Here in the Product department, we’re always busy building cool stuff to make life (and business) easier for our clients. This time, we’re very pleased to announce the launch of a brand new Accounting section. Please, everyone, calm down. Excuse me, sir, can you put your shirt back on? This …
Videos are by far the most engaging form of social content. This isn’t exactly a new discovery, but there’s a lot of missed potential by bands that claim to have a YouTube presence. The common misconception is that your music videos go up on YouTube and you’re done. Although MTV …
Plugging — it’s a word we often hear in relation to promoting something, recommending it, giving it your stamp of approval. iPluggers does just that for your music, and it does it all around the world. With a 100% airplay guarantee (or your money back), iPluggers provides the platform for …
Meet our latest partner: Conduit Mobile. The mobile app creator is getting all kinds of press these days, and it’s not without good reason. Their sexy app offers every function you could dream of with the ease of use you’ve always wanted. What’s more, they’re compatible with all major mobile …
Introducing Deborah Rudolph, Interactive Marketing Manager, Film/TV
I was born in Manhattan, and even though I often explore other lands, I am happily still in New York. For many years Brooklyn has been my home, and I am enjoying my new neighborhood of Ft. Greene.
I studied Film and Photography in college, with the ambition to make documentaries — that goal is very much still alive, and until I make my own, I am focused on increasing audiences for non-fiction film.
Along the way, I became very immersed in music, and have spent many nights at live shows, and playing music with my musician friends — I have yet to sound good enough for the stage, however, but who knows…. My tastes are broad and I like to just say I listen to “anything that’s good.”
But here are a few of my all time loves and current obsessions in both Film/TV and Music:
The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Encounters at the End of the World, Paradise Lost, The Wire, The Beatles, Wilco, Radiohead, Guided By Voices, Neutral Milk Hotel, Big Star, Only The Young, Searching For Sugarman, Marina Abramovic; The Artist is Present, Breaking Bad, Wes Anderson, Rodriguez, Local Natives, Jim O’Rourke, The National…
Thanks for listening — I am thrilled to be joining The Orchard and very much looking forward to getting to know everyone!
Record Store Day 2013 is quickly approaching. Originally started in 2007, RSD has not only become one of the most important days in the year for physical retail, but it also gives us a chance to reflect upon and celebrate the joy of the indie record store.
Growing up in Suburbia, USA, I had little concept of what an independent record shop was. Tuesdays involved trips to the mall to buy the latest new releases at Sam Goody or Wee Three Records. It wasn’t until I started going to Philadelphia as a teenager that I was first introduced to independent record shops and all that they had to offer. My first indie record shop experience was at Noise Pollution, just off South Street. I was awed by the selection of out-of-print vinyl singles of my favourite band and many others, and I spent many an hour and dollar there over the years. Wall to Wall Listening Booth this was not.
As a university student, independent record shops became a huge part of my life, and one was spoiled for choice in ‘90’s Philadelphia. Each shop had its own temperament, flavour and memorable characters within, from the cute guy who made me blush to the dodgy one who would sticker and sell promos.
I spent many evenings after class with friends flipping through racks of used CDs trying to find a bargain and just generally hanging out with the shop owners, playing each week’s new releases and discovering so much great music. Social media today allows us to share our music with friends and have them share music with us, algorithms introduce us to music we like in new and exciting ways — but the world of the indie record shop is social sans media. I spoke to new people and made friends amongst the CD racks, and some albums will always carry with them a gentle memory of someone that I used to know.
While in university and for several years later, I declined to buy music anywhere except at one of my favourite indie shops. As with many others though, as online shopping became possible and downloads and streaming came into being, my loyalty gave way to convenience (and the explosion of choice and availability). Many of my beloved Philly record shops no longer exist, and it’s been a tough ride for any retailer to survive, let alone a quirky independent.
Record Store Day celebrates a world that still exists, but is not as prevalent in the lives of many music fans as it once was. I, for one, hope that we never lose it completely. So this April 20, how about tearing your eyes from whatever size screen you are glued to, and allow yourself to linger in a world of cover art, gatefolds and special editions, finding things through serendipity not algorithms, and join me at your local indie.
Not only will there be exclusive releases and performances from some of your favourite artists, but also like-minded people. Tell the person behind the counter your favourite band. They just may have a new band for you. Maybe they‘ll even be cute enough to make you blush.
If I told you that I could get together a big group of fans in one location and get nearly all of them to directly see and engage with all of your most important information, you’d probably want in on this magical sounding service.
Yeah… it’s email. Exciting, right?
One of the cornerstones of almost every Interactive Marketing campaign we run at The Orchard is an email marketing component. Yet, we still find that many people do not understand why or how an effective email strategy works for music marketing (and it really does!).
WHY
…does email actually work?
1. You’re going directly to fans
Oh, to have an inbox of one’s own. When you send an email, it goes to a place designed specifically for that lucky recipient to consume information that they want to read. It isn’t languishing on a blog waiting to be found or being swallowed whole by a perpetually-updating newsfeed. An email sent to fans goes to all fans (minus the occasional bounced message or sending issue), not a small pre-determined percentage dictated by an algorithm.
2. You’re sending multiple pieces of valuable information
How are you going to update fans about new tour dates… and include a pre-order link… and mention a few t-shirts… and share a friendly little message to tie it all together when you only have 140 characters? Good luck trying to format all of that information into a singular Facebook post that doesn’t overwhelm fans into saying “tl;dr.” With email, you can include all the info you need and format it in an engaging way that keeps fans reading. Use icons, images, text, and hyperlinks to fit everything into an attractive, informative format.
