Here’s the thing — you either love those freecreditreport.com jingles or you loathe them. But if you loathe them, its only because you’re mad that you’ve been singing them all day. Here they are if you’re not familiar with them:
“Freecreditreport was the first musical job I’d ever done,” said David Muhlenfeld, the staffer at the Martin Agency responsible for writing the trio of tunes. “They didn’t ask for music but that’s where it went.” Most of the clients that come to his advertising firm are on retainer, meaning companies pay them a monthly fee in exchange for an ever-flowing supply of print, radio and television ads. But freecreditreport.com signed up on a project basis. “A corporate one-night stand,” Muhlenfeld joked of the relationship, saying the company came to them based on the strength of the agency’s work on the Geico cavemen commercials, a campaign Muhlendfeld himself didn’t work on.
With freecreditreport.com’s contract expiring, and wanting to try something different, the one-time synth pop geek penned a handful of songs for their radio campaign. “I thought it was just a funny premise to start out with,” he said of the original spot, which featured lyrics about a slacker who meets his dream girl only to discover she’s got bad credit. But because the TV-portion of the campaign he was creating didn’t have quite enough material, Muhlenfeld decided to adapt his radio jingle into a TV spot. And it worked. “We played it for the client,” he said, which he performed over the phone on an acoustic guitar. “It was the last thing we presented – and he immediately said, ‘That’s what I want to do, go write some more.’” So he did. Three more in fact, which he demoed on GarageBand, the results of which were later played for the employees of freecreditreport.com who voted on their favorites, eventually becoming the campaign’s first three commercials.
The effectiveness of the commercials’ quirky songs was evident right from the get-go. “The numbers were very good,” Muhlenfeld said of the increase in visitors to freecreditreport.com. In addition, the commercials became viral video hits. “Somebody leaked the spots onto YouTube,” he said. “At first we got 600 hits, and then 1200 hits, and then we checked back in a week or so and it was 20,000 hits. And now it’s up to 600,000 or 700,000 for each of them.” Capturing lightning-in-a-bottle and becoming a successful viral video is not something that’s easily re-creatable. It’s hard to understand exactly why Tay Zonday or Little Superstar or the Cadbury gorilla commercial tap into the cultural zeitgeist and become a hit. “That’s the real success,” he admits. “Without really even trying to create a viral-type success, we did. And now of course we’re going to try and convince people we meant to do that all along.”
Aside from the professional attention the commercials have garnered, the jingles have brought some personal satisfaction with them as well. “It’s definitely an ice-breaker at dinner parties,” he joked. “And kids are really into it,” he added. “I’m always getting stories about how they were at a pep rally at their kids football game and the whole gym started singing the song.”
Muhlendfeld said he hopes the success of the commercials will wake people up to what music can do for advertisers. “I think jingles had gone quite out of fashion,” he told us. “It was nice to reignite some interest in singing.” He thinks the spots worked so well because the band in the commercials (led by actor Eric Violette) think of themselves as a real band. “They’re real ballads about this guy’s sad ass life,” he said. Though the songs didn’t necessarily come easy to Muhlenfeld, he said jingles are often easier to write than traditional pop songs. “You’ve got a list of three of four things you must say in order to paid by your client, and you know that you have 30 seconds, which is good since it gives you parameters to work from.”
If the freecreditreport.com jingles could maintain any place in our collective memory, Muhlenfeld hopes they’ll remain as indelible as his favorite jingle for Juicy Fruit gum. “It’s the most sexually suggestive spot I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe they got away with it.” See the spot below:
If you’re a fan of the three current freecreditreport.com commercials, you’re in luck. There are new spots on the way, and in several new genres, one with a “punkier edge.” And if you’re not a fan, unfortunately they may be tough to escape. There’s also a jingle-based reality series on the way from CBS and Mark Burnett called “Jingles.” Note to producers: Muhlenfeld wants in. “I want to be a guest judge,” he said excitedly. “That would be awesome!”
If the Internet is the information superhighway, one of its roads led straight to a Tampa guitarist.
Almost a year ago, an Atlantic Records representative stumbled across Matt Hires' MySpace music page and sent him a message. He liked Hires' acoustic sound and wanted to hear more.
"I was completely skeptical, and I figured I'd call him back and see what's up," Hires says. "He came to Tampa and he heard me play some stuff. And soon after that, he flew me out to L.A. It's definitely surreal at some times."
The soft-spoken 23-year-old is set to release a four-track EP, "Live From the Hotel Cafe," on Tuesday. He will perform Wednesday at New World Brewery in Ybor City.
Hires was home-schooled and attended Hillsborough Community College before leaving to pursue music full time. Before becoming a solo artist, he played with Brer, a local alternative rock band composed of his childhood friends.
He started playing the bass at age 12, taking lessons at a local music store. His older brother played acoustic guitar, and at 16, Hires decided to teach himself to play.
"I've always liked writing a lot since I was young, and you only do so much with a bass," he says. "It's like an emotional release in a lot of ways, and it's a fun thing to do."
Following his Tampa performance, Hires will return to the studio to complete his debut album, slated for release in the spring. The album will feature a full band that recorded his original acoustic versions of songs.
"It's kind of hard sometimes. I have to manage my time and I have to keep my head in a creative state of mind," Hires says of juggling his newfound career with his personal life. "This is what I wanted, and I want to go as far as I can go."
YNG-ROBB, born Robert D. Williams on December 1, 1986 in Long Beach, California, spent most of his childhood in his grandmother's home in Las Vegas. Even as a child, YNG-ROBB seemed destined for a successful career in the music industry. YNG-ROBB's path to the stage has been peppered with challenges along the way, however. The death of his big brother Dion when young Robert was only 4 left a scar in the young boy's heart that to this day has not fully healed, and difficulty adjusting to high school life found the teenager turning to the gangster culture of drugs and violence as his only way of coping. By the time he was 18, Robert knew that the wages of his life of guns and drugs would be death, so he decided to turn away from that life and use his talent for rap to tell his story and give hope to others considering the gang banger's life. Now known by the name YNG-ROBB, he follows his heroes in the hip hop industry as his role models to lift others to achieve more with their lives. Faithful to his church and committed to his schoolwork, YNG-ROBB emulates such heroes as Grand Master Jay, Run-DMC, Snoop Dogg and others who have turned their lives around. YNG-ROBB is currently appearing at various events around Southern California and aspires to bring hope and joy to others facing hard choices in their lives.
