Recently I discussed setting up a music shop on your online website so that you can distribute your music and make a few bucks to keep you in equipment money. With this I wanted to issue you a warning, don't make the most common mistake of selling your music for too cheap. I have seen so many regional bands that sell their music for $5 a cd just so that they can get the word out. Recent medical studies suggest that when you underprice your product, people do not enjoy your product as much

The Study

This study was done where they gave two groups the same cheap wine but told one group that the wine was expensive. Both groups had their brain wave activity monitored. The group that was told that the wine was expensive had a huge increase in mental activity especially in the areas associated with pleasure and enjoyment while the people who knew that the wine was cheap showed no increased mental activity

The Moral

What does wine have to do with your CD sales? Everything. This study proves that if you price your CD too low, people will associate it with crap and they will not take you seriously. Instead if you price at a fair market value of say 11.99 for a full CD, you will be telling your fans that you have a quality product that they can support, and in the process they will actually enjoy your music more.

You may not want to do it but this is a guerilla marketing technique (an unconventional and free marketing technique). Face it, there are certain people who WILL NOT purchase music. If you don't upload your music to groups like limewire then you risk losing fans. Don't look at it as losing money by losing song sales. Instead look at it as gaining exposure and referrals. When these people download your music they are becoming your supporters. This means that they will likely start coming to your gigs and paying to see you at small and local concerts. Additionally they will REFER you to their friends, some of which will purchase your music legally. The bottom line is that if your music isn't on illegal download sites, it should be. Some people just will not purchase your music so you have to make sure they can still be your fans. In doing this there is also the possibility that you will make true fans of these people who are stealing your music. I had a friend who would only download music illegally. After a while he decided that for his favorite bands he would purchase their music because he wanted to support those groups that he loved most. This type of thing is not uncommon.

Remember that when you are starting out, publicity is the name of the game. Get the word out, even if it means that you aren't making money.

Once you find the record labels that you wish to contact, look on the website and find the Artist and Repertoire Scouts or A&R Scouts. To get started take a look at www.musicregistry.com

Here are some labels to check out

• Warner Music Group - www.wmg.com

• Universal Music Group – http://umusic.com

• EMI Group – www.emigroup.com

• Sony Music – www.sonymusic.com

Some people suggest sending in a Press Kit to the A&R Scouts but you have to realize that this is a long shot. An alternative approach for the charismatic is to try to casually “bump into” one of these people as they get their morning coffee or head to lunch. This is definitely a scarier tactic but it just might be your best shot.

So you finally have a manager who is getting the word out about you and your talent. Don't think that this means you should stop promoting yourself. In addition to your managerial promotion, you should be contacting record labels, but not before you are ready. Make sure that you have been on the radio before you bother to contact a record label. The quickest way to be written off by a big label is to contact them before you are successful enough. Before contacting a record label you should have the following:

• CD (self recorded)

• Radio time

• regular gigs

• website

The more traffic that you have on your website the better. And don't forget that you may be able to contact Itunes and get a deal with them even before a big record label will take you on. Additionally don't forget that you can sell and distribute your music through Itunes. If Itunes will not accept you, you should set up shop on your personal band website. Set it up so that fans can purchase each song of yours for a buck and then download it to their computer right away. The programming for this is somewhat difficult so I recommend getting an aspiring programmer from your local college to help you out for discounted rates. Most of these guys will do a great job for just 10 bucks an hour.

What do you think about bringing advertising into music? Doesn't it feel like the sanctity of music is being slightly perverted? To me I can't help but get a little excited because I am kind of a business guy. I appreciate a quality marketing idea when I see it because I realize that no success can be built without excellent marketing. However let me throw out a scenario for you that is becoming increasingly common – you probably hate Miley Cyrus but the fact is that she is leveraging her talent to make the big bucks. In one of her most famous songs, she talks about how the “Jay Z song was on the radio.” You may not think much of this but the reality is that that line is in the chorus of one of her songs. That means that she is giving some fat recognition and free somewhat subliminal advertising to Jay Z. You can bet that Miley Cyrus and her record label were heavily compensated for that little fact. The best part is that the listening public doesn't usually realize that this is happening so the advertisement is even more effective.

