PreProduction

Pre production is everything that you should be taking care of prior to the first time you actually record something in the studio. This includes song selection, arrangement ideas, voice lessons, scheduling session musicians, finding a recording studio/engineer and even starting the process of finding a graphic artist for the CD artwork as well as a duplication house to mass produce your finished master. This can be a daunting amount of work especially if you’re new to the game, however there is someone you can turn to who can help make this process much more effective and significantly simpler.

The Producer

If you’re wondering whether or not a producer is a good idea for your project, then it’s important to understand what a producer brings to the table. In a word, it’s experience. Let’s assume the upcoming project is your first, second or even third independently released CD. This means that your studio experience is comparatively limited next to a producer who has often done dozens of projects. In other words, a producer has spent significant time becoming an expert at something that’s still relatively new to you. With this production experience comes a variety of skills that the producer will use to help you end up with a polished, professional-sounding project. This skill set typically includes everything from knowledge of the craft of songwriting (useful in song selection and improvement), relationships with session musicians (which often includes the ability to play instruments at a very high level themselves), the communication skills to explain to the musicians what the overall “vision” of the project is, knowledge (or ownership) of a good recording studio and, last but not least, the ability to work with you as a vocalist/instrumentalist to help you bring out your best performances in the studio. Finally, the perspective that a producer brings to a project can be extremely useful as it’s often difficult to make clear judements about your own vocal/instrumental tracks.

A question that I get asked often in my workshops is where artists should look to find producers for their indy projects. There are a variety of sources. The first is usually word of mouth. Ask other artists in your music community who produced their CDs and how their experience was. Also, if you have a CD of an independent artist and you really like the way it sounds, look and see who’s listed as the producer then contact that artist to get the producer’s information. If you’re new to a community, you can always ask your performing rights organization (BMI, ASCAP or SESAC). They usually have a list of producers that they recommend. Finally, although always a bit of a reach if you’re new to the game, you can look at some of your favorite major label CDs and see who’s listed as the producer and then contact those producers as well. Although it’s unlikely that successful producers will have time in their schedule to work with an indy artist, you never know and the worst they can say is “no.”

The Recording Studio

With the advent of improved recording technology and affordable, high-quality equipment, great recordings can be made almost anywhere. Recording is no longer the exclusive domain of the big, multi-room complex. That being said, there are a few things you should consider before choosing a studio for your project. First and foremost is sound quality. Ask the studio owner/engineer for a demo of something that’s been recorded in their studio. But you should be more specific still. Ask that the music on the demo be in the style of the project you’re planning to record. In other words, if you’re making a country CD, it doesn’t matter if the studio has a great-sounding R&B demo because that doesn’t necessarily translate into a great-sounding country recording. Secondly, make sure you’re comfortable in the space where you’ll be working. Although working in a big, beautiful studio can be inspiring for some, it can be intimidating for others. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in this place, make sure you feel at ease there so that you can relax and deliver great performances. And, lastly, don’t forget to ask for any and all fees. The obvious would be the hourly rate but it’s important to ask the owner/engineer what other charges you’ll be incurring. This can be everything from a separate engineer charge, cost for burning CD’s and even separate charges for certain pieces of studio equipment. A studio ought to be able to give you a decent estimate for what your overall project should cost. Some studios simplify the process even further by giving you an all-in project fee that is decided up front. It’s always better to know all of this at the beginning of a project so that there are no unpleasant surprises when it comes time to pay.

Vocals

Your career as a recording artist hinges on many things from the songs you choose to the musicianship on your records but the single most important thing for your artist identity is your voice. That being said, your ultimate goal as a vocalist is to sound exactly like yourself. In other words, the more relaxed and confident you are as a singer, the more people will know who you are and what you’re about. Other musicians care about musicianship, but the people who will ultimately buy your CD will connect with your voice first and everything else much later. There are a lot of things you can do before you start the recording process to improve your chances of getting great vocal performances. First and foremost is practice. The voice is a muscle and the more you work with it the stronger it gets. No matter how good a singer you are, I’d recommend working with a vocal teacher or coach on the songs you’ve chosen to record. This way you’ll be working with an expert to help you get the most out of your voice on the songs you’ve chosen. This is not something that is limited to beginners. Multi-platinum selling artists use vocal coaches as often as, if not more often than, beginners.