Bio courtesy of R.K. Records
It was a pleasure interviewing YNG-ROBB via email! :-)
Sadé: Please tell me a little about how and where you grew up. YNG-ROBB: I lived a regular hood life surrounded by poverty-with more choices to do bad instead of good.
Sadé: When did you first take interest in music? YNG-ROBB: When I realized people remembered the words of their favorite artists songs', such as my mother singing in the kitchen while she was cooking.
Sadé: Who has inspired you the most in your career? Please name a person inside the business and someone outside of the business. YNG-ROBB: Someone that was in the business, Tupac Amaru Shakur, because in one of his interviews he said, "If I can't change the world, I guarantee to spark that somebody's brain to change the world", and I felt he sparked my brain to change the way music is projected to the hip-hop spectators. Outside the business Alton Lynum, because he taught me most people respect you when you keep a professional image.
Sadé: When did you know that you wanted to pursue music for the rest of your life? YNG-ROBB: At the age of 15 I made a set decision that I was going to be the GREATEST rapper that ever touched a microphone, by learning from all the greats mistakes (in order to become the best)!
Sadé: What is the best advice that someone ever gave you about following your dreams? YNG-ROBB: If you think you can you can, but if you think you can't you're right", quoted by Mary Kay Ash.
Sadé: What is the best advice that you would give someone about following their dreams? YNG-ROBB: "WHEN YOU ASK FOR SOMEONE'S HELP, YOU GIVE YOURSELF A LIMITATION ON WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE ON YOUR OWN." quoted by me Robert D. Williams. Because if you think about it, your opinion is what counts, but when you ask for help you degrade your opinion and take in to consideration the next persons opinion, (which is not wrong) but asking for help sometimes gives you a limitation on using your own mind ability of thinking.
Sadé: Were there ever times that you felt like giving up on your dreams? Tell me about one of those times. YNG-ROBB: Plenty of times that thought ran through my mind from people not purchasing my promo demo, or even when I was just rapping for free and not getting paid.
Sadé: What kept you from giving up? YNG-ROBB: God, and also every time I hear a new person compliment me and let me know that I'm the best rapper they've heard so far!
Sadé: What do you think of the music industry today? Do you feel that it's taking a turn for the better or worse? YNG-ROBB: It's a gimmick. Instead of taking time out and really critiquing the genre of music that we call hip-hop, people are just taking words, throwing it on a beat, and calling it a song. Now in 2008 I feel the music industry has taken a turn for the worst.
Sadé: What are the steps that you took to make your dreams come true? YNG-ROBB: The steps I took to manifest my dreams are first and foremost believing in God, secondly taking my time critiquing my music before I consider it being a song, and third keeping my confidence at the highest peak and staying prepared for constructive criticism.
Sadé: What are some positive words or sayings that you live by every day? YNG-ROBB: When you learn to appreciate, you learn the real meaning of living life, and that's something I do daily in order to keep my mind focused.
Sadé: Do you consider yourself to be a role model? If so, do you like being one? YNG-ROBB: Of course I consider myself a role model. If you haven't heard, my music consists on enlightening teens to get through peer pressure, and also to think about the consequences (if they do decide to follow in the wrong direction).
Sadé: Take me through a studio session, and tell me what your recording process is like. YNG-ROBB: Before I walk in the studio, the song would be complete within my head! I'm what you call a one take artist...I train myself to memorize my rhymes as I write them down. So in the booth I never have to recite from a piece of paper unless I just wrote it within that studio session. The reason I do that is because I dislike songs that sound like the artist was reading from a piece of paper...it takes away the emotion and feeling from the song.
Sadé: Do you write your own lyrics? Please explain to me what your writing process is like. YNG-ROBB: Yes, I write my own lyrics, but the process is kind of out of the blue. I could just come up with a hit song while I'm sleeping!
Sadé: Do you remember the first time you recorded a song in the studio? Please take me back to that time. YNG-ROBB: Yes I remember it like it was yesterday! I was 15 years old and I lived in Long Beach, CA. My next door neighbor invited me to his studio and offered me a beat (if I could come up with a song). It took me 1 hour to come up with a concept to the song, but it took my homeboys days to finish their verses. So I took it upon myself to complete the song as soon as possible and get in the studio to record. The song was called "I'ma Hustla' Baby". The feedback on the song wasn't so great, but many people let me know I gave the most energy and originality to the song. That's when I realized I write faster and record better then most of my peers.
Sadé: Who is the first person/people you ever performed for? Please take me back to that time. YNG-ROBB: I was 16 years old when I performed for Hillary Duff's manager, Andre Recke, from Disney Records. I did a private audition in the Millennium Dance Complex. It's really not too much to talk about. I just performed 3 live songs to give him an insight on my stage performance skills.
Sadé: How can an artist stay focused and not let the audition tension psych them out? YNG-ROBB: Prepare like it's a test! Study your craft before you consider yourself being ready to audition.
Sadé: Almost every entertainer nowadays is not only a Rapper, but also an actor, spokes model, producer, and has many many other business ventures. Do you want to do the same things as well? YNG-ROBB: Yes, I would love to be considered a great actor one day, own my own company, and eventually learn to produce my own music.
Sadé: That brings me to my next question. Out of all your crafts, which one is your favorite? (rapping, producing, playing instruments?) YNG-ROBB: Eventually being a CEO of my own company, but for right now my favorite is entertaining music lovers as a hip-hop artist.
Sadé: What are your pre-performance rituals? YNG-ROBB: First I have to make a phone call to my creator, which is my mother. Second I say a nice long prayer appreciating the things God blessed me with, and if I still have time I like to do 20 push ups before I get on stage.
