprietor of the Dragoon embarrassed me. Helium took the mike before we started playing. Not only did he speak us up to the audience, but he thanked us for the sort review that "put the Irish Dragoon on the map".

You can make the same for ANY concern wherever you're playing. And it's easy. Here's what you do.

1. Pick a local concern you desire to support.

2. Write a short review about that business. Don't just state it's cool. State your readers what you've bought there before to do it more than personal.

3. Put that concern name in the statute title of the webpage. For instance, "Irish Dragoon Public House in Killeen, TX".

4. Add a little streamer with your adjacent gig listed.

5. Submit that webpage to the hunt engines.

That's it. More than likely, you'll come up up easily as one of the top 10 sites listed.

To improve your hunt ranking, add further golf course to that webpage on your website and others. And don't bury to allow the concern cognize that you appreciate them. Send them a nexus to that review as well.

SPECIAL NOTE: While this is a great manner to convey in a clump of random traffic. It's not targeted. Meaning those who bash come up to your site, more than than likely volition have got small involvement in your music, UNLESS the concern you compose about pulls your type of fans. So make a small spot o'research and good luck!

I retrieve a piece back reading Saint David Nevue's book, "How to Successfully Promote Your Music the the Internet". In it he threw out a cool suggestion for increasing the searchability of your band.

His suggestion was to compose a review of CDs that you experience are similar to your style of music or CDs that divine your music. The thought is if you advance traffic to this webpage, visitants will also see a review of your band, and bank check out your music.

I loved that thought so much that I was psyched when I learneda very simple and similar promotional thought on Amazon.com. Here's what you have got to do:

First, you necessitate to sell your cadmium on Amazon.com Oregon at the very least offering a free MP3 in their Digital Music Network.

Second, make a hunt for a set or record album similar to yours. In my case, my group, the Brobdingnagian Bards, released a cadmium inspired by the Godhead of the Rings. So I went over to the "Fellowship of the Ring" soundtrack.

Third, coil down and you'll see either a nexus that says,

"Recommend an item!"
or a box that have
"I urge ___ in addition/instead of this album."

Fourth, catch the Asin from your webpage. (The Asin is the 10 charcter codification listed in the Produce Details). All you have got to do is insert you Asin into this blank to make your recommendation.

Your music is now linked to the creative person you see yourself similar to. The beauty of this promotional thought is that it all takes place in the Amazon shopping environment.

This means, more than than likely, they'll travel consecutive to your Amazon page. They'll read about your album. They'll listen to your MP3s. And hopefully, they will purchase an album, and/or Hunt down your band's website where you'll gain a new fan.

PS. The 2004 Edition of "How to Promote Your Music Succesfully on the Internet" by Saint David Nevue is now available.

Recently, there was a discussion on the MusicThoughts list regarding how to develop passive income as a musician. Of course, there are many types of passive income open to musicians, but this discussion in particular involved using affiliate programs to earn money.

For the newbie, affiliate programs are program online that allow you to earn money by selling products or services that you do not own. Companies like Commission Junction, LinkShare, ClickBank offer a variety of a affiliate programs on every subject. While companies like Amazon.com (books, music, and more), MP3DownloadHQ (free music downloads) offer more specific products or services.

Building a successful affiliate income is NOT easy. And as internet companies come and go, they are also not a hugely reliable source of income for the long-term. I prefer to focus on offering products and services for my active websites, but most of my websites were created with affiliates in mind. Consequently, I've learned the affiliate game quite well.

Most people don't like sharing how much they earn from passive income. So finding those stats Will be difficult. But frankly, I prefer helping folks with facts.

So, here's a couple notes on the various passive internet income sources I earn or have earned in the past:

1. Google Adsense.
Google CAN be great, but a lot of it depends on what keywords your site is focused on. Head over to PixelFast offers a great Overture Keywords and Bid Amounts Tool and you can find out how much people bid on certain types of keywords through overture.

