How to Make it in the Music Business in 12 Easy Steps
Veteran Band Manager teaches you the secrets of his
proven formula for music success
that anyone can put to use right now.
Why you haven’t made it yet
Dear musician,
I make a great living from the music business. That’s a fact!
What about you? If you’re like a lot of other frustrated musicians
You play gigs but are not earning enough from them to sustain you…
You work hard, write great songs but you haven’t had the breaks, and…
You know there must be a “method” to getting ahead in the music business, but you just can’t figure it out
Am I close?
It’s OK. It’s not your fault. I spent many years playing in bands, never getting anywhere. It wasn’t until I started to manage bands that I began to see what I had been doing wrong all those years.
Fast forward to today, with 13 years professional Band Management under my belt and some great successes I now know exactly what needs to be done to succeed in this business. These are the things all successful acts do that 99% of aspiring bands and artists don’t.
I’m going to tell you what they are…
The Secrets to Success
There are 12 components to succeeding in the music business– 12 things you have to understand and do right. This is what they are:
Brand
Look
Fund Creation
Fan base
Media training
Business sense
Fliers, press packs & printed media
Distribution
Web Skills
Copyright & Professional Bodies
Touring
Festivals
Now it’s not enough to know that these exist – I’m sure you’ve all heard of them before. The big “secret” is knowing how to do each one properly and, more importantly, knowing how to do them easily and efficiently.
I’ve spent 13 years distilling each one of these essential steps into a simple to use format that I apply to all the bands I manage. I’ve tried and tested every technique – keeping the ones that work and removing those that don’t.
What I’m left with is an easy to implement, highly effective set of techniques that anyone can apply to their music career and make an instant difference. These secrets work.
How I created the 12 Step Formula
My job is managing bands so ensuring that they succeed is critical. It was very important that I found a way to crystallise my knowledge into an easily repeatable format. My success and livelihood depended on it.
So I sat down and really worked through every success I ever had, and every mistake I had made along the way. I broke each one down into the simplest of terms to totally understand what had made things work, and what had made things fail. And each one came to down to one or more of 12 things being done right. And this is where the 12 steps were born.
The First Major Success
After this revelation the first time I put all the steps into action was with a band called English Pride for a song called “Savva Nuvva”. This was an idea that I took from a bedroom recording to playing live to 90 million TV viewers, then a 36,000 stadium audience directly after. We also sold a little over 12,000 copies in Europe after I secured a deal with EMI Europe.
Now this wasn’t the greatest song in the world, and the band involved were in their 40s – but we still achieved some amazing things… Here’s the song (it’s on YouTube):
All of this was thanks to using the 12 step formula, and it was after this massive success that I knew I had something special on my hands.
Even More Success
Since then I have applied the 12 Step Music Success Formula to many bands and artists– here are just some of the highlights...
These guys are the most recent band I've worked with. Using the 12 Step Formula we've acheived some amazing successes over the last 6 months, including:
Going on a mini-Tour of Vietnam sponsored by Tiger Translate
Being flown out to Kuwait City for Kuwait Stock
Playing the One Movement Festival in Perth, Australia
What can happen when you put Step 11 - "TOURING" into action!
Here's a video of what we got up to in Vietnam (I make a brief cameo appearance at 00:21!)
The first ever unsigned UK band to play a major festival on 3 continents in just 1 month, this is what BBC Radio 1 had to say about them: "These guys are incredible, it's sunshine music. It's upbeat and just makes me want to clap my hands. They've got so much energy on-stage, I just know they're going to be huge".
All of this came from applying just a small fraction of the 12 Steps. Here's what Matt, the lead singer, has to say about it:
How the 12 Steps is Helping This Band (Audio)
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I first met Ben, the lead singer, during a Single signing after the Soccer World Cup success we had (where the formula was finalised). I could immediately see Ben's music career would benefit massively from using the 12 Steps, so we started applying them straight away with immediate success:
Supported David Gray, Snow Patrol, Corinne-Bailey Rae and Lu Lu on their world tours
Played SXSW in 2009 to great acclaim
Toured the UK in their own right
Four tracks heavily featured in episodes of UK Channel 4's "Hollyoaks".
