the AMP - Issue 05

“That’s one of the great things about music. You can sing a song to 85,000 people and they’ll sing it back for 85,000 different reasons.”
― Dave Grohl, founder of the Foo Fighters,

In This Issue... [ 8 pages, approx 12 minutes] You're getting...

• RECOMMENDS — The Kennedy Center and Derek Sivers' book Your Music and People

• TALKABOUT — Tip4. A PowerTool that comes with your NML Founding Membership

• GUEST ARTICLE — Nobody knows the future. So focus on what doesn’t change. By Derek Sivers

• PS from PS — Stop! Apologizing! Damn It!

Here's your playlist

• RECOMMENDS — The Kennedy Center and Derek Sivers' book Your Music and People

— The Kennedy Center... an abundance of musical treasures, and many (many) are free. Here's the standard Wikipedia rap... Followed quickly by a link of pure listening gold you DO NOT want to miss...

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts— commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center— is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, 1971, the center hosts many different genres of performance art: Theater, dance, orchestras, jazz, pop, psychedelic, and folk music.

Authorized by the 1958 National Cultural Center Act of Congress, which requires that its programming be sustained through private funds, the center represents a public–private partnership. Its activities include educational and outreach initiatives, almost entirely funded through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations.

Start here...

• The Digital Stage— Watch extraordinary performances from the Kennedy Center’s stages and beyond, with new releases daily, special series and original stories. Explore their vast collection of thousands of videos. https://www.kennedy-center.org/digitalstage/

Explore! There's lots more for you at The Kennedy Center... The Kennedy Center News, The Millennium Stage (in-person and live streaming), Kennedy Center Honors, and more.

— Derek Sivers' book Your Music and People

"Derek Sivers never set out to become rich and famous. That they both, happened because he led with his heart and his head doing what he thought was right. And that good and great fortune couldn't have happened to a better man. Although we've never met in person, I call him my friend. And I treasure his guidance on New Music Lives. When you choose to learn from Derek, as I have, you have chosen the very best there is."
— Paul Saunders

Now, about that book. Your Music and People. Creative and Considerate Fame. A philosophy of getting your work to the world by being creative, considerate, resourceful, and connected.

Every creator has the same problems with marketing.

• How do you call attention to your work?
• How do you get your creations into people’s minds and hearts?
• How do you get fans to tell their friends?
• How do you charge money for your labor of love?
• How do you get the media to help?

Derek Sivers was a professional musician before he started CD Baby a music distribution company that helped 150,000 musicians sell their music to over four million people. So after years of living with the problems, he was able to learn the solutions.

Your Music and People shares a successful philosophy of getting your work to the world by being creative, considerate, resourceful, and connected.

AND... It’s not just for musicians.

Though it uses music as an example, it is meant for any creator trying to reach people. Early readers called it one of the best books ever written on business marketing.

Example points include:

• Business is just as creative as music.
• Marketing is an extension of your art.
• Marketing means being considerate. Focus on others.
• Being weird is considerate.
• People skills are counter-intuitive. To be helped, be helpful.
• Persistence is polite.
• Call the destination and ask for directions.
• Get specific about what you want.
• Be extreme and sharply defined. Proudly exclude most people.
• Money is just a neutral representation of value. Be valuable to others — not just yourself. People like to pay.
• Nobody knows the future, so focus on what doesn’t change.

Want another of our famous NML money-back guarantees? Read Derek's book.

• TALKABOUT — Tip4. A Power Tool that comes with your NML Founding Membership

Tip4 — the number 4 means FOR. Tip4 does two remarkable things FOR YOU:

First, it's your MONEYtizer. This key feature enables your audience to send you a tip, where ever you perform your gig, from busking on the downtown mall to your bar or club date to a concert event or a YouTube video.

Second— and if you're smart (really smart) — it's THE perfect tool for building your all-important list. It's the key to the 'Success Formula' Connect > Engage > Enroll that leads directly to your goal of 1,000 True Fans.

It's simple & easy to use: First, decide where in your set between songs for your Tip4 story— and make it a story. The more fun and interesting the better. Tell your audience about how you started with music. What got you into being a Singer Songwriter. Then...

Tell them you've got a simple request. Trot out the 30 x 40 poster (you had made at a local copy shop or sign-maker) with your exclusive Tip4 QR code and have them scan it. And/Or... get a bunch of bar and tabletop signs made up.

Have fun with this. Tell them something like: "Hey, does anybody have a phone? (Hold up yours and wave it.) Ask them to take a pic of you AND a scan of your QR Code. Take a pic of them telling them you want a reminder of the greatest audience you've ever played for (or whatever). PLUS, you can also tell the audience your private SMS number and have then text the word MUSIC to you.

Tell them if they do this right now, they'll get access to your private page and you can say, "See the button there that says Tip4? That's where you can send me a tip. AND you'll automatically get on my list and I'll send you things. Jewelry. Cars. Cash prizes.'

Just have fun with this. "Seriously," tell them. "I'll keep in touch. I'll send you some love and more of my music and other fun stuff."

Then move along into the story that intros your next song. And remind them about Tip4 when you're thanking them at the end.

Tip4 enables them to support you right then and there. And this unique system from

New Music Lives will help you do the vital follow-up and love this brand-new fan into a TrueFan.

