Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.
Victor Hugo
FROM INDIE TO EMPIRE
Helping serious independent musicians succeed in their own Music PR efforts and avoid the pitfall of Music Promotion Firm Dependency .
Join the new DIY Revolution!
Copyright 2017-2019 Empire Music Promotions
By Ryan Donnelly
info@empiremusicpromotions.com
www.empiremusicpromotions.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing by the author.
Dedicated to you, the artists
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SOUNDCHECK
Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.
Greg Anderson
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
( We All Want Money, But This Is About Your Portfolio )
If you are reading this book then I know that you are a serious musician, and not just a weekend warrior ; which is great, because your only hope to succeed in growing your audience is by taking the promotional side of your music just as seriously as you did the making of that great music in the first place; you feel me?
Now, let us focus on opening some of those massive industry doors!
We are now living in a truly interesting, unique, and empowering time!
The once fledgling internet has now grown up to become a massive marketing monster that continues to produce stories of major success for independent musicians, all over the globe.
Truth be told, there has never been a time quite like right now; a time where the artists themselves hold the keys to the kingdom, and not just the greedy titan-sized labels.
The DIY Music Marketing Age has arrived! And I am excited for what that means to all artists!
A changing of the guard has happened.
Where once the colossal dinosaur-like music labels walked the land, with complete power and control over the artist/s and their music careers; now, is a brave new world, where the artists have taken the power back, and are now choosing to control their own music destinies. By tapping into the vast knowledge found within the internet, and respecting the power of social media, these revolutionary minds are engaging personally with the massive online community, and no longer just existing outside of that community and waiting for the labels and industry moguls to let them in.
An artist can now make the conscious decision to create and control their own unique branding; and for far less than what expensive Music PR Firms usually charge ( and I would know, I founded one of the fastest growing Music PR Firms around; Empire Music Promotions ).
With a focused effort, an understanding of how the new music business model works now, and some hard work behind them; musicians all over the world are breaking down industry doors at impressive rates; and gaining serious exposure for their incredible music, without having to sign off on all-of their music rights to the larger labels!
There are no real gatekeepers anymore. The world is now yours for the taking, and the awareness of the people has elevated itself yet once again. You, the artist, have chosen to become a part of the DIY Internet Revolution ; your DIY Music Marketing Revolution!
Yes, it is important to respect where the industry started, and to those who played their fundamental parts. We must give credit to any label that produced an inspired album that we still talk about today, to the labels that opened those doors for so many of our music heroes; because when it comes to touring the world with massive stadium sized shows, no one does it better that the ones who bet all their money on an inspirational musician in the first place. With that being said; no longer will you be expected to knock on their doors with nothing but a dream, empty pockets, and the desperate drive to make that dream happen!
Now, when you walk through those doors, when you shake those hands, and you make those high-end deals; it will be with an army behind you, your army , of followers that give you both credit and leverage to work any deal with.
Never underestimate the power of an artist who knows the value of what they have to offer, and the unwavering will to force others to see that value as well.
Respect the industry by working with it and not against it. There is no longer any need to follow the old rules of Music Promotion; because not all those rules apply anymore. Now you are free, and expected, to make some of your own, and break some of your own, too!
This Revised Version of From Indie To Empire aims to place you square on the music map, by offering you the tools necessary to succeed on your own terms, by embracing the new free market and joining with all the other musicians who have chosen to take Music PR matters into their own hands.
As a long-time music promoter, it became clear to me that the changes in the music industry had to be met with a different kind of marketing strategy, and if a band or musician was going to succeed in getting noticed, they would need to start working behind the scenes as much as we do.
Claudio Monteverdi is known for these fine words Music is spiritual. The music business is not.
It should be noted, that to market in todays social media and shark infested waters, you are going to have to ( and want to ) get your hands a little dirty. If you understand that making the music is, and will never be, enough to rise to the top of the music food chain, and you truly embrace the necessity of putting in the promotional overtime; then you have already placed down the most important cornerstone of your music Empire, and you are leagues ahead of the pack!
This book was created with the mindful intention to keep it free of too much filler, and to focus more on the meat of the industry itself, by focusing in on the immediate and usable marketing techniques available to you.
The information placed within this book is the best of what is most current, and it is there for you to use over, and over again; for every single, every EP, and every Album you release .
There is no denying the importance of the passion and integrity behind the music that you choose to make, and I do mean choose, because every time you pick up that guitar, sit at those drums, or prepare to sing that song, you are channelling a decision to speak; and if you speak true and pure, you will be heard; speak false and try to mimic another band or musician, and there is no amount of marketing that will prevent your ship from sinking fast.
The music business isnt one to hold your hand, and as such, this book wont be pulling any punches either. In-order to keep you focused on what is truly important ( you, making and promoting your incredible music ) I intend to keep things clear and concise, and when necessary I might just reveal a few of the industries dirty little secrets Actually, I fully intend to!
I want you to work with these tactics, as a solitary artist, or as a band, and to use this book as a bit of a roadmap to follow and meander about. Woven into these pages is a multitude of promotional ideas, marketing tactics, and practical hands-on information to get you started today; because who wants to wait to be great! Not you!
