WMC 2010 DJ Spin-Off

The WMC 2010 DJ Spin-Off will be held on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 (Beat Matching) and Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 (Scratching) at The Eden Roc Beach Resort & Spa Ocean Garden Poolside with celebrity hosts and judges and DJs from all over the world mixing and scratching their way to the top. Because of the exponential growth and success of the WMC DJ Spin-Off, we had to split the competition into two days!!! Celebrity judges will decide who has what it takes to own first place. If you are a DJ who thinks you can put up some weight, a label head scouting new talent, or a fan of DJ competitions, join us for the WMC DJ Spin-Off where you can truly witness the Art of the DJ.

Prizes to be provided by leading audio and apparel manufacturers.

ENTRY DEADLINE: Friday, February 26, 2010

DOWNLOAD THE WMC 2010 DJ SPIN-OFF APPLICATION FORM

Guidelines for entry:

• All entries must include a completed application, entry fee ($25.00),
bio, and demo (CD or Tape format).

• DJs may enter both Beat Mixing + Scratching competitions.

• Demo’s must be no longer than 5 minutes in length and must be
reflective of the DJs prospective performance.

• Submissions are subject to approval.

• Demo material submitted will become the property of WMC
and will not be returned.

• No submissions will be reviewed after the deadline.
No last minute entries or substitutes are allowed.

• All judges’ decisions are final.

• DJs must bring their own headphones to the competition.

Send to:

Winter Music Conference
3450 NE 12th Terrace,
Fort Lauderdale , FL 33334
ATTN: DJ Spin-Off
For any additional inquiries email: info@wintermusicconference.com

It’s 2010 and time to start thinking about the annual festivals that will benefit YOU. All around us we hear that this is the year to make a big push and get heard- we want to help with that. As a Musician, Label or Entertainment/Media business, it’s pretty important to attend at least one music festival a year. SXSW and WMC are two of the big starters that are coming up fast. We’re hoping to enlighten you on how important it is to prepare, not just show up. There are so many ways to conquer a festival- high rollin’ networker, party animal, on the cheap or go with the flow. Whatever reason you’re going, there’s a way to be prepared and Eternite Media would like to be your go-to source for exploring your options and fulfilling the promotional decisions you make.

It is important to get your marketing and promotional plan started early.  When you work with us, you will be covered in every area that you need, and even more than you thought. Eternite Media offers design and printing solutions for simple business cards, intricate flyers, logos or branding for your entire realm of products. We are able to replicate or duplicate your CD and DVD with basic black print or full color thermal. Paper printing options like digi-paks, one page inserts or full booklets can work in a package with a jewel case or even a clear poly sleeve. Merchandise is also a classic advertisement for your brand’s success, including T-shirts, buttons or stickers- all of which are a constant reminder of you to all your fans. We can put together whatever you need- any propaganda materials big or small and can even ship it directly to your accommodations.

CD Duplication Promo Packages

Opener
(basic package)

- Silver Duplicated CDR

- Black Thermal Text Print On Disc

- White Paper Sleeve

100: $81.00 (Normally $108.00)

250: $202.50 (Normally $270.00)

500: $345.00 (Normally $460.00)

Resident
(mid package)

- White Duplicated CDR

- Full Color Thermal Print On Disc

- 1 Panel 4/4 (Full Color) Paper Insert

- Clear Poly Sleeve

100: $156.60 (Normally $174.00)

250: $380.25 (Normally $422.50)

500: $621.00 (Normally $690.00)

Headliner
(premium package)

- Replicated (manufactured) CD

- Full Color Offset Print On Disc

- Full Color 5″ Jacket

- Wafer Seal

500: $589.00 (Normally $660.00)

1000: $746.00 (Normally $840.00)

2500: $1617.50 (Normally $1825.00)

(DVD packages available upon request)

BONUS WMC/SXSW Specials:

25% off select Printing services
Promote your shows, get the word out about your new release, or just build your fan base! Take advantage of high quality printing services for business cards, flyers, stickers, 2″ buttons and banners.