What are your though take on this? Do these kinds of PR stunts pervert music or are the just creative, harmless ways to cross sell? Whatever your take, I'm sure you can appreciate how truly genious this technique is. I feel like it isn't perverting the music because Miley Cyrus is already a pop artist who is playing for a pop audience. I guarantee she doesn't even write her own songs.

Labels: advirtising, miley cyrus

If you really want to make it big in the music industry, your manager is your ticket there. I discussed this in detail last post but I left out a few things. First of all, you should start playing at venues and clubs which match your type of music. If you are a rocker, play at rock venues and if you do emo, play at those venues. Sounds simple but so many people waste time trying to play at these venues which will ultimately do them no good. The point of playing at the right clubs is so that you can become famous LOCALLY first. Once you start to have a regular time at these clubs where you play every week, you will have regular fans which show up to watch you play. At this time you become valuable to a music manager. When you have reached this point you are showing your music manager that you have talent and that you have a product which people will support and fall in love with. Additionally it is not uncommon for mangers to scan these sorts of club in an attempt to find new talent. If you are lucky and very talented, a manager might approach you. Additionally you can find out who other people playing at these clubs are represented by. This is a great way to get leads and also to find out how satisfied the other bands are with their management. Testimonials are a great way to figure out the quality of a manager because they are all salesmen and tend to embellish their successes.

If you are like every other aspiring artist, you are probably under the misconception that your sound is so great that it will sell itself. This is DEAD WRONG. It doesn't matter if you are the next Motzart or modern pop star, you need a professionals help to make it to the big stage. Most musicians simply aren't business people and they don't care to be. This is ok because it is difficult to do anythign else besides play and hone your skills as a musician. Even if you do have acute business sense, there is no substitute for the contacts and negotiating skills of a trained professional. They have vendors and location owners who owe them favors as well as the charm and charisma to ink you favorable deals.

MY SUGGESTION – once you cut a demo, find a great Manager and get him to believe in you! Sell your manager first and he will sell you to others forever. If he is any good, he will find you gigs and eventually set up some great meetings with recording labels. Look at it this way – if your sound isn't good enough to get a good manager, it won't be good enough to carry you into itunes. Focus on getting a manager first and everything else will follow.

COST – your manager will take about 15-20% from you which is STANDARD. If you decide to go with a discount manager, you will probably get discount services. Likewise if you meet some guy and he tries to sell you for a 40% stake RUN. Those guys are scammers and they are not worth your time.

At the end of the day, don't forget why you play. You play for the love of music and hopefully to be heard. A great manager will take you on if you can demonstrate a unique sound and a unique brand.

If you want to learn more about music managers, check out this site:

http://www.musicmanagersforum.co.uk/findamanager

First things first if you want to become a famous musician – record a demo. While you may want to go strait to performing at huge venues with thousands of fans, thats not reality. I don't care how easy it is to become famous on the video game, real life recognition takes hard work and loads of talent.

COST – it will cost you about 1000 bucks in order to rent studio time and get the help of a sound engineer. This might seem like a lot of money but consider an investment – you will never make it to the radio much less the big venues without first cutting a demo.

If cost concerns you, get creative. The music industry like virtually everything else in life is all about networking. If you live near a local university, they probably have a sound program. Buddy up with one of the aspiring sound engineers and they may just let you do some recording for free. Odds are you will likely have to pay the aspiring engineer for their time if you want them to help edit your demo. Trust me this is well worth it. You can get one of these guys to help you for about 100 bucks because they really do love music and they just want some menial compensation for their time.

Another route is to use another bands recording studio. I'll continue with some more steps tomorrow . . . stay tuned :)

The sale is still going on until Sunday! Hurry and grab some of the many half off items which are actually 75 percent off the list price. Here are some more picks!

