David Andrew Wiebe Interviews and Music Business Podcast: A Podcast for Forward Looking Musicians

Frequency is everything

2011-12-20T22:17:04Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 18: Frequency is everything from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

It's not enough to drive traffic to your website. It's about making returning visitors out of your audience. Arguably, it is more important to have regularly updated content than it is to have a spiffy looking site (although that can help). We've already touched on the importance of RSS and getting people to subscribe to your content. Here are some tips for keeping your website up to date:

Make use of a Content Management System or CMS. Remove any friction between you and updating your site. If it's hard to do, you're less likely to do it consistently. Content Management Systems allow you to easily make changes to your site. Use Joomla, WordPress, or Movable Type (that's what I use).
Take some time to think about what you're going to say before you say it. Jot down some interesting topics that come to mind about your field of expertise. Keeping these ideas on hand is going to save you a lot of time later in trying to think up interesting subjects.
Take advantage of other content publishers out there. Leverage what they have created to talk about your subject of interest (make sure to credit them). Add a few of your own comments and thoughts on the subject.
Talk about current news items. Connect the dots from the news item you mention to the subject you want to talk about.
Leverage everything you do and capture it (a photo, a video, a scanned item). Then post it along with a paragraph or two of your thoughts. Keep frequent with your updates. People are going to notice if there is always stuff happening on your site, and will keep them engaged. As result, you look more professional and in-demand.

The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online was written by Andrew Dubber, and all credit goes to him. I do not claim any ownership over the book, nor am I quoting any information verbatim. If you would like to download your free copy, please follow this link, and don't forget to visit New Music Strategies as well.

Reward and Incentivise

2011-12-20T04:25:08Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 17: Reward and Incentivise from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Dubber suggests that there is an alternative for just about every product imaginable on the web, and, people will purchase anything that closely resembles their needs. It is, therefore, constructive to give your audience incentives for coming to you and returning to you.

As a music industry professional, you can't just allow the Hear / Like / Buy process to happen in its own time. It's important to remove any obstacles that may lie in between. No matter how much of a specialty act you are, you're probably not the only group doing it.

Dubber asserts that 30 second or 1 minute lo-fi clips aren't going to cut it. He recommends allowing people to listen to a couple of full songs off of each of your albums.

Furthermore, consider giving people reasons to choose you over the others, and do this on an ongoing basis. This is where gifts, rewards, and incentives come in. Offer a discount on concert tickets, digital media (like wallpapers), ringtones, or anything else you can think of.

Finally, turn your customers and audience into members of your fan club or business. Make them a part of your ongoing creative efforts. Get them involved in the conversation on your website through the use of forums or a commenting system.

Accessibility

2011-12-16T18:00:38Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 16: Accessibility from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Accessibility has long been a subject of web design. It is a rather important component to building a website that anyone and everyone can view. Not everyone has a high speed connection to the internet, a Core i5 equipped tower, or even the ability to see. Building a website that is friendly to all users is a challenging task, but here are some things Dubber recommends:

Avoid landing pages that serve no purpose and have long load times. This would include things like Flash intros (with a 'Skip' button). If you have to add a 'Skip' button, chances are it's not worth slapping on the landing page.
Take advantage of sites like the Web Accessibility Initiative. They have a lot of great information pertaining to accessibility, and how to make your website more accessible.
Make sure your website is XHTML compliant.
Jakob Nielsen's Use It website also has a lot of great information on the subject of accessibility.
Check out the CSS Zen Garden for examples of websites that are accessible, but also visually appealing.

Although I don't mean to scare you, accessibility is actually the law (consult your particular country, state, or province's laws for more applicable information), much like it is in the workplace. In UK - Dubber points out - you would be looking at a fine amounting to thousands of pounds.

Additionally, there is a strong link between usability and accessibility. When you endeavor to make your website more accessible, you are also doing a great deal to make it more usable as well.

Dubber also asserts that accessible does not mean "vanilla" (see point 5). You can still create a site that looks great, while maintaining a well thought-out layout. According to Dubber, if your website is accessible and easy to use, it doesn't mean that your audience is going to spend more money. However, if it's not, they simply won't.

RSS

2011-12-16T05:37:45Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 15: RSS from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

RSS feeds are quite frankly amazing. It took me a long time to understand why, but now I know. Suppose there's a list of websites you tend to check daily (a lot of people do). You visit each of them, one after another, checking to see if there's anything new. Suppose you could do this in a more time efficient manner. Suppose you could check for the latest updates, all from one convenient location. Suppose you could know if there were any updates at first sight. That is the power of RSS.

