Hello Broadjam,

The leaderboard for the 2007 6-Pack launched a couple weeks ago and since then we have seen a lot of different names up there—some veterans of the 6-Pack and some new faces as well. Earlier last week, we launched the rankings for our second challenge, Location, Location, Location. Once again, the leaders have changed and the race is starting to heat up. Remember, the leaderboard is updated several times daily and your reviews are extremely important in determining the outcome. Also, you can win each individual challenge that you enter, but it is the Broadjam member with the most points in all challenges that will take home the overall grand prize.

So, how has the 6-Pack been going for you so far? Is there any artist you have heard (besides yourself) that you really like? Which one of the prizes do you have your eye on? Let us know what you think of the 6-Pack so far and feel free to participate in this blog at your leisure.

Thanks for making this year’s 6-Pack an exciting one from the start and best of luck to all!

-Roy

Do you have any news? Tell us about upcoming shows, CD releases, new websites or anything else you have going on.

Dave Codr, a music industry pioneer and an indie promoter, answers more of your questions this week.



Dave responds to these questions:

Posted by gBecker152 on 7/18/2007
One of the more widely reported uses and successes of “guerilla promotion” is in the involvement of college students where they are paid to promote everything from products to bands in a way that comes across as personal enthusiasm and not a job they were hired to do. Have you used the internet for “guerilla promotion” and can you describe how such a campaign might be put together?

Thanks



Dave’s Answer:

gBecker152,

It’s a common marketing technique to avoid the appearance of “advertising” because word of mouth is always viewed as more legitimate. Simply disguising your marketing campaign in this fashion does not constitute guerilla promotion.

Guerilla promotion is a way for the marketer to get the civilian population to do the promotion for them without getting paid or realizing they are engaged in a marketing campaign. I’ll give you an example even though it’s not internet related.

This guerilla promotion technique involves quarter page flyers or handbills made into a gummed tablet at a place like Kinko’s. The flyers should be oriented with the printing side down so that anyone who grabs the tablet sees a piece of blank scratch paper. I instruct the artists to give these tablets to the bartenders at places they perform at. Clubs and venues are notorious for not having any paper for

Posted by Nyrecordings on 7/18/2007
good afternoon

I would like to know how an artist who has been on the international music scene, with no record company or manager, find a lawyer, or firm, who shops artist deals. How should I go about researching artist development deals and sending EPKs out? I have registered with ASCAP as a writer and publisher—have any ideas on scouting for a publishing deal?

Thank you in advance,
Jason Jones



Dave’s Answer:

Jason,

Like most things in life, record companies want artists who really don’t need a record label. I know it’s ironic, but people who work in the music industry are looking for the surest bet. Independent artists who aren’t sufficiently developed or networked are regarded as a risk. I know it sucks, but that’s the way it is.

A very talented shopping attorney may be able to open doors for you that you cannot open yourself. However, that is a lottery winner approach and not something I suggest for any artist I work with. My philosophy is to build up an artist properly so that record companies, managers, music publishers, etc are drawn to the artist, not the other way around. That said, we list several hundred entertainment attorneys in the Music Phone Book, so you may want to pick up a copy for a list to start with. If this is a path you feel you are ready to travel, I suggest you pick up a copy, start contacting attorneys, and look for one who you have a good connection with and who has stellar references.

If you’re looking for information on artist development, a friend of mine may be able to help you out. His name is Tim Sweeney and his website is www.musicstrategies.com, or www.tsamusic.com. Tim is a 20+ year veteran of the music industry and has worked with virtually everyone you can think of. Tim periodically has music strategy workshops (I think he has one scheduled for October 18-21 in LA) throughout the country where he discusses a number of artist development topics. Unlike music conferences, Sweeney’s workshops are limited to a smaller number of artists so that Tim can provide one-on-one counseling and instruction. I highly recommend anyone who has the opportunity to attend Tim’s workshops do so. I consider him one of my mentors.

For information on scouting a publishing deal, see paragraph one.

As for sending out EPKs, please PLEASE make sure you don’t blindly send your EPKs to everyone you can think of. Spam is bad, but artists sending generic “help me” e-mails to people they don’t know is a huge waste of time. I always suggest you speak to the person prior to sending any materials to them. This is the exact reason most record labels don’t accept unsolicited demos. Record labels and music publishers like to think they found an artist on their own. So really, doing the legwork yourself in terms of getting your music out to performers, even on a local or regional level, will put you in a position to make the industry pros think they discovered you themselves.