Sadé: Do you get performance jitters? If so, how do you get rid of them? YNG-ROBB: Before I get to the show I love to rehearse and visualize that its billions of people watching me! So by the time I step in front of a crowd of a thousand, I'll already be prepared for the constructive criticism.
Sadé: A lot of rappers talk about how much they financially struggled, especially on the way to their dreams. What can an artist do to make sure that they are able to accomplish their dreams and not have to financially struggle at the same time? Or is it unavoidable? YNG-ROBB: I believe it's whatever you feel you could do because if you want to live a good life, you have to take yourself out of the negative to receive the positive feedback you need in order to accomplish your dreams.
Sadé: How important is the internet to an artist's career? YNG-ROBB: The internet is a necessity for promotion for the artist, but I feel like its not more important then writing/composing your music that everybody can listen to (even if you're a different race or gender; not just one set culture).
Sadé: Do you think that internet sales may be more important than album sales these days? YNG-ROBB: Yeah it's cool for fans to purchase the album from their Apple I phone, lap top, or home desktop, without having to go to the store. The industry is different from how it used to be. You can make over a billion dollars if you're a good artists nowadays!
Sadé: How can a artist master their skills? What are some of the tasks they can do daily to improve their flow, breath control, and fluidity? YNG-ROBB: Take a song that you know every word to, and rap it as if you were the person that wrote the song.
Sadé: What do you think of reality TV shows like American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and Dance War? Do you think that these shows shine a good or bad light on performing artists? Why or why not? YNG-ROBB: Reality shows are nice for exposure, but it shines a bad light on performing artists. First off, the producers and directors are looking to get paid through ratings, and it doesn't matter how good you are, you're just a "crash dummy" in order to keep the show running!
Sadé: What has been the highlight of your career so far? YNG-ROBB: The highlight of my career so far is being managed by Grand Master Jay from R.K. Records. Also having a real biography, head shots, and a demo to submit to record companies.
Sadé: What career goals are you still trying to achieve? YNG-ROBB: I'm still trying to achieve a record deal with a big time record company.
Sadé: How can your fans stay in contact with you and up-to-date with what's going on in your career? YNG-ROBB: http://www.myspace.com/1yngrobb and that's the official Yng. Robb music myspace site
Sadé: Thank you so much for your time Yng Robb! YNG-ROBB: No thank you! I appreciate everything you're doing for me. "& also A 100,000.00 blessing's to you & yours"
Jon Avila overcame poverty and misfortune, and started his own business "So Cal Musician"! So Cal Musician is often described as "a booking & networking company that is involved with over 2,000 musicians and 600 venues in Southern California."
I have personally booked many shows with So Cal Musician, and have to honestly say that they are one of the best (if not the VERY best) booking/networking companies I have EVER worked with! Jon is also a musician himself (rapper/songwriter), so he knows firsthand the obstacles and scams musicians typically face.
What is especially fantastic about Jon's music (whose MC name is Blitz The Insomnyac) is that he doesn't fit the stereotypical description of what a rapper should look like. The Insomnyac writes about his life, and is known for his deep and sometimes comical lyrics, witty punchlines, and high energy performances!
His company So Cal Musician offers many things that most booking and networking companies do not. Some of these extras include: Artist of the Month features, Designing fliers, Radio Promotions in some cases, going to every single show that they book and more! Jon's life story is just beginning, but he has already inspired many artists, aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. He proves that no matter where we come from or what we've been through, we can STILL rise above our circumstances and achieve our dreams. WE create our OWN destiny!!!!
Bio written by: Sade Champagne
Jon was EXTREMELY thorough with his answers, and it was a pleasure interviewing him via IM! =) Sade: Okay let's get started! =)
Sade: Thanks so much for doing this interview Jon! Jon: No need to thank me, Jon: Thank you! :)
Sade: Please tell me a little about how and where you grew up. Jon: I was born and raised in a small city in Ventura County called Camarillo. Both my mother and father were disabled and physically unable to work, so my brother and I didn't have a lot growing up, however it taught us to be thankful for what we did have. We lived in a small apartment in West Camarillo. Even though we were on welfare at the time, I guess the bright way to look at it is that my mother and father were definitely around to raise us as we were growing up. Most people would look at it as being unfortunate to not be wealthy, but I looked at is as fortunate to have my parents around the house.
Sade: When did you first take interest in music? Jon: Shoot, I have been listening to music since I could remember! I grew up listening to a great variety of things such as The Beatles, Tupac Shakur, Donnie Osmond, Michael Jackson, Led Zepplin, Queen, Eminem, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, the list goes on.
I was in plenty of speech classes growing up, and I listened to music non-stop, not to mention, I absolutely loved writing short stories...so I suppose when you fuse those three things together, you get a musician and songwriter.
Sade: That brings me to my next question. Who has inspired you the most in your career? Please name a person inside the business and someone outside of the business. Jon: Inspired me to write music? Or to start So Cal Musician?
Sade: First music; we will get to So Cal later. Jon: If I were to name some people that influenced me to write in the style that i do, the list would be very long!
Sade: You can just name a few if you like. Jon: with Lyric complexity, I have always liked Royce Da 5'9, Busta Rhymes, Rakim, Aceyalone...from a production standpoint, I have enjoyed anything that comes from the Dr. Dre/ Aftermath camp. And of course I was always influenced by Tupac Shakur, and his style of music. As a kid I always loved how you could totally tell that he was writing from his heart. Another would be Eminem and his incredible ability of storytelling back in the day. Of course, I was also heavily influenced by people like Dean Martin, Queen, and Michael Jackson.
Sade: When did you know that you wanted to pursue music (and business) for the rest of your life? You can totally give 2 separate answers. Jon: Well for music, I always had a way with words, putting them together, creating stories and songs. I just loved expressing myself through music. And not just hip-hop, I have written a few rock songs with some bands in my time. Putting every ounce of feelings and emotion into a song in which you created is one of the most beautiful things you can do in life. So I wouldn't say there was a point where I had to make a decision whether or not I was going to do this for the rest of my life. I just knew! I was going to be involved in it one way or the other.