Suppose it was possible to collect other streams and have a dynamically updated feed on your blog, and highlight the latest articles from a list of your favorite sites (they do this over at IHR).

Suppose it was possible to create a stream with all of your audio segments, and when people subscribe to your feed, they would automatically get the latest segments (aka podcasting).

Suppose you could monetize such a feed, bring your content to new people, or establish yourself as an expert or opinion leader in your field (you can!).

If I haven't piqued your curiosity, that's because you already know the power of RSS, which stands for Rich Site Summary. It's kind of been a big thing in the last few years.

Perhaps the word 'subscription' has turned you off. Well, the truth of the matter is that subscribing to a feed is absolutely free, much like podcasts. But you knew that already...

All you need to do to get started as a user is use a tool or a service called a Feed Reader or RSS Aggregator. Once you are subscribed to a particular feed, the Reader will automatically check for new updates for you. You will never have to go searching for new content again. You will get a notification in your Reader when new content is available.

Dubber recommends the following Readers: Google Reader, Sage, and Bloglines. There are a variety of others available if you go digging for them.

Once you understand the power of RSS, you begin to realize its true potential. However, the only way to do this - I've found - is to get your feet wet. Find an Aggregator you like, and get started!

Permission and personalisation

2011-12-15T05:39:18Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 14: Permission and personalisation from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

If you are going to target a market, it may as well be a market of people who have given you permission to market to them. Sending spam or unsolicited messages generally isn't going to win you any friends, sales, or credibility. Here are some strategies you can use to improve your communication with your audience:

Firstly, let people opt-in. If you have a newsletter, allow people to put their names and email addresses in a form. Only send it to people who have requested that information. Furthermore, talk to people as though they are the only person reading what you have to say (personalization). I think I've stressed this point to death already, but your message should be relevant, useful, and interesting.

Secondly, personalize your content. Take some time to think about the person you're talking to. Who is your audience? What do they want to know? What would prove useful for them? Long lists of dates of upcoming events - according to Dubber - should be avoided.

Thirdly, take advantage of the power of introduction. If you are trying to get in touch with someone you don't know get someone who does know them to introduce you.

Fourthly, make sure to keep communication succinct. People have gotten good at skimming and scanning through text, but they do tend to pick up on certain key phrases. Break up your text into paragraphs instead of one big whole. Take advantage of subheadings as well. Additionally, tell one story at a time. Don't try to cram dozens of things in a single mail-out.

Finally, keep it simple. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Put yourself in the audience's shoes.

SEO - My top 10 Tips

2011-12-10T02:35:34Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 13: SEO - My top 10 Tips from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

What is SEO? It short, it stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is pretty much what it sounds like - a method of positioning your website so that it is favored over other similar sites by search engines. When most people do a search on Google they only look at the first page of search results. Therefore, it would put you at an advantage if you can get your site on the first page of results (a little caveat here - it probably won't do you much good if you're on the first page of results for a completely unrelated keyword, unless you've also snagged some other relevant keywords).

Dubber's 10 tips for SEO are as follows:

Take advantage of meta tags. Metadata is generally split up into 3 categories including: Title, description, and keywords. The title is one of the most important parameters. When a search engine digs up your site, it uses your title in order to figure out what your page is about. A simple Google search will turn up some great articles about writing great headlines. Having the same title on each page of your website is a no-no. The description metadata is generally displayed along with the search results (below your site's link). Keywords are where you would list all the words and phrases you would consider relevant to your business or music. You can't cheat, however, so don't clutter your keyword metadata with repeated words or phrases.
Search engines are also looking for header tags, bullet points, bold text, or emphasized text and will treat anything in that regard as important. It pays to consider what phrases and keywords you want people searching for. Again, don't clutter your site with too much emphasis, because it will be considered spam by search engines.
Link to other similar sites. The idea of linking to your competitors may not appeal to you, but it helps to place you in a particular network. Furthermore, make sure to use descriptive text when linking to other sites (not 'click here').
Create a site map for your site. A site map is a page where you lay out all the links and destinations on your site in one convenient list. This helps significantly with navigation. It also helps the search engines to do the same thing.
Having relevant inbound links is immensely helpful. In a sense, this isn't really within your control. Certainly, you can exchange links with other sites, but if people are not clicking on them, you are no further ahead. The best thing you can do is offer the best content possible so people will want to link to your site. Ultimately, the inbound links will make your site more authoritative in the eyes of the search engines, which brings us nicely into the next point:
Create content. Use words. Your site should contain more than just mp3s, pictures, videos, or tour dates. Talk about things. Images are useful if you take full advantage of the ALT tags. Lace them with plenty of relevant descriptions and keywords.
Make sure to choose your keywords well. "Anticipate unfocused thinking", as Dubber says. You can use various (usually paid) tools to search your keywords, but if you can come from the angle of someone who is about to make a search, you are more likely to hit upon some good phrases and keywords.
Update your website. If you have a blog, all the better. Google will not send you visitors if your site has not been updated recently and frequently. Update at least weekly if possible.
Use Flash and Java in moderation. Generally, they do nothing for your SEO because the search engines can't pick up any of the content. Search engines require text. While it is true that search engines are working to index more multimedia elements, it is still best practice to make text your primary content.
Keep your domain name. The longer your site has been around, the more trusted it is by search engines. Changing domains is not a step to be taken lightly.