Artwork/Graphic Design

Putting out your own CD is a big job. Not only are you the artist but you’re playing the role of record label, too. That being said, it’s worth considering starting the process of finding a graphic artist to work with and getting the artwork together even before the CD project has begun. This means collecting the necessary information for the CD insert like pictures and computer files of your lyrics. I mention this because if you don’t start this process early then you’ll be adding months of additional work after you’ve finished the actual recording of your project.

Final Thought

Making a CD is like taking an audio snapshot of where you are as an artist at a given moment in your career. Since it’s expensive to make a quality recording, it’s very likely that you’ll be using this CD to represent yourself for a long time. The better prepared you are the more fun you’ll have making your recording and the better your CD will sound.

Good luck!

Let’s begin at the beginning.  You’ve written a song and, hopefully, you’re thrilled with it.  So thrilled, in fact, that you want to record it right away and use every instrument in both the Western and Eastern musical traditions on the demo.  I don’t blame you one bit.  There’s nothing more fun than dressing up your songs to go to town.  But it might make sense to stop and ask yourself what your goals are for your demo.

Why Are You Demoing Your Song?

If the answer is that you’re a recording artist in your own right and you’re putting together a collection of demos that represent you and your sound, then, by all means, create a full-blown demo and best of luck.  But if the answer is that you’re hoping to represent your song in a way that highlights what is unique in your melody and lyric and you’re hoping to pitch it to publishers or recording artists in order to get a cut, you might want to put on the brakes before doing a full-blown demo.

Budget

Let’s start with the elephant in the room…the money.  Doing quality recordings of your songs is never inexpensive.  As a matter of fact, doing a full band productions of a song can be downright expensive.  As a result, you should have VERY good reasons for doing a full production of your song.  An example of a “very good reason” would be that you know a music supervisor who has come to you specifically looking for a song for a film or TV show and they’re looking for a full band production.  Another good reason would be that you’re working with a young artist and you want to do a version of the song that highlights not only the song but the singer as an artist.  However, if you’re hoping to have a long, successful career as a songwriter, you need to manage your demo budget carefully.  In terms of pitching possibilities and placement opportunities for your songs, I firmly believe that it is better to have a catalog of ten great sounding, professionally recorded guitar/vocal or piano/vocal demos than it is to have half that many full-band recordings.

What Is A “Stripped Down” Demo?

A stripped down demo is generally a recording of a single instrument (either acoustic guitar or piano) and a vocal including vocal harmony.  This is in contrast with what I’ll refer to as a full band demo which generally involves a rhythm section (drums and bass) as well as various “color” instruments like electric guitar, keyboards, fiddle (if it’s country) and any one of a variety of other instruments.  The trick to a well-recorded stripped down demo is that it implies something bigger without necessarily having to use a lot of instruments to do it.  For example, a piano/vocal recording where the singer adds harmony vocals on top of their lead vocal gives the impression of the chorus getting bigger more dramatic without having to use a big drum fill or electric guitar power chords to do it.  Stripped down demos are particularly effective on ballads but can also work well on uptempo songs.  Sometimes, it’s as simple as including a shaker, tambourine or even foot-stomps and hand claps on a recording to give it a sense of drive and motion.  Adding a slight percussive element like this still fits in the category of stripped down because it’s being done in exchange for what a full drum kit would do.  Give this snippet of a stripped down demo a listen to see what I mean.

