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Hi
to you all!
Happy Happy New Year! I hope that you feel as
cleansed and renewed as I do. People ask what
my resolutions are. I don't make specific ones
because that could limit me. Instead, I enter
each year with the intention of continuing to
do what I can to live up to my potential. If
you lock yourself into a *must have* goal, you
can miss great opportunities by not
recognizing them. One of the best things an
experienced pro told me when I was a fledgling
newbie in the music biz was to always keep my
options open - that what I most expected to be
successful might not be but something better
could happen if I stayed flexible. Thank
goodness I heeded this advice! The first song
I wrote, which I was SURE would put me on the
map, still hasn't been released. But one I
enjoyed doing for pleasure broke my record
label. So keep your eyes and mind open - try
everything you can! This is the first year of
the rest of my life and I plan to make the
most of it. I hope you all do too. : )
This newsletter is a perfect example of going
with the flow. I'm thrilled with how much
great feedback I'm getting. It just kind of
blossomed. I never actually planned to do a
regular one but this is what happens when you
let your creative energies and passion guide
you. I'm so happy to be able to share with all
of you. There are people getting it all over
the world. I find that awesome!!! Keep the
comments and suggestions coming.
If you'd like to send in any questions about
the music industry, I'll try to answer a few
in every issue. Feel free to also send
comments you might want to appear in the
newsletter.
Please forward this newsletter to your mailing
list or anyone you'd like. If this was
forwarded to you and you'd like to subscribe,
send me an email that says
"subscribe" in the subject header
with your name and city/state. If you'd like
to post it on your site, please ask for
permission and I'll give it. To read past
issues go to
http://www.daylle.com/monthly.html
It has some great resources. If you'd prefer
to be taken off my list, please say
unsubscribe in the subject header of an email.
I've been including samples of interviews with
people for my next book (fall '03) in each
issue. I've been talking to many successful
people with lots of quality info. I've learned
so much and gotten so many concrete tips that
I'm wondering how I'll ever be able to share
it all at my seminar on February 22nd. I'll
have to talk even faster. : ) This month I
interviewed Valerie Vigoda (GrooveLily), a
multi-talented singer/songwriter who plays a
mean electric guitar, and singer/songwriter
Rich Hardesty, a marketing genius who's carved
a niche in colleges selling CDs and performing
to the tune of a 6-figure income. I'm also
including some of what Derek Sivers, founder
of CDBaby, shared with me. It's so rewarding
to have the opportunity to get to know all
these people and call many of them my friends.
The indie world is a constant delight!
My biggest goal is to give musicians tools and
motivation to empower themselves. If you’re
marketing your own music and want to make
money, wear a business cap too. When I talked
to Michael Jonathon (below), who owns Poetman
Records, he gave a fantastic analogy for
musicians - "You have to have one hand on
a guitar case and the other on a
briefcase." That's how to make money as a
musician!
Revenge Productions
http://www.daylle.com
1. UK Resource
2. Happy anniversary to me!
3. More education
4. Interview with Valerie Vigoda (GrooveLily)
5. Minding your music biz
6. Interview with Derek Sivers, founder of
CDBaby
7. Acoustic Rainbow CD: Resource for AAA radio
artists
8. Bob Hope Tribute: PLEASE READ THIS!!
9. Interview with Rich Hardesty
10. New indie Band Manager + extensive college
list for booking
1. UK Resource: A reader from the UK asked if
I'd include resources from the UK. So far no
one has shared any but I know of one. JoJo
Gould, an educator in the UK who gets this
newsletter, is an editor for Music Business
Journal, subtitled The Internet Publication
for the Global Music Business. Because it's
based in the UK, there's a greater emphasis on
that market. Check it out, even if you don't
live there. If you eventually want to take
your music global, you should learn about the
world marketplace. http://www.musicjournal.org
2. Happy anniversary to me! My company,
Revenge Productions, is proud to announce the
beginning of our 13th year producing full day
music industry seminars, featuring ME! : ) I'm
so proud of how these seminars have grown over
13 years and honored to have so many industry
pros support me by coming to speak. What's
most important to me is the response I get
from the attendees. I have hundreds of letters
from many of you who have allowed me to share
the knowledge I've gathered over the years. It
is so satisfying to know that I've been able
to help so many people.