Having done testing which got me banned from Google I learned a few things when I was using Google Adsense. I found on the average, I made about pittance on each of my random websites. Some however, did MUCH better. Namely the 'free music downloads' websites.

You'll note at PixelFast that companies bid heavily for those keywords with clickthrus averaging at about 45c per click. Seventy percent of the income I earned on Google was from one free music download website that somehow made it high on the search results. I'm not allowed to say how much I made, but you can do the math when a site gets approximately 500 unique visits a day and has a 5-10% clickthru rate.

The point is if you create and promote webpages with high impact keywords, you will do fairly well.

2. Affiliate Programs.
Since I'm no longer with Google, I've sense learned to find other alternatives using Google style ads. You can those on my Directory of Free Music Downloads as an example.

I've found other affiliate programs to fill the gaps lost by Google through:
Clickbank. I've focused primarily on free music downloads. The big problem I have with Clickbank is that my Mozilla browser at home doesn't like their redirects. But I still earn about $500 per month from Clickbank.

MP3Dollars. This is a free music downloads site for MP3DownloadHQ. Their affiliate links are good redirects. So I've made them much more prominent so as not to lose income that might've been lost from Clickbank. The affiliate program is solid paying 50% of the money they earn. So I earn about $500 per month from them. Best of all, it's paid weekly!

Amazon.com. Usually earns me about $50 a month. And this comes from a lot of heavy referrals from my Celtic MP3s Music Magazine.

Commission Junction. Their redirects seem to have the same problem as Clickbank. I mainly use them for web hosting services that earn about $150 per month.

Linkshare. I've used it for years. Earned no money (like the vast majority of affiliate programs I've tried). I did sign up for iTunes earlier this month. And we'll see if that changes matters at all.
I also earn another $100-150 per month from the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine's various affiliations with IMHO some of the best music marketers out there. Course, I also have a decent online CD sales income, and other artistic projects that earn me money (and I still have a day job for at least another year).

3. The Key to remember when you're making money with affiliate programs is really to blend it into your website.
For instance, if you go to thebards.net. You can download our MP3 "Tolkien (The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings)" on the homepage. It downloads from amazon.com using my affiliate link. So it creates another cookie which hopefully will earn me more income from future amazon.com orders from that customer.

Prominent ads also work like at my Directory of Free Music Downloads. Meaning, Google has really hit upon a great style of advertising. Oh, and Vertical ads out perform horizontal ads.

I'm also a big proponent of creating a website that will earn you income as well as popularity. Again, check out the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine. The site is designed for two purposes:
Promote independent Celtic music by luring in signed Celtic music fans of Enya, The Chieftains, etc. It's a technique I learned from David Nevue's How to Successfully Promote Your Music on the Internet and has proved exceptionally profitable, and
Promote my music. You'll see a lot of links and information about the Brobdingnagian Bards and my own solo Celtic music recordings.
There is one other aspect I would like to point out that will make whatever you do more money. It's sales letters. Quite honestly, I detest hard sales. I don't typically care for sales letters online. But they DO perform well.

Some of the best-selling webpages are composed of one long sales letter like some of the stuff you'll see at indiebiz.com. I've no doubt that David makes well-over $3000 a month for any of his webpages just from some of his passive income sales letters. By learning about copywriting, you can create webpages to perform just as well to promote your affiliate programs. It's an amazing skill to have.

One Last Important Note: I have NO Faith in most of my internet affiliate income. Sure I think Amazon will be there for years to come. But the passion for 'free music downloads' will die with the next internet fad.

My suggestion is to create a hard product that you can sell. For instance, create and sell ebooks using your knowledge and those sales letters I mentioned. People are willing to pay fo your knowledge of the most mundane things. It's not about being stupid, it's about ease. If you can compile that knowledge and sell it, more power to you!

You will constantly need to fine tune everything. And learn how the search engines work.

