Plan Before You Jump

Good Morning All….

Today starts a new day, like every day, except that today you are going to learn to stop, think, plan, and then jump…. At least that is the idea behind this blog post.

I, like so many other creative types, am an instant gratification freak. If I get an idea I want to jump, like right now, and get it started. I usually don’t like to wait for research, figure out the best method of working the idea, or anything like that. I want to do it now, while it’s how and on my mind…. because as a creative type I might have another GREAT idea in just a few moments so I need to strike now, while this idea is still fresh…….

That was the old me, the one who had a lot of good ideas and jumped from one to the other with no plan or road map to connect all the ideas together. Here is the problem. Most my ideas where really good ideas and made good money, but it wasn’t money in my pocket. You see I would start something, without a plan to succeed, someone else would see what I was doing, and they would take the time to plan it, work it, and follow through with it. Usually by the time a new Idea struck I was gone… but the other person was just getting his or her full plan finalized and would start rolling out my ideas and capitolize from it, pretty fast most of the time!

What is worse, is that looking back on some ideas that made money, I can see that if I would have taken time to put them all together I would have had a solid marketing campaign that had many great individual strategies all working toward the goal of a major plan.

This blog post is way to short to go into actually planning and research, but I am starting a new series over at www.IamMusicNetwork.com on building an actual marketing plan that works, that is thought out, and contains the research steps necessary to succeed. I will lay it out like my book, Hip Hop Business Advisor, in a step by step format that will be easy to follow.

I really hope you stop, learn, research, and learn to plan so you can stay ahead of your competition. It’s not hard and it takes a lot less time and effort to make that dollar once you do.

…oh and by the way, since I have learned to plan, Life is much easier, clients stick around a lot longer, and getting new business and pushing forward is simpler. I actually get to see my ideas working now and they put money in my pocket instead of my competition’s!

Sherman Hu – Blogging for Fans Interview

Ok,

The interview is up and ready for you to consume! Sherman Hu took the time out of his busy schedule and talked about blogging for more fans be sure to check it out.

Click here to listen
(You have to sign-up for a free account to listen)

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

Blogging for Fans

Hey Folks,

I conducted a great interview with Sherman Hu about an hour ago and am in the process of getting it uploaded to the website for you to listen to. I thought while I was waiting for it to bounce out of pro tools I could take a moment to hip you to what is really going on…..

I am starting an intensive 3 week course on blogging for fans scheduled to roll out on August first. This isn’t your normal “FREE” online course where it is really a big scam to get you to buy something bigger. Don’t get me wrong, I would love for you to buy my book, “Hip Hop Business Advisor” ….(shameless plug I know!)… but really, the course is 100% free, all you need to do is register so you can get into the course area.

The course is all about blogging, how to set up a blog, how to blog, why to blog, blogging resources and more. If you aren’t hip to blogging yet or a seasoned pro this course will give you a lot of tips, tricks, and techniques that will help you gain more fans, but more so, it will teach you how to connect with your fans in a way that will get them to buy into what you have for sell… music and merchandise.

I will post updates, the interview with Sherman, and how to sign up here so keep an eye out. I should have a sign up form ready in a day or two!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

You Ain’t All That!

What Up Folks,

Been a busy, busy week! Going to be short and to the point…

Topic #1

You ain’t all that! I have said it a million times and it looks like I will say it a million more…. Stop sending industry folks – (managers, consultants, record labels, promoters, etc.) emails that say “I am the next big thing. I have so much going on, I am talking to label XYZ, Doing shows with ABC…”

The first thing an industry pro is going to think is… “Hum, if this kay has all this going on then why is he/she contacting me?”

It simply puts up a read flag! It’s like this. If you want help from someone then ask for help. Tell them what you are doing, for sure, but don’t try to come across like you already have it all going on.

