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The Music Industry: Artists’ Outlook

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YoubloomDublin2017

At around noon on Thursday, June 1st, Dublin’s atmosphere became a bit more community-minded. More specifically, it became a bit more nurturing towards those who possess a love of music.

 

Sixty independent musicians based in multiple countries—from Portugal to Sweden—would play a unique gig during that weekend at the youbloomDublin Music Summit & Festival, an independent music conference and festival. Its uniqueness stems from the fact that youbloom caters specifically to unsigned artists with the intention of altering the current unsustainability of said artists.

 

How do they accomplish this? Well, just ask the artists themselves who performed at youbloomDublin three weeks ago.

 

Oski Bravo at youbloomDublin

 

But first, let’s take a step back.

 

The Music Industry Exposed

The music industry is extremely skewed: a few hundred artists make 75% of the revenue. Smaller artists usually remain unseen because they simply don’t have the support they need to grow their business. These music industry statistics and the monopoly effect lead artists like Oski Bravo, who performed at youbloom Dublin for the first time, to insist that the music industry is a “pigsty”.

 

Back to the Ocean, an alternative band who played twice at youbloomDublin, also attests to the demanding aspects of the music industry in that independent musicians basically must figure out how to get fans on their own. They’re “expected to have world class recordings, [a] big fanbase, professional videos and social media profiles, and [a] business orientation”.

 

Back to the Ocean rocking out at youbloomDublin for their first performance at the festival

 

A Love of Music

But for many, even though the odds seem insurmountable, the love for the craft is greater.

 

“It felt like a natural progression for both of us”, CARRON stated. For the two sisters who played at youbloomDublin in Phoenix Park on Saturday and The Globe on Sunday, it began with “leading roles in shows like ‘Annie’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, and ‘The Sound of Music’” along with violin and vocal lessons.

 

They believe the music industry standard is quite high, particularly in Ireland with artists such as Hozier attaining success. However, they are hopeful for what it means for them in that “[they] must always be progressing too, writing new music and taking part in as many live events as [they] can”.

 

CARRON striking a pose at youbloomDublin

 

For others, such as Dandelion Tea, who performed at 4 Dame Lane on Saturday, “Music is just something that always made sense. [It’s] an intangible form of art that can impact so many people in a big way. We felt we had something unique to say and music was the language we could best express it in.”

 

The music industry may receive complaints, but as Dandelion Tea said, pictured here feeling the music at youbloomDublin, “that’s the nature of monetizing art.”

 

The overwhelming nature of the music business may discourage artists to pursue music, but many still do simply because they couldn’t imagine themselves doing anything different. It’s this overwhelming love for music that fuels artists and youbloom members alike.

 

 

Purchasing Fans

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Every artist wants a big number of fans. Looking at those numbers on social media gets everyone excited. The artists feel important and new people to the music, as well as labels and talent agents, see big numbers and think there is something going on with the artists. There are a couple of ways to get these numbers on social media, including purchasing fans. You have to be careful about how you go about getting fans, though. Just make sure you stay connected with the fans who truly like your music.

Paying for Fans:

An easy way that a lot of artists think work is purchasing fans. There are plenty of people out there who will do it for the artists. You will pay a ton of money for them to find people who are willing to follow you for a certain amount of money. There will be some people who do this and will call or email to get you to sign up with them. If you decide to get “fans” this way, make sure to do as much research on the person as you can. There are plenty of them out there that will scam you for money and not actually do anything.

The problem purchasing fans is there’s no connection and most of them, if not all of them, won’t do anything but follow you. You want to make sure there is actual interaction with that many fans. It is true that the first thing people notice when they look at your social media accounts is how many likes and follows you have. But the second thing they will look at is if there’s any kind of interaction with those fans. Are they “liking”  posts, commenting, re-tweeting? If you have thousands of likes and follows, but no interaction, labels and venues will notice. It is hard right now with so many pages out there for anyone to see everything you’re posting, but you want to make sure there are some connections happening.

Free Fans:

Getting fans the old fashion way will take longer and won’t be as easy, but it will be worth it more in the end. It will show how much work you put into your music and fans. There will be more interaction and will catch the eye of the people you want it to. Labels and venues will be more impressed and see all the work you’re putting in. Your page will be filled with genuine fans who will want to share your music with others and want to share what you’re posting. 