Stripped Down Demo with Simple Percussion:

Stripped Down Does NOT Mean Low Quality

Let me be perfectly clear.  Just because your demo is only one instrument and a vocal, this is not permission to do it yourself unless you’re an experienced studio musician or demo vocalist.  When a demo is boiled down to a single instrument and vocal, it is doubly important that the recording and performances be of the highest quality because every element of the recording will be exposed. Most importantly, trained studio musicians and vocalists bring an emotion, precision and energy to a recording that will make it stand out in a way that is essential for creating a positive first impression.  I suspect I don’t have to remind you how intense the competition is out there.  You’ve only got one chance to make a first impression with your music so make absolutely sure that your demos (whether stripped down or full band) are done by experts.  In other words, save your money by using fewer instruments and scaling back your production, not by using inexperienced players, singers and engineers.

Click the examples below to hear the difference between a guitar/vocal rough recording done on home recording equipment and the same song professionally recorded with a session piano player and professional vocalist.

Rough Recording:

Final Stripped-Down Demo:

When Less Is More

Beyond being easier on your budget, there are several additional reasons to consider stripping down your demos.  First of all, a simple guitar/vocal recording of a song shows that the song is strong in its most basic form.  If you find yourself thinking that your song will only work if it’s got a full-band production behind it, then you might want to re-investigate the song itself.  Another advantage of scaled down production is that it leaves room for the artist or producer on a project to explore production options instead of pegging the song to a particular style of production.  Along those same lines, a piano/vocal demo sung by a vocalist with a clean, contemporary sound would open up pitch opportunities across several genres.  In other words, it might be possible to pitch the same piano/vocal demo to a pop artist as well as a country artist.  If, however, you’ve created a full band recording of the same ballad, the session musicians would most likely have to commit to a particular style thus limiting your pitch opportunities.

Conclusion

Hopefully, your career as a songwriter will be a long and prosperous one.  Having great songs is the first and without a doubt the most important place to put your time and effort.  But, if you want to make a living as a songwriter, then creating quality demos and getting those recordings into the hands of those who can do something with them comes a close second.  By stripping down your demos, you’ll be able to stretch your demo budget and highlight what’s unique in your songs without compromising on the non-negotiables like a quality recording studio, professional musicians and experienced demo singers.

Good luck!

For some of us, a lyric rushes out into the world before we can think much about it and sometimes it’s a fine lyric, just as it is. Other times, even if we feel a strong personal connection with the lyric, it could be strengthened with a little work.

On the other hand, often a lyric comes in dribs and drabs, and once we have a complete draft we might be so relieved that we declare it finished prematurely.

In both cases, a lyric might benefit from a fresh perspective and a willingness to tinker a little.

Ted Kooser, one of my favorite poets, says that even when one of his poems comes out in one piece he still plays with it a bit to see if it might be improved. He hastens to add, however, that no matter how much or how little re-writing the poem requires, he wants it to read as if it flowed from the pen.

We songwriters have a similar goal. We want our songs to slide by easily without calling too much attention to themselves even if the lyric has real content and depth. To that end, there are a couple of references I return to.

When I’m re-writing a lyric I first ask myself if the song has what I call a strong through the door factor. In other words, I want the words to sound good and to sing well, so well, in fact, that if someone heard the song through the door they’d enjoy it!

In order to achieve that, I may record a working version of the song-in-progress and listen to it softly or from a distance, not analyzing the words, but listening for the sound and flow of the words. Do the words seem to roll off the tongue or do I stumble over certain sounds, words or phrases?

Chances are that if a lyric doesn’t sound good from the other side of the door, it won’t sound good up close either. So, in my book, it’s very important that a lyric sound and feel good. If it doesn’t, I can begin my re-write by asking these questions:

1.     Do the syllables I emphasize when singing my lyric coincide with the notes emphasized in my melody? If not, I’ll try to adjust.

2.     Do the number or words or syllables I’m placing in my lines and phrases make it easy for me to sing the song? If I’m cramming in too many syllables in a line or phrase, I can experiment with simplifying by making my phrasing less busy.

