It's never too small for you. This is maybe the biggest mistake to think something is too small. I'm going to a smaller conference in Sweden. I got called up by a local artist for some advice. Since I know he lives very close to the conference I ask if he would be at the same festival. No, he thought it was too small and wasn't worth going to it. At the same time, the artist was in desperate need to have a meeting with me, and I was a speaker at the conference.
He laughed and that was a point, but we could see each other outside the festival before or after my speech.
The problem here is that before he spoke to me he had ruled me out as "too small" now it was just someone telling him to contact me and he realized that I was a person to meet. In reality, most of the speakers were good to meet. In fact, some have rather big an cool projects going on, just the artist doesn't know it. And since this is a small conference it would be great opportunity to really grab the speakers and get a better network. Really nothing is too small, only people who can't see opportunities.
I was speaking with one of the record labels we are working with. We discussed a new release and what kind of Pr work that should be done.
- I really don't want to hire Pr agents in all the territories. In fact, I want to use them as less as possible. It feels like they just take the money and actually don't get things done, said the label.
And yes that is the case many times. I just studied a friend's release. He is giving out a record more for fun. But he hired a PR agent. Sure the record is a hobby project and they don't expect massive exposure. They got recommend to a pr firm but a friend but called me up to check references.
This Pr firm is mainly one person. It has been there for years has some big clients but really don't do any bigger noise for its clients. Still, I can't say it's bad but you probably would get more and cheaper services if you combined ads and some smaller services where you can send to blogs.
The biggest thing is that the firm also has some management work. When you do management it's usually when you really like a project. So for, hat you go with all your resources. The problem was that even when the PR firm has a favorite project these bands never got any real good exposure. To be honest it was what the label was talking about. No real results.
I told my friend that, but he felt he didn't have any choice so he went on.
They released a single really getting nowhere. Spotify around 3500 streams two mounts later is not that good. A think a student radio show had the song in a list for a week.
Now they album came. All that I can see on media is an outlet where you get covered as soon as you do a pressrelease. Funny thing is that I don't find their pressrelease in the official channels. In reality exact why the label feel insecure to hire PR.
There is a lot of these PR agents out there. In reality the good ones has booked gigs with labels all time so the ones that are open for single projects are usually not able to create any things that really matter. What we give for free service to our artists on the publishing side is better than what a expensive PR agent can provide.
So I leave Tokyo and I'm going back to Sweden to be on a panel on Rookie in Hultsfred. I really like Rookie it's a nice festival and it's great to see the future in the musicindustry.
This is not really something that I have an answer for but I see some problems with it all time. Many bands have side projects, they always tell you that ohh this project is the one we are going for. Well, at least the head person will tell you that. Then you can feel that the other persons sometimes are burning more for another project.
So should you let the members have other bands and projects. Metallica is a band that is not letting you have another side project. if you are a member of Metallica you are a member. a reason why former bass player Jason Newsted jumped off after years with them.
The good part of this move is that you won't bump into the problem when a side project goes well and the main act dies. So was the case of Millencolin. They all played in main projects like Seig menn, Charles Hårfager, and Kung Pung. Millencolin was just a side project. Today it's the main thing. They still have side projects but Millencolin is the main one.
Then you have Queen that let the members have really many side projects. Just so that people could get expressions of their art.
But I see a problem when you are on the baby steps of a band. It's not unusual that I work with artists that actually changed names four times in four years and switch members. The problem is that they change project so fast that if something is going ion it won't be since they already have changed. You can't expect that the project will be at full speed all the time and as soon it calms down a bit you change project. Chasing your dream like that will just end you to make a lot of projects that lead to very little to none success.
Right now that is a good question? Seems like most people don't realize that PR takes time. When we work with record labels they usually get up to 10 weeks before to make all the PR stuff that is needed. Okay if you are not famous 6 weeks is enough.
When I get people telling us that they need the stuff on Spotify the next day. They really know there will be no what so ever PR done around that release. The only thing they really do is making something happing so they can do a Facebook post around that they released a new song. if you are lucky they also sponsor that damn post. Still, it's a very expensive way to make Facebook posts.
The funny part is it's almost people that think they are professionals who do this. Most amateur at least uploads a week or two ahead. The fast ones are usually studios and other people claiming to know how.
These people are mainly the reason why the music industry is mainly going from an industry to a hobby.
You really have to be persistent if you gonna work in this business. I just saw another prospect throw in the towel.
A typical example. He came in three years ago with a lot of enthusiasm in the belive that he could make a change. Fast opened a recordlabel signing some bands. Then expand it to management since the recordlabel couldn't bring in the money. Run around like a sick rat promoting this band. Of course the first band you do almost never make it. In reality the band is good not excellent. Start then with side things like Pr services and concerts, in reality just make some money on anything. Then comes to the delusion that the musicindustry doesn't give you the chances you deserve. Then run in the wall and become sick of all the work with a hopeless project. Comes out on the other side gets a job that has some music but really not. Like working for the government making camps for children that like music or sitting in the reception on a PRO.
I see these a lot. We call them rat racers. Right now a majority of them are women. Have no answer why. The thing is that they wrong is that they want to get everything fast. Getting to the point where I am in a year time (took me 20 years) and then in two years become Tony Mottola.
You have to hang in there to succeed. You have to take the years until the network is strong enough. But right now to many want it to fast.
I have been seeing lately people asking stuff on Facebook. In reality they ask for services that people sell for free. It can be things like can someone give me advice how I do a funnel page or do you have contacts to UK publicists.
Sure I would help you if you give something back. But most people asking for things like this is newcomers that can't give something back of value in the position I'm in.
These also want to create clubs or meeting spots where they think the information flows. Reasently I have bumped into many in the level where I'm in that is really tired to give info to these newcomers and want us to start a club for a higher level. Problem is just to know how to measure the level.
