Music Marketing Monday

40 - Bob Talks Billy Off the LedgeUnexpected change. Relying on what has always worked in the past. These are factors that can lead to frustration and depression. Billy experienced this with his own music career last week.On this episode Bob walks him through a process of self discovery that every musician can learn from. Have a seat on the couch. Your therapist is waiting.

39 - How to Stay Healthy and Productive as a Working MusicianListener Rowen Bridler asks some great questions about health and productivity. On this episode Billy and Bob give their best advice on how to prioritize your activities and stay focused.Insider tip: Don't neglect self-care as you try to get everything done. Your co-hosts also discuss Stephen Covey's "four quadrants" and the Pomodoro Technique.

38 - Re-Branding Your New Music IdentityHow do you handle a music career shift when it comes to marketing? What happens when you change your style or band lineup?That's what listener Ellen Allard asked, and that's what Billy and Bob address on this episode. Do you erase your musical history and ignore your previous fans? Do you start fresh or build on your past? Get answers here!

37 - How Many People Will Show Up at Your Gigs?Listener Jason Didner asked this question, and on this episode Billy and Bob do their best to answer it. How can you predict how many actual bodies will inhabit the venue at your next show? What can you tell the venue owner to reasonable expect? How much music and merch should you bring? Inquiring marketing minds want to know.

36 - How to Promote Music if You Don't Play LiveLet's face it. A lot of the marketing advice you hear is geared toward artists who perform live. But what if you have no interest in doing live shows? Are you out of luck? Oh no!On this episode Billy and Bob give you a lengthy list of non-performing promotion ideas and examples. Use them to spread your music and attract new fans.

35 - How to Build a Fan Base from ScratchThis week Billy and Bob answer questions from listeners. Daryl asks "How do brand new artists attract their very first fans?"Your hosts also tackle questions about stage names and other topics sent in by listeners like you.

34 - Music Showcases: What They Are, How to Play ThemThey come in all shapes and sizes - from SXSW to NACA conferences and more. It's your opportunity to perform in front of a special group of people who have the power to book you or boost your music career.This week Billy and Bob tackle music showcases. Learn what they are, how to find them, and what you can do to make your showcase set shine.

33 - Street Performing Tips: How to Make Money BuskingDo you have what it takes to busk? To play for tips out in public places?This week Billy and Bob share their best street performing tips. Learn where and when to play, how to attract a crowd, and what to do to earn more money.

32 - Kickstarter Best Practices: How to Crowdfund Your Next Music ProjectSo you're seriously thinking about using Kickstarter or IndieGogo (or another fan-funding site) to raise money. Time to jump in and collect all the money, right? Hold on!There are a lot of things to think about before you start a crowdfunding campaign. Billy and Bob cover the basic elements you need to know and have in place before you go public with your campaign.

31 - How to Fan Fund Your Music Without KickstarterCrowdsourcing and fanfunding are all the rage. Sure, you could use Kickstarter or IndieGogo to raise money for your music project. Or ...You could get creative and use these often overlooked ideas to inspire fans to support you and your music with financial contributions. One duo raised $1,700 on their own with a small fan base. What could you do?

Niche Music Markets: How to Dominate Genres and ThemesWould you rather be a small musical fish in a big pond or a big fish in a musical lake of your own making? That's what Billy and Bob cover this week: Niche music markets.From funny golf songs and music for yoga ... To creepy Christmas tunes and Irish drinking songs for cat lovers ... Your "Music Marketing Monday" hosts show you how to dominate a category by serving highly targeted audiences.

29 - Alternative Performance Spaces: More Ways to Reach FansHot on the heels of last week's episode, Billy and Bob continue their exploration of alternative music venues and performance spaces.Can you strip down (not that way) or be flexible with your instrumentation? The boys also discuss house concerts, sporting events, and trade shows.And Billy really gets the weirdness wheels turning when he talks about playing haunted houses and becoming the "yard sale band."At 3pm EST join us on Twitter at #MMMchat for a LIVE discussion about todays topic!

28 - Alternative Music Venues: Where Else Can You Play?If you're like many musicians, you have tunnel vision when it comes to playing live. And it could be costing you lost exposure opportunities.On this episode, Billy and Bob cover a range of alternate performance spaces where you can reach new fans and sell more music and merch.

27 - An Insider's View of the Music MediaHave you ever walked a mile in a journalist's shoes? On this episode Bob pulls back the curtain and reveals what life as a music editor and writer is really like.Billy shares some ways he has gotten press coverage over the years. Bob also lists the four ways media people get ideas for the things they cover. Listen to this if you want more free publicity.

26 - Music Publicity 101: Media Exposure FundamentalsYou spoke. Billy and Bob listened. This week they tackle music publicity, one of the top vote getters in the recent Music Marketing Monday podcast topic poll.In this episode your hosts define "publicity" and "media." Bob covers the abundance of media "outlets" available to you and the many ways you can get free exposure, based on his 10 years at the helm of a music magazine.

25 - Wanted: YOUR Input on Future Show TopicsThis week Billy and Bob put YOU in the driver's seat. What topics would you most like to see covered in upcoming episode? Vote right now in this quick and easy online poll: http://goo.gl/TyYmce Listen as your co-hosts go over a healthy list of possible topics. Tweet your ideas using hashtag #MusicMM or post them in the Music Marketing Mind Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/musicmarketingmind/

24 - How to Fix the Broken Music IndustryThis week the boys cover five things the music biz can do to emulate one of Billy's favorite industries: TV! Your hosts riff on an article Ted Gioia wrote for the Daily Beast website called "5 Lessons the Faltering Music Industry Could Learn From TV."Bob points out the distinct differences between music and TV, but both Billy and Bob agree that musicians of all kinds should uplevel their game and create more value that's worth paying for.

23 - Time Shifting for MusiciansTo succeed as a musician, sometimes it seems you literally have to work it 24/7 and be in more than one place at the same time. On this episode, Billy and Bob show you how to do just that - appear in multiple places simultaneously, while magically bending your past, present and future.Neil deGrasse Tyson would be proud (except for the part where Bob curses in the intro). But seriously, tune in and get turned on to the many ways you can shift time and multiply your online marketing efforts.

22 - The Tough Love Guide to Email MarketingIs sending email to your fans still effective? Does anybody even want it anymore? Billy and Bob answer those questions and more on this week's episode.Billy signed up for a dozen different band email lists to learn how other artists promote themselves. What he discovered was startling. Your hosts also share great feedback from listeners on this important topic.

21 - How to Ruin Your Music CareerThis week the boys play both Good Cop and Bad Cop as they point out some horrible examples of missed music marketing opportunities.Billy reveals the worst practices he witnessed after observing dozens of bands at Summerfest, while Bob shows you how to avoid these costly errors and do things right.How many of these harmful mistakes are YOU making? Listen and find out!