If you are cold calling, or emailing, someone in the industry and trying to get a door open then try to approach them in a professional way so you stand out. Start with an introduction of who you are, why you are contacting them, and what you are really hoping to get out of the contact. Then, and only if it is fact that is verifiable – they will check!!!!, start a new paragraph with what you have done up to this point, what career highlights you have managed to land on your own, and where you “THINK” your career is headed. The next paragraph needs to be CONTACT INFORMATION. Tell the person where they can go listen to your music, check out a video or two, read your bio, and basically get a better feel for who you are. Most important, do not send attachments if you want your email to be read. Send a link to your song. Most industry pros do not even open emails with attachments.

Topic #2

Don’t even think about sending an email, calling, contacting, or “accidentally” bumping into someone in the club or street that you think can open a door up for your career unless you are ready! Half ass mixes done on a home computer without the aid of an engineer or at least someone with an ear for GOOD mixes will kill your chance at getting the door open… but worse, it will kill your chance with that connection entirely for the future. Giving someone in the industry a “Mix” with a note that says “this isn’t done or ready yet but wanted to send it to you anyway…” does not get you off the hook. It makes you look like you don’t care enough about your own career to take the time, or find the money, to get your music right! This is your shoot at getting a door open. Do you really want your first impression to be a song has not been recorded, mixed, or mastered properly? First impressions are lasting impressions. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those out there that “think” their music will stand up toe to toe with what is on the radio because you don’t actually listen to your music, rather you rap or sing along with it every time it’s played, wake up!!!! You have got to start listening to your music with an open ear. You have got to start listening to your music for 30 seconds then listen to any other artist that has music on the radio nationally…. I am not talking about your local “hood heros” that have a song on your hometown radio station…. Is that who you are really competing with? Really? Start comparing your mixes to mixes that are getting real radio, mtv, bet, etc. rotation. Trust me, the moment you listen to your music, then pop in another disc from a major, you will hear the difference if you are really listening with an open ear your joint stand up! Once YOU think it can stand up with what is out there take it to a local DJ, BIG PRO studio, or anywhere you can find someone that works with music that is played on the radio all the time and ask them to listen. Make sure you don’t know the person and tell them you really want to know if it sounds like other commercial releases. But also tell them you don’t care if they like your song, you are worried about the sound. Your style, taste, or vibe does not matter at this point… leave that judgement up to the industry pro you are about to send the music to trying to get that door open. All you care about is knowing if your music stands up against other commercial releases. IF you go to a major studio simply ask to tour the facility, tell them you have been recording in another studio and feel that your sound might not be as good as it needs and would like to discuss recording at their studio and would like a tour and have them listen to what you have done. Folks, you are not lying because once you figure out that you are not getting the sound you need out of the spot you are recording at…. you will be looking for another studio. It really is that simple!

Conclusion….

Start taking your career serious! Start listening to your music with an open ear! Start contacting industry pros with a bit of humbleness. The music industry is going through a major change right now… we all know it. But what you might not realize is that what is happening is that the music is starting to matter again. It’s not all about the hype anymore. You have to have good music that the public wants to hear again. If you are not putting the time into your music, your message, and being real to yourself, humble with the fans and industry pros, or actually listening to what you are creating you will be left behind. It’s not 2001 anymore. It’s 2009 and the internet demands that you actually have something to offer before contacting fans or industry pros. It’s up to you, but I highly suggest getting back in the lab, finding the real artist in yourself, and dedicating yourself to good music over BS image!

Harsh? You bet!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

Artist Development – The "IT" Factor

What is the “IT” factor? I know you have heard about it, read about it, and maybe even talked about it amongst your friends or with some of your artists. But really… what is “IT?” Is it a great song? A good look? A good stage show? All of these things are the symptoms of someone who has the illusive “IT” factor. These things just come naturally to those who have “IT.” An artist or group who has “IT” can walk on stage and do no wrong, sit down for an interview and command attention, and they always seem to have a look that makes people want to know them… no matter how they are dressed, when you see them, or what the circumstances are… they just have “IT.”

“IT” is an attitude, a drive, and a passion that is deep within you. It’s the ability to know what to say, how to say it, where to go, why to go there, when to stay, when to leave, how to act, what to do, and why to do it at that moment. It’s almost a super power ability to fit in no matter where you are, who you are around, or what is going on around you.