Just been signed to a major TV licensing deal in the USA
What can happen when you put Step 4 - "FAN BASE CREATION" and
Step 6 - "BUSINESS SENSE"
into action!
Here's a video from the Southampton Guildhall support slot...
A Small Example of the Power of
Step 5 - "MEDIA TRAINING"
The UK Tour, called the 'How Do You Do?' UK tour was a massive success - with Dlugokecki performances at the top of the Spinnaker Tower (Portsmouth), Old Trafford (Manchester United's football stadium), Stonehenge, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, The Ferry across the Mersey and at 3,200ft at the top of Mount Snowdon in Wales.
The tour resulted in a mass media exposure - including segments on BBC Radio, newspapers and BBC One News. Here's them on the news:
All these opportunitites came from following the 12 Step Music Success formula and Ben & his band continue to flourish using it
What will the Formula do for you?
With my many years of experience crammed into the Formula, there's too much to describe it all here. Here are some of the highlights...
How to brand yourself so your gigs, merchandise sales & fan base explode
Why image matters, and how you can define yours and even get a stylist to do it for you – FOR FREE
How to get paid more for gigs, find new venues, and have people calling you to ask you to play
The key steps to building a killer fan base
How to use the web properly to rocket your musical career
How to get to play at major festivals
Why quality & frequency of online fan interaction is the new benchmark for getting signed and how to get it.
How to structure Demos correctly to give you the best shot with A&R
This represents a small sample of what you will gain from the formula.
This is Your Invitation to Join Me
Now, you may be wondering what exactly I'm offering...
As I've just told you I’ve had consistent and ongoing success with the bands I manage. The problem is that balancing managing my artists, speaking, consulting along with running my business takes up a huge amount of my time. When ever people ask me to help, I want to, but there are only so many hours in the day.
Here's the truth: While I don't really have time for coaching and consulting additional artists, I genuinely like helping and seeing others succeed. So after much thought and consideration, I've decided that the only way I could help other bands and artists succeed from here on out is by creating a product which teaches you all I know about how to succeed in the Music Business
What I’m offering you is complete access to my knowledge which, when applied to your career, could do great things for you.
You may be surprised to hear this, but there really are secrets out there that successful managers aren't willing to make public. Well I am in my 12 Step Music Success Formula
This is what you get...
The 12 step formula is an Online Digital Course split into 12 modules, each one building on the next so you get complete training in exactly how to create incredible opportunities for your band / music career.
Each module has an in depth Video, a PDF workbook, and supporting material to help you get the maximum benefit and learning experience. They are full of real world steps and techniques you can start using today.
Here's some more detail about the modules:
Module 1 - Brand Creation & Development
Brand creation & development in this day and age is absolutely key and critical to you being able to have the freedom to do what it is that you want to do with your music
In this module you learn:
Why brand is important
The 8 questions you must answer to start branding your band
How to make the most of what you have - you don't have to look like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie to create a killer brand
What things can kill your brand and your band - and how to fix / avoid them
How to create and implement your brand strategy
Gang Mentality and how it can catapult your career forward
An much. much more...
Module 2 - Look Assessment & Styling
If you have a defined look, it isn't something that just make people feel comfortable with you from the outset, but it can also make them want to follow you.
In this module you learn:
Is what people see really that important?
How to start to assess your look and style
How to create your look and style
How to get a Stylist to create your look and style for you - for FREE!
Some great ideas about how to make money off the back of having a defined look & style
We'll also give you the swipe files with the exact copy we use to get stylists to say "Yes!" to working with us... All you need to do is insert your name and click send!
Module 3 - Fund Creation
Making money is actually pretty easy, and you have at your fingertips everything you need to fund everything that you do. What we are going to talk about in this module is how exactly you do that and how you make what you do fund everything.
In this module you learn:
How to manage your costs and expenses
The one big SECRET to making money
Several techniques for getting paid the most money possible for a gig
Surprising places you can play to make money
How to negotiate with business owners so they book your band
The compound power of gig planning
Where the money is really "at" in the music business
How to invest your earnings to make even more money!
