That brings us to Lee Martin – he takes care of Them Crooked Vultures and Beck’s Web needs, and he is also a developer within the Web Music Technology community. I am a little late on being completely blown away by his Twitter app to stream music – twt.fm. To be exact I am up and over 1.7m users late!

Within maybe 30mins I had uploaded links to 3 songs of my band Life Love Misery, including links to purchase from iTunes and it was played almost 200 times.  Imagine if you band is popular; watch your bandwidth!

Once you log in and start an account this is what your twt.fm page looks like.

This app enables you to find certain song streams from a currently unknown source and Tweet to your friends, or you can upload links to mp3s, YouTube videos, and Soundcloud song files.

An advantage to using twt.fm is you can only stream the file; you cannot download it as far as I can tell.

This guest post was originally posted as “twt.fm & how to stay on top of Web Music Technology” from Todd Tate’s 5thBeatle.net, the most recent music business & technology blog to be added to the Volume 11 feed. Welcome aboard, 5thBeatle.net!

Do you have a lot of musician friends, and find that you are spending some of your free time assisting them to promote their music?

Are you interested in helping musicians make more money from their talent?

If so, Volume 11 is looking for people who are interested in writing articles, setting up online website marketing plans, and web development work.

We have many projects in the queue here and could use all the help we can get!

If interested just write Matt (at) VolumeEleven.net.

Thanks!

Godin reminds us that in the new climate of social networking, producing quality content is still a better method for success than simply striving to have the most followers. Just because you have 200,000 followers does not mean that any of them are actually paying any attention or visiting your page.

Rather, Godin argues a better strategy would be to start with a small number of followers who are actual fans, then produce quality content that those fans be excited to pass along. This should not only cause more long term growth, but result in a move valuable type of follower that is not just a number.

There continue to be an ever increasing number of online outlets to get yourself out there. However, while this leads to more opportunities to promote yourself, it also leads to a massive amount of content for users to sift through making it harder for users to find the worthwhile content that is out there. Godin’s article provides a strategy for getting yourself noticed and for gaining fans that are actually paying attention.

What is going to work for you to cut through the noise, capture the attention of real fans, and get them to pass along the information to new fans?

Only you can answer that, but spending your time to figure that out is a much better use of your time than trying to play a numbers game on the social networking scene.

Pandora is the largest and fastest growing radio platform in the world with 45 million registered listeners and growing in the United States.

Pandora offers a unique opportunity to independent musicians – Pandora prides itself on selecting music using a level playing field, where music is considered for inclusion solely based on quality.

Once music is selected for inclusion, the unique musical identity of a song is analyzed through the Music Genome Project.  Those attributes are then used to create personalized stations for each listener based on their musical tastes.

So not only does Pandora give you the opportunity to be heard, but it targets your music to listeners that are most likely to enjoy it.

If you aren’t familiar with Pandora’s submission process, it’s fairly simple.  The major requirements that must be met to submit your music are that (1) you have a CD, (2) the CD has a UPC code, and (3) the CD it is for sale on Amazon.

I had the opportunity to ask Pandora founder Tim Westergren some questions about the role of independent music at Pandora. Here’s what he had to say:

What percentage of the artists played on Pandora do you think would be considered independent?

Approximately 70% of the artists are independent (unsigned, or on independent labels)

What percentage of music played on Pandora is by independent artists?

It’s around 50% on a spin-weighted basis.

Have those percentages changed over the years Pandora has been operating?

The percent in the MGP has grown. The percent in terms of plays has probably gone down some.

Does your use of the Music Genome project to select the music played on Pandora give independent music a greater opportunity to be heard on Pandora than through other music channels?

Pandora is completely blind to popularity in selecting songs. It’s a completely level playing field.  So, yes I’d say we’re offering a tremendous opportunity – most of these artists have never played on radio of this scale before.

What do you think including independent music on Pandora adds to the listener’s experience?

It’s one of the most important ingredients: discovery. It keeps the experience fresh.

What do you look for when choosing a new artist to play on Pandora?

Good music. Nothing more, nothing less.

Can you give any tips to artists who are trying to get their music played on Pandora?

Simply put: make great music, and submit it.

The change in artist submission requirements to require artists have their CDs for sale on Amazon has received some criticism that it disadvantages independent artists. How do you respond to those critics?

It only costs $35 to enroll in Amazon’s program.  I don’t feel that is a barrier to any artist. Certainly not to an artist who has professional aspirations.

Is Pandora’s growing popularity and expansion to new channels like mobile devices causing Pandora to get more attention from major labels?  If so, will independent artists’ access to Pandora be affected?

Inclusion in Pandora will ALWAYS be based on merit.

