Madalyn's Music Biz Blog

by Madalyn Sklar



I'm happy to announce that we have launched a new Myspace Promotion Plan at Social Networks for Musicians. The "value" plan was developed to assist those looking for help in managing their Myspace campaign on a tight budget. In case you are not familiar with us, we help indie artists and music businesses by offering advice and tips, set up social network sites and manage promotion campaigns. What sets us apart from the other guys is the "service" you get with SN4M. It's not a bunch of computers running things around here. It's real people (techie musicians actually) who take care of you, helping you achieve greater success with your Internet marketing.

Need Myspace Help?

Myspace Value Plan - 500 targeted friend requests per week new!
Myspace Lite Plan - 1500 targeted friend requests per week
Myspace Basic Plan - 1500 targeted friend requests + 250 comments per week

If you're on a really tight budget, our Value Plan is for you! It's only $99/month. We will consistently send targeted friend requests for you so you can focus on your music.

Need Advice?

We offer advice and tips on how to best utilize social networks (Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, ReverbNation, Blogs, etc) to your advantage when it comes to promoting and selling your music. We do this by phone + internet. Think of it as a private eClass.

Need a Facebook "Fan" Page?

We can set up any social network sites you are not currently on. We've helped lots of indie artists and music businesses set up their Facebook public profile (fan) page. We can also help set up your Myspace, Twitter, ReverbNation, Blog, etc.

What Our Clients Say...

"As an indie artist with so much on my plate, Social Network for Musicians is an invaluable resource for me." -- Nadia Fay

"The recent 'Facebooking for Musicians' online class I took was so amazing. I couldn't believe that I could look at your Facebook pages online, while you showed us how things you were talking about worked." -- Linda Kay Burk

"If you're looking to assert your presence on Myspace, generate sales AND expand your fanbase, Madalyn is the bullet train to take you there!" --Reign Lee

Get in touch today for more information. http://www.sn4m.com/

You do what you do best... create music! We do what we do best... make you look great on the Internet!

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Labels: Facebook, myspace, SN4M, social networks, twitter

by Madalyn Sklar



I know, I'm baffled. You're baffled. Where are my blog posts? I was blogging pretty regularly there for quite awhile - about 5 days a week. Well I'll tell ya. It's Twitter's fault!

Yes... Twitter.

See I stay on top of things via Twitter. I read posts and RT ("retweet") them. That's Twitter talk for reposting or resending someone else's info. Yeah I'm quite the queen of passing along good info. I do read lots of blogs too. I find some really juicy articles and Tweet them. I soon realized that rather than blogging about stuff I'm simply micro-blogging it on Twitter. This is, after all, what Twitter is all about. Who really wants to read a few paragraphs about what I think on a particular subject when it's easier to read my take in 140 characters or less?

I know, I need to rethink my motives and find a balance. I do love blogging and don't plan to give it up.

What do you think about blogging vs. tweeting? Are you blogging, tweeting or both? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Pssst - be sure to check out my newest Twitter @sn4biz. I'm now offering social media consults to people outside the music business too!

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success in the biz. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Follow Madalyn @ Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn

Labels: blogging, twitter

by Madalyn Sklar

I put together a short video tutorial today that shows you how to easily set yourself up to receive text messages from people you want to follow on Twitter. I did this because I have people who have been following my motivational text messages via Mozes over the last few years. It dawned on me that I could accomplish this and reach a far wider audience over at Twitter.

Some time ago I set up a Twitter page where I would post motivational messages, similar to my text messages. You can check it out at http://twitter.com/motiv8r. It's been quite stagnant because I do run several other Twitter pages. And I thought, "do I really need another Twitter account?" I know, you don't have to say it. I'm very driven yet crazy all rolled in one.

Here are my other, more active Twitter pages:

* http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic
* http://twitter.com/madalynsklar
* http://twitter.com/sn4m

Feel free to follow me on any of these.

One thing I strongly advocate is to set up a Twitter account regardless if you're ready to use it now or save for later just so you can secure your name. It would suck if another band with your name beat you to getting on Twitter first. Or if your name is common enough that you might not be able to get it.

So back to why I'm ready to start using my other Twitter account. See I've been running (yet) another dot com for years (yeah I know!), http://www.motivationformusicians.com/. For over two years now I sent out motivational text messages every Tuesday & Friday using Mozes. It's a great platform for text messaging your friends and audience. I'm a big motivator and have helped so many indie artists and music business professionals with their careers. In this process I help motivate them to succeed. It was only natural for me to do this in another format such as text messaging.