Other ways of making money you will not have thought of
This module gives you the know-how to start making money immediately. Implement just one of the strategies and the course should have paid for itself.
Module 4 - Fan Base Creation
If you haven't got a fan-base, then your career will never go anywhere. This is a fact. Creating a solid and strong group of fans, and then understanding how to manage them is critical to your long term success.
In this module you learn:
Why the "traditional" mailing list still works
The biggest mistake 99% of bands make with mailing lists
How to get 10-50 new fans every gig you play
The "Flier Competition Trick" - how to build a massive fan-base with very little work
List sharing - how to make it work and increase your fans while you sleep!
Piggybacking - we explain in detail the single most powerful technique to get your music in front of fans that will love what you do
The dos & don'ts of managing your list to turn loyal fans into rabid followers
By the end of this module you will have an arsenal of techniques you can immediately put into practice that will grow your fan base quickly and exponentially
Module 5 - Media Training
These days everyone is a journalist. With the advent of phone video & camera it has never been easier for people to capture what you are saying and doing. The internet makes spreading this simpler than ever so it is essential you understand exactly what you need to do to capitalise on your media image.
In this module you learn:
Do I really need Media Training?
How to prepare yourself for interview so you get the most out of it
The secrets to constructing the interview before you have it
Creating your "Off Limits" list and why this is essential
How to prepare for TV
Eye movements - how to make the camera trust you
How to choose a spokes person and why this might be the single best move you can make
My secret techniques for dealing with unexpected questions from Journalists
Stacking - how to control any conversation
The Elevator Pitch - why you need one and how to create the perfect one
As well as all this valuable information there's also a detailed PDF on objective / goal setting, which is an essential part of any interview preparation. Learn how to focus on what you want so you can achieve anything.
Module 6 - Business Sense
If you treat this as the hugely successful business it one day will be from the get go or the start, you are going to have a real chance of that
actually happening.
What a lot of people do is have happy accidents and end up in a position where they
might be able to be successful but they’ve gone so far down the road without following
some simple strategies that it becomes a nightmare and they lose a lot of money in the
process.
In this module we talk about the stuff you have to do.
Here's what you'll learn:
Four things you have to do right away
Giving stuff away to the wrong people
How to deal with friends who want "Freebies"
Giving stuff away to the right people (and how to know who they are)
How to price your stuff
Band Strategy - THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE 12 STEPS
How to manage the people around you to get them to help your career
Music lawyers - my tip for getting free advice!
And much, much more...
Module 7 - Web Skills
It has never been easier to promote your music, book gigs, build your fan base and generally grow you music career. In this module I'm going to talk you through the sites & portals I use every day to create success with my bands & artists.
This is what you'll learn:
6 essential Band Page websites
Inside guide to becoming a hit on MySpace
The no.1 site for getting and booking Gigs
6 Sites you may not have thought about - but MUST be involved with
3 Over the shoulder videos showing you how I use the web for my artists
It's easy to get lost with all the different sites out there. After working through this module you'll be way ahead of 99% of the bands currently out there and understand exactly how to use the Web to drive your career forward.
Module 8 - Fliers & Press packs
Module 8 covers Flyers, Fanzines,
Competitions, Newsletters and Press packs. While everyone knows about these essentials, most don't know how best to construct these and the best way to use them. I show you exactly how I have used each of them to great effect and how you can do the same.
Here's what you'll learn:
Why consistency across all printed media is king
Newsletters - layout, content and frequency
The 1 thing every Flier MUST do
HICLYB - the 6 letters that will transform your fliers
How many fliers do you really need?
Flier cost (and how to get them for free!)
How to use fliers (hint: there is a wrong way, and chances are you are doing it)
Band Photos - The essentials (and how to get amazing shots on a zero budget)
Video - why you need one & a little YouTube trick that will get you massive exposure
Press Pack Essentials
How to get your press pack opened
How to present your demo songs (this is essential if you want people to listen to more than the first 20 seconds of your first song)
How little known connections can catapult your career
This is a big module, but the information given is profoundly important. Getting this stuff wrong can cost you a lot of wasted time and effort. Getting them right can make the difference between making it or not.
