Forbes’ Brian Wingfield has a nice story up about how “the digital revolution has made it easier than ever to create, market and sell music.”

Record companies are also using digital tools to help them find new acts. For example, using Tunecore’s technology, three Universal Music Group labels earlier this month launched Web sites where musicians can upload their songs for consideration by talent scouts: www.unimodigitaldistribution.com, www.republicdd.com, www.idjfirstlook.com and www.interscopedigitaldistribution.com.

Sweet – maybe I should send in some of my stuff, like RPG Productions’ seminal “Jam in A” from March 2004:

Ah, but Wingfield’s story continues with a “caveat to all this digital wizardry.”

“The first criterion is you have to be good, which almost no acts are,” says Bob Lefsetz, an industry analyst who runs the Lefsetz Letter, a popular and candid industry blog.

People like to read daily blogs as part of their online reading. But do they realize they can comment?  Did you know you can be a part of the discussion?  

Most blogs are written in first person.  You can use “I”.  It is the writer’s opinion. This lends itself well for starting a discussion.  Think of it as a hybrid “letter to the editor”.  I believe you do a disservice to your readers when you don’t allow feedback.  Many bloggers don’t post feedback.

People like to read what other people have to say on an issue. Bob Lefsetz makes a great effort to post feedback from his readers.  Sometimes this feedback is more popular then his original post on the topic. Depending on how controversial the topic is will dictate the amount of feedback. 

Feedback is really the most important element of blogging.  Think of blogs as online discussions. Allow feedback and you can take the pulse of an industry.

With feedback in mind I pose two questions today:

1. Do you think the merger of Live Nation/Ticketmaster will happen and why or why not?
2. How do you think H1N1 will affect ticket sales in the upcoming months?

Send me back your answers and I will post them on Friday. 

People in the biz reminder

Don’t forget that I will also post updates on what people in our industry are up to this Friday.  Please email me your updates.  As I mentioned last week, I will post these updates every Friday. This is a great chance for your fellow event & entertainment marketers to hear what you are doing or your business is doing.  We can all learn from this.

I read in The Wall Street Journal this morning how Disney is about to market a new technology for on-demand.  This new technology is called “Keychest”.  With this, you will be able to pay a one time price for a movie and play it anytime you want on all your digital devices such as DVD, PC, iPod, and mobile. You will actually own the movie without physically having it.  This article made me think about the discussion and test trials of live event season passes.

The idea of season passes (beyond sports teams) for live events such as concerts is not new and has been discussed frequently over the past year.  This was a major discussion at last year’s Aspen Live Conference.  It has also been discussed in the LiveWorks Newsletter and The Lefsetz Letter.  Live Nation has been experimenting with season passes at some of its smaller venues such as House of Blues.

What if the artist or show was to offer lifetime passes?  Most major music acts have large fan bases with fan clubs. What if the artist was to offer a lifetime pass to these fans?  Would they buy them? Is it feasible?

This might work well for family shows.  What if Feld Entertainment offered a lifetime pass for all their shows?  They play at least two different shows (Ringling Bros. and Disney on Ice) in most markets every year.  How much money could Feld charge?  Would a young family buy into this program if it were a good deal for the years to come? 

What if the larger arena venues offered season passes for all their non-sporting events?  Is it really that far fetched?  They already sell suits and club seats, why not a season seat pass to see every event in a year?

Don’t sell me.

Don’t be pushy or arrogant or talk more than you listen.

If you talk more than you listen, you’re deficient. If you spew more than you ingest you’re left wanting. Be attentive, listen, read. Don’t read a playbook and try to squeeze me into your scenario.

The better prepared you are, the more you listen, the less likely you are to lose the sale or end up looking foolish.

This is not to deride all salespeople; sales is a noble, necessary profession. Like most careers, it’s part art, part science. When a sale is handled correctly, win-wins happen.

I worked in marketing, a branch of sales. If sales and marketing come together in the right way, good things happen. If not, things go south like an RV in January.

You’ve got people like Seth Godin who could sell gasoline to a blowtorch. The thing with Seth is he focuses on ideas; his products are ancillary. He didn’t sell me his books. I bought them because I’d invested time in his daily blogs and watched clips of his speeches on YouTube. I looked forward to his insights, saw truth in them, and bought a book along the way. It was almost an afterthought.

Bob Lefsetz is Godin’s analogue on the music side. Bob, while he may be paid to speak or consult here and there, sells nothing more than ideas. He’s kept at it like a madman for years and he’s earned the industry’s ear. If I ran a label looking to improve, I know whom I’d call.

As a society, we need to focus inward. We need to perfect our products and ideas and art. Honesty helps. We need to sacrifice instant gratification for the long haul and pursue sustainability. Real and true sell themselves.

On some level, we all want to “sell” our art.

Think about the lame “musicians” out there with charting singles whose names you can’t recall, whose faces you’ve never seen. The authors churning out trash novels like fast food and collecting the check. They play the game, make a quick cash grab, and fade into obscurity.

Think about the artists who’ve never had a radio hit, who’ve busted their ass building fiercely loyal fan bases that will support them until the day they croak.

Prince once said, “An artist gets the kind of fans they deserve.”

I agree.

Bob Lefsetz, the writer of the infamous Lefsetz Letter, is always causing trouble.  He gets so ridiculous sometimes that I completely ignore his emails for whole weeks at a time.  To give you an idea of what he’s like, check out this video of him battling Gene Simmons from Kiss.

This is Bob

So today I see an emailed entitled:  From Lily Allen.  I thought to myself, “this has got to be good.”

…and it was.  Her last sentence sums it up (note:  there are obvious grammar and spelling mistakes):  “you’re piece yesterday was mildly interesting, todays is insulting and I’ll be consulting my lawyers on the matter.”

Bob’s beauty lies in his ability to piss people off and insult them, which de facto causes everyone to question the standards and practices of the music business.  He usually doesn’t offer solutions, but that’s for the loyal readers to figure out.  I realize that now.  So keep it up Bob because there’s plenty of truth out there that I need to uncover from your smoke signals.

