Category: Blog

Crowd Funding for Musicians

Kelli Richards November 15, 2012

One of the things that I do when I work with clients is help them find new revenue streams and funding sources. They’re two of the most important aspects when it comes to business growth and development. It’s not any different for musicians. If you want to take music from a hobby to a full-time job, you’re going to need funding to survive and support your music. One of the great ways to do this is through online crowd funding platforms.

Crowd funding is essentially like having a fundraiser but it can be utilized to raise money for new companies and projects. There are literally dozens of companies out there, each with their own pro’s and con’s, that help raise money through crowd funding. Some of the bigger ones are: IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and RocketHub. There are even crowd funding companies that focus exclusively on music such as ArtistShare, Sellaband, and PledgeMusic. One of the best and earliest examples of crowd funding is the rock band Marillion, who raised $60,000 for a U.S tour in 1997 and has since used it to fund the recording and marketing of 3 albums.

The over-arching premise is simple: fans donate what they can with different levels of donations that get different gifts. For example, a $10 donation will get a free copy of the CD they’re funding, a $25 donation gets a CD and a shirt, and a $50 dollar donation gets a CD, shirt, and personally autographed poster. Don’t sell yourself short, even in today’s economy people are willing to shell out the few extra bucks to help local music and get something cool in return. Who knows, those signed posters could be worth big money some day because they helped fund the album that made you famous!

Crowd funding is so much more than a simple fundraiser, it’s a really fantastic way to engage your fans. Many platforms allow, or even require, artists to post updates, pictures, videos, etc as a way of maintaining momentum during their campaign.

Will crowd funding replace traditional funding sources and revenue streams? Probably not; but they are a great way to get those precious few extra dollars that you need to record, produce, distribute, tour, film, etc. With crowd funding, you no longer need a major label budget to put out a great record. Simply ask your fans for help and everyone wins.

 

Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

New York, We’ve Got Your Back

Kelli Richards November 5, 2012

Let me preface this piece by saying my thoughts and prayers go out to the millions of people in the northeast who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy over the last week. I hope that everyone can quickly and easily recover from this tragic event. The human spirit is, as always, amazing. We’ve seen many events that showcase the spirit of brotherhood – and even heroism – through the media. Thousands of miles away on the West coast, the updates pouring in from social media were a vital lifeline of information for many friends and relatives for those affected.  Two of my own team members are in New York, and I was grateful that even without electricity and internet, they both updated their Facebook and Twitter accounts to say they were okay.

The use of social media and new technology in these situations has proven to be even more crucial for spreading important emergency warnings and reports to millions of people without power, clinging to the last few bars of battery life on smartphones. Many political officials, organizations, and news networks took to social media sites as a means of disseminating important information to users that were or would be affected and possibly in danger. Throughout the week FEMA, the MTA, the NYC Mayor’s Office, and many other official twitter accounts reached over half a million Twitter followers, as they all collaborated and worked together to coordinate efforts of warnings, updates, and disaster relief.

The Mayor of Newark, NJ even tweeted to his community to come to his house, where he had power, food and a place to recharge (both electrically and spiritually).

While local and national news outlets certainly tried to keep up with the news as quickly as possible, often times the “average Joe” was able to provide more current and informative updates. Many users even took to social media to inform friends and family where to get gas, which has become a precious commodity due to shortages. Friends would comment on statuses with things like “Still gas left on BP on Flushing Ave, 2 hour wait so hurry” or “Just re-fueled our generator if anyone needs heat or food.” The outpouring of support and information from friends and neighbors has allowed us, as a society, to do what we do best – to connect and help one another, even complete strangers.

Social Media has taken the stage, front and center – and it has proven itself to be more than a hobby or an app.  It has turned into a vital tool that ties us together on every level – professionally, personally and from community to community.  We have even seen social take to the cloud – and the crowd – through crowd funding opportunities, like KickStarter and Indiegogo.  While many opportunities exist to support New York and New Jersey – one of my favorites, from a grassroots point of view is by a young woman, coincidentally also from San Francisco https://www.indiegogo.com/NewYorkIGotYourBack.   My team and I sent our donation this morning.

