And what happens if you don’t
What is blogging?
First off, blogging to me is where you express yourself and your ideas online. Even though alot of people blog, surprisingly not alot of those in the music industry do it (i’m looking at you artists, bands, managers, promoters, producers, singers among many others).
You may be thinking that Twitter and Facebook are already good enough but unfortunately they aren’t as meaty (seriously, how can you thoroughly express your ideas in under 150 characters)?
So the top reasons why you should be blogging are:
1. Standing Out (Marketing Yourself)
In the late 50′s everyone and their dads’ wanted to be a rock star. Obviously, if everyone could be a rock star then know one would serve you your latte the way you like it at your local star bucks – which means those that showed more persistence (and some talent) were able to live their rock star dreams to a certain extent.
Surprisingly, not much has changed in the last 50 years. People still want to get into the music industry, but now it’s probably easier more than ever to realise the rock star dreams.
Home based studios, the American idols, Youtube etc… have levelled the playing field for the little guy. However, this means there’s many more little guys.
You may be talented beyond belief but someone else who knows talks to their audience, and talks to the more , will grab the fan and hog them to themselves.
When a fan finishes with the music they will want to know who’s behind it. Give them someone they can:
- relate to
- be entertained by
- look up to
Or all of the above. Over time they will get to know you beyond your music and become a true fan.
2. Building a Fan Base
When you show your fans who you are they will reward you by giving you their attention. Not only that but they will act as your advocates and spread the gospel about you (so in turn they are marketing you to their friends – this is the golden state).
Frank Ocean (an upcoming R&B artist) recently came out of the closet through his tumblr blog. I am sure it would have been more beneficial through mainstream outlets but him baring his soul to his blog fan base really solidified their following.
Check out his post here.
3. Making more Revenue
Whether Frank’s coming out story was used deepen his relationship with his fan base or just simply help boost sales (it probably did both) he received amazing numbers for his online album sales, as of today, Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange smashed UK records in digital downloads.
Through blogging, that interpersonal connection will eventually drive more demand for you and your music. With a big enough following you will be able to promote and hype up singles, albums, concerts, gigs, merchandise, pretty much anything! Master of your own music destiny.
And, with the wonder of the internet, you can make all of this accesible through the internet meaning you can gain more revenue streams that go directly to you than ever before!
Sign me up
If blogging sounds like your thing (again it should be), then consider the free and paid options.
Free are sites like:
Pros:
- Easy to set up and free!
- Good position to pick up random traffic in the network you are part of (this is where tumblr gets a huge advantage).
Cons:
- no flexibility into design and limited function when selling things (bad for long term)
Paid options:
- hosting your own blog/website
Pros:
- flexibility into everything (design, selling tracks and mp3s, etc…)
Cons:
- A little bit more effort to setting up and there are costs association (very small in the grand scheme of things)
- You won’t be attached to a random network to pick up random traffic
My recommendation
Do both!
Get your blog/website and use the free blogs to drive visitors to your main site. It’s really not that difficult to set up your own blog/website and the benefits will come back ten fold in the long run.
Remember, the music game (like anything else in life) is a marathon, not a sprint.
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