One final bonus tip from Dubber: It's hard to be sneaky with search engines. You can't just infuse your website with thousands of keywords (white text on a white background, for example) or click on your inbound links thousands of times to boost your ranking. In fact, it can actually do more harm than good. Simply write with your target audience in mind. Create great content.

Distributed Identity

2011-12-08T20:46:34Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 12: Distributed Identity from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

At this point, allow me to reiterate something: you can't just slap a website on the Internet and expect people to find it. As the old saying goes, "You've got to get yourself out there." Far and wide, preferably.

How do you do it? Well, in the real world, you can start by showing up to events, networking opportunities, meet-ups, and conventions. However, we are talking about the online world. Here's what to do for your web presence:

Create an email signature for yourself. You can get as creative as you want, but make sure that you include your web address. When you think about the fact that you are probably sending more emails than you are making phone calls, it makes sense to take advantage of this medium. Emails also tend to get sent out to communities and a wider array of people compared to two-way phone conversations. However, don't spam people. Ever.
Comment on other people's blogs (preferably relevant ones). Most of the time, you can include your web address, which will serve as a link back to your website. People will click on that link if they think you have something interesting to say. Again, you should be making a point of writing something relevant and interesting. Don't spam. Additionally, you can take advantage of "Trackbacks" by linking to other people's blogs. This will create a back link to your site.
Start posting in a relevant forum. Again, the previous rule applies: don't spam, and make sure to produce relevant and interesting posts. This will make people want to check out your profile where you will have meticulously back linked to your site.
Create social media identities and profiles. There is a bit of a time commitment with any tool you choose, so don't get too carried away signing up for every tool. Make sure to note the intended use of these tools: socialize, and network.
One final advanced tip - begin to establish several sites for your business, company, organization, or band. If you are a record label, promotion company and a studio, consider creating a site for each branch, and have a 'home page' where people can find each of your aforementioned sites. Make sure to have each of the sites linked up with each other too.

David Andrew Wiebe on Episode 97 of the Inside Home Recording Podcast

2011-12-06T18:03:13Z

I was recently asked to be on the Inside Home Recording podcast! This was a real honor for me, and a vision-come-true. Check it out!

Inside Home Recording | Episode 97 with David Andrew Wiebe

The Death of Scarcity

2011-11-29T21:58:30Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 11: The Death of Scarcity from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Throw out the law of Supply and Demand! The Internet has broken the traditional rules of economics.

One of the reasons for this is that shelf space is unnecessary for digital downloads of music. A song doesn't really take up any physical space (yes, it takes up space in the digital world, but that is mostly inconsequential because it is so cheap). Another implication is that a song can be sold once or a million times and you still won't run out (supply).

No matter how someone acquires your music, the notion of a "lost sale" is an outdated one. Attention is the new currency. This also implies that finding a niche and catering to it is a good thing!

Enter the economy of abundance. The cost of running a business has gone down in a big way. This also means that you can try just about anything and everything as a business and throw out the stuff that doesn't work.

Again, ATTENTION is the new currency. This doesn't always mean that the person or business with the most attention is going to convert the most money or make the most sales. However, there is a reason why Google is buying up sites like YouTube, which get a lot of attention.

