The Future of Paying For Twitter Press Releases

Last week, I discussed understanding and embracing the Twitter PR idea. If you didn't read it, then please do do as it will be less for me to write in this blog. Yay for laziness!

Carmen San Diego delved a little deeper into the revolution and learned about a few new startups and how they are helping save the journalists and the public relations professionals. They understand the fact that those in PR have a hard time identifying the proper journalists, and journalists struggle to stay afloat in all of the pitches that are sent their way... including the ones that in no way relate to their specialty. MatchPoint "helps [PR Professional] identify and interact with the journalists and bloggers who may actually care about what you have to say." The MatchPoint engine produces a list of journalists, their relevance, current contact information and their previous coverage.

Muck Rack has launched it's service to the PR world which allows them to put one line press releases up containing links to multimedia and even detailed press releases. It gives real time tweets about news, politics, technology and more from sites such as NPR, NYT, Associated Press, etc. "Muck Rack is hoping to capitalize on the short attention span of journalists and the anxious PR people who want to reach them quickly and in short-form. Should you opt to use their service, just type your tweet-like release, hit submit, pay through PayPal, and voilà: your release gets published to Muck Rack’s release page and shared via their Twitter account (which currently has just 3,433 followers)."

Neither of these services are available to Joe Public, so this blog will not really benefit the five people that are reading it as far as getting their info directly into the hands of journalists. But, Carmen San Diego keeps her word and is able to now justify the coming trend of charging for Twitter Press Releases.

Twitter me this.

Cheers!
Creed

The Future of Press Releases

The long-standing cornerstone of most public relation offices has been the distinguished press release. It has pretty much never been changed and remains the best tool for companies to declare their news to the media. Specialized agencies used to send out releases to offices and press bureaus around the world hoping that their news was considered worthy and made it through the selective process to be noticed.

Within the last decade, the necessity of a PR company to communicate directly with the bureaus has become less important. The internet has allowed anyone to post a press release on just about any of the press release syndication websites. The drawback to this mode of free promotion is the included advertising for other companies or products whether they are related to your press release or not... or even if they're competition. Another drawback is the fact that the market is much more flooded now with the free distribution over the internet, so the chances of getting your press release noticed and printed are slim.

Journalists and editors scan through traditional press releases just to catch the key phrases and decipher if there's anything worth talking about. If they're not worded properly, formatted right or just too long-winded then your important information could be overlooked completely. In writing traditional press releases, the headline is the most important bold information at the top center of the sheet. Just as with newspaper headlines, it allows people to glance over it and see if the topic piques their interest and read on if it does.

Brian Solis has taken that concept and worked it in with one of the fastest moving social media networking sites. A new wave of press releases are called MicroPR, which is a micro press release using Twitter. It's genius in that a micro press release (140 characters or less) can be posted directly to a community of journalists, bloggers and/or editors. Solis's idea of eliminating the verbiage and just posting headlines on Twitter is groundbreaking, in my opinion. Why? It's direct, less to write and read. "Here it is! Interested? Great! Want more info? Fantastic! Go to my blog/website/myspace/twitter to find out more!" It all can lead directly through all of your social networking sites my good friends.

Not many bands understand the importance of press releases. To be honest, the ones that will get you across the desks of the major publications need to be done by professionals who will cost you money, but can guarantee results. But, start looking into some of the press related twitter accounts and see who you can follow and where they might take you.

Here's a few that I found:

Press About

Twitter Press Release 001

Also, steer clear of the sites that are starting to charge for Twitter press releases! Carmen San Diego will be delving further into this phenomenon this week and let you know more about it next Hump Day.

Cheers!
Creed

Thank You For Reading My Blog. Where's Yours?

I'm going to continue to beat this social online networking horse, so if you haven't suited up to be a knowledgeable jockey yet then it's time... Seriously! You can stop reading my blog (there probably aren't too many of you out there at this stage), but it won't make the digital revolution go away.

Think about where you get your news from. I guarantee you that my mother, the "I sit on the patio drinking coffee at 5:30 in the morning and read the tree-killing newspaper", isn't reading this. The digital wave is beyond her. I do give her respect for the fact that she is trying to learn to navigate through facebook in order to keep up with my nephew who is spending the first few years of his life in Puerto Rico. Every time I'm home I have to walk her through something on the computer. I actually love it. It helps me practice my patience and makes me feel useful.

