I’m a fan of Berkleemusic, the online school of the esteemed Berklee College of Music, and often read many of the great blogs from David Kusek, Mike King and co.

Berklee recently launched their Winter 2010 term with two new music marketing courses available; Online Music Marketing with Topspin (co-authored by King and Topspin’s Shamal Ranasinghe), and Online Music Marketing: Campaign Strategies, Social Media, and Digital Distribution.

Having studied several of their courses, I know that the Berkleemusic system is a good one, and these new courses have inspired me to sign up again next term.

In the fast-moving, ever-evolving new music industry, I see digital marketing strategies being of huge importance. Artists need to do as much groundwork as possible themselves, and when they cannot, know the correct people and resources to help. Being efficient at selling your music online, and building your fan base with social networking communities is critical for bands and musicians looking to make a living from their music and music-related activities.

Here, Mike King explains some of the Online Music Marketing course details and how you can use analytics to drive your career decisions.

Also worth mentioning is the course textbook, which is a great read even if you aren’t studying at Berkleemusic. Music Marketing: Press, Promotion, Distribution, and Retail is also written by King, and you can sample a free chapter here…

If anyone is taking the course this term, please let me know how you are getting on. If you are signed up for Spring 2010, I may well see you there!

Lee Jarvis

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NIN does it again.

Trent Reznor has a great project called NIN|JA 2009 , giving away a 6 track EP from three different bands (Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction and Street Sweeper) to help promote their extensive summer ’09 tour.

Any readers of my industry blog know that I’m not just a Nine Inch Nails fan, but a huge supporter of Reznor’s music strategies. Giving your music away in order to raise awareness and generate future revenue, in this case, ticket sales. The idea worked very well for the Ghosts I-IV album last year, where releasing the first volume for free download not only resulted in $1.6m in first week sales (of physical CDs, deluxe boxsets and digital downloads), but also helped contribute to a hugely popular 2008 tour of both South and North America.

Obviously NIN are a globally famous band, but that’s not to say that lesser-known artists can’t use the same idea to help raise awareness. Imagine how impressed any venue booker would be if you could help sell out a show. Not to mention that while you have a captive audience, a well placed and stocked merchandise table will help recoup any ‘losses’ of giving away a free download or two.

Making money because of your music instead of directly from it is a lesson that many artists can learn from.

Lee Jarvis.

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Well, here we go with the launch of the US Music Jobs blogs! We hope to make your visit to the Music Jobs website a bit more informative and enjoyable, with news, reviews, advice and gossip from around the world. My ’specialist subject’ is discussing the digital music revolution, music 2.0, music marketing strategies, social networking and share music job finding tools.

Having said that, I aim to cover as much of the music world as possible. I love going to live gigs, so you’ll hear my rants on Dance, Jazz or Rock, and I’ll also bring you news from major labels and their latest troubles. I hope to cover these as completely as I can, and I expect a flurry of adulation / abuse as I attempt to do so. You guys may know more or feel different about what I write, so tell me so!  I enjoy the honest replies – blogs are supposed to be interactive, so please comment on anything you feel strongly about. I need to know what amuses and disgusts you so that I can delve deeper into the subjects that you all want to hear about. The Music Industry is a big ol’ world, and I only have two hands and one groggy brain to try and get it all across to you…. but bear with me, it’ll be a fun journey.

Lee Jarvis.

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