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Dude Perfect

This week has been interesting around Artist Garden Entertainment. We got an e-mail at the beginning of the week from one of the members of Manic Bloom, a band we manage. Apparently some college guys at Texas A&M put together a video showing amazing backyard basketball shots and posted it on YouTube. They call the video Dude Perfect. The guys chose a Manic Bloom song “Running From The Scene” for the soundtrack to the video and they were kind enough to add a link to the Manic Bloom website. By Thursday evening, the Dude Perfect video was blowing up! The video went from 40k views to 100k views by Friday morning. As I was checking voice mail Friday morning, there was an urgent message from Good Morning America. I also had an urgent e-mail from Good Morning America. Thinking it was a prank, I called the number on the voice mail. It was indeed Good Morning America. They were looking to get in touch with the guys in the video. We scrambled around on our end trying to find a phone number as all we had was an e-mail address. Good Morning America aired a clip from the video Friday morning and plan on airing again this week with an interview with the Dude Perfect guys. All I can say for Manic Bloom is Dude Perfect!

http://www.artistgardenentertainment.com

Produce Your Own EPK

Can I just say that Apple amazes me daily! I have taken a few of their free workshops over the last couple of weeks and I am happier than ever that I bought Macbook a few months back. The iLife software which comes loaded on your Mac is absolutely incredible. One of the workshops I recently attended, was for iMovie which is part of the iLife suite. I have played around with iMovie making home movies but iLife 09 has some great new added features. I think the time has arrived that I will attempt to put together my own EPKs. I do apologize to any readers whose business model is built around producing EPKs but I think your plan may be in trouble? Much like iTunes changed the way music is sold and Garage Band and Pro Tools changed the way music is recorded, I expect iMovie will have a huge impact on the EPK business. Especially with the shrinking marketing budgets in the music industry. I’m not saying that companies that focus on EPKs need to throw in the towel just yet but their business model will probably be forced to change as businesses discover what they can do on their own and how easy it is. For the price of a Mac, which they start around $1,000, you can produce an unlimited number of EPKs. The last time I checked it was hard to find anyone to do even a simple EPK for less than $1,500 and they are normally going to cost in the 3k-5k range. The one major missing element that I see is the fact that you still need to be creative and know how to write and produce a great EPK. I also realize that the lighting and video quality won’t look as nice as hiring a professional company, but honestly, EPK’s don’t need to look like a $10,000 video these days. Here is a link to a resource for filming and lighting techniques that may help you http://lightsandcameras.com This “how to”video series was developed by NightGlass Media Group. I should probably be clear on the fact that I haven’t actually made an EPK using the iMovie software, however, I plan to attempt making one soon. Once we have the results, I will post a link and let you be the judge. Artist Garden Entertainment

Music and Fashion

Artist Garden Entertainment attended a fashion show last night at the Posh Boutique in Nashville, TN.  Designer, Jeff Garner was premiering his new summer line of sustainable clothing from Prophetik. http://prophetik.com As I watched, I was reminded how music and fashion fit so nicely together. Imagine watching a band playing naked? Well maybe not, but you get the idea. Whatever the band is wearing will be remembered, imitated and revered by their fans. Now imagine a fashion show with no music? It would have the same feel as a silent movie. Very boring!  Fashion brings music alive and Music brings fashion alive. During the show, there were several songs being used that many had never heard. Jeff likes to expose people at his fashion shows to new music. He had a DJ spinning tunes and a live band from Austria playing songs. The two alternated throughout the show giving it an interesting feel. As I was mingling with the crowd at the after show reception, I noticed a common thread among most of the people I spoke with. Everyone was buzzing about two songs that were used in the show. Some had even used the their iPhone app to tag the songs to purchase later. Wow! What an amazing impact the music had on the attendees. I must admit, I woke up this morning wishing a few of the songs that were used last night, were on my iPod. And they will be by days end!  www.artistgardenentertainment.com

