Dear Tim Sweeney,

"A friend of mine told me that one of the best ways to be successful in the music business is to copy what successful artists, who are independent like me, are doing. While searching the Internet for ideas, I came across two different articles about a band in New York and another in LA, who both used your idea about running TV commercials on MTV and VH-1 to promote their upcoming shows. According to the articles, both groups sold out their shows before they handed out the sample CDs you recommended. How can I use MTV and VH-1 to promote my shows?"

First of all, your friend has the right idea. If someone in your area is successful, find out what they are doing and see if you can use some of the same strategies to reach even greater results for your music. But don’t copy everything they do. Some artists do outrageous or strange things to get attention. No matter how short lived the attention may be. Be true to you and your music. If someone kills off their bass player for the insurance money, I wouldn’t recommend it. Even though you can probably find another one fairly quickly.

In regards to MTV and VH-1, as it talks about in detail in The Living Room Sessions (which is Part 2 of Guide To Releasing Independent Records), both channels or networks are broadcast on a local level through the cable provider in your area. What you need to do is quite simple.

First, contact the advertising department at the local office of your cable provider and ask for a media kit. In there you will find a coverage map of what area your cable company covers in your home market.

Second, ask the advertising staff to include in your media kit, a breakdown of the demographics and the amount of people who watch which particular programs on the two channels.

Third, tell them what you are trying to promote and ask them for the cost per commercial and where they would be best placed.

That’s it. Since the local cable providers focus on selling commercials to local companies in your area, you will be surprised to find that you get TV commercials on MTV in your major city for somewhere between $25-$40 for prime time (Monday-Friday 7PM-11PM) (except in New York City). Typically, the cable company will only charge you $5 more per commercial, to place them at specific times in specific programs.

I regularly use TV commercials for the independent artists I’m working with to advertise upcoming shows and their web site. Sometimes you can catch 50,000 to 100,000 people with one commercial, who will jump over to visit your web site. From that one commercial, some may be converted right then and there to buy a copy of your CD online or to come to your next show! The more “effective” commercials you run in a short period of time to promote your upcoming shows and web site, the better. (Please note! Make sure that you have redesigned your web site for the hoards of 56K users and that you have replaced your MP3 files with properly programmed Real Audio samples. Make sure they are next to the insights to your songs. It will make a big difference in sales!)

The Living Room Sessions talks about in detail, how to get a free commercial made, how to negotiate an even lower price per commercial and how to pick the “right” shows to advertise on. http://www.tsamusic.com

The fun of having TV commercials on major cable networks in your area is that they are seen by the music directors at the major commercial radio stations and those hard to reach press people. Believe me, a good TV commercial will not only get more people to your shows and web site, it will focus the radio and press people to have to deal with you. Join me at http://www.musicstrategies.com and I will show you personally how to use this idea.

Tim Sweeney http://www.tsamusic.com