Passive money on the internet is not unreasonable. But it's also not easy. It takes quite a bit o'work and a lot of patience because it can take months for search engines to find out if you're website is important.

Hope that helps some folks, slainte!

It goes on to boggle my head how many sets don't take the time to come up up with a nice verbal description of their music. It's extremely important, and when you're marketing yourself online, it's essential.

So catch some paper, we're gonna make two simple set verbal descriptions that volition aid you gain you web traffic and assist you with all facets of your music promotion. Whether you're looking to advance your set to person in an elevator, on the telephone or submitting to a directory, these two verbal descriptions will function you well.

2. Your Set in 500 Characters Or Less
Iodine print the Celtic Language MP3s Music Magazine, and I can't state you how hard it is sometimes to happen out Exactly what sets are all about. I have got got to seek through the site, read the biography, etc. That's fine, but I don't have the time. I'm a instrumentalist first and foremost. So it's always affects me when I can travel to a band's homepage and happen out who they are in 500 fictional fictional characters or less.

If you can depict your set in about five hundred characters you are a caput above the rest. That's really all you necessitate to depict your music, talking up your band, and offering a benefit for exploring the site further. Post that information on your homepage and not only makes it do it easier for the mass media and fans to larn more than about, but there are other music promotion advantages.

You see, many websites, like mine, usage books like the 1 offered by Gossamer to easily collect golf course on their website. Gossamer Golf Course gives you 500 fictional characters to depict your music. You can copy and paste that information straight from your homepage.

Do you advance your music on webrings? Webring.org gives you room to depict your site in just 400 characters. A small trimming and you're cook to submit.

There are numerous chances for you to submit up to 500 fictional character verbal descriptions of your band. Yes, you could just submit an Elevator Description, but any good copywriters will state you that more than textual matter is better.

You see, your occupation is to convert people visit your website. Then it's your website's occupation to sell them on your band. But the first measure is to acquire them there. And short verbal descriptions usually are not interesting adequate to oblige visitants to look further. Just see the Best Set Music Award links. What utilize is it to set your set name with a verbal description that states "great music". So?! Who cares!?!

There's an further benefit to having a good, long verbal descriptions on your homepage--search engines.

Search engines love textual matter content. And if the first words on your site are "Enter Site", you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. Describe your music in your first paragraph, and hunt engines will add those keywords to their hunt algorithmic rules so that your site will rank higher for "hardcore metal" than person elses "enter here."

I designed the Brobdingnagian Bards paragraph to include to the point information about our musical style, to offer benefits for the band, and to make well in hunt engines. "The Brobdingnagian Bards are The Master Celtic Language Language Renaissance music grouping from Austin, Texas offering free Celtic mp3 downloads. They execute a alone style of music combining Scots and Irish common people songs with music inspired by the Godhead of the Rings, performed on non-traditional instruments--autoharp, recorder, and mandolin. In just five years, they've completed six studio record albums and performed coast-to-coast. Ask their fans, and they'll state you The Bards are just apparent 'fun!' Which do sense since, after all, they just love the music." This verbal description tells the insouciant visitant exactly what sort of music we perform. They see a benefit (free mp3s, and 'fun' music) and even adverts a few accomplishments.

This concise verbal description have helped do my set 1 of the top 20 sets searching for 'celtic music.'

The point is if you really desire to garner any interest, you necessitate to larn how to depict your set quickly. So make your verbal description and electronic mail me. I'll be happy to review it for ye.

Over the past couple o'years, I've gotten out of the wont of authorship fourth estate releases. I have got got got a mark of websites and undertakings that I'm working on, and I have just as many alibis as you probably have.

But today, I read a great article from praseodymium Fuel which kinda struck home. The idea: "the more than than fourth estate releases, the more press." It's a pretty simple conception that tipped a chapeau to my music selling education.

You may have got heard in advertisement that you must place an advertisement in presence of someone's eyes seven times before they'll move on the ad. Well, it's the same thing with the media.

