Music business it’s a bitch. The worst type of. And only getting worst. Don’t matter what and how you play, don’t matter anymore how creative and innovative you are, but who you know, eventually, who’s ass you’re willing to kiss and how deep you’re willing to enter your tongue. Brutal? Welcome to the real world.
As a struggling artist for decades now, both trying to sell my visuals and my music, I know how unfriendly and impenetrable these industries are. Back in the 80s and 90s the record labels were like some distant planets for most of the bands, with the incredible growth of the internet and the now theoretically unlimited possibilities of DIY, the parameters are changed, but pushing through your work, still seems to be a hard nut to crack and not everybody succeeding. And well, when almost everybody’s singing, it’s kind of logical that nobody’s left to listen…
In this complicated and complex word of the music industry James Moore offers a bible of things to do to promote and push through your band; a step by step guide to bring to the surface your band and make it viral. But as James pointing out right from the beginning “you can bet there will be work”.
Advocating breaking the rules, bringing truly original expressions to the world, encouraging controversy, timing a release for optimum impact, promoting to music publications with his behind-the-scenes method, taking advantage of the user-generated revolution with a freelancers army, properly marketing music videos, embracing the free music model, and thinking outside the box, “Your Band Is A Virus” presents an actionable and inspired approach to music marketing coming from James Moore.
James Moore is a Canadian music promoter and author of the best selling “Your Band Is A Virus” music marketing book series. Growing up on artists like The Beatles, Public Enemy, Nirvana, and Tom Waits, he’s always connected with music that spoke from the soul. He works directly with independent bands and solo artists through his company Independent Music Promotions (www.independentmusicpromotions.com).
I.M.P. works worldwide exclusively with “artists with depth”. James has also contributed to a host of music publications such as The Muse’s Muse, Skope Magazine, Target Audience Magazine, Evor, and Music Think Tank. His work, most notably his “Can We Get In Pitchfork?” piece, has become one of the most shared pieces on Music Think Tank, having been spread by the likes of CDBaby, Reverbnation, Indie-music.com, DIY Daily and Buzzsonic.com.
“The intention of the book is to completely wipe out many of the misconceptions musicians have when it comes to music marketing. I’m a music promoter. This book wasn’t written by an entertainment lawyer or a label CEO. I’m DIY and I write about what has worked for me, and many of the ideas I’m happy to say just don’t get talked about anywhere else. It’s all straight talk and actionable advice. Musicians have the most trouble and confusion about generating press, so that’s what I focus on. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, so I hope this book inspires and brings clarity to artists” says Moore.
While I’m definitively an artist with lots of resentment regarding the music business and the media, eventually because of several misconceptions I have, the premises of James’s book were at least intriguing.
First of all: I really appreciate the clear and pro-work-flow structure of the book. James lead us through step by step, in a natural and logical order of all the “have to do” list and he explains in details all the necessary actions we have to take and the importance of each aspect from putting your music on-line to branding your act and promote it. And when I say “we”, I mean the band or the artist on urge to promote themselves and their product.
The second key phrase – I believe – it’s “I am always learning”. This is an aspect we always have to consider: things are changing incredibly fast these days and we have to adept to the new conditions on the fly.
But what it’s probably the most important, it’s the work you have to take really seriously. As James pointing out, some consider that “instead of properly promoting our music, we post it on Bandcamp (Soundcloud, MySpace, etc) and say “we’re DIY”, as if that truly means anything without action.”
Nowadays there are a billion other artists and bands posting their music on-line each and every minute, a good song, a good release it’s not even a half-way through ticket to reach out to the proper audience.
Regarding the concept “Your Band is a Virus” James explains: “every product, art piece, or idea in our modern society can be related to this concept. This means that while an idea or product can certainly spread quickly amongst the general public, some methods are much more effective than others.” And this book is about those methods and possibilities and how to put them in practice in the best benefit of our band and product. And James offers a genuine music marketing book in plain English.
James take off from the assumption that “independent musicians have reduced themselves to a horde of spammers, unable to communicate with their potential fan bases or tap into modern marketing practises” – and guide us through the methods and opportunities the industry and market offers nowadays. And he explains: “what you get out of the tools described in this book will depend strongly on how you use them. You may find that some promotional tactics work better for you than others. Expect your hard work to advance you and gain new fans, more hits to your website, more downloads of your music, and more press coverage.”
Can you become a buzz band while sitting in front of your computer? Probably not. It’s important to know that if you spend some serious time to write and record a brilliant album, and you don’t bother to put any financial or serious promotional push behind it, you’re probably throwing it directly in the garbage.
Starting a band might sound full of fun if you’re only thinking of free beers and girls all over, but it’s actually a hard road to go on and the way up to the top might be less pleasant than playing your acoustic guitar in your bed room or making some real noise with the boys back in your dad’s garage. Generally speaking, we all know that what works for a pop artist will simply not work for a death metal band. An acoustic performer can play at the local bookstore, but the hard-core punk band definitively cannot. So, each artist must chose the proper “weapon” (method) to promote his band/product. So, starting a band it’s actually identical with starting a business and if you really wanna make it, you will have to invest in that business seriously if you thinking of getting any profit out of it. The bottom line is that you must consider yourself not only artist, but also a businessman. As James said in his book: “Trent Reznor is a great artist and businessman. So is Maynard James Keenan of Tool.”
You must be pretty certain that you are not confusing a hobby with a profession and you are willing to put lot of work not only in your musical skill and performance, not only in the act of creation, but also invest lot of time, patience and energy in the promotional work and do it at least at the same professional level. Can you be simultaneously a stunning artist, a visionary producer, a clever promoter and a very well connected manager? I don’t think so. There are several things you might be able to do by yourself, but if this is something dead serious, at one point, you will definitively need professional support and assistance. This book will focus mainly on online promotion of your music, while nowadays “all starts online.”
In music business everything matters and everything it’s extremely important.
Luck is equally part of the package, but sometimes can change even your luck with the proper tools and effective hard work.
From my point of view, the downside of all of this is that finally some extremely well (professionally) promoted, but completely mediocre products might breakthrough while real values with less or lame promotion will disappearing down on the media grinder. But once again, this is not a fair world, don’t fool yourself, there is no spot for everyone and at the bottom line, dog eat dog and the big fish will swallow the smaller one, so, better be prepared than surprised.
James can give you some valuable tips, he show you the way through, but the determination and work must be yours. Are you willing to die trying? Buy the book, read the book, do whatever it takes to make your dreams come true!
This special expanded edition also includes an industry insiders interview series featuring legendary producer Stuart Epps (Led Zeppelin, Elton John), HIP Video Promo CEO Andy Gesner (HIP has worked with Johnny Cash, Bon Iver, Pearl Jam, Of Montreal), Justin Wayne of the Justin Wayne show, Katie O’Halloran of Ithinkiloveit.com and Crystal Lee of Vandala Concepts Magazine.
Your Band IS A Virus @ Independent Music Promotions
Buy the brand new “Your Band IS A Virus – Expended Edition” at WWW.AMAZON.COM
All other digital formats available at SMASHWORDS
Now available in PAPERBACK (192 pages)
Visit James at AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL
Also featuring a special deal at SCRIBD where you can read and purchase the book.
