THE ARTIST: Angela Sheik (Wilmington, DE)

THE QUESTION: What are your thoughts on written contracts versus verbal agreements? At what point do you suggest having a contract with a venue? A band member? A collaborator?

THE ANSWER:  This is a really great question! Honestly, if you and I were to do things “by the book”, we would have contracts for every business  relationship we engaged in – producers, publicist, booking agent, and band members. That’s the short and easy answer. There are too many stories of artists getting screwed out of their money, song ownership, or ideas.

What Good is a Contract?
Realistically, you want to have a contract when you’re dealing with anything  that involves money (i.e. what percentage do you get when your agent gets your song licensed in Grey’s Anatomy) and shared ownership (does each bandmate equally own the song, or does the lead writer actually own it).  No one ever expects to get screwed and most people don’t want to screw another person; but it happens all the time…unfortunately.

Why Should You Have a Contract
Disagreements between two or more parties usually result from miscommunication, misconceptions, and assumptions.  Putting something in writing…

• clears the air and lets you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into
• often makes each party take the project more seriously.  there’s nothing like “setting it in stone”.
• helps you decide what you really want to take away from the partnership

Put it In Writing
At the very least, put it in writing. It’s ok to confirm something over the phone, but follow up your conversation with an email so that there is some kind of paper trail. I personally have a strict email policy with all things music related. Put it in writing so that you know what you said, you know what they said, and you both have something to reference when the time comes.

Hope this helps!  Leave your thoughts and additions in the comments section!

Here is the 3rd and final installment of this series. This week focuses on Facebook etiquette – common practices that hurt your fan following and things you can do differently. Take note!  Read Part 1 and Part 2.

1. Post during peak hours.  Don’t post your most important page updates at 6am or midnight. Shoot for lunchtime and evening-time.

2. Don’t tag people if they have nothing to do with your post.
It’s bad etiquette to mass-tag people in your posts, pictures, and notes.  This will result in being de-friended, blocked, or ignored.

3. Don’t create event invites so far in advance.
Very few people make their Friday night plans 1 month in advance.  Depending on the type of event and other factors, you should make the event anywhere from 5-14 days in advance. But some things do require more advance notice.

4. Don’t Double-Post!
If your Facebook Profile and  Page status updates are identical people will begin to ignore your content, unsubscribe from your feeds, and possibly unlike your Page, your Profile, or both!  Find a way to use both accounts to your advantage. Give them each their own personality. Its becoming increasingly more important to have a a Page…but chances are that you might still be using your profile for music updates.

5. Don’t send mass emails to your friend’s FB inboxes.  If you’re ever been messaged with one of these, you know that when each person responds to the message, every recipient gets one message after another in their inbox. Its one of the quickest ways to annoy someone on Facebook.

6. Don’t sync your Twitter and Facebook. If your tweets are the extent of your  Facebook involvement, reconsider changing that as soon as possible!   Syncing is great and easy but it confirms that you don’t have a strong Facebook presence and don’t spend enough time to do so. You’ll notice that people don’t respond to tweets on Facebook like they do to actual status updates. People want to know you’re actually there!  Besides, not everything you tweet is worth being posted on your wall.

7. For some tips on how on how to engage your fans beyond just liking your page, read “TURNING FACEBOOK LIKES INTO LOVES”

If you have additional, common Facebook practices that put you off, or  tips on what artist can do better, stick them in the comments section.

THE ARTIST: Michael Gaither (Santa Cruz, CA)

THE QUESTION: I’m finishing my third CD. I recently posted my first two records using the Bandcamp widget, so I posted full songs. Im curious:  do you have any thoughts, pro or con, about posting full length songs? In a way this just seems more honest. Plus, clips only can be a bit annoying. Any thoughts on whether or not this hurts online sales? (I figure, I don’t make that much from downloads anyway). Thanks. Really appreciate your blog.

THE ANSWER:  Great question, Michael.  It seems that there are two schools of thinking about streaming a full album vs. streaming parts of it.  In fact, its the dividing line between services like iTunes and Spotify. Here are your options.

Stream the Full Album
When you post full songs people can get a better, well-rounded perspective on your music. You may also get people bookmarking your page and returning when they need a fix. And thanks to services like Bandcamp and Soundcloud, you may get people linking to specific songs via their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Using these services and posting full songs is a great way to make your music travel. And who knows, some people might hear a full album and then head to iTunes to buy it.