A few old age back when I had fewer excuses, I sent out fourth estate releases every couple o'weeks. Consequently, I got some nice ink from assorted publications out there. My mass media marks knew the name "Brobdingnagian Bards," even if they couldn't pronounce it. The reason: I kept the mass media updated through frequent fourth estate releases.

Now, there's another side to this that I didn't believe about.

Whenever I let go of a new CD, I compose A fourth estate release. But ye cognize what? You don't have got to restrict yourself to ONE fourth estate release. As the praseodymium Fuel article points out, some companies compose respective fourth estate releases for the same product. And if you believe about it, do sense.

I mean, when you compose a fourth estate release, you won't to focus, focus, concentrate your message. Don't clutter up it with multiple ideas. Just one message.

But your cadmium may have got more than than one message to share. So compose more than fourth estate releases. But space them out over a hebdomad or two. Hit them hard with a message that volition do them sit down up and take notice without bothersome them.

The better your music selling plan, the better the results that you will receive. This all advertisements up to more than fourth estate for your band.

I was never a very "great" marketer. I remember in the sixth grade we had a Social Studies project where we could sell whatever we made. I made some chocolate chip cookies, threw them in cheap sandwich bags. My base cost may've been low, but it was no good when no one bought any. Not when there were delicious homemade lollipops for sale as well.

So I got creative! I added one old baseball card to each baggie. Sure, I neglected to remember that the average 6th grader really doesn't have much interest in vintage baseball cards.

I forgot to think about "value".
Not in terms of what I consider valuable,
but what does the buyer consider valuable.

Ever watch infomercials? They barrage you with things you really have no interest in. Then there's that great line.

"How much would YOU pay? Well, don't answer yet..."

That's Marketing 101. Give 'em an offer then sweeten. Yet, even they typically offer absolutely worthless bonuses. They might as well give away baseball cards.

But I seem to be getting better at it. At Opus Fantasy Arts Festival last weekend, a vendor was there looking at our CDs. Vendors were feeling the economic blow. Sales weren't good.

The vendor wasn't sure she could afford our $15 CD. Unwittingly, I gave her the closer. "Well for vendors, it's only $10."

She bought THREE CDs!

Wow! Where did that come from? I wasn't even *trying* to sell her a thing, and she bought THREE?!

So it got me thinking. Maybe I need more such closers.

Check out Bob Baker's "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" as an example.

Not only is the book packed with music promotion tips that'll greatly benefit your music business, but he offers SEVEN, count em' SEVEN Free Special Reports, including: "Killer Press Kits: The 29 Most Important Elements in Creating Sizzling Music Publicity Materials", "Advertising Your Music: How to Make It Pay (and Avoid the Most Common Mistakes)" and lots more.

Go read the list yourself.

So what can YOU offer that'll add value to your deal? How about a homemade bonus CD with some live tracks, or even just MP3s, burned on it? Not good enough? Let's add a sticker or even a T-Shirt to REALLY sweeten the deal!

Oh! Here's one. How about, if they buy a CD and join your mailing list, you'll email them to give them Exclusive access to a webpage that offers free MP3s. That'll also help you gain new subscribers!

As you can see, I'm still working on ideas.
But maybe you can help?

What do you offer to your fans to
"sweeten" the deal and sell more CDs?

It goes on to boggle my head how many sets don't take the time to come up up with a nice verbal description of their music. It's extremely important, and when you're marketing yourself online, it's essential.

So catch some paper, we're gonna make two simple set verbal descriptions that volition aid you gain you web traffic and assist you with all facets of your music promotion. Whether you're looking to advance your set to person in an elevator, on the telephone or submitting to a directory, these two verbal descriptions will function you well.

1. The Ten-Word Elevator Description
Saint David Hooper of Kathode Raye music utilizes the term "Elevator Description" as a manner of describing your music quickly. Your Elevator Description is the words you would utilize in an lift if you had to state what type of music you make quickly... in just 10 words.

