The Closed Loop - Merchandise

     When you attend a concert for your favorite band and you pass by the "Merch" booth you might not realize what goes into just having that booth or the shear importance of that booth. 

 

     Merchandise is one of the most important ways of getting yoru name out there along with your show.  Everyone who has one of your items is like a traveling billboard advertising you and your brand.  Yes you heard me, if you are a musician, you are a brand.  It isn't selling out to sell merchandise.  You make music because you love it and you work hard for years to develop your art.  Why shouldn't you be paid for it too.  You don't tell a businessman he can't get paid for doing all the work he does.  This applies to musicians as well.  So you might be saying okay great lets get some merch. 

 

     Here is where the closed loop comes in.  The problem is merchandise especially custom merch can cost thousands to produce.  So you have to be smart about it.  On big tours the merch you see is another form of a record deal.  You make a deal with a merchandise company to produce your merch very similar to getting a label to put out your record.  This can be a very difficult task as transportation, people to run the booth and more are all part of this deal.  You usually get an advance against sales and make a percentage of some kind depending on the deal and if you recoup your advance agaisnt sales.  The average musician doesn't usually have a chance to get in on advances unless you are a name act or have a TON of backing cash behind you.  

 

     For the average musician playing locally or regionally this is usually impossible to come by on a large scale.  However there are some very cool new advances in manufacturing you can use to your advantage to sell merch and it is basically free for you.

 

     Sites like Spreadshirt, Createspace, Cafe Press work on an item by item basis.  In that, they create each item at the time it is ordered.  You don't have to pay anything up front.  You just have to create the vector artwork or images, upload, create the product through the sites creation labs, set a commission price and BAM!  You have merchandise for free.  You can usually order items in bulk to sell at your shows or you can direct your fans to the merch site.

 

     Another thing you can do for merch is have unorthodox items for sale at yoru shows that are basically free or really cheap like jelly bracelets, glowsticks, pencils, bouncy balls, pen lasers, etc.  You can usually get these from international trading magazines REALLY or insanely cheap.

 

     You can also find a local Tee Shirt shop that would be willing to create shirts for you in exchange for free advertising for that shop on the shirt. Or if you have the money have them make you up a bunch of shirts with yoru logo on it.  Be sure to get a variety of sizes.

The Closed Loop - Distribution

     Another factor with people having access to your music is distribution. Now one misconception about distribution is that, ok I have my tracks recorded if I get distribution it will get in stores and sell.  While getting them into the store is vitally important, the job of a distribution company is usually (with VERY few exceptions) only to get your product to the stores not to advertise it.  That falls to the record label or you if you are your own label. And similar to radio, you could have the best song in the world but if no one knows it exists no one is gonna buy it.  This being said, distribution is necessary to deliver your music to the masses.  There are several options for this now.  

     Two Options that stick out are CD Baby and Tunecore.  Each can get your music onto iTunes.  CD Baby also has hard Disc Distribution as well as a plethora of other options for selling your songs as well as music licensing.  Tune core lets you pick and choose which digital download locations you use and you collect 100% of the money except you have to pay a yearly fee and if your songs are not doing well it can cost you.  I prefer CD Baby cause it is what I have started with and I have loved the service.  They take small fees out and there is a signup fee but it isn't bad and it is only a one time fee vs yearly.

      These are great for digital distribution but if you want to get your music into stores as brick and motor then you are gonna face some new challenges.  There are independent distribution companies and fulfillment centers but have to be very careful and read exactly what they are doing for you.  Another problem with these companies is they usually, not all but usually, require you to have substantial capital and a full marketing team behind your product.  They usually take a percentage of the disc price which is fine because they are getting your product to stores and they deserve to be paid for their work.  But you have to watch out on how they handle returns, breakage, up front fees, monthly fees, etc.

     Some major labels offer distribution to full indie or indie-major labels but again you have to show them that you have done substantial marketing work or have had smaller regional distribution.  If you have enough buzz behind you, then this can be easier.  For example look at William Hung from American Idol with "She Bangs."  That album actually went Gold if I remember correctly.  Scary as that is!

     The reason distribution is so important is because of supply and demand.  initially you might not need full on distribution but trying to handle it all yourself becomes nearly impossible if you get a bite from a song and it becomes a hit.  Distribution handles all the logistics of getting your product out, while you can concentrate on the music.

