Strange Business Model
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I discovered this morning how an British artist made it big this year, she did a virtual tour entitled '21 nights in Tooting' (Tooting is not the type of place you would normally tour, it's ironic).
She basically streamed the gig. A bit like JoCos secibd life gig, but you could actually see her, and more than 100 people could see her.
So how about it JoCo? A virtual tour to complement the real one you just did and will be doing next year?
For more info on how Sandy Thom did it:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/06/08/bmneil08.xml&sSheet=/arts/2006/06/08/ixartleft.htmlSeñor Coulton –
I didn't have enough patience to read through this whole thread (and I'm at work, so the Man is watching), so I'm sorry if someone has already said what I'm about to say.
I work at a record label in Nashvile – but don't get too excited. We only offer label services… Basically – the artists associated with us keep all of their music/ merch/everything, and they pay us to do services (like servicing to radio, tour press, publicity, etc). Also – this is my day job and I as well am trying to get back into music. I don't like the business.
What I've found to be the most important thing? Tour Press.
Publicity without gigs is worthless… So I guess I'm jumping on the band wagon of gigs – but a step further. Nashville, TN has no reason to write about you right now. But if you're coming here to play a show, and you're interesting (which you are), then you're likely to get a story. If there are 3 or 4 papers – contact them with a press release and follow up. Or 10. Hit radio stations. If they know about you, their consumers know about you.
This is a quick overview…
(edited by Bry, because apparently, this forum reads "/ me" without the space as special text. Which makes "/ merch" into "/merch.")
So, you're saying that if you're going to tour, you need to make sure you get press coverage of your tour, which makes perfect sense. But that skips the question of whether or not touring is the best way to get exposure in today's Internet age, or whether all the time JC is spending now on tour could be more productive if he were doing more mass-media cross-pollinating of some kind. Of course, the question is moot since JC *is* touring currently, but I'm very curious to find out if touring is a quaint olde tyme notion that the Internet is killing the same way it's killing olde tymy newspapers and Tower Record stores.
For "mass-media cross-pollinating", I refer you to the recent N.P.R. interview as an example. I'm of the mind that an hour spent trying to get more mass-media interviews like that is more valuable than an hour spent playing to a room full of fifty people, fourty of whom are already fans.
A well lit, professionally done, live internet feed of the tour would be a perfect compromise. Sponsor ads could be placed conspicously in frame, Pop Sci you hear me?, or it could be pay per view? I'd pay.
The N.P.R. interview is how I found out about of JoCo. I can't believe that I hadn't discovered him sooner, or that it's taken me until today to visit the website.
My advice for what it's worth is to try to do a tour of Universities the gig itself might not pay much (free show sponsored by whatever student activities group there is?) but the merchandise sells/exposure couldn't hurt.I agree with that. If you're going to do gigs, pinpointing them to a group socially-networking monsters like college students makes sense. And I totally agree that every gig JC plays that he isn't recording or simulcasting, or whatever, is another missed opportunity. Heck, I think he should have been carrying a camcorder around with him when he was touring with John Hodgeman, recording a "behind the scenes" sort of documentary. Those are two seriously funny, entertaining cats, and that would have been a sensational video to watch (and of course, pay for).
As a case in point, I submit this — JC didn't get the N.P.R. interview because he's been playing gigs (most likely). He got it because of Thing A Week and because of the substantial effect he's had through the Internet. That tells me that Internet stuff leads more directly to mass media exposure than playing to a bar full of people.
As soon as Jon Stewart breathlessly begs him to come on The Daily Show because of an awesome show he put on at Gary's Roadside Steak Shak in Poughkeepsie, then I may change my opinion.
Spiff's question is a good one, and I don't know the answer. That's one of the reasons I'm trying it out. At the moment I'm in the worst greenroom ever, so I'm wishing I wasn't here. But a few nights ago I was the king of the world at my boston show, and I never wanted to go home. so, hard to say. Another consideration is that there's money to be made touring. Sometimes. By the way spiff, npr happened when someone saw me play at the warehouse theater in dc, so you never know. And now my thumbs are tired…
AS to the question of stickiness, I wonder whether my experience might be instructive.