I was at a BBQ in this little place called Frog Town (it's nestled right around Silver Lake and Echo Park) apparently. I suddenly realized that I needed to write my blog that was to post the next day and gasped, which got everyone's attention. One of the girls there replied very snottily with, "Oh my gah. Blogs are so stupid". I attempted to stand up for myself and explained that it's a part of my job to put my knowledge in blog form every week. It didn't help. I had already been deemed uncool.

I want all of you artists out there to throw caution to the wind and not care about what a hipster thinks about you blogging. In fact, if you happen to be a hipster, get over yourself and open up your mind. Take a look at these little nuggets of information I managed to find from research done by Mediapost.com back in November 2008.

*87% of 18-29 year-olds believe bloggers have become opinion shapers

*68% use blogs to keep up on issues or topics of interest

*46% use blogs to conduct research

Those numbers are from almost a year ago, so imagine where they are at now.

Going even further, a study done by the Harvard Business School determined that if your album is blogged about by 250 bloggers then your sales go up two fold. If 400 bloggers talk about your album the sales go up five fold. It can be done by any blogger too. From the one in New York at a prestigious company with a corner office to a kid in Kansas with a twin bed.

So... are you blogging yet?

Cheers!
Creed

What Genre Are You?

JC sits in my general vicinity at the studio and runs his mouth a lot, so I get to hear most of the stuff that he says... even when my headphones are on and Coldplay is blaring. However, I must give him credit in that he triggered the idea for this blog.

A few days ago he was submitting metadata on Gracenote for a band's CD and was going through all of the different genres to choose from. Below is a very short list of the absolute best ones that he found:

Shoe Gazer, Dream Pop, Outsider Music, Post-Modern Electronic Pop, Jangle Pop, Paisley Underground, Folktronica, Turntablism, Queer Core, Mercy Beat, New Wave Quirk, Diva Style, Space-Age Bachelor Pad and Quiet Storm

A music genre is defined on the Art & Popular Culture website as "a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or 'basic musical language'". That's great, but it also goes further than that. It can be categorized by techniques, styles, context and non-musical things such as geographical origin.

Personally, I have a hard enough time just explaining what bands CONJOB sounds like. I don't need a bunch of other ridiculous categories to try and shove us into. Too many choices isn't usually a good thing as it often induces an anxiety attack, which provokes anger. It's gone from just being "Rock", "Reggae" and "Hip Hop" to "Midland China Rock", "Jawaiian" and"Mad Chester"!

My thought is that it is nearly impossible to classify all music in a consistent way, which is why all of the subgenres have popped up. I say be done with it. Don't define your genre. As the soulful Joss Stone says, "When I'm listening to the music I'm creating, it's not really in any genre, 'cause it hasn't been created yet. When it is (written), we just put it down and it's there and it's like, yeah, it's soulful and it's felt. Some may call it R&B. Some may call it blues. I don't really give it a name; this is just me singing, just me feeling it out."

Feel this out!

Cheers!
Creed

How Do You Keep The Needy Fans Loyal?

Last week I talked about how thirsty fans are for information about what band members are up to at all hours of the day. Today, I'm going to give you a tip on how to keep those fans coming back for more and bringing friends with them. The trick... are you ready for it? Treat them with respect.

For some of you, that is common sense, but not every band is sensitive to the needs of others, especially the people who are closest to them. The first thing, which I've just about exhausted in this little string of blogs, is to stay in contact with your fans. They will walk away from you if you ignore them. It's so important to respond to these fans who are going out of their way to be a part of your music and your success. The easiest way to keep them posted and stay in touch is to use the social networks that should not be avoided.

Get creative. Mike Giangreco, a long-time promoter, is very versed on how artists attract and deal with their fans. He suggests, "You need to make your show an event and create a memory." The best idea that he ever came across "was an act that offered to buy drinks for the first 20 people that showed up. That was a win-win for everybody. The fans loved it, the venue was happy and everyone talked about it afterwards." It's about offering fans material that helps make them feel special.