3.     Likewise, I may need to add words or syllables to more closely coincide with notes of melody that I’m emphasizing.

4.     Are most of the vowel sounds in my words easy to sing? For example, I’m probably going to avoid placing the words hat or it over a very high note!

Of course, strong lyrical content is extremely important to most songwriters, so the second way I approach a re-write or edit is by examining how the lyric unfolds as the song develops. I may ask myself, “Does my lyric and song unfold in a way that is satisfying, that holds the listener’s attention as well as my own?”

To consider this when I coach songwriters and lead workshops, I suggest that a song is very much like a three act play. Some of the story, be it a literal tale or an emotional or spiritual narrative, is revealed in the first act, which most often is the song’s first verse and chorus. The second act, usually the second verse and chorus is a new beginning; more of the story is introduced and then summed up in the second chorus. The remainder of the story is then told in the third act often the bridge and final chorus.

In my own work, if I then see that I reveal too much, too soon in my song I make changes. One technique espoused by a friend of mine is to take the first verse and make it the second verse… and to write a new first verse that is more of a prologue… so that the story has somewhere to go! Likewise if the song is slow to develop, I have the option of trying my second verse as the first verse. Experiment!

Bottom line: a song is not a painting. It doesn’t exist all at once. It has a beginning, middle and end, and it needs to flow, rise and fall throughout its lifespan. (In filmmaking they call this advancing the narrative.)

So let’s say I’ve got my song sounding good and I’ve got my story unfolding in a nice way. There’s still one question I ask about my lyric and that is, “Are all the lines in my lyric relevant to my theme?” In other words, does my whole lyric support the point or theme of my song? If I have some filler lines or phrases I’ll probably want to work on the song a bit more.

Finally, I have found that considering the above questions gives me a context for my writing. There are numerous details I can attend to, but if I don’t place the work of re-writing into this larger context, then all my work on the details likely won’t bring about the hoped for result.

In closing, I’ll share a technique I use over and over in the process of finishing or re-writing. If I’ve come to feel that I’ve been trying too hard to complete something, that I’m using too much mental muscle because I’ve lost the creative thread, then it’s important that I step away from the song, let it rest and come back to it fresh.

The single most helpful way I know to do this is to make a rough recording of the song, singing only the words I’m happy with and humming in places that might need a stronger lyric. It’s important that I don’t force words that don’t sound right or make sufficient sense. Then, and this is key, I listen to my rough recording at bedtime. (And by that I mean listen last thing before I turn off the light.)

It’s amazing how often the right words will bubble up from the subconscious the next day… or soon thereafter.

Working as a producer for the past dozen years, I’ve recorded with all kinds of artists from “fresh off the boat” newbies to artists whose experience in the world of music doubles or even triples my own. In every case, my role as a producer stays essentially the same. It’s that role that I’m going to describe in this article.

What Is A Producer?

The best way I know to describe what a producer does comes in the form of this analogy: A producer is to a recording as a director is to a film. When it comes to making a film, the buck essentially stops with the director. It’s the director who steers the ship working with everyone from the technical editors to the actors in order to achieve his or her overall vision of the movie. It is exactly that way with a producer when it comes to making a recording. Not only must the producer have the experience to work with the studio engineer (often possessing the technical expertise to engineer the project themselves) but the musical understanding to help the artist with everything from song choice, structure and arrangement to the all-important vocal performances that are vital in giving a recording its personality. In short, a producer provides the experience and necessary perspective to guide a recording from start to finish.

Producer Backgrounds

Producers can come from a variety of backgrounds. I’m listing the four most common and what each brings to the process, but, typically, producers have experience in more than one of these areas.

1) The Songwriter – Since at its essence, a recording is dependent on the quality of the song, the songwriter/producer is heavily involved in the song selection process. Not only does this type of producer have experience in knowing what does and doesn’t work when it comes to pre-existing songs, but often this producer will co-write songs with the artist for a given project.

