Margarine, not butter

I read a great music business blog - The Secret Music Life of Kat, and I read such a good post on there today (it's from last month - I am catching up after being out of town most of July) that I wanted to re-post it here.

Basically, it's about butter and margarine. No, really. The analogy being that margarine, even though most people prefer the taste of butter, is more often used because it is easier to use.

Here's part of Kat's post:

I imagine your music fans are somewhat like me. If you want them to spread the word about your music, you need to be spreadable. You need to make it as easy as possible for them to promote you AND you have to give them something to promote. Don’t just create a great CD. A great CD alone won’t make people talk about you for long.

1. Create a great CD - definitely a good place to start.
2. Give away a free song (to give them something to talk about and promote).
3. Make graphic badges, logos and buddy icons and make it easy for them to use (post the code, host the images on your server)
4. Have a story to tell. Give them some background on one of your unique songs or a particular experience you’ve had.
5. Offer bios and copy of various lengths so that journalists and bloggers can easily get and use the information they need.
6. Post YouTube videos of your live show. Encourage your audience at each show to video your set and post it to YouTube.

Put yourself in their shoes and try to think of any way you can make it easier for your audience to spread your music.
Be spreadable. Like Margarine. Not Butter.

What I love about Kat's music blog is that it is practical and insightful at the same time, and I, for one, need that in the busy-ness of everyday music life.