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Hello
to you all!
Hope you're staying cool in this hot summer.
When it's REALLY hot, I'm motivated to stay in
and get lots of writing done. Just finished
the final edits for the new edition of Start
& Run Your Own Record Label, which will be
out in the fall. There was a 2 page interview
with me in last month's Insomniac Magazine -
the terrific hip-hop trade magazine click
here to read the interview.
Things are revving up on the relationship book
side of my schizo career. I was quoted in the
April edition of Men's Fitness and the June
edition of Men's Health click
here to read the article.
I was recently on the Montel Williams show for
the 11th time and #12 will be on July 31st,
towards the end of the show, for my book All
Men Are Jerks until Proven Otherwise.
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. Read past issues by
clicking here. If you prefer to be taken
off my list, please say unsubscribe in the
subject header of an email.
I've been seeing some of you at the FilmMusic
Network's wonderful monthly panels. I'm glad
to be able to clue you in on this great
resource for songwriters. I go every month. I
don't have the date for the next one yet but
it will probably be the second week of August,
jointly with the Songwriters Guild. I highly
recommend this worthwhile panel to all
songwriters.
Thanks for all your great letters! It helps me
know people are reading this. : ) There's some
great stuff in this issue, including samples
of more interviews that I did for my next
book, the new edition of Start & Run Your
Own Record Label. One is with Dan Zanes, who
had an illustrious career with the Del Fuegos
and now does children's music for his label,
Festival 5 Records. I've also included some of
the input from Suzanne Glass, founder of
indie-music.com, a fantastic site with
resources for indie musicians. Suzanne talks
about the best uses for the Internet right now
and where she thinks it's going. Feel free to
give me feedback on what you'd like to see me
cover in future issues.
Revenge Productions
http://www.daylle.com
1. Marketing your music with confidence
2. Interview with Dan Zanes (Del Fuegos and
Festival 5 Records)
3. My next seminars
4. Must-have directories
5. Minding your music biz - good cheap/free
services
6. Interview with Suzanne Glass (indie-music.com)
7. Packaging with care
8. Email headers
1. Marketing your music with confidence
Confidence sells! And it doesn't cost
anything. I hear musicians all the time
speaking about their music without conviction
- which makes a difference. They often have
slumped shoulders and low energy. That's not
going to impress anyone and in this biz, we
need to impress. Why should someone take you
seriously if you're not confident about your
music? Confidence is contagious. When people
people feel yours, their image of you gets
more positive and they're more likely to check
out your music or make time for you.
Confidence shows you're taking yourself
seriously. I can hear some of you thinking
"I don't have a confident personality and
can't manufacture it. What can I do?"
I'll tell you.
Nobody starts with confidence. It's developed
and learned over time. I was terrified on my
first few TV appearances. And it took a while
to develop real confidence to speak to a group
during a seminar. When I first talked to
Billboard, I was nervous about writing my
first book. But nobody (except my good
friends) knew. I fake confidence till it's
real. If you do something over and over, it
becomes a habit. The more you act confident,
the more you'll feel it. I live by Decarte's
quote, "I think, therefore I am."
It's in all my books and I live it. Fake it
until it's real, because it does become real
if you keep it up. "I think, there I
am." Here are some of my confidence
boosters. If you practice developing yours,
you'll attract a lot more for you and your
music.
*Talk to yourself. I do and I'm not crazy (no
arguments from friends, please!). I do it to
encourage myself. In scary situations, I go to
a mirror and say versions of "I'm Daylle
Deanna Schwartz and I know I can do it."
Or "I'm good enough to handle this
situation." Sometimes I repeat it like an
affirmation until I feel the power of my
words. You CAN do it. *Take deep breaths
before speaking. Trying to sound confident
when you're not is stressful. Taking some
slow, deep breaths keeps your demeanor calmer.
*Keep a positive attitude. If you sound
positive, people will think you are. This is
part of faking till you make it. Speaking in a
positive tone makes you sound confident.
Develop some energy if you have none. The more
energetic you sound, the more people will
think you're confident. *Smile. Nervous people
don't smile. They may giggle at inappropriate
times but don't have a confident smile.