40% off all Merchandise
Make a statement and toss out t-shirts during your shows or help pay for your trip by selling screen printed merch. Either way your fans will do the advertising for you to build your name recognition and it’s a great way to increase your profit margin. Screen printed shirts, hoodies, hats and more. We offer apparel from American Apparel, Hanes, Gildan, and other top brands.

We are super excited about all the cool stuff you will be ready to hit your fans with this year! Don’t waste any time and drop us a line at info@eternitemedia.com or 323-284-4733 to order.

Stay connected on our Twitter, Facebook and MySpace for resources, blogs, and suggestions on making the most out of your festival experience at SXSW or WMC.

]]> http://www.eternitemedia.com/blog/announcements/be-prepared-for-south-by-southwest-and-winter-music-conference/feed/ 0 http://www.eternitemedia.com/blog/streetpromotion/promotion-101-why-you-should-hand-out-flyers-at-gigs/ http://www.eternitemedia.com/blog/streetpromotion/promotion-101-why-you-should-hand-out-flyers-at-gigs/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:16:00 +0000 admin http://www.eternitemedia.com/blog/?p=169

Our friends at Symphonic Distribution posted a great article from the recordunion.com blog that goes along great with our current topic of promoting. With South By South West and Winter Music Conference fast approaching this is a must read article. As always we are here to help you build your weapons of mass promotion so give us a shout to help you get your game plan together.

Promotion 101:Why you should hand out flyers at gigs

Performing live is one of the great joys of being a musician. However, it is important to think of a gig not just as a way of entertaining an audience for a little while and having fun, but as an opportunity to market yourself and reach out to new fans. Handing out a simple flyer is one important step for getting the most out of your live performances.

The Point

Promotion is all about developing relationships with listeners. During and after a successful live performance you are in a good position to move from a superficial and temporary relationship with potential fans, to a deeper long term one. This is up to you. Providing they can even remember your name, only a small percentage of the audience will take it upon themselves to find you online and listen more to your music. Make it easy for them. Hand out flyers.

What to communicate

A flyer can contain a single piece of information, or lots of information. It can be elaborately designed, or just a simple piece of paper with a bit of text on it. The key is that it gives the recipient more info about you and a way to access your music. Depending on your existing marketing strategy, here are a few things you might consider putting on your flyer:

•    Online locations: Your link to MySpace, Facebook, Imeem etc. or just your website

•    Where to access your music: Communicating that your music is available for free streaming on services such as Spotify or Deezer is a great way to increase the appreciation for your music. Before people buy your music, its best they can listen to it over and over and make it part of their music repertoire. Streaming services have the added bonus if sharability and peer recommendation.

•    Mailing list: “Keep updated! Sign up to our mailing list and receive a free track” is a good way to incentivize people to sign up to your mailing list. Once on your list, they are in the loop and you can further develop your relationship with them.

Tips

•    Maximize the effect of your flyers by thinking about when you hand them out. One method is to announce before the last song that flyers are being handed out, and getting some friends to hand them out in the crowd.

•    Alternatively, do it yourself. Straight after a gig, move around the crowd and hand out the flyers. This gives you the opportunity to converse with listeners, receive compliments and answer questions.

•    Be creative on what you put on your flyer. Hosting a merch give away or another kind of competition? Advertise in on your flyers and you may find more participants.

From: Record Union’s Blog Via: Symphonic Distribution’s Blog

Pack of Blank CD-R’s: $25… Sharpie: $1… An unprofessional disc that is unexciting and doesn’t make the listen excited to hear what’s on it… WORTHLESS

When you put out a demo CD the music you pour into it is a work of art so why shouldn’t the disc be a work of art too! Let’s face it, a sharpie CD just sucks. You potentially ruin the presentation of your product by scribbling the info on it.

Why even make a CD when you could just put an MP3 on your myspace page or on blogs? Well that is pretty passive… Any artist with a decent fan base is likely to tell you that getting something personal and physical into the hands of their fans is an absolute necessity. I go more into depth in this blog on the subject and I will be expanding more on the need to get out on the streets to sell yourself as a brand in upcoming blogs.