Professionalism

2011-11-29T05:30:32Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 10: Professionalism from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Carry business cards no matter what your role in your band or business is
Think about the impressions you are giving on your website; it is easy enough to convey a big budget image, so give the impression of the type of success you wish to have
Get a good domain for your business or band; preferably short, uncomplicated spelling, no numbers, no unspeakable URLs, and no subdomains
Take some time to think about the colors on your website; make use of online tools to find colors that work well together, and also help project the image you are trying to convey
This is mostly a non-issue now, but MySpace is not your website; better yet, Facebook, ReverbNation, and Twitter are not your website so don't use them as such
Spelling and grammar matters; if you're cutting corners in your written communication, you may prove to be unreliable in other ways
Use high quality photography; cell phone and cheap digital cameras don't count
Find a web developer who knows what they're doing; it has to go beyond coding, and extend to things like search engine optimization, usability, and accessibility
Your website is not merely a brochure or online pamphlet; your website IS your business

Fewer Clicks

2011-11-23T02:19:57Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 9: Fewer Clicks from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

This is a very simple concept that many ignore; fewer clicks means an easily navigable website. People shouldn't have to dig layers deep just to find what they are looking for. If you want people to see something, you shouldn't keep it hidden away. If it's not important, why is it on the main page? Dump it, or at the very least put it in the sidebar.

Let's take a moment to define important things, in case there's any confusion. A news feed or blog feed would be important. Products like books, CDs, or digital downloads would be important. Maybe tour dates, podcast episodes, or a forum would be important too. What do you want people to see/buy? Put an emphasis on those things.

Finally, make it easy for people to buy your product(s). Paypal is a universally accepted form of online payment. As much notoriety as it has gathered, let's face it; it works fast, and it works with ease. If people don't want to enter their credit card information online, chances are they weren't going to buy anyway. Get over it.

Cross-promote

2011-11-22T06:22:15Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 8: Cross-promote from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

Cross-promotion is essentially the intersection between your website and everything else you do. Dubber talks about cross-promotion in a couple of different ways:

Passive cross-promotion: you mention your website if you're on stage and off stage, your website address is on your flyers, posters, business cards, CDs and other merchandise, etc.
Active cross-promotion: take a photo of the audience while on stage, and post it to your website the next day (Derek Sivers suggests this too). Take it a step further by making it a contest. Create a ringtone while on stage. Give away promo cards with free MP3s. Collect people's emails.

Connect

2011-11-18T18:42:06Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 7: Connect from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

A website is not a promotional strategy - creating something and throwing it up on the Internet is like throwing a book on a shelf and expecting people to notice it. Connection is the missing ingredient to generating traffic and repeating business. According to Dubber, there are 3 ways a website should connect:

Connect to a network of interlinked websites; having outgoing links is just as important as all the incoming links (the more the better). This helps people to figure out how you fit in the bigger picture.
Make sure your website is easily navigable. You need to make it easy on your visitors so they can find all the important stuff with ease. Don't forget to keep your website updated, encouraging repeat visits.
Connect with other media like TV, radio, flyers, posters, print, and others. Everything should cross-promote everything else you're doing. Having a good story (portraying conflict and resolution) is a significant part of connecting with other media. Present your story in such a way that it can be adapted to various forms of media.

Web 2.0

2011-11-17T19:08:04Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 6: Web 2.0 from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

I would imagine that there are very few people who don't know what Web 2.0 is, or what it means anymore. However, if you don't know what it's about, you might be missing the point of having a website entirely.

When the web was still in its inception, it was mostly about viewing documents. Occasionally you might watch something, or buy something, but when you were done with it, you moved on to the next thing. It was called "surfing".

Web 2.0 is about interacting with other people, creating your own documents, or organizing things. Think of sites likes Facebook or Flickr; they behave more like software than they do like static documents.

Web 2.0 is about letting others interact with you and/or your site. A blog is a great example; people can add comments and their thoughts to each post you create. They can 'like' it, or 'tweet' it, or share it with their friends through some other method. This facet of the internet is growing and changing daily.

The Long Tail

2011-11-16T20:47:24Z

Here are some key points I get from Thing 5: The Long Tail from The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online:

The Long Tail was originally an article by Chris Anderson, editor of Wired Magazine. It then expanded and became a blog and a very successful book. Although the economics of the online world has proven to be hard to decipher, the Long Tail is one principle that has established itself as reliable.

The Long Tail basically states that there are a few 'hits', a small number of products that sell (and have sold) extremely well. However, there are more and more choices becoming available for every 'hit'. These products represent the 'tail', a larger number of products that sell in smaller quantities. This has allowed the 'tail' to be more profitable than the 'hits'.

There are a number of implications:

There is no need for physical shelf space, especially in the online world (think online music stores that only sell digital files)
More people are exploring the tail rather than the hits, which means that the bigger selling items suffer
As more things become available, people will consume more; having a larger number of items available means more sales
The ability to market niche products

Dubber claims that the real reason major record labels are suffering is because of the Long Tail. While the hits are still selling, there is a larger range of choice available, and it's growing all the time. People are exploring the tail more and more.

Finally, Dubber states that, for the first time in history, the sum total of sales in the tail is larger than the sum total of sales in the hits.