After high school, I decided to try and book a few shows for myself and get myself heard. I kept running into bad promotions companies and sticky situations. I couldn't even count the times that I got screwed over as an artist by promoters. That's when the idea of "So Cal Musician" came along. And the idea was to create the exact polar opposite of what I was seeing in the music scene. I wanted to create something that treated musicians right, and at the same time helped them reveal their music to as many people as possible. A promotions company that actually worked for the musicians!
Sade: When did you began rapping? Jon: I started writing hip-hop music when I was 13. It was all I did. Again, my family did not have a lot of money growing up, so all I would do at home is sit down, listen to the half broken radio I had (the ones where you have to hold the antenna to get reception), and write music all day long. It eventually consumed me to the point where all I was doing was writing lyrics. I would be in class thinking of good stories to put into songs, and writing them down when I was supposed to be taking a test. I would write all over my palms and arms when I would think of good ideas so I wouldn't forget. So I basically spent nearly all of high school perfecting my style and lyrical capabilities.
Southern California
Sade: What is the best advice that someone ever gave you about following your dreams? Jon: I'm not gonna lie, Jon: That is a good question! Jon: Well to be honest, when I was growing up, I didn't have a lot of support when it came to music. My parents for the longest time didn't even like the fact that I listened to rap, let alone wrote it! And of course with the high school I went to, I was either jumped or had things thrown at me almost every day for being the white kid who was trying to write rap music. There were a some white supremacy kids who would jump me after I got off the bus for the music I wrote. Somehow I used all the negative energy that was pointed in my direction and used it to my advantage. The more they didn't believe in me, the harder I wanted to try and prove them wrong and succeed in life. That was my main motivation.
I did have one friend who had always supported me in what I did. He was the only one who actually took the time to listen to my music (and he was a soldier for reading all of it, because I wrote A LOT). Oh and my girlfriend at the time-she was supportive of my stuff too.
Sade: What is the best advice that you would give someone about following their dreams? Jon: When you put your heart and soul into it, your dreams and goals become your blood, sweat and tears! Your dreams become you, and you become your dreams, it's kind of hard to describe. But when you get to that point, anything is possible!
Sade: How important is it for an artist to be involved in ALL aspects of their career (creative process, recording, publicity, etc.)? Jon: Well if music is what you love, it is important that you are ready to do anything and everything for it. Now of course there are places musicians need to go to to get help to do other things, i.e. recording, booking, management. The problem I saw, was that there was no reliable place to go to for help. And that is why we started So Cal Musician.
Sade: How involved are you with the business aspect of your career? And how important do you think it is for every artist to be involved with the business aspect? Jon: It really depends on where musicians want to take their music. Some musicians want to pursue a career, some don't. Some see it is a goal to get signed, some like to write music as a hobby, and don't take it too seriously.
When it comes to serious musicians looking to pursue a music career, I would say that it is very important to stay involved in the business aspect. This means, constantly writing music material, playing gigs, developing fliers, press kits, street teams, whatever it takes to get your music out there.
Sade: What can an artist do to avoid getting scammed? Jon: They should network with other musicians, do some research, find out who the best company is to work with in whatever they are looking for. And, here's a big one, make sure you read EVERYTHING you sign when working with companies. One of the things that I kept running into constantly before So Cal Musician was in commission, was the countless amounts of shady contracts that other companies are having musicians sign. Just make sure that you are 100% confident in the people that you are working with. Especially with promotions companies. There are a lot of sharks out there! Again, hence the reason why we started So Cal Musician.
Sade: Were there ever times when you felt like giving up on your dreams? Tell me about one of those times. Jon: There has been times, where I have felt completely overwhelmed. The thing that keeps me going is the musicians we work with. I see so much talent out there, and there is no reason why that talent should not be discovered. Seeing that talent keeps me going!
Sade: Take me through a studio session with So Cal Musician (SCM Records). Jon: OK, well we just launched our Studio department at So Cal Musician, SCM Records. It is more than a studio; more so a place where musicians can come to when they feel they are ready to release an album. We basically equip you with the best producers and recording engineers in our network, and take you to our studio in Simi Valley, and a team goes right to work on constructing your masterpiece. This is a place where SCM producers, engineers, graphics designers, photographers, all come together to put together the top-notch album the musician is looking to release.
Sade: What do you think of the music industry today? Do you feel that it’s taking a turn for the better or worse? Jon: I strongly believe there is an indie music revolution going on right now, and that revolution is going to change the world! And I believe that So Cal Musician is a part of that. I believe the independent and current undiscovered musicians are the future of the music industry.
Sade: That brings me to my next set of questions. When and why did you decide to start your own business? Jon: When I was 18, my parents got a divorce and I was kicked out of the house. I was working 60 hours per week and going to school full time. I was a business and journalism major in college while I was sleeping in my car and sleeping at random friends houses. This was when my brother and his best friend (two successful entrepreneurs) found out that I was homeless, and decided to move me into their beach apartment until I could get back onto my own two feet. It was then that I was constantly being taught how to run successful businesses, from my brother, his best friend, and the college I was attending. I was getting information from all sorts of directions.
Jon: After a while, I was able to lease my own house, and that is when I started trying to book shows for myself. The only problem was, I kept running into countless amounts of shady promoters. There was even one guy who wanted me to sell 100 tickets at the rate of $30 each for a local show in a coffee shop. It was insane! And even for the shows that I was able to book, I was treated very poorly. All the musicians were, and I wanted to change that. I wanted to create the polar opposite of what I was seeing.
After running an at home recording studio in my house for some time on the side, I started networking with massive amounts of musicians. This was anything from Rock to Hip-Hop to Country to Metal and so forth. I copyrighted the name So Cal Musician immediately, and just kept networking with more and more musicians from San Diego to Santa Barbara.