The saying “first impressions are everything” hold true even when it comes to a simple demo. I guarantee you If I put a sharpie CD and a basic black thermal text printed disc side by side, anyone would take the thermal disc over the sharpie disc. Same goes with black text versus full color. You get what you pay for when it comes to the wow factor, so you should make a small investment into marketing yourself and have a good quality presentation. In pretty much all of our day to day activities here at Eternite Media (whether it be marketing campaigns, equipment purchases, even sales) we are always looking at our ROI or Return On Investment. Basically, how successful is the results of the investment we put into something, be it time, money, labor, etc. A lot of times it is hard to measure that return when it comes to the actual impression we have made on people. The same is true about your demo CD’s. In a sense, if you get that person to sign up for your mailing list or you see them at your next show, you will know that you have made a good return on that investment. It is up to you to decide if stepping up your demos to professional duplication is a worthwhile investment for your personal goals. Be sure not to forget that your time is money, and often times the added value of quality duplication plus the time you save from creating copies yourself is a much better choice.

That being said, I am in no way attempting to say anyone is less of an artist if they don’t have their demos done with a duplication company. Your content should be your number one priority and is the one thing that truly matters. My goal is to get you thinking about whether stepping up your investment on your discs is a worthwhile expense.

I feel so strongly that I have to decided to offer anyone who has not done work with us in the past an amazing opportunity. Send me up to 10 of your sharpie CD’s and I will send you back the same amount back with our black thermal printed CD’s and your music on it, plus a sample of our full color thermal printed discs. If you have a sticker label or inkjet printed CD I will send you our Full Color thermal discs with your music on it plus a sample of our black text thermal printed discs.
A few details…
-Only new customers who have not ordered disc products from us in the past can participate

-You will need to cover the postage out to Los Angeles and we will take care of the return

-We can transcribe your sharpie CD to black text (we will use a font of our choice)

-If we are sending you full color discs you will need to provide us with your own artwork

-Your content must follow our intellectual property rights policy and terms of services, which we can send you through email
Please contact us at info@eternitemedia.com or 323-284-4733 for full details and to get your free discs. We would love to show you what we can do, and even work with your budget.

I am really excited to offer this and I wish I could do it all the time, but this is only valid for a very limited time- so tell your friends, and get in contact with us today before it is too late!

Ryan Powell
President
Eternite Media, LLC

In the difficult world of marketing your music in today’s saturated market you have to do more then just stick your thumb out and hope to get picked up. When it comes to offering free downloads or access to streams of your music, the instant gratification factor is large and may spark some interest in the short term, but once you navigate away from that site, or that download gets filed away in the massive music library you can be quickly forgot about. With a physical disc, it has a better chance of reminding the person about you for an extended time. When a disc looks great people are more apt to keep it around. Personally, when I buy a CD or someone gives one to me, I stick it in the player in my car and I may listen to it 5 or 6 times. When I download an album (especially one that was a giveaway) I will listen to it once or twice but not nearly as much as one that goes into my car. It takes a very long time for a technology to go extinct so CD’s are here to stay for a long time; heck, some cars still have a cassette player!

When promoting yourself with a CD you are putting a musical flyer of sorts into the hands of the person you gave it to. By simply handing that person a CD you are able to give them all of your vital information regarding yourself and your music before they even listen to it! If your CD looks good and is well thought out you have a great chance that the person you just handed that disc to will actually take the time to listen to it. People like free stuff, and when you hand someone a promo CD that looks great, they want it- even if it is a genre of music they typically don’t listen to. You can put together an inexpensive, good looking promotional disc with a sampling of your music to give away in front of clubs, at the mall or at your shows that will get people to put your CD into their car on the way home. If they like what they hear they are apt to check out the info on the disc and go download more tracks or buy your actual album.

