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Bombardier Manifesto
Friday, December 10, 2010
CL Music Issue 2010: How to break out of your comfort zone and become a better promoter
Posted by Ivan Pena on Fri, Dec 10, 2010 at 3:35 PM
Promoters have a comfort zone, and breaking out of it isn't easy. Adopting novel technology and trying new things has a price, but with some research, promoters can increase their effectiveness and build long-term success.
Many promoters rely on low-return activities like handbills and posters, which have their place but are simply not enough in today's oversaturated entertainment landscape. There's too much competition for attention (movies, sporting events, TV shows, parties), and the response rate is low. Social networks have become the new low-hanging fruit, but they, too, are ineffective if your reach doesn't grow.
Posters are passive, flyers are thrown away and people ignore Facebook invites. While I know some promoters do have success with these, it's not because of the method, but the brands they've established. Promoters must become brands — trusted sources of quality that both venues and patrons respond to favorably. By adopting new ways to promote quality content and increase loyalty among your patrons, you stand to build a stronger brand than the "paper-based" promoter.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
New Independent Music Business Model: Crowdfunding, Fanffiliates and Webcasts
Posted by Ivan Pena on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM
Since I won’t be able to make it to the Homemade Music Symposium this weekend, I wanted to at least offer my two cents on something that independent bands need to think about and adopt into their strategy. Many people think that the reason the music business is tanking is the lack of a new, sustainable business model. I agree. Which is why I have provided my own for bands to test out. But first, my take on the two biggest “problems” bands bitch about and a look at why it costs so much money to be in a band.
Problem #1 - Most Bands Have No Money
Unless your daddy is a millionaire or is in the business, independent musicians don’t have money to make proper albums or promote them. While it is very cheap to make music for some people, it’s not for others that are less technically savvy. At the end of the day, even installing Ableton Live (not pirated) on your PC (needs to have serious juice), getting an audio interface (USB or Firewire) and buying 4-5 microphones and necessary accessories can cost thousands of dollars. Then you have to record the damned thing yourself, which takes skill, time and attention. It’s not impossible to do it on your own, but the process can be much simpler and professional if you hire someone to record you. Hence, the need for money. With studios costing anywhere between $15-150 per hour, plus engineer, a 10-song album can be a costly ordeal.
Problem #2 - Music Should Be Free Mentality
Also, it’s a widely-known fact that new music fans don’t want to pay for music, whether it‘s because they know that the “label“ makes all the money, $15 per CD is too much (you only like one song anyway) or that they don‘t care. While us old farts that grew up on tapes and CDs still hold on to them like family heirlooms, today’s music fans go on P2P sites and pillage hundreds if not thousands of songs they like, without having to sit through any of the filler that they don‘t. This devaluation of music has made the perceived price of recorded music near zero.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Friday, August 7, 2009
Concert Photos: Not Tonight Josephine CD Release Party at State Theater
Posted by Ivan Pena on Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Tampa's own Not Tonight Josephine had a soldout crowd at the State Theater last weekend when they dropped their new EP, This Orphan Heart. The stylish quintet had a very well put together event, complete with solid opening bands (Drew Street Mary, Ghost of Gloria, Claiborne and Look Right Penny), an enthusiastic crowd and top-notch stage presence.
More photos and a video below the jump...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Top 5 Bass Players of All Time
Posted by Ivan Pena on Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Version 1.1 - WITH MORE BASSISTS! - I've always wanted to write a post like this. I have been a student of the Bass Guitar for around 15 years and have always fought the "apparent unimportance" of bass players in contemporary music. Through this post I hope to once and for all assert the position of bassists everywhere in the highest echelons of cool.