There are websites out there that will help you purchase fans and you can get fans on your own. Really think about what you want to do before you decide to “purchase fans”. A lot of people will notice if they are real or fake numbers. There are a lot of scammers out there, as well. Make sure to do a lot of research first. The numbers may look good in the emails, but looking up reviews on them will let you know how they really are. Getting fans without that kind of help won’t be as easy, but will help way more in the end. The fans will be true and genuine and will be helping you gather more fans. 

 

How Independent Musicians Can Build a Street Team

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Having a street team is a great way to promote. You have less stress and things to worry about, and most fans are more than willing to help out. Just make sure you are ready and prepared before starting a street team. Is your music good enough yet? Do you have the money to purchase promoting material? Do you have anything to promote? All of those are crucial to have before starting a street team. Always make sure that people know you have a street team and that you’re always recruiting people for it.

 

 

Online Street Team:

When starting a street team, it is best to start online. The fans who signed up for your email list are best to start off with because they are already invested in you and are keeping up on you. It will be easier to contact those people and you can invite them individually.

A social media street team should be done next. There are ways you can make forms for them to fill out on your social media and make multiple ways for them to join. It’s also easy for fans to keep up to date and for you to post tasks for them to do. It will also help your email list grow. Having members post things at the same time on multiple social medias will help give you more of a buzz and will get others interested.

Getting an online street team gives you a wider range of things to do. You can have fans share videos, tweeting and re-tweeting, and share posts. It’s a great way to get feedback on things that you want to do. They can help you decide and create posters and shirts, as well as coming up with new merchandise to sell.

 

 

Offline Street Team:

Having a street team on the streets are still very important. It’s a lot easier to find out what place you’re more popular online so you know where to start the street team. You want to find fans who are willing to go out and post fliers or pass out stickers and talk about you to other people and call up radio stations to request your song. They will make things more personal when promoting and it will help with getting more fans. You have to make sure that you have the money to provide the promotional tools for them to pass out.

 

Asking fans to promote you isn’t all you need to do. You want to make sure to reward them as well since they are using their free time to help promote you. It can be anything. A shirt, tickets, CD, stickers, etc., will all work and will make people want to do more. You can even turn tasks into contests and give out prizes for whoever did the most. Keep them interested to have them want to help you. Make sure not to do give out the same thing too many times or it will get old and they won’t be doing it as much. Make sure to do meet-and-greets with them so you guys can connect and they’ll feel more excited to help.

Finding people who are most influential will help the most. They will be the ones who will talk to people about you and get them interested, whether it’s online or off. They’re the ones that their friends go to for new music.

You want to make sure that when you get people to join your team that they are willing to do things to help you out. You don’t want them to be rude and give you a bad name. They will be trying to help, but you don’t want them to be pushy are make people upset in any way. It will look bad on you. It’s not always easy to monitor that, but when you start hearing about it, you should try to fix it. Always make sure your team members know what you expect them to do for you and the Do’s and Don’ts of what you want, before they sign up. And always keep them updated with events or anything coming up.

You want to make sure that there’s always a way for your members to contact you or anyone else. Email is always a great way for them to keep in contact, but creating a FaceBook private group for just the members is a great way for them to keep in touch with each other and get help from each other. Having groups set up for specific cities will help the members fell more connected with each other and can even get together to come up with ideas on what to do. Emails are great for members to report what they’re doing. They can send written reports and photos of what they’re doing. It will help you keep track of what’s going on and where. Having a forum will help each other stay in connect and have easy access to anything they have a question about and maybe even before they ask it. It’s easier to find what they’re looking for.

Everyone wants to help their favorite bands or friends/family members in bands, but the bands have to make sure they are ready to have a street team. You have to purchase all the posters and stickers that the members need to pass out and you have to be able to afford to send the products to them. You want to make sure you have a song or music video or anything for them to promote. If there’s nothing to promote, then there’s nothing for them to really do and they’ll forget about it. Make sure to reward them for their help and that they know you appreciate all that they are doing for you. If you get the right people to work on your team, they will do anything to help you out, so you want to make sure you can do anything to show your appreciation. It will be hard to get noticed without their help.

