Newsletter Content Ideas

Last month I wrote Artist Newsletter Secrets, I don't consider these to be secrets at all really. Of course my favorite music publicity company Ariel Publicity recently wrote how to increase your fanbase. In it you will find 10 fail-safe ways to increase / engage with your fanbase by pulling from fans that you already know and have who trust and like you!

Well for Evolution Coop I am planning a monthly newsletter Issue 0 just moments ago went direct to the web. Today I will look over what I have set-up to see how it may help you out as an artist. But 1st let me talk about Evolution Coop.

As you may recall from the Artist Newsletter Secrets article I mentioned that Music Evolution wanted to help artists with their newsletter. Well along with that is my belief that all members of the music industry need to do more cooperative projects. These thoughts combined to form the basis of Evolution Coop. I have to say these things have a tendency to gain a mind of their own. However the basics is to build missions cooperatively with musicians, music lovers, and music networks. Along the way we would like to teach music lovers all of the joyous activities they are missing out on by not interacting fully with their favorite artist.

Now to Critique Evolution Coop Newsletter #0 I will only focus on those aspects I feel would fit within an artists own newsletter.

1)About this Newsletter - Great place to put your short bio or promotional pitch.

2)Issue 0 Free Music - Your newsletter fans are more then likely your strongest supporters. Why not give them at least 1 free song with each issue. You can then link to where they can buy more as a reminder that yes you need to earn a living too.
3)Issue 0 community review - I hear all the time the question how to get your fans more interactive. Well you need a call to action and this section does that quite well.
4)Issue 0 community video - Pick up a copy of "Start a Video Strategy" and learn the importance of having more videos. And what better way then to get your fans to make them.
5)Buy an album - This one actually goes well with 2 above.
6)Contact - You really should have at least 5 ways for your fans to follow or contact you. I know here I only put 3 but that will change in the future.

Now beyond those you want to have your live show dates, link to your EPK, along with any other customized aspect that is just you. You will notice I used tables in my newsletter (html). I think it looks fine online but not all E-Mail clients will see it the same. You may be better without using tables unless you have a professional newsletter designer working for you.

Obviously you will notice I placed this issue online, I plan to make each issue available online as an archive. This is something that I firmly believe would be beneficial to anyone doing newsletters, more content online for people to find you with. Of course this should come with some rules for instance if you give your subscribers free music then you need to take that out of your online archive. Oh make sure your online archive mentions the free music just don't have it available, unless it is available online elsewhere then just link to it. Also in the coming weeks you will see my online version morph into a web-page. This is how I would think you would want it to work for you, make it look as professional as possible.

Cubworld's Response to my Cubworld Series

So back in March I did a 4 part series on what suggestions I would make as Cubworld's social media guru. This actually started out with an E-Mail exchange between me and Mandy (Cubworld's wife). In order to see how well I could help organize the chaos she was dealing with. After I wrote up the basic E-Mail suggestions and sent it off I decided that doing a blog post expanding upon that E-Mail would be worth doing.

Well as I wrote each part I placed them in a forum that all 3 of us participate in. Here is the response from them to either the E-Mail or the blog series or maybe both (I think it is both). You will notice having taken these from the forum in question that within their responses is asking for help too.

Mandy -

You are AMAZING!! So much to do!!! Thank you for helping us!! I am over whelmed by it all sometimes and would love love love some help!! The more Jake is out there gigging and practicing the more its my job to do all the social stuff. If someone is willing to run one of the social sites for us please let me know!! I think having a leader council is a great idea so everyone knows the important stuff happening on sites!! Thank you so much. Serious it actually feels like were getting organized and that is such a new feeling for me!! lol

Net!! You are sooo freaking awesome!!! i have so much work to do!! I still haven't gotten through it all but just wanted you to now right now how much I appreciate your input!! Wahoooo!!:D you can be our Guru anytime:D haha:D

Jake -

Hey Net. Thanks a lot for the above, your on it bro. You are right about needing help and feeling stretched thin. So many places to network, Amiestreet, bebo, hyves, reverbnation, talentcast etc etc and that's the start of a list of sites i don't revisit as often as I'd like. I have a couple sites up with great networking chances but like you said, i run thin doing this on my own so most of the time you will only catch me on facebook, myspace,youtube, and occasionally twitter. I'll for sure try to do the once a day thing. It's getting more and more popular too so no better time then now.

I'm always told i need management but to tell you the truth managers scare the crap out of me cause I've met some real shady dudes that are in this for the wrong person. I would love help with these online tools so if anyone is willing to offer any services please feel free to hit up Mandy or I.

Anyways, thanks Net for starting this and i look forward to more tips bro.

Aloha
Jake-CUB

Of course I have to wonder now who will be next will it be you or maybe someone you know?

2 Weeks of Decisions

I don't normally do a sorry I haven't blogged post but thought I would sort of do one today.

As some of my followers know couple of weeks ago I went to a mixer hosted by the city of Seattle Mayors office of film and music. This is part of the city of music initiative started last November. Now at the time I thought this would be great so being me I sent off several questions. ROFLOL I got answers within hours I called these non-answers. Well the guy in charge was on vacation at the time and so he sent me more answers. These were different non-answers, at which point I decided that Seattle was in no way shape or form prepared to fulfill this initiative.

Well now Netvalar doesn't believe in roadblocks so I sent off a few more questions to organizations that were supposedly a part of this. The few responses I got were either "What are you talking about" or "We haven't got our information back to answer your questions". In January looks like the Mayors office found out I was asking questions or maybe just dug my E-Mail out from the 1st time I asked. They sent me a huge list of links and information, at 1st I thought finally. But once I started getting into it I decided it was information overload to get me to shut up.

Then 2 days later I found out that they had a weekly newsletter and I was automatigically signed up to it. I almost clicked the unsubscribe link at the bottom. However instead I created a new folder in my E-Mail client and shoved it all there to peruse later. Along the way I missed my invite to 2 of these mixers and went to this last one. I was thinking with local music leaders and company owners it would be great networking.

So now lets talk about this great networking opportunity? Remember high school, everyone was part of 1 clique or another and rarely did each associate with the others. Well that is exactly what these 100+ attendees were like. I of course browsed around jumping into conversations as I could, but only a few of these small groups were interested in outsiders. The few I did get a chance to chat with were in similar positions in fact I was told for networking going to the local college was better, LOL.

Now this all brings me to you my readers, many of you wish to participate in the growth and advancement from chaos to organized music industry. All these new tools are great but how to use them and which ones would be best? We now know our fans are our greatest asset but how do we use that or even what do we teach them? So many more questions and so few answers.

Well I still got alot of work, but I am taking a long hard look at those who I participate with. Communities, individuals, leaders, etc. In fact last couple of weeks I may have done a research project on you? Yes I am looking long and hard at people, making my own decisions on who I want my network to listen to. Along the way I am also tearing down and rebuilding my online presence, you won't see much on the surface but tons of behind the scenes work.

Music Evolution is the main place of changes as I turn it from bringing thought leaders together (failed at that anyways). To building a resource central of free knowledge, tools, or what ever I decide (that is the hardest part deciding). Along the way I have learned that teaching lessons need to be built, so they will be. As I build these online courses or find ones already in place my newsletter subscribers will get access or visitors to the forthcoming new and improved Music Evolution.