The heart of the New Music Lives concept is focused on the goal of developing 1,000 TrueFans for you. Tip4 is a PowerTool to make that happen. Fast.

in partnership with Mike Goodrich

• GUEST ARTICLE — Nobody knows the future. So focus on what doesn’t change. By Derek Sivers (from his recommended book.)

At every music conference, with a panel of experts on stage, the moderator always asks,

“What’s the future of the music business?”

The guy selling video subscriptions will say that videos are the future.

The guy selling intelligent playlists will say that intelligent playlists are the future.

When they ask me, I always say, “Nobody knows the future, and anyone who pretends to know can’t be trusted.”

We have a desperate need for certainty, so we want someone to tell us what’s coming. But it’s impossible. Nobody can possibly know.

Besides, would it matter what anyone says? Realistically, what would you change about what you’re doing, day-to-day? Like if someone said, “Scented holograms are the future”, would you start making them tomorrow? No.

Instead, forget predicting, and focus on what doesn’t change. Just like we know there will be gravity, and water will be wet, we know some things stay the same.

People always love a memorable melody. You can’t know what instrumentation or production style will be in fashion. So focus on the craft of making great melodies.

People always want an emotional connection. You can’t know what technology will carry that communication. So focus on the essence of how to connect with an audience.

Writing lots of songs increases your chances of writing a hit. You can’t know which song will be a hit. So write as many songs as you can.

Instead of predicting the future, focus your time and energy on the fundamentals. The unpredictable changes around them are just the details.

Derek Sivers (@sivers) is best known as the founder of CD Baby. A professional musician since 1987, he started CD Baby by accident in 1998 when he was selling his own CD on his website and friends asked if he could sell theirs, too. CD Baby was the largest seller of independent music on the web, with over $100 million in sales for over 150,000 musician clients. In 2008, Sivers sold CD Baby for $22 million, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with over 5 million views of his talks.

His book, Your Music and People... well... it should be required reading because it's exceptional!

• ASKING FOR YOUR HELP — For people who appreciate the AMP

If you're one of them— the AMP Appreciators— you can help us make more of you. We're not big deal Internet nor affiliate marketers. We're building NML on a shoestring. (Not even bootstrapping.) So, if you enjoy the AMP... Benefit from what's in each issue... And you're willing and able to spread the word with and for us... Please. And thank you!

Here's the link: https://newmusiclives.com/free . the AMP. the Book. the Group. No charge. No strings.

We don't hound people or hassle you with sales pitches.

It's Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time. We're asking you to help us make that happen. Thanks.

Thanks for Reading and Listening. Give us your feedback. And remember, the AMP is also posted in the Private Group: https://facebook.com/groups/newmusiclives .

• PS from PS — Stop! Apologizing! Damn It! [Rant Warning]

My wife and I were out at a local bar the other night. There was a guy playing to the full bar of people. Mostly who were ignoring him. He was singing covers. Katie and I were pretty much the only people applauding when he finished a song.

What lead to my rant was that every couple of numbers, he'd apologize to the audience for inserting one of his original songs amidst the covers.

When he took a break, he came over to us. He thanked us for our applause. We chatted a bit and he learned I was in the music business. I asked him why in hell he apologized for playing an original song. What was up with his asking the audience if that was okay?

He offered a few lame excuses— honestly, I wasn't listening— they boiled down to his thoughts the covers were way better than his stuff.

I'm a lover. Not a fighter. Which is why I didn't punch him in the mouth. Besides he had the second half of his set to perform.

Instead, I told him— softly as not to embarrass him but loud enough so he got the message— STOP! APOLOGIZING! DAMN IT! I said to introduce his own songs with the backstory of why he wrote it... What it was about... And what it meant to him. I made him promise.

He went back up on stage and started playing again. After a couple of covers— one by George Strait, one from Jimmy Buffet— he looked over at me. Took a deep breath

(which made me laugh). And started to tell a simple story about how he met his wife.

That he was inspired to write this next song about her.... And for her.

He sang his song. Not the greatest song I've ever heard, but his heart was in it and we all heard that. In the end, many— like many— more people applauded. He smiled over at me.

And an amazing thing happened. During his next three songs, each time he stopped singing, people were getting up and going to the front of the stage dropping bills into his tip jar. I heard a couple of them ask if the original song he sang about his wife was on one of the two CDs he had for sale by the door.

At the end of his second set, he came by our table and asked if he could by Katie and me a drink. He told me he'd sold out all 12 CDs he'd brought with him— the most he'd ever sold. On a good night, he'd usually sell two.

I did the math: $15 per jewel case that's $180. I asked and he told me the bar paid him $75 plus food and a few beers for the night. I didn't ask what the tips amounted to. What do you suppose? Another $25. $50 maybe?

He told us he'll be back next week. He asked me to come out and see the whole of his show. He actually offered to buy me dinner if I did. I told him I'd be happy to come. Not to buy me dinner. And bring more CDs.

After Thought: We never exchanged names. And that's nuts!

After After Thought; Went back. He didn't show. Yeah, well...

Thanks for reading. Give us your feedback. And remember, all Issues of the AMP are posted in the Private Group: https://facebook.com/groups/newmusiclives

And PLEASE, if you've got Singer Songer friends, pass the AMP on, because...

It’s Time... for a Change. Big Time. Past Time...

Paul Saunders