For those of you who read Lefsetz, you may remember a few years ago when he wrote about our discussions at the Aspen Live Conference regarding a “Season’s Pass“ to rock clubs.  In fact, Don Strasburg from AEG in Denver actually tried the idea out with a limited number of passes at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO (Bob wrote about that too).  The passes sold-out as soon as Don’s team put them up on the club’s website.  In Aspen, the big questions were ”what will the agents and managers say…and how do those tickets count towards the show gross.”  Those were the exact reasons why Don only sold a limited number of passes at the Fox.  He didn’t want to make things messy but wanted to try the experiment for us. 

So, now Live Nation is doing it in their smaller rooms.  $49.99 gets you into all shows to Live Nation clubs (it will be limited to one club in each market) from now through the end of the year (roughly 3-months).  This fee does not include parking according to what I’ve read on Pollstar Online.  Obviously, someone spoke with someone before pulling the trigger on this…but there is a lot of screaming going on right now.  Me, I think even if Live Nation did it for the most selfish reasons imaginable, it is good for our business…and great for Live Nation!

Here is my case.

1. The program will hopefully fill the clubs which is good for the acts and LN
2. LN said that when they went into the ticketing business they would share data with the artists…This could be a great way for artists to reach out to fans too
3. Hopefully the price point turns someone onto live music that might not otherwise (for the price of going to the movies a few times, I can see 4 of my favorite bands)
4. It is the fourth quarter…everyone could use a bump (no not that kind)
5. The program is only 3-months…so a good test period without giving the store away
6. LN says that the Passports are competing with hard ticket sales but I bet there is a way around that for artists that will sell-out quickly…I believe we call that the pre-sale
7. The clubs, artists and thus the business are getting a free ride on the press that LN is generating…how are you going to take advantage of that

It will be interesting to see how the business feels when the dust settles, but I’m going to go out on a limb now and say you will all be happy about it…and will start to emulate what Live Nation did.  The “Season’s Pass” is here to stay!  Everyone in Live Entertainment should follow the lead of the amusement parks.  If Disney can figure out a way to make money with it, so can you. 

Aspen Live Room Registration Open

This year’s Aspen Live Conference, December 10-12,  is really about the Live Entertainment Industry getting together.  There will be no official meetings or speakers planned…at least for now.  We will send out more information about the program as we get closer in.  For now what you need to know is that room registration at the St. Regis, Aspen is now open…and we have held very few of them.  If you would like to reserve a room at our conference rate of $260 per night, please follow the information below. 

A personalized Web site for ASPEN LIVE occurring
(December 09, 2009 – December 13, 2009) has been created for you.

Guests can access the site to learn more about the event and to book,
modify, or cancel a reservation from September 17, 2009 to December 16, 2009.

Below you will find the appropriate link for participants to access the site:
Attendee

ASPEN LIVE
http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=0909177850&key=263E1

 Guests can also make reservations by calling the Hotel directly at 970-920-3300 or 888-454-9005 and reference that you would like to make a reservation under the Aspen Live Ski Weekend group.

Speak with you soon…

Jim

A while back I posted some thoughts on how the music business is changing and some different ways to get attention in a changing industry. Seth Godin is a marketing genius who’s as tapped in as anyone to new media and its attendant issues and opportunities, and though it doesn’t mention the music business, this post on his blog, Flipping Abundance and Scarcity , might as well, it fits so well. I highly recommend reading it, even though if you’re a musician it may raise more questions than it answers.

If, as music industry blogger Bob Lefsetz says frequently, music not only will be free in the future but is virtually free now, the question Godin poses is one of how to change the old business model to properly take advantage of the new “Free” paradigm. Doing things the same way (like most record labels still do) and giving away the music isn’t enough; new strategies and promotional efforts must emerge to get the attention that the old scarcity of product used to guarantee.

And there’s no lack of product out there–the New Music Tipsheet noted that there were 400 albums released today across all genres–how many have you heard about?

Guys like Godin and Lefsetz are on the right track, but the big ideas will have to come from artists intent on getting their music heard on whatever level they can.

This blog is not for you. If I were half the man Bob Lefsetz is, I’d pause here to toss in the lyrics to that great fuck-you song Pearl Jam did back in the day:

Restless soul, enjoy your youth

Like Muhammad hits the truth

Can’t escape from the common rule

If you hate something, don’t you do it too…

…This is not for you

Eddie and the Growlers got it right, time and again. I’d nearly forgotten. You go out for an innocent run to torque up the adrenaline and the miracles of modern technology pump unexpected inspiration directly into your eardrums.

I wanted to blog a bit about why I’m doing this; or rather, for whom I’m doing it. I don’t harbor illusions about much, let alone that the general public will take interest in the musings of some young guy who decided to take a year off work to write a book. I like to say blogs are like assholes: everyone’s got at least one.

It isn’t like the old Web days, where the simple act of creating an online presence got you attention. Today you don’t exist unless you’re online—not just online, but innovating online. Like buying your girlfriend a sixer of Schlitz and a pack of Camels after you nail her best friend, it’s the least you can do.

Everything’s online.  Don’t believe me? Browse on over to FatMenandTheirToasters.com (if that URL is available, I call dibs). There is little I could do thematically or structurally here that would blaze a trail.

Straight up, this blog is mine. To keep me on task. If you think a blank page is daunting, try a book full of blank pages inside a blank apartment on a blank Tuesday afternoon. Sure, coffee shops and libraries liven things up, but I’ve got to remain accountable.

That’s where you—real or imagined—come in. This blog will allow me to keep my writing fingers limber, stay motivated, work through ideas, and create some semblance of accountability; if I tell the viewers at home I’m writing a book, I’d better bring the goods (or risk looking awful silly in front of at least seven strangers).

It’ll also be fun to watch me splinter and crumble mentally as the inevitable Minneapolis winter assures me that everything I’ve ever written is crap and that, no, another chocolate chip cookie won’t hurt.

As if Pearl Jam weren’t treat enough, my playlist ended with another surprise—an artist that greased my wheels way back when. Though this nugget came along toward the end of the Pumpkins’ mainstream career, it remains fresh (and apt):

We dismiss the back roads

To ride these streets unafraid

Resigned to scraping paint

From our bones unashamed

No more the eye upon you

No more the simple man

Desolation yes, hesitation no

Desolation yes, hesitation no

As you might have guessed

All is never shown

Desolation yes, hesitation no

Excerpt from Lefsetz Letter

So know that if you’re an act, you’ve got start slow and small.  And sans perseverance, you’ll have no success.  You’ve got to develop, not only your marketing, but your music.  No one can predict when you’ll break through, nor what will cause your breakthrough.  Could be a track, could be a show, you’ve got to try things, always asking yourself what your fans desire.