Good luck,
Dave

Posted by smblewis on 7/17/2007
My question regards jingles. I discovered that I have a knack for writing little jingles. Now, what is the best way to approach this? How does one go about getting the big companies to notice? Thank you.



Dave’s Answer:

Smblewis,

I almost didn’t answer this question because I am not an ad man. However, I would suggest you burn some of your best jingles onto a CD and talk to some radio station managers. Radio stations sometimes struggle to come up with interesting jingles for their clients. If you’ve got some skills and talk to the right station manager, they may be interested in trying you out. Another suggestion would be to approach local companies who advertise on the radio and TV directly. This will be easier after you have written jingles for a few local companies to use as examples, but you may be able to find an opportunity or two cold knocking.

Good luck,
Dave.

Posted by foxy1963 on 6/26/2007

Hello Dave,

Thanks for all the info you have shared with us…I have a question. How important is “age” when it comes to an artist being picked up? At 43 years old—and finally in a position to devote most all of my time to my songwriting and abilities, etc, I feel as though I’m far too old to captivate the interest of a label—despite the fact that I look younger than my years and despite the fact that my new stuff is very well received by people in my age demographic…any comments on age being a factor in labels having an interest?

Sincerely,

Paul Mills
Las Vegas, Nevada




Dave’s Answer:

Paul,

You aren’t old until you start introducing yourself as “I am X number of years young.” You may want to check out some of my earlier postings that have discussed the age factor as it correlates to success and industry attention.

Posted by Jolaine on 6/26/2007
I would like to find out how someone breaks into the business by way of doing vocals, whether background or voice-overs, if they don’t already live in a key marketplace. What would be your suggestions to an unknown in this area?

I am an artist also, but would like to find out how to still keep my skills sharp in this area.

thanks,



Dave’s Answer:

Jolaine,

Ah—the omnipresent “my market isn’t good enough” refrain. I probably get 50 emails a month from artists who say they have to move to a new market cuz their market sucks. It doesn’t matter what market you’re in. The sentiment is shared by seemingly all. Bands in Tulsa wish they were in LA, bands in LA wish they were anywhere else. Unless you play a style of music that is absolutely contrary to the local gentry, your home market is always going to be the easiest market for you to develop. There may not be as many opportunities as in a major market, but there will not be as much competition. So everything’s relative.

Just like any other career, you need to build up your resume. Take advantage of every opportunity to back up other vocalists. Like most communities, artists share information with their peers. If you work with an artist and do a good job, that artist is likely to tell other people about how great you are to work with. This will inevitably lead to other opportunities. If you put your best effort forward and are driven to put in a little time and effort for research, I bet you can find some opportunities right there in your backyard.

Good luck,
Dave.

Posted by ransom on 6/26/2007
I’m using instrumentals to make songs and records until i buy my own beatmaker. Would I be able to sell my songs even though they are on beats that have already been through the industry? Does it have to be 100% original? I’ve been thinking about making my own mixtapes and I’ve noticed that a lot of rappers rap over instrumentals. I get beats off the internet, at mixtape stores or I just make my own off the end of a song (where there are no words) and I was wondering if that was legal to sell.



Dave’s Answer:

Ransom,

Borrowing music is nothing new. Reggae, hip-hop and rap are notorious for sampling other people’s music. There is a correlation between how much additional work you put on the track that will determine whether or not you violate the copyright. Some artists will grant permission to use their material, others will sue you. Remember Vanilla Ice?

Since I am not an attorney, I cannot give you legal advice. But I can tell you it’s a grey area that is continuously tested. In reality, you’re probably not going to write a super smash single that gains world-wide domination at your current level. It could happen, and if it does, you may find yourself liable for copyright infringement. If that’s the case, you’re gonna lose a good portion of your income off the song, but at the same time you will gain international acclaim and notoriety. So while you may not keep the paper, there are auxiliary benefits that can be just as beneficial.

Good luck,
Dave.

Do you have any news? Tell us about upcoming shows, CD releases, new websites or anything else you have going on.