Music Business - Call to Action

It is called the music business for a reason - It’s supposed to be a business! Your core job is to create awareness for yourself, your music, or your company that drives potential customers or fans to buy your merchandise, attend live shows, or utilize your service. Right? Sure, the music matters, and rightfully so. I think it should matter more than it does in today’s music business model. Oh, to have the golden years back when music really did matter more than anything.... I digress... Back to the point...

In today’s, up one day, down the next, left turn here, jag right there, “what the crap am I supposed to do now?” music business climate, it is vitally important that you understand the core function of what your business is supposed to be doing and how to accomplish it. Your core function as a music business owner is to get customers or fans to take the action you are requesting. This may be to buy a CD, attend a live show, use you as a manager, distribute the artists on your record label, or a magnitude of other actions. It doesn’t matter if you are an artist, group, label, music manager, distributor, booking agent, or other business within the world of the music industry, your core function is the same; get fans or customers to take the action you are requesting.

There are many ways a music business requests it’s fans or customers to take action. These include performing a live show, passing out fliers with a street team, building a website, social networking, handing out business cards at networking events, sending emails, or simply talking face to face with your fans or customers. The later of these, talking face to face, is usually the most effective means of teaching your customers how to take action when they are ready to do so. Why? Because it comes natural. When you are talking to someone, naturally, they will ask you for your phone number or email address and if they don’t you will naturally give it them. It is human nature and what we do when meeting new people. It’s easy, it’s fast, and it is very effective.

The problem, getting people to take your requested action, comes when you are not face to face with your customers or fans. Why? Natural communication goes out the window and the world of creativity comes in. Meaning; when you build a website, design a flier, join a social network, or send an email your main concern turns to “how does it look...” or “Will this get their attention...” instead of “Will they be able to easily find out how to contact me or take the action I am requesting?” Most of the fliers, websites, and even business cards I see on a daily basis lack the core function of the music business; they do not give me an easy path to take the requested action intended.

Think of it this way; Let’s say you pass out 5000 fliers to an upcoming show. On the night of the show you only have 20 people show up to watch you perform. A typical artist  might think, “wow, I guess they aren’t feeling my music.” whereas a typical “real world” businessman would first think, “wow, was my request for action wrong or did I not clearly communicate how, when, or where?” This is because in business schools they first teach the core concept of business... give people a clear and easy path to take the action you are requesting. Now, let’s look at the flyer that you designed to get people to your live show. If you are like the majority of artists, without a business or marketing degree, you created it from a creative standpoint. You spent a lot of time picking the right font, pictures, cool graphics, and colors. You probably spent a considerable amount of time balancing the elements of the flier so they look just right and then at the very end put your website address and email way down toward the bottom of the flier. Why? Because phone numbers, website addresses, and email addresses aren’t “creative.” They are “business.” A business or marketing professional would have first added the call to action or contact information for the event and then found a way to wrap creativity around the “business” portion of the flier.

I will say it again... no matter what you do in the music industry, you are running a business. You have to think about the business of what it is you are doing and make sure you clearly give a “call to action” to any marketing message you create.

Here are some Music Business “Call to Action” tips:

Email
Almost all email programs have the ability for you to create a signature that will be displayed each time you send an email. Make sure you take the time to create a signature that calls your fans or customers to action. You can change the signature as often as you need to direct people to live events, current CD releases, video releases, and more. This is a great method of music marketing that most indie artists over look.

Website Contact Information
Make is easy for fans, clubs, media, or radio to get a hold of you. Do not make your contact information teeny, tiny, way down at the bottom of your page. Create a menu link that says “Contact” and put it at the top of your website. I can not tell you how many websites make it like a “where is Waldo” puzzle trying to hunt down how to email or contact them.

Website Marketing Contact
If you create a graphic that is announcing a live show, CD release, or anything else make sure you create a call to action within the graphic. Do not simply say; “News CD available now.” Instead, say; “New CD available now.. click here to get a copy today.” Or, “New CD available now, call xxx-xxx-xxxx now to order your copy.”

Fliers
When you are staring at the blank sheet of paper in photoshop or what ever program you use to create your fliers, first put the who, what, where, and contact information on the page. Then, add your creative elements to support the information. I am not saying it has to look all business, there are plenty of creative ways to include vital information about what you are promoting.

Business Cards
Business cards used to be white, have black text, and contain the vital contact information for the person passing them out. Today, business cards are full color, mini, fliers. This can be really cool. Unfortunately, most music businesses fail to provide the core features that need to be found on a business card... contact information. Again, you can be creative and still give your phone, email, address, names, or other contact information needed by the person you are are giving your cards to. Start with this information and creatively build around it.

Conclusion
You can see the point here, right? You are a business whether you know it or not. You are in the business of selling yourself, your music, or your service. This does not mean you have to wear a suit or answer your phone with a “pleasant business voice.” It means you have to give your potential fans or customers an easy path to take the action you are requesting. In everything you do for your business, you need to keep in mind what it is you are asking your customers to do and clearly show them how to do it.

Peace,
Jai
“Love the Music in Yourself, Not Yourself in the Music!”
©2009 Jai Hutcherson. All Rights Reserved.

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