In 1949, the public no longer desired radio.

In 2009, the public no longer desires CDs and commercial music radio.  Rather than try to prop up the old, invest in the new.

Full article at www.lefsetz.com

A few weeks ago I wrote an article detailing some of the ways Imogen Heap has been engaging with fans and building excitement for her new album Ellipse.  A little while later, Bob Lefsetz featured commentary about my article in his Lefsetz Letters.

If you speak with enough people in the music business, you’ll find that Lefsetz is equal parts respected and hated.  But even the haters admit to regularly reading Lefsetz’s columns and agreeing with some of his insights.  So perhaps he’s more respected than hated.

In his article, Lefsetz raised some concerns about Heap’s methods of engaging with fans:

1. Is it worth it? How does the time Heap invests in engaging with her fans result in real revenue? In a follow-up article, Lefsetz again questioned the way Heap spent, or as he put it “wasted”, her time: “But many expect all these activities to pay off.  That’s what bothered me with Ms. Heap’s efforts, not only how much time and mental energy was wasted, but whether she was generating revenue!”
2. Is the artist becoming a personality instead of a musician? “What about practicing, gigging, getting good?”

Imogen Heap Ellipse #4 on iTunes

Is It Worth It? Lefsetz’s point is that rather than build up to “one event” – the album release – Heap should have been focusing on generating revenue all along. First of all, the premise that this is all leading up to one event, is a bit flawed.  In reality, the connections Heap is making with her fans will actually pay off many times over, well beyond the release of Ellipse.  There will be tours and merch sales, perhaps side projects and special events.  I’m willing to bet that all of these future activities will benefit from the enthusiasm and support Heap has ignited in her fans by maintaining contact with them throughout her career (not just when she’s trying to sell something).

That said, were Heap’s efforts worth it for the sake of the release of Ellipse? Well, as of 11:00am this morning (release day), Ellipse was #4 on iTunes Top Albums Chart, #2 on Amazon’s MP3 Download Chart, and #6 on Amazon’s Top 100 Bestsellers Chart.

Lefsetz also suggests that Heap should have been selling tracks one-by-one, as they were ready, “If only she had put tracks on iTunes as she completed them, when the desire was still white hot.” I agree that makes sense for some artists during various stages of their career. In fact, Heap may do this some day. But for now, Heap actually created more desire and lasting value by involving her fans in the making of the album, track by track. Heap did something that is very difficult to do – she maintained desire throughout the entire process of making the album and through the release date.

Just 2 out of thousands of Tweets from excited Heap fans

This is something many major-label as well as independent artists fail to do – they release an album, go on tour, go home (or disappear in the woods somewhere) and record another album.  Then, a year or several years later, they release the new album and need to build excitement for it within a much shorter time-frame leading up to its release. There’s no continuity. The momentum they gained from one release or tour doesn’t carry through to the next. They then have to revive old mailing lists (at which point many email addresses are no longer valid) and inactive communities on their social networks.  If fans haven’t had a reason to come back to an artist’s online communities for a sustained period of time, it’s difficult to re-engage them when you have an important message (such as the release of a new album) to communicate.

Is the artist becoming a personality instead of a musician? Lefsetz says, “But suddenly, you’re no longer a musician, but a personality.” Well, I don’t want to be the one to tell Bono, Madonna, Mick, Prince, Bruce, Thom, and Trent that they’re no longer musicians, so I’m going to say that it’s possible (and in fact, beneficial) to be both a musician and a personality.

Here’s the deal — when an artist leaves a record label, the fans don’t stay with the label, they go with the artist. The more musicians can authentically and consistently connect with their fans, the more emotionally invested the fans become. As they did with Heap, not only will they buy your record, they may help you keep it from illegal distribution; they’ll be your eyes and ears and inform you about things in the periphery of your career you otherwise may not have known; they’ll tell their friends to buy your music; they’ll buy your music as a gift for their friends; they’ll be at your shows; they’ll offer their talents (design, tech support, photography, etc) to help you succeed; and as they do for Amanda Palmer, they’ll open their home to you when you’re passing through town.

Building your persona and your fan base isn’t just important in case you leave a record label (or the label drops you) – it’s equally important if you’re one of the artists who actually still wants to get a major label deal. Record labels want to sign acts who they think can sell records.  They want to see some evidence that people actually give a $h!t about your music.  They look at the number of profile views and audio streams on your MySpace. They get a sense of the “scene” at your live shows. You don’t have to amass an enormous fan base, but if you can show that you have a loyal following and that there’s a “buzz” about you, people will pay attention. The Arcade Fire, Taking Back Sunday, Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Katy Perry, The White Stripes and countless others know this to be true.

What if you’re truly independent – you’re not on a major label and you have no intention of ever signing to one?  Well in that case, investing your time in building a relationship with your fans is as important as the music itself.  One benefit of the current state of the music business is that indie artists no longer need a middle-man to handle distribution.  However, it then becomes solely the musician’s responsibility to create the desire for their music and to build a base of fans who will purchase the music, buy some merch, or attend the live shows. Ani DiFranco has built a very successful career this way.

What about practicing, gigging, getting good? Lefsetz makes a good point – you can build the largest fan base in the world, but if your music isn’t good, then you don’t have anything.  Oh wait… have you listened to the radio lately???

In his follow-up article on Heap, Lefsetz says: “If you release music the public loves, the public will spread the word, you don’t even have to.” Ok – but how is “the public” going to get exposed to your music if you don’t communicate with them? Putting your song up on MySpace doesn’t mean that all 125 million users will hear it.

I’ve sat in Chris Blackwell’s den, in his house outside of London, while he played me some of the best music from around the world that I had never heard (nor have you).  Every time I said, “Wait! Who is this? Where can I get this?” Blackwell would politely tell me who the artist was, where they were from, and how I wouldn’t be able to get it… These artists put their music out there, but not enough members of “the public” knew about it, so they couldn’t sustain.

Yes, musicians should “practice, gig and get good,” but all of that means little if they don’t have an audience. Luckily Heap is good and she has the audience to share her talents with.