Eventually, I went down to the Majestic Ventura Theater, with a new approach. Rather than contacting a promoter, I went straight to the source and talked to the manager of the venue. I let them know that I worked with So Cal Musician, and So Cal Musician had a massive network of over 1,000 musicians looking to perform. And after a good 30 minute meeting or so, we had our very first show which consisted of myself and 3 other hip-hop artists that I networked with. We threw the show and it was a major success, and the theater asked us to throw another show from the musicians in our network. And just like that, we threw a very successful Rock N Roll show. It wasn't long before we started doing all of the local booking at The Majestic Ventura Theater. The idea was to build a new Booking & Networking company that was there for the musicians. And it was So Cal Musician.
Sade: How has being a business owner changed your perception of the music industry? Jon: You have good questions! Sade: Thanks! Jon: I swear I should hire you to do the Artist of the Month features for us! Sade: =) Jon: :) Jon: I wouldn't say that being a business owner has changed my opinions or views on what music is all about. However, it did open my eyes. Now that we network with over 2,000 musicians and host shows at plenty of venues, I have realized that there is an Indie Music Revolution going on right now. The more I see, the more I want to help musicians get heard!
Sade: Tell me all about your business So Cal Musician and what it is that you do for artists Jon: Well, like I said, the idea is to work with musicians, not have musicians work for you, which is what I think that most promoters have confused these days. The idea is to help musicians expose their music. So Cal Musician works with all genres of music, ranging from hip-Hop to Rock, Metal to Country and so forth. We originally started as a Booking & Networking company, and that is where we excel the most. Of course now we have grown and we have other departments to help out musicians such as the Audio, Video, Photography, and Graphics Design Departments. We book a great amount of shows for artists at places such as The Majestic Ventura Theater, The World Famous Derby Night Club, 118 West, Rock City Studios, and more.
The website in particular is where you can find out a lot about the company and how each department is run. There are sections on the website for each department.
Sade: What makes So Cal Musician so different than other booking companies? Jon: Well, So Cal Musician is a company designed by musicians for musicians. Over half of the people that are working with us are musicians themselves. The idea is to not get greedy, and more so, take part in the indie music revolution that is going on right now. Help musicians get their music out there, and so forth. I don't want to sound too cliche and say "We care" and that is what makes us different, but we do put the musicians first!
Sade: What are some things that SoCal offers artists that other booking companies do not? Jon: One of the biggest things that we have done so far is our new "100% of the door feature." This is where we basically give the band or artist 100% of the door that they bring in -- after they bring in a certain amount of heads (people). For example, at The World Famous Derby Night Club in Los Angeles, we give you 100% of the door that you bring in after you hit the 30 person mark. So this means if 100 people come to see you, you are walking home with $700 that night. We literally have a person at the door of the venue tally marking who is coming to see who, and with this system, we have been able to help musicians walk home with a good amount cash in their pocket. The idea is to not get greedy. Again, we are working with musicians.
Sade: How would someone go about starting their own business? Jon: They say only 1 out of every 10 new businesses succeed, and the reason why So Cal Musician succeeds and does it so well, is because it isn't just a business to me or anyone that works with So Cal Musician. It isn't about the money. It is about standing up for what you believe in! And we believe in the music. We all put our blood, sweat and tears into So Cal Musician, because it isn't just a business. It is an idea. It is a belief. And beliefs and ideas never die.
Sade: What are some of the difficulties (big or small) that you've faced so far in your business career? And how did you handle them? Jon: There are millions of hoops that you have to jump through to keep your business on the ground, especially when starting it up. Of course you always have to keep in mind your competitors, always know your weaknesses and strengths, however, So Cal Musician in particular is notorious for the way we treat musicians, so we haven't had to deal with anything too difficult.
Sade: What career goals are you still trying to achieve? Jon: So Cal Musician is only in it's beginning stages as of right now. We have a lot of goals that we are going to achieve in the next year alone. This includes managing venues from San Diego to Santa Barbara, the launch of the So Cal Musician Magazine and plenty more.
Sade: A lot of artists talk about how much they financially struggled, especially on the way to their dreams. What can an artist do to make sure that they are able to accomplish their dreams and not have to financially struggle at the same time? Or is it unavoidable? Jon: Well the struggle is inevitable. No matter what your dream may be, you are always going to have to work hard to get there. Nothing in this world is easy! Of course you can always choose your battles and see how much of a struggle you are going to go through, by choosing the right people to work with. Again, there are a lot of sharks out there, and you have to be careful.
Sade: How important is the internet to an artist's career? Jon: The internet is the perfect example of how the music industry has changed. Everything is digital now. When So Cal Musician first launched, 90% of the musicians we were working with were coming from myspace.com alone. Now, I would say that 80-90% of the new musicians we work with come from "word of mouth". But again, almost everyone in this world has access to the internet. Even myspace. It is the number one networking tool in the world, and it is good to use that to your advantage. You can get your music heard by millions of people without even having met them yet.
Sade: Do you think that internet sales may be more important than album sales these days? Jon: Places like iTunes can help a musician with selling their albums, indie musicians tend to gain more support from people when it comes to selling actual CDs. People come and see a band that they love that is coming up and that inspires them to actually go and support the band by purchasing their album.
Sade: How has positive thinking helped you in your careers, and who is apart of your "dream team"? Sade: (A "dream team" is a group of people who support you through the good and bad times, lifting you up when you don't know how to do it yourself. Can be family members, friends, managers, publicists, etc.) Jon: So Cal Musician's dream team is the musicians of Southern California. No Joke. We get so much love and support from the musicians that we work with, they are there for all the good and bad times. There's good times, I remember when it was my 21st birthday, and we booked a band to perform in front of a huge national audience.. the band got the entire 1,200 seater venue of people to sing happy birthday to me. It was amazing! And of course there are tough times, and the musicians that we work with show their love and support during those times as well. Like I said before, it is the musicians of Southern California that really keep us going!
Sade: Recently I had the pleasure of performing in a show with you (Rock City Studios). Do you get performance jitters? If so, how do you get rid of them? Jon: Again, I have always been a speaker, since I would compete in speech tournaments when I was a kid. I was always trying to be the center of attention too, so I don't really get the jitters, I just get excited! I take every ounce of adrenaline and use it to my advantage; and because of that, it is very common that you will see me on stage running around like a madman with incredible stage performance and enthusiasm!