My absolute favorite thing of the moment is what Jason Mraz is doing with his Gratitude Cafe Tour. He's always been incredibly thankful and respectful of his fans because he knows he would not be a success without us. At his shows he is offering seats that have no service fees attached. He calls them "Grateful To Be There" seats, and when you're grateful to be somewhere you don't complain about the little things... like being in the back of the venue. To be completely honest, I prefer sitting in the very back and taking in the whole experience. The lighting and stage theatrics are choreographed for the show, so I prefer the back. Plus, that's where I tend to find the interesting people... like myself.

As usual, I digress, so let me wrap this up.

Give your fans something that they deserve from you. That something is respect.

Cheers!
Creed

Why Fans Have Become So Needy And Why You Are Obligated To Give Them What They Want.

Attracting and maintaining fans is no longer about a band's music. If you didn't read my blog from last week, you can make it up to me by reading it now and then commenting on how fantastic I am. Actually, go back and read the last two because they touch on how to find fans and get them to actually come out and pay your cover price at the door.

Scott Welch, a manager who has worked with the likes of Alanis Morissette, contends that art comes from the bottom up instead from the top down like it used to. "Fan management is the only part of the business that's left... it starts and ends with the fans. They determine who will make it. If they like you you're gold. If they don't, you're in trouble."

Fans these days are much more demanding than they used to be. With the introduction of social network marketing, fans want to constantly be updated on where you are, what you're doing, who you're with, what you're eating, etc.

P. Diddy has a question of the day on his Twitter. He asks a simple question, such as the one from today, "what's your favorite MJ song?" Then he waits for his million plus followers to respond. He has also apparently launched PTwittytv... Yes, real time video of him that he posts on Twitter. He's slacked on posting them recently, but the fact that he has even taken the application to a whole new level shows how innovative and forward thinking things are these days. I hear you in that he has his minions who do his bidding. Who knows if he even came up with the idea, but his fame is what makes it take and make the world take notice.

What's my point? My point is that it seems tedious and unnecessary, but silly things like Twitter are so incredibly important in keeping fans on the hook. Mike King, Director of Marketing at Berklee Music says, "You can't just leave it to chance and hope for the best. Today it's especially important to be proactive. The internet and mobile communications have made fans much more demanding. If you don't pay attention to them, you'll lose them."

The fans are as important, if not more so, than the music now. If you don't have the fans, then the music will be lost by the wayside. They are the reason you are successful, so keep that in mind my arrogant band friends.

Cheers!
Creed

You have "friends", according to myspace. But how do you turn them in to actual friends?

Last week I talked about how to find your potential fans. Let's say you've managed to find them in this last week, how do you get them on the bus? Unfortunately, these days, it takes a grand gesture or something incredibly interesting to get their attention. What type of grand gestures? Bands often bombard fans with videos, photos, texts, contests... anything that will grab attention. However, it's all been done and most fans are over it. Bands can do only so much face to face time with fans and are left to attempt a friendship through online social networking... it's so much easier just talking to people.

Sometimes I have the choice to either call a client or shoot them an e-mail. As easy as an e-mail sounds because it's a little less involved and doesn't require too much commitment, it slows down the communication process. When calling someone, I've got to be on my game because I don't get the chance to mull over what I'm going to say and take the time to cleverly put it all down into a safe, not too involved e-mail. Make the phone call. Often times, which I'm sure most of you are aware of, tone gets lost in e-mails and texts. I'm a relatively sarcastic person, so I often write in my texts to (read this like it's dripping with sarcasm). I've learned that words are easily lost in translation and that I must be very clear and politically correct when texting with people who don't know my sense of humor very well. Is this a bad thing? No. I should probably learn to reign myself in a lot of the time, but The Jen Creed usually shines through somehow.

Social online networks now make it so that bands can show off their number of friends on myspace. Believe me, those "friends" could usually care less about your career or voting for your band to open for John Mayer. Most of them won't take the time to sign up on a new website just to support you. I've got so many other sites to sign onto to get my necessary networking done daily that I don't want to sign up for anything else or remember another password just to support a band that asked me to add them as a "friend".

