I get asked all the time “how do I get a manager for my band?” The goal, of course, is not to get someone’s girlfriend to manage the band. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The goal is to get a manager who is going to go to bat for you and get you cool opening slots and tours all around the country. People in metal have increasingly realized that the managers and booking agents are really the people who can give you those opportunities – not so many labels any more. Sure, a label might get you some introductions and help you get the connects you need but that’s not really their focus these days. So, the point being – the way to get a real manager is very simple. You need to show that you are pros who work your faces off and you need to show that you are going to be financially soluble – that it will make sense for these crazy busy people to want to invest some of their very valuable time in what you are trying to do. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Not Quality is the Key
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on Connecting with People
You attract what you put out. It’s as simple as that. If you’re out there exuding love and positivity, you’ll generally get that back. If you’re trying to pick fights and be grouchy to people, then you will get that. Ultimately, it’s your choice which approach you will embrace. Here’s the thing though – by picking one over the other, you’re significantly more likely to get your band somewhere meaningful. At the end of the day, it’s not about being right, it’s about trying to sell some goddamn records and make this entire endeavor a little less pointless. How do you do this? Embrace the world with a focus on what you enjoy. The reason for this is, quite frankly, entirely selfish — it allows you to connect with people on a more meaningful level. It’s all strategy — you need to meet people who can help your band grow, and open the sorts of doors that you are going to need opened as you attempt to push your brand in 2019. I know how these people work, so here is how you connect with them.Continue reading
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on Engaging with the Community at Scale
In these articles, I talk non-stop about the importance of engaging with your community at scale. This continually, however, seems to be something that gives people pause. They are consistently asking me, “Matt but HOW do I engage with the community meaningfully.” Now first and foremost it is important to remember that this isn’t really easy and it’s not really the sort of thing that is going to always make sense from first blush so don’t expect it too. However, by following through on some of the ideas, the tasks laid out on this article you are going to be able to help your scene push forward in a meaningful way. By giving without expectation of something in return you will be able to reach that critical next juncture for your band. If you want more contacts, friends or people to generally work with as you try and expand what your band is all about then there is basically nothing you can do that will be more impactful than engaging deeply. Continue reading
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on Content Marketing
A big topic that I have a lot of fun getting pretty deep with is thinking about how people consume content in 2019. This is a place where a lot of bands get confused. They don’t act thoughtfully. Remember that at the end of the day, you need to sell to your audience the way they want to be sold to, not the way that you want to sell to them. It doesn’t matter if the way that you like to create content seems cool to you. If it doesn’t seem cool to your audience, then it’s as good as wasting your time. So how do you operate with this in mind? How are people consuming content nowadays, and how does this impact how (and what) you should create? It’s really hard sometimes to figure these things out because, during the process, you’ll often discover a lot of brutal and uncomfortable truths. The main thing to remember is just that while social media is a one-to-many method of content delivery, you want to make it feel like a one-to-one method. Continue reading
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on How To Generate Value
So, this is a big question – and there’s been quite the narrative around it as people change their minds about how they’re going to approach social media in 2019. How are you going to create value with your content in order to get people to want to come back? I have this thing – it’s called being a value grinder, and refers to someone who spends a lot of time cranking out valuable content people are excited to come back to see. When you have quality content, nothing else matters, because as long as you can get it in front of people they’ll be stoked to see it. In this article, I want to talk about how you’re going to embrace this, break it down, and reach bold new levels. The music biz is not a kind place and really demands a lot from its participants. Join me as I show you how you can transcend, reach the next level, and engage with people in a way that is engaging and meaningful for all parties.
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on Why Production Output, Not Quality is the Key
OK so here’s a big one that people don’t want to think about but which remains unflinchingly true the more I delve into the music industry. It’s the simple principle that no matter what you do content-wise, the production quality is not going to be the be all end all. In a world where bands and creatives need to create more content than ever if they want to succeed you need to figure out ways not to cut corners, but rather to create content that is relevant to your audience, platform, and way of branding yourself. I know that this sounds a bit foofy and that there are multiple levels, but we are going to dig in deep – because, at the end of the day, the bands who are precious about their production quality are the bands who don’t actually get anywhere. Meanwhile, you take a guy like Intervals, who understands that bare-bones video content works and his shit blows up. We are about to dig into the how and why of that world. Continue reading