Sade: What are your pre-performance rituals? Jon: Practice Practice Practice.
Sade: Do you think that it is imperative for an artist to have a manager and agent? Why or why not? Jon: OK this is a good and very important question! Sade: Thanks! Jon: With as many shows as So Cal Musician throws, we work with countless amounts of musicians, and every now and then we have a band "manager" or "agent" come into the picture. I will say that 90% of the time these managers do not tell the musicians everything they are supposed to (like telling musicians the requirements that venues have in order to perform), and it gets the musicians in VERY, VERY bad situations.
It is actually to a point where a lot of promotions companies avoid bands with managers at all costs! Our advice is to avoid a manager at all costs, especially when first starting your career. It is good to stay independent when you are first getting your name out there. When you get to the point where you yourself as an artist or your band is suddenly becoming the next big thing, and drawing about 350 people per show you perform, it is a really good idea to get a manager at that point. BUT BE VERY CAREFUL when choosing a manager. Bad ideas for a manager: Someone who is a girlfriend to one of the members of the band, family members, someone who has little to no experience in the music industry. Good Manager: someone who is humble, yet very professional, has plenty of experience in the industry, and can represent your band in a good manner. Keep in mind, your manager (if you choose to have one), is going to be the voice of your band. So again, be very careful when you choose someone to be it. They MUST know exactly what they are doing!
Sade: What is the most difficult part of your career? What is the best part of your career? Jon: The best part about my career with So Cal Musician is seeing the "little guy" become the "big guy", and seeing the musicians actually climb to the top and achieve their goals. The most difficult thing about our career is seeing musicians get into bad situations with bad promotions companies. However, when we started So Cal Musician, I had to make a choice. Am I going to pursue my own performance career? Or take on the responsibility of helping thousands pursue theirs? And after seeing how musicians have been treated by other companies in the past, the choice was a very easy one to make. We are here for the musicians!
Sade: Any final thoughts? Jon: I think that covered it! Jon: You are indeed very, very good! Sade: Thanks Jon! Sade: Thank you for your time, I will let you know when the interview is up at Urban Music Strategies! =) Jon: Any time, you rock! Jon: Thank you!
I am a child of the 80’s. Play some New Order, Yes, or Van Halen and you’ve got my attention.
And yes, I’ll even admit that I like the power ballads, especially from Journey. I mean, really, who didn’t grow up in the 80’s and slow dance to “Open Arms?” That song was standard homecoming and prom material. Well, couple my love of 80’s music and internet marketing and this has to be one of the best stories to come out of the age of YouTube. Hattip to ClassicVinylRecord.com The Story The Zoo was a rock band in the Philippines that liked to upload video of their performances to YouTube. They have a solid following in the Philippines and most of their videos are from their performances at the Hard rock café in Makati. They are very well known for their covers of well-known rock songs from the 80’s and 90’s. Their lead singer, Arnel Pineda garnered a lot of the attention because of his clear tone and amazing voice.
Here is Arnel and The Zoo performing one of my favorite Journey songs, “Faithfully.” Give it a listen, you’ll see what I mean.
Did you know Journey was hiring? Now, here is the amazing part of the story. Halfway around the world original Journey founder, Neil Shon, was trolling videos of bands on YouTube one night and finds this video. He contacted the band through YouTube, convinced them he was for real, and in short time auditioned to become the front man for Journey. It didn’t take much convincing, and he was announced on December 5th 2007.
Now Journey fans, and even those that with a passing familiarity, know Steve Perry was “the voice.” Replacing him bordered on sacrilege. However, after hearing Arnel, I am fully convinced this guy can handle the job.
So, here is your new Journey frontman, Arnel Pineda. From cover band to Frontman, all via YouTube, plus some amazing vocal talent.
Is YouTube the new Broadway? The marketing aspect of this has to be respected. YouTube has been the conduit to many contacts, contracts and discoveries. Apple’s use of a fan’s self-created commercial for the iPod Touch was one of the first YouTube sucess stories. Instead of suing the fan base, Apple realized that the user base were becoming passionate evangelists for the product and it was better to promote the evangelists than shut them down with lawyers. What better way to help people go to the next level of being a fan of the company?
Marketing via YouTube YouTube has enabled a whole new form of discovery for artists. Singers, filmmakers, actors, designers, animators, and on and on. The new pathway to becoming discovered is much shorter and much more broad. The abilities to reach more people and distuguish yourself is easier than ever. However, the stakes are also much higher. Because the access is so easy for anyone to upload themselves, the competition has increased. There are more people uploading than ever before and creating consumer-generated video.
This is the difference that this story highlights. Even among the thousands of videos of people singing Journey songs, this is the one that got noticed. Why? because the kid has scary talent and a voice that is almost (dare I say) better than Steve Perry. He had a product that got noticed. It was better, stronger, and “stickier” than the competition. The secret to success Even though the access is greater, the competition will also be greater, and no amount of additional visibility on the web helps an average product. Products that kick ass and are the ones that get noticed.
How an unsigned singer-songwriter landed in the iTunes top ten on the strength of the ubiquitous gossip blogger's mention.
When Eric Hutchinson woke up on the morning of September 5th and checked his email, his overflowing inbox initially confused him. "It was like my birthday, times ten," he says. "I started reading the messages and realized that something huge had happened."
A few days earlier, a high school friend of Hutchinson’s had emailed gossip blogger Perez Hilton a link to Hutchinson's MySpace page, and the self-proclaimed "queen of all media" liked what he heard enough to post a link and some effusive commentary on his site, which receives three million unique visitors a day.
In the next 24 hours, Hutchinson had 3,000 new friend requests on his MySpace page, and 30,000 spins of the songs he posted on the site. He also saw his album break in to the iTunes top ten, entering at number nine and rising to number seven. At an LA show that night, says manager Dave Morris, "there were crowds of industry people milling around, pissed off that they couldn’t get in."