Then Twitter came along...

So lately I have been thinking about how can I better live by my motto, "working smarter not harder". When it comes to sending out these text messages why do it twice, right? I took a look at both. It's far easier to get people to follow you on Twitter. They have the option to receive your post via text message. It just started making more sense for me to move from a text only platform to Twitter's web and text platform.

I now plan to post only through Twitter. That brings me to my video. So today I thought I would create a short video on how to easily set up your mobile device to receive text messages from someone you follow on Twitter. I did it for my followers over on Mozes. But really it's for anyone who wants to know how to follow someone on Twitter via text messaging.

Here it is:



I hope you find my video tutorial useful. I have others available for viewing at http://www.youtube.com/sn4m. I would LOVE your comments, telling me what you think.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Follow Madalyn @ Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn

Labels: motivation, twitter

Need an occasional jolt?
Sign up for my motivational Twitter messages
http://twitter.com/motiv8r

Labels: motivation, twitter

by Madalyn Sklar

In case you didn't know, Twitter has set in place follow limits. And you're probably saying to yourself, what does that mean? Well, I'll tell ya. In order for Twitter to keep their system from overloading (but I love the whale image when they overload!) and spammer abuse, they decided last year to place some limits on how much you can do.

If you go to I can't follow people: follow limits on Twitter's help page you will learn more about it. Click on the link for details, but I'll go ahead and fill you in.

You've hit a Twitter limit if you do one of these:

1,000 updates per day

1,000 direct messages per day

100 API requests per hour

Follow limit

Recently one of my clients hit a follow limit of 2000. That means they cannot follow anyone new until they delete some and get their following and follower numbers closer together.

Here's what I did to remedy the situation:



Remember, Twitter is an opt-in community, not a mutual one like Myspace and Facebook. It's one-way. People don't have to follow you back so it's easy to end up following more. Make it about reaching your audience who would be interested in you and follow you back.



So watch your numbers (following vs followers) and keep them close like mine above. Once you reach 2000 peeps you are following, your going to need to be at or near 2000 followers in order to move forward.

Hope this Twitter Tip was helpful! I'd love your input and any advice you'd like to share on this subject.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Follow Madalyn @ Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn

Labels: twitter

Hey everyone, I'm hosting a FREE Teleseminar Monday night!

"The Ins & Outs of Facebook and Twitter"
Monday, Feb 23 @ 9pm EST

Sign up FREE at http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com

Labels: Facebook, teleseminar, twitter

by Madalyn Sklar

News Flash...

Surgeons send 'tweets' from operating room

Have you heard about this? There was a CNN report about Surgeons use Twitter to educate about surgical procedures in real time. We are living in an amazing era! Doctors are Twittering while surgery is being performing in the operating room. I am intrigued. Talk about taking a little social network and going mainstream.

It happened in Detroit recently. A man was undergoing surgery to remove his cancerous tumor from his kidney. You gotta see the video.

I love seeing so many cool ways to use Social Networks like Twitter. Please feel free to share how you are using it.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
IndieMusicCoach
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Follow Madalyn @ Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn

Labels: twitter

In case you didn't know about my other company...



Social Networks for Musicians helps musicians and music businesses effectively create and manage their social networks. Started in 2005 by music-industry powerhouse and GoGirlsMusic founder Madalyn Sklar, Social Networks for Musicians brings the best and most innovative web marketing solutions to musicians' social networking sites.

Sklar and her team can help YOU get RESULTS from social networking sites in a way that no other group can! With over 13 years internet marketing and promotion experience specifically in the music business, they know their way around social networks like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, ReverbNation, Flickr, Blogger, OurStage, Stereofame and more!

Check out my FREE "Facebook Marketing Tips for Musicians" e-Course and social networks articles at http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com.

Coming this month... Social Networks Teleseminar and brand new Online Classes for Facebook + Twitter.

Labels: Facebook, social networks for musicians, twitter

I came across a worthwhile article on how to best use Twitter in the music business. Check it out and send me a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Over and out,
Madalyn Sklar

Follow Madalyn @ Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn

Labels: twitter

rby Madalyn Sklar



As both an expert and avid fan of Social Networks I just have to throw in my two cents on these interesting tidbits. Oh and in case you forgot, SocNet stands for Social Networks. My Tech VP, Amy, at Social Networks for Musicians (my other company) coined that phrase and I'm sticking with it.