This mightiness look like the most-difficult part about describing your band, but it's also the most utile all around. To make it, focusing on an intense verbal description combined with a benefit for your audience. I set this speedy verbal description in the first sentence on our homepage.

"The Master Celtic Language Language Renaissance music grouping from Austin, Texas offering free Celtic mp3 downloads."

Obviously it's not ten-words exactly. But it acquires acquires the point across.
Musical style: "original Celtic Language Language Renaissance music"
Location: Austin, Texas
Benefit: free Celtic MP3 downloads

Short sweet and to the point. Obviously, not everyone is as focused on downloading music. Coming up with benefits, but make some brainstorming and you'll happen your niche. Check out these descriptions:

The Rogues
A Houston based Pipe and Drum Set with an attitude.
http://www.therogues.com/

Gilli Moon
Melodic-Kinda-Folkie-Indie with a multi-layered guitar
(and all-sorts) wall of sound.
http://www.gillimoon.com/

Mountain Mirrors
Psychedelic Zen Buddhism Rock. Fans of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd
or Spiritualized will bask this music. Free MP3 Downloads!
http://www.mountainmirrors.com/

Add your lift verbal description to your "Description" META Tag. Also add an even shorter verbal description in your statute title tag, and you'll hike your traffic for people looking for those keywords.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of "Two Easy Steps to Describing Your Set for Greater Web Traffic and More Fans."

If you're looking for more than great web traffic tips for your music, Saint David Nevue wrote the book on it, literally. See how he earned over $4000 per calendar month turning music into a full-time profession. It's all in this book How to Successfully Promote Your Music the the Internet.

A couple hebdomads ago, I asked "How make you dulcify the deal?" to happen out what you give your fans to procure other cadmium sales. Then I started reading Seth Godin's new book, "Free Prize Inside!", and I realized a large error I've made.

I'm a large fan of freebies. Peruse my many websites, you'll happen freebies of all forms and sizes from MP3s to stickers, CDs to occasional t-shirts. I love giving things away. It's sorta my part to the 'free award inside' concept.

Except that's really not what Seth is about. Seems I've been giving away a free award for old age without entirely recognizing it. It's the same thing that made me a wild fan of Black 47. You can even read about Saint Andrew WK have done the same on Saint David Hooper's Music Business Blog.

What am I talking about? Exactly.

I'm talking about talking with fans. I make my best to react to every electronic mail that our fans direct to us. If they take the time to compose us, you can bet, I'm gonna take the time to respond. And with the growing drove of debris mail it's getting tougher and tougher, but dangit, they rate it!

I'm sorry to say, there is one country I have got neglected until now-CD order forms.

CDBaby, our chief online retailer, is sort enough to offer all that great contact information about people who order our CDs. I have got done a very mediocre occupation contacting those people. But as every seller mentions, the bulk of gross sales will come up from past customers. So those are the people I need to be following up with.

Think about it a moment. I've built a very strong and loyal fanbase by communicating with fans. I have got tons of personal information online and confabulate with these folks. They've consequently gone out of their manner to back up us, buying many CDs and telling their friends.

Just conceive of if I contacted those 100s of past purchasers and said give thanks you. Not to sell them something more. Just to state "thanks". That's powerful stuff. Those who've stopped hearing will start back up. Those who already state their friends are gonna be a million times more passionate when they associate how I went out of my manner to compose them. It acquires me excited just thinking about it.

If you really can't believe of a manner to "sweeten the deal". Don't sudate it. But do certain you acquire their electronic mail address. Drop 'em a line and say, "thank you". And you'll be certain to have got a trade name new fan for life!

References:

Seth Godin's "Free Prize Inside" (1st printing) come ups in a cereal grass box
Saint Andrew WK in Saint David Hooper's Music Business Blog

An advanced accomplishment in No-Limit Lone-Star State Holdem is the advertisement play. An advertisement drama is one in which you give information to your opponents, but the information you give is misleading, so that you can utilize it against your oppositions later. The most common type of advertisement is to turn over a large bluff right before you make up one's mind to switch over gearing and drama tight for a while. You can also publicize if you've had a tally of strong custody by showing that you were betting from strength in order to put up bluffs down the road.

