Top iPad Music Apps (a/o May 23rd):
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If you could only twiddle the knobs on three marketing platforms, which would they be? According to Topspin vice
president of Product & Marketing Bob Moczydlowsky, the answer is:
1. email,
2. Twitter, and
3. Facebook shares in your newsfeed.
"I'll argue for that list all day," Moczydlowsky told an audience over the weekend at the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA) conference in Los Angeles.
The email part we've heard before, but Moczydlowsky brought some hard stats to the table. "We see about 30 percent of direct sales from artists coming from email," the executive relayed.
But Twitter, at number two? "Twitter is an extremely efficient platform meaning that it's very easy to retweet," Moczydlowsky said. "If I send a message out with a url that links back to my product offering or my free giveaway or my marketing message, it's very easy for people with just a couple of clicks to spread that and create more impressions."
But wait: where's YouTube, dubbed "music's killer app" in certain 
circles and a default location for many fans? "YouTube is valuable, [but] YouTube doesn't drive alot of traffic to other places besides YouTube," Moczydlowsky observed. "It's hard to sell stuff on YouTube, it's easier to sell stuff on MySpace - a lot easier - but what you can do on YouTube is show you have engagement and awareness."
Sounds like another nod towards prioritization, instead of the impossibly tall task of doing everything. That has been the unfortunate takeaway at recent conferences like CMJ, where stressed-out artists were getting barraged with scores of direct-to-fan chores. But Moczydlowsky urged artists to focus heavily on their art and build a team, a smart-but-tough task for most up-and-coming artists - including some of Topspin's incoming DIY clients. "If you're an artist, just spend all of the time on the art that you create," Moczydlowsky advised. "And find a partner that you trust that understands the way the web works and the way people interact with your artwork and can run that relationship with your fans." Which includes, we assume, a knowledge of the top three platforms listed above.
Report by publisher Paul Resnikoff in Los Angeles.
Comments Closed
@rockstarlabs Monday, April 04, 2011
He has some good points, but there's one seriously wrong. Youtube is a sales monster for music. There's several ways to do it that most people aren't aware of. We've done seven figures in sales on youtube in-house.
It's true that it's easier to sell music on Myspace and twitter. But, overall, when you have at least a little bit of traction Youtube can be your best friend.
bobmoz Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Hey all... thanks for the feedback. Good coverage, Paul. Let me clarify one thing that I probably didn't say all that well on the panel, either: I'm referring to Direct-To-Fan sales here, not track sales. And, depending on your artist and your audience, this list might change completely. There are plenty of artists for whom YouTube is #1... but I was speaking to a large group of music business students about web marketing in general, and the goal of my list was to provide a practical guide that would help everyone.
Remember: the ability to drive traffic to the sales page of your choosing is real power. Email, Twitter and Facebook news feed posts drive traffic. So invest there!
cheers,
-bob
presnikoff Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Bob,
Hey there. Glad you responded, I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind clarifying more the distinction you're making between direct-to-fan and track sales. Wouldn't track sales be part of what I'd like to sell my fans, among many other things?
/pr
bobmoz Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Sure thing, Paul.
I've been emailing with some other folks about this today, and I really should just post it all here. I hope it helps.
When I say "direct-to-fan" sales, I mean sales from the artist's website. If that artist is using Topspin, that might also mean inside their mobile app, or on their Facebook page, etc... but I want to be clear that it doesn't mean via iTunes or Amazon or other retailers. Instead of "track sales" I should have said "sales at traditional retailers."
The most valuable place your fans can buy from you is on your own web site, or inside your mobile app, or on a page that you control. These purchases are the most valuable because not only are they higher revenue and higher margin (deluxe editions, high res video and audio, merch, membership and ticket bundles) but they also allow you as the artist to build a relationship with that fan. You own their email address and their purchase data, and you can market to them in the future. You don't get that extra margin or the data when you sell those fans an Mp3 at iTunes.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't sell mp3s at iTunes. It just means that you should try to sell bundled products as a higher priority. Think like a fan. You're blowing it if your hardcore fans paying are .99 for a track when they want to pay you $29.99 for stems, HD video, a shirt and a 180g record, but you're not offering it.
So, let me restate clearly here what I should've said on the panel:
1. Artists who want to sell artwork to fans need to be able to drive traffic to places where fans can buy things. Driving traffic means being able to directly contact your fans and say: "Hey Fans! Go get my new thing!" Platforms like email, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc... all have some kind of mechanism for you to say "Hey Fans! Go get my new thing!" The question is, which of my "Hey Fans!" messages work the best?
2. We're going to assume that the "Hey Fans!" message is linking to the artist website, where all kinds of cool products like those I mentioned above are on sale.
3. In the projects I've been involved with, the "Hey Fans!" messages that have led to the most purchases (in other words, were the most valuable for driving traffic) were Email, Twitter and Facebook news feed shares.
For the artist sites where I have access to their Google Analytics, the most common major sources of traffic are almost always "Direct", "Search Engines" and "Facebook." But that's overall site traffic, not direct "Hey Fans! Go get the thing!" messages.
Sheesh. I'm long-winded. Here's my suggested takeaway: Invest in email, twitter and facebook for your band. Then evaluate YouTube, MySpace, etc -- find what works for you.
When it comes time to tell fans "Hey! Go get the thing!" make sure that you have as big and clean an email list as possible, as engaged a twitter following as possible, and make sure that you are using some kind of software that facilitates shares into your fans' Facebook news feeds.
Helpful?
Chris Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Totally agree about YouTube, it's absolutely essential.
I think the general idea here is to leverage your time where the fans are, and simply your marketing.
Carl [Nimbit] Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Interesting timing on this article, we also just posted a blog by Elizabeth Edwards on our site about the importance of social media AND email. She proposes that social media is great, but to drive sales and create a lasting relationship you want to build grow your fanbase email list.
Check it out here, I think you'll find it an interesting read:
http://www.nimbit.com/the-importance-of-social-media-and-email-for-musicians/
@ms_bianca Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Bianca Moore
Good read
@helenaustin Tuesday, April 05, 2011
helenaustin
Couldn't agree more!
@MadalynSklar Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Madalyn Sklar
Very interesting.
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