Michael Brandvold - Music Marketing Master for Bands and Musicians

2000 Things to Generate 20,000 Fans – Create a Board to Pin Other Artists You Like on Pinterest

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Michael Brandvold

Author David Meerman Scott made a honest and realistic quote, “if you want 20,000 fans you must do 2000 different things that each generate 10 fans.” This was my favorite quote from 2010 and I am going to take this on as a challenge for 2011 for an ambitious project to give you 2000 different things you can do to generate 20,000 fans.

Some of these items will apply better for larger acts, some items will work for any act. Some may work for you, some may not… not yet. Some these can be done with little effort, some will take some web development, some might even require some significant development. Some of these have successfully worked for me over the years. The point is to create a list of items that would cover a wide range of acts and abilities.

The end result of all this will hopefully be more Facebook likes, Twitter followers, email list subscriptions, more sales and more traffic to your website… more fans!

View the single list of all 2000 items at this location.

2000 Things to Generate 20,000 Fans Challenge

58. Create a Board to Pin Other Artists You Like on Pinterest

Pinterest is addicting and definitely offers a lot of interesting opportunities.

This week try creating a board to pin other music you like. Show some love and personality, remember your social networking efforts are not just about selling and promoting. Pin logos, videos, photos of other artists you like. Maybe artists you are influenced by, artists you have toured with, or just music you like. When you pin remember to include the artists’ name in the description and try to pin something from their website so you can send them some traffic… share your fans.

Posted in Marketing, Music Marketing | Tagged 2000 things, bands you like, generate fans, pinterest | Leave a comment

Your Goal Should Not Be The Most Fans, It Should Be Fans That Will Support You

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Michael Brandvold

I and many others have stated that its not the number of Facebook likes or Twitter followers you have that matters, it is the relationship you have with your followers and the ability to engage with them and get them to convert on a action. 1000 very active fans is better than 100,000 inactive fans.

Here is a nice example of that concept in real life. One of my clients is Curb Records recording artist Andy Gibson. I have been working close with Andy for months on building up his social media world. A couple weeks ago a country radio station ran a promotion on their website, WYRK Draft Day Poll. It was really just a basic poll, vote for your favorite artist. Andy was up against Scotty McCreery, season ten winner of American Idol, Hunter Hayes, Jana Kramer and Kip Moore who’s debut album recently entered the Billboard charts at #6.

The poll was open for 24 hours and the results according to the website were, with 25,037 votes in, Scotty McCreery is the winner of the new artist draft poll getting 10,883 votes edging out Andy Gibson who received 9,357 votes. Hunter Hayes was third with 3,895, Jana Kramer with 688 and Kip Moore getting 214 over all votes.

But here is where it gets interesting.

Andy Gibson had 8200 fans on Twitter and 14,000 on Facebook, but Scotty McCreery had 508,000 on Twitter and 1 million on Facebook. With all those fans Scotty only had 1,500 more votes. Andy’s fans were a powerhouse in supporting him! He has spent the last six months building a great relationship with his fans. A million and a half fans were nearly beaten by 22,000 fans. Andy actually had the smallest combined fan base on Facebook and Twitter of all the acts. But his relationship with his fans allowed him to easily beat the three other acts.

Stop thinking it is all about a bigger number. It is about the relationship with the fans you have.

Posted in Marketing, Music Marketing | Tagged andy gibson, curb records, facebook likes, hunter hayes, jana kramer, kip moore, scotty mccreery, size of fanbase, twitter followers | 4 Comments

ZZ Top Release New Single I Got To Get Paid in Jeremiah Weed Commercial – Dropping The Needle Episode 5

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Michael Brandvold

dtn6001 300x300 ZZ Top Release New Single I Got To Get Paid in Jeremiah Weed Commercial Dropping The Needle Episode 5 Welcome to episode 5 of the podcast Dropping The Needle, May 4, 2012. This episode we discuss, ZZ Top Release New Single I Got To Get Paid in Jeremiah Weed Commercial.

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Dropping The Needle is the podcast where all music from all genres is discussed. New releases, classic albums, rediscovered music, signed and unsigned. No ass kissing, just two guys talking about music. Dropping The Needle is hosted Michael Brandvold from Michael Brandvold Marketing and Mitch Lafon from Bravewords.com.

Tune in to the next episode of Dropping The Needle to see what artists we drop the needle on.

Subscribe to Dropping The Needle in iTunes.

Follow Michael on Twitter at @michaelsb
Follow Mitch on Twitter at @mitchlafon

Michael Brandvold is a freelance music industry consultant based in Northern California. Having launched Michael Brandvold Marketing to leverage his years of experience to provide direction to large and small clients in the areas of online & social marketing as well as e-commerce and customer acquisition and retention. Gene Simmons of KISS first tapped Michael’s skills as a pioneering online marketing strategist to launch and manage all aspects of Kissonline.com’s multi-million dollar enterprise, including their ground-breaking VIP ticket program. Michael has also managed the online efforts for Andy Gibson, Alexa Carter, Greg Kihn, Motley Crüe, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna and Britney Spears to name only a few.