So what does this mean? Lefsetz says, “If this is truly the future, we’re fucked.” Do you need to speak with every fan one-to-one? Do you need to build a huge following on every social platform known to man? Do you need to invite your fans over for dinner? No. No. And no.

The most important thing you can do to build a relationship with your fans is to be yourself and give them a glimpse of who you are.  Authenticity is key.  If you ordinarily wouldn’t be on Twitter, then don’t just throw up a Twitter profile because it’s “the thing to do.” If you need help managing your fan communications, that’s ok too – but make sure whoever is interfacing with your fans is doing so in a meaningful, genuine way.

Your interactions with your fans should absolutely reflect your personality.  Look, Trent Reznor built up a Twitter following of more than 800,000 people too.  And then -  just like Trent Reznor would -  he closed his Twitter account.  While some fans may be disappointed by that, they’re certainly not surprised.

In Imogen Heap’s case, her online efforts are not merely a ploy to sell records.  Heap genuinely cares about her fans, she knows who many of them are, and she values their ideas and opinions.  That’s why her online networks are growing exponentially daily – people understand that Heap genuinely cares for them; that she’s making music precisely because of them; that if they encounter a problem with one of her products or platforms, she will fix it; they know she may ask for their help, and that she’ll appreciate it.

It’s also beneficial to engage in a two-way conversation with your fans.  This doesn’t mean you need to address each individual personally.  It means you ask them collectively for their feedback. And you listen. You let them know that you heard them and how you plan to (or not to) incorporate their ideas. Instead of bombarding people with “Buy this!”, “Sign up for that!”, “Come to this!” messages, ask, suggest, and invite. As you notice trends in questions or suggestions, you address them.

I profiled Imogen Heap because she is an exceptional example. She uses practically every network online, as appropriate, with an integrated approach.  She’s consistent. When her fans finally do meet Heap in person, they realize she’s quite the same as her online persona – this isn’t  some bad JDate. That’s not to say that every artist has to do every thing that Heap is doing in order to be successful, but it certainly doesn’t hurt and I don’t think Heap nor her fans would consider it a waste of time.

You can listen to full streams of all songs on Imogen Heap’s Ellipse here.

Fans expressing excitement for Heap's tour

You might be wondering why it’s been 3 weeks since my last post (The New Music Business Model: Imogen Heap). . .

Initially, this entry was going to be about the benefits and differences between using Facebook and Twitter to share articles.  I’ve been tracking traffic across multiple blogs, looking at referring sources, and trends in the ebb and flow of visitors to each blog or article.  As we know, social media platforms and search engines often continue to breathe life into stories long after they’ve been published.

What I initially set out to do was offer tips for maximizing the reach of your content online, specifically leveraging Facebook and Twitter.  But in the midst of all this research something happened and traffic to a blog I posted 3 weeks ago skyrocketed.

The graph depicting traffic to my blog originally included spikes as more and more people re-tweeted and shared the post.  There were additional spikes when Imogen Heap’s PR Twitter account, @HeapWire, Tweeted my story and then again when @ImogenHeap sent a Tweet reminding followers that PR stories could be found at HeapWire.  Then, Monday morning, what was previously charting as significant traffic had been trumped and now the graph looks like this:

Daily Traffic to The New Music Business Model blog

What happened? Bob Lefsetz, arguably the most influential (and often controversial) writer in the music business, and Scott Perry whose New Music Tipsheet is a must-read for anybody who’s trying to stay on top of music news – found, responded and linked to my blog. From there, Josh Groban re-tweeted Lefsetz’s link and several other established sites (including Hypebot) requested to re-publish the post.

I was instantly reminded of the important role influencers play in spreading content.  Influencer marketing and relationship building is a core component of almost every campaign I conceive.  That said, I was not actively “pushing” my own blog nor did I send it to Lefsetz or Perry. Yet as a result of their attention, I decided that a blog about influencer marketing is probably more meaningful at this point than a blog about maximizing your reach via Facebook and Twitter.  Let’s face it – there are numerous platforms available that effectively support the viral distribution of your content, but those are merely delivery channels.  The most beneficial thing you can do is leverage each network to reach the people who matter most — the influencers.

Who is an influencer? It’s important to define “influential” because it is often confused with “the person who can reach the largest audience.”  While it may be the case that the person with the most “friends” is also the most influential, what truly defines “influence” is the ability to incite action.

A person with 500,000 “friends,” followers, or email subscribers may be able to communicate a message to a wide audience.  But is that audience actually paying attention? Are they moved by the message to take action? Are they even reading the message? Conversely, a mom who has 10,000 dedicated blog readers, who are excited about her blog daily, forward her advice to their friends, and buy the products she recommends, is certainly influential. Influencers are trusted members of a community, who have perceived expertise.

Another thing to keep in mind is that influence varies among different target audiences.  In niche or exclusive communities even fewer members hold greater influence.  Within a broad community (i.e. pet owners) there will be one set of influencers, but as you drill down into specific sub-categories (i.e. dogs) and then further (i.e. German Shepherds) there will be a different set of influencers altogether. The more targeted you are when connecting with influencers, the more likely your message will be “heard.”

Similarly, each platform or network tends to have its influencers.  This is particularly visible on Digg and Twitter. To get a sense of somebody’s overall influence on a target audience, you need to look at all of the places that member is engaging with the audience (Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, Digg, etc.).  Often it’s easier to find the most influential people within one network and then dig further to find the most influential people within a target audience on that network.

When it comes to entertainment marketing, sometimes the most influential sources are not the official ones.  During a recent music campaign we found that 2 super-fans were able to drive more views of an artist’s video than the artist herself.  Similarly, the more commercial or corporate the campaign, the more likely the most influential and trusted sources will not be the official representatives of each group.  People are looking for trusted, third-party validation which means we need to find the trusted “validators” — they have been proven to drive awareness, adoption, and sales.

Who influences the influencers? It’s important to remember that no matter how influential somebody is, they too have their own trusted network that they turn to for information and recommendations.  The influencer’s influencer may not be all that influential in the larger community, but by having the ear of the recognized influencer, this additional source is actually a key enabler in the chain of influence.  For example, if you really want to reach a celebrity (a primary influencer), it helps exponentially to have a good relationship with their personal assistant or management team.