I heard of Mr. Coulton indirectly through N.P.R. (my cousin in Muncie, Indiana heard the show), came to the web site, and was immediately hooked. Just in a week, I've spent more money than I care to advertise on his work — and not because I'm rolling in it, not at all. In part because I'm impatient (want to hear all those songs NOW), and in part because the nature of this experiment is fascinating and I want to see it succeed because it's the way great music that big labels wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole will get out to people. And also because I look forward to hearing more of Mr. Coulton's music, if it works well enough to keep him at it.
And there's also a sense of fair play involved — he gives so much away for free, it seems only right that those of us who can afford to support the cause.
But also, I've made up some little CD samples to give to friends for the holidays, with a note on the cover asking them to come donate or purchase. The CC license lets me do that. I don't know how many will actually donate or buy, but surely some of them will.
The point is, it STUCK on me, and I think to a certain extent that's just a matter of whether the music really speaks to people — and it WILL certainly stick to some portion of everyone who comes over. So I guess my sense is that the building-a-fan-base-first model is the right way to go. I'm certainly someone who would shell out a buck for anything new that's made available, and I bet a large proportion of regular visitors here would do the same. I wonder if there's a way to get a sense of that proportion? But there's certainly more than enough free stuff here to get people hooked — if they're disposed to.
I also think gigging can be useful as a way to sell merch and gain a few new fans, but ultimately it's the MSM (main stream media in this case, not men-who-have-sex-with-men as it would be in the public health context) that will bring the hordes (or legions). That stuff is pretty hit or miss… though I did send a note to a friend who writes for Conan and this crowd must be well-enough connected that there are lots of such "connections."
Finally, some of this material is ideally suited to "viral marketing." I.e., wouldn't just about anyone who curls want to hear "Curl"? Can you name a software engineer that wouldn't enjoy "Code Monkey"? Think of all the zombies… A little strategic reminding of possible constituencies might start word spreading like wildfire.
Forgive the rambling — but I'm absolutely fascinated by this experiment and hope it will succeed.
Your decision to tour with Paul and Storm was a very good one. Besides the fact that your musical styles complement each other well, your fan bases and areas of influence didn't really overlap. You get to take advantage of their rep from DaVinci's Notebook and their Bob and Tom connections and they get the advantage of your rabid internet fanbase. Well done!
I have to say in my geeky heart of hearts that JoCo opening up for TMBG would easily be the most fun concert of all time. I saw OK Go open for TMBG maybe… 3-4 years ago, long before they made it "big" and the crowd in Charleston, SC totally embraced them. Really, Charleston has always embraced TMBG's openers, and I always see a lot of activity at their booth in the Music Farm. Bring some of those CDs and shirts down and impress the crowd!
James K Polk *and* The Presidents in one night? That crowd would eat it up.
In the end, all I'm really saying is come to Charleston. I think it's a good town for you. I live in Columbia personally, but our town sucks for music, and I'd happily drive 2 hours to see you play. Hell, I'll go about anywhere in the southeast at this point. I'm totally hooked.
I have two reactions — one is that you need to find the way to have a LOT of people come into contact with one of your best-liked songs, and the other is that you need to support the viral activities of your fans.
The best avenue I can think of to sneak into the hearts of many would be to have your song in some kind of inventive & well-liked indie film — the kind that your current audience, as well as more of the mainstream, would be drawn to. How to get access to the smarter echelon of film auteurs I don't know personally, but I bet you could find some kind of contact chain from people you know already.
On viral fandom, just keep asking the fans what they need from you to help them spread the word. Having sent email links to virtually all my friends, I'm starting to talk about you to strangers (the clerk at the bookstore, the Blockbuster browser in line behind me) and I could personally use some kind of ersatz business card kinda thing that would leave them with a seductive image of some kind, and a URL or two.
I love the idea of the homemade giveaway CDs mentioned above. If I had more time and mad skillz, I'd do that too.
Our Hero writes great songs and plays and sings amazingly and is cute besides (so my daughter says) but in the end to make upper middle class bux you'll have to Sell Out. Get a label and copyright your songs in the normal way and get royalties. (I mean, look at Ani DiFranco (sigh): she's all anti-establishment but Righteous Babe Records makes money and she gets to keep it.) Sell CDs at WalMart like Wierd Al (my 11-year old son's hero). Go to Lotus Land and write movie songs like Randy Newman. Get Justin Timberlake to cover "When You Go" or sell "Camp Bachelor Alma Mater" to Anhauser Busch for a Super Bowl commercial. It's the American Way.
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