iTunes Radio a BIG Plus for Musicians

Well its finally here.

For the past couple of years Apple has been teasing us with a music streaming service. To be honest we all knew it was coming, we just didn't know when, and what it was going to do differently.

They finally dropped the hammer on June 10, 2013 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) where they showed off the user interface (UI), and then told us we would all have to wait until this fall before we could enjoy it.  You can read their press release on the event here.

And here I am writing about it fifteen days later. Not to on top of it Larochelle.

To be honest when I watched the announcement I wasn't shocked. Like most of us, I knew it was coming. No big deal I thought. Then as the genius of Apple soaked into my brain I realized what just happened.

They found a way to truly monetize streaming.  And that is huge news.

A month before Apple's announcement, the RIAA announced that streaming criteria would be added into their gold and platinum album tallies. For many this is no big deal, but for artists and those in the business of music it was huge. On one side it solidified the fact that streaming was here to stay, and as some will argue (myself included) probably become the main source of how consumers digest music.  The problem with this announcement is that it puts artists in a very awkward spot.

Streaming really doesn't pay. Go ahead Google it and see if artists are making serious money off of the fraction of a cent they get every time someone listens to their intellectual property on their phone or at work. Now the RIAA has solidified it as a true delivery method, which will increase its presence in the market. From here on we are only going to see streaming increase, and with that increase less people buying music.

There are many reasons people won't buy as much music, but one of the biggest is that services such as Pandora, Spotify, and MOG don't offer consumers ways to buy the album from their interfaces. Well some do, but it's not efficient, and the Internet consumer needs efficiency or else they just won't buy.

Apple steps in and solves that problem.  From their UI a consumer can purchase the track they are streaming and instantly add it to their library.

That's the competitive difference between Apple and the other streaming companies out there.

They understand that streaming can be a loss leader (at least it should be with what artists are making from this delivery system), and the moment a consumer is listening to a new track is a prime time to get them to drop $1.29 to own that tune. This is business marketing 101, and without a doubt Apple will reap some serious profits from a huge increase in sales from their iTunes store.

If you are an artist it is time to take note and adopt two simple rules. A.) stop bitching about streaming and get your music through an aggregator ASAP; B.) stop bitching about what Apple pays and get onto their service.  This is now the way music is consumed, and if you want fans you need to be where they will be shopping. You can try all your other ways. You can proposition them on Facebook and Twitter, you can send out Email blasts, you can play shows and sell CD's out of your van. None of these will be as efficient as what Apple is giving you.

They will let people listen to your music a number of ways, for free. And if your song is good enough, if it grabs their attention and encourages them to buy, Apple has given them the easiest way to do that. They can just charge their credit card that is attached to their iTunes account. It's like they aren't really spending money. All this happens without you having to do a thing, and it happens across the planet 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The bottom line. You are leaving money on the table if you don't. 

Getting a Cruise Ship Gig.

This week I would like to direct you towards part one in a series I have been writing for Mike Moloney Entertainment's blog.  It is a series on getting jobs on cruise ships.  So enjoy!

Check IT Out Here!

Drumming away the calories

About ten years ago I had visited my doctor for an annual check-up.  Being a guy that has always fought weight issues, he decided to perform a bunch of exams to see how bad my "obesity" was affecting my health. He ordered blood tests, checked my thyroid, blood pressure, heart. You name it, and he checked it to prove just how unhealthy I was.

I returned for a follow-up to hear his prognosis, which I am sure he was looking forward to relaying to me. He flipped through my tests, and with each page turn I watched more confusion hit his eyes.

"OK, Mr. Larochelle. You don't have a thyroid problem, and your blood pressure is perfect, in fact it's better than mine. What are you doing?"

"I drum."

"No that can't be it" He responded as he flipped to the next page "and your cholesterol is lower than mine. How can that be?"

"I'm telling you Doc. I drum an hour every day."

"No, drumming isn't exercise. It can't be you are sitting down" he replied.

