Recording - April 2013 - 44

War, Peace and Exile” until I reminded
her of it. I’m putting the final touches on a
rewrite to my cello/piano piece,
“Undertow,” and hope to find a worldclass player to record it. Too early in the
process to ask her... but while I’m on the
subject, since you and I are already
friends, consider this an invitation to check
out my Facebook Artist page and “like” it!

How a promo works
Let me show you how you can take this
promotional interaction between Nimbit and
Facebook to another level, with giveaways
and special promos. If you go to my
Facebook artist page and “like” From a
Quiet Place, you can even take advantage of
this “limited-time offer”: Click on the Nimbit
store icon, you’ll be taken to my store. In the
upper right hand corner you’ll see grayed out
lettering that says “Enter promo code.” Type
in RECORDING, and you’ll see that you’ve
been given a free download, the trance influenced track, “Slither.” (This from a guy who
said he disdains self-promotion—see what a
world we live in!).
I hope these examples of mine point you in
a profitable direction for your own music. As
you can see, it’s really not that hard, and if
you do it for yourself, you should discover that
it’s easier to do than to read about!

Bob Malone on Self-Promotion Strategies
After completing his degree studies at the Beklee College of Music in the 1980s,
Bob Malone, a powerhouse piano player and singer, moved around a bit. Stints in LA,
New York, and New Orleans intertwined with extended periods on the road. Malone,
who currently lives in the Studio City section of LA, has a small studio set of his own,
but tracks most of his major projects at Bob DeMarco Productions. Malone’s been a
member of John Fogerty’s band for the last several years.
While researching this article I came across Bob’s Facebook fan page and noticed that
he had a link to a Nimbit store. His page is well organized and clearly gets lots of traffic, so I reached out to him and asked if he would give Recording readers a few tips on
how a musician can maximize his or her web presence.—GE
How long have you had a Facebook presence?
Bob Malone: About three years. Before that I was on MySpace. Before social media
on the web there was just the Internet. And before that, I’d put out a mailing list at my
shows and have people sign up, and I’d follow up by sending them postcards!
What are some of the key things that musicians need to know about building a fan
base through the internet?
Everything you post has a shelf life of about ten minutes. The key is to be persistent and repetitive without being annoying. People don’t like it when it feels like you’re shouting at them.
Do fans expect more personal interaction with an artist today than in the past?
Absolutely. Of course, the top tier may not get affected by these changes, but for most of us
working musicians the rules have changed. People want to know that you hear them. If a fan
sends me a message on Facebook I respond. After a show we’ll go out and meet and greet
people. It’s not as easy to get on a bus and leave a venue. People have higher expectations.
Has Facebook been an effective platform for you?
Yes, but it keeps changing. Facebook has tightened up how pages work and added a
paid component to what they offer. If you advertise on Facebook you’ll get a ton more
views, but many of them are from people who will never become your fans. I’m on the
fence on the advertising issue. The negative part of the new advertising service is that
Facebook blocks your posts if you’re not using it; fewer people will see an individual post
than in the past.
How did you end up using Nimbit as your music store? Has it been effective?
Phil Antoniades, one of the founders of Nimbit, was a classmate of mine at Berklee. I’m
there because of him. Nimbit’s a good platform for sales, and I collect fans from them. I
sell downloads and physical stuff there. I also use iTunes and Amazon, and I have a distribution deal with Burnside Distribution Company. They place my CDs in stores. It’s important to learn about all of the tools that are out there, and take advantage of them.
What’s going on with John Fogerty?
John’s working on a new album, which will be released in the Spring, which is also
when my next record will be out. And there’s always another gig!
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RECORDING April 2013

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Recording - April 2013

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