Don’t Stream the Full Album
However, in most cases, offering a full stream of your album can really hurt you and hurt sales.  When you’re offering a service for free, people don’t feel obligated to commit or buy it.  There is a 100% chance that fewer people will buy your album on iTunes if they can listen to the whole thing for free.

Practical Solutions

• stream 1 or 2 songs for free. Require people to buy the album if they want to hear the whole thing. This will prob work best if you have a large following and can trust that a teaser of 2 songs will generate enough interest.
• do a limited stream. Before you release your album, do a full stream of the project for 1 week. It can bring alot of traffic to your site and generate alot of interest in your project.
• continue to let the whole album stream for free. If you’re not really concerned about the $ and just want people to hear your stuff, this is the way to go.

If you’re a musician and have a few ideas on what readers can do about Streaming their whole albums vs. part of an album, stick your suggestions in the comment section.

For many of us, it would be incredibly hard to “make it” as a musician if Facebook didn’t exist. Despite our recent post: “4 Reasons Why Facebook Timeline Sucks!” we do acknowledge the fact that FB has helped us along in our careers. With that said, here is Part 2 of a 3-part series on how to make the most of your time on Facebook (Read Part 1).

Make Your Information Travel

TAG

Tag the venue you’re playing at. Tag the musicians you’re billing with. Create a cohesive status update that involves all contributing parties and sufficiently informs your FB followers.  The “tag” is a powerful thing that makes your information travel much further, yet it’s surprising how many musicians don’t use it – both on Facebook and Twitter. With the new FB Timeline, a few changes have made tagging a bit less effective; but it’s still worth the effort.

CREATE AN EVENT FOR YOUR SHOW

Yea no brainer; but you’ll be surprised by how many people still don’t create events for their shows b/c they dont think anyone will RSVP.  Facebook is basically a newer, digital form of, word-of-mouth.  Information travels because friends tell friends who tell more friends. Through 6 degrees of separation, someone could come to your event simply becausa a friend’ RSVP showed up in their FB feed.  Never underestimate the FB invite.

ASK

When you post new content, give people a “Call to Action”  - something that makes them act on the information you’re putting out there.  Take advantage of the “share” button at the bottom of every post. Ask people to “please share this with your Facebook friends.”  Also ask your fans to invite their friends to your Facebook event, leave their comments on newly uploaded songs, and check out your calendar for new shows in their area.   Fans simply want to know that their involvement matters. And a simple ask can go a very long way!
When all is said and done, dont forget to thank your fans for their help!

Feel free to leave your tips below. How do you make your information travel further on Facebook?

For many of us, it would be incredibly hard to “make it” as a musician if Facebook didn’t exist. Despite last week’s post: “4 Reasons Why Facebook Timeline Sucks!” we do acknowledge the fact that FB has helped us along in our careers. With that said, here’s the first of a 3-part series on how to make the most of your time on Facebook.

PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS

RESPOND TO COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
Visit your pages and events daily to make sure you’re responding to people’s comments. You’ll often see that fans are asking questions about shows, door time, cover, etc, etc.

USE HYPERLINKS
People can’t visit joyike.com but they can visit www.joyike.com.  Making something clickable makes all the difference because people are honestly too lazy to copy/paste the information into their browser.

UPLOAD THOSE IMAGES!
Don’t ever create an imageless event, page, group, or profile.  Nobody wants to see  this image or any other proofs that you don’t care to take the time.

MAKE SURE YOUR INFORMATION IS ACCURATE
Is your Facebook Calendar up to date? It’s easy to let this slide…especially if you’re information is not synced from ArtistData or another resource. Even when your information is synced, you still need to double-check information. Also make sure: is your bio current? Do your links work or are they broken? It’s important to stay on top of this because, even when you have an official website, some people will only get their information via Facebook.

DO YOUR RESEARCH
When someone leaves a comment on your wall, respond to that comment and then spend a few seconds finding out what city they’re from. If you will be in their city, tell them.  I’d like to think of this a passive promotion – where you’re putting out information little by little and taking advantage of each interaction you have.

If you have additional suggestions, leave them in the comments section.

Nobody likes playing to a crowd that doesn’t care…especially after you’ve driven 4 hours to get to your show. It can be a huge waste of time, gas, and energy.

It’s important to remember that the type of audience you play to depends largely on the type of space you’re in.  If you’re in a dive bar or any other spot where the bar is the centerpiece of the room, then you’re basically out of luck. But if you’ve got the right venue, here are some tips for reeling your audience in.