So how do you get these "friends" to actually become fans and supporters of your music? Playing shows and getting out there to personally interact with people will help turn them from myspace "friends" into real life friends, who are more willing to come out to your show and pay the cover price. Unfortunately, we don't always have the opportunity to formally meet a lot of our fans, so we have to utilize the internet. On the plus side, it allows us to not only interact more often with fans in the tri-state area, but with fans throughout the world.

So get out and play! Talk with your fans! Don't have a rock star attitude regardless of where you are in your career. Nothing bothers me more than a band who won't return phone calls or e-mails because they think they're too good for it. Their heads are bigger than they should be and that doesn't make me want to pursue them. I've got other bands to speak with who actually want to know more about what I do as well as who I am as a person. I'd rather talk to bands whose music may not be my favorite style, but they are genuine people who want to connect with their fans and have a conversation with us.

So if you meet me at a show, let's talk like people. Not as a band and a girl who works with a record company. I may not be a huge fan of your music, but we aren't defined by what we do, so I may end up being a huge fan of you.

I hope you can end up saying the same about me.

Cheers!
Creed

How To Target Your Fan Base

These days, it's impossible for bands to market themselves as a traditional label would. Indie artists don't have the resources to take the shotgun approach and target an incredibly large market. It's imperative for bands to identify the particular market that includes their potential fans. Unfortunately, most bands are not aware of that fact and claim that they attract people from the ages of 10 to 60. That obviously isn't a fan base, but more so a demographic.

So then how does a band find out where their potential fans are hiding? The first place to start is to find the fans of bands that sound similar to your music. According to Larry Weintrab, CEO of Fanscape, which is a company that helps manage fan bases, "It's more than simply collecting e-mail addresses. You have to talk to your fans, ask them about themselves and get a handle on who they are." Even a contest, such as the one that I mentioned last week with The Jonas Brothers, which still makes me cringe to this day. A contest will motivate fans to offer up information if they think that there is a possibility that they could get something out of it.

Once you have a basic idea about who your fans are and where they go to have fun, you can start to legitimately target your potential fans. There are many websites available to help identify and track your fan base. According to Weintraub, "By using analytic tools and programs, you can find out about people who visit your websites, post forums, fan sites and blogs."

Here are some sites to help you get started, if you haven't already discovered them...

www.artistdata.com

www.reverbnation.com

Rock out!

Cheers!
Creed

How resilient are you?

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity, to maintain happiness even during hard times. In my opinion, these aren't hard times. These are devastating times. Everyone is hurting right now and it's obvious to me when I look at most people's faces and they answer the question "How are you?" If I happen to say anything more positive than "I'm okay", then I'm saying it to convince myself that I'm doing better than I actually am. It's like forcing yourself to smile in order to trick your brain into thinking that you're happier than you are... shockingly, it works. I've tried it.

How does this pertain to the five people that might be reading this blog on this beautiful hump day in June? Well, is your glass half empty or half full? Generic question, I know, but an important one none-the-less in these ridiculously depressing days.

Life gets hard when you’re in a band. There are arguments, mean words and threats. What do you do when these fights and uncalled for words creep into the rehearsals and post-show break downs? As my phenomenal friend and prodigy producer Barrett Slagle says, “Don’t break up and you’ll do fine. Work through your shit… just don’t break up. Be resilient.” I adore this man and his opinion on bands and their chemistry because he is a survivor of the traditional label model and educated on the subject of band break-ups. “No matter how hard it gets, you have to believe in what you do, you have to be diligent and steadfast. You’ve started your band because you love music and you believe in what could be. Don’t ever give that up. You start out because you believe in something whether its fame, music or family… that’s worth fighting for.”

Be resilient.

Cheers!
Creed

Your Life Will Return After These Messages

Who out there will admit to the fact that they were raised on TV or used it to help entertain the children? My mom always called it the "boob tube", which I still find entertaining. The phrase was apparently coined back in the late 60's because it was believed that "television programming is foolish, induces foolishness and is only enjoyed by foolish people" (thank you www.dictionary.com). I feel confident in saying that with the dawn of reality TV, that statement applies more now than ever before. I spent as much time in front of the television as possible and always used it as my co-pilot when babysitting so that the kids were easily contained. I do attribute my time spent in front of the television to my own laziness, but my brain just could not stay quiet long enough for me to ingest the History Channel let alone most literature. This is where I have to also thank Cliffs Notes for helping me get through The Iliad.