Module 9 - Digital Distribution
With Digital Distribution we are talking about getting your music out there in the most accepted and easily accessible format there is in the world today. Knowing what channels to use to do this is, as well as how to manage your online distribution, is what really matters.
This is what you'll learn in this module:
Getting your music on i-Tunes
All about aggregators and how to join them
How much will you get paid?
Spotify - getting you music on there and getting paid for each play
Widgets that you need!
Synchronised Digital Distribution - how to make a massive noise and get noticed
Using distributors in different countries
And much more besides...
Module 10 - Copyright & Professional Bodies
This module has 2 sets of videos & workbooks. Although we're covering the somewhat dry area of copyright & professional bodies, both are essential viewing. Really understanding copyright will protect you and your music. Knowing the benefits of different professional bodies will help you make an informed choice and push your career even further.
What you'll learn in the Copyright module:
Copyright - the basics
Why you are automatically protected by copyright the moment you commit a song to paper
The 6 Myths of Copyright
Poor Man's Copyright - the alternative
Do you need to register your band's name?
Understanding Trademarks
What you'll learn in the Professional Bodies module:
The main professional bodies around the World
The single biggest benefit of joining a professional body
Reasons not to join professional bodies
Module 11 - Touring
Touring is where you can really take your career to the next level - not just in terms of exposure - but starting to galvanise that fan base and really starting to earn some money as well... As long as it’s done properly.
This is what the Touring module teaches you:
How to organise your first tour
The secrets to Tour promotion - how to get strangers to your gigs
Budgeting - essentials to make sure you make money on your tour
How to get a Support Tour
"Buy Ons" - how to get them and how to make them profitable
Touring Abroad - the do's & don'ts
Touring can become something that is not only great fun, but it’s can really help you grow your fan base and increase your revenue streams dramatically. By the time you've finished this module you'll know exactly what you need to do to make this a reality.
Module 12 - Festivals
The world, in particular the UK and the USA love a festival. Throughout the entire calendar there are festivals going on everywhere across both those countries and indeed across Europe and many other places. They can be a fantastic way to expose yourself to lots and lots of new fans on mass, and have a great time while doing it. This final module shows you how:
What you'll learn:
How to get booked onto a festival
Festival Competitions - are they worth it?
Using Sonic Bids to get on a festival (hint: this is one way to play SXSW)
Preparing for Festivals
How to spot the "important people" - 1 tip that can make your career - SERIOUSLY!
Festival promotion
Festivals are a hugely important part of any artist calendar - but you have to know how to get booked, how to prepare and play them, and ultimately how to take advantage of any opportunities they may bring. We show you how!
As you can see there's loads of stuff you are going to learn in the 12 Step Music Success Formula. And you get immediate online access to all theses modules as a complete package the moment you join.
But we are not just leaving it at that. There are also a series of great bonuses I have organised especially for you. These go hand in hand with the Formula so you can maximise your chances of success.
Incredible Bonuses (worth over $680)
On top of these 12 modules we’ve also arrange some additional extras that will help you even more:
Complete WordPress Training (value $197)
Having your own website or blog as well as a MySpace presence is becoming increasingly essential for all bands. This can be quite challenging, but Wordpress makes it a breeze (as long as you know what you're doing!).
In this 20 video course, in association with out friends blogsetuptutorials.com, we show you everything from keyword research (to help you get the most traffic to your site) through to building and making money from your site.
Once you've completed this course you'll know all you need to get a great website/blog up and running!
Music Contracts (value $147)
We’ve gone out and sourced a series of music contracts to cover most eventualities you may come across - 100 of them in fact!
Hopefully these will keep you going for a long time,
The Indie Bible ($37)
The Indie Bible is the ONLY resource that is TOTALLY dedicated to Musicians and Songwriters that have recorded a CD or a Demo.
The brand new 11th Edition of the Indie Bible contains:
- 4200 publications from around the world that will REVIEW your CD!
- 3400 radio stations from around the world will PLAY your songs!