The thought of advertisement in stove poker is to change the manner the tabular array responds to you. If you experience you're not getting paid off on your good hands, you may desire to demo a few bluffs to allow oppositions cognize that you may not have got a monster every clip you bet. If you're getting called too much, you may desire to wager right out when you floating-point operation the nut flush, then demo it if everyone folds. When you make up one's head to seek advertising, maintain these tips in mind.

Commercial Time on the Poker Network is Cheap

You don't have got to pass a batch on advertising. You can put on the line $20 in a $3/$6 unsighted no-limit game in order to pick up a pot cipher wants, then impudent over your 64 off lawsuit on a board of Qh Qc Jh. Sure you only wager because it was obvious everyone was afraid of the flop, and certain you only risked 10 percentage of your stack, but what people will retrieve when you wager $200 on the river of a Qh 3s Qc Js Ts board retention QJ, is that you ran a rock common cold bluff.

Advertising Only Plant When People are Tuned In.

Especially in low unsighted games and online poker, participants may only be paying attending to their ain custody and not to yours. It's amazing how often a participant who have sat at the tabular array for three hours without playing a manus finally raises and acquires called in multiple spots. If participants aren't observant, this is great for you, but it also intends advertisement is a waste material of time. These participants play their ain custody and they don't care what you have got or what you're representing.

You Can Only Get Customers if you Have a Loyal Viewership

You necessitate to construct up an mental image through your advertisement plays and this takes time. If you are at a tourney tabular array that is owed to break, you may desire to throw off advertisement until you are moved to a tabular array you are going to be at for a while. Similarly, if your hard cash game is short handed, you might desire to wait for a full tabular array before trying to set up your image.

Advertising is a cardinal maneuver in No-Limit Lone-Star State Holdem poker. It's no good to switch over gearing if cipher notices. As with any stove stove poker strategy, using advertisement selectively and judiciously will confabulate you a important advantage in your poker games.

One of the Brobdingnagian Bards' early CDs, Songs of the Muse is going into it's back pressing. When I saw Saint Saint Christopher Knab's article "Your cadmium Screen is Your Best Ad For Your Music", I decided this was the perfect inspiration I needed to update the cadmium graphics.

I've been a fan of Christopher Knab for about as long as I've been a fan of British Shilling Baker. He is without a uncertainty 1 of the top Top 10 music sellers in my book.

Well, whenever I make graphics, I happen too often that I bury a clump of stuff. So this article functions as a great checklist. But when I read Seth Godin's Best-Selling book, Free Prize Inside, I realized that it was NOT a complete list!

In fact, the music industry in general have greatly missed out on an astonishing chance to break sell CDs.

The thought I got came from the dorsums of books. Go catch a best-seller and bend it over. On the back, you will happen the secret...

What did you find? You might've seen testimonials, a little verbal description of the book, or maybe even an exerpt.

You see, one of the jobs I establish with Songs of the Muse is that since we name our music "Celtic music." It wasn't till much future that I realized that in the Celtic Language music tradition, "songs" have got words and "tunes" are instrumentals. This record album is all instrumental. So it was poorly named for the "Celtic music" world.

But if we utilize the dorsum screen correctly, it doesn't matter!

The new dorsum screen now names songs statute titles along with a little verbal description of the ideal individual who will bask this CD. It includes testimonials. And anyone who reads it will have got all uncertainty removed as to if this is a vocal or instrumental CD.

Use Saint Christopher Knab's checklist for a better cadmium graphics. Then believe outside the box. What can you add to the screen that volition do this cadmium sell better than ever?

Everytime I do a new friend, they look to come up away with selling ideas.