There are numerous occasions when it is difficult to gain access to the primary influencer.  So don’t just know who the influencers are — know who their influencers are! Twitter can help give you some insight into this – find the influencers and then look at whom they’re following.  On Facebook you can look at whom the influencer is engaging with most frequently (via wall posts and comments) as well as their “Top Friends” (if they’re using that app).  At Digg there are a group of very influential members — if enough of them Digg your article, you will end up on the front page. Look at who these influencers are Digging and get to know them as well – chances are they’re the ones feeding information to the primary influencers on Digg.

Where can you find influencers? It depends on your target audience.  Some communities are more active online than others, some audiences prefer one social network to another, and some influencers have private social network profiles but publicly accessible blogs.  It’s not only important to understand where your influencers can be found, but also the best way to reach and engage them.

A real world example: the yoga community. According to a study published by Yoga Journal magazine, “Yoga in America,” Americans spent $5.7 billion in 2008 on yoga classes and products, including equipment, clothing, vacations and media such as DVDs, videos, books and magazines. 44% of yoga practitioners in the US have a household income of at least $75,000.  24% earn more than $100,000.  An estimated 15.8 million people now practice yoga in the US. This is undeniably a group of people many brands and advertisers would like to reach.

The thing about the yoga community is – the most influential members are not online all that often (speaking relatively of course).  One of my dear friends is a very well known yoga teacher — the auto-reply on her email currently states she’s away until July 18th.  Nearly a month later even the auto-reply is out of date (and by the way, she is no longer “away”). Several of her students (and my friends) are members of Facebook, but compared to other audiences who log on daily or multiple times daily, the yoga community seem to participate less frequently.

This is not to say you can’t reach the yoga community online.  I’m merely pointing out that many of the most influential people in this group are traveling the world, leading workshops, and participating in offline gatherings.  So, if you really want to connect with the influencers in the yoga community, grab your mat and hit a class or attend a yoga conference or workshop.

Generally speaking, influencers in most target audiences can be found across multiple online platforms including: Facebook, Twitter, Digg, YouTube, WordPress, etc.  But keep in mind that it may also be beneficial to reach influencers offline, and authentically connect with them in the physical world.

How do you identify influencers? Companies such as BuzzLogic and Nielsen BuzzMetrics offer services that tell you not only who is talking about your brand or a specific topic, but who the most influential communicators are. There are also several sites that attempt to measure influence on Twitter based on various criteria (# of followers, influence of followers, # of RTs,  etc).

All of these services are helpful and can make the process of identifying influencers more efficient. At the same time, the most essential element of successfully tapping into influencers is building authentic relationships with them. While a service may point you in the right direction, at the end of the day you still need to do considerable work to really understand individual influencers and how they engage their followers.

Personally, I still identify influencers manually. I look at who’s writing about various subjects (social media search tools like Who’s Talkin? make this more efficient), look at who their audience is, and monitor audience engagement with each person’s communication. People ask, “Well, doesn’t that take a lot of time?” Yes, it does.  But through this process I also learn a great deal about each member of the community – their preferred methods of communication, the types of content they’re most interested in, how they communicate with their followers, how frequently they engage with the community, and probably most important – what they don’t like.

Working with influencers: This is where the real effort kicks in. Working with influencers requires that you have solid, relevant, and interesting content and exceptional relationship-building skills.

As previously noted, often the most influential people are those who are very difficult to reach directly – celebrities, athletes, highly respected writers and industry leaders like Bob Lefsetz and Scott Perry. Furthermore, the top tier influencers typically do not want to be told what they should be paying attention to.  They’re influential because they know what to pay attention to.  Again, this is why it’s important to maintain good relationships with the people the influencers are watching and ultimately, to become one of those people yourself.

Do not assume that since you’re one of the biggest brands or that because you created a once-popular product, people are going to care and be excited to hear from you. The most influential people are bombarded with similar requests and although you may think otherwise, you’re nothing special. They also tend to pride themselves on their credibility and their inability to be “bought” (although most will be happy to offer you advertising on their site).

Building these relationships takes time and requires patience. I once worked for somebody who was frustrated that influencers weren’t signing on to our promotion as rapidly as he would have liked.  Not understanding what it takes to develop these relationships, he said, “Well, just tell them you work for the guys who created MySpace.”  To which I responded, “These people hate MySpace.”  Next, he suggested we modify our communication and tell people we worked for News Corp.  Ummm… see the previous paragraph… and have an understanding of how your brand (and its parent company) is perceived.  Authentic relationships are built between individuals.   It’s okay to tout your brand to the right people. It’s even better to reach out with humility and gratitude and recognize you need these relationships more than they need you.

After many years of working with influencers, I haven’t found a fail-safe formula. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of success:

• Understand the audience you’re trying to reach. Make sure you “know” them.  If you’re not familiar with a particular target audience, find somebody who is a member of that community or shares their interests and let that person handle communications.
• Provide relevant content – something people will want to re-publish or respond to.
• Make sure the content you offer is of value to the people you’re trying to reach (again – relevancy, quality, and knowing your audience)
• Be aware of the boundaries of the relationships you create and what you do and don’t have permission to do.  Lefsetz’s response to my blog includes a link to a helpful article about Permission Marketing written by Seth Godin.
• Maintain good relationships with everybody you encounter – you never know who has the ear of the most influential people in their community.  Don’t underestimate the power and influence of bartenders, personal trainers, the hotel concierge. . .
• Be patient and respectful. Building relationships takes time and if somebody isn’t interested in what you’re offering, thank them for their consideration and remember you may have something down the line that they will be interested in
• Instead of telling people what you want, invite conversation.  Let them know what you have to offer and remain open to suggestions.  Influencers likely know their audience better than you and chances are they’ll offer better ideas and even help you optimize your content.

Yes, it’s a lot of work. But it is possible to build sustaining relationships with people who ultimately help support the longevity of your brand. I believe it’s worth it.

The idea of the last LiveWorks Newsletter http://liveworksnews.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/innovation-wins-every-time/ was to point out how innovators like C3, Goldenvoice/AEG Live, Superfly/Ashley Capps/Coran Capshaw, CAA, William Morris, Madison House…and Kevin Lyman have changed the landscape of the U.S. Concert Business through their festival development…and challenges the rest of us to try to live-up to their example.  So when I first saw a few jumping on Kid Rock’s bandwagon to tear Kevin down (in my mind Rock was the only one who should have been dissing and even he admits that he likes Kevin), my blood pressure started rising fast (those of you who know me have seen that before).  But then…Lefsetz http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ started posting the flood (only way to describe it) of support for Kevin Lyman.

