What Can Independent Musicians Learn From Lady Gaga's Controversial Marketing Techniques?

Indie bands - What can we learn from the marketing techniques employed by one of the world's biggest pop stars, Lady Gaga? If at this point you're saying "She's a sellout" or "I hate pop music" you've quite possibly closed the doors available to you and sorely missed out. Let's also forget the obvious point that Gaga has millions of followers anticipating her every move. I plan to use this individual simply as a conversation starter on the topics of controversy and originality, which are becoming ever-more important in today's music industry.

While so many independent bands are still wasting their precious time spamming potential fans on Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and Reverbnation, while in the process repelling any potential of success, artists like Lady Gaga are focusing on a much overlooked aspect of music marketing: controversy. Whether you think her recent single "Judas" is a catchy tune or you think she is the spawn of Satan sent to destroy our children is wholly irrelevant. They would both fall under the opinion category. The point at the end of the day when it comes to promoting music is - does it work? If you can approach this topic with some neutrality and genuine inspiration then you may be in a position to start planning your hype machine.

It doesn't matter whether you are a pop music fan or not, or whether you agree with what Lady Gaga is doing. It works. These days, if you strike where the iron is hot, it can really pay back in spades. Now that anyone, for better or worse, can upload media on innumerable websites such as YouTube and Vimeo, anyone is a prospect for a strong reaction. Guess what people did to protest the release of "Judas"? They posted videos to YouTube. They wrote blogs. They made their opinions known online. Guess who this helped? Since the people expressing their opinions have no pre-planned way of capitalizing on them(such as printing t-shirts, for example), this solely feeds the Gaga machine.

Granted, these tactics work much better when you have millions of people anticipating your record. If you go back to the drawing board, though, and come up with a strong idea that resonates with an aspect of humanity, you can start a conversation. Conversations get started when something is OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. I'd advise any independent musician to scour their material and see if there is anything genuinely controversial (not necessarily shocking. Will it start conversations?) or if it could be easily dismissed.

Keep in mind that many topics you may think are shocking typically are not. Take the metal genre, for example, which has in some ways become a parody of itself, with thousands of releases annually exploring the anti-Christian agenda. They are certainly projecting something, but no one pays much attention, and for good reason. The topics and arguments are perceived by many as tired and boring. Now, if you were a Satanic electro-pop duo with an image to match, you may just have a potent idea brewing. Here's the point. If you are simply towing the line for your particular scene, you're not shocking. Why not introduce ideas where they are not typically welcome?

"Towing the line" for your scene would mean sitting in full agreement with it's chosen philosophy. It's the reason you sometimes feel like you've stepped into a cult meeting when you go to a local show. This can work well for the teenage post-hardcore band selling t-shirts in the school gymnasium, but with such an oversaturated music market, it's important for genuine artists to put effort into individualizing themselves as much as possible. Sometimes this means saying goodbye to the expectations and comforts associated with bands of your type.

This is not to say that if you are a folk band that plays pleasant music about the good old days, you should automatically start writing a concept album inspired by Zeitgeist 3. Play what fits. But guys, open your minds and stop spamming people on social media networks such as Facebook and Reverbnation. Studies have shown this to be grossly ineffective. You're going to need real press to gain footing in the industry. If you're creative, which you should be, there are many ways custom fit to your band to get people talking.

The bands who are getting attention on the music blogs these days have a one of a kind image. They are not the hardcore bands talking about perseverance or the punk bands with leftist leanings. For better or worse, there is no one else like them.

Ask yourself - are you truly an original in every way or are you kissing up to your genre elites in hopes of being accepted and getting coverage?

James Moore is a Canadian music consultant and author of the popular music marketing book "Your Band Is A Virus! Behind-the-Scenes and Viral Marketing for the Independent Musician". For more information please visit http://www.yourbandisavirus.com/.

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What Independent Musicians Can Learn From Rebecca Black

Indie bands - By now, most of you will have heard of Rebecca Black, and if you haven't, you will soon. I have a unique perspective on the young phenomenon and her effect on modern music marketing, but let's go over the back story first.

Rebecca is a 14-year old singer from Anaheim, California. Her mother paid a local record label called ARK Music Factory to film a music video and release a single for a pre-written track entitled "Friday". Soon after the playful track was posted, it became a viral sensation. To many people's surprise the song became a worldwide smash, making the Billboard charts and earning Rebecca spots on Good Morning America and The Tonight Show. Stephen Colbert even covered the song recently with Jimmy Fallon, Taylor Hicks and The Roots. Conan O'Brian and Andy Richter did their own cover version called "Thursday." It was also covered by the hit TV show Glee.

Since the release of the song and video, something unprecedented has also taken place. The backlash was incredible, with an 87 percent disapproval rating by YouTube users. As it turns out, some of the reasons why the song became viral in the first place was because of it's questionable lyrics, it's use of auto-tune, and the judgements by many that it was the "worst song ever". Parodies of the song became commonplace and "Friday" became a sign that the current YouTube generation had possibly reached a kind of peak. Forbes Magazine stated that the popularity of the song is another sign of the current power of social media - in the ability to create "overnight sensations." The original video was removed.

Rebbeca used the leverage from the first video, and released a 2nd single called "My Moment", which in turn is also a bona fide hit. This young lady is a new celebrity.

Now, you may think that this article is about to tell you how you can achieve the kind of success Rebecca Black has, and outline viral steps to recreate this kind of promotion.

Not so much. I'd like to suggest something else entirely, if I may. Many independent artists strive to be liked by as many people as possible. This isn't necessarily the best way. It could easily be argued that Rebecca Black sounds quite similar to other modern pop stars such as Katy Perry and Britney Spears. These days, the mainstream simply choose differently. If the public overwhelmingly chooses Rebecca Black, Jersey Shore, the Kardashians, Pitbull, and a slew of talent show contestants, then why worry so much about being accepted?

If you think about it, there is something positive to be taken from all this. Instead of getting angry about the choices that we collectively make, market honestly to your niche and stop trying to appeal to or rebel against the masses. If you are planning on writing or making music with your life, you must first accept that the masses are going to choose things that you won't understand.

As Tom Waits says "Everything you can think of is true." (in pop culture, I would add.)

Let them watch Jersey Shore and blast "Friday" on their car stereos. You're going to need to save all your energy to effectively market your music to the people who really want to hear it. There are, and always will be, people who value honesty and passion. They will never be in short supply no matter how much this fact is not promoted by the mainstream media. If you are marketing to the masses, you're marketing to no one.

Study your niche.

That would include your genre(s), themes, lyrical content, image, location, and life philosophy. Promote to your niche in a credible way and believe in what you're doing. Have some class. Just because it's possible to score an auto-tuned hit, doesn't mean it's a great thing to do. Release your true self, not a gimmick. There are people who want to hear what you have to say. Start small. Promote to music blogs, podcasts, and publications that cover genuine independent music. Build it one brick at a time and don't worry about the rest.

James Moore is a Canadian music consultant and author of the bestselling music marketing book "Your Band Is A Virus". For more information on "Your Band Is A Virus" and a free chapter on the new method of "behind-the-scenes" marketing, visit http://www.yourbandisavirus.com/.

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