“IT” is confidence!

Notice, I didn’t say cockiness, arrogance, conceitedness, assuming, domineering, egotistic, know-it-all, overbearing, lordly, or on an ego trip. I said someone who has the “IT” factor has confidence. You can be confident and still be real, easy to get along with, nice, helpful, admirable, courteous, thankful, gracious, inviting, well-mannered, charming, and most important approachable!

Confidence allows you to walk in a room and not worry what people are thinking. “IT” allows you to walk in that room and hold your head high and give people the impression that they want to know you because you command attention simply by your swagger. Confidence allows you to sit down with the press and not worry weather you will mess up or not because you already know you might mess up and that everyone messes up who gets interviewed and this allows you to concentrate on quality answers, because you are ready, rather than messing up. Confidence allows you to walk on stage in front of 10 or 10,000 people no matter what club, what city, or what show you are performing at knowing you can only do your very best to entertain, because you are ready, rather than worry if you are good enough to impress everyone in the crowd. Most important though, confidence allows you to be comfortable in any situation you find yourself knowing that you are as prepared as you can be at that moment and can only do your best no matter what goes down! Ahhh, there it is, the light bulb moment, the moment you might have missed if you weren’t paying attention…

Confidence, or the “IT” factor, is knowing that you are as prepared for anything that comes your way! The only way to be confident that you are prepared is to have the knowledge ready when needed…

Think about 7th grade for a minute. Man, 7th grade sucked butt for most guys and girls because it was the time you knew what the opposite sex was and what it meant, but you were awkward, unsure, and uncomfortable around the opposite sex because you had no confidence in 7th grade that they would like you. OK you wise asses, I was hoping some of you would say “I had no problem with the opposite sex..” Actually I was counting on it. You had the “IT” factor of the 7th graders! Why do you think some of you reading this had “IT” and others didn’t? Because you had knowledge. You had the opposite sex talking to you, looking at you when you walked down the hall, and you had them passing you notes! Because of this knowledge you had the confidence it took to walk up to them, talk to them, and ask them out. To the guys or girls that didn’t have this knowledge or confidence, you had the 7th grade swagger or as I like to call it, the “IT” factor. But what you really had was the knowledge that the opposite sex already knew you existed because they noticed you, they talked to you, and they looked at you. Knowledge is power!

But now think back a minute…. wasn’t there at least one kid you can remember that was a geek, shy, or basically someone you would never think could get “that girl or guy” to date them? How did they do it? No one paid attention to them, they didn’t sit with the “in” crowd at lunch, and they sure didn’t dress the part of being a “popular” kid. How did they do it? How did they walk up to girls or guys and get them to pay attention and not get laughed at? They had confidence! They didn’t care what people said, did, thought, or how much they got laughed at… they wanted the opposite sex bad enough that they knew they had to “just do it” until it worked. After they did it enough, or gained the knowledge of trial and error no matter if it meant being rejected or laughed at, they had confidence! That confidence allowed them to walk up to the “popular” girl or guy and get a kiss even though everyone in 7th grade didn’t think they should have! Ahhh…. so artist development, or in this case 7th grade development is simply practice and dedication to learning no matter how stupid you feel, what it takes, how hard it is, or what people think about you while doing it because you want it that bad! Folks, that’s another light bulb moment… don’t miss it!

Again, knowledge is power, knowledge is confidence, and confidence is the “IT” factor you are searching for in your artists or yourself! Without it you will never have “IT.”

