I was visited two days ago by two young men. One approached the door asking for money to help him to produce positive music for the community. Here’s how our conversation went:
Me: “Do you have any CDs, or recordings I can listen to?”
Him: “No”
Me: “Do you have a band name, or an online presence so I can hear your music?”
Him: “No, that’s why I’m asking for money.”
Me: “Why should I give you money for a product I can not hear, that has no background, and for which there is no contact information? Do you have a flyer or anything?”
Him: “mumble mumble mumble No mumble”
His friend (presumably a member of his band), then arrived. He was older, and I thought would be more focused and receptive to advice.
Me: “So, is there a way to listen to any recordings you have? How do you record music?”
Him: “We have a computer and a microphone. I think my friend has a MySpace page.”
Me: “Great. Have you heard of any online services for global music distribution?”
Him: “No.”
Me: “Write this down. Madison-Niche-Marketing.com, they will help your band get started. You should really have something ready to show to people before you come asking for money door to door.”
Him: “Bye” and he and his friend grumble to one another and leave. He never wrote down my suggestion even though he had a pen and paper in hand.

Had I been thinking more quickly, I would have invited them in and helped them produce some basic literature.

This encounter got me thinking, though, about how I could help local musicians market their work. I decided to post a Craigslist ad, offering to globally distribute independent music (CD or digital recordings) for a one time fee. Curiously, I was soon thereafter contacted by a local music and event promoter who had seen my ad. We started to discuss the potential good that could come from offering a host of services to bands working to get noticed either locally, nationally or internationally.

The following page is the result of that conversation:
Musician Marketing Specials

We decided that to start, we would offer listing on major online music distribution services (ITunes, Amazon and others), and offer CD Manufacturing and promotional material creation services. If you are a local musician looking for more exposure, please visit our Musician Specials Page and check out the discounts and services now available. I think we have created something here that will be of great benefit to those looking to create a name for themselves in the recording and music industry.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or if you are looking for a service or product that could help you further.

It’s strange how things are working out for my business. This visit brought about some real changes in my life, and I look forward to working more on this project. Thanks to my brothers who motivated me to keep going with this, and I hope we can work together in the future.