1.s Dim the lights

Dim the light immediately before the show starts. It’s a great heads up that tells your audience the mood is about to change.

2. Make sure chairs, couches, stools are facing the stage

It sounds like a no-brainer, and we’re sure we’ve said this before on Grassrootsy, but this is a BIG deal!  People will talk to each other all night if they’re facing each other. But when seats are facing the stage, it sets a tone. It’s important to arrive at the venue early so you can get this done before people arrive.

3. Ask them questions

You can’t have a conversation with everyone in the crowd, but you sure can try.  If you feel like your crowd is getting out of control, reel them in by popping a question. Make sure to address everyone in the room: “Hey, does anyone know…”

4. Brush up on your stage banter

Stage banter can make all the difference. Talk occasionally to break up your set. Tell great stories. People LOVE to hear stories and your stories not only add meaning to your songs, but they help people identify with you.

5. Just ask

Ask your audience for silence. Tell them that your next ballad requires a listening room in order for people to fully grasp its meaning. Or, prior to the show, place cards on each table asking people to mind the music, turn of cell phones, or anything else that might be distracting.

_____________________________________________________________

A listening audience is one of the most necessary variables contributing to your success. Not only does it provide you the opportunity to make True Blue Fans, but your album sales will increase at shows. Take the time to make sure your every show counts.

We’re pretty frustrated with Facebook Timeline; and as we read people’s comments and tweets, we know we’re not the only ones.  We’ve outlined some of the most significant issues and would love to hear your thoughts on the below. Enjoy!

it’s dirty!

From a design perspective, Facebook Timeline is really ugly and messy.  When your eyes land on the page, they can’t decide what to focus on. In older versions of FB, the wall was the centerpiece of your page. ..and it was literally down the center of the page.  Now, with two columns of competing information, things just get confusing.

it’s untimely

Using timeline for a personal Profile isn’t such a bad idea…after all, it allows you to share pieces of your life from the past and present.  But currently, FB Timeline for Pages will spotlight some of your older posts (to the right of the page) – posts from several months or even a yearback…or even a year ago!  It doesn’t make much sense.

Currently as I write this, my Timeline show’s a fan’s post from July 2011. Honestly, I want my fans to focus on what is currently happening – not what happened last year. So this particular aspect of Timeline frustrates me most.

no fan engagment

Have you noticed that fan engagement is down on your page? Facebook has strategically moved fan comments from what was once the “wall” to the new “Recent Posts by Others” section. This section appears to the right and a bit further down the page. Fan comments are essentially hidden or “downgraded”. This presents a huge problem.

Not only are you more likely to overlook your fans’ comments; but they are less likely to visit your page as frequently. In the past when all information appeared on the central wall, fans commented on each others’ posts, thus prolonging conversation and creating a sense of community around your music. Now, if you’ll notice, this just isnt happening as often. Its dissapointing.

it’s limiting

All-in-all Timeline just doesn’t allow you to have much of a personality. Every Timeline page looks identical (except for the cover photo) and customization options are slim to none, therefor making it incredibly hard to let your true colors shine through.

______________________________________________________________

If there’s any moral to the story, it’s that you should have your own personal website. If there was ever a time to have one, its now!!! Don’t abandon Facebook. Rather, use it as a launching pad to a location (your website) where you can show fans your true colors.  See:  DOMAINS? HOSTING? WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?!

In the meantime, keep using Facebook…and lets just see how long Timeline sticks around.

One of my favorite books, Blue Like Jazz, was turned into a movie and released last weekend in theaters all over the country. Go see it! The story behind the making of Blue Like Jazz is a familiar one at this point…

• movie has no funding
• movie gets funding
• funders back out
• production of movie is cancelled
• two guys who love this book and want to see the movie happen, decide to create a Kickstarter campaign.
• kickstarter campaign has a goal of reach $125,000, but instead reaches $345,992 in 30 days wiith a total of 4,495 contributors.

I love this story and I love how it keeps happening for artists over and over again. Fans want to help! They want to be part of the process if you’ll let them.  If your fans are important to you and you value the fact that their existence and contribution (not always monetary) is vital to the success of your music career, then you need to do the following.

Ask your fans to…

…tell you what they think

Ask them if they liked your set. Ask them what they think about your album. Use an anonymous online email service, or Facebook app, to get people to fearlessly tell you the truth. You can also get input on your songs via Soundcloud (like this post suggests).

