Welcome to Part 10 of an ongoing, immediate experiment. For the last 9 weeks, and over the next 7, we’ll learn together as I (Secrets in Stereo) write, record, promote, and release my new album.
To catch up, here are links to the past 9 weeks worth of blogs…
Part 1 - Meet The Artist
Part 2 - 3 Things That Have Let Me Quit My Day Job
Part 3 - 5 Things Music Supervisors Are Looking For in You and Your Music
Part 4 - 5 Truths About Licensing Companies
Part 5 - 5 Rules to Follow When Getting Your Music to Music Supervisors
Part 6 - The First 3 Questions of Artist Positioning
Part 7 - A Real Life, Current Example of Artist Positioning at its Finest
Part 8 - Applying Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics to an Album Release
Part 9 – 3 Key Tactics For The Release of The New Secrets In Stereo Album
I want to get off the beaten path a little bit this week, and talk about the “Evolution of Information.” Although, I do dog the lack of real life, usable information out there for artists, there are thinkers that are a part of the solution. This past week, I had an artist friend of mine ask me who I thought those people were. I thought that was a great question, and it seemed the best way to answer it is to give you the blogs that I have bookmarked and read every day. So, that’s what I’m gonna do!
Something to remember, there are a ton of obvious great music blogs out there. This list I’m going to try to pass along are the ones you might not be aware of, and also look at a couple that you may have never thought of from a music perspective before.
1. Hypebot.com
No doubt about it, the first blog I read every morning. Run by Bruce Houghton and Kyle Bylin, they usually post 7-10 blogs first thing in the morning, and the site is a great place to start the day. Post topics range from the major industry news of the day to under the radar success stories of DIY artists.
I would highly recommend reading some of Kyle Bylin’s posts. In my opinion, he is a leader in the “Evolution of Information.” Very deep, but great thoughts. You can check out some of his posts here.
2. Mashable.com
VERY popular blog that focuses on social media. Although the site isn’t music focused, you can learn so much from how other industries are using social media. This is one you will want to subscribe to their RSS feed. They post well over 25 posts a day.
I know a lot of you know about this blog, because my posts have been getting a ton of traffic from this site. But, for those who don’t know, MTT.com is space that’s owned and operated by a handful of forward thinking bloggers. Notably, Bruce Warila and Andrew Dubber. They all contribute posts, so it’s a great place to get a lot of different views on a wide range of topics. Also, there is an “Open” section where anyone can post. Occasionally, there is some decent content there as well.
This is a new one on my list, and I’m still testing it out. So far, so good. It’s run by former major label A&R guy, Rick Goetz. What I love about the site is Rick gets great interviews. He just posted one with an Advertising Agency Producer, and discussed how music is chosen and used in Ads. Great, unique content.
Short for “Damn I Wish I Had Thought of That,” this is another one that isn’t music focused (Detecting a trend?). The tag line for this blog is “Unusually Useful Ideas For Smart Marketers,” and that’s exactly what the site is. The blogs are daily and short, and it’s a great place for ideas.
Like I said before, there are a ton of great blogs out there. Let me know which ones should be on this list. Just leave a comment! I’m always looking for great thinkers that make me think.
Until next week!
Josh
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P.S. If you’re finding what I’m saying interesting, maybe other people will too! Pass along these blogs on Twitter, Facebook, and through Email. Thanks!
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