When it comes to marketing your music to Billboard reporters, tastemakers, Internet and traditional radio stations, it is safe to say they get a lot of CD’s. It is also pretty safe to say that they get even more emails and downloads. If you have the means to get a physical CD to them rather then just another spam email in their inbox, you are showing them that you have the desire to spend a little to present them with your work. Don’t fall prey to people who offer to “email blast” the world your music for a fee. Bought lists and spamming is just going to annoy listeners. A lot of the email address’ that send the blasts may have even been blocked. Presenting someone with a gift of your music is much sweeter when they can touch it and they know you personally sent it to them. Of course it doesn’t hurt to contact them and ask if they will give it a listen. If they won’t, it is a waste of your time to send it anyways. When it comes to someone reviewing your music, being able to look at your information while they listen is always a big advantage. Don’t forget about a cover letter with your bio and credits that will also set you apart from the masses.

Here are a couple of good ideas for CD promos:

Keeping it simple

Sometimes less is more. Nothing beats your standard black thermal print with a white paper sleeve. The cost savings means you can get a little more for your money and that means more ears will listen to it. It would be a good idea to drop a business card inside the sleeve with your contact info on it (if you haven’t read our blog on business cards as flyers check it <here>)

Take it a step up

Opt for a clear poly sleeve and a printed insert and you’ve got yourself a rocking promo CD with a lot of real estate to sell your sound. You are keeping your costs down by using an inexpensive poly sleeve but upping the value of the promo with the insert.

Go all out

If you plan on pulling out all the stops and going for a more complete release look such as a jewel case, digipak, or jacket, make sure that your promo is not going to outshine the albums you are putting out. When you want to go all out, get creative! Have the disc be a short sampling of your music, but the have the packaging list the entire album info and instructions on where to download or buy the rest of the album to complete the package.

~

All in all, giving out a physical CD as a promo has some great advantages and is a valuable tool for anyone serious about promoting themselves. Even if your budget is tight, having a small quantity to give out to the people that matter will do you a world of good, but make sure they look professional. If you hand someone a CD with your name and number scribbled on it and another person hands them a full color disc in nice packaging, your disc is heading to the trash. Grab their attention, make it loud and be proud of your creation.

Coming up:
Diving into the retail CD world

First Things First- Don’t Print Your Own

Lets be honest, self printed business cards look like crap. At the very least they portray that you are not successful enough to have a good-looking card, and it’s pretty easy to tell when someone has done it them self. The reality is you may even spend more creating your own then having a small batch made.  A quick look at staples.com finds that the paper itself costs about $14 for 250 business cards. Now a big factor that people often forget is the cost per print on inkjet printers is fairly high. We found via Quality Logic’s “Cost Of Ink Per Page Analysis” study (http://www.qualitylogic.com/tuneup/uploads/docfiles/QualityLogic-Cost-of-Ink-Per-Page-Analysis_US_06-08-09.pdf) that states the average cost of ink per page is about $0.14 for color, standard print quality not photo. This adds another $3.50 to your cost (or $7 if you print on both sides) which brings the cost to print your cards to about $17.50 +/- for 250 one-sided cards depending on your printer and how much color you are using. At the time of the writing of this blog, 250 one sided, full-color offset printed business cards runs you about $16 from Eternite Media… ‘Nuff said.

Need To Know Info

Now that you are ready to check out professional printing, there are lots of options you need to consider. Not one is better then the other, but it is important to take the time to think about physical elements of your card just as much as the design. Both are equally important.

Stocks: There is a cornucopia of paper types (and other mediums) to print your cards on. You will find most cards will be in the 14pt – 16pt range- the higher the points, the thicker the card. One unit of thickness equals 1/1000 of an inch, so 14 pt. is actually .014 inches thick. Some other stock types include linen, vellum, and even plastic.

Thickness: You want to use a paper stock that is thick enough to withstand being in someone’s pocket. Many of the “do-it-yourself” inkjet and laser papers are really thin and last about 10 minutes. If your business card is going to be printed on an alternative stock like plastic you may want to go with a thinner card so it is not too bulky.

Coatings: Before we talk about what coatings are available, lets explain some lingo. C1S means Coated on 1 side, C2S means Coated on 2 sides. Usually a number after a coating code (when you don’t see C1S or C2S) may also let you know how many sides you will be coating.