It was heartwarming to see so many bands, managers, agents, promoters, sponsors, fans…everyone say WE LOVE KEVIN… AND THIS IS WHY vs. ARTHUR FOGEL IS A LIAR (which we still saw too much of).  Here are some facts to chew on…

1) The U2 tour is doing very well whether you like their new album or not.  They are an amazing live band, always do groundbreaking production,  and unless you are in the box office counting the drop every-night, you shouldn’t be commenting on other’s ticket sales (unless you are Bob Lefsetz as he is our business’s commentator and conscious…and the reason we have these dialogues in the first place).

2) A new trend the business is seeing, and adapting to as much as possible is seating preferences.  P1 seats continue to sell in this economy.  So do P3’s and beyond.  P2’s not so much.  What you might see in a stadium concert is a show that is 98% sold-out and still has an empty section that looks like it is down-front. Just because the promoter/building/band wants to fill it in, doesn’t mean the show didn’t make money, and most of the capacity sold.  Maybe I’m totally wrong, but if you don’t know for sure, don’t call someone a liar!

3) Like the Festival Producers listed above,Arthur Fogel has changed our industry.  Bono and Madonna think he is the rock star!  He basically owns the top of the box score artists.  If you are talking shit about
Arthur, you are just jealous or pissed!  Me, I would rather do business with him than not. 

4) In case you haven’t noticed over the past couple of days, The Lefsetz Letter has us all talking.  Managers, agents, promoters, lawyers, business managers, label people, sponsors, fans, even rock stars (although I’m not sure if Madonna knows that Bob actually types on a computer and doesn’t write with a pen…but even she is talking about his fishing tackle).  Ok, so he doesn’t always get the facts perfect…but I don’t think that’s the point.  Bob, like the rest of us wants to see change for the positive.  Sometimes he needs to say things in a certain way to piss people off and get them talking (he never told me that but I’m guessing it is the case). 

With the way the world sits right now, our business should be pulling together instead of knocking each other down.  We should be encouraging Kevin Lyman and those like him to continue to innovate and create new vehicles.  It was awesome the way everyone wrote to Bob to tell “Kevin stories”.  We should all encourage and take part in the fun debate that happens as part of the Lefsetz Letter.  We should do the same for anyone who is trying to make a difference!

Hope you have a great weekend…and sell tickets (instead of giving them away)!

Speak with you soon…

Jim

Lately I think a lot about the music industry. In a way, it’s become sort of a job requirement. Being mainly DIY at the minute, nobody else is going to figure it out for me… so I find myself pondering the business while standing in the shower or surfing music blogs a lot more than I used to. Truth is, there is a pretty big shift happening right now.

While trying to get my bearings, my most excellent friend Anomalous Disturbances introduced to the Bob Lefsetz blog, the “Lefsetz Letter“. He writes this semi-radical, forward-thinking blog from the point of view of an industry veteran who’s not afraid to shoot from the hip. He often suggests industry changes, making the big business status quo seem like a sick puppy taking its dying last few breaths. (Except people feel exceptionally sorry for sick puppies.) But in amongst the strongly worded posts, he’s stacked up some definite wisdom… you might even say some of it is downright enlightening.

Being new to the biz, I admit I am sometimes bemused by the seismic shift taking place in music. Thankfully us newbs can turn to industry bloggers for direction or inspiration. If you haven’t already read it, I suggest you definitely check out Bob’s blog.

Last week I received an email from Harpoon Beer. They are a micro-brewery in the Boston area.  They sent out an email offering their members a free pair of tickets to the Depeche Mode concert playing at Live Nation’s Comcast Center.  They had 500 pair to give out.  That’s 1000 tickets!  Being a promoter, the first thing I thought was “Wow that show is in trouble”.  It reminded me of a show we promoted several years ago in Atlanta.  It was rock festival tour that was “dead” right from the start.  Every venue was having to paper.  We needed to get some tickets moved fast.  It was so bad we actually gave out free tickets at the exit of another show.

I like that Live Nation gave Harpoon tickets to paper.  This is a win-win deal.  Live Nation is able to put some needed butts in seats and Harpoon gave it members a perk.  As we all go forward and find ourselves having to paper shows, let’s think about creative ways of doing it and maybe help out our sponsor/partners.

This summer is not the best for live events.  The fans are just not buying.  The question is why?  Over the weekend Bob Lefsetz posted a great blog about what is happening in the concert business.  Here is the link:

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2009/08/02/the-concert-business/

According to Bob, it is not just the smaller acts having a problem.  Paul McCartney, AC/DC, and The Boss are papering seats.  Bob believes that the economy is not only to blame.  He thinks the industry as a whole is screwed up.  I think he is correct.  However, with customers watching every penny it doesn’t help when 70’s & 80’s acts are charging $200 a ticket. 

As a music fan that grew up with classic rock I am glad these bands still tour.  Let’s face it; everyone who buys a ticket wants to hear the classic hits.  No one cares if the band releases a new album. Just tour and make money. Like most fans of these bands, I saw them when I was younger and when they were “number 1″.  Ticket prices back then were $9.00 for front row seats.  I still have the ticket stubs to prove it.  Why would I want to spend $100 plus on the same band today?

From “The Concert Business”, Lefsetz Letter, by Bob Lefsetz:

Screw lawn tickets at a discount.  That’s like listening to music on your neighbor’s stereo.  How about getting a ticket for a developing artists show when you buy the ticket for a star.  We’ve got to get people sampling, we’ve got to get people coming to the show on a regular basis.  Now we’ve got a business of extravaganzas.  We’re like North Korea, trying to blast rockets into the stratosphere, but usually failing.  To the point we’re a joke.

A few heartfelt words from Bob Lefsetz that perfectly sums up why I love to record, play, and produce music:

And you know the power of rock and roll. It can make you forget the economy, your romantic misadventures, all the trouble in your life.

And when they fire up your favorite song, you look to the heavens like a hound dog, singing along, thinking WHO WOULDN’T WANNA BE ME?

I got the bug when I was 12, in Paris. I remember the moment well: It’s been the ruin of many a poor soul, and Lord, I know I’m one.