 

How Independent Musicians Can Build a Street Team is a guest post by Michele Enouch

Michele Enoch is a music business graduate from Musicians Institute who has managed and promoted bands for years. She is now working on her photography and helping performers advance in their career. Her passion has always been music and she is exploring all aspects of the industry. Michele appreciates all kinds of music and seeing music in all kinds of environments. She enjoys crocheting hats and toys, reading and writing mystery and horror stories, taking pictures of everything she can, food from around the world, and adorable animals. She is always on the look out for anything new and exciting

Interview with Sean Rooney: Featured Artist at youbloomDublin 2017

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Featured artist at youbloomDublin 2017, Sean Rooney, is the type of soulful singer/songwriter that you can take home to mother. Having performed at a myriad of festivals and venues around the world, youbloom gets to know Sean a little better before his performance at at youbloomDublin 2017 in this exclusive interview.

 

 How long have you been playing music? What inspired you to pick up an instrument?
Sean Rooney: I’ve been playing music about 12 years .. I started playing just from a love of pop punk music in my early teens .. thankfully my tastes have broadened a lot since then..
What instrument did you first lean to play?
Sean Rooney: I first learned to play the guitar .. well.. I’m still learning ! I’m self taught so I’m always learning.
What is your favorite part of your writing process when making new music?
Sean Rooney: My favourite part of the writing process is whenever I manage to capture exactly what I want to say lyrically and melodically.. I do enjoy the challenge of writing lyrics .. it might be trite but I write about my own life and that makes lyric writing a cathartic process for me.
In your song “Everest High” you say that its about dealing with depression from a first person point of view. How have you been able to cope with that and what role has music played to help battle with this?
Sean Rooney:  coping with depression isn’t easy. Not only because there is a lot of stigma attached to the subject and It’s different for everyone but I’ve found talking to a psychologist and taking medication very helpful. In terms of music, the cathartic element is very important. There is a release that comes with expressing your emotions through song.
“Everest High” sounds like a very up beat song. Was that intentional when writing this song due to the meaning?
Sean Rooney:  Yes .. the upbeat and borderline aggressive sound of the song is basically my way of conveying that I will not let depression beat me. I’m fighting against it with everything I have; also there’s nothing more melancholy than a ballad about depression .. it would just be too much if it sounded sad too.
 
You have a great cover of Bruce Springsteen. What are some other artists that inspired you to make music? And what would be another cover you would enjoy to make?
Sean Rooney:  Thank you! My main inspiration comes from the genres of soul, indie-rock/rock and R&B.. In terms of idols I’d have to say Paul Weller is my favourite artist. The body of incredible work he had created and continues to create is a never ending reservoir of inspiration to me. There aren’t that many covers that I feel I could really add much to or change without ruining! But a couple of songs I would love to play live with a band are “Soul Man” by Sam&Dave and “The Changingman” by Paul Weller
For someone who has never heard your music before, how would you describe your sound?
Sean Rooney: I would describe my music as sort of.. Blue-eyed soul rock .. although not all of my songs would fit neatly into that genre!
What advice would you give new musicians trying to get their music out there?
Sean Rooney: The only advice I feel qualified to give is to not criticise yourself too much.. some self criticism is healthy but there comes a point when it can ruin things and I know that from experience. In terms of physically getting music out there, Facebook videos are a great way to go.
What are you anticipating the most at the YouBloom festival?
Sean Rooney: What I’m anticipating most at Youbloom is just the opportunity to play for a new audience and to meet lots of new punters and musicians alike. I’m always super grateful to get to play live. It is what I love most in the world, so to that end I’d like to say thank you to Youbloom for giving me the opportunity.
Do you have any new material coming out in the near future?
Sean Rooney: Yes! I’ve been writing and recording recently. my first official single will be released soon and then the plan is to release my first EP in around May!
Learn more about Sean Rooney on his Facebook page here. You can catch Sean Rooney performing live at youblomDublin 2017.

The Ultimate Independent Musician Guide to Merchandise

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Merchandise is a great way for people to see that you’re out there. It’s advertisement that will interest people, if you do it the right way. You want to make sure that whatever merchandise you use (i.e., shirts, hats, jackets, etc.), it connects with your music and your fans. There are thousands of different kinds of merchandise you can sell, you just have to find what works best for you. With so many ways to download music for free, sometimes merchandise is the only way for bands to get paid. That’s why we put together The Ultimate Independent Musician Guide to Merchandise.

youbloom presents…

The Ultimate Independent Musician Guide to Merchandise

In The Ultimate Independent Musician Guide to Merchandise, we talk about everything you need to bring with you to sell your merch at a show, how you can prepare, what items sell best, common pitfalls, and how you can make the most money selling merchandise at your shows.

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