3. You’re in less competition for attention
Emails don’t have a short time limit like newsfeeds and tickers and timelines. Fans will check their email when they are ready and then see your message in their inboxes, whether that’s 2 minutes after you send or 2 days. When fans are reading an email, you’re the main focus. There’s less temptation to bounce around to various personal updates or to just scroll through massive quantities of content. Email is also more flexible because fans can consume it however they feel best, whether it’s catching up a few times a day or checking on their phones every 5 minutes. Either way, it’s harder for an email to get lost.
HOW
…can an email campaign work well?
1. Build your list organically
Quality, not quantity, is important when building a fan list. Maintaining a high quality list starts with how you build it. Make it easy for fans to sign up and offer them something they want in exchange. Don’t force signups by locking lower value content like audio streams and video views behind an email form. Why is this not just a numbers game? Would you rather have 20% of 1,000 fans open your email, or 50% of 400? Forcing fans onto your list prematurely just makes you pay for more emails that are less likely to be opened. Let fans consume free content like the above-mentioned audio and video streams, get warmed up to you, and then join the list with a bigger incentive, like a free MP3 download, when they’re ready to take a bigger plunge.
2. Send consistently, not constantly
Get fans in the habit of receiving emails from you on a regular-enough basis. Sometimes you’ll send more frequently, like around a tour or album release. Outside of the album cycle, though, you should avoid going completely silent. Try catching up monthly, or at least every other month. Otherwise, fans could forget that you have an email list at all. Remember — fans signed up for your list because they want to hear from you!
3. Have a purpose
Every time you send a low-value email, you’re damaging your future open rates. Make sure you’re sending emails for a reason. This isn’t an excuse to ignore point #2 and go silent for 6 months, though. When you’re out of obvious reasons to send an email (album release, tour announcement), send some exclusive or behind-the-scenes content. If you never have anything interesting to send fans, then it’s time to re-evaluate your content strategy. Film a quick video, take some pictures of the studio you’re working in, or pass along a demo or acoustic version of a track. There’s always content to be made! Also, always include the key basics in every email: social links, purchase links, and upcoming tour dates.
Email is a generally affordable way to get measurable direct results with little time investment after you get yourself setup — preferably with an easy, reusable template. Start building a list, ease yourself into the habit of sending regular emails, and watch fans engage!
Not sure where to get started? FanBridge and YMLP both provide very affordable options for email, while Constant Contact and MailChimp offer up robust features for more complex email marketing campaigns.
For all you South By Southwesters, the weekend started a week ago and never really stopped. Please, don’t rub it in. But for the rest of you deprived of the joys of SXSW, we have a host of song and video premieres to get your Friday nice and festive.
To start off, Tape Deck Mountain‘s new single is sure to take you on an epic mental trip, followed by The Appleseed Cast‘s “Great Lake Derelict,” which channels summer vibes for your leisurely listening pleasure. If you’re really bummed you missed SXSW this year, K-X-P and PAWS are both featured on NPR’s SXSW preview (oh, the acronyms!), guaranteed to aurally transport you to Austin, Texas. In addition, Jaws looks for a friend, The Story So Far finds space, and AraabMuzik gets mythological with their respective music video premieres.
If that’s not enough, we’ve got a special bonus treat for you with The Growlers, who have your live music cravings covered with a groove-laden set streaming over at Audiotree.tv.
But the story of the week really comes from HOTT MT, who went from Wayne Coyne stalkers to collaborators in just a year’s time. The group is performing with The Flaming Lips frontman this weekend at their SXSW set. Check out the links below for the full scoop!
Tape Deck Mountain: “Suicide 1997” via FILTER Magazine
Slow Salvation out now on Lefse Records
K-X-P: “Melody” via NPR’s All Songs Considered
II out now on Manimal Vinyl Records
PAWS: “Sore Tummy” via NPR’s All Songs Considered
Cokefloat! out now on Fatcat Records
The Appleseed Cast: “Great Lake Derelict” via SPIN
Illumination Ritual out April 23 on Graveface Records
HOTT MT: “Country Club” via SPIN
I Made This out May 21 on Manimal Vinyl Records
Jaws: “Friend Like You” music video premiere via Noisey
Friend Like You [Single] out April 1 on Rattlepop Records
The Story So Far: “Empty Space” music video via YouTube
What You Don’t See out March 26 on Pure Noise Records
AraabMuzik: “The Prince Is Coming” music video via Stereogum
For Professional Use Only out now on Duke Productions
BONUS: The Growlers: Live session via Audiotree
Hung At Heart out now on Everloving
It’s a hot topic right now: music in Asia. The big players are expanding there and local ones are building their business — and that’s only the beginning.
In response to this potential and growth, we’ve built up our presence on site in Singapore and India, making the most of all the opportunities out there and creating as many new ones as we can for our labels.
Here to answer the following question is our local expert Priya Dewan, The Orchard’s Director, Asia.
When will we start selling our downloads in Japan, Korea and the rest of Asia?
The good news is that we are already selling downloads in Asia! iTunes Japan has been selling downloads since 2005, and The Orchard also sells downloads in Japan via Amazon Japan, as well as select content through several other local services.
In June 2012, iTunes launched several other stores in Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Macau, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and Sri Lanka. Other deals we’ve recently inked include KKBOX, one of the largest Asian digital download services in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong; 88TC88, a premier web and mobile-based music retailer servicing China and based in Beijing, Germany and L.A.; and 2muse, the leading in-store background music content provider in China. To add to that, we’ve been building partnerships with a number of other digital and mobile outlets throughout Asia.
iTunes has yet to launch in South Korea, but in the meantime, your music is available on local services like Melon and Bugs.
Global digital services are fast expanding into Asia and The Orchard is here, doing more direct deals in the region so be on the look out for more sales in Asia coming soon!