Today, I got an electronic mail from one. Her name is Jen Clower-Brown. She is a phantasy creative person and friend who I've worked with on a figure of phantasy fine art projects. She wrote:

Marc,

I just received the cadmium I ordered of "The Trial of Lancelot" by Heather Dale. I haven't even given it somes full listen yet, but already she have made an feeling on me. Let me explain...

When I pulled out the packing reception that was with the cd, she had hand-written a short, personal thank-you to me on the receipt! It states nil more than "Thanks Jennifer! Enjoy, Heather", but I doubt I'll be tossing out this reception any time soon. It was just a antic gesture.

I recognize this may be a spot boring to maintain up with, but it's worth considering for your ain cadmium orders.

Jen Clower-Brown

Course, I've been a large advocate of authorship personal short letters for a long time. For a while, I handled cadmium orders in house and followed her suggestion. Now, however, CDBaby manages most of our orders. Even there, it's a batch of work to follow-up each order with an email, but allow me state you it's worth it.

Fans desire to cognize that they're not just a face in the crowd. Something as simple as "Thanks Jennifer!" is all it takes to do that impact to gain a traditionalist fan for life. That's not too tough is it? Well, follow my example, I'm gonna travel catch up on sending give thanks you messages to our fans. They've given a portion of themselves to us. And they rate it!

I was listening to NPR the other day when they did a report on tipping in the restaurant industry. One they had a list of tips on how wait staff can increase their tips.

That got me brainstorming and surfing the net for other ideas to boost tips. That combined with lots of performances at Renaissance Festivals helped me to develop my own list of ways musicians can improve their tips.

1. Introduce yourself by name

Too often musicians forget to introduce themselves on stage. Make sure you tell the audience your band name, but to really boost your tips, you should also introduce yourselves individually. Let people know who you are as an individual and you'll see greater tips.

2. Go out into the audience with a tip jar

You really can't be passive when it comes to getting tips. You have to walk out into the audience with some visual reference that says "Tip Me!", and they will tip you.

3. Meet your audience at their level

Take the time to talk to your audience members at their level. Holding a discussion from a stage puts a wall between you and them. So instead, go out into the audience and talk to them face to face. Kneel if they're at a table, so you're at eye level. And if you have ayour tip jar with you, you will you will not only gain a fan, but you will also improve your tips.

4. Make your appearance personal

We wear kilts to most of our gigs. A kilt adds a very personal touch It links us to a certain culture and makes people take notice. Course you don't have to go that route, instead find some piece of clothing that reflects your personality and you will boost your tips.

5. Recommend your favorite CD

If you have multiple CDs, your audience will always ask for your favorite. Tell them what it is. If you only have one, you can do the same by recommending other artists that you like. That adds a two-fold advantage of helping your audience find music they like and helping your fellow musicians.

6. Smile

A bright, confident smile will bring fans back again and again with lots o'big tips.

7. Involve your audience in the music with a joke or game

Next time you're up on stage, see what happens when you joke around with the audience. Your personality will glow all the more and so will your tips.

8. Chat with fans by name

Music fans love nothing more than to be recognized by the bands they love. So do your best to remember their names. They will feel that much more attached to your music and feel like your friend. And these friends will tip you better for the courtesy.

9. Touch your audience

When you're out socializing with your audience, touch them (in a non-sexual way). Whether you shake their hand, pat them on the shoulder or back, or just brush against them, wait staff find that that even that will boost their tips 50%. And it will yours too.

10. Use tip jars with the VISA/Mastercard Logo

According to studies done in restaurants, just seeing those logos is enough to encourage customers to tip more. I know it sounds crazy, but give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised with the results.

11. Give your audience something in return for their tip

People love feeling like they're getting their money's worth. And many people don't realize you should tip bands. So give something in return. It could be something as big as a sticker or magnet, or as simple as a business card that might include a $1 off your CDs. Or hey what about feeding their sweet tooth with a piece of candy. Whatever the case, that little gift will mean big tipping results.

