I wrote a few weeks back

that I was going to write a post about some things I'd gained from lectures I attended by Steve Lawson and Mike McNally. I think the reason I was so excited after hearing from and meeting them was that they summarised a lot of things I'd been thinking about for a while. Things I'd been trying to do. Steve showed me how possible it is to be really independent and just make the music that you want to without trying to conform to the musical Zeitgeist. As for Mike it was more to do with the whole Do It Together thing.

I'm not the best at articulating myself succinctly and I'm easily side-tracked (this article on music marketing has just been particularly diverting) so please bear with me if you can.

What have I learned?

• Fans come first.

Being an independent musician you're looking to make money from selling a small number of records, merch and tickets to a hardcore fanbase. You should own all your own copyrights so this is possible. If you do it right, you could break even before you even release the work. Marillion demonstrate this pretty well. Email addresses are gold. Reward loyalty. Communication with your fans is a two way street (you can comment at the end of this post, so why not let us know what you think?)

• Be accessible.

You've gotta take your web and social networking presence seriously. Make it search engine optimised. Make it easily visible for the disabled and easily viewable in all browsers. Make your website easy to navigate. Use RSS.

• Be interesting.

Well I may not be all that interesting...I don't know because you readers out there haven't told me yet...maybe you're falling asleep! Anyway, I do try my best to be interesting but I'm more about being real, honest and doing things with transparency. Hopefully by doing those things the "interesting" will come naturally.

• Be viral.

Videos, mp3's, ringtones, wallpapers. You know what I mean. Word of mouth is the best marketing ever. FACT.

• Be amazing live.

If you're shit you've got no chance. Same goes for your tunes. Having a good live show is so important because it's where fans are won and lost. It's also an opportunity to meet fans, interact and sell your wares.

• A band is a brand with a product.

I hate the whole notion of this, but all the hating in the world doesn't make it less true. Make your art, but be aware of these things. Market appropriately.

• No one needs a major label deal.

The only thing majors are good for these days is worldwide marketing. They can make you a star overnight but where's the satisfaction in that? I want to do things my way, put in the hard yards and be satisfied with what I've achieved at the end. I'll also be better off financially.

• You don't have to do everything yourself.

Build a small, dedicated team. Delegate. Reward. Incentivise. Work together. If you need someone's help, see if you can do something that benefits them too. It's not rocket science. The whole Polyphonic, Terry McBride, Nettwerk thing seems to be an ideal way forward. In fact, I think it's the dog's bollocks and I look forward to seeing how it works out. Terry, if you're reading, sign me up.


So, yeah. In a nutshell that's what I think we have to do and what we're trying to.

Sound good?

Smashing, I'm off to bed to dream up some stuff.

Love and that,
Charlie.

P.S. I rather like this video and this song. Thanks again MTV 2. Plus, I'm going to do a long long long over due Spotifriday playlist this week. Promise.



P.P.S. Go on, have a gander at The Cribs new video too. I fucking love them. I love Johnny Marr-Jarman. Can't wait to see them in December.

I wrote a few weeks back