     The closed loop occurs the same as full on record deals, if you have a name, this is usually not a problem.  But if you are just starting out and or have only a smaller crowd, you are less likely to even get in the door initially.  Again with everything there are always exceptions to this but I want you to be prepared.  As the saying goes, "You are nobody, until you are somebody."   With that where you will have no one even acknowledging your mere existence, and then boom as soon as you do finally make it, everyone wants a piece of you.  This is how it has always been and will always be but you can work this to your advantage if you set up everything yourself so when things do explode you are set in a position to maximize your results and sales.

     I have had experiences with fulfillment houses where each month they would send out product only to have the same amount returned where we would have to pay out the return costs and restocking fees only to have the same amount go right back out to the same store and the cycle continued.  This cost thousands as the store was merely recycling the product without having to pay for it and simply getting a new batch resent out and would send back any unsold and then reorder again.  Do you see a pattern here??  And the fulfillment house charged me against that every time so the only people making ANY money was the fulfillment house.  This is just some of what you have to look out for.

     I read this once in a book, if you are using fulfillment or distribution and you are your own label.  Be prepared to be in a lawsuit at some point in your business ventures.  Again I never like to sound negative but this is common practice in this industry and why services like CD Baby who do hard product are wonderful because they at least are fair and honest.

www.joevitalejr.com

The Closed Loop - Finding Representation

     Probably the most important goal for any musician to have in this industry is to fine representation.  Yes we can represent ourselves, book shows, print our albums and so forth.  However, while it is fun to be in control of your career you will inevitably hit a ceiling that your own abilities will most likely not be able to penetrate.  There are of course exceptions to this but for the most part you will at some point hit this ceiling.  I have had to run a lot of my own career spending countless hours contacting venues and trying to book shows as well as take care of my guys and make sure they are paid for their great work. When I have hit the ceiling from time to time I try to use that moment to develop a new skill I haven't had or needed before to get around this obstacle.

     Again, there will be a point though where you can no longer dodge the obstacles in the way and you need representation.  A manager, entertainment lawyer, business manager, booking agent & publicist are all parts of this puzzle.  If you are lucky enough to have all of these elements, congratulations to you!  That is truly wonderful.  The reason these representatives are so important to your career is that they literally represent you, your name & your brand.  They are also a bridge to deal with all the clubs, venues, record labels, band members, deals, sponsorships, etc.  One of the reasons this is so important is that people with "connections" have the background, knowledge and clout to open doors that you yourself would have no luck or be eternally turned away from.  This is so important because it allows you to create and handle the artistic side of your career and they handle the administrative side.

     The most important thing to remember is though that you have to find the RIGHT people.  One bad link in the chain can cost you everything and I do not only mean money.  It can cost you your money, image, music, reputation and career.  So when you are selecting these key personnel take a lot of time to research them, get references, ask people who may know them etc.  If the deal they put before you looks too good to be true, as the saying goes, it probably is.  I know how difficult it can to work forever and spend countless nights slaving and you constantly get nothing, and then all of the sudden it feels like the savior has come to save your dream, only to hustle you if you aren't careful.  Again I am not trying to be cynical but this area is so critical, you HAVE to be careful.  I myself have run into these people after years of work and you have to take a step back and read between the lines.

     Now comes the Closed loop.  Today the music industry is slightly different than it used to be.  While artists are still being discovered, a lot of labels and managers want you to lay all the ground work before they will even just meet with you.  This does make sense to a degree because with all the internet piracy, lawsuits and economy most people including companies don't want to take a chance on something that could cause them to take a financial hit.  Most labels won't even listen to your demo because back in the late 80s there were a bunch of song writers sending in submission tapes to major labels to try to sell their music or to get a record deal themselves.  