All I asked for was a harmonica, but my folks thought a guitar would be more musically rewarding. Okay, twist my arm. At the time, there was an area near the Gare Saint-Lazare train station that had a row of guitar shops. Entering one, and seeing all the guitars hanging from the ceiling, I was smitten. Never really recovered. We walked out with a classical guitar (it cost 100 francs—about $40—as I recall), and I was on my new journey.

Decades later, I’m still the little kid with his new guitar (which, amazingly, I still have). I know a few more chords, sport serious calluses on my fingertips, and have many miles of gigs under my belt, but some things don’t change … I’m still eager to learn about my instrument. Eager to play it, record it, tweak it, and use its sound to make new friends.

During this lifelong journey I’ve met many amazing players. On one gig (circa 1976), I remember handing my archtop to Joe Pass in a little restaurant in Lincoln City, Oregon, so he could entertain the patrons. He was on vacation and simply dropped by to have dinner. I was the lucky house guitarist.

Though most of the customers didn’t know who Pass was, they all literally put down their utensils and turned around to listen. Dinner could wait—at least while he was playing. (Of course, when I was playing, it was a different story. Chow down!) Playing my guitar—a late-’60s Framus Attila Zoller model—Pass sounded just like he did on the then new Virtuoso albums: dynamic, sophisticated, swinging, and utterly unique. Funny, when I picked up my guitar for the next set, that mojo followed Pass back to his table as he rejoined his wife, Alison, and the restaurant returned to normal. A marvelous lesson.

In my ongoing exploration of all things guitar, I’ve found several sites that I find myself returning to time and again. You might find them inspiring too. For example, if you like to wrench on guitars, Frank Ford—one of the world’s finest repairmen—offers inspiration and guidance by way of Frets.com. Brilliant!

Stewart-MacDonald, the planet’s leading source for guitar parts and luthier supplies, also offers a wealth of free info for those who like to tinker with guitars.

Maybe you’re drawn to steel guitar. If so, you really have to visit Brad’s Page of Steel. This is the bomb, my friends.

Perhaps your taste runs to cutting commentary about the demise of the monolithic music industry? Bob Lefsetz pulls no punches in his Lefsetz Letter.

Finally, here’s a wonderful guide to the long-tail world by the visionary Chris Anderson, who coined the term and wrote the book. His essential concept guides my efforts in The Guitar Show. I read his cover story in Wired (“The Long Tail,” Oct. 2004), then bought his book when it came out. Not everyone agrees with Anderson’s thesis, but if you’re an author, musician, or filmmaker (or indie radio-show host), you owe it to yourself to digest his message.

If you dig Anderson’s cover story, consider his book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More.

Finally, I can’t leave without a nod to The Jefferson Airplane, whose “White Rabbit”—from the band’s 1967 debut, Surrealistic Pillow—still inspires me in my quest for more guitar knowledge. Sometimes I get stuck or run out of gas, but then I remember, feed your head! ♦

Listen to The Guitar Show with Andy Ellis on WRFN 98.9
When: Thursday nights 10:00p-12:00p CST (Nashville time)
Where: streaming at radiofreenashville.org.

Just click the “Listen Online” button on the right.

• For weekly playlists, archived audio interviews, and more guitar lore visit theguitarshow.com.
• Follow The Guitar Show on Twitter … our name is theguitarshow.
• My Twitter name is twangmon.
• andy@theguitarshow.com

Moby sent an email to Bob Lefsetz regarding his new album Wait for Me [lala link]. In it, the recording artist shared the news that his album would be No. 1 in Europe if it weren’t for Michael Jackson. But then he said it was funny that the best-selling iTunes track is Shot in the Back of the Head.

To quote Moby’s email: “Why is that funny? Because it’s the track we’ve been giving away for free for the last 2 months and that we’re still giving away for free.” (Here, among other places.)

Having an official video by David Lynch certainly helped, but the iTunes sales are an excellent example of the famous bottled water analogy: even when something is available free, people will pay to get it in a manner that suits how they wish to acquire and use it.

(Title lyric by Brown, Henderson and DeSylva via Frank Sinatra.)

I love reading bob lefsetz (see below for links and attribution). Every post/email he does is a story with meaning. It always resonates. Check out the below on Yosemite:

Title: Yosemite
By: Bob Lefsetz

Fuck this!

That’s what John Muir said after being blinded in an industrial accident. A file pierced his eye and he thought his vision was history. But after a month in a darkened room, his vision returned and he walked from Indiana to Florida.

I know, I know, that was a hundred years ago. More, actually. But that’s not the point. The question is, are you working with your head or heart? At some point you’ve got to stop being who your parents want you to be and start being who you are.

I hadn’t been to Yosemite since 1973. Not much has changed. That’s how it is with the physical world. It outlasts us. We’re just a blip in time. We think we’re forever, but despite all the hosannas, even Michael Jackson’s music will soon be forgotten. It’s not human nature, it’s Mother Nature!

Yosemite is an amusement park of the mind. Rather than going on rides, being turned upside down by mechanical contraptions, you look at the landscape and your mind does somersaults. How did this happen? It’s hard to imagine a glacier that creates Half Dome, and how can El Capitan be almost perfectly vertical?

At the visitor center near Yosemite Falls there’s a bit of cell service. But you get no e-mail on your BlackBerry, you’re disconnected from everything deemed important. You’re placed in natural perspective. We’re here for such a very short time. What do we want to do, what do we want to accomplish?

Money won’t help you if you’re hiking in Tuolomne Meadows and it starts to rain. Rich people get no better view from Glacier Point than poor. In Yosemite, we’re all in it together.

On a nature walk behind the Ahwahnee Hotel, the ranger told us the John Muir story. It’s stuck with me. It’s shown me that those Americans not on the cover of “Us”, not featured in the “Forbes” 500 are not losers, but in many cases winners. Money is not the only priority. You need it to live, but how much?

Would you rap if there was no Biggie, no Jay-Z?

Would you play the guitar if there was no Eddie Van Halen?

Would you be in the music business if David Geffen hadn’t made all that money?

If not, give up. Please. You’re hurting yourself. And you’ll leave no lasting mark.

But if you need to play, don’t lament that you’re not a millionaire. The music should be enough. If you’ve got a roof over your head, if you can pay the bills, you’re on the map. Affecting a coterie deeply is more important than being a momentary comet, burning brightly and then flaming out.