You can develop the “IT” factor and it is actually pretty simple. It just takes effort and practice. It is artist development. Artist development is practicing your interviewing skills with friends, family members, and family members friends. You do this by having people sit down and interview you. Be sure to record it so you can listen back and see what needs work. After you do it enough times you will start to form basic answers to any question that is thrown at you. Answers are knowledge, knowledge is confidence, and confidence is the “IT” factor. Do the same thing with your live show. Set up a CD player and start working on your live show. Record it to video. Watch it, see what needs work, and perfect it! The more you practice and watch your practices the more knowledge you will have as to how your show looks. Once you know your show looks good you will have the confidence to go perform in front of 10 or 10,000 people knowing that you have a good show. This is the “IT” factor! Artists development feels stupid at times. You mess up, you look like a fool, and your friends may laugh. The “IT” factor from within gives you the drive to keep doing it until they don’t laugh. I promise, if you don’t feel like a fool you are not doing it right! Think about that geek in 7th grade, he or she kept doing it even when rejected until they got it right!

Everything you do as an artist requires practice, better known as artists development. If you are not developing yourself or your artists you are messing up. I promise there is another artist or label across town that is putting the time into artist development right now. They are working hard to build confidence that will lead to them having the “IT” factor. A boxer trains everyday, all day. That is his or her job. Your job is being an artist. Practice it all day long. Put down the playstation controller, stop spending time just “hanging” with your friends, and start working up your knowledge base!

Good luck… although with knowledge you don’t need luck… and get to work!
Peace,
Jai
Hip Hop Business Advisor
I am MUSIC network
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

Video Shoots

What Up!

Quick Post! I’m tired…. Had a full day of shooting new video for Lenny Mack yesterday.

If/when you get ready to shoot a video, no matter who you think you are or how deep your team is…. only a hand full of people will actually show up for your video. i know, I know, you can do it, you can get folks there… right! Wink Wink!

In the 20 years i have been in this business one thing seems to be true. People do not show up for video shoots unless you are paying them to do so. Make sure you rent a buss, have your DEEP team driving to pick folks up, or simply plan on only 1 in 10 people actually making it to your video shoot.

Folks, if you beat the odds… great! But don’t plan a club scene, rent a club, and hire a video crew unless you know, not thin, no assume, but know you will have at least 200 people show up for the shoot. You can make a big club look full with 200, but you can’t do anything with 20!

Just a community service announcement!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

What Drives You to Keep Going?

Hey Folks!

Just a short blog today, nothing earth shattering… but worth a blog post I think.

What keeps you going no matter what you face? Is it the love of music? The desire to be the best? Is it so you can prove to yourself or other that you can succeed when everyone says its not possible? Take a minute and think about it. Really dig deep and find what is driving you. That is your passion!

The music industry, as most of you and I have already figured out, will eat you alive with a quickness! No matter if you succeed or fail there is always someone there to either take the credit you deserve or say “I told you so!” I have always looked at it like the movie home alone… lol.. but there is a scene where the kid rigs a paint bucket to swing down the stairs and hit the robber in the face… That is the music industry. There is always a paint bucket ready to hit you square in the face when you look up to take the next step.

So my question is this; what is the driving force that allows you to take that bucket in the face, over and over, with each new step you take? Why am I asking? Because it is important to know!

No matter your driving force, it really doesn’t matter if its fame, love, passion, fortune, or anything else, that is what needs to motivate you everyday. By this I mean every activity you undertake should start with one question… “Is this getting me closer to my goal.” If the answer is no, stop doing whatever it is you are doing and start doing something towards your goal. If you do not stick to your passion, the core reason you are in the music game, you will never succeed. Here are some examples:

If you own a record label, with a driving force of selling 10,000 in the first month, and continually get “hit in the face from a swinging paint bucket” from an artist you have signed always showing up late, not rehearsing, partying too much, etc. – you are working on getting them motivated and you are not working towards your goal of having the hottest indie label int he region that sells 10,000 units in the first month. Stop wasting your time and effort. They either want it or they don’t. Your goal is to find an artist that will allow you to reach your driving force of selling 10,000 units – not motivating an artist!

Here is another…

If you are an artist with a driving force of getting signed to a major label (not a good driving force in today’s music industry.. but it’s just an example) and you are doing every open mic night in your hometown for the same people every weekend year round….. stop! At the very least you could use the time and gas money you are wasting to get to the club at home sitting on the internet marketing yourself on a world level instead of performing for your local crowd. I am not saying local shows are bad, they are good to practice and get ready for national shows… and a lot of folks have gotten signed from doing local shows, but if you are doing the same show, for the same crowd, in the same city, with the same results over and over you are not working toward your goal of getting a major record deal. You are only becoming a hometown hero!