- 600 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music!
- 330 sites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files!
- 500 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band!
- 52 articles that will help your career to MOVE forward rapidly!
Band Psychology ($27)
Specially commissioned for this course, and written by a veteran of 30 years this book really is something special.
For the first time (as far as I'm aware) the subject of band psychology and how to keep a band together is covered in depth.
You'll find stories and truths held in this book which I'm sure you'll associate with and - who knows - maybe the advice will help keep your band together!
Twitter Tutorial ($37)
Love it or hate it, using Twitter effectively can have a massive positive impact on your band profile and fan base.
These 7 videos take you through everything you need to know to maximise your Twitter presence and maybe even make a little money too!
MySpace Marketing Tutorial ($47)
All of us have (or certainly should have!) a MySpace band page. What you may not know is how to the maximise the number of friends you can add, as well as some great secrets to use MySpace to make you a little money.
As with several of the other bonuses this is information straight from some of the best online marketers. Apply it to you music career and watch the results!
Facebook Marketing Video Tutorial ($97)
Facebook and social media are the future - just like MySpace I'm sure you've all got a Facebook page. Knowing how to use social networking for marketing and advancing you're band's career can seriously put you ahead of the game.
In this series of 24 instructional videos our good friends at Social Networking Supercharged take you through Facebook - from setting up a basic profile to advanced strategies to gain friends and fans.
YouTube Marketing Tutorial ($97)
YouTube is generally used for showing videos of you band. What most people don't know is that it can also be used to get a tonne of people checking out what you're doing and visiting your MySpace / Website.
This 22 video series teaches you how YouTube can be used for marketing. You'll need to think a bit outside the box to apply this to your band / music, but if you do then you could reap some major rewards.
What's it Worth to You to Have These Proven Strategies for Success?
At this point you're probably wondering how much something like this is going to cost? Well for those of you that know me, or know anyone I've worked with, you'll know my main focus is on giving you guys the best chance of success.
When I seeked advice on how much to charge, people suggested anywhere from $300 - $1000. After all, the advice in Fund Creation alone should pay for this lower end investment quickly.
But I know this may stop a lot of talented people having a chance to improve their careers.
So it's not going to be $1000...
It won't be $300...
It won't even be $200...
The price is:
$47.00
I wanted to keep the price low, but not so low that people who aren't serious about trying to make it would join. These strategies and techinques are extremely powerful and not for everyone. If you are serious and apply only a small part of what I'm going to show you in the course and get 1 extra paid gig a month, or sell 10 extra CDs then that covers the cost of the course.
In reality you could do much more and pay for the course many times over.
However...
If for any reason you're not completely satisfied with the course I'm going to give you a 100% personal guarantee...
"My 60 Day Personal Guarantee"
I'm never satistfied unless you are more than satisfied. So here's my "No Small Print" guarantee. Try the 12 Step Music Success Formula today and put it through its paces. Use every strategy and technique as many times as you'd lke over the next 2 full months.
You be the judge. If this program doesn't deliver everything I've promised, or if you're unhappy with it for any reason, just drop me a line and I'll immediately refund your payment of $47 - no questions asked.
I have no problem making this iron-clad guarantee because both I and the bands I have worked with had acheived some incredible successes by following these strategies and techniques so I know they work.
Join now...
Buy The 12 Step Music Success Formula Today for Only $200 $47.00
Thanks for reading
I hope you've found out enough about what I'm offering you. I believe this is an unbeatable offer and I'm sure that when you try it, you'll think so to.
Here's to your success.
Mark Smith
p.s. Don't forget that if you are not happy with this course for any reason, then you can use our no quibbles guarantee.
p.p.p.s Although I'd love you acquire my course it's fine if you don't
Back Stage at the World Cup
Me with the Parlotones
Me with David Gray
Here is the cold hard truth. I love being in the Music Business, and I am reaping the rewards of my many years working in it. This course is about giving everyone the best chance of making it, but the choice of taking me up on the offer is yours. If you can see the benefit of having my 13+ years experience helping you out, then go for it. If not, then no problems. It has to be your decision and your decision alone.