I'll be featured in this month's issue of
Insomniac Magazine. Tony Samuel came to my
last 2 seminars and gave me this quote to use.
I'm proud! : ) "Daylle's seminars and
books are full of real life scenarios and
advice that will absolutely bring success to
you as an artist/company. She emits a rare
sense of self confidence and professionalism
that is unmatched in this industry. Daylle,
you are the best of the best." - Tony
Samuel, Writer/NYC Rep, Insomniac Magazine
My next Start & Run Your Own Record Label
seminar is Saturday, Feb. 22nd, from 11:30AM -
5:30PM at the New Yorker Hotel on the
northwest corner of 34th Street & Eighth
Ave. in NYC. This seminar begins with setting
up your business and preparing your product.
The majority of it focuses on distribution,
marketing & promotion, radio play,
publicity, international markets, internet
marketing, and constructive tools for not only
starting a label, but for making it a success.
I'm VERY psyched about this one. As I said
earlier, the info I've gleaned from so many
successful labels is making my head explode
and I'll do my best to give as much as time
allows. Those of you who've attended previous
seminars know that I stay during the lunch
break and sometimes for hours after to answer
questions.
I'm also excited about my confirmed industry
guests. As always I'll have my loyal friend
Wallace Collins, Music Attorney, who's way of
making complex legal issues simple is always a
hit. I'm thrilled to welcome Jesse Ferguson,
Product Manager (runs day to day operations)
for Definite Jux Records, the #1 indie hip hop
label. I interviewed him for my book after I
talked to EL-P and he's got so much to offer.
He'll be coming for the last half hour so that
he can stay after and speak to individuals.
And I'm always happy to have my friend, Jeff
Epstein, Sales & Marketing Manager, Disc
Makers and president of nationally acclaimed
Cropduster Records. His label has a unique
angle and I'm going to pick his brain about
that too!
Registration is $85 in advance or $105 at the
door. http://www.daylle/seminar.html
"Daylle is the embodiment of the DIY
ethos." - Gary Palamone
garypal@webspan.net
3. More education: Noel Ramos asked me to let
you know about his exciting, new Independent
Music Conference 2003: August 28th - 31st,
2003 in Philadelphia, PA, presented by
InterMixx.com, Inc. This educational event is
being created by indie musicians, for indie
musicians. It will kick off with the "Immie
Awards" to recognize the members of the
media who have been supportive of independent
music. It will continue with educational
workshops, mentoring sessions, gig swap
opportunities, a vendor expo area, a day time
party room for musicians and their fans, and
night time showcases at area clubs. There will
be opportunities to have your performance at a
showcase critiqued by industry pros. The
format will be different than most - they'll
have same workshops being presented multiple
times throughout the day so they can be
attended by everyone. Rather than presenting
large panels, workshops will be offered by a
single presenter or a small group. The
deadline for showcase applications is March
31, 2003. Get info and applications here.
http://www.IMC2003.com
4. Interview with Valerie Vigoda (GrooveLily):
GrooveLily pared down to a unique trio -
electric violin, keyboards and drums - when a
friend got them invited to be house band for
an American comedy theatre in Amsterdam in the
summer of ‘95. That empowered them to
realize they could potentially make a living
from their music. Since then they've gotten
booking agents, developed a strong fan base
and have a street team called Petal Pushers
working for them. GrooveLily has released
three CDs and is earning a living from
performing, and selling CDs and other merch.
I’ve known lead singer/electric violinist
Valerie Vigoda for years and admire her
amazing talent. While she’d like to get help
with her business, she’s prepared to stay
independent unless she gets offered the right
deal. Here’s a sample of how she maintains
her career.