My point…

Look at what drives you to get hit in the face over and over while working in the music industry. Focus on that goal. Stop doing activities that take you away from that goal. You will have to dig deep. You will have to look at your situation, from the outside in… meaning; if you are that record label ceo that is motivating an artist over and over you may think you are trying to get to your goals by motivating your artist… but if you look from the outside in you may see that more time is spent motivating your artist than actually producing records you can sell! Only you know what your driving force is. Only you can see if your activities are getting you closer, further, or staying in the same spot. But the important issue… Only you can change what you are doing right now to start moving closer to your goals!

- This has been a motivational minute by Jai -

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself int he MUSIC!”

Interview on MR All Business Radio Tonight at 5:30 PM (Central Time)

What Up Folks!

Tonight at 5:30pm (central) I will be on Blog Talk Radio with host Mr. All Business discussing marketing, business, and everything else related to the hip hop entertainment industry. If you don’t know about Mr. All Business I suggest clicking on the link above and checking out his show. He has a lot of cool guests, great real world info about how current artists are making their mark, and tips, tricks, and techniques to get ahead!

Click Here to Visit the Show Page

Call in, become a part of tonight’s discussion and start working toward creating more buzz, selling more CDs, and getting your music in the hands of more fans!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the MUSIC in Yourself, Not Yourself in the MUSIC!”

Marketing Hip Hop 101: Stop, Plan, Take Action, & Then Track Your Efforts

Marketing Hip Hop Music 101

Stop!

Stop doing everything you are doing right now. Really! I don’t mean stop all your efforts forever. But for right now, until you have everything planned to work together, stop spending money, stop passing out fliers, and stop all your marketing efforts.

The worst thing you can do while trying to market hip hop music is not have a plan. Without a plan how do you know what is working, what you will do next, or what you need to do today to be ready for next weeks strategy? You can’t!

Plan!

I talk to a lot of indie labels and artists in the urban world that tell me they simply do not know how to put together a music marketing plan so they just do what they can until they have enough money to hire a hip hop consultant. This is wrong! This does not help you. I know it may seem like “doing what you can” will help you along. Actually, it does, but it can be soooo much better if you plan for what it is you are trying to do. Here is what I mean…

Let’s say you do not really know how to do street team promotions. That is ok. You at least know that you need to be passing out fliers to as many folks as you can, right? So if you are only doing what you know that means you are sending your team out to just pass out fliers. But why? What is your goal? What is the end result you are looking for? How are you going to achieve your goal? How will you know if your goal is reached? All these questions ARE your plan. They are the reason you are spending the $150 bucks at PKGraphics to have your fliers printed and $20 in gas money to get to the spot you think you will get the most out of your effort! And the crazy thing is you know the answers but think you don’t know how to do street promotions. Again, here is what I mean…

Let’s say you have a show coming up in two weeks. You know you want to pass out fliers to get as many people to the show as you can. Now take it a step further, before you even design the flier:

What is your goal?
Every club owner or manager knows how many people the venue usually attracts for live shows. In fact, most will be able to tell you how many people attended for the previous 6 months on the particular night you are performing. All you have to do is call up the club, ask for the manager or owner, and ask them how many people they typically get on a Friday night. (assuming your show is on a Friday night.)Now you have a real number. You can now set an attendance goal, higher than the typical crowd, that you are targeting! Once you have a goal it is much easier to track your efforts and see what is working and what is not working.

How are you going to reach your goal?
While you are on the phone with the manager or club owner ask where most of the patrons come from. Meaning; is it the same crowd every Friday night or a different crowd every week. Does the club do radio, internet, or print advertising? Basically, how does the club attract it’s weekly crowd. Once you know how they get their typical crowd then you know what it is you need to do to get additional people. Don’t do what they do so you do not repeat their efforts. If they already send out a street team find out where and make sure you find other hot spots to post up on. If they are not doing any radio adds maybe you should. If they do not do any online social networking maybe you should do that as well. The key here is to find out what the club does and you market differently.