Until the Perez post, Hutchinson had been just another unsigned singer-songwriter. He had been signed to Maverick and released a live record, but when the label folded in the midst of him recording an album, he was left without a musical home. In the end, Hutchinson decided to buy back the rights to his live album and release his new music on his own. With no distribution deal, he resorted to selling the album at shows and online at awarestore.com and iTunes. His jazzy, soul-influenced work had begun to attract some attention, and Morris says, "buzz was definitely building around Eric."
With the Hilton post, though, the buzz increased to a roar. Hilton has championed other bands in the past, most notably rockers The Gossip and pop star Mika. But Hutchinson is the first unsigned artist to benefit from Perez’s spotlight, and the increased exposure has rocketed him out of obscurity.
When asked what he plans to do next, Hutchinson first laughs and says, "retire." Then he says, "I’m going to keep touring and work on the new album. I’ve been at this a long time, and I don’t feel like an overnight success." But, he acknowledges, "Perez changed everything."
This was Ingrid Michaelson's moment. It was Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007, and the Old Navy sweater commercial that featured her sweet, simple song, "The Way I Am," was hitting the airwaves. For a few days, the 30-second ads played everywhere: all of the major networks during most prime-time shows, "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" and "Late Show With David Letterman," and some of the bigger channels playing syndicated shows. Then, premiere week began.
"You couldn't get away from it," laughed Danny Buch, senior vice president of promotion and artist development at Sony BMG's RED, which at that time had just signed on to distribute Michaelson's "Girls and Boys" album. "It was on every channel!"
On Sept. 27 alone, the commercial aired during the premieres of "The Office," "Ugly Betty," "My Name Is Earl" and "Grey's Anatomy," along with a slew of other placements. By the time its run was over, it had repeatedly played across virtually every network and demographic on 14 of 15 nights through Oct. 4. In less than three weeks, the spot made more than 65 appearances in prime time, including 17 season premieres.
Not bad exposure for an unsigned artist. Michaelson, 28, lives with her parents, an older brother she is not shy about yelling at, a rabbit and a small, yappy dog in the prettiest house on a charming street on Staten Island, N.Y. The place is old and full of wonder, old wooden bookcases lined with vintage record players, sculptures her mother makes, countless books and vinyl and even an art project Michaelson made in the sixth grade.
For those who have heard her songs -- quirky pop confections full of infectious harmonies -- the home's whimsy seems perfect, as does the fact that she's sitting on her couch wearing an oversize babushka and flannel spaceship pajamas.
Michaelson has a cold. And if she's a bit rundown after her insane run of the previous 14 months, well, that's fitting, too.
Unknown by anyone but her friends and family in early July 2006, Michaelson is now in the top five at triple A radio, and starting to cross over to top 40. In the space of a year, she has gone from playing small cafes and clubs for friends and family, to selling out New York's 500-capacity Bowery Ballroom just before Christmas; tickets for a Feb. 15 gig at the city's 1,400-capacity Webster Hall are moving quickly. (Her appearance at Nectar in Fremont next Monday is sold out.)
She's a new You Oughta Know artist on VH1, with "The Way I Am" in heavy rotation, and she's beginning to sell a noteworthy amount of music -- the week leading up to Christmas was her best sales week to date, moving more than 12,000 units of "Girls and Boys," according to Nielsen SoundScan.
While it's tempting to focus on her lack of a traditional record label deal -- Michaelson holds her own master and publishing rights -- thinking of her as the poster child for The End of the Music Business is to miss the point of her story, entirely.
She may not have a regular deal, but she'd be the first to tell you she never would have made it from the Old Navy commercials to the aforementioned accomplishments without plenty of help from the traditional music business. Or at least parts of the traditional music business that are nimble enough to keep up with the speed at which artists, in the right place and time, can develop in 2008.
"All these things are happening so quickly," Michaelson says, wrapping a blanket around her legs, and her hands around a mug of vanilla tea. "I feel like I'm ready to take this to another level. And I don't even know what that means anymore. It used to mean signing to a label. And I'm still not opposed, but I'm still saying, 'Let's just see.' "
Meanwhile, she has assembled what she calls her "Frankenstein label" around her, and it includes some pretty heavy hitters from the music biz. Her manager, Lynn Grossman, is a former GM of world music label Putumayo. Her lawyer is Peter Lewit, of Davis, Shapiro, Lewit & Hayes, a firm that works with some of the biggest names in the industry.
Her music is promoted to radio by Right Arm Resource, a company run by industry vet Jesse Barnett that works with plenty of indies, but also, in the past year or so, major label artists including Bob Dylan, KT Tunstall and Joss Stone. Paradigm, her booking agency, also handles such clients as Coldplay and Avril Lavigne. Original Signal is listed as the label on her CDs, but it's basically a pressing and distribution deal that has grown to include some marketing.
"Effectively, Ingrid is an unsigned artist," said Lucas Mann, president of Original Signal, a new artist development company that has a distribution deal through RED. "As the music business changed, we felt it was important to provide artists with whatever opportunities they were looking for. Lynn and Ingrid had a very specific idea of what they wanted and we wanted to be able to work with them. We've come upon something that works, and it's important to look at this and the pieces of this that are working and say, 'Hey, there's a lesson here.' "
For now, Michaelson and Grossman say they are content to see how far the singer can go without a label.
Grossman says that "when this project needs anything, we'll give it to it. And if that's a label at some point, I have a feeling that will be made clear to us." In the meantime, Michaelson keeps surpassing sales levels she once assumed would mean it was time to make the jump.
"Initially I figured we'd sell about 50,000 records and we'd need a bigger team to help us get to the next level," the manager said. "Now we're at 60,000 (actually at 87,000, as of last week) and we have a really nice big team already. Right now in my head, the next target is about 250,000."
But, she's quick to add, she probably would have the same perspective then: "We've already done 250,000. Why give half away now?"
"Peter (Lewit) and Lynn and I talk about it," Michaelson said. "He's explained the options that I could get. People say you can get to a certain point without a label, but you can't get past that point. And maybe that's true. But maybe it isn't true."
