Music Videos: Visual Entertainment

In today's world videos and pictures are everything! More than ever the music industry is releasing amazing videos to go with popular music playing on the radio. Video's in general are a huge plus to the industry. The Art of Making a music video goes beyond just the song. Music videos  have grown to be the most influential and individually stylistic modes of production in the industry. According to Videomaker music videos are the key to artistic freedom.

The video above is a video that I created and produced a few years ago for my current band. The video reflects the bands missions and goals. The video is a story of how one overcomes MS. The video tells people how to stand strong and accept them as they are. The video was created for the band Progmium. Progmium is starting to spread their message to fight MS through the power of music. Behind each music video their is a story. In todays world visual stories are a lot better than just reading words on a page or starring at an image. Music videos show stories, creative ideas of the director and film planner and the handwork of all involved. A great article to read about the concept behind music videos is by Jamie Tharves: The art of the music video She talks about how videos should be made. From storyboarding to building a better music video. She also explains how the art of music videos have changed thanks to the internet. Which is very true... The internet has really expanded the possibilities of what a music video can be.

Marketing a Musician Marketing a Band

The music industry is exhilarating and very powerful to work in. Currently I work with one band, they do progressive rock music and help raise money for MS (Multiple Sclerosis) this band is still in its early stages. They have a bit of a fan base now, but getting them to where they are has been a nightmare. Being able to successfully market a musician or band in this world has its very own process. Today there are so many outlets for people to be seen and heard on. Some of these outlets like YouTube and Sound Cloud have helped start the careers of many popular singers. One website that I turn to most is the “Music Think Tank.” This site has a lot of great information on it about marketing your music career. “New acts are coming out all the time fighting for people’s attention, to the stage where if you tell people online you make music and give them a free copy of your new album, most people won’t even download it. It’s because of this that you need to convince people your music is worth trying out” (Music Think Tank).

Being able to reach out and convince people that your worth listening too is a big part of your marketing and branding. You need to be able to reach people on an emotional level and a personal level. You start with your close friends and you grow from there. If your friends like your music so will their friends and so on. The biggest thing is you have to be willing to put yourself out there in order to get that fan base. Use the social media tools, “Foursquare, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, more! • Use social media for its strengths• FourSquare: Reward fans for coming to shows • LinkedIn: Network, network, network • Pinterest: Share photos of you, your band, your favorite cup of coffee, and more • Instagram: Photos of you on the road, on stage, back stage, your gear, your clothes, etc. • Give people a reason to come back • Be visible in a variety of places” (Laura Whitmore).

Utilizing social media to build your fan base is key to growth and getting people convinced that you’re are a band worth listening too! Make an impact and you will be able to successfully build a strong brand and a strong band.  

Whitmore, L. (n.d.). 10 Essential Marketing Strategies for Musicians. Retrieved November 6, 2015.

7 Music Marketing Truths ALL Musicians Should Know - MTT - Music Think Tank. (n.d.). Retrieved November 6, 2015.