Any tips for booking a tour? "Get
everything in WRITING, and advance all the
gigs well ahead of time. There's a good book
called "The Music Business Office"
which has good templates for contracts, which
I used frequently. Our best bets for going to
new towns are usually to focus on: festivals,
concert series and sometimes colleges. Clubs
can be a good bet, IF they're well-promoted;
but playing a series of clubs to small
audiences is a great way to lose money on a
tour. We try to go where there are built-in
audiences and budgets. Even if you're playing
at a festival or other "soft-ticket"
event (e.g. where your income isn't based on
the number of tickets sold), don't rely on the
presenter to do publicity. If you ask them for
a list of media leads, and then follow up on
those, you'll be way ahead of the game because
the presenter will be happy that you're taking
the initiative to bring a crowd to your
show."
How do you make the most of a street team?
"Create a sense of community; make them
feel special, because they are! These are
people who automatically have something in
common, which is our music. Over the past
year, the Petal Pushers have turned into their
own vibrant, growing community of friends.
There have been gatherings, parties. There is
an active online discussion group, and we make
"exclusives" available to the PPs as
often as we can. We've put one very avid Petal
Pusher in charge of the program. He's the
point person; he asks each PP how they'd like
to be involved, and encourages them to do
whatever they're comfortable with: postering,
flyering, contacting media, giving sampler CDs
out, helping at the merch table at gigs, and
in some cases even presenting and promoting
shows. A small group of PPs even funded our
brand-new bumper stickers, which look great
and say "Petal Pusher Powered!" on
them. We find that people really enjoy being
part of a community, helping to spread the
word about music they like...so all we do is
show our appreciation as much as we can, and
try to channel their incredible
energies!"
Does selling merch help? "It helps
immensely. A large portion of our income comes
from merch. We've found that giving people an
incentive (free sampler CD or bumper sticker
with purchase, for example) makes a
difference, as does having OTHER people
besides ourselves hawking the merchandise at
gigs. Fans make the best salespeople."
How do you feel about being independent?
"It's exhilarating, and also
overwhelming. There are SO many (non-musical)
things to do, and I find myself working longer
hours than anyone I know...but I love it -
this is a wonderful *time* to be independent
in music. Consolidation in the industry has
put a chokehold on commercial radio, concert
venues and record stores; so the independent
music scene is growing incredibly fast in
reaction. People are seeking alternatives to
the shrinking song lists on their radio dials.
New nontraditional music venues, such as house
concerts, are popping up everywhere. There are
twice as many music festivals in the US as
there were only 10 years ago! Independent,
grassroots promotion is working for more and
more artists and bands, many of whom have been
dropped by record labels in the past few
years. The upshot is, there is a middle ground
which did not used to exist! There is a third
option, between blockbuster chart hits and
penury: and that is independent success."
What a great thought!! That's why my books and
classes are so popular. The secret is out. You
can make a good living as an independent
musician. : ) I find Val’s success
inspiring. She’s found her niche and works
it well. GrooveLily recently completed an
interesting run in a Philadelphia theatre - a
concert with a story containing all new
GrooveLily music for the holidays. The reviews
were terrific. Check out this unique act at
http://www.groovelily.com
5. Minding your music biz: I'm always on the
look-out for any site with info to help you
with your music biz. I'll keep emphasizing how
important it is to take care of business!
important important important. Okay, I hope I
got my point across. I'll be honest - I
DESPISE doing the biz. I'd much rather immerse
myself in a creative bubble and never come
out. But since I like to eat and pay rent, and
I don't like getting ripped off, I force
myself to handle my business well. Here's a
great site I found: NOLO has a fantastic legal
website in plain English. This is general
info, not a music industry site. But many of
the basics you'll need are there. This link is
for their page with info about trademarks,
which so many of you ask me about. http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/ency/index.cfm/catID/804B85E3-9224-47A9-A7E6B5BD92AACD48
Another great place to learn about the legal
end of the biz is to visit Wallace Collins'
site. He began as a recording artist for Epic
Records and after being on the inside, became
a music attorney. : ) He's written extensively
about legal issues, in plain English, for
major publications, including Billboard. If
you have some time, visit his site
http://www.wallacecollins.comand click on ARTICLES & INFORMATION.
You'll learn a lot.