Ultra Violet (UV)

UV coating is a plastic-like extremely glossy coating that is applied to print to offer durability and finish not available with AQ (Aqueous) coating. UV coating hardens on the sheet by applying a high intensity Ultraviolet light. If you don’t need to write on the product after it is printed, and you prefer a super-glossy finish, this is your best option. Cutting accuracy also is affected slightly as it is hard to cut a stack of slippery sheets, even with cutting edge equipment, and sharp operators.

Aqueous (AQ)

AQ coating is a thin subtle coating applied to print, strictly for protection and to allow the printing of the backside immediately. In most cases, unless you know what to look for, there is only a subtle difference in sheen to the AQ coated side of a job. Aqueous is similar to watered-down version of the white glue like you may have used in grade school. There is also Satin and Matte versions of AQ which provide a dull look that can often add to the elegance of your card

Uncoated

Uncoated is paper with no treatment or coating on the surface. This refers to both a uncoated blank sheet before printing, and a printed sheet with no sealant applied after printing.

How To Use A Biz Card Flyer

Let’s face it; a business card does have a bit of a space limitation when you are using it as a flyer. You need to be clear and concise on the information you are trying to portray.

-If you are putting together a general information flyer about your band there are some obvious things that should be on your card: your groups name, how to get a hold of you, and perhaps something about you.

-If you use a logo as your bands name, be honest with yourself… will anyone be able to read it? If your logo is an elaborate graffiti image you need to make sure the possibly middle-aged venue booker can decipher it or throw it away.

-For your contact info: instead of listing your social networking sites, email address, website and mothers name on the card; you can simply create a page on your website (your band should have a website, but we will save that for another blog) listing all your social networking sites, booking information, and all other important info.

Example:

Find us… Follow Us… Contact Us…

www.yourbandsname.com/contact

This saves a lot of space rather than having all of your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Bebo links on your card. It also drives more traffic to your website and allows you to change the contact info without changing your card. One could argue that it is better to just list your web address instead of a direct link to your contact info, but I feel that having that specific link will help build awareness to anyone needing to contact you immediately (i.e. someone looking to prospect for a gig).  Even if your website is simple and easy to navigate, it might be more helpful to take out unnecessary steps.

-Another good idea is to somehow integrate what type of music you play so if you give the card to a promoter they know if you are appropriate for a gig. Some examples (yes they are cheesy but you get my drift) would be:

“We <3 Metal”

“House Never Sounded So Good”

“Drum N’ Bass In Your Face”

“An Emo Band To Cry About”

Promote Your Shows

A business card flyer is great for promoting your band’s shows. Use one side for your band info and the other for your upcoming show(s). If you find a cool print company who will help you out, you may even be able to have them update your show text before a re-order. Using business cards for this is a great option. It is so easy to carry, you can hand out or drop them on tables at a club without drawing too much attention from the promoters (which could be a good thing if they don’t let flyers in). Plus they are cheaper than flyers so you can get a lot of bang for your buck.

Incentives

Use the card like a coupon… some examples are “Come to our show and use this card for $2 off our CD” or “Use this card for free admission to our show”. It is easy to stick a business card in your wallet so your fans may be more apt to hang on to it, and since you are giving something away with it at least it only cost you a few cents!

Sell Something

You can use a business card flyer to advertise your release on iTunes. Even better, direct people to your website where they can download the album directly from you (let’s open the ‘direct to fan’ can of worms in another blog). You can also urge your fans to buy some merch or your iPhone app… the list goes on. Try tossing a stack out into the crowd at the peak moment of your show so people grab them. Maybe your power ballad will motivate your new #1 fan to buy some stuff cause you touched the card (ok maybe that’s a stretch… or is it?)

Make your basic design interchangeable

I would say no matter what you use your business card for, it is a good idea to make it like a Swiss Army Knife. Chances are you are on a budget, so squeeze out all you can from your designer and have them create something that you can update quickly and easily. It would be a good idea to get all of your info on one side of the card. If your card is just that, a business card for your band, have your other side a photo or design that will work well with text over it. Now you are like the industrial revolution, changing out the parts when needed without having to redesign the whole thing! Save time, save money, and look good.