Yes I used to help newcomers but like the rest I really growing tired to help out without even a thank you. I will be really picky who I will go along with.
The most pointless things you can do as an artist is just looking so things look alright. I don't know how many times I get calls from people want to change things on Spotify (or other sites) so they should look good on just their device. It can be all sorts of things they think should be there like a photo or bio.
The tragic part is that they think people won't listen to the songs if this piece of information is not there. Or the picture looks a bit out of shape.I can't really see any audience saying: Ohh the picture look awful so I won't listen to their song.
One of the key ellenments is iuallay that the artist that goes around complaining of small things like this is the ones that dosn't have so much streams. Reality behind that is two things.
One is that they spend all this time fixing things that really is not necessary instead of taking the time to promote the song so people actually listen to it.
Second is thinking since it's wrong doesn't spend the time to promote it to the audience.
In both cases the end results qwill be few listeners and that they blame on that the picture is a bit out scale.
Same with genre. Ohh we went to be in Country/metal/jazz fusion. The genre is nothing to care about. I have never met anyone that actually goes into Spotify and look up pop and start to browse through all the things that are under pop ( i don't know if it's even possible). So stop being a dumbfuck around genres. In reality you can almost put it under anything. The only thing the genre is doing that some site that only holds a certain kind of music won't pick it up. But hey if you don't do that kind of music. Nobody care tat you are not on that site.
You know what, good music will find its listeners if someone is talking about it. That we have seen with songs that people try to hide. They still find them.
Listen to a speech by Paul Pacifico who is the head of AIM. he said that the tech world is mainly coming into the music world saying, ohh we have a solution for its easy. Thinking that they who have been there for 3 minutes can solve the problem the industry had for 20 years.
After they tried they come back with what Donald Trump is saying here.
Yes, they did all his pre assessors knew it was that hard. Otherwise, they would have done it. In fact, Donald Trump making an ass of himself telling the world before this that solving the healthcare system was easy, can't be that hard. Then coming back a half year later tell you no one knew how hard it was.
Like there was something new that the systems of copyright are complicated. Yes, they are and no small app will just solve the problems.
I get the same feeling with the tech music industry right now. They come up with ideas that we had 10 years ago. Abanded these ideas since we now know it's too darn complicated. The one that they are presenting and tell you stuff like we will help artists, they build in a way so they rip off artist their money.
Really! Who doing that, you wonder. Well any tech site where they force you to use their IRSC codes is stealing your money. And it's very common because the tekkie thinks it's an easy way go around a much bigger problem, who is owning the master and can IFPI handle so many users?
I won't get into the bigger problematics on the ISRC codes, to not be fooled get your own codes, never upload on a page where you can't put your own codes ion and you are fine.
The bigger part is also that the tech companies treat the artist like cattle. They build their platform like all the artists are the same, which they are not. It's would be the stupidity that everybody looks at companies in the same way. There is a huge difference in needs at the U2 head office then the local band from Dublin. There is a difference between Google problems from the local grocery stores. Still, the music tech acts like they re all the same.
They never build on the subject of one artist. Just a mass thing of the artist. Like a herd of musicians. Right now I more than ever hear the crying help from musicians looking too swift through all there sites that are coming up with ideas that should solve the problem to reach an audience. I guess the future is in the tech companies that will get the solution for the artist on a personal level. Right now they are kind of few.
I heard a story from a guy touring with the reggae superstar Peter Tosh. They played a big show in Italy. Suddenly the power went out. There they were standing in front of several thousand people. Peter then took out an acoustic guitar and told the audience to be as silent as possible. Then started to play songs acoustically from the front of the stage. He did this for a couple of songs then the power went back.
That is the professional way to do it. When the obstacle happens you just go around it. The artists that have been papered with usually can't really do things like Peter Tosh did. They are freaked out if anything is not in order and the sound needs to be utterly perfect for them to do their thing.
In reality that is actually a sign that there not good enough. They try to hide behind a manager that demands different stuff that really is not necessary.
That is why I like to see an artist get into a showcase where it's only 10 people in the audience. There is a struggle with the sound and not the best stage. If they can master that, well then it's no worries that they can take on 50 000 people on Madison Square Graden with perfect sound and stage.
It might not be fun, but it's a good test if you have the skills to make it. And the understanding to know what to do.
One of these moments was when we played at SXSW with You Say France & I Whistle. We got to the gig place and the drumset that supposed to be there was just a mess. The floor tomb only had one leg. Instead of start nagging and drag out on the misery, the drummer instead went behind the bar got a box to put under the drum to solve the problem.
Nothing is really new. You steal to do new songs or inspired that they sometimes say. Same with clothes and stuff. The funny part is when artists get their ideas stolen back from someone. Many times I have been in situations when they steal back and the artist gets really mad that they stole back the things they stole already. Instead, you should be proud someone took something you did and get so inspired that they wanted to create out of that idea. Yes, I know there is a problem if it is pure piracy a totally bootleg, that is not okay. But sometimes it's kind of fun.
The Magnettes found their clothes being copied by H&M in Sweden the other day. This is from an H&M store in Sweden.
Yes you can really see where you got this from. I mean even the name "Witches". The Magnettes is creating something new so they mainly laughed about it.
This is also one of the things you wonder. You Say France & I Whistle released this video on 5 of March 2012.
Imagine Dragons released this one 10 of December 2012.
I don't know if the director for You Say France & I Whistle stole the idea from something else. But I don't think so. The video was about that You Say France & I Whistle stopped having the stuffed animals on the stage and killed them. What I know is that the "blood" was a new effect coming out.
A VLOG about two very fancy words like Influencers and Algorithms. Also, check out witch band really SUUUUCKS and why the computer really can't tell the next thing.