Mitch Lafon is a professional music writer located in Montreal, Quebec (Canada). His career started in 1980 when at the age of eleven he interviewed The Demon of KISS, Gene Simmons. In the ‘90s he did studio work with various artists including LA GUNS and worked on an Ace Frehley Tribute album. Over the years, his work has appeared in Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles Magazine as well as Metal Hammer (US) and Classic Rock (UK). Currently, BraveWords.com and Roadie Crew magazine from Brazil are where his interviews can be found. He is well-respected by artists who often request him by name (when they are ready to grant an interview). He is also responsible for all content on BraveWords.com Official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/bravewords

Posted in Audio, Dropping The Needle | Tagged debut new single, dropping the needle, i got to get paid, jeremiah weed, mtv exclusive video, podcast, rick rubin, zz top | 3 Comments

Martin Atkins Talks with Musc Biz Weekly Podcast About His New Book Band:Smart & The Kickstarter Campaign

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Michael Brandvold

mbwp image master1 264x300 Martin Atkins Talks with Musc Biz Weekly Podcast About His New Book Band:Smart & The Kickstarter Campaign Welcome to episode 58 of The Music Biz Weekly, a weekly podcast co-hosted by Michael Brandvold and Brian Thompson. This episode is brought to you by Music XRay.

This week’s episode, May 11, 2012 – Martin Atkins Talks with Musc Biz Weekly Podcast About His New Book Band:Smart & The Kickstarter Campaign. This Episode Is NSFW.

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Martin Atkins has been in a bunch of bands: Pigface, The Damage Manual, Killing Joke, and PiL and has also performed with Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. He’s had a label, Invisible Records, for the last 20 years and wrote a popular book on the business of Touring called Tour:Smart. And now, Martin has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for his upcoming new book titled Band:Smart.

Join us for a rollicking fun chat with Martin, filled with countless F-Bombs and even a chicken salad. Connect with Martin on Twitter @marteeeen.

And don’t forget to…

Cluster Martin Atkins Talks with Musc Biz Weekly Podcast About His New Book Band:Smart & The Kickstarter Campaign

Give a shit and buy a fuck: Martin Atkin’s new Kickstarter project for Band:Smart

Featured Track Of The Week: August Ruins.

This week we’re stoked to announce our brand new Featured Track Of The Week, as selected from the submissions we received on the opportunity we created on our Music XRay account. If you want to submit your song to be featured, create a profile on Music Xray and send it to us here.

The track you hear at the end of this week’s podcast is Gone Forgotten, from the band August Ruins. From Pittsburgh, PA these guys combine the speed and melody of California punk with the technicality of modern metal… with explosive results. Check out August Ruins on Facebook here.

Welcome To Our New Sponsor: Bandzoogle.

We’re pleased to welcome our good friends over at Bandzoogle for being one of our new sponsors for The Music Biz Weekly Podcast.

Use the promo code “musicbiz” when joining and get a 6 month completely free trial of Bandzoogle (vs. the standard 30 day).

If you’re a solo artist or in a band, you need a website. That’s Step 1. And if you don’t have one, Bandzoogle is the place to go to get one up and running in no time. It’s super easy and totally flexible. No programming required. And you can sell your music digitally and keep 100% of the sales. Killer. Check ‘em out at Bandzoogle.com.

This podcast was brought to you by Music XRay.

Music Xray automatically matches your songs to real industry opportunities. Then, they give you direct access to the decision makers. Then, they guarantee they listen AND respond. No, Seriously.

trans Martin Atkins Talks with Musc Biz Weekly Podcast About His New Book Band:Smart & The Kickstarter Campaign

Each week Michael and Brian will discuss the latest events in the music business and music marketing events and techniques. trans Martin Atkins Talks with Musc Biz Weekly Podcast About His New Book Band:Smart & The Kickstarter Campaign

If you like the podcast I ask that you visit iTunes and please Rate & Review The Music Biz Weekly. trans Martin Atkins Talks with Musc Biz Weekly Podcast About His New Book Band:Smart & The Kickstarter Campaign

Tune in every week for the latest discussions and comments on the music business trans Martin Atkins Talks with Musc Biz Weekly Podcast About His New Book Band:Smart & The Kickstarter Campaign

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About Michael Brandvold:

Michael Brandvold is a freelance music industry consultant based in Northern California. Having launched Michael Brandvold Marketing to leverage his years of experience to provide direction to large and small clients in the areas of online & social marketing as well as e-commerce and customer acquisition and retention.

Gene Simmons of KISS first tapped Michael’s skills as a pioneering online marketing strategist to launch and manage all aspects of Kissonline.com’s multi-million dollar enterprise, including their ground-breaking VIP ticket program.

Michael has also managed the online efforts for Motley Crüe, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna and Britney Spears to name only a few.

About Brian Thompson:

Brian Thompson, Managing Partner for Thorny Bleeder Records, is a Vancouver based music industry entrepreneur, record label owner, artist manager, marketing consultant, radio promoter, publicist, web designer, blogger, and industry speaker.

Formerly the corporate head of music buying and marketing for a large national music retail chain, Brian has since moved on to become a well respected voice on the convergence of artist development, music marketing, social media, and technology.