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For those of you who haven’t heard, as of last Monday, Nominees for the 2014 American Music Awards have been announced.  

Just a side note for all of the dreamers out there,  if you’re wishing of having you’re name on that list and you have this crazy drive in you that knows you can accomplish such a goal, then take the initiative to help yourself out here.  It’s hard work, but there’s curtain companies out there that can do the heavy lifting for you, and actually want to help you get your name on that awards list.  


For the rest of everyone, here are the nominees:     


Aussie rapper Iggy Azalea comes in at the top with a total of 6 nominations. John Legend, Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams are all up for five nominations each.  Lorde is in the running for four honors.  Beyonce, Eminem, Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, and One Direction were all nominated for three awards.  Drake, Luke Bryan, Sam Smith, and Bastille each received two nominations for the fan-voted awards show. 

Winners will be announced along with live performances on November 23 through a live broadcast held at the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, CA on ABC starting at 8p.m.  

Artist of the Year
Iggy Azalea
Beyonce
Luke Bryan
Eminem
Imagine Dragons
John Legend
Lorde
One Direction
Katy Perry
Pharrell Williams
New Artist of the Year as Presented by Kohl’s
5 Seconds of Summer

Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Sam Smith
Meghan Trainor
Single of the Year
Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX “Fancy”

John Legend “All of Me”
MAGIC! “Rude”
Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J “Dark Horse”
Pharrell Williams “Happy”
Favorite Male Artist Pop/Rock
John Legend

Sam Smith
Pharrell Williams
Favorite Female Arist Pop/Rock
Iggy Azalea

Lorde
Katy Perry
Favorite Band, Duo or Group – Pop/Rock
Imagine Dragons

One Direction
OneRepublic

If you are ready to take your music career to the next level and be apart of the biggest events in the music industry submit your best songs to submissions@promusicrecords.com. 

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How to gain a strong fan base

Having a strong online presence is vital to a musician’s career, but standing out and gaining a following in today’s YouTube/Social Media generation is no easy task. 

It’s easy to get buried in an internet search-pile and remain unknown and unnoticed. 

The key to an artists’ success is to learn how to effectively promote oneself so that he or she can find, build, and maintain an active, engaging fan base. 

The most essential tools at an artists’ disposal are to: 
  1. Create a visually stimulating website that effectively communicates the musician’s style and message. 
  2. Develop a strong reputation on major social media accounts that exhibits professional photos, music recordings, and videos.
While these are the cornerstones of developing a fan base, (and an image that record labels will find desirable), these tasks alone not enough. 
Without integrating strong SEO (search engine optimization) methods into your website and onto your social media accounts, you can still get lost in the already-inundated market. 
In a matter of months, Pro Music Records & Entertainment does for artists what takes artists years to do on their own, (without the struggle, guesswork, and uncertainty). 
From guiding, developing, and recording top-of-the-line work, to creating and maintaining a fan base, Pro Music Records & Entertainment uses our experience, research, knowledge, and personal guidance to help launch lasting careers in the music industry. 

5 Music Submission Mistakes

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When a music manager or A&R department receives music submissions, they often tend to skip over e-mails that are incomplete or require too much work when it comes to listening. Moreover, an e-mail that barely contains a message, bio, or any contact information is most definitely going to be moved to the trash. While the quality and content in your music is of primary importance, getting your foot in the door is the first step. Don’t make the following mistakes and you can rest assured that your music is, at the very least, being listened to.