2) The Musician – Here, it’s often an instrumental and music theory background that gives this type of producer their experience. They have first hand knowledge when it comes to working with musicians and knowing what instrumental approach will work best in a given situation.

3) The Engineer – In this case, the producer’s primary experience comes from actual recording (i.e., placing microphones on drum kits, recording vocals and mixing albums). By becoming an expert in the nuts and bolts of the recording process, an engineer/producer can make the recording process a smooth one for the artist.

4) The Music Fan – This is someone who lives and breathes music and has the instincts to guide artists and session musicians through the recording process without necessarily having had the “hands on” experience of being a songwriter, musician or engineer themselves. They often bring great perspective to a situation where being too close to any one part of the process might compromise the overall recording.

What Do Producers Do?

As I’ve mentioned, producers can be involved in many different aspects of a recording. Some producers are very “hands off” acting mostly as the voice of experience and perspective for artists who already have a fairly clear idea of who they are and where they’re headed. On the other end of the spectrum are the producers who are involved in every element of the recording from co-writing the songs, to engineering to playing one or even all of the instruments. In some, but certainly not all of these cases, the resulting recordings have such a distinctive sound that the producer becomes as associated with the recording as the artist themselves. For the record, no one way takes precedence over any other for producing a recording. The only measure of a producer that matters is whether or not the resulting recording is satisfying to everyone involved. As most producers operate somewhere in between minimal and complete involvement, here are the main areas where most producers do their work.

1) Pre-production – This includes working with the artist to decide if the songs are as good as they can be and, ultimately, which songs would work best as a group for an album release. It also includes deciding on the overall sound of a recording which involves deciding which session musicians/instruments would be best suited to achieve the sound and feel of a particular song.

2) Instrumental Recording/Arrangement – At this point, the producer works with the assembled musicians and helps direct their performances in the studio in order to achieve a cohesive sound for the recording.

3) Vocals - Finally, because the typical music listener responds first to the voice of the singer, one of the most important roles of the producer is working with the vocalist to help them give their best, most sincere performance of their material. It is extremely difficult for even the most experienced vocalists to have any perspective on their performance while it’s happening. For this reason, a producer is the voice of reason and experience who knows how to encourage a vocalist to do one more vocal pass or helps them realize that it would be better to take a break and come back to fight another day.

How Do I Find A Producer?

For those who are new to the process of recording, whether it’s an album project or even a song demo, it is unclear where to look to find a producer for your project. Generally speaking, word of mouth in your music community serves as the best, most organic way to find a producer right for your project. Another effective way to find a producer, particularly if you’re interested in doing a whole recording project, would be to look at the liner notes on some of your favorite independent CD projects made in the city where you plan to record. Often, those producers are available for hire and it’s just a matter of getting their contact information that the artists themselves usually have. Finally, there’s no rule that says you can’t contact a well-known/successful producer whose work you admire. Maybe they will be too busy or too expensive to work with, but you never know and if you’re respectful in your request there’s no reason not to try.

At the end of the day, it’s a good working relationship and the trust between artist and producer that makes for the best results. So, be sure that you not only like a producer’s work but also feel comfortable working with them as well. You’ll be spending a lot of time with this person and trusting them with your art, so make sure that you feel like the producer you choose is willing to give you and your music the attention necessary to get a great recording.

As a result of recording and producing literally thousands of demos, I’ve learned that it is always better to “prepare and prevent” than to “repair and repent.” Here are a few steps you can take to help make your demo recording experience more successful.

Song Preparation

It may sound obvious but make sure your song is FINISHED. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had clients come into the studio only to start rewriting a part of the lyric or melody. It is significantly less stressful (and quite a bit less expensive) to write a song when you’re not paying the studio an hourly fee.