On 1-30-09 @waynesutton posted this on Twitter:

"A guy just said that a business would not hire someone if they did not have at least 7 recommendations on Linkedin."

Wow! Now that to me is amazing. Some companies are really harnessing the power of SocNets. I think it's great but at the same time is this going too far? What do you think? If you are not familiar with LinkedIn, check mine out here. Hmm, I guess I should ask my peers to send in more recommendations. I only have 5. Just like I always say... it doesn't work UNLESS you work it. And well, this is one I need to be working on more.

Okay next interesting tidbit...

Top Social Media Sites
(ranked by unique worldwide visitors November, 2008; comScore)
courtesy of TechCrunch.com

Blogger (222 million)
Facebook (200 million)
MySpace (126 million)
Wordpress (114 million)
Windows Live Spaces (87 million)
Yahoo Geocities (69 million)
Flickr (64 million)
hi5 (58 million)
Orkut (46 million)
Six Apart (46 million)
Baidu Space (40 million)
Friendster (31 million)
56.com (29 million)
Webs.com (24 million)
Bebo (24 million)
Scribd (23 million)
Lycos Tripod (23 million)
Tagged (22 million)
imeem (22 million)
Netlog (21 million)

Until I saw this article I had no idea that Blogger was ranked #1 in 2008. It really shows the power of blogging and how people are so actively engaged with reading and writing blogs. I've been using Blogger since 2000. Yeah that was before most people knew what a blog was! And next in line is Facebook with way more visitors than Myspace. We all know that Facebook has become quite the place to go and mingle with your friends. It's simple, clean design make it so much prettier to look at than personal Myspace pages with crazy wallpaper and funky color text. I do miss the days of plain Myspace pages. Although I do enjoy viewing super cool and professionally designed Myspace sites. When done right it is so appealing! And yes, it's imperative for bands to continue on and maintain a Myspace presence. See my post on Myspace vs Facebook? from several weeks ago.There is not one social network that is the end all, be all. You know? They each have their place. - Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.

That that is my observation for today. I would love to hear yours! Post a comment and tell me all about it.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
IndieMusicCoach
GoGirlsMusic.com
Social Networks for Musicians

Follow Madalyn @ Twitter / Facebook / LinkedIn

Labels: blogger, Facebook, myspace, social networks, twitter

1. Do you have a targeted strategy to use MySpace to your advantage, or are you just using it because everyone's using it?

2. When you log onto Facebook, are you spending more time catching up with friends from high school than promoting your music?

3. Do you give a TWEET about Twitter and who's Twittering about your music?

Madalyn Sklar and her team can help YOU get RESULTS from social networking sites in a way that no other group can! With over 12 years internet marketing and promotion experience specifically in the music business, they know their way around social networks like Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, ReverbNation, Flickr, Blogger, OurStage, Stereofame and more!

http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com/

Labels: Facebook, myspace, social networks for musicians, twitter

by Madalyn Sklar



So it goes like this...
I'm innocently reading several blog posts and these two caught my attention:
* Do Brands Belong on Twitter?
* Why Brands ABSOLUTELY DO Belong on Twitter

Both articles provide an interesting take on companies utilizing Twitter to promote brand awareness. And it got me thinking about you, your music and YOUR brand on Twitter as well as other social networks.

Okay so by now you know I'm a big advocate for Twitter. I was singing its praises before most of you heard of it. I think it's a great way to communicate with your fans, friends, peers, etc.

What about brands? Do they belong on Twitter?

A resounding YES comes from me. Why? Because you, your music - um yes, YOUR brand - needs to be front and center.

As a musician, artist, creator... you are a brand.
As a business... you are a brand.

You need the help of social networks to penetrate your market. You need Myspace and Facebook. You need Twitter and ReverbNation.

I know some of you are shaking your head saying, "No, I don't need all these networks." I disagree because you have an audience at Myspace and Facebook that you will not find anywhere else on the web. And you can reach fans on Myspace that you will not find on Facebook and you will reach fans on Facebook that hate and never use Myspace. Then there's Twitter which allows you to update your fans like never before. You can post links to brand new songs, show photos from the road and let them know when you are hanging out at Starbuck's sucking down a latte while writing your next big hit. And don't forget your ReverbNation widgets you can place all over the web.

