Some great advice

[kclements]

Hello

I ran across this article today and wanted to share. The topic comes up every now and again about exposure.


http://mattgemmell.com/boost/

cheers
kc

[themichaelscott]

I have found this is usually the take from people who are truly good at what they do and have done it a while. My wife has been doing photography and embroidery as a hobby for years. When she started getting approached by people wanting her to do things for them she came across a formula on how much to charge. I don't remember the exact numbers, but it came down to putting a dollar amount on your time and effort, then multiplying that by how many hours it takes to complete the project. Like many others here I'm sure, I spend uncountable hours on music. This ultimately takes time away from my wife and family. With so many people fighting for so few spots it's become a common practice to undercut others. But what my wife has found with photography is the more you charge, the more high end the clientele. Hopefully the "you get what you pay for" thing still holds true.

Back in my punk rock days I would have probably just blamed greedy, capitalist America for cheapening our lives.

Michael

[FMstereo]

What a great article! Thanks for sharing that Kayle.

Cheers

[cassmcentee]

Thanks KC, great read

[coachdebra]

Yes, BUT....

He is assuming that the writing is the source of income - he's a writer - that's fair.

For me, my writing isn't the source of my income - it's the source of my lead generation. In which case - getting a broader exposure to my target audience (assuming it is my target audience) can be a huge "boost" for my business.

For example, I wrote a guest post for Ariel Hyatt's music business blog in December - which was then picked up by a bigger music blog. I've gotten private clients from that single article, not to mention a lot more traffic to my website which likely turned into new folks who dug into my written material and may at some point buy from me.

But what about with your music? I've heard a lot of artists/bands complain about the pitiful pay for spotify or pandora. And I agree, it's pitiful. BUT - a lot of people go to spotify or pandora as their first or second (youtube is often first) stop to check out your music. If they become a fan and at some point in the future buy your music, buy tickets to your show, buy t-shirts or other merch - isn't that worth something?

It's called marketing - and marketing is an EXPENSE, not an income stream.

Of course, if you're creating production music, your target audience is different - so how do you get in front of them? And is that a good investment of your time, your energy and your business dollars?

If you're doing this music thing purely as a hobby - then getting exposure is much less of an issue.

But if you're doing this as a BUSINESS (even if it's currently operating in the red) - then lead generation is a critical piece to your success. It doesn't matter how great your product is - if your buyer doesn't know you exist - they can't/won't buy. So, exposure kinda matters.

Your BUSINESS Coach,
Debra

[cassmcentee]

Deb, your insight is always top notch and thoughtfully written!
Cass

[coachdebra]

Thanks Cass, blushing...

[jdstamper]

Great article Kayle, and thoughtful perspective from Deb helps to round out the topic

Thanks, Jim

[stephendbennett]

Great read! Very enlightening.