As much as I hate to say that our entire society has ADD, I think it's a very valid argument to make. Most people can hardly stand sitting through commercials anymore because we just want to get to the point of the show. There are online sites, such as Hulu, that play entire shows with limited commercial interruptions. They even let you know when the interruption is coming and exactly how long you must wait before your show starts again. The commercials are still irritating, but at least we have a time frame and a timer to help us count away the seconds of our lives that we'll never get back. The shows that we would normally watch on TV are no longer an hour, but only 42 glorious minutes. And those extra18 minutes usually gets thrown into another show or five Saturday Night Live parodies (almost all of which involve Justin Timberlake).

Music has taken a step in that direction as well. No longer are full length albums the standard in releasing music. Twelve songs on an album is a great way to lose the interest of the listener. I will admit that it's difficult for me to make it through even ten songs. The fewer songs I listen to, the easier it is for me to decide if I like the music and helps me recognize the band quicker. Shorter albums, or EPs (extended play), are rapidly becoming the best way to keep a fan base's attention. Instead of releasing one album in a year, why not put out two or three smaller ones every few months? This will help keep the fans interested in your progression all year long because you're constantly feeding them new music, which they're always hungry for.

And in my attempt to get my short and to the point ADD argument across, I've managed to talk for longer than most of my generation will read. So if you've made it this far, my fedora is off to you.

Cheers!
Creed

What Is ReverbNation?

I met with an artist this week and we got to discussing all of the different websites that bands can use for the betterment of their careers. This particular band is successful, intelligent and leaving very soon to play for a month in London, so I was surprised when they told me that they just recently started using a site called ReverbNation .

I was introduced to Reverb by a very good friend who opened up my eyes to all of the wonderful things can be done/handled on just one website. I manage a band called CONJOB (shameless name dropping) and I was desperately looking for a way to streamline all of our information and contacts as well as add in a few things that I hadn't figured out yet. There's so much to learn and so many websites that need to be found, so any education that was offered to me I would take... hint, hint.

ReverbNation lets you browse through venues all over the country, track and monitor the statistics of your band, manage a street teem, do viral marketing, digital distribution, gives you the all important Electronic Press Kit and so much more! Out of the plethora of features offered, the simple one that I was excited about the most is the e-mailing list manager. I've never been a fan of Excel (mainly due to the fact that I was raised on a Mac), so when I found that I didn't have to organize, number or alphabetize the list, I was sold on Reverb instantly. Every single other feature was just icing on the cake for me at that moment of discovery.

If you haven't experienced ReverbNation yet, then get on that website and see all that it has to offer to bands. It won't be a waste of your time... much unlike Excel is for this girl.

Cheers!
Creed

Shifting Gears and Changing Perspective

Happy Hump Day!!!

Until recently, I've been coaching gymnastics at a private little place in Venice Beach. I was a competitive gymnast when I was younger and decided to pick up some work being a positive example for the young , privileged and impressionable children.

Last Monday, I was in the lounge with one of the other coaches named Toby. The lounge is where the coaches hide out between classes to eat, couch and check out the latest happenings in everyone's lives. Toby is in a band called Inverse and has done a very good job of moving their visibility and fan base forward without a whole lot of guidance or other people to help him do all of the "busy" work. He's branched out for the moment and is working as a solo artist. Therefore, he's back at the beginning of releasing a new album and this one is completely on his terms. I saw Toby on Mondays and Fridays because our schedules collided, so we always discussed music because it was a common thread.

Since I started working at the gym, we've had discussions about labels, ArtiSans, studios, vendors, etc. He knows what he's talking about because he's already done it for Inverse. A lot of bands have been releasing their own albums and all of the fun stuff that comes along with it (i.e. merch, distribution, licensing, etc.). Therefore, they don't necessarily see the benefit in taking a look at ArtiSans because we're just offering them services that they've already been doing themselves. It basically comes down to a question of how much is your time worth.