So bottom line... yes, get your brand onto Twitter as well as other social networks that benefit you and your music. Stay a step ahead of the game.

My Social Networks:

Twitter - twitter.com/gogirlsmusic
Myspace - www.myspace.com/gogirls
Facebook - www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24490452847
ReverbNation - www.reverbnation.com/label/gogirlsmusicrecords
OurStage - www.ourstage.com/go/girls
Ning - www.gogirls.ning.com

Post a comment with your social network sites. I'd love to check them out!

Rock on... Madalyn

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 12 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com
http://www.gogirlsmusic.com
http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com

Labels: Facebook, myspace, ReverbNation, social networks, twitter

by Madalyn Sklar

I know, you are busy working your Myspace and Facebook pages. And trying to keep up with your calendar on your web site, Myspace and Sonicbids has turned into a pain in the ass. And you are saying to yourself why do I need Twitter too? I'm here to say WHY NOT?

I've been writing about Twitter for awhile here on my blog. It's an incredibly great tool you should add to your internet marketing arsenal, if you haven't done so already.

In simple terms, Twitter is a microblog of up to 140 characters. That means what you type is short and to the point. No long winded posts about why you think Myspace sucks or how to get a great gig. No, that is for your regular blog. Because your Tweets (as it's called) have to be short many people use it to link to sites, full blog posts, etc. There is so much you can do with it!

Yesterday I came across a really great blog post on Why Musicians Should Jump on the Twitter Bandwagon. They point out that Twitter is not just for techie geeks anymore. It's ideal for DIY musicians and I couldn't agree more! Check out the article for great ideas on how to use Twitter to promote you and your music.

Here are my Twitter pages:
http://twitter.com/madalynsklar - it's my blogger/social networks/music page

http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic - this is my gogirls music page

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com for more info.

Labels: twitter

by Madalyn Sklar

I've been on the Social Networks bandwagon for sometime now. I can't help it, I'm a techie geek. I love new technologies. I get it. It make sense to me.

It's so cool how my two business worlds have collided by being a techie in the music business. On the flip side I find it interesting that there are plenty of music biz professionals out there who seem to think they get the techie stuff. Many don't. You can't just read about it and decide you're an expert. You have to do it, live it and teach it. And for a good while, no doubt.

So let's discuss my favorite social networks for musicians and why.

Myspace:

I have been a big fan of Myspace since early 2005. I will admit it was much easier to use up until earlier this year. Seems people have really bogged it down with their image heavy pages. Some take forever to load with their backgrounds, photos, videos, etc. I have been an internet marketer and web site developer since 1996 and I have to say download time on a homepage is critical. It can make or break a site. We live in a "hurry up and give it to me now" age. We don't have time to wait 45 seconds for a page to load. You have seconds to make a lasting impression. Sad but true.

What's so great about Myspace today? Well it's still a valuable site to gain new fans who will come to your shows and buy your music. Fans who will become your street team members, advocating your music. Like any social network, it doesn't work unless you work it. You have to spend consistent time on it.

Check out my Myspace pages:
http://www.myspace.com/gogirls
http://www.myspace.com/indiemusiccoach

Facebook:

I will admit that like most of you it took me awhile to like Facebook. We all got comfortable with Myspace so when we tried messing with Facebook it was so different. So confusing. But I soon found that I could have a really great presence on Facebook with little effort. How? They provide some great applications that shortcut things for you. I could set up Notes to automatically import my blog posts. Every time I blog it shows up on my Facebook page. Awesome I know! I also set up my Flickr photos to do the same as well as my Twitter posts. I then added ReverbNation's music application. And the mobile photo upload feature is great. I can take a picture with my iPhone (or any camera phone) and email it right to my Facebook page. Only takes seconds! I figured out so much that I recently put together a FREE "Facebook Marketing Tips for Musicians" e-Course at http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com/. I would love for you to enroll in my free course and then let me know what you think.

Check out my Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=696545329

Twitter:

This is a techie favorite. It's taking longer for musicians to embrace Twitter but it's slowly happening. I think the biggest problem is that musicians are saying, "do I have to join ANOTHER site??" Um, no you don't... just the ones that matter is what I say. And you know what, this one matters in my opinion. Twitter is micro-blogging, plain and simple. You can only type up to 140 characters so you have to be concise. I love that! I've watched musicians use Twitter to let their friends and fans know what they are up to whether it's busy recording in the studio, being out on tour or just sharing a bit of their everyday life. What I love about Twitter is that it's a great resource for news and information. So many people are using it to share articles, blog posts, etc. And like Facebook I can email photos from my iPhone using Twitpic. Last night I was at the Melissa Etheridge concert here in Houston and Twittered photos in real-time. It's super cool and easy to do.

