October 11, 2009

Win $10,000 Cash from ArtistForce.com

ArtistForce, the web-based relationship management platform and marketplace for live entertainment, has introduced a free version of its service. The free edition provides artists with up to five different industry resources per month and will make it possible for them to receive messages, negotiate booking inquiries, and use the ArtistForce widget, without paying any fees. Entertainment buyers will enjoy free and unlimited access to review talent, negotiate performance offers, manage event expenses, generate documents, and manage contacts.

ArtistForce is offering a cash prize of $10,000 to the artist who books the most paid shows using any free or paid version of ArtistForce between October 9, 2009 and February 14, 2010. The cash prize will be presented in Austin during the company’s participation in SXSW 2010, where the winning artist will also be given the opportunity to perform live at an ArtistForce sponsored event.

October 7, 2009

Public Enemy Raising Money from Fans on SellaBand

Pubic Enemy is the first established act to sign with SellaBand, the fan funding platform for music artists. SellaBand will facilitate the fan funding process for Public Enemy’s new album with the band aiming to raise $250,000 in increments of $25.00. Fans who invest in Public Enemy will receive an exclusive, numbered copy of the album and share in the revenues from sales of the record.

“SellaBand’s financial engine model goes about restructuring the music business in reverse,” says Public Enemy front man Chuck D. “It starts with fans first, then the artists create from there. The music business is built on searching for fans and this is a brand new way for acts to create a new album with fans first, already on board.”

The news follows an earlier press release from SellaBand announcing an improved and more accessible fan funding platform for independent artists, which I wrote about here.

October 7, 2009

Robbie Williams BBC Live Cinema Broadcast

BBC Worldwide Music is broadcasting Robbie Williams’ anticipated Electric Proms performance into cinemas worldwide.

Robbie Williams will play Camden’s Roundhouse on October 20, as part of the BBC’s Electric Proms event and in advance of his new record, slated for release November 9. The performance will be his first in three years.

The event will be broadcast live across 200 cinemas in more than 23 countries in Europe, followed by screenings in Australia on November 6 and South Africa on November 13.

October 2, 2009

Audiolife partners with Hopeless Records

Audiolife, an innovator in direct-to-fan eCommerce, has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with LA-based Hopeless Records, renowned for acts such as All Time Low, Avenged Sevenfold, and Thrice. Audiolife’s comprehensive “on demand” digital and physical eCommerce solution will provide Hopeless Records with a robust merchant facility for its artists’ music and merchandise sales as well as all-encompassing and real-time analytics and sales trends.

From a press release published on the 1st Oct 2009:

“Working with Audiolife was an easy choice. Our fans are interested in digital content and sharing that content with their friends,” remarked Ian Harrison, Director of Marketing, Hopeless Records. “The Audiolife technology makes this possible very quickly. Within a day, we can post an artist’s branded store on their website, blog, and all social networks, and can deliver all of their merchandise, digital albums, and ringtones directly to the fans. We are looking forward to the many amazing opportunities that Audiolife has created with their eCommerce solutions, and are excited about the future.”

Added Brandon Hance, Founder & CEO of Audiolife: “Hopeless Records is the first among many indie labels who will integrate our technology into their artist marketing and promotions initiatives. We are confident that their leadership in the Direct-to-Fan space will give others the proof needed to launch their own eCommerce solutions for the thousands upon thousands of indie artists looking for alternative ways to monetize their careers.”

September 30, 2009

SellaBand – Fan Funded Music 2.0

Since 2006, artists raising funds on SellaBand had to reach the $50,000 mark to cash out (see previous post). In a recent post on their blog, SellaBand announced that the company has reconsidered the model and will implement a flexible funding goal structure (from $10,000 to $100,000) which should make the platform accessible to more artists.

“When SellaBand was launched in 2006, we set out to make a difference. A lot has happened, a lot has been achieved. Over the years, the world SellaBand is operating in has changed, our environment has changed and our ideas of what the role of SellaBand as a company is has changed. Almost on a daily basis we are being approached by bands, managements and labels, asking if they can somehow use the SellaBand concept and change it to their own liking.”

SellaBand is the first online platform to introduce the concept of fan funded music. Anyone can invest in a SellaBand artist. Once the artist has reached his or her funding goal, all Investors receive a free limited edition copy of the CD. Artists and their Investors share equally in the revenues of album sales.

September 24, 2009

Band Metrics Raises Capital

BandMetrics
Duncan Freeman, Founder and CEO of Band Metrics, announced today on his blog that his company raised an undisclosed amount from the Georgia Tech Edison Fund, an early-stage technology fund managed by the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

“We’re thrilled about the investment as it will assist us in completing our initial product offering for our public beta release later this year, and continued development in 2010. We could not have asked for a better investment partner, as the ATDC, one of the nation’s leading university-based technology accelerators is committed to Atlanta’s thriving technology community, and helping startups become successful companies.”

