DueceMade Ent. said:
Great article Shadeed.
Alot of this is common sense stuff, but its good to shine some light on these issues becuase a whole lot of people really never bother thinkin about it like u mentioned in yer article....
I think personally, what i may have benefitted from more inside the article if u could provide later, would be: How to establish good speaking skills with folks yer not used to talkin to. I for one dont specifically get choked up or nothin when it comes to pushin my music to peeps, but ive found that sometimes you will encounter a certain crowd of individuals and not know how to introduce what yer selling cuz for one reason or another, you cant seem to talk to them like u did tha last cat. I suppose most of this is just experience, and have the numerous times of verbal contact under yer belt, but i know personally that first impressions and how u deliver yerself as a business man are super important regardless of how dope u are. Any tips?
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Steez, I've learned in life that common sense is not all that common. I do face-to-face meetings with artists and producers damn near everyday, and what seem common to you is definitely college calculus to many other people. These articles are designed to give a newbie a roadmap and to give a veteran a checklist so they don't forget the "simple"
stuff that got them where they are today.
If you are an indie artist with some idea that you want to be successful, you will HAVE to master the art of hand-to-hand sales. The best case scenario would be to have local radio support and DJ support, this way the CD's sell themselves. "I'm Shonsteez, you heard my joints on the radio right??? is probably the best intro line you can use. Honestly, most ppl aren't at that level just yet, so I'd say that you should focus on the following things to help you sell to those unfamiliar crowds:
#1) Make the highest quality recording within your budget as possible. The reason why the average street dude doesn't pay $10 for a underground tape is because it sounds like it was recorded in the basement, the vocals are high, the mix is muddy etc etc.
#2) Always give the fans more for their $$$$. If you put out of a CD of freestyles, put 18-21 / "Hook -16 bars- Hook Then fade out" songs. It really hooks the listener to fade out in the middle of the 2nd verse on your hottest songs because they were into it.
Now when you release the next freestyle CD, people will check for it, because you are giving them quality AND enuff songs to justify spending some dough on your movement.
#3) Whenever you make a sale, get the person's email address and create a monthly newsletter. This makes fans feel CONNECTED to what you are doing and your every move, this is the main reason reality shows are so popular, because fans connect to the cast and characters.
#4) Make a DVD of the making of your CD. Same as #3, not many indies do this, but honestly I have enjoyed every DVD that I have ever seen, even for groups I don't like.
Take a look at Cleverwon's video footage in the videos section of this site, that's a great example of something everybody should be doing. I have a veteran camera crew that has been shooting rock and roll bands for over 10 years, and now we are pushing out DVD's for artists of all genres but from my experience your fanbase will grow because you are putting a face and personality to your music.
#5) Features. Collaborate with EVERYBODY in your area! Get permission to use the feature on a future recording. I suggest that you release a CD called "Featuring Shonsteez" for example. If you are hot (of course), fans will buy other people's CD's just because YOU are on it!
If you follow steps 1-5, you won't have to do much selling or smooth talking, because you'll be a brand name in your hometown. I suggest you set up your enterprise as a business entity (which will be covered in future articles) because making CD's and DVD's are definitely a tax deductible goldmine!