Toby commented last week on the fact that I'm essentially in sales because I'm just trying to sell a product (ArtiSans) to people. I dislike that it came across that way because I'm not trying to sell anything to anyone. I've been lucky enough to have learned about the shift in the music industry and the different way of looking at things (changing my perspective). Knowledge continues to be shared with me by people who have been in music for over 20 years. It's not about selling anything to an artist. It's about educating them on the shift in music and helping them see past the traditional model to a place where they can keep complete artistic control as well as 100% of their royalties.

Very bottom line is that I dislike comparing my job to sales and I sincerely hope that it doesn't come off that way. If we can share our knowledge with you and help change some perspectives then we've succeeded and I hope that you see enough value in this new idea to share it with other musicians.

Come back next week for another random story in the life of Jen Creed that will be tied to music.

Cheers!
Creed

A musical Mother's Day in Solvang.

Smash and I also attended a race this weekend, but we didn't run nor did we walk in it. My siblings were the ones that participated in the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon in Solvang. If you aren't familiar with it, Solvang is located in the glorious wine country. Therefore a perfect reason for the dispersed Creed family to gather, celebrate Mother's Day and drink good wine. There's a few of us that are athletically driven from time to time and our proud three got up, ran 13 miles as the sun rose, grabbed medals as they crossed the finish line and then walked straight into a wine tasting at the park. Talk about genius marketing, right?

During my exhausting day of cheering, cheersing and showering my niece and nephew with love, I managed to meet an artist named Carey Ott who was the entertainment during the wine tasting. He stood in a big white gazebo overlooking the small park armed with his acoustic guitar, microphone and sunglasses. In front of him sat people on blankets in the sun celebrating the fact that exercising and then immediately drinking wine is possible.

I gracefully invaded the gazebo when he had a break between songs and asked him if I could talk to him once his set was done. Twenty minutes later he found me at one of the picnic tables with my family, who promptly offered beer to him and his manager Gary. We sat down with them for at least 30 minutes and talked about general topics as opposed to specifically music and ArtiSans Label. Stories were told, people laughed out loud and there was even a discussion of the adorable city that is Solvang.

Neither of us had an agenda. It shouldn't be about an agenda and even I forget that sometimes. Get to know the people that you're working with, especially if it's a labor of love. I've put a lot of energy, money and tears into a few projects in my life and have been fantastically burned, so I'm hesitant to work with people. Just as with my actual life, I prefer to fly solo probably because of distrust issues...

But I digress.

I want you to get to know us because we want to know about you as people and as artists. Read our Artist Bill of Rights and then shoot me an e-mail at jencreed@artisanslabel.com. Or we could exchange business cards (inside joke if you happen to faithfully read my blog). If you do, thank you and spread the word.

Cheers!
Creed

The Gospel According to Spinal Tap

I correlate a lot of happenings in my life to either movies, Simpson's episodes or Family Guy. On any given day I will most likely quote something out of any of the above, the title of this blog being a perfect example.

Last night I watched my number one movie of all time, "This is Spinal Tap". If you have not seen it, you must remedy that immediately. It's a pretty particular type of humor and requires a lot of attention in order to really appreciate and catch all of the one-liner gems, so be prepared. My brother introduced the movie to me when I was very young and had I seen it in the theater I would have asked for my money back. Years later as my artistic palate refined I gave the movie another shot and now it never wanders far from my DVD player.

In one of the scenes where Spinal Tap is performing, they use these individual cocoon contraptions that they step out of when the song begins and ends. Derek Smalls, the bass player, happens to be in the shell that doesn't open and is stuck in it until it serendipitously opens right as the song is ending. He tried so hard to get out of the shell and even had the help of a roadie with a blow torch, but was unsuccessful until it was too late.

How does this have to do with any sort of networking topic? The movie triggered a conversation that led me to the idea for this blog. Last week I talked about getting out there, networking and, of course, smiling. Ironically enough I went to a show this past week and was in a shell of my own and barely even spoke to the people that I knew. As much as I advocate going out and introducing yourself to as many people as you can, there are some times when it just feels impossible... things might have been different if I'd had a roadie with a blow torch, but it is what it is.

