In part two of my interview with Aloud, Jen and Henry talk about the recording studio, videos and online promotion, and balancing the business end of their music with creative stuff.

After touring for years in cafeterias, prisons (Ok only one…Riker’s Island), parties, dive bars etc., we finally got a shot at opening up for our first national act…a LEGENDARY 80’s band…

“Building the brand” is such a corporate sounding phrase, isn’t it? Unfortunately, reading this post is a lot like saving all your gear receipts and keeping track of your mileage – it’s a necessary evil if you’re taking your music career seriously. I know it’s unpleasant….I’ll try to keep it short:

Your band is a brand, whether you have made a conscious decision to make it one or not. Your fans are your customers, and based on things like your music, artwork, website, and appearance, they have a perception of you. This perception is your brand.

Growing your email list is crucial to securing and keeping a following. It’s the most effective way to communicate directly with the people who make gigging and recording worthwhile. In this article, I will talk about ways to increase your email subscriber count. The first and best method is to promote your mailing list at all of your gigs.

By now the Twitter phenomenon is far enough along that it’s fair to say you have at least heard of Twitter. If you haven’t, or are not clear on what it is exactly, then let me explain. Or at least try. Twitter is yet another online tool for you to use to promote your music and gigs. As your following (both real and virtual) grows, Twitter can be a great way to continuously interact with your friends and fans.

Songwriters and bands embrace social networking sites to promote their music and gigs, reach out to fans, and create their web presence. For musicians, Myspace has long been the go-to resource, but the massive popularity of Facebook certainly makes it a community not to be ignored.
Each site has it’s advantages and disadvantages. I’ll break them down here based on the needs of songwriters and bands.