     A problem arose when several songs from artists on those labels were sounding a little too close to some of the demos sent in by the songwriters trying to get a deal.  (This was totally alleged by the song writers and this doesn't mean this was occurring at all)  Regardless they labels were sued to the point where they plain just shut off that in flow of new material to discover new artists and now you will hear a VERY familiar sentence from virtually all labels "We don't accept unsolicited materials."  This can be incredibly problematic and frustrating for new artists TRYING so desperately to make it in the industry.  The problem now is you usually can't get a record deal without a manager and you can't get a manager without a record deal.  Again there are exceptions to this but you will see this formula more times than not.  But this being said, you have to keep sending in your submissions to find a manager.  If you catch the ear of a manager they will listen.  You just have to keep at it.  Don't put all your eggs within one basket.  As my mom always says, "The more fishing lines you have in, the more chances you have to catch the fish".  Same with finding a manager or booking shows.

     
     I know a lot of this can seem daunting and over whelming but you can achieve your goals with the more knowledge you have in your toolbox.

www.joevitalejr.com

The Closed Loop - Radio Tips and Tricks

     For the bulk of us, getting radio airplay is the holy grail of promotion.  The problem usually is, that getting radio airplay is about as hard as finding the Holy Grail!  For this very reason we as undiscovered, unnoticed, unknown, artists have to get MORE creative than the mainstream and think WAY outside the box.

     The fastest way to get airplay right now is to go on Jango, I Heart Radio, Last FM, Pandora, etc.  These are mainly internet based airplay and it is a fast growing market.  The problem is, when you have a million new songs coming out, it is hard to cut through the white noise of all the other artists.  Think of it as going to the record store and you see all the rows of CDs for sale sometimes many artists deep.  Aside form looking through all the names and such how do you find that new gem?  It makes it exponentially harder the more material there is around you.  You have to do something that is so new and cool, the music alone can't propel you forward as it used to, which is very sad.  However, there are ways to do this.  Put up some really unique videos on YouTube, do all the internet radio stations and tap into a much easier form of terrestrial radio around all of us.  This being College Radio.  You have to sift through each station to find its genre and makes sure that it matches your style.  Once you have identified that you can contact them via their submissions page which most all college radio stations have.  You will have to follow up because you are not alone in sending new material to them.  Be polite and punctual on sending material in.

     Another route is talk radio, specifically look for talk radio that have music shows that will promote your music.  Usually AM doesn't have the following that FM does but that is okay as it is a start and allows you to start building notoriety.  

     Another way to get airplay is not necessarily with conventional radio but also through local cable music shows.  These are starting to make a comeback.  These will play usually on multiple cable stations as well on the show's official YouTube page.

     I am always looking for more ways to promote music and I would love to share anything you have had success with in your own efforts.  

www.joevitalejr.com

The Closed Loop - Radio Air Play

     Despite the invention of the Internet (actually invented in 1967 for scientists to share information between scientists and labs) One of the best promotion standards today is still radio.  While the net has the ability to theoretically reach every single person on the planet, people still have to know that the web page actually exists.  You can have the greatest song and website in the world but if no one know it exists or has some viral ability to spread, only a select few will find your page without promotion.  Radio has the ability to reach millions of people at one time and because everyone in a car has a radio there is a greater chance for people to hear your next hit.  This is still a smaller market as each radio station has a different range of transmission.  

     In order to reach a larger audience you have to have several stations not only playing your song but also in rotation.  In talking with radio DJs they indicate that it can take upwards of 10x impressions of someone hearing an ad or song for it to make an impact.  That being said, if you have a song with a killer and unbelievably catch hook, it can sometimes only take one impression to lock you in.

     The radio station Program director is the main person you want to your music to.  The problem is, that because music recording is basically available to anyone wi a computer there is an overwhelming overload of new music that can be submitted.  This makes it very time consuming for stations to sort through music to find your song.

     Here lies the next part of the closed loop.  Commercial stations won't play your music without a record deal (with few exceptions) and most all record labels won't even listen to your music without you doing all the pre ground work including getting radio air play.  The other problem is that due to the introduction of radio promoters, it can cost upwards of $368,000.00 for ONE son to hit the radio at once with full regular rotation.  And even non-commercial radio promoters can charge upwards of $20,000.00 to get your music on the radio.  This inherent problem is why there aren't undiscovered artists being "discovered."