Smiling triggers confidence by stimulating
good body chemicals. The act of smiling feels
good. Polish your teeth and show them!
*Develop a confident stance. Work on your
posture. People judge you by how you carry
yourself. And good posture can be faked
easily. Stand straight, and arch your
shoulders back, with your head held high.
People will buy the image of confidence and
take you more seriously. It sets a tone for
their immediate perception of you. Good
posture makes YOU feel more powerful.
*Develop a firm handshake. Wet noodle grips
don't cut it! In my seminars I shake hands
with as many people as possible. I tell about
50% of them to develop a firmer grip. This is
something you all can do!!! A firm handshake
communicates confidence, whether you have it
or not.
*Polish your balls! In situations where
someone is challenging your ability and you
don't feel sure of yourself, challenge them
back. Ask questions to buy time to think. For
example, if someone questions your ability to
do a job, ask if there's an aspect you don't
know about that elicits concern. Put the other
person on the spot to prove themselves to you.
Don't get defensive when someone tries to put
you on the spot or show you up. Make them own
up to what they say. Being defensive doesn't
impress. Asking questions back shows
confidence.
These tips come from one of the tapes I sell
for $10 called "Confidence Boosters: Be
the Self-Assured Person You Want to Be!"
http://www.daylle.com/books.html
2. Interview with Dan Zanes
Dan Zanes began his career as a member of the
Del Fuegos, signed to several majors
throughout the 80's. When his daughter was
born, he began Festival Five Records in 1999
to create children's music. Dan puts out a CD
every fall.
Why did you decide to do kids music? "My
daughter was born and I went to the record
stores expecting to find updated versions of
the music I grew up with - the homemade folk
sound that would reflect the times we're
living in now. Seemed like 80 or 90% of what
there was very corporate and tied into movies
or TV. That was pretty discouraging. I wanted
to make an alternative. I made a cassette tape
to give out to kids in the neighborhood.
People were more excited by this cassette than
they were by the solo record I had put
out."
How did your label get started? "I got a
call from Ryko Disc. Someone had passed them a
cassette and they asked if I wanted to put it
out. At that point I'd made 5 records for
other labels and didn't own the masters for a
single thing. At the end of the day I was left
holding very little. I knew I had something
good. I felt protective of it. Someone said,
'Why don't you start a label.'"
Why did you create special packaging? "I
knew from my daughter that when she got a
record, she wanted to have something to look
at. I had an environmental issue with the
jewel boxes. . .We came up with a design for a
board book. It's full color, 16 pages and
recycled paper. A lot of stores looked at the
packaging and would buy it without even
listening to it. I feel so proud of it!"
How did you get started? "I read a bunch
of business books. I found mentors. In the
beginning, I did everything myself from the
trunk of my car. Now we go through MRI, which
takes us into the Ryko/WEA system."
Where did you market your music when you
started? "I went to places that sell
things that have to do with kids - clothing,
books, toys, kids' furniture stores. My CD
looks different - it's a little more handmade
so it can fit into places. I've found that for
a lot of people, children's music can have a
bad reputation. This is something that looks
different. I put on a clean shirt and carried
a messenger bag. I'd get in the subway and go
from store to store. Word of mouth started
getting it outside of town."
How did you promote your music? "I really
believe in playing live to spread the word.
I've done a lot of performing since this came
out. In the beginning, if I knew someone at a
school, I would offer to do it for free if we
could sell CDs. That was the starting point. I
performed for families at fundraisers on
weekends. The school charged what they wanted
and kept the door. We'd sell CDs. I was giving
them away as fast as I could, which was good
at the beginning. I had total faith in what I
was going out there with. My idea was to get
it into as many people's hands as possible and
trust it would create some momentum for me.
The first sold over 20,000."
How do you feel about being independent?
