Bobby Borg - Music Marketing for the DIY Musician

Thanks to my dearest Dad; family; closest friends; fellow board members at the American Marketing Association; Musicians Institute and UCLA staff; and John Cerullo, Carol Flannery, Jessica Burr, Joanna Dalin Sexton, and everyone else at Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group for understanding my vision and making this book possible.

Also a big shout-out to my preliminary feedback team: Katherine Fitzgerald (independent artist, vocalist of Violet UK, Harvard literature graduate), Bianca Philippi (principal and founder of Creative Insights, UCLA Extension distinguished instructor), Patrick Greenough (VP of Technology at American Marketing Association), Ronny Schiff (Ronny Schiff Productions, career counselor and instructor at Musicians Institute), Bob Nirkind (former executive editor at Billboard Books), Gail Hickman (screenplay writer), and the thousands of students and DIY artists who took my classes and attended my seminars.

Id like to also thank all of my advisors, panelists, and colleagues: Ira S. Kalb (professor of marketing at the Marshall School of Business at University of Southern California; president, Kalb & Associates), Steve Winogradsky (attorney at law, partner at Winogradsky/Sobel), Robert Liljenwall (editor/author of Marketing at Retail, MBA, distinguished instructor at UCLA Extension), Nance Rosen (MBA, author of Speak Up!, and former marketing executive with the Coca-Cola Company), Jeff Hinkle (certified public accountant at GSO Business Management), Tony van Veen (CEO, DIY Media Group), Michael Eames (president, Pen Music Group), Neil Gillis (president, Round Hill Music), Ernie Petito (formerly of Warner/Chappell Music), Andreas Wettstein (digital strategy for Mack Avenue Records), Sydney Alston (product specialist at Disc Makers), John Hartmann (former manager of Crosby, Stills & Nash; America; Poco; Eagles; and others), Robin Frederick (author of Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting and Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film and TV), Don Grierson (former VP of A&R at Sony/Epic Records, music industry consultant), Fred Croshal (former general manager at Maverick Records; founder of Croshal Entertainment Group, LLC), Blasko (Ozzy Osbourne/Mercenary Management, Inc.), Steven R. Van Hook (president of Educare Research Inc.; faculty at UCLA Extension), Michael Levine (founder of Levine Communications Office, representing Prince, Ozzy Osbourne, and Michael Jackson; and author of Guerrilla PR), Michael Laskow (president, TAXI Independent A&R Company), Ted Lowe (president of Choice Tracks), Dave Banta (multiplatinum, award-winning record producer), Chris Fletcher (Coast to Coast), Bryan Farrish (owner, Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion), Bill Zildjian (Sabian), John Pantle (agent at Agency for the Performing Arts), Kether Gallu-Badat (Latchkey Recordings), Bob Fierro (founder of Zebra Marketing), Don Gorder (chair, Music Business/Management Department, Berklee College of Music), Pascale Cohen-Olivar (program director, Entertainment Studies and Performing Arts, UCLA Extension), Nick Casale (graphic arts), Jesse Cannon (author of Get More Fans & Processing Creativity), Jay Gilbert, Former Executive at Universal Music, Fred Cook (Director, University of Southern California Center for Public Relations), David Hooper (founder of MusicMarketing.com), Sydney Alston (Account Executive at Disc Makers, Artist Manager), Joshua Turner (Lead Web Designer at BandZoogle), Styls Akira (PhD, Lecturer, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism), Jeff and Todd Brabec (Authors of Music, Money, and Success), Maurizio OTTO De Togni (Owner SuperOtto), David Wimble (Owner of the Indie Bible), Paulo Sigismondi (Clinical Associate Professor of Communication, USC, Annenberg), and Rebecca Weintrub (Director of the Communication Management at University of Southern California), and anyone else I missed who was there for me.

I would like to give special thanks to everyone who gave permission to reproduce artwork in this book. This includes Sarah Abdel of Silverback Management, for permission to use the Slightly StOOpid street stencil in /jon11.

Thanks also to the following for permission to use album cover art in the graphic Album Art: Independent Artists (p. 92): Tony Safqi and Oscar Preciado (Tolerance, by Reverted), Daniel Beallo (Ship of the Rising Sun, by Ship of the Rising Sun), Laura Vall (Speak to Me, by the Controversy), James Lawry (Do Your Part, by James Lawry), Bill Berends (Insomnia, by Mastermind), Colin Reid (What We Cant Have, by Colin Reid), Yohannes Skoda (About Face, by Mavrik), Eric Baum (Powerlines, by Run Rhino), Jens Andersen (The Great Collapse, by Immoralis), Gabriel Nava Rodrigues (Nature, by Walla; photo by Tercio Guratalo), Eleri Jane (Play Me, by Eleri), Bhavana Reddy (Tangled in Emotions, by Bhavana Reddy), Craig Costello (Warning! Catchy Tune, by Formally Un-named), Demerick Ferm (All the Wrong Things 2, by Demrick), and Benjamin M. Lecourt (Murderology, by Yard of Blondes).

Finally, thank you to Alyson Bruno for giving permission to use her album graphics and personal image in the B. Squid marketing plan in the of this book.

Marketing is the process of innovating products and services to satisfy customers, build awareness, and earn market share. To DIY artists pursuing a career in the years 2020 to 2025, its the self-starting journey of creating unique music-related content to engage/entertain/influence fans, form industry partnerships, and make money (or just a living) doing what you love. However you see it, the concepts presented in this chapter (and book) will help you do the following:

• Become aware of important marketing concepts and terms.
• Realize that marketing is an organized system of interrelated steps.
• Organize your thoughts into a detailed Marketing Plan of Attack.
• Understand the importance of being proactive and taking charge. And...
• Shoot for zero- to low-budget and realistic marketing techniques.

Oh, and by the way, dont be too surprised when common business terms like product are used in place of music, live performances, and merch; when company is used in place of band, solo act, or studio; and when customer is used in place of fan, audience, or following. While music is an art, it is also a serious business, and you must start thinking about your career from a more professional and businesslike perspective. So get ready to expand your thoughts, learn, and always have a lot of fun.

The following key concepts are introduced briefly to give you a play-by-play look at the entire book. The information is expanded upon fully in subsequent chapters and marketing samples.

The marketing process typically starts with a visiona declaration that defines that ultimate place youd like your company to be in about seven to ten years down the road.

Your vision is what gets you out of bed in the morning and gives your life meaning. Im not talking about the color of your mansion in the French Riviera or the remote island you want to own in the Maldives, but rather a vivid musical/business focus that complements your strengths and passions and sets your career on course.

To illustrate, long before Marilyn Manson ever became known to the world, he envisioned himself as being a pop star who would one day shock the world. Personal sources say that when he was just a student of journalism at a small community college, he actually had drawings of costumes and stage set designs along with other business and creative details. This was Mansons North Starhis guiding light. He held true to that vision and projected it into everything his band or company did. Several Platinum albums and Top 10 hits later, he succeeded at living his dream.