Check out my Twitter pages:
http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic
http://twitter.com/madalynsklar

I recently polled our GoGirls Elite members, asking them what was their favorite social network and why. Interestingly one member said it was GoGirlsMusic.com. Funny how I started an online community for women in music 12 years ago not realizing that I had created a social network. There just wasn't a name for it then other than online community.

Here's some interesting responses to my poll:

"I thought I’d let you know about this new place I found called Reverb Nation. It seems a lot friendlier to musicians as far as downloads and such, plus it’s got this cool feature called widgets that they give to you and you can inbed in all your other pages (websites, myspace, etc) to make navigation and updating a whole lot easier. I’ve only just started using it but I can see a lot of potential for a non-geek like myself to be a little more in control of a my geek pages." -- Lojo Russo, http://www.lojorusso.com

"i am really loving facebook right now. i jumped into it a few weeks ago and every time i use it, i'm kicking myself for not joining sooner. why? lots of reasons, but for now, here's the top 3: unlimited photos; i can connect it to my blogs in the "notes" section, which saves a lot of time and work; the fans can interact with me and with each other, and that's especially cool. myspace is too massive to ignore and i'm updating there regularly but facebook feels like the next wave." -- Queen Esther, http://www.queen-esther.com

"MySpace continues to be my favorite social network because I've worked out a system that works for me. When it comes to networking with bands, industry people, venues and building relationships with potential new fans, MySpace is still #1 with me. Sean, my drummer, is our Facebook guy and he loves Facebook because it is easier to add friends and the ability to use applications that import your blog, schedule, etc. make it lower maintenance than MySpace. I'm just not sold on the rewards of Facebook in comparison to MySpace." -- Tish Meeks, http://www.3kisses.com/

Post a comment and tell me what are your favorite social networks and why.

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: Facebook, flickr, myspace, ReverbNation, social networks, twitter

I'm off to my annual trek to Tulsa, OK for Dfest which has become one of my favorite music conferences. It's a jam packed event with a great tradeshow, panels & workshops and a hell of a nighttime festival. This year they are bringing in the All American Rejects, Paramore, moe and a ton of emerging indie bands. I'm looking forward to moderating the PROs panel and participating in the Blog Marketing panel.

You can follow my every move via Twitter.

Rock on,
Madalyn

Labels: dfest, music conference, twitter

by Madalyn Sklar



It seems we have finally figured it out. The new face of DIY (do-it-yourself) indie music is social networking.

If you are not on board, you are missing out!

If you don't understand the concept of Social Networks, watch this cute video:



For musicians it started with Myspace years ago but look at social networks today. Now you can keep your friends and fans informed up-to-the minute in real-time with Twitter. You can use cool applications in Facebook so everyone knows everything you're up to via blogs, photos, events, etc. You can even post directly from your phone or mobile device.

Check out these links for your cell phone or mobile device:

Myspace: mobile.myspace.com
Facebook: m.facebook.com
Twitter: m.twitter.com
Flickr: m.flickr.com

With my iPhone I have it set up so I can email a photo that immediately shows up on Twitter, Facebook and Flickr pages all within minutes.

The best way to utilize these sites is to learn as much as you can about them then devote time each day to work it to your advantage. Don't miss out on countless opportunities and connections.

As I mentioned in my recent blog post, Do I Need These Social Network Sites?:

The Internet has evolved tremendously in the last few years. As indie artists, social networks allow us to form a bond with people within a community. That community is a web site whether it's Myspace, Facebook or what have you. Interaction is done more often through your computer screen and even on your mobile device than in person it seems. With these networks you can form relationships with potential fans. Just by reaching out on your computer you can develop an army of not only fans and music buyers but true advocates. Who are advocates? Devoted fans who will turn on their friends to your music. Devoted fans who occupy their Myspace music player with your songs.

That's my two cents. Tell me what you think. Leave a comment.

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com for more info.

