Bob Baker - Guerrilla Music Marketing, Vol 1: Laying the Foundation for Independent Music Success

Smashwords Edition

2015 Bob Baker All Rights Reserved

Published by Spotlight Publications and www.TheBuzzFactor.com

PO Box 28441, St. Louis, MO 63146 USA

All Rights Reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical,recording or otherwise without the prior written permission ofBob Baker, except for the inclusion of brief passages in areview.

This ebook features Section 1 of theGuerrilla Music Marketing Handbook. The full print version,featuring all five sections (20 chapters), is available at
http://bob-baker.com/buzz/guerrilla-music-marketing-handbook/

To Jay Conrad Levinson, the godfather ofGuerrilla Marketing. Thanks for shining the light, blazing a newtrail, and inspiring millions (including me) to take the guerrillapath less traveled!

I want to give you a FREE collection of musicpromotion reports, tip sheets and tools! Just go here to claimthem:

www.bob-baker.com/buzz/free-reports/

Here's what you get:

=> My Music Marketing Secretsreport, which reveals: A rarely-used marketing trick you cansteal from restaurant menus, A simple technique that forces peopleto listen to your album, How to virtually hypnotize your fans usingsimple email, and much more.

=> How to Recession-Proof Your MusicCareer: 37 Ways Musicians, Bands and Record Labels Can ReduceExpenses and Prosper in Todays Economy.

=> Four Ways to Attract More Music FansFaster - Here are the steps you need to take to identify andbuild a loyal following and ensure a successful, long-termcareer.

=> A free subscription to my BuzzFactor Ezine. Every issue is filled with strategies you canstart using right away to attract more fans, sell more music, andmake more money.

Again, they are all free. Just go here to getthem:

www.bob-baker.com/buzz/free-reports/

Other books and resources by Bob Baker

I have no way of knowing why you picked upthis book or how you found it, but I do know one thing with totalcertainty: This is the best time in human history to be amusician!

You live in an amazing era. Artists of allstripes the world over are taking their talents and empoweringthemselves to build their own fan bases, book their own gigs, selltheir own music and merchandise, and create business models thatwork for them.

Its an exciting time to be an independent(also known as indie) musician and not have to rely on A&Rbig shots, record labels, or the industry to rescue you fromobscurity. Today, you can rescue yourself and build your own musiccareer and you can do it on your own terms!

For decades, aspiring musicians thought theonly legitimate route to success was landing a recording contractwith a major label. It was also assumed that a new band needed tobe on commercial radio and in major retail outlets to have afighting chance to survive.

The times have definitely changed. TheInternet and low-cost recording technologies have created athriving do-it-yourself music movement with unlimited options toget exposure and reach fans. Unfortunately, thousands ofsongwriters and artists still believe the road to widespreadrecognition can only be traveled through a record deal.

My advice: Wake up and smell thegigabytes!

I believe the best way to approach a careeras a musician (especially one who writes and performs originalmusic) is to take control, get your hands dirty, and market yourmusic yourself. No one will ever feel as strongly about your craftas you do. Which means youre the best person in the world tospread the news.

Sure, promoting your own music takes a lot ofeffort. No doubt. But its well worth it. And despite what you mayhave heard to the contrary, it can be profitable.

Here are several inspiring examples ofself-empowered musicians:

Loreena McKennitt has sold more than14 million of her eclectic Celtic albums worldwide. Herindependent music career spans eight studio recordings and onedouble-live album. She is completely self-managed, self-produced,and the head of her own internationally successful record label,Quinlan Road ( www.quinlanroad.com ).
McKennitts music has won critical acclaim and gold, platinum andmulti-platinum sales awards in 15 countries across four continents.She continues to manage her own career to this day.

In 1988, Lorie Line ( www.lorieline.com ) got a jobplaying piano for customers at a Daytons department store inMinneapolis. Little did she know it would lead to Lorie Line Music,Inc., a family-run business that has released 36 albums, with salesexceeding 6 million copies. She has also published 28 completebooks of piano music.
Line attributes her success to the basics hard work, talent,perseverance, and gut instincts. She is involved with every aspectof her company: management, sales, direct mail, public relations,marketing, tour scheduling, website management, and musiccreation.
Its hard to believe that the company I started in my basement isnow the second largest artist-owned record label in North America,she says. People always ask me how we do it all by ourselves. Itis overwhelming if you think about it too much. But, because I dosomething that I absolutely love, my job is rewarding andcontinually fun.

Does the name Mark Maxwell( www.romanticsaxmusic.com )ring a bell? Perhaps not. But he's one of the best-sellingsaxophonists in the world. And although his name is not a householdword, his 18 self-promoted solo releases have sold more than500,000 copies (yes, half a million) without the support of arecord label or significant radio airplay.

David Nevue ( www.davidnevue.com ) quit agood-paying tech job in 2001 to become a full-time musician andauthor. The move wasnt exactly a risky one. Over the previous sixyears he had spent much of his spare time building awareness forhis solo piano music on the Internet. Through hard work andpersistence, he went from obscurity to being one of the most widelyplayed independent New Age artists. He now has thousands of fansand supports his family from his various independent musicactivities. Nevue shares his secrets in a book called How toPromote Your Music Successfully on the Internet.

The indie band Clap Your Hands SayYeah used online buzz and word of mouth to sell 270,000 copiesof its debut album. Guitarist Robbie Guertin told Spinmagazine, What can [a record label] do for us that we cant doourselves? Maybe if someone came up with a good answer, wed sign.But no one has yet.

John Taglieri ( www.johntaglieri.com ) isa full-time singer/songwriter who had an entire chapter devoted tohim in previous editions of this book. He is an independent musicdynamo who completely embodies the principles of guerrilla musicmarketing. Over a 12-year period he sold 20,000 copies of his first10 albums, played more than 3,000 live shows, and earned severalTop 10 singles on Amazon.com. He spends half the year in Key West,FL, where he performs for huge crowds, and the other half touringthe East Coast of the U.S. He runs his own recording studio andrecord label and is sponsored by Curt Mangan Strings, OvationGuitars, and more.

Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn(known as Pomplamoose) used quirky versions of popular coversongs to build a large fan base on YouTube. That attracted theattention of car companies that used their music in national TVcommercials. The duo has turned down many record label offers andchooses to stay independent. (Read more about their story inChapter 8 of the complete