The moral of this blog is that if you are occasionally in a mood where you're a little antisocial, don't worry about it because it happens to the best of us. If you happen to think that you're habitually antisocial, try to step out of your shell for a minute and see what happens. Smiling is a great place to start.

Cheers!

It's Wednesday. Do You Remember My Name?

Welcome back!

It was brought to my attention yesterday that some people might not get the "hump day" reference and I don't want anyone to be confused. Looking at the work week (or school week), which is traditionally five days, Wednesday is in the middle and considered the "hump". Once you make it over the hump the rest of the week is a glorious downhill ride. I'm here to hopefully make your hump day a little more pleasant and easier to climb over. Got it? Good.

Moving on.

As I mentioned last week, I'll be giving you some networking tips to do when out socializing that will help you add names and faces to your mental rolodex.

1. The handshake

a. When you meet someone look them in the eye, shake their hand and repeat their name out loud after they say it. This will help you remember their name and hopefully be able to retrieve it from your memory when you see them next.

b. Give them a good one. I’d prefer to get a hand shake that temporarily cuts off my circulation than a soft one that leaves me feeling unfulfilled.

2. Business cards:

a. When someone gives you their business card LOOK AT IT! You must look at it while they are standing there right in front of you for a few reasons. It is yet another method of helping remember their name and where you met them. Also, it can be perceived as rude for the simple fact that it takes three seconds to get a good look at one of those and if you’re not going to take the time to just glance down, then why even take the card?

b. Do not be afraid to write down keywords on their business card. I initially learned not to do it in front of the person, but I find that people are appreciative because you are making a point to guarantee that they stay in your memory.

c. Upon purchasing business cards, opt out of the tempting glossy finish on both sides. You want to give people, such as myself, the opportunity to write on them.

d. Keep them. One of my desk drawers is dedicated solely to my business card collection. Rummage through them occasionally to remember some people that may be lost in your memory.

3. Names:

a. If you’re not sure how to pronounce their name, have them spell it and then repeat it to make sure that you are saying it correctly.

b. I forget names all the time. It’s incredibly difficult remembering every name and face after only meeting them once (sometimes even twice... or three times) unless the meeting managed to make quite the impression on you. If you forget someone’s name, don’t be afraid to ask them again. I’ve had great conversations with people and had to ask them to tell me their names at the end of our conversations. Don’t be afraid to say that you don’t remember because odds are they don’t remember your name either.

Now go out there and introduce yourself to people, chat them up, get their card, give them yours and don't forget to smile.

Cheers!

Hump Days with Jen Creed

I would like to welcome you to the first of many installments here on Wednesdays with me or as I like to call them, Hump Days with The Jen Creed. I am an Artist Coordinator here at ArtiSans Label, where I happen to be the most musically inept person in the building. As my picture accurately depicts, I don’t know how to play the acoustic guitar nor any instrument for that matter. Well, there’s one song I can play on the piano, but it’s only because my hands memorized it years ago. If you forced me to look at the sheet music it would all be over from there.

My aptitude for music is not what got me to this phenomenal place on Fender Avenue. The path that I have taken to get here has been a six-year long search to discover my abilities, strengths and ultimately what I love doing. I have worked extensively in television and short film. I’ve been a producer, editor, assistant director, utility, production assistant, location coordinator… basically I became the Jen of All Trades. Every job that I have had came about by a friend or a contact that I have forged along my career path. I am here because of my ability to step out and introduce myself to people. The perfect example is when I introduced myself to Mike (ArtiSans President) at a music festival in downtown Las Vegas right as he was trying to sit down and enjoy a quiet meal. It was the worst quiet meal he’d ever had, but he appreciated my company none-the-less.

So why am I an Artist Coordinator? Well, the process of starting and releasing an album is much like releasing a short film. They both require an insane amount of preproduction, budgeting, price shopping, permits, crew, equipment, etc. From the studio side, we help take care of all of those. We look at your goals for the next album, your budget, necessary business and legal forms, merchandise and we do all of the price shopping for you. I am the producer of your film who prepares and gathers everything to your liking so that you can sit back and be the director of your piece of art.

Swing through next week for some helpful tips on how to become a better networker to help guide you down your path.

Cheers!