Free Music

Artist Garden Entertainment has been doing a great deal of marketing brainstorming over the last couple of weeks and the idea of “free music” seems to be a re-occurring theme. Many examples over the last year point to successful marketing campaigns having some element of free. One of the best campaigns that I’ve seen was the launch of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” I signed up for the free download and immediately bought the entire record when it was available. Coldplay is on a much bigger platform than most of the artist we are currently working with so using a similar campaign would most likely net disappointing results. Our plan is to use “free music” with a different twist. We look to partner with established brands outside of the music industry to create a “free music” campaign. It is important to find a brand that is compatible with the artist. Gummi Bears and Metallica probably wouldn’t work well as a partnership? Although it would be nice, the brand doesn’t have to be national. Regional brands or developing brands often prove to be great partners. Doing a little research might even result in finding a brand that you aren’t personally familiar with. The key is to align the artist with a brand that has a parallel audience and projects a similar message as the artist.  Whatever the campaign, I am definitely not in favor of giving away the entire cd. I know many people would argue with me and throw examples of successful campaigns but you will never convince me to give away the entire cd as I eventually need to generate money for the artist. My idea of “free music” is to leave the listener wanting more. Give them a taste and if they like it, they should be willing purchase the rest of the cd. If they aren’t willing to purchase, then did the artist really connect with the consumer anyway?  www.artistgardenentertainment.com

Universal Music Group On Top

Today Artist Garden Entertainment met with the Universal Music Group. We were representing a new label looking for a distribution deal. I have spent time in all of the major record company headquarters over the years with the exception of Universal, until today. Let me say, I was extremely impressed. There is no question in my mind why they hold the top market share and just reported an 11% profit when everyone else in the music industry is crying the blues. From the time I stepped into the building, I felt a positive spirit. Most other companies in the music business seem to be putting off a negative and depressing vibe but  I really felt a heartbeat in the Universal building. Isn’t it funny how you can tell so much about the leadership of a company by the atmosphere?  I would recommend that every person in the music business find a reason to visit Universal soon. Maybe we could bottle up the positive attitude and take it back to our respective companies and change the outlook of the music industry.  www.artistgardenentertainment.com

Jon Foreman

I decided to spend a little bit of time today to write about my favorite songwriter/artist, Jon Foreman. Jon amazes me with his prolific songwriting that seems to be bottomless. My personal collection consists of 5 studio Switchfoot records, 4 Jon Foreman solo eps and his latest project, Fiction Family, which is a collaboration with Nickel Creek’s Sean Watkins. Most artist begin to run dry on great songs after 2 or 3 records but Jon continues to churn them out. I can honestly say that I haven’t heard one song from Jon that I didn’t absolutely love.

Not only is Jon excellent at his artistic abilities, but he is also quite the marketer. The Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer ep plan last year was brilliant! It was one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments. I am a little surprised though that each of the eps hasn’t sold gold but I would have to guess that many of the Switchfoot fans still haven’t connected the dots.

I would highly reccomend all of Jon’s eps and the Fiction Family record to anyone looking to hear some great music!

http://www.artistgardenentertainment.com

Music Blog Servicing

We have recently added blog servicing to our music marketing services at Artist Garden Entertainment. With blogging becoming the new marketing platform, it is natural that we should be utilizing every avenue in the blogosphere. We have worked on building a “trust level” relationship with some very influential bloggers. Being selective and targeted with what music we service to these bloggers is key to our ongoing relationship.  It is similar to servicing radio by format in that you need to know what type of music the blogger enjoys and will potentially write about. The bloggers we target don’t primarily blog about music which makes it even more interesting for their readers. We are looking for the “Oprah effect” as the majority of our bloggers cater to a similar demographic as Oprah. These bloggers have 10,000+ people a day reading their blogs which gives them a huge influence that spans across the US and the world in come cases. Many of their readers are also bloggers which can result in an large multiplying effect. Music blog servicing would be a nice addition to any marketing plan and could prove to be a cure for some of the challenges we face at radio.