Ibanez does it again with the Ibanez GSR200FML Gio Left Handed Electric Bass Guitar. This guitar is the perfect solution for the lefty. If you are tired of waiting for a quality left handed bass guitar, jump on this offer quick. This item sells for just 149.99 which is 63% off of retail. If you order today, it will ship by tomorrow meaning that it will likely be in your hands within a week. Hurry because this is a CLOSEOUT item meaning that they are running out of stock soon and won't be getting any more. For 149 bucks, what do you have to lose?

Schecter C5 Custom 5 String Electric Bass Guitar
This bass is the culmination of years of Schecter research and design to make the perfect, affordable Schecter bass. It is selling for 369 bucks right now instead of the list of 919. It comes in Aged Black Satin finish or Aged White Finish. I have to recommend the Aged Black Finish as it just looks harder.

This bass has a 35 inch scale, 24 jumbo frets, and tons of other innovations! Check it out.

Be sure to check out all of the other great sale items at AMS by clicking HERE!

AMS is throwing a HALF OFF sale on many items right now through Sunday! In case you don't know, AMS is kind of like the Wal-Mart of music retailers . . . they are always having sales and throwing back prices. Below I'll list some of my favorite finds available right now on AMS for HALF OFF!

Tascam Starter Pack Recording Accessory Package – List price – 99.99 SALE – 24.99

• this starter recording set provides you with headphones, cables, and a mic for less than one of those items would usually cost.

Roland VP550 Vocal Designer 49 Key Keyboard - Factory ReSealed – List – 1699.00 SALE 599.97

• this technology goes further than a traditional vocoder or harmonizer. It uses state of the art proprietary technology to produce interactive vocal sounds for your chosen instrument. This is one of the greatest ways to give your sound a little something extra without breaking the bank. This unit consistently recieves 4 out of 5 stars on AMS customer ratings for its reliability and for the quality which is native to Roland.

There are tons of other great items which are on sale right now until Sunday. To check em out, visit AMS!

How important is your style and image to your career as a musician? Well let's start off with this, musicians are one of the most stereotyped groups on the planet. You tell someone you are a musician, and they will already have a set of assumptions about you. Not to worry, use this to your advantage. This is an advantage because once you realize that you are always being judged as a musician by your appearance and the way you act, you can start to build your brand. Every person and especially every musician has a brand. You may not realize this but it is true. Start thinking about your favorite musicians. Make a mental list of their attributes. Now begin to emulate those attributes and you will be on your way to developing the brand image that you desire. The point of all this is for you to know that you will be judged by your appearance and the way you act. The simple fact is that if you can look the part, you will have a better shot at recognition, acceptance, and maybe even some fame and fortune. Maybe your a purist and you say, I play for the love of music, and I don't care what people think. If you are, I don't have much to say to you. I am speaking to those people who want to advance their musical careers and who want to reach their goals. If you are in the latter camp I just spoke of, identify the brand you want and then identify your current brand. Once you have these two things figured out, bridge the gap.

You have to look the part – what I mean is that if you want to be a hardcore rocker, you need the equipment to back it up. The same is true if you want the best spot in your symphony – you need the proper equipment. AMS has all the latest and greatest guitars and just about everything else, under one roof for some sweet prices. Furthermore they occasionally carry some scratch models which give you a great discount for taking an instrument with a minor physical imperfection.

Here is my guitar recommendation for the day . . .

The Ibanez BTB775PB 5 String Electric Bass Guitar is loaded with sex appeal for just under 900 bucks. If you are strapped on cash for the moment, you can make payments on AMS. The MK2 pickups are to die for as they hit you with a fat tone and warm response. It comes with great fret accessibility. Basically this thing is playable and hot. Here are some features of this guitar:

