The article I chose for this month’s blog post of the month is Avoid These Mistakes! 15 Critical Marketing Mistakes That All Musicians Need To Avoid by Jonathan Ostrow.

Finding this article was quite timely for me, because I’ve been wanting to help a friend with his marketing strategy, but being new to the world of marketing, I wasn’t really sure where to begin. This article really breaks it down and gives some great concrete steps that can help you to begin your marketing efforts.

I think after reading Ostrow’s article, I will probably get started by working on setting up goals- short-term, mid-term and long term goals, determining a target audience, and learning to use analytics.

I will definitely be visiting the links on how to use Google Analytics and Facebook Insights.

I also love the advice on how to create a pitch for yourself.

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I came across an article this month by Greg Rollett called “Justin Bieber and Lady GaGa Marketing” which highlights a video featuring Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter and Justin Beiber’s manager Scooter Braun from TechCrunch Disrupt.

Rollett lists some of the highlights of the video in his post, but even at 20 minutes long I think its worth it to watch the whole thing. Carter and Braun discuss strategies they use with their superstar clients, but they still offer some really valuable advice that artists at all levels can use.

One of the most important lessons I took away from this is the impact that producing quality online content can have.

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When sifting through the many interesting topics which were covered in April music blogs, I came across a guest post on Future of Music by Fran Snyder called “Direct to Fan – the art of the house concert,” which discusses a new trend of independent artists playing concerts in people’s homes.

At first I wasn’t terribly impressed with the idea, but the more I read and the more I thought about it, the more I realized Snyder was actually on to something that could be a valuable tool for independent musicians.

Considering other articles I’ve read recently about the importance of direct to fan sales in facilitating independent musicians ability to make a living, the concept of making the live show available as a direct to fan item makes a lot of sense, and seems like the next logical step in direct to fan sales.

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For March’s post of the month, I chose Media Killed the Radio Star by Eric Beall. The article raises some interesting questions about why the music industry is struggling, and tries to address how musicians and the recording industry can get ahead in today’s world.

According to Beall, the problem is that music industry relies on a business model that leaves the industry at the mercy of gatekeepers, making it “a pawn in a game that it doesn’t control.”

While the music industry is good at finding and developing artists, it lacks the ability “to see that the power lies with those who understand how to use music to attract an audience.”

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In his blog “Viral growth trumps lots of faux followers,” Seth Godin aims to debunk the myth that when it comes to social networking, the more followers you have, the better.

Godin reminds us that in the new climate of social networking, producing quality content is still a better method for success than simply striving to have the most followers. Just because you have 200,000 followers does not mean that any of them are actually paying any attention or visiting your page.

Rather, Godin argues a better strategy would be to start with a small number of followers who are actual fans, then produce quality content that those fans be excited to pass along. This should not only cause more long term growth, but result in a move valuable type of follower that is not just a number.

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In her article “Get Paid in 2010: Want To Increase Your Bottom Line? Focus On Your Fans!,” Ariel Hyatt is asking you to “take off your artist hat for a minute and put on your business hat,” and use a greater connection with fans as a way to increase your ability to make money.

To be more successful and make more money in the new year, Hyatt suggests you start thinking of yourself and your craft as a brand, and your fans as customers.

The key, according to Hyatt, to getting fans to buy from you, is creating a relationship with fans. “Every study on sales has proven one thing: People hate to be sold to, however people love to buy, and people always love to buy from people whom they like and who they feel they trust.”

So how do you become a person that your fans like and want to buy from?

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Editor’s Note: This month’s Blog Post of the Month was selected by the newest V11 contributor, Renee. Thanks Renee! Happy new year to all!

In What Are You Pretending to NOT Know? Bob Baker has a great positive message for everyone to take into the New Year- “you know way more than you give yourself credit for.”

In his article Baker points out that many times we know exactly what our problems are and how to fix them, but that we instead talk ourselves into looking the other way or believing the situation is out of our control. This article addresses a situation I often find myself in- that I am creating mental roadblocks for myself on the road to success.

I like that this article reminds me that if I give myself a little more credit and have more confidence in myself, that I already possess the skills I need to accomplish my goals.

So when you set your 2010 goals, keep in mind Bob Baker’s advice: Stop making excuses, take responsibility for your self and know that you have the skills to succeed!

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November’s Blog Post of the Month comes from Hypebot’s Associate Editor Kyle Bylin. The Elsewhere Musician: Making Connections in a Fragmented World highlights two key points: (1) all musicians (and especially the “successful” ones) must continuously work harder on the business side of things, and (2) the trend of shorter album cycles.

From Bylin:

Leisure time once spent doing creative things — where an artist could take time away from it all — has turned into work that ranges from learning how to market themselves online and off, answering an endless barrage of messages from fans, bloggers, and managers, and trying to keep all of their profiles, blogs, and social media tools relevant and up-to-date.

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It is great to see the quality and depth of service offerings and blog writings in this space start to truly develop. There should be much to cover in the coming months.

October’s Blog Post of the Month goes to new blogger Kevin Ryan’s article titled: “Are Games the New Rock and Roll?”

VolumeEleven has written about the Rock Band Network and its potential with independent musicians for DIY downloads. Kevin’s posting elaborates on this point by redistributing and commenting on a slideshow from the UK website Music Ally. Music Ally’s slideshow titled “10 Trends in Music and Games” is a must view, especially if you need that extra motivation to get started. 100 million+ downloads on these rock gaming platforms should get anyone’s attention.

Kevin’s advice: “If you think your music can work in the games arena then do something about it NOW!”

Right on! Any musician that has songs that could work in this platform should start the process now in learning what they need to do to prepare songs in this format. It starts with multi-track recording.

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I will admit – I feel completely unoriginal for choosing a Seth Godin post as the post of the month. Still, from my perspective it offered the most thought provoking concept this month for musicians, or entrepreneurs catering to musicians.

In the ultra fast world of online marketing, free may be so 2008.

The underlying hypothesis in Seth’s post is that “some things may be better if they are not free.” He uses Craigslist as an example. If Craigslist charged $1 for every listing the site would be more efficient (less scams and bogus postings) and the site would generate tons of cash to perform whatever social good they would like.

So how does this apply to music? Haven’t we all accepted that music is free now and there ain’t nothing we can do about it?

Well despite the many opinions to the contrary, I am not convinced that charging for music is lost forever.

Rather, I remain convinced that there are still ways to organize music in ways that add value for the listener / purchaser such that paying for such a service will become a rational choice.

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