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Jonathan went through his share of issues trying to find himself as a musician, starting and stopping on the guitar, but the last time, as he says, “I finally picked [the guitar] up and things just started to click.” Through a friend he eventually met who was studying recording technology, he finally started to record and immediately began showing off his music. This led to shows, which led to a CD, which has led him to now being able to do this full-time; a direction many musicians aspire for. Stats
--Sales-- "Whole New Me" album (7 track EP) has sold over 15,000 tracks on iTunes in the last 12 months, and over 2,500 physical copies from jonathanclay.com as well as live shows.
"Back To Good" sold over 500 physical copies from jonathanclay.com within it's first week of release.
Strong internet presence with: over 2.75 million plays and over 44,000 comments on myspace 70,000+ myspace friends Current daily play average of over 2,000
--Placement/TV Shows--
TV Series: MTV's "The Real World" - Season finale 2007 (After All) MTV's "The Hills" episode 309 (Back To Good) as well as various end-of-season recaps. MTV's "Newport Harbor" season 2, episode 8 (After All & More Than A Picture) ABC's "Lincoln Heights" (After All) WB's "The Home Team"
Movies: Lifetimes Movie - "My Name is Sarah"
Independent Films: "Anderson's Cross" "Virginia"
Other: Featured artist in Martin & Osa clothing stores nationwide
Q's & A's
What is the most satisfying accomplishment in your music career so far? Probably the TV placement, and everything that has come as a result of that. I worked really hard to make that happen, and it was amazing to hear the songs I had written being broadcast on national TV.
How did the TV placement come about? I created a strong internet presence and built a solid foundation. I got my music (and still do) to people's ears through whatever respectful means possible. People started to notice, and someone who was in charge of program music for MTV contacted my manager.
Song placement in T.V. and film has to be one of the most asked about topics on our blog. What is your advice to an artist looking to find placement for their music. Create a solid fan base. Build your reputation and your credibility. Use the internet to get your music across the country overnight, and get creative. If you really work, it will most likely happen organically. Honestly, It takes alot of preparation and a little bit of luck. Social Media Sites
Are there any social media sites that you think artists must be on? Myspace is the obvious first answer to that question. Aside from that, youtube, facebook, and iLike are all extremely beneficial as well. Which sites are you getting the best response on? Myspace.
Are you playing clips or full songs on those sites? Full songs. If people think it is quality stuff, they'll spend the money they worked for to support it. Just GET THEM OUT THERE. It will pay off later.
What are your thoughts on providing your fans with free music? I guess my answer to the last question and this one go hand in hand. If your fans want to support your music, they're going to support it. Every artist seems to have a different take on this issue. I really just don't think that giving away a song or two hurts the artist. There are alot of underlying benefits to doing that that many people seem to overlook. What is your is your overall strategy and goals for your social media sites? My overall strategy is to try to get my music to people who I think may like what I do. I try to be respectful, and I do not spam people. That does more harm than good. I also try to use the media sites for what they are, and not center my whole career around them. They are an amazing tool, but I see some artists who put soo much energy in to their myspace page's that they're not even playing shows. There is no replacement for playing a live show, and going out on tour. Jonathan Clay- "A Little Time" Promotion & Marketing beyond Social Media sites
What type things that you are doing to promote yourself that are making an impact? I don't have the street team thing organized like I should, but that can be a really great way to get fans involved. Contacting music supervisors, song placement companies, etc, are all good things to do too. Get your music on iTunes (CDBaby and tunecore are both great) and play out live. Contact local news stations, and get out there.
What are some of the things that an artist on a tight budget can do to generate a buzz? Thats really the beauty of the internet. Most of the internet-based promotional tools/sites are free. There is a general correlation between budget and marketing. The stuff that is free usually takes the most time to get results, and the stuff that is expensive can really free you up. Make sure you balance your time. Keep honing your craft, and don't lose sight of the whole reason you're promoting. It's about the music.
Fan Management
How you are collecting your fans information for your database? On my email list, I can organize subscribers by age, gender, and state. Same with my mobile fan club. You have to be able to target specific fans and send them only pertinent information. Your fans from Texas don't want and email about your show in New York. That's just going to annoy them. How often do you keep in touch with them? Every day. I’m either writing back emails, hanging out after shows, or posting blogs every day. Where do most of your signups come from? Myspace; which leads people to jonathanclay.com; which has a link to my email list on the front page.
Distribution How is your music made available to your fans? Physically, from the jonathanclay.com online store (paypal). Digitally, iTunes
Which service has the most sales?
iTunes.
Streams of Income
Based on percentages can you list the top four streams of income from your music? Keep in mind that they're all co-dependent, and one feeds off the other, but they would be: iTunes physical CD sales from jonathanclay.com live show sales and income and film/TV licensing. If you had to start all over again what would be the top five things you would do first to move your music career in the right direction. Get my music recorded. Build it live locally, and build it nationally through the internet. Learn how to play out and practice. Put together a tour and hit the road.
Indie Music Strategies is a blog designed to help Indie artist with solid do-it-yourself strategies for independent music success by giving artists tips, info, articles, resources and the motivation they need to launch, promote and grow a successful music career.
Martin Johnson is a music ministry/business coach, performance coach, speaker and blogger. Martin has spent over 22 years working with a wide range of independent musicians as well as music industry professionals.
Jon Avila overcame poverty and misfortune, and started his own business "So Cal Musician"! So Cal Musician is often described as "a booking & networking company that is involved with over 2,000 musicians and 600 venues in Southern California." 
Sade: That brings me to my next question. Who has inspired you the most in your career? Please name a person inside the business and someone outside of the business.
Sade: Tell me all about your business So Cal Musician and what it is that you do for artists
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Jonathan went through his share of issues trying to find himself as a musician, starting and stopping on the guitar, but the last time, as he says, “I finally picked [the guitar] up and things just started to click.” Through a friend he eventually met who was studying recording technology, he finally started to record and immediately began showing off his music. This led to shows, which led to a CD, which has led him to now being able to do this full-time; a direction many musicians aspire for.
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