As with 911, know that we’re here for you New York and New Jersey.  We’ve got your back.

Until next time,
Kelli Richards, CEO of the All Access Group, LLC

The New Myspace: All or Nothing

Kelli Richards November 1, 2012

Ah Myspace, the website that brought social networking and social media into the homes of the masses. Once the king of the internet, valued at $12 billion and becoming the most visited website in the world, it has since been dethroned and fallen from grace. Or has it? It was recently purchased by Specific Media and Justin Timberlake in June 2011 for $35 million with hopes of breathing new life into the company. But will they be able to reclaim the throne in a much more crowded kingdom? The answer to that remains to be scene but based on the preview it looks like something worth getting excited about.

The obvious issue is that there are already enough, if not too many, social networks for the average user. Between Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Youtube, Google+ and the many others, the internet has become inundated with social media. Billed as a way to connect artists and fans, the MySpace team at Specific media has taken a smart approach by letting users integrate their Facebook and Twitter accounts rather than having to create a new one. With celebrities and artists already connecting with fans via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram perhaps integration and consolidating is something we need more of.

Seamless integration and creative design are two big things the new Myspace has going for it. Based on the preview video posted by Justin Timberlake, the website does look gorgeous and functional; 2 issues which plagued it in the past. Perhaps the biggest thing it has going for it is the music feature, which is something it actually always did exceptionally well.

Once a great way for big names and local bands alike to post songs, event info, pictures, etc, it will now let users create and share playlists, listen to whole albums, discover new music based on recommendations, and more. A cool feature for the artists is an analytics page which provides demographic breakdowns of their audiences by age, gender, region, etc. Myspace currently boasts one of the largest music catalogues on the internet, albeit from mostly unknown artists, at 42 million songs. If they can get some big artists and labels on board or even integrate with other services like Spotify, Pandora, Rdio, or Rhapsody then it could very well come back to life.

There’s still a lot that is up in the air for the new Myspace but if it can find a way to get over the hump, play nicely with the other social networks, and deliver great content then I think it will be a success. If it can’t create a pleasant, clutter-free, and unique experience for the user then it may be time to just let it die out.

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC

A Lennon Legacy

Kelli Richards October 26, 2012

I’d like to think that we all have heroes, that everyone out there, no matter how successful they are, takes the time to have someone to look up to and admire. John Lennon was always that hero to me.  He lived by his own rules and made a mark that only grows stronger over time.  A few years ago, I was lucky enough to meet his oldest son, Julian, and to share a deeply moving conversation about his dad and the work that he did – and to discuss the work that Julian has created through his charity, The White Feather Foundation.

The White Feather Foundation was started over 20 years ago and embraces environmental and humanitarian issues in conjunction with partners from all around the world, raising funds for a more sustainable, better world for every living being. White Feather has done everything from supporting artists to marching to end bullying to building an orphanage in Sri Lanka.  One project at a time, Julian’s Foundation builds better lives and stronger communities.  In 2008, he was honored by the Better World Environmental Award by Prince Albert of Monaco.

It’s not easy for artists today – the entire industry has changed and then changed gain.  While being fathered by a giant among men, Julian has never been one to stand on the shoulders of his dad, John.   He has carved his own careers as both a musician and a photographer. He has brilliantly built the one thing ALL of us should define and design every day – an inspiring legacy that changes and betters the world of others.

Julian’s latest album, Everything Changes, will be released worldwide early 2013.  In the meantime, we will all wait impatiently, and hopefully support his great work with White Feather.  To send a donation, go to https://WhiteFeatherFoundation.com

A Tribute to John and Steve

Kelli Richards October 9, 2012

In my newest book, The Magic and Moxie of Apple: An Insider’s View, I compared Steve Jobs and John Lennon; two iconic legends of a generation that are no longer with us today. Coincidentally, today is John’s birthday and last week marked the 1 year anniversary of Steve’s death. For that reason, I feel that it is only right for me to pay homage to two of the most inspirational men in my life.