Our current blog servicing is best fit for AC, Pop and Christian Music, but we will be expanding into other genres soon.  If you would like to know more about the music blog servicing we offer, please contact us at  www.artistgardenentertainment.com

James Ingram’s New Inspirational Record

As a marketer, I have worked with many different artist and genres of music over the years. Often times, I have had to create and execute marketing plans for music that really didn’t appeal to my personal taste. Then there are those projects that make you so proud to be a part of. I find that I am able to give so much more of myself when working records that I enjoy. Recently, Artist Garden Entertainment was brought on to do the digital marketing and Christian/gospel marketing for a new James Ingram record. It had been a while since I had heard Jame’s silky voice and I had forgotten what an incredible talent he is. As I began to work on a plan, I put the cd in the player for a listen. WOW! What an amazing record!  James Ingram “Stand” is just the record I needed to get my marketing mojo going. I want the world to hear this record and that gives me incentive to find new and innovative ways to get it in front of people. I have been reminded once again why I love the music business. If you have a chance, I would encourage you to check out this amazing new record from James Ingram.    Here is the iTunes link http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=302255815

James Ingram "Stand"

www.artistgardenentertainment.com

Social Networking and Christian Music

2009 is here and the marketing fury begins! Social networking has become a crucial platform for every marketing plan designed to sell music. As I was working on setting up a new release recently, I was reminded that social networking was present and played a key role in the beginnings of the Christian music industry. Twenty years ago, the Christian radio landscape was very under developed. Yes, there were am talk radio stations in abundance but no real outlet for 24 hour Christian music on FM radio. KLTY in Dallas was just being launched. The marketing plan for a Christian record consisted of touring churches and selling cds at the merch table after the show. As KLTY began to grow, this incredible organic thing blossomed. Listeners would hear new Contemporary Christian Music on the radio in Dallas. Word of mouth would then quickly spread like wild fire across the country. I think it would be safe to call this phenomenon an early version of social networking. Dallas is home base to a major seminary and many ministry organizations. When students returned to their hometowns or spoke to family via the phone they would share their excitement about the music they were hearing on the radio in Dallas. I believe this was the birth of social networking for Christian music. As KLTY became a power house for all music in Dallas, the social network grew into this incredible marketing machine. If your song was played on KLTY, your record was a success and proof was in the sales at Christian bookstores across the country. Gold and even Platinum Records became a reality in Christian music for artist like Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Jaci Velasquez, DC Talk and Point of Grace. More of these 24 hour FM Christian Music stations began to pop up around the country. As numerous Christian music stations popped up all over the country, markets like Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, Orange County, Houston, Sacramento, D.C. and Grand Rapids all began to play a major role in promoting Christian music artist. Then the landscape began to go through another transition. As Christian radio stations were bought up by corporate America, the social network impact began to wain. No need to buy your music based on what some friend in Dallas was telling you as you had your own Christian radio station in your market. As corporate America began running these radio stations, play list began to shrink. The almighty dollar became more important than playing new music so playlist became stagnant in the name of ratings and testing. Along with this change, came fewer record sales. The fire and excitement of discovering new music was extinguished. Marketing executives at Christian companies became frustrated as the traditional marketing plans which were designed around radio were no longer effective. That brings us to today. If early forms of social networking appear to be the catalysts for the huge explosion of Christian music twenty years ago, why would we all not be running towards any and every new social networking tool available to us today? Some marketers are utilizing social networking tools and those are the ones who will find success in 2009. The marketers who are stuck on MySpace as their only “go to” for social networking will be left behind. MySpace is certainly a great social networking tool for music but there are many more social network sites emerging. Facebook and Twitter are exploding and it amazes me how many people who consider themselves marketers don’t even have an account set up with those networks! Artist Garden Entertainment will be utilizing many of the social networking sites in every marketing plan we design in 2009. We believe that social networking is vital to any marketing plan. Christians are huge evangelists when they believe in something and social networking sites give them the evangelizing platform.  If you are looking for help navigating through the plethora of social networks, contact us for help.   www.artistgardenentertainment.com