Band Metrics is a data analytics and decision support system for the music industry, helping its users define and learn about their target audiences. The system gathers pertinent data about artists and displays manageable statistics and assumptions for its users’ insight, application and marketing advantage. For instance, Band Metrics will provide feedback about an artist’s presence on a variety of social networks which, in turn, can be applied to target promotional campaigns and isolate the areas where the artist may more effectively invest his resources.

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September 21, 2009

Interview with Wil Padley, Founder of BandCentral

1. Wil, I see the value in BandCentral but is it really a ‘must-have’?

While record labels are trying to halt their downward spiral and unswervingly opting for “safe” artists with proven mass-market appeal, the DIY model of self-management, self-promotion and self-releasing is the only option available to the majority of bands − and the only way that most bands will get off the first rung of the music industry ladder. Any band that is serious about moving their career forward in this climate will see BandCentral as an essential tool.

In our experience, the difference between a successful band and a band that fades away has to do almost entirely with hard work, dedication and passion. BandCentral is designed to streamline the self-management process and make every-day organisation and communication between the band, band manager and third-parties much easier, enabling you to get on with the music and promotion, rather than getting bogged down with missed communications, lost gig booking info, bickering over shared or IOU costs, chasing each other for rehearsal or gig stage times, losing your performing rights data or not having important files at hand.

Naysayers say that “bands will never be organised enough to do all this stuff themselves”. I believe that these are the same people that are sitting around, blinkered to all the opportunities the digital sphere presents to artists and waiting for CD sales at record stores to turn around. I know from personal experience that without some way of keeping tabs on the nuts’n’bolts admin side of a creative venture, there’s a risk that the band can lose momentum and non-creative work can sink the entire endeavour.

Making it in the music industry has always involved a lot of hard work but never more so than today. BandCentral fills a vital role in this new ‘DIY’ paradigm, helping bands to harness the best of what the web has to offer them and giving them all the tools they need to streamline the self-management process and join the music revolution.

2. Should every band be using BandCentral, from fledgling to established?

Every band that is serious about their music should be using BandCentral.
If you’re an unknown band, you should make use of BandCentral’s tools to get organised, get yourselves out there and get known. Once you’re established BandCentral will help you to collaborate better with each other encourage complete transparency in dealings with third-parities such as managers, producers & bookers etc. and help you to organize every aspect of your band life. It will also help you to organise and get the most out of all the different elements of the DIY business model, from live shows and tours to single/album releases and accounting and merchandising.

Acts who have broken through to the big-time will have an army of full time management looking after them, so acts like Coldplay or Interpol are obviously not going to be needing any help from BandCentral. Their management, however, would find it hugely helpful on a day-to-day basis as it keeps everything in one central, secure and instantly accessible place online.

Every industry needs a tool to help it get organised – BandCentral aims to be that tool for the Music Industry.

3. Most bands are strapped for cash. With so many musician resources out there, bands often face a tough call as to which they should spend their money on. I have always recommended investing in assets that show a direct financial return. Is BandCentral such an asset?

I’m in full time band and I know from personal experience how costly things can be. We’ve intentionally kept the price down with cash-strapped bands in mind and we feel that £4.99 (approx. $10) per month split between 4 or 5 people is a small price to pay for the service that we offer bands. It’s less than one packet of smokes in the UK.. and a lot better for you! We also have a Free option for those bands who either can’t quite justify the outlay yet or see their bands as more of a hobby or a side interest.

There’s a strong argument for a band saving a great deal of money simply by being better organized. To take the BandCentral Finance Manager as one example, if your band keeps track of finances in a detailed, responsible way, then you’ll know what you’re spending, when and how you’re wasting your money, and you’ll surely pick up much more than £4.99 a month in savings.

So, is BandCentral an asset worth investing in? You tell me.

4. How is BandCentral different to Bandize?

Whilst Bandize is certainly in the same territory as BandCentral, anyone who has tried the two services will be aware that there are stark differences in terms of functionality, design and overall usability. We welcome comparisons between the two sites because this gives us the opportunity to highlight the contrasts.

5. When do you expect to become profitable? Do you expect to reach this goal without another round of investment?

We have been working on BandCentral for the last 15 months and have grown to a team of 7. Happily, we’re on course to become profitable within the next 12 -18 months. BandCentral has already negotiated a second round of funding, details of which will be released in the coming weeks.

6. What can we expect to see from BandCentral in the next six months?

BandCentral Version 2 will be launching in the autumn and brings with it a whole host of brilliant new features such as Music and Merch Management along with some cutting edge enhancements to those V1 features that BandCentral users already know and love.

We’re also incredibly excited about the BandCentral iPhone app that’s in development because it’s something our bands have been asking for for a while and were pretty confident it’ll transform how bands and band managers communicate and get organised whilst on the move. We have just appointed an agency and the app will be set for release in early 2010.