John Lennon was a rock star in every sense of the world. He had it all; the fame, the fortune, the glory, etc but you would never guess it from his bashful demeanor on the camera. Steve Jobs was also a rock star but in a less literal sense. He attained the same iconic level of fame and fortune as Lennon, but through technology. Their success can’t be attributed to themselves alone; they both had an amazing team around them. However, both had the courage and vision to try something new and it worked.

I remember being a little girl when I was 8 years old and watching the Beatles doing a TV special (maybe it was “All You Need is Love”.) Apart from being electrified by their performance, the man behind the curtain playing with all the buttons and knobs (George Martin) lit a spark in me that set me on the career path that brought me to where I am today. As I watched Martin and the Beatles I thought to myself, “That’s what I want to do with my life,” and so I set out to make it happen. Similarly, growing up in Cupertino was the other half of my inspiration. At the time they started, no one knew how great Apple would be, but as the company started to take off I knew that working there would be a dream.

So this is my “thank you” to John & to Steve. Without these two legends, who knows if I would have ever developed personally and professionally into the person I am today. If they’re up there watching over us, I hope they know what a profoundly wonderful impact they’ve had on millions of lives.

Rdio’s New Artist Program

Kelli Richards October 4, 2012

As someone who has built their entire career around the convergence of technology and music, nothing pains me more than to see artists ripped off by advancements in technology. Whether we’re talking about the Napster days of the early 2000s or Grooveshark today, artists continue to be undercompensated (if compensated at all) for their work. While we’ve certainly taken some great strides towards fairly discovering and obtaining music, there is still a lot of work to be done. That’s why I was delighted to learn about Rdio, an ad-free music subscription service.

Rdio was founded in 2010 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, whom you might remember from the illegal file sharing service Kazaa which followed Napster’s demise. Similar to other services like Spotify and Rhapsody, Rdio allows users to stream an unlimited number of songs from their computer or smartphone for a monthly fee. Artists are compensated based on the number of plays their songs get per month. Unfortunately we’ve seen through these services that this model results in artists being undercompensated; often times getting fractions of a penny per play or a check for 4 dollars at the end of the month. Some artists, such as Coldplay and Adele, have kept their latest work off of subscription based streaming services because they feel it hurts album sales.

Today Rdio has announced a new program that aims to compensate artists more fairly and increase fan engagement while at the same time getting new subscribers. The Rdio Artist Program will use artists as recruiters and will compensate them $10 dollars for each subscriber they sign up. Rdio gives the artist the tools to customize their page and share their content on social media. One of my favorite features is the ability to have artists share their favorite songs and playlists that they’re listening to, a feature I always thought iTunes should have. Rdio CEO Drew Larner calls the program a “Win-win” for all parties involved.

With only about 10 million subscribers around the world, it’s hard to say whether or not this program will sink or float but a few big artists are already getting onboard such as Snoop Lion, Scissor Sisters, A-trak, and Chromeo. Could this possible be the next big thing? If it gets artists paid fairly while giving the customer a better experience, let’s hope so.

 

Reminder to REGISTER for TUESDAY’s Apple’s Best Practices Webinar

Kelli Richards September 24, 2012

Tomorrow, September 25th at 2pm PST I will offer an exclusive Webinar on incorporating Apple’s 12 best practices to enhance your business, client experiences, and personal brand.

As we know, Apple is a global leader in creating an environment around achieving powerful goals, and boiling down how they became THE company to model, after experiencing one of the most well documented crashes in history, is an absolute MUST do for anyone in business today.

To hold your space at this exclusive webinar, sign up immediately at https://www.appleinsidersecrets.com

Warmly, Kelli Richards

 

Apple’s Laughing Straight to the Bank

Kelli Richards September 18, 2012

Iphone 5 UnveilingAs an Apple insider and alum, I always have an ear to the ground for what’s going on in their world.  The past month or so for Apple has been almost as eventful as the company’s first big success back in the late 70’s – early 80’s. With a landmark legal victory over Samsung for copyright infringement, the company not only gets awarded $1.05 billion in damages (which Samsung is appealing, of course), but they will also exclusive rights over certain design and software ideas on which they own patents.