Labels: diy, do it yourself, Facebook, flickr, indie music motivation, social networks Myspace, twitter

First I have to say WHAT A GREAT CALL LAST WEEK! Thank you to those of you who were there with us. We covered a lot of ground. If you missed the call, no worries! I have a recording available to you free of charge.

The Social Networks Team:

Madalyn Sklar

Tracie Maloy

Tish Meeks

Carol Plunk

Here's a little bit of what we covered:

Do I really need to sign up for another social network?
I feel it's best to cast a wide net and reel people in. Once in you get to know them through one-on-one messaging. The goal is to turn your new, targeted friends into fans who then become buyers and possibly even advocates. Advocates are the fans who will post your songs on their personal myspace page, repost your bulletins and blogs and make the ideal street team member.

How can I use Myspace more effectively?
Spending an hour a day can make a huge difference! Consistently adding targeted friends, posting comments, post blogs and bulletins, etc. Spend time getting to know your friends. Take an interest.

I don't get Facebook!
Seems people either love, hate or just don't get Facebook. It's a great social network platform for one-on-one communication with lots of great applications especially Reverbnation. I spend the least amount of time on Facebook yet I have a great presence on there because I have set up several applications that automatically import my blog posts, twitter posts, flickr photos and youtube videos. I can even send up a photo from my camera phone in real-time to my Facebook page.

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Don't have time to figure it out? Why not hire Madalyn to walk you through this over the phone. In one 45 minute session she'll have you up and running! She can walk you through the process of setting up your Facebook profile to automatically import your blog, twitter posts, flickr photos and youtube videos. Or walk you through Twitter, Flickr or Blogger. Details at www.socialnetworksformusicians.com
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More on Facebook...
You can set up a band or business profile at www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

We cover WAY more on the call. Just head over to www.socialnetworksformusicians.com and take a listen.

On thing to remember...the bottom line when it comes to social networks is:
IT DOESN'T WORK UNLESS YOU WORK IT!

That's it for now! I hope you find all this information helpful to you. If you need additional help, please get in touch with me.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar

Check me out at:
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
Myspace
Blogger

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach, consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out www.indiemusiccoach.com for more info.

Labels: blogger, Facebook, flickr, myspace, social networks, social networks for musicians, teleseminar, twitter

"I love MySpace as it gives us a chance to do the one-on-one thing with people as well as make new connects that I can then go out and meet that person and form a real working relationship. I fear though that a lot of people are not taking it that far, especially bands- they think the computer is enough. I know sooo many musicians here that are constantly asking me, 'So how did you get a meeting with them?' or 'How'd you get THAT gig?' But they never GO anywhere! Not to see other bands, to take anyone out for a nice lunch or whatever. They just stay home with their computer, typing their fingers off and not really supporting anyone else's deal or showing interest in anything other than what they are doing. Life really is a two way street like you said! So many people don't seem to get that one. It's changing so fast, too- you never know what the wind will bring tomorrow. But, I know I have built quite a following by balancing computer and face-to-face networking so I am going to keep working on it."

Labels: blogger, Facebook, flickr, myspace, social networks, twitter

So I have to vent today. David Hooper’s opinion that “Myspace Is Dead” is one that I don’t agree with. He blogged about it last week. Well actually he didn't really blog about it, he posted a teaser in his blog to get you to his sales page so you'll buy his new eBook on Twitter for Musicians.

I love Twitter. It's a great tool to help you stay in touch with your fans (if you can convince them to sign up for yet another free site!) as well as work it to gain new friends and fans. Can you do this all in seconds as David claims in his sales pitch? No. You have to work this social network like any other. It's not nearly as time consuming as Myspace but it's also something so completely different. You cannot even compare!

And be advised... Twitter is having its issues at the moment. It's been down a lot. I love using Twitter and am a big advocate for it, but it's been quite frustrating.

So Dave's sales pitch goes like this... yes I'm quoting it. See for yourself here if you dare. And yes Dave, you can thank me later for bringing additional traffic to your site and fueling your intentional buzz. ;-)



I'm going to clarify the "seconds" part here. Yes, in seconds you can type up to 140 characters in Twitter. What exactly is Twitter you ask? It's micro-blogging. Plain and simple. It's the same thing as text messaging your fans using Mozes or other related services. Some people jumped on that in the last few years. But Twitter is hot right now because it's a community too, like Myspace and Facebook. Everyone is buzzing about. Well really techies are buzzing about it. I should know, I'm one of them... a techie in the music business.