• Neck Material: 5 piece maple/bubinga

• Neck Type: BTB5 thru-neck

• Scale Length: 35 inches

• Radius: 500mm

• Body: Mahogany with poplar burl top

• Frets: Medium

• Fingerboard: Rosewood

• Inlay: Abalone Dot

• Bridge: Mono Rail II

• Neck Pickup: Bartolini MK2-5-F

• Bridge Pickup: Bartolini MK2-5-R

• Hardware: Cosmos Black

• Case: Optional

Warranties aren't cheap these days. However if you play your cards right, you can be covered for a full three years on many items that you purchase from AMS, at no additional charge. First and foremost, the manufacturer of almost all instruments and musical supplies offers a one year warranty on the product you purchase. So right there, no matter where you buy from, you will get a year for free. Most music websites will then offer you the option of purchasing another one year warranty for 10 percent, that's bogus. AMS gives you an additional 1 year warranty on top of the 1 year manufacturing warranty for free on many items they carry. Right there you are at a 2 year warranty and you got the cheapest price on your supplies because AMS guarantees the lowest price. Ready for the third year free? Check out some great credit card offers by looking at www.creditcards.com This site will help you to find the credit card that meets your needs. I have a MasterCard which gives me a one year warranty on top of any manufacturers warranty for no extra cost. I simply use my MasterCard and I get an extra year tacked on. So there you have it – Buy a product from AMS which qualifies for an additional warranty (thousands of these are in stock) and then purchase it with a credit card with a great warranty program and presto – you have yourself a free three year warranty. Good luck and let me know how it works out for you!

So your not sure what kind of equipment to buy? If you are like me you don't want to splurge and buy the wrong item and live in disdain for your failed acquisition. To avoid buying the wrong item and to find out the facts, check out the gearblog at AMS. In addition to the musiciansite, gearblog is a great source for advice and tips. Gearblog offers advice and tutorials about every kind of gear you can imagine.

Music is something that should be communicative and social so I encourage you to check out the gearblog. You may find some great advice and some great new band mates who you can meet up with online.

This brings me to my next topic of discussion – digital networking. For those of you reading this blog, feel free to post a want add on the blog. If you are looking for a new band mate or just someone to jam with, try doing it over the internet. It's becoming more and more common to jam with people online through innovative software developments. Our readership is diverse on this blog so chances are you will find a good fit for your band!

Also I would encourage you to check out gear pulse.

GearPulse is a great place to find constant radio information with reviews and commentary about tons of instruments. Be a smart buyer, use GearPulse to find out the facts about your instrument first!

Are you bent on finding the best deals for your music supplies? As you know I am a fan of AMS. The simple truth is that they are the cheapest. However they often have limited time and limited availability sales which tend to run out pretty quickly. When AMS throws a new product on sale for say 70 percent off, people tend to buy that technology or instrument pretty quickly. Solution – follow AMS on twitter. Check them out here. They only update when there is a legit sale or special or prize givaway so you won't be bothered with crap you don't want to hear about. Furthermore, you may just find the deal you have been looking for leaving you the envy of all your friends.

Not a twitter fan? Check out American Musical on facebook by clicking here. Its basically the same setup as the twitter plan – AMS posts alerts about hot sales and giveaways. It's fun to be the first to learn about new sales and offers!

You can also subscribe to the AMS RSS feed by clicking here.

Lastly AMS will meet you at Myspace as well, here is the link.

The Epiphone Thunderbird IV Reverse Bass is a dream come true. It is the culmination of the Thunderbird name with dual humbuckers like the good old days. It comes with a 34 inch scale and a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. I highly recommend checking this number out.

Customer reviews point to success with the Thunderbird IV

“Unbelievable Value – Thunderbird. Great attention to detail and fit-and-finish. I like the bolt-on neck. I'm a Fender guy. The controls and tuners feel good. Hard to believe for the price. 1st and foremost is the LOOK. This bass looks great! Another great feature is the highly adjustable bridge. The truss rod is adjusted from the headstock. These are great features if you do your own work.” (Jonny of Minneapolis)

I did some checking around to find the best price. I checked www.musiciansfriend.com and www.sweetwater.com but the cheapest price was www.americanmusical.com

AMS has this item on sale for 299. I read that they have a lowest price guarantee but I decided to check around anyway. Additionally you get free shipping on this item from AMS. In all honesty, 300 bucks for a bass like this is unheard of. I would recommend investigating this deal ASAP by checking here.

Here are some specs:

• Pickups: 2 humbuckers
• Hardware: Black
• Scale Length: 34 inches
• Nut Width: 1.73 inches
• Neck: Bolt
• Neck Material: Maple
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard Inlay: Dots
• Body Material: Alder