While some have slammed Apple’s case as being too broad or overzealous, the decision will surely shape the mobile software and hardware markets from this point on. For the consumer it means two things: First, Apple’s patented designs and features will most likely be cross-licensed for quite a pretty penny to competing developers and manufacturers. Second, this means that in order to competitively price their technology, companies will have to become innovative once again, rather than copy an already successful formula. So you’ll either see iPhone and iOS-esque features on high-end electronics, or innovative new designs may become the way of the future. That chapter has yet to be written.

With so much focus and attention on these two battling giants, what better time for Amazon to announce its new reader / tablet offering, the Kindle Fire. Strategically placed in the same realm as the competing iPad, Nexus, and Galaxy tablets, the Kindle Fire looks to open the floodgates of revenue for its content delivery platform. The three-way race between Apple, Amazon, and Google’s media stores appears well separated for now, but the competition is certainly heating up as the markets and technology change so rapidly. And the solid winner in ALL of this is the pro-sumer.

One would think that the competitive innovation to come from the lawsuit against Samsung, along with the introduction of the rival Kindle Fire would be cause for concern at the Apple HQ here in Cupertino, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

On September 12th, Apple announced the iPhone 5 in grandiose Apple fashion, after the project had been shrouded in secrecy for almost a year. (An issue I cover at length in my recent bestseller, “The Magic and Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View”.)  Thinner, lighter, faster, and overall cooler than its predecessor, the iPhone 4s; the iPhone 5 also boasts a number of new features, such as a new charging interface and new operating system (iOS 6).

Consumers are certainly on board for the new and improved iPhone, as evidenced by the 2 million+ pre-orders within the first 24 hours of its announcement. As a result, the cost of Apple’s stock has risen to over $700 for the first time in company history.

So while rival tech giants are out there trying to copy Apple products or create competitive alternatives in hopes of dethroning them, Apple is simply laughing it’s way straight to the bank.

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group

PS:  On September 25th, I will offer an amazing webinar on the 12 Best Practices of Apple Inc. This webinar is offered at NO cost to you.  I will offer it at a later date for $47 per participant, but for now, I simply want to extend this webinar and my expertise around what makes Apple the global leader it is to my own audience, colleagues and friends.

To save your seat, go tohttps://appleinsidersecrets.com/webinar.php and register.

 

 

Apple’s 12 Best Practices – Training Webinar

Kelli Richards September 12, 2012

How would you like to learn the single most important mind-set shift you need to guarantee that your billion-dollar ideas don’t get taken by your competitors?

How important is it to you to leave a legacy that makes a huge difference in the world?

Join me on Tuesday, September 25, 2:00pm PT/5:00 pm ET.  I will share a detailed, insiders view into:

  • Apple’s 12 best practices to create the WOW factor that keeps your customers coming back and telling all their friends about why your product “kills” anything else on the market (my colleague Steve Jobs used every single one of these to great success)
  • How to inspire your team with an emotionally compelling cause so they become world-class superstars who are completely loyal to you and your vision.

This webinar is offered at NO cost to you.  I will offer it at a later date for $47 per participant, but for now, I simply want to extend this webinar and my expertise around what makes Apple the global leader it is to my own audience, colleagues and friends.

To save your seat, go to https://appleinsidersecrets.com/webinar.php and register.

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group,

Blog for Black: The Digital Agency

Kelli Richards September 7, 2012

A few weeks ago I had the great fortune of having Matt Ramey, co-founder of Black – The Digital Agency, join me on my streaming radio show (you can find his interview, alphabetically, on my website at  https://allaccessgroup.com/articles-and-resources/blog-talk-radio). Matt shared some great stories from his past, as well as some amazing insights on the music industry and his new company.

Black – The Digital Agency’s services span every aspect of digital media marketing from strategy, design, development, and everything in between. With advertising revenue for traditional media platforms on the decline, it’s no wonder that Black’s approach to digital media marketing has been met with fanfare and critical acclaim. As TV networks consolidate, newspapers go bankrupt, and radio stations get replaced, Black offers best-in-class digital media marketing solutions for the continuously blooming digital media age.

You can find out more by visiting Matt’s website at https://contactblack.com/

Kelli Richards, President and CEO
The All Access Group, LLC

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