Yes, you will hear more about how bands can benefit from this service. I've been talking it up in this blog quite a bit lately. I have used it at live shows and recent events such as the Kerrville Folk Festival, ASCAP Expo and various GoGirls showcases. I will be Twittering from several events in NYC and LA this week and weekend. Head over to the GoGirls Twitter page to see this in action: http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic. You can read my mini-blogs with photos! Again, I'm a techie. If you need help learning about this and setting it up, please get it touch with me.

And check out my article, "What is Twittering? You're always Twittering. Should I be Twittering?"

So let's go back to Myspace NOT being dead. I know, so many of you get frustrated with it. At times it's slow, there's a ton of spam (and stupid sales pitches!) all while you wish you sold more CDs and were able to get more people to your shows. Well I'm here to tell you that Myspace doesn't work unless you know how to use it properly. You cannot simply work it sporadically and get results. You must (ideally) spend time everyday. You must become active and participate. That is the general rule with any social network.

It doesn't work unless you work it.

If you want to learn more about how I help indie artists and music companies take advantage of the social network revolution, visit http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com/. You won't find long winded sales pitches, just information and lots of articles and blog posts that will help you.

I'll be hosting a really great FREE Teleseminar on June 24th.

“Social Networks for Musicians”
How to get beyond the confusion of web 2.0

Sign up at http://www.indiemusicseminars.com/

Until next time...

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach, consultant and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world - U.S., Canada, Ireland and Japan thus far. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: myspace, twitter

Okay I admit it. I'm hooked on Twitter. People seem to be either addicted to it or have no clue what it is.



If you don't know what it is, check out my blog post a few days ago, Cool site to check out: Twitter. And be sure to check out my GoGirls Twitter.

So now I'm on a quest to learn more about Twitter and what people think of it. There are numerous blogs and forums on this. Twitter's own blog is at blog.twitter.com. I suggest subscribing to this in order to keep up with all things Twitter.

I wonder who came up with the name Twitter. It's cute and catchy!

So in my quest to find more interesting tibits on Twitter I found an intersting article here: At SXSWi, the new Twitter is...Twitter. Now don't confuse SXSWi (interactive) with the wildly popular and well known music conference simply known as SXSW. The interactive part takes place just days before the music conference in Austin, TX. What I found most interesting about the article was how Twitter was used to communicate with others about things to do like parties and unofficial events. That rocks!! So rather than text messaging your friends you simply post in your Twitter where the party's at. Brilliant! Yes, this is giving me ideas for next year's Folk Alliance, SXSW and other events we put on at GoGirls.

I found a cool blog called Twittown that is the "Unoffical Twitter Community". I'm most intrigued by this post: Can Twitter Help You Lose Weight? A woman uses Twitter to let others follow her inspiring journey to lose weight. Wow, this is cool! She has a great blog at Back in skinny jeans that is worth checking out. The blog is not just about losing weight, it's about eating healthy and there is ton of motivation in there. You know I'm all over that!

So give me your feedback on this. I would love to hear from you!

Copyright © 2008 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach, consultant and author. She founded IndieMusicCoach and has spent over 12 years working with a wide range of independent musicians all over the world - U.S., Canada and Japan thus far. Her goal is to help indie artists achieve greater success in the music business by working smarter not harder. She is also the founder of GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest and largest online community of indie women musicians, with a vision of bringing together and empowering musicians from around the world.

Madalyn is available for one-on-one consulting and coaching at affordable prices. Check out http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/ for more info.

Labels: twitter

I admit it, I'm a computer techie geek. I love how we can all stay connected through text messaging, IMs, blogs, Myspace, Facebook and now Twitter. Twitter is cool because it's a quick, easy way to let your friends, family, co-workers, etc know what you are up to. It's like a mini-blog and totally cool. What I love about it is that you can either log into it online or use it via text messaging. You only have 140 characters but that's cool because you keep it short and to the point. I love that!



So what do I use it for?
Click here, http://twitter.com/gogirlsmusic, and find out!

I direct people to links to check out, observations, resources, bands to check out, etc. I also set up a personal one for my friends.



Check it out and see what you can do with this. Then send me a comment and let me know.

Rock on,
Madalyn Sklar
IndieMusicCoach.com
~providing one-on-one indie music consulting & coaching~
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/

Labels: twitter