You travel the country to conduct town hall meetings with Pandora users. Is there anything you’ve learned at these meetings that could be helpful to artists trying to connect with your users?

It really just reminds me how powerful an energized fan base can be. Artists need to fully embrace each and every one of their fans.

How has your experience working as a musician shaped how your run Pandora?

It was the inspiration for the project, and remains one of our central goals – helping to build a musicians middle class.

____________________

To augment the Pandora interview, I also spoke with Dave Lowensohn from the California rock band Speechwriters LLC about his experience as an independent artist using Pandora.

Dave had a lot of positive feedback, as well as advice for maximizing what Pandora can do for your band.

About Speechwriters LLC:  Speechwriters LLC has been distributing music independently for nine years. Speechwriters LLC submitted their music to Pandora in 2005 and currently has about 20 songs included in the MGP.

On the response he’s received from Pandora users:
  Dave noticed about 2 years ago that half of the emails he was receiving from listeners said that they had heard the band on Pandora and that those listeners have had an incredibly positive reaction. Pandora has really helped Speechwriters LLC fill a Specific niche in promotional cycle when the band is in between tours and album cycles. Pandora brings in listeners for Speechwriters LLC who then go on to buy the album on itunes.  While Speechwriters LLC has worked with other online distribution methods, Dave says he’s never seen anything quite like Pandora.

On the Pandora staff:  
Dave said his interaction with the staff at Pandora has been great and that they are super friendly and incredibly helpful.

On what Pandora can do for you beyond playing your music :  Pandora provided Dave with a full statistical breakdown of when Speechwriters LLC is played on Pandora so he knows exactly how users are finding his music. Dave says the information he got from the statistics is “Worth its weight in gold.”

For example, the statistics told him what stations are directing listeners to his music – information that he finds helpful in targeting new fans.

Other advice for musicians who use Pandora:  Dave added that if you like what Pandora is doing for you then you should also be a listener and support the service.

I have to agree with Dave that everyone I spoke with at Pandora was extremely responsive and helpful.  So if you don’t have your music on Pandora, what are you waiting for?

And if you are already a Pandora user, don’t hesitate to get to know the people that make the service possible.  They may be able to provide you with valuable information to help promote your music.

Some people can just be so special at playing guitar that they will stand out no matter what – hello Jimi Hendrix and those folks – but that is the exception. Just about everyone plays guitar, which means there are more ultra-talented guitar players.

The better way to make it is to compete in an area with less competitors. If guitar is your calling, then so be it, but if you have a choice, find the most obscure instrument around and become amazing at it.

Then see what happens…

Some bands really get it, and others don’t.

What do you want your band to be known for? What do you want others to think about attending one of your shows? Or think about as they are going through your website?

You know, sometimes you need to be the person to slip these thoughts into someone’s head, or at the very least you need to set the tone.

Will shows always be a fun party? Or a mix of serious and fun? Do you want things to feel consistent, or different every time? (Different every time still falls under the category of “Branding”)

Think about it, then see if you are consistently projecting the image you’d like to be projecting at your shows, on your website, twitter statements, etc.

After all, the most important aspect of branding is being consistent about it.

To be more successful and make more money in the new year, Hyatt suggests you start thinking of yourself and your craft as a brand, and your fans as customers.

The key, according to Hyatt, to getting fans to buy from you, is creating a relationship with fans. “Every study on sales has proven one thing: People hate to be sold to, however people love to buy, and people always love to buy from people whom they like and who they feel they trust.”

So how do you become a person that your fans like and want to buy from?

The number one tool for connecting with fans highlighted in this article is your email list. You’ve probably heard it before but, building and maintaining an email list is an invaluable tool for musicians. However, Hyatt says, in order to be a truly great sales person, you cannot just use your email list when you have something to sell.

The article goes offers some really great practical strategies for how you can maximize the effectiveness of your email list to make connections with fans, figure out what fans want, and then get them to buy it. My favorite idea is sharing other talents and interests with fans. Not only could it be a great way to bond with fans, but it could lead to new ideas for products or services that might interest fans.

I also like the suggestion that your newsletters be consistent and trackable – that way you can figure out what is working for you and what isn’t, and constantly strive to improve your newsletter. Without this knowledge you are simply not going getting the most out of your efforts in sending emails.

What I like most about this article is that it encourages developing a clear plan to make yourself a better sales person, and lays out a strategy to do that. Figuring out ways to grow your email list, coming up with creative ways to connect with fans, keeping them engaged on a regular basis, and talking with fans to discover which products or services interest them are all important tools for artists trying to turn fans into customers.

Hyatt briefly touches upon the idea of connecting with fans in person however, I do wish there were more strategies for connecting with fans outside the scope of email and social networking discussed too. In a world where everything is done via email and social networking, making a face to face connection with fans can be a opportunity to really make you stand out and make fans feel more engaged.