"Very, very happy. I've spoken to all the
kids' labels by now. The minute I say I'd like
to license and retain ownership of my masters,
the conversations come to a screeching halt. I
got a call from someone I know at a major. We
talked about licensing my label through their
machinery. It seemed like an exciting
possibility. But as soon as it got into
business affairs, my stomach started hurting
and I was having trouble sleeping. All those
things that had been clear in conversations
were suddenly retracted. I couldn't have been
happier to walk away from the business
machinery. I had a renewed appreciation for my
situation. Slow and steady is right for me. As
it grows, I learn about it. I heard Richard
Foos from Rhino Records said because he did it
all himself, he was able to understand how the
business really worked. And he was able to
understand every aspect of it. That's been my
case. I never ever wanted to know anything
about the business part of the music
business."
Dan Zanes is happily recording children's
music and running his Festival Five Records.
http://www.festivalfive.com
3. My next seminars
My next Start & Run Your Own Record Label
seminar is on Saturday, October 4, 2003. Right
now I have 2 of my regular speakers confirmed
for this one - Wallace Collins, Music
Attorney, who's way of making complex legal
issues simple is always a hit and Jeff
Epstein, Sales & Marketing Manager, Disc
Makers and president of nationally acclaimed
Cropduster Records. There will be at least 2
more speakers but it's too early for others to
commit. Stay tuned to the next issue! click
here for details
Artist Development 101: How to Get a Record
Deal - or Do It Yourself is on Saturday,
November 22, 2003.
I'll let you know more details as they get
closer. For now, save the dates! : )
4. Must-have directories
There are many directories that can help you
reach the people and places you need to reach.
I have a round-up of some that I believe are
very valuable. Invest in the ones that help
your needs. Most of them are reasonably
priced.
The Indie Bible click
here to visit their website
The Indie Bible is the ultimate web resource.
It contains thousands of e-zines that will
REVIEW your music, radio stations that will
PLAY your music and online vendors that will
SELL your music. ALL genres are covered! If
you want to cover every avenue for marketing
your music on the internet, this book will
take you there. It's reasonably priced and
updated regularly.
David Wimble, who publishes this Bible, is a
good friend of mine and I know how hard he
works to make this a quality publication. I
highly recommend it!
Music Business Registry click
here to visit their website
Check out the A & R Registry for up to
date contact info on most A & R people in
the majors as well as many indie labels. I've
know its creator, Ritch Esra, since he began
this registry. His dedication to offering
quality and current contacts is thorough.
Plus, he's a great guy! Ritch updates these
every two months and includes direct contact
phone and fax numbers whenever possible, as
well as the names of assistants. If you're a
songwriter, his Publisher's Registry is just
as hot. There's also a book of contacts for
Film and TV Music and a Music Attorney, Legal
and Business Affairs Guide.
Musician's Atlas click
here to visit their website
This resource is a must have for any artist
who wants to tour or get exposure in cities
around the country. It lists numerous
resources - clubs, radio stations, press,
record stores, and contact info to book into
specific colleges. It also includes
conferences & festivals, organizations,
record labels, publishers and much more. Get a
20% discount at this link.
ALL ACCESS® click
here to visit their website
This music database on CD-rom is not cheap.
But, if you're ready to take your career to
the next level, it's a worthwhile investment.
ALL ACCESS contains contact info for over
10,000 music industry pros, including A &
R people, music supervisors, radio stations,
music publications, distribution and licensing
companies, and much more. It also makes
available valuable resources, including
"My Virtual Attorney," with
templates for contracts and budgets.
Pollstar puts out a wonderful series of
Contact Directories, published bi-annually.
You can get a full listing of everything they
have available by calling (800) 344-7383 or in
California (209) 271-7900. click
here to visit their website
Record Company Rosters: This directory
contains a complete artist roster and list of
executive contacts for every major and almost
every independent label in the business. It
includes all A&R, Artist Relations, Public
Relations, legal, promotion staff & other
key personnel.
Agency Rosters: This booking contact
directory contains over 6,750 artists. It has
a separate UK and European booking agency
rosters and index.
Talent Buyers & Clubs: This
directory lists every major concert promoter,
nightclub, fair, festival, and theme park
booking touring artists. It includes college
buyers as well.