     If you are willing to do a little extra hard work, you can get around these hurdles.  There is a great database of every or most every radio stations called: "On the Radio". The web address is www.ontheradio.net. This is a great resource for both commercial and non-commercial radio stations.  They gives the information and genre of each station.  Look for stations that play your style of music and you will have a greater chance of success.  Also the invention of Internet radio you can your music played much easier as Internet radio broadcasters are always looking for new content and by law Internet Internet radio have to report every play to broadcast rits organizations.  No all terrestrial air play stations are required to report.  This of course doesn't reach the multitude you want at first but if you stay vigilant you will have ua steady climb.

     I will not say this is an easy task, but there is nothing like hearing your song on the air.

The next part will deal with other air play promotion tricks and tips.

www.joevitalejr.com

The Closed Loop - Bars & Concert Venues

A new trend that has been emerging over the past decade falls into the "pay to play" where bars or concert venues are no longer paying a band to come and play for the night.  From my personal experience with gigging with my band, this falls into 2 categories.

1.)  Your band "ONLY" makes the door

2.)  Your band HAS to sell tickets for the show, and for the most part, takes a huge percent.  

   

     So let's say your tickets are $10.00 each. I played a show where we only got $1 out of every $10.  So for all the hard work you put in to rehearsing and performing for several goes straight to the club.  The problem is that with the current economy of the nation, most club owners, understandably, aren't willing to take a chance on your band or spend the money to advertise you.  Another side to this is that most clubs WANT you to have a large following before they would even consider having you play a single show even for free in most cases. Another problem is that most all clubs want 2 specific types of bands, cover bands (usually getting $350 if the club does pay a guarantee for 4 hours of music) or niche based tribute bands playing one artists work and even dressing the group like them.  Original bands are not as desired becuase they are relatively unknown or don't have the following needed for a club to have a good night.  

     Here in lies the first closed loop...  Performing at clubs, bars, festivals, etc is still one of THE best ways of getting a following. The problem is you can't get a following without a gig you can't get a gig without a following and becuase most clubs won't advertise any profits go to that or you might be performing mainly for your friends, family and girlfriends.  And this inevitably hurts both clubs and bands becuase if a club owner only books bands that are willing to play for free they are usually gonna get what they pay for, and sadly that is usually a horrible garage band.  Still when you are in your "paying your dues" period it can be worth the free show here and there.  I look at them as HUGE elaborate rehearsals for my guys and I try to book us constantly to keep our gig chops up and to keep the comradely and morale of the group up.

One helpful resource I have recently discovered for indie artists is the Indie Venue Bible (Same company that makes the Indie Bible) inside it contains thousands of listings across the country.  It is based by region to make it cheaper as each region is around $24.95 but you get a full year to update. 

They way I get it's is look in Craigslist, the Indie Venue Bible, search engines and call locals.  Being polite and persistent without being a pest goes a long way and whether or not you sell out the place. Know my number one rule for gigging solo or with a band. Whether you have 20 people or 20,000, treat that small crowd like 20,000.  It's tough but the better the show you put on the better your chances are coming back even if you have a rough night.  I have had a wonderful experience dealing with club owners because my approach is first to being an entertainer and showman.  You sometimes have to be firm with them but being professional goes a long way. And that goes without saying of course.

In the next blog I will be discussing the radio side to the indie musician.  If you have any further questions on this topic please feel free to email me on me on my website: www.joevitalejr.com or like me on Facebook www.facebook.com/joevitalejrofficial. 

http://www.joevitalejr.com

The Closed Loop - Introduction

Hello Everyone,

     I thought I would start a discussion blog in regards to the music industry which I have found myself growing up in.  My name is Joe Vitale Jr and I am the son of rock drummer Joe Vitale who has played with the Eagles, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills and Nash, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Dan Fogelberg among many more.  I am also a musician trying to cut my way through the unbelievably difficult path of trying to make it in the music industry.   Many think that because my a has played with a tremendous amount of groups that this has made a very clear and easy path for me.  While the name does help at times, the majority of the needed doors of opportunity, remain tightly sealed and or hidden. 

     This won't be a negative rant or anything like that but will give insight to techniques that we can all benefit from as struggling or starving musicians.  I like to stay positive despite the very hard work for low turnout or next to nothing for pay.  

In the next blog I will start by discussing the closed loop system of the bars and concert scene and some tips on how to navigate to a good deal for you both.  

Thank you for your interest in my blog and I will keep updating this constantly.  Please check out my official website for more information. 

www.joevitalejr.com