6. Interview with Derek Sivers, founder of
CDBaby: There are many resources for selling
music online. The absolute B-E-S-T I’ve
found is CDBaby, founded by Derek Sivers.
I’ve known Derek for years but it was still
fun to pick his brain for my book late one
night when we both found some time from our
opposite coasts (he's in Oregon). Derek is
someone who illustrates the true meaning of
being supportive to musicians. Many of the
indie labels I interviewed for my next book
could not stop raving about how CDBaby was the
best place to sell music because they are
indie music friendly. Derek was a successful
indie musician before CDBaby and understands
the game. CDBaby pays every Monday night for
sales THAT week - which Derek should be given
a medal for. Other advantages: for a one-time
fee of $35, he sets up a page for your album,
with soundclips, links back to your own
website, reviews, and whatever info you want
included; he only takes $4 per CD sold and you
set your own retail price; you get emailed
when a CD is sold with info on who bought it!;
it's a non-exclusive arrangement; more and
more Music Supervisors and other pros who are
looking to use indie music for projects visit
CDBaby. And if you need a place to park your
website that's user friendly for musicians,
Derek just launched
http://www.hostbaby.com
Here’s a sample of my interview with Derek:
How did CDBaby get started? "CDBaby
started because I was a guy selling my own CDs
and had a credit card merchant account. I told
my friends that were also selling their CDs by
check or money order that I could process
their credit cards for them. I never meant it
as a business. It was a hobby that became a
living. I was a full time musician. The last
time I had a day job was in 1992. Now I get a
thrill building something that helps 30,000
musicians make their music."
What is the most important thing a musician
can do to advance? "Publicity - media -
press. Don’t be scared - do it! The single
biggest difference between musicians who are
selling thousands and those selling none is
the ability and the persistence of the
musician to go out to the media with an
interesting angle and an interesting twist and
get stories done about them. Anybody can get
the world’s attention if they can find the
unique angle in what they do. I made my living
for 5 years just touring colleges."
What's a small thing that musicians need to
understand? "The words you use to
describe your music are crucial. If the words
aren’t interesting, nobody will listen to
your music. Those words have to be so
interesting that people will want to click to
listen to you. In a magazine, people still
have to like the words about you."
What’s your best advice for an indie label?
"Find a very unique angle that makes you
stick out in a crowd. Remember that Picasso,
Keith Harring and Andy Warhol all have such
unique styles that you instantly see it and
know it’s them. A label can go much farther
by being well known for doing one thing that
nobody else is doing very well."
Why do you think CDBaby has been so
successful? "It’s the Tao! CDBaby
wasn’t meant to be a business and we don’t
try to be successful. We’re not greedy and
we don’t do anything for money. Because of
that it’s been a very successful business
that’s very profitable. It makes lots of
people happy because it doesn’t try to.
I’ve held really true to the original goal
of doing this - to make a cool service to help
my musician friends. It’s been a lot of work
to not be swayed by all the investors who put
money under your nose or the companies that
try to set you up to compromise your values.
I’ve never compromised my original values. I
think the musicians on the site appreciate
that." http://www.CDBaby.com
I congratulate Derek on sticking to his
principles. I know he's having a good time
doing what he does.
Jesse Ferguson from Def Jux Records gave me
some good online hip hop stores to share. The
first 3 have music communities around selling
music. Giant Peach is a hiphop mail order
& production service. Jesse says they're
good for merchandise.
http://www.Sandboxautomatic.com
http://hiphopinfinity.com
https://www.hiphopsite.com
http://www.thegiantpeach.com
7. Acoustic Rainbow CD - Resource for AAA
radio artists: I talked to Michael Jonathon
about his Acoustic Rainbow CD, a project of
Poetman Records. He originally found 800
stations that would play grass roots music and
decided if a group of artists could pool their
resources, a compilation CD could be made and
distributed to radio inexpensively. He charges
a sizable fee (to cover pressing, mailing and
other expenses) to get placed on the CD but
those I've spoken to find it worth the money.