International:
Music Directory Canada, Eighth Edition
by Norris-Whitney CommunicationsThe Eighth
Edition of this guide to the Canadian Music
Industry features over 60 categories, each
listing includes: Company, Contact, Address,
Phone, FAX, E-mail, Web Address and
Description. and more. click
here to visit their website
SHOWCASE offers a book for about $80US
with many international contacts. But their
site has many free listings, including venues
by country. click
here to visit their website
White Book lists the leading businesses
in every sector of the music industry,
including agents for the UK.click
here to visit their website
Branchenhandbuch is the German book of
contacts click
here to visit their website
AustralAsian Music Industry Directory:
Published by Immedia, it's updated regularly
with over 8000 listings in 20 AustralAsian
music markets. You can get a free copy of the
1997 edition by registering on their site. click
here to visit their website
5. Minding your music biz - good cheap/free
services
I've been discovering some great inexpensive
or free services that can help you with the
biz end of your music. Here are some of the
best:
If you make a lot of long distant calls like I
do, One Suite has a rate of 2.5 cents a minute
with no monthly fees. And their rates to
foreign countries are very low too. You have
to call their access number first and then put
in your code, like for a phone card. I've
gotten used to it as it's saved me hundreds of
dollars off my phone bill. http://www.onesuite.com
Freedomelist.com lists cheap or free ISPs for
the Internet. They have many affordable ones
listed for under $10/mo. http://www.freedomlist.com
My fax machine had a problem recently and
someone had to fax me something important.
That's when I discovered efax. You can get up
to 20 free faxes a month. It's fantastic if
you don't get many faxes and don't want to buy
a machine. It's also good for people who
travel and may want to retrieve faxes in their
laptop. The *downside* is you get a fax number
in a state out west and some people feel funny
with an area code no one knows. Not me! I have
my own fax number that I can give people and
it's FREE! http://home.efax.com
6. Interview with Suzanne Glass (indie-music.com)
While the internet is helpful, it hasn't
replaced record stores and most of the
industry pros I interviewed say it's been a
big let-down. I first spoke to Suzanne Glass
when I was researching for the first edition
of Start & Run Your Own Record Label. Most
of those I spoke to at that time are gone.
Suzanne's site remains strong. So for the new
edition of this book I turned to this Internet
music industry veteran for insight and I'll
share some of the interview here.
What changes/growth have you seen for the
internet as a resource for musicians?
"The internet, as it relates to
musicians, has changed considerably over the
few short years of its existence. It used to
be, there were far too many websites trying to
"help" musicians. Some were good,
some were bad, and some were doomed to failure
because few had workable business models.
While the "gold rush" period was
heady, it also led many people, musicians
included, to assume simply being "on the
internet" was enough to make money. Now
that this concept has been dis-proven, some
people feel there is no value in being online.
Neither extreme is true. The internet has
always been just another tool in the quest for
success. It allows musicians to reach their
fans and industry contacts, with greater ease
and less cost. It allows musicians to expand
from their hometown base through research and
online networking. It also offers many
opportunities for reviews/airplay/sales of
artists' music. But it's not a panacea. Just
another tool. But a tool which allows us to do
more, with less money and energy."
What are some tips for an indie label to make
the most of the internet? "Use search
engines, and links from favorite sites, to
locate additional sites which might review
your music, or additional internet radio
stations which might play indie CDs. Use the
internet for research.... you can locate
contacts online which would have been nearly
impossible to find offline. You can also email
people who you would never get through to with
a telephone call or regular mail. Everyone
should have a website, and musicians (as well
as indie businesses) should be using email to
contact their customers regularly. It's much
cheaper than using snail mail. Networking
(with fans, other bands, labels, radio, etc)
is the single most important thing you can do
on the internet."
Any advice on attracting people to a website?
"The most important part of increasing
website traffic is OFFLINE. Make sure your URL
and email address are on everything you print.
When you write your mailing address, your URL
should always be right next to it. Put the URL
on your bio, press kit, mailing labels, CD
covers, and everything else. Offer some kind
of unique content or contest on your site.
Some people put Guitar Lessons on their site
to attract players, others give away prizes.
While these things will help, including
bringing back past visitors, don't expect a
huge influx of people. Get listed on sites
like MP3.com, IUMA, Indie-Music.com, etc.
While each site will only bring you a few
visitors, it does add up. Make sure you
include a signature with each email you send,
with a clickable link to your website. Mention
your website from stage during
performances."