You can also benefit from trying a few rough recordings at home before you get to the studio. The simple act of listening back to a song instead of performing it will reveal any weaknesses or issues that need to be dealt with before the studio clock is running. The last of these rough home recordings will become the definitive rough recording.

The Rough Recording

This is any simple, inexpensive recording that you do on a hand-held recorder. Generally a piano or guitar plus a scratch vocal will do the trick. The key here is not a perfect recording but rather an accurate representation of the song. In other words, it doesn’t have to sound great as long as the chords, melody and lyrics are correct. The purpose of the rough recording is to provide the demo vocalist and session musicians with a final version of your song that they can learn from.

The Demo Vocalist

Let’s start with the demo vocalist. It’s always a good policy to get a copy of the rough recording and the lyrics to the singer a week or so before the session. There are several reasons for this. First of all, the singer can let you know what key the song should be in to best suit their voice. This way, if you end up recording instrument parts before the singer does their part, you’ll know the correct key. Secondly, the more time the singer has to learn the song, the less time he or she will take to sing the song when the studio clock is running.

When you get to the session, it’s wise to have printed lyric sheets for the engineer, musicians and vocalist. The lyrics should be typewritten and have each chorus written out in full. The reason for this is that you’ll be using these lyric sheets to mark spots that need fixing (or spots on certain takes that you like) and having “Repeat Chorus” written for the second and third choruses won’t allow you to take good notes. The better the notes you take on the lyric sheet while the vocalist is recording, the easier it will be to tell the vocalist what works and what needs to be fixed.

The Session Musicians

The session musicians do not need anything in advance. They will be learning the song from your rough recording when they get to the session. You can save a little time by writing a chord chart of the song if it’s something you’re comfortable doing. If not, the session musicians should have no trouble doing it for you in the first few minutes of the session.

After that, it’s up to the singers and musicians to bring your song to the next level. There’s nothing more fun than listening to world-class musicians and vocalists record a song you’ve written. The more you prepare in advance, the more you’ll enjoy your studio experience.

In my 20 years of making a living in music, one thing has become more and more clear to me. It’s work. The romantic image of the starving artist being so incredibly talented that one day he or she gets discovered and becomes rich and famous overnight is a dangerous myth. I say “dangerous” because the more you as an artist believe it, the less inclined you’ll be to do any work on your own behalf. The gritty reality is that if you don’t do the necessary (and daily) work promoting yourself and your music, it’s highly unlikely anything will ever happen.

The Good News

There has NEVER been a better time to spread the word about yourself and your music. The internet, with its downloadable digital music files, social networking sites and countless other advances that we can’t even begin to imagine yet, has leveled the playing field in a way that will make the work you have to do infinitely more effective.

Gather Your Fans

The more you can identify and reach out to your fans the better off you’ll be. Whether it’s your friends on Facebook and Twitter or the email addresses you’ve been collecting at gigs or online, it’s these people who you need to be able to reach effectively to spread the word about what you’re doing. Treat your list of email addresses like the gold that it is. It’s these people who will not only consider buying your music when it comes out, but more importantly, will also help spread (“viral” get it?) the word about you and your music. Once you’ve got a network of fans that you can reach out to, you’ve dramatically increased your potential to spread the word about what you’re doing.

Be Creative

The fact that the playing field has been leveled and almost anyone can get their music out worldwide is both a blessing and a true challenge. Instead of fans knowing that the local Tower Records is where they should go to find new music, the internet, with its infinite number of musical venues, has become the new (and overwhelming) place to find what’s new and great. The more creative you are in your presentation, the more likely a fan of yours will be to forward a YouTube link with your video or any one of a thousand other ways you can create to present yourself and your music. Again, the plan is that by putting something out there that’s unique enough to rise above the typical internet fare, it will take on a life of its own and appeal not only your current fans but also to new fans in ways you’ve never imagined.

