Give ’ Em Enough Rope

Give ’Em Enough Rope Understanding Musicians’ Success Through Promotions at Home and Abroad Katy Coduto

Objective To understand what makes a musician or music group successful in one country but not necessarily in another by understanding the promotional efforts and how different promotions are successful in different countries.

Research Questions • What makes a band from the United States more successful overseas than at home? What makes a band from the United States unable to have success in the United Kingdom? • How has social media changed promotional strategies? Do listeners in the United Kingdom respond differently to social media than those in the United States? • What are the most effective ways to generate interest in a band? • How can this research be applied to other businesses? Is marketing musicians different from other marketing? • How can those interested in the music business avoid making the mistakes that make their brand interesting to only one country or nationality? • How can a musician develop universal appeal? How can a musician develop as a brand across multiple cultures?

Musicians are all brands. Understanding how the music industry is evolving can help other industries and the brands within those industries learn to adapt to change quickly. Other industries can benefit even more by understanding how musicians have learned to increase their personal and professional appeal.

“Success in the music industry means getting up earlier and staying up later.” Evan Bailey

There are four key tactics to being a promotional success as a musician. • Engagement is your priority, and social media is your number one method. • Don’t be afraid of making your music digital – downloads are easier and offer more purchase options for fans. • Going on the road and letting your fans see you is still one of the most important parts of being a musician. • Marketing tactics are anything but typical. Creativity is key because musicians need to stand out and hone their brand image.

“[Social media] is everywhere, and it’s so accessible.” Lauren Mazza

“We’re streaming songs, we have MySpace, Rhapsody and Amazon promotions currently taking place, and we’re doing a massive Countdown to ‘R.O.O.T.S.’ campaign with iTunes.” Mike Caren, Vice President of A&R, Atlantic Records, on the digital components of Flo Rida’sR.O.O.T.S. album promotion (Billboard, 3/21/09)

“Being out at the clubs, having a small local tour, and booking shows everywhere you can and playing as often as possible goes a long, long way.” Evan Bailey

“You can have up-and-coming artists schedule phone-in interviews with DJs. Have them do work in venues. Make them stand out.” Lisa Rossow

However, there are challenges to achieving these tactics. Artists face special challenges in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

The United States is full of challenges for musicians trying to make it. • “One of the things that is going to be more of a challenge here is the sheer scope of this country.” • Anastasia Pantsios • “People definitely break through over here, but it’s not like we import a ton of bands. We don’t import a lot because it’s culturally different, and American is a consumer culture.” • Evan Bailey

The United Kingdom has its own unique challenges. • “The English scene is much more incestuous.” • Anastasia Pantsios • “There is a much faster turnaround in the United Kingdom. Singles and albums flare out much faster, whereas there is a sense of longevity in the United States.” • Lindsey Coombs

“If you don’t think a band is good, you aren’t going to think they’re good.” Lauren Mazza

Musicians can overcome these difficulties to be successful with their tactics. Interviews in the United Kingdom will reveal what musicians can do to overcome the barriers they face both in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Works Cited • Billboard charts: SALES LEADERS OF 2011. (2012). Billboard, 124(1), 29. • Kanye/50 Cent: Tyrangiel, J. (2007, September 3). A battle for hip-hop (sales) supremacy. Time, 170(10), 64. • Flo Rida: Concepcion, M. (2009, March 21). Hustle and flo. Billboard, 121(11), 20-22. • Country music information: Brown, D. (2010, November 11). From taylor swift to zac brown, how the genre boomed in 2010. Rolling Stone, (1117), 17-20. • Lady Antebellum information: Lester, P. (2011, February 14). Grammys 2011: Why can't lady antebellum find success in the uk?. The Guardian, Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/feb/14/grammys-2011-lady-antebellum • General differences: http://www.billboard.com/news/coldplay-parachutes-into-u-s-success-424030.story#/news/coldplay-parachutes-into-u-s-success-424030.story • Royal Albert Hall image: http://www.london-attractions.info/images/attractions/royal-albert-hall.jpg • Map interlays: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EjBzwFddmUk/ThND7soIfMI/AAAAAAAAALQ/FfBm2IrkArU/s1600/uk_usa_central_extract.png • Adele Target: http://img1.targetimg1.com/wcsstore/TargetSAS//img/p/13/32/13322746.jpg • Kanye vs. 50 Cent: http://blackademics.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/50-cent-vs-kanye-west.jpg • Michael Buble: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516UsmaPFvL._SL500_AA300_.jpg • Picture from Lollapalooza: http://www.destination360.com/travel/festivals/images/s/lollapalooza.jpg • Picture from the Grog Shop: http://a3.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/13/763aaae9534e4b10b3e8e979f66923da/l.jpg • Bad Religion: http://blurt-online.com/news/archive/2011/05/

Give ’ Em Enough Rope