The radio DJ’s receiving it get a 2 sentence
introductory blurb about each artist. Jonathon
has a screening process to choose the track
with the best shot at getting airplay. There
are no more than 14 tracks on each CD - what
he calls the magic comfort number of a music
director. They get about 100 submissions per
CD. It’s a quality, not quantity driven
project. Jonathon says he has no interest in
spitting them out like a factory. He’s doing
this to get great music heard. He wants DJs to
know that the music on Acoustic Rainbow is
great quality. Being on this CD gets your name
in front of the radio industry. Jonathon says
he collectively pools everyone’s resources
to do the most for the least amount. He now
services 1,677 DJs in 28 nations. http://www.AcousticRainbow.com/
8. Bob Hope Tribute: PLEASE READ THIS!! This
may seem odd to be in my newsletter but it
relates to music. Many of you are too young to
understand what a profound contribution Bob
Hope made to our military. He's brought
music/entertainment to various countries
around the globe where our armed services were
serving the U.S. It became his mission.
Fifty-seven years ago, Hope first entertained
our country's men and women in uniform. Thanks
to him, hundreds of thousands of spirits were
lifted. Every Christmas for almost 40 years,
he left his family to entertain troops and
brought much needed relief and laughter. In
1997, an act of Congress made Bob Hope an
'honorary veteran." His response was,
"I've been given many awards in my
lifetime - but to be numbered among the men
and women I admire most - is the greatest
honor I have ever received." As Bob Hope
approaches his 100th birthday, Taffy III is
raising funds to create a Military Tribute to
Bob Hope in recognition of his efforts for all
our country's servicemen and women. It will
occupy a waterfront site in San Diego,
California. While they're looking for large
donations too, Mr. Hope says he'd be happy if
every veteran who appreciated his work sends
at least ONE dollar. The name of every donor
will be placed in a time capsule which will be
permanently set within the stage of the
Tribute! I'm making a donation in my dad's
memory. Donations can be charged on line or
checks/money orders sent to MILITARY TRIBUTE
TO BOB HOPE, P.O. Box 919012, San Diego, CA
92121. It's tax deductible too! http://www.hopetribute.org
Please pass this around. It may seem trivial
but this man sacrificed a lot of his life to
bring joy to what he calls, "his
kids," the people who put themselves on
the line to protect our country.
9. Interview with Rich Hardesty:
Singer/songwriter Rich Hardesty is earning a
6-figure income by working his music in the
college market and I wanted to find out why.
Rich actually came to NYC from his home in
Indiana to be interviewed for my book. He
really means business! We spent some
delightful time together as I picked his
brain. While studying business at college in
Indiana, he’d get his guitar out and
entertain people. Rich wrote a song called
"Never Wanna to F’n See You
Again." Everybody in the dorm requested
it. He began performing acoustically in bars,
milking his trademark song. Fraternities heard
about him and he did their parties. He used
what he learned in college to structure his
biz. Rich has been creative in marketing his
music. He records live shows and passes around
tapes that people copy. He runs the business
in-house, crediting his parents for being
extremely supportive - handling mail orders
and accounting. So far he’s sold over 50,000
CDs with NO distribution. Here's some
highlights of our interview.
Why do you allow your music to be copied for
free? "I have about 38 live CDs recorded
at shows. I mostly give them away for free
because it creates a fan that will keep coming
to shows. Fans pass them around. They end up
on the internet. I’m not worried about that
because it creates new fans. That’s the
bottom line."
Why do fans flock to you? "I have always
been a people person, taking time to talk to
the fans instead of ducking into the break
room."
How do get sponsorship from Jagermeister?
"I heard Jagermeister needed a band from
Indiana. The business side of me thought -
"I’m in the college market and all I
drank in college was Jager." I videotaped
myself performing for frat parties and had
someone follow me around with a camera,
filming some of the crazy things I do in my
lifestyle. I sent Jagermeister a VHS of me.
They hired me right away, because of the
numbers I perform in front of."