Beyond that, we’ve got some more music festivals and industry events lined up, both here, in the UK, and abroad. We’re going to be taking BandCentral to Music Live in November, MIDEM in Cannes in January and we’re excited to be part of the really strong British contingent headed to SXSW in March ‘10.
You’ll be hearing a lot more about BandCentral V2 and developments with the iPhone app in the coming weeks.

Visit www.bandcentral.com

September 16, 2009

ReverbNation launches the Reverb Store

Yesterday, ReverbNation announced their partnership with Audiolife and the soft launch of the Reverb Store, a robust and fully-integrated e-commerce solution for artists and agents to sell directly to their fanbase. From do-it-yourself T-shirt designs to comprehensive earning reports, the Reverb Store is as turn-key as the ReverbNation ethos. Best of all, it includes all the social media promotional widgets and collateral you would expect as well as seamless integration with ReverbNation’s existing marketing features. Anyone can open a store, create as many custom items as they want, and operate the store for free. No monthly minimums, no monthly fees.

“The Reverb Store allows artists to layer a purchasing opportunity into every fan interaction they have online, whether it’s at Facebook, MySpace, a blog, or the band’s own website.”
– Michael Doernberg, CEO of ReverbNation

“Artists need solutions that can help them grow their fan base and convert those fans into customers. The Reverb Store is the total package, combining the best of ReverbNation and Audiolife.”
– Brandon Hance, Founder and CEO of Audiolife

September 14, 2009

6 Minutes with Brenden Mulligan

Tim Jahn of Beyond the Pedway interviews ArtistData’s Brenden Mulligan as part of a series of video interviews focusing on Chicago-based companies.

September 9, 2009

Martin Atkins - Tips & Tip Jars

1. Martin, what qualifies you to give advice to artists about self-promotion and management?

Experience.

..owning an independent label for the last 20 years, starting and building my own studio, traveling the world with PiL, Killing Joke, touring with Ministry, starting my own insane revolving band Pigface that has had over 300 members so far. Stuff like that.

In 1995, I started to put package tours together, inspired by labels like STIFF that organized a train tour in the early 80’s. It wasn’t the most sensible method of traveling with bands and equipment but certainly most press worthy. Between 1995 to 2006, I was always tying new ideas on the road, pushing the envelope, and did a free 40 date tour a couple of years before Ozzfest was free. Amongst all of that, there was a tour where I lost $60k and one where my wife had a miscarriage on the road.

I just turned 50. I have lived through all of the so-called end of the music business chaos from the punk rock revolution and the threat of the blank cassette tape to the end of the majors (the first time) to the format wars (digital vs. analog, betamax/vhs etc.).

2. Your most recent publication is titled Tour Smart. How are most artists currently ‘touring stupid’?

Too many local shows.

No t-shirts or only one design (you have to have at least two).

Not booking themselves.

Not having a live CD or a second CD that they can give away for free.

Not learning how to screen print.

Waiting for the knock on the door that is never going to happen.

Treating their fans like fans instead of friends.

etc. etc.

3. How did you come up with the tip jar idea?

I re-mixed it from a band called Sheep On Drugs − they remixed it from homeless people. The guys with the humorous “need money for drugs and alcohol” signs get more $$$ than the guys with the “homeless veteran, please help” signs. A band just wrote to me to say that the $10 to $15 extra per night they collected from tips made the difference between them eating or not. They said that without the tip jar, they wouldn’t have made it through their first 10 day tour!

4. What did they write on their tip jar sign?

Sheep On Drugs had “Sheep On Drugs alcohol fund – please give generously”. They made people laugh right when they had their change in their hands from a t-shirt or CD purchase… perfect!

5. To Tweet or not to Tweet?

Tweet. @marteeeen but don’t #follow… #lead!

6. I want to get signed. It’s the only thing I care about. I want the money. I want the professional support. I want the big tour bus. I want to live on stage and die in the studio. Can you help me?

Yup, if you are prepared to spend 5 years working your ass off to get there.

But it can’t be about the money. If it’s just about the money, then I think you’re fucked. If it’s just about the size of the tour bus, then once again, I think you might be fucked.

If you said, “I want a better tour bus so that my crew guys − the ones that put up the scenery and help make all of this possible can get a better night’s sleep and have more room for their espresso machine etc. etc.” then that’s a different story but, if it’s just so that you have the biggest tour bus in the car park, then that’s lame ego driven stuff and you will fail.

7. Give me one way to make money from my music today:

Stop trying to make money specifically from your music. Give it away..

..but with a t-shirt ($5).

..or hand bound book of recipes that you cooked up while you were recording ($15).

..or a re-mix CD ($10)

We Are Listening

www.wearelistening.org