To wrap it up, business cards, when designed and produced right, make awesome flyers. We talked mostly relating to bands here but you take what was said above and adapt it to your business while offering promotions or incentives related to the work you do and add value to your card. Remember, take a look at pricing on quality professional business cards before you run out and buy label paper to do it yourself. If you have any questions you can always reach us at printing@eterintemedia.com.

1: Print Type

There are 3 types of printing for stickers: Offset, Screen, and Digital.

-Offset: This type of printing is usually done on indoor label stock for items like food containers. They are not very durable and should only be used in a low-impact indoor setting.

-Screen: This type of printing is done on a screen-printing press– much like a t-shirt. This works good for indoor and outdoor uses when you have a single color, or multiple colors that do not blend together. Bumper stickers are a good example of screen-printed stickers.

-Digital: This type of printing is done on a large format inkjet type of printer. It creates full color images on a vinyl stock. Typically you can print short run on this type of machine and this allows for small quantities of stickers to be produced for a special promotion. It is usually slightly more expensive then a screen-printed sticker, but if you have multiple colors or a complex image it is often a more economical way to go. Be sure to ask your printer if the set-up they are using is appropriate for outdoor use, as a laminate or UV coating is often needed to keep the image weatherproof.

2: Coatings

There are a few different coating types, and we will not get into too much detail here as there are many variables for different print types and what a printer may offer. You will want to be sure that a UV coating or a laminate is used on offset or digital printing methods if you plan on using your stickers in an outdoor setting. Screen-printed stickers often do not need a finishing coat if the ink used and vinyl it is printed on is of outdoor quality. As a general rule of thumb it is always a good idea to let your printer know what setting your stickers will be used in and if they are able to provide a product that will accommodate that.

3: Cutting

The finishing slice can be an important one! There are a couple of methods you should know about.

-Guillotine Cut: This is a standard straight cut. Your sticker is cut into a rectangle or square (like a bumper sticker) all the way through the actual sticker and backing.

-Die Cut: This type of cutting creates a custom shape through the actual sticker and backing. Die cutting can create standard shapes like circles and ovals or create an outlined look that creates the same shape as your image. Die cutting is usually an extra charge, as the shape has to be created by a die house. If you are planning on having a large volume or repeat orders, then the cost of the die may not be a big factor for the added value you get from it.

-Kiss Cut: This method is usually done on a contour (AKA CAD) cutter. It is a machine that looks similar to a digital large format machine. This type of cutting creates the same custom shaped sticker that a die cut would accomplish but does not go through to the backing (the blade “kisses” the sticker but not the backing). Many times when you print a digital sticker you are able to have a kiss cut at no extra charge.

-Kiss and Guillotine Cut: usually when a kiss cut is created it is combined with a guillotine cut. If you have a very small image often multiple stickers will be placed on a page. The only disadvantage of this combo is that there is a scrap area around the actual sticker. It may not look as high-end on the backing, but as soon as it removed and placed on a surface it has the exact look of a die cut.

4. Extras

A good thing to keep in mind is that it is often possible to have additional information that is not on the actual sticker.

-Backing: Many printers offer a single color back print on the paper backing of the sticker. This allows you to put such things as a coupon code, website address, catch phrase, etc. on the part of the sticker that can stay with the person after they have stuck it on something. This can be a very good marketing tool, especially when your sticker might end up somewhere the person you gave it to may not see it again.

-Kiss Cut Scrap: Another great place to add a little extra info is in the scrap area of a kiss cut sticker. It is on the front so it is very visible and it usually does not cost anything extra as it is on the same side as the image. Many times a printing company will offer you a discount if they place a “stickers by eternitemedia.com” type of phrase in the scrap of that area.

Now that you have an idea of what is out there hopefully you are able to determine what is a good fit for your needs. Remember that when promoting with stickers be sure to check your local laws and regulations on sticker promotion. Some cities have banned stickers as a way to cut down on the mess it leaves behind. Stickers should never be placed on private property without permission. It does not look good on you, it’s a pain for the property owner and damaging private property can get you in trouble. Play it smart, have fun, and get stick’n!

In this blog series we will discuss helpful tips when you are out promoting yourself, cool alternative flyer ideas, what to put on your flyers, the do’s and don’ts and other helpful ideas. Stay tuned!