How does Jagermeister help you? "They
give t-shirts with my logo on them, bumper
stickers, matchboxes, lighters, guitar picks
with my autograph. If I come up with an idea,
they’ll do it. I don’t consider it selling
out. It helps me do what I love. And I love to
drink Jager. I won an award with them selling
the most Jager in one night. They put me on a
national tour with my own tour bus. I was the
emcee with a guitar. We did 36 cities in 2
weeks. They paid me well. I played my songs in
between the bands, with my bottle of Jager."
[Note: My next issue will include part of the
interview I did with Jagermeister about how to
get sponsorship.]
Rich has a passion for Jamaica and milked it.
How? "I’ve taken my act to Jamaica for
spring break 6 years in a row. I got spring
break companies to pay to give me free trips.
I told my fans to come to a show where I would
raffle off trips to Jamaica with me. I called
the president of a big spring break company
and told him I’d bring 30 friends and play.
I stacked my suitcase full of CDs and bumper
stickers. I had a marketing plan to get as
many CDs out with the website on it to all
these diversified kids from different parts of
the country. I hired Jamaicans to promote and
give them out. They had me play at the most
popular bar. There were 2,500 - 3,000
people."
How do you do private parties? "When
people want to have me for a private party I
tell them to charge $10 or 15 a head. I can
make anywhere from $800-3,000. They have it in
private houses, especially at college
campuses. I always sell CDs. And you entertain
a market of under-age kids who will support
you on the college or club scene as they turn
21. You’re creating a fan for life."
How do you feel about being independent?
"I don’t want to just be an artist
sitting under a tree writing songs. If you
want this to be your full time job then you
have to be business oriented. People ask why
I’m not with a record label, as if that
would be the greatest thing. They don’t
understand it’s a fallacy to be with a
record label. I am my own record label."
Rich is making more money than most signed
artists. He says he’d take a deal that would
further his career but it would have to be a
good one. Meanwhile, the big smile he had when
we spoke reflected how happy he is getting
paid well to do what he loves.
http://www.richhardesty.com
10. New indie Band Manager + extensive college
list for booking: I've already applauded
Charlie Cheney, developer of Indie Band
Manager, a database manager for musicians. Now
he's outdone himself, with the help of Derek
Sivers. Charlie just released version 3.0
which now includes CDBaby's College Booking
Contact List (over 2800 contacts across the
U.S. who book entertainment on their campus).
Now you can quickly find colleges in your area
and print mailing labels, send emails, or
contact them by phone to book a show. The 2
together are available during January for only
$89.95 and CDBaby will provide regular updates
to the list for free for the life of the list.
If you want to get into the college market,
this is something you MUST HAVE!!! After
January 31st it goes to full price, which is
$75 for the list and $39.95 for Indie Band
Manager 3.0. If you act now you save 50 bucks!
I already use the software for my mailing
list. I'm so grateful that Charlie created it!
http://www.indiebandmanager.com/
Some of you know that on the other *side* of
my career, I write relationship books and
teach classes. A few years ago I
self-published a 12-page newsletter called
Women's Support Network. There were 6 issues
packed with articles and interviews that I,
and guest writers wrote to offer suggestions
for empowerment in all areas. The info is
still current and I'm now offering a special
of all 6 for $12, postage included (originally
$18.50). If you'd like to take advantage, you
can send a check/money order to Revenge
Productions, FDR Station, PO Box 8016, New
York, NY 10150. If you want to charge it, drop
me an email and I'll tell you how to do it.
What a pleasure to hear words of the people
I've interviewed! They are all doing what they
love. When you follow your passion and not do
things just to make money, success generates
naturally. Why? You do things well because
you’re not straining to do them. I LOVE what
I do and it comes naturally to me. I smile as
I write. Those of you who’ve attended my
workshops know how much I enjoy giving them.
That’s contagious. So try to take money and
fame out of the picture of your future and
focus on the pleasure of doing your music. The
passion you can generate from that focus can
bring much greater rewards than struggling.
Doing music should NEVER be a struggle. I
can't imagine seeing what I do as work, though
I earn a living from it. Music should always
be a pleasure for you!
My next issue will be out mid-February. If you
have anything to share, please feel free to
send it. Until then.....
Keep your passion strong,
Daylle
Revenge Productions
http://www.daylle.com
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