Where do you see the internet going in the
next 10 years? "I personally think it
will take awhile to see significant changes
online. The reason is, to see big changes in
online sales of downloadable music, we will
need a large increase in infrastructure, so
most internet users have access to broadband
connections. This is happening very slowly,
and the current economic conditions have
delayed it even further. Until then, people
will for sure continue to buy CDs. However,
more and more of those CDs will be sold
online, as people relax even more with
e-commerce.
The bottom line is, just think of the internet
like you would your telephone or the Post
Office. It has become an item most everyone
has and relies on, but it is not a be-all,
end-all method to success. The same old rules
of "work hard" and "get
lucky" still apply."
Suzanne Glass, is the Founder of
Indie-Music.com, one of the best music
websites on the Internet. Many sites have come
and gone but Indie-Music.com has sustained and
improved over the years. The site offers you
an exclusive subscription to its huge contact
directory (7,200 venues, 2000 radio stations,
1000's of labels, media, agents, more) plus a
complete online set of organizational tools.
It's for musicians andindustry professionals.
Check out the benefits of joining
Indie-Music.com by
clicking here.
7. Packaging with care
While interviewing industry pros for my new
book, I learned just how important packaging
has become if you press your own CD. When I
wrote my first books, CDs weren't as
prevalent. It was still expensive to make them
so just having your own CD was more of a
calling card. Nowadays, CDs are cheap and
industry pros get swamped with them. They
consistently told me that often the packaging
can make the crucial difference. Ultimately
press, radio play, and other exposure hinges
on having good music. But if no one hears your
CD, the music won't count. A nice package
entices people to hear what's inside.
Packaging provides the first impression of
your music. If it doesn't show you take your
music seriously enough to dress it nicely, it
might not get heard. Ramona De'Breaux, MD of
Hot 1079, a top commercial urban station in
Atlanta, told me, "If your package looks
good, then they'll read the one-sheet. If it
looks like crap, no one cares." You're
competing with majors who have very attractive
packages. Nicer packages are opened quicker.
Editors at music publications, radio MDs and
other industry pros say packaging can set one
artist apart from others. The goal is to get
heard. Get them to listen to it by making sure
your packaging is competitive. Then your music
can convince them. De'Breaux advises:
"The main thing is to get them to listen
to it. 75 new CDs come in a day. No one has
time to listen to everything. Look at your CD
and compare to others in retail stores. Then
get real!"
8. Email headers
As spam increases, people are getting less
patient with emails they don't recognize. I've
been getting 20+ weird emails a day. I've also
been hearing from people who say they
accidentally deleted one I sent them because
they were in such a hurry to delete spam.
THEREFORE, I implore you to be very careful
about your subject headers when you send
something to an industry person who doesn't
know you. I've become more careful about which
ones I open. I often ponder if the strange
heading is spam or from a musician. Sorry, but
it's true. I may miss some real letters
because I deleted them with others I identify
as spam. So put thought into how you label an
email to a professional who you hope will read
it and respond. Try to be clear and direct.
Don't be cutesy. Just like with packaging, you
want your header to establish what's inside so
the receiver will open it.
I sometimes recommend products that I say are
put out by friends, like David Wimble and
Ritch Esra. Some of you may be wondering if
this is a form of nepotism - pushing things so
my friends make money. On the contrary, I've
become friends with many people because I fall
in love with their products. : ) While people
in this biz have a bad rep, the individuals
are mostly terrific. I've heard from people
recently who talk about what a lousy biz this
is and that people take advantage. This rarely
happens to me. I expect people to be nice and
they are. That doesn't mean everyone will give
you what you want. But just because they
don't, doesn't mean they're bad. I continue to
say, we get what we put out. People like David
and Ritch are wonderful guys with wonderful
directories. So I support them completely. And
people support me. That's how my world works,
and yours can be like that too. It's in your
hands. Reach out to people with support and
you'll find yourself in a supportive world.
Enjoy the rest of your summer! If you have
anything to share, please send it. Until the
next issue.....
Keep your passion strong,
Daylle
Revenge Productions
http://www.daylle.com
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