…design your next T-shirt or album cover

Hold a contest. Ask your fans to submit artwork and see what they come up. There are some really talented people out there! You can even offer a small monetary prize.

…share/retweet your videos, events, audio on Facebook and twitter

Just ask. Never underestimate the power of suggestion. Your content can go so much further than it already does.

…be in your music video

They’ll love you for this one. Fans (especially younger ones) want to be in your video.  Get them in on the process.  This video is one of the best examples I’ve ever seen of this. Blue Like Jazz put also did a great job of this by putting out a call on its blog asking for college students in Nashville to show up as extras for a taping. What better way to make your fans feel like they;re part of the process.

…hang tour posters for you (if they have free time)

If they’ve got an hour or two, ask if you can mail them a small stack of posters to hang in their city…after all, you could use a little extra help promoting your show in their town.

…take pictures with you

Don’t wait for them to ask if they can take a picture with you. Be the first to ask if you can take a picture with them. Stick it in a Facebook photo album.

…donate to the making of your album

Fan-funded albums are the new “thing”; but you already know that.  Read this blog for tips on how to make it happen.

Summer Touring is just around the corner. If you haven’t begun the booking process yet, what are you waiting for?!  As you (or your band) jump in head first, here are some tips for doing it the right way

START 3-4 MONTHS OUT
By right, you should be working on July and August right now.  You’ll just get 1st dibs on the places you want to play. Trust us on this one. It beats trying to book a show with only 3-4 weeks notice.

BOOK AROUND A BIG SUMMER FESTIVAL
Look for the big gig – that one summer art or music festival that will help you route your trip. The great thing about summer festivals is they will often occur during the week and during the daytime…which allows you to play evenings and weekends at traditional venues in neighboring cities. The other great perk is that festivals draw attendees from all over the US; which means your music will “travel” more easily.

REMEMBER THAT ALOT OF PEOPLE WILL BE ON VACATION
This can really make booking especially tricky.  Spend more time looking into “touristy” events – festivals on beaches, annual city festivals, or special art happenings in a particular city. Also look for outdoor gigs. It can sometimes be hard to count on your expected fall turnout during a summer month.  Lean towards events where you don’t have to work too hard to draw your own turnout. Also make sure you’re not booking in a college town because your room will be empty.

BUDGET
Summer touring can be alot of fun; but many times art/music festivals don’t pay the bills – especially when it comes to independent bands who are new(er) to the music scene. Festivals are often more concerned with paying their large headliners. You’re often asked to trade compensation for exposure, which can sometimes be hit or miss depending on what stage they give you. So take it from us when we say budget wisely. Plan not to make much but hope for the best!

STRATEGIZE YOU PR AND SOCIAL MEDIA
You should be doing this at all time, but  internet traffic changes drastically during summer months. More people trade in their computers for the outdoors.  As the summer approaches, you’ll notice that peak internet hours might be much later in the evening when compared to internet use in the winter. Just be aware of when people are more likely to notice/respond to your media.

Here’s a question we get asked alot: how do I track my sales on iTunes?

REFER TO YOUR DISTRIBUTION COMPANY
Well for starters, you will need to refer to your digital distribution company (i.e. the company you submitted your album through) for this information. Most artists are using CD Baby or Tunecore as these are the two most popular services.  See: “CD BABY OR TUNECORE?“ for a longstanding conversation about both services. Reader comments at the bottom of the post will enlighten you on the pros and cons of each service.

LOOK FOR TRENDING REPORTS & SALES REPORTS
With both CDBaby and Tunecore, Trending Reports are iTunes’ weekly account of your estimated sales. Trending reports are not fully accurate because a buyer may return your song if they decide they don’t want it, or they may end up buying your full album if they decide they like the song they initially downloaded. In other words, the status of a sale may change.

Monthly sales reports are accurate accounts of which songs/albums have sold through all digital services your music is being carried by – iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, eMusic, etc.  Sales reports are available roughly 1 month after a sales period is over. In other words, you will get reports for March sometime in May.  As someone who has accounts with both services, it appears that CD Baby receives Sales Reports much sooner as they already have access to March sales reports 9 days into April.

WHAT DO THESE REPORTS TELL YOU?
These reports tell you

• if customers bought one song or your full album
• what songs sell most
• which cities/states/countries people are buying from
•  how much was made in digital sales during any specific Sales Report period.

WHY WOULD YOU WANT THESE REPORTS?

• to know which cities to tour through
• to know which songs people are listning to most
• to know what’s going on with your music