Stay Current

The outlets for music and ways of marketing online change and advance almost hourly. Taking time out of your day to learn your way around Facebook, Twitter and whatever might be coming next will pay huge dividends going forward. To learn more about this, take a look at Brian Casel’s excellent guest blog entry on Social Media for Musicians. It’s not enough to find one way of reaching people and stubbornly stick to it. If that were the case, bands would still be mailing postcards to let people know about their gigs. Did I just date myself?

Give It Away

Don’t be afraid to give something to get something. A free download of a song in exchange for an email address is the best deal out there these days. Make it worth someone’s while to give you his or her email address and you’ll be amazed at what happens. Let your music speak for itself. If fans like their free download, there’s a much higher likelihood they’ll come back and buy the rest. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to do this either. Take a peek at a simple and effective example by clicking here.

Make Sure Your Music Is Available

I can’t think of anything more depressing than the artist who comes up with an amazing vehicle to promote his or her music, watches it go “viral” and generate huge web traffic to their site only to have nothing readily available for sale. Don’t expect most people to wait around or check back with iTunes every few days until your music is up. Make sure that before you go about promoting your music, you’ve taken the necessary steps to insure that if and when people want to buy your music, they can do it easily. Companies like Tunecore make this essential step both simple and cost effective. Don’t wait around for people to start asking how they can get your music. By then, it’s too late. Do it first.

Be Patient

Not every online marketing attempt you make will result in thousands of downloads and new fans. However, every effort you make to get the word out about your music (even if it’s fifteen minutes a day) becomes part of the bigger picture of reaching new fans. The more fans you have, the greater the potential for any one thing you do going viral and bringing in not only more fans but income. All of a sudden your “friends” on Facebook and Twitter just became a whole lot friendlier. Think of your work as a series of base hits that will get you ready for your shot at a home run. Good luck!

Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, YouTube, Myspace… Oh how the times they are a changin’ for the working musician. Today’s music scene isn’t what it used to be. Or is it?

Back in the day, a new artist or band starting out had to build their following one fan at a time. But now with the magic of the social web, we don’t have to worry about all that hustle anymore, right?

Wrong.

Social media requires you (yes you!) to be personally involved, every day. It’s not something that can be automated or pushed to the side. By its very essence, it requires you to socialize, reach out to others, and engage, engage, engage!

The new music scene is still about winning over your audience one fan at a time. Only now, that age-old word-of-mouth effect can spread 1000 times faster.

So what am I talking about exactly?

Let’s start with Facebook. It’s the most popular form of social media today. You can start by posting daily status messages broadcasting the latest news about your music or your career. Respond and drop comments on your friends or fans pages. Join a Facebook group related to your topic of interest (your musical genre? Local music scene?). But don’t just browse. Get in on the conversation. Put yourself out there.

Now lets talk Twitter. If you’re still not on the Twitter train, check out this article I wrote about using Twitter to promote your business or brand, where I explain the all-important “re-tweet”. Use Twitter to direct traffic to your other social media profiles: Your Facebook page, your blog, your YouTube videos, your music on Myspace, etc.

But there’s a catch.

There’s always a catch. And this is it: You must build trust. People will not follow you on Twitter, fan/friend you Facebook, watch your YouTube videos, or read your blog posts if they don’t know you as being a reliable source of interesting / click-worthy content.

So how do you build trust? It’s simple. Be real. Be human. Engage in real conversations and offer real responses. Do not make every tweet, status message, forum post, or blog comment a self-promoting link. Those are OK sometimes, but they should only be a small percentage of your output. The rest can be interesting, noteworthy, funny, relevant comments. Or they can be click-worthy links to other content you find on the web such as an interesting article, a great song, a funny video, etc.

Use Twitter Search (search.twitter.com) to seek out folks who tweeting about things you’re interested in. Follow as many of them as possible, and you will get quite a few follow-backs. Then engage, engage, engage!

Just don’t forget to step outside and meet real people in real places. That’s kind of important too.

Read the full article here.