"Have you ever drummed before?"

"No"

"Then you don't know how much you move, how much you sweat, how high your heart rate goes" I replied.

Then I showed him what it's like to drum. I started to tap my feat (both of them) and move from left to right as though I was jamming around the kit.

"Do that for an hour every single day and see how good you feel."

"Well, you keep on drumming, because it seems to be working."

Many non-drummers would never guess just how many calories we burn while we bang on the tubs. For giggles I have been wearing a heart rate monitor and calorie counter for my past week of in home practices.  At times my heart rate hit 160% of my resting rate and I burn around 400 calories per hour doing what I love. And a 2008 study by Dr.  Marcus Smith of Chichester University in England proved that I am not the only one.

Smith found that during a performance, [a drummer's] heart averages between 140 and 150 beats a minute, peaking at 190. Levels comparable to other top athletes. But unlike top athletes who compete at this level for an hour three times a week, he found touring drummers are required to perform at these levels for up to two hours every single night. His conclusion after studying drummers such as veteran tub basher Clem Burke of Blondie "a drummer's fitness level needs to be outstanding."

Check out the full article here.

Now, I am not saying you should ditch your regular work-out routines. In fact the more exercise we do in our lives the better chances we will have at a longer healthier existence. What I am saying, is that when combined with your regular exercise regimens, drumming can really help you continue to burn calories. It should also remind us that what we do is a sport and properly warming up, drinking lots of water, and stretching will make our time on the kit that much better and more enjoyable.


*Jeremy is not a doctor. He doesn't even play one on TV. All workouts should be discussed with your health care professional. Even if they don't realize drumming is exercise.

Musicians Stop Using Old School Marketing in a New World.

In his book "Marketing 2.0: Bridging the Gap between Seller and Buyer through Social Media Marketing", Bernie Borges contends that we are at a huge shift in the way we market.  The age old practice of disruption (television commercials, direct mail, cold calling) in which the marketer tries to disrupt the potential customer from what they are doing is being replaced by the ideal of customer engagement. A practice based heavily on the web, and especially social media.

The funny thing is the recording industry and most artists in particular are moving in the opposite direction.

Let me explain what I mean.  Before the recording industry's digital crash, most bands made their namesake by engaging potential consumers of their brand with their music. They got you to go to their concerts, seek them out on the radio, visit the local record shop in search of "their" media, and got you to where their T-shirt like a flag. In essence they were following the marketing concept of customer engagement, and were quite successful in the practice.

Then the change agent of digital technology was introduced. Suddenly anyone could get your music anywhere (for free), but more importantly anyone can record an album with little investment. The question then becomes "how can I market my material with little to no money?". Most take to social media, where it doesn't cost a penny to potentially reach millions. But the majority approach the new medium in a marketing 1.0 mentality. They try to interrupt you. 

Think about it for a second. How many of you get bombarded with artists and bands on Twitter, FaceBook, Linkedin, Tumblr, Instagram, begging us to go check out their page, buy their album, or go to a show?  Most of the time they do this "right out of the gate", they don't even attempt to get to know you, engage you, socialize with you. They just attempt to "interrupt" you and hope you will follow them.

I see this a lot, primarily because I work in the music business. Every day dozens of musicians send me their links, email, and try to connect with me on all of my marketing channels. Now I don't mind, as it is part of my job to find new talent, but the marketer in me is awestruck at how old school many of them are thinking. For example I will get an email from someone through LinkedIn promoting their band who hasn't even viewed my profile. They aren't trying to connect with me, find out what I could and couldn't offer them. Instead they are just trying to disrupt me in hopes that I will give them an opportunity.

Musicians today must realize that we live in a world dominated by a social atmosphere.  You need to adjust your mindset from "what can you do for me" to "what can I do for you" or better yet "what can we do together". In the 60's and 70's music proliferated because of this ideal. The thought of "what can we do together" helped musicians and their fans change the world. And in some way this helped launch the legacy careers of artists that are still touring and recording to this day.