Act!

Once you have a goal and have planned how you are going to try and reach your goal it is time to act. Do not loose site of your plan as you are on the streets. It is way to easy to be in one spot and think another is better. If you have a plan you need to act upon your plan. If you change your plan you will not know if it works or if it needs to be changed. Remember, you are going to have hundreds of shows. Do not think you do not have time to refine a marketing plan for the next show. You want to stay to your plan until you do see the results from your tracking efforts. Think of it this way… What if you only see 20 people at the spot you are at but they tell 3 friends each and 60 people show up to your show but at another spot, the one you think may be a better place, you see 100 people but only 5 show up to the show? Which spot is better? How would you know if you don’t stick to your plan of action and then look at your tracking results to make any needed changes? You wouldn’t. Stay with your plan unless it is very, very obvious, like no one is where you are at, until you have completed the action steps of your plan!

Tracking!

How are you tracking your music marketing efforts to know if you reached your goal?
Showing up to the club 10 minutes before you are scheduled to take stage and looking around the club to see the crowd is not an effective tracking method. But it is what most indie labels and artists do at every show to determine weather or not they had a good turn out! How do you know where the crowd came from? How do you know if your efforts brought them in or the other efforts from the club? How do you know why they came to the club, was it because of you or your artist or simply because they were looking to get out?

Tracking your efforts is the most important part of music marketing. It is more important than the actual marketing itself! I know, it sounds crazy. But think of it this way… If you are spending $100 a week on your marketing efforts and they are not helping you reach your goals you are not only wasting $400 a month for nothing, but you are also wasting your time and effort. Trust me, your time and effort are worth a whole lot more than $400 a month when it comes to music marketing.

Tracking your live show promotional efforts is easy. All you have to do is put someone right outside the door talking to the people as they are walking up to the club. Ask them why they are coming to the club. Ask them how far they are driving to get to the club. Ask they if they noticed any of your marketing efforts. Then, ask them where they hang out on a week to week basis. You want this information for future marketing efforts. Think how easy it will be the next time you market a live show if you know where to go to find your crowd. At the same time have the person talking to the people keep a count as to how many people actually went in the club. I suggest going to Walmart and buying one of those counters to make it much easier! They are cheap and you will get a lot of useful information from them.

Conclusion!

You see, you do know more about building a marketing plan than you thought. You might not have all the tips, tricks, or techniques to get more of the people you meet while marketing to attend you show. But you at least know that you need a goal- that leads to a plan- that can be tracked after the show is complete so you know how your music marketing efforts worked. It’s not about having all the information. It’s about using the information you have to the best of your abilities. The only way to do this is to slow down, think about what you are going to do, do what you say, and track the efforts to see if it worked. Then, and only then, change the plan to increase your results the next time you market your music!

Good Luck – Stop, Plan, act, and track!!!!

Peace,
Jai
“Love the Music in Yourself, Not Yourself in the Music!“

Music Business – Contact Info & Call to Action

Hey Folks,

Continuing on the music business theme I seem to be on lately…. Why do most hip hop fliers and website I come across make it almost impossible to find the contact information needed to take the action requested? I mean come on! If you create a flier letting me know you have a new CD for me to buy then at least make it easy for me to find out where to buy it! And if you are promoting a live show let me know when, where, why, and how to get there!

I am talking about your music marketing and business “call to action.” In the “business world” the call to action is the most important part of marketing or business networking. These folks first think about who, what, where, and why and then try to design something creative around it. In the music world most indies have it twisted and think it has to be totally creative and then find a place to hide the business information or call to action.

It’s wrong, it’s hurting you, and you could be making more money if you learn how to call your potential fans into action with each message you send them.

Check out the new article over at www.IamMUSICNetwork.com to learn more…

Music Business – Call to Action

Peace,
Jai
“Love the Music in Yourself, Not Yourself in the Music!”