12. Draw a picture

On a similar note, if you give them a business card, draw or make a comment on it. That piece will be more valuable to them and will result in bigger tips.

13. Make tipping a part of the show

Why wait until the end of the set to ask for tips. Sing a song about tipping, or get your audience involved in the tipping process by shouting something. Or offer a prize to the first tipper. But integrate it into your show and it won't seem like you're just begging for money, rather you're making it fun to tip.

14. Thank your audience

No gig would be complete without an audience. So thank them for taking the time to watch you perform. They will feel the personal touch and respond when you ask for money.

15. Bonus Tipping Suggestion:

If the change is five dollars, never return a five-dollar bill. Always give back five ones. This allows the customer to tip you with some of the dollar bills you returned. You will rarely get a $5 tip and returning a $5 bill will turn off tippers. In general, it's good to return all ones if the change is less than $8. You want the customer to have at least two ones so they can give it back as the tip.

I was walking on campus today back from our weekly gig at the University of Texas' South Mall, when I heard a member of the Young Conservatives of Texas speak. March 2nd is Texas Independence Day and so this chap was sermon that if you work difficult and play by the rules you too can take a good life.

Maybe it's the sceptic in me, but it made me think, "What a clump of crock!" Most people, including most musicians, work difficult and play by the rules, but did you cognize that Americans carry, on average, $5,800 in recognition card debt from calendar calendar month to month. Well Iodine inquire you, what sort of life is that when a immense bulk of state is in unprofitable debt?

But I've been reading books like "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" recently, in an effort to larn music concern and finance accomplishments from people who do millions. Bash they follow the rules? Yes...sorta.

The inquiries that came to me as I walked by the Young Conservatives were, "Who do the rules?" and "Are we following the Right rules?"

That's really the cardinal that many successful concern people learn. It's not a substance of are you following the rules. It's are you following the Right rules?

You see, our community is filled with rules on what you can't do, but there are also dozens of rules that say what you can do, but most people don't cognize what they are.

Taxes are a great example. The norm instrumentalist might not subtract things like auto traveling to and from gigs, or the cost of their picks, because they may not cognize that they can.

The same travels with promotion. Just because you're on MP3.com and acquire a twelve electronic mails from other instrumentalists in a word word form missive saying, "play my song", makes not intend that you should set together your ain form missive and Spam thousands of musicians.

Or just because most instrumentalists make their best to pull the attending of a Major label A&R Oregon even the President, makes not intend you shouldn't schmooze with the secretary.

The point is cognize the rules, but then look beyond them. The rules are a guide. They are not etched in stone. Interruption the rules. Bash what others are NOT doing and you will make a better of occupation standing out in the crowd.

I'm a immense fan of SpamAssassin. I have got many websites and all of my waiters utilize it. It cuts out about 80% of the dirt heading to my inbox. And while I make lose a few newsletters, it's worth it.

The job is too many indie concerns just don't acquire it. They believe flashy is the manner to go, but more than than than and more people recognize as Spam goes ever more rampant that if you desire to reach your fans, you necessitate to make your newssheets accessbile first, flashy second.

How make you do that?

Start by doing away with hypertext markup language in emails.

That's right. Ditch it. It's useless. I cognize one music game website that actually directs out hypertext markup language messages with artwork and all. And every edition acquires SpamAssassinated. hypertext markup language electronic mails are selling heaven. A seller can track which electronic mails are opened and which not. They include javascript and cookies, and of course, hypertext markup language is easy to steal a virus into.

So halt using hypertext markup language newsletters. Remember the point of fan newssheets is communication. If you don't effectively pass on with your fan base, then you're wasting your time.

How make you cognize if your newssheet is being Spam Assassinated?

For the past twelvemonth or so I've been using SiteBuildIt to optimize my websites for the hunt engines. SiteBuildIt is programme designed to assist you construct a webpage that Effectively sells your merchandise while helping you to exceed the hunt engines.

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