So don’t do what you should do, do what you want to do. Even if your chosen field is not perceived to be a road to riches. Who knew all those chefs would become stars on the Food Network? Who knew you could make a career in extreme sports? Who knew gaming would outstrip both music and movies in revenue?

I’m not saying to forgo an education. Fundamentals are important. Only by establishing a foundation do you have a place to build.

It’s time to establish your own independence. To make your own decisions. So when you’re on your deathbed, surrounded by loved ones who will soon reach their demise also, you’ve got no regrets.

–
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
–

http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz

–
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,

http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1

If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists?p=unsubscribe&uid=1e14bbf877cbf83d28c46cf204104e36

http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/

I’d encourage all of you to subscribe to Bob’s newsletter. It is always pertinent. If you are at the cusp of a publishing deal or wondering if you should publish your own material – READ THIS!

I subscribe to Bob Lefsetz’s email mostly for the shits and giggles I get reading his constant critique and blasting of the current state of the music industry, at times he can be very insightful with his observations, but in one of last week’s emails he wrote:

“As for Record Store Day…How laughable is that.  If you’re salivating over this, you’re living in 1990, and hoping we go back to 1970. Record stores are dead. As dead as your Apple II. Some will survive, as dealers in antiquities and tchotchkes, but essentially everyone will buy online.”

And although he may be half-right, I don’t particularly agree with calling the effort laughable. This is going to be Record Store Day’s third year and many labels are creating special rare releases for various genres on 7″, 12″s and CD’s for the thousand plus independent retailers involved globally, not to mention the hundreds of artists performing and having ‘in-stores’ to support the cause.

Like many, the record store meant a lot to me when I was growing up, especially the independents, eclectically curated by it’s staff with what they were listening to, the indie record store staff were always extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the music they listened to and the artists who created it. Record stores and those who frequented them are part of a subculture like no other, the experience at the stores is almost as important as the music, I remember being the curious kid always checking the various NYC (and outer borough) record shops always searching to find music new and old, digging through the bins, finding both popular and obscure bands’ albums, singles, b-sides, live recordings and DJ mixtapes. I’d study the different albums’ artwork and visuals, listening intently to the depth of their sound on vinyl, loving the crackle coming from the speaker when the needle hit the record. I remember visiting stores like Other Music, Record Runner, Downtown Music Gallery, Jammyland, Dance Tracks and Finyl Vinyl to name a few, listening and finding out about different genres of music or going to Bate Music on Fridays to get the next Tuesday new releases before most. Sadly, many of these spots are no longer, but these indelible experiences that they provided me will have me out to support the movement on April 18th.

To end this off, I also want to applaud Bob Lefsetz for later posting a response to his email by Record Store Day’s co-founder Michael Kurtz, a part of which read:

“…We aren’t claiming that we are the saviors of the music biz, but we are doing a great job with what we do. And, just as importantly, we are having fun. Remember what that was like? If we could get a hundred other music biz people to take this approach, instead of hyping Irving Azoff’s latest Wall Street-like-move, or Wal-mart, or Apple, or Google China, or whatever the latest nonsense of the week is, we’d all be in a lot better shape. Now is the time to get behind the artists. They are the stars. They are the creators. Find the ones that suit your taste and do all that you can do to make them shine. If you can’t do this then my suggestion is to please do us all a favor and be quiet for awhile. There’s too much noise and negativity already. It’s time to be appreciative about music and the very special people who make it, as well as the fans that love it. That is what record stores do and what Record Store Day is about.“

Well said…

For more info about Record Store Day in your area go to http://www.recordstoreday.com

I subscribe to Bob Lefsetz’s email mostly for the shits and giggles I get reading his constant critique and blasting of the current state of the music industry, at times he can be very insightful with his observations, but in one of last week’s emails he wrote:

“As for Record Store Day…How laughable is that.  If you’re salivating over this, you’re living in 1990, and hoping we go back to 1970. Record stores are dead. As dead as your Apple II. Some will survive, as dealers in antiquities and tchotchkes, but essentially everyone will buy online.”

And although he may be half-right, I don’t particularly agree with calling the effort laughable. This is going to be Record Store Day’s third year and many labels are creating special rare releases for various genres on 7″, 12″s and CD’s for the thousand plus independent retailers involved globally, not to mention the hundreds of artists performing and having ‘in-stores’ to support the cause.

Like many, the record store meant a lot to me when I was growing up, especially the independents, eclectically curated by it’s staff with what they were listening to, the indie record store staff were always extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the music they listened to and the artists who created it. Record stores and those who frequented them are part of a subculture like no other, the experience at the stores is almost as important as the music, I remember being the curious kid always checking the various NYC (and outer borough) record shops always searching to find music new and old, digging through the bins, finding both popular and obscure bands’ albums, singles, b-sides, live recordings and DJ mixtapes. I’d study the different albums’ artwork and visuals, listening intently to the depth of their sound on vinyl, loving the crackle coming from the speaker when the needle hit the record. I remember visiting stores like Other Music, Record Runner, Downtown Music Gallery, Jammyland, Dance Tracks and Finyl Vinyl to name a few, listening and finding out about different genres of music or going to Bate Music on Fridays to get the next Tuesday new releases before most. Sadly, many of these spots are no longer, but these indelible experiences that they provided me will have me out to support the movement on April 18th.

To end this off, I also want to applaud Bob Lefsetz for later posting a response to his email by Record Store Day’s co-founder Michael Kurtz, a part of which read:

“…We aren’t claiming that we are the saviors of the music biz, but we are doing a great job with what we do. And, just as importantly, we are having fun. Remember what that was like? If we could get a hundred other music biz people to take this approach, instead of hyping Irving Azoff’s latest Wall Street-like-move, or Wal-mart, or Apple, or Google China, or whatever the latest nonsense of the week is, we’d all be in a lot better shape. Now is the time to get behind the artists. They are the stars. They are the creators. Find the ones that suit your taste and do all that you can do to make them shine. If you can’t do this then my suggestion is to please do us all a favor and be quiet for awhile. There’s too much noise and negativity already. It’s time to be appreciative about music and the very special people who make it, as well as the fans that love it. That is what record stores do and what Record Store Day is about.“

Well said…

For more info about Record Store Day in your area go to http://www.recordstoreday.com