I know from personal experience that the musicians I go out of my way for and spend the most money supporting are the ones who take the time to share a kind word with me after playing a great show. Taking the time to meet fans at shows- thanking them for coming, signing CDs, and taking pictures, etc is a really simple, free, and time efficient way to connect with fans. You have the opportunity to make a personal connection with fans, which can lead to increased sales on spot, as well as help build a lasting relationship that can lead to more sales in the future.

So, when creating your strategy for connecting with fans, don’t just limit yourself to the web, include opportunities to engage fans in person.

It’s is a great way to capture fans interest, make them feel connected, and guarantee they will pay more attention next time they receive your email.

Back in the day (way back in the day), if someone had a great thought and wanted to remember it, they had to chisel it into a stone tablet (think, ten commandments), or in later years learn how to read and write, then use expensive ink and hard to obtain paper like papyrus or something.

Basically, you only wrote something down if it was *really* important, and therefore you felt that the effort and cost to memorialize the thought was justified.

These days – you can text it to yourself while at a concert. Not even a writing utensil is needed.

For music, the barrier to development used to be access to and cost of a recording studio to produce quality music, and then, to get music to the masses, one had to negotiate through a process controlled by music labels and national music stores via CDs, tapes and records.

If the music really inspired others, or if you had a lot of money, the music could be put on a CD, and perhaps distributed to the masses.

To get through these hoops and barriers, musicians had to make extra efforts in doing what they believed in, and would make those sacrifices only if they or people they knew truly believed they had created something special.

Thus, those who made it to the next level, like those in many professions, had to go “all in” to make it.

So now, with the creation and mass publication of music so easy, are we all better of?

As artists? For those that are musicians to their core, and would never have done anything else in their lives, I feel for you. There is just so much competition these days coming at all angles.

But then there are creative types where music creation is a smaller but still important part of their lives, and those people can now find an outlet for their creativity that doesn’t cause major sacrifices in other areas of their lives. This, therefore, allows for more styles and idiosyncrasies to show themselves, a fact that should lead to more overall creativity. But it also leads to more supply. Much more supply.

As fans? One would think so. It is unfortunately increasingly more confusing to negotiate through the over-abundance of material, but at least we all get more supply of music in the genres that personally excite us, however obscure. And that is a good thing. Plus free music is nice.

As business folks? Well, sure. The more content in the market, the more confusion, the more the need to have simpler, better, cleaner and less complicated ways to find new music (as fans), promote your music (as musicians), and purchase music (musicians, fans).

Just something to think about…

In this day and age, it isn’t enough to just play bass or just play guitar.

Having computer skills, the desire to oversee some online marketing endeavors, the ability to maintain or write code for your website, or simply the ability and desire to personally network in your local music community – these are all important additional traits that are helpful and necessary for  young bands.

Every member must have a role. Below is an example based on a five member band:

guitarist – business and music networking; oversees band management matters and coordination with outside advisors

bassist – music scene networking; manages myspace and twitter

guitarist – recording studio access; industry contacts; music distribution through his music label

drummer – isn’t big on using online stuff, so puts extra time in networking with the local music scene and “offline” fans

singer – networking with local scene and business folks, manages facebook account

Music manager Emily White recent wrote a guest post on the MIDEM blog that discusses this very issue, and highlights how multiple talents are put to use with an upstart band she manages named Family of the Year.  Her piece offers numerous insights into what a DIY strategy can look like when implemented by an experienced manager who understands which of the newest technology is most useful, and which tools may not be necessary.

DIY exists because of the multitude of low cost and frequently time intensive means to promote the music you are creating, not to mention the cost savings with doing it yourself rather than paying someone to do it.  On top of that, most bands do not have label support, a manager or even a fan/manager.

Yet even if you do have the luxury of having a manager, the manager can better spend time pursuing growth and moving your band up the ladder if he/she isn’t burdened with handling all of these tasks. Thus, the more time and energy put in from all band members, the more of an edge your band will have – at any level of the music food chain.

So the question remains, what are you doing non-musically to support your band?

In What Are You Pretending to NOT Know? Bob Baker has a great positive message for everyone to take into the New Year- “you know way more than you give yourself credit for.”

In his article Baker points out that many times we know exactly what our problems are and how to fix them, but that we instead talk ourselves into looking the other way or believing the situation is out of our control. This article addresses a situation I often find myself in- that I am creating mental roadblocks for myself on the road to success.

I like that this article reminds me that if I give myself a little more credit and have more confidence in myself, that I already possess the skills I need to accomplish my goals.

So when you set your 2010 goals, keep in mind Bob Baker’s advice:  Stop making excuses, take responsibility for your self and know that you have the skills to succeed!