1 – Sending Incomplete Tracks. There’s no point in sending something that doesn’t represent you as an artist to the best of your abilities. Waiting until your song is mixed and mastered allows the concept and personality of your music to shine through.
2 – Attaching the Song with No Concept. A lot of times, when a song is downloaded from an e-mail it shows up anonymously (ie. “track1.mp3”). This offers no information about you or your story. You’d be much better off attaching an EPK, or at the very least a photo, so that the receiving end actually has some insight into what they are listening to. Adding links to your site and social media pages also shows that you have an online presence.
3 – Messy Files. When you attach too many of your files to an e-mail in a disorganized way, managers get fed up and are more likely to skip to the next submission. Your best bet is to put your soundcloud, reverbnation and bandcamp links in the body of your e-mail. This showcases your work in a clean and efficient way, allowing people to listen to even more of your songs without the hassle on either end. Use safe links to popular platforms.
4 – No Contact Info. Too often e-mails get sent without any contact information. As silly as it may seem, make sure you write your full name with your phone number and e-mail address so that if someone likes your work, they can actually tell you!
5 – Little-to-No Bio or Press Release. A poorly written bio or press release is an immediate turn-off. Providing too few details or even too many can instantly send a message about your professionalism as an artist. While there is no need to write a life story, it is important to create a brief and relevant bio about where you’re from, what kind of music you create, and what you’re doing now. 
Pro Music Records & Entertainment Media can make sure that you have the tools to send a complete e-mail music submission that gets you heard. From a website to a well-written bio to a thorough press release, we do it all. Visit us at www.promusicrecords.com for more information.

Your Band as Your Business: Promotion Tools

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Independent musicians often tend to think they can do it all, but the reality is that everyone needs help. Running a band like a business requires tools and outsourcing. Not only is it necessary to be a great musician who plays great music, but you’ll also need to promote yourself. This can be done in a number of ways, but an important one is building and nurturing relationships with fans. 

                   
Turning strangers into fans is your main goal. You can also achieve this through your social media profiles by interacting with followers. Those fans are the ones that are going to spread your music like wildfire and attend your shows with their friends. Commenting on their content is going to keep them interested in your work. You can also use these platforms to build excitement and momentum before releasing your singles and videos.

But, in order to be successful, you have to be in it for the long haul. Daily work of promoting, booking, designing posters and mercy, selling, and touring is all part of the game. To keep progressing, you need to leave time to write your music, of course. Setting up a promotions and marketing plan is going to allow you to focus on what you do: music. Pro Music Records can set you up with a Project Manager to keep your social media up and running by posting new content and attracting more fans. A website, blog and merchandise shop can also be set up so people have even more ways to find your music. Allotting some of your budget now to maintaining these crucial aspects of running your business will guarantee you success for years to come.

How a Music Video Can Make Your Career

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If you haven’t seen this music video for “Big Booty” by Jennifer Lopez featuring Iggy Azalea, you need to press play asap. This video is at 33 million plus hits and counting, and it only came out 5 days ago. Now not all the feedback is positive, but people are watching regardless. There’s a lot artists can learn from a video release like this one.

First of all, the ad at the beginning of the video is making J. Lo and her record label tons of money, but ads only come once you’re bringing in enough traffic. In other words, popularity can go a long way even if not all the responses to your content are positive (let the haters hate). That being said, however, you should absolutely strive to create relevant, engaging and high-quality videos. 
Though music videos aren’t necessarily played on network television like MTV anymore, that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage them to help boost your career. They can definitely make money on sites like YouTube and anywhere else they’re promoted, but more importantly they keep your fans interested in your work. Releasing content, from a full performance or narrative video to behind the scenes recording your new album, is just another way for you to reach out to fans. These videos can then be promoted on your social media sites, which gives them the possibility of going viral and you the possibility of becoming the next #1 artist. 

New Rules for Making Music in the Digital Age

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1. Put it in perspective. The number of YouTube hits you have on any one video can communicate more than the number of sales that were made. For example, a video that has 50 million views may only have sold 50,000 units. Though this number may seem low, today’s industry actually deems it a success.

2. It’s what you can do for others. If you can prove that you will bring ticket sales and a line out the door, promoters, agents and club owners are far more likely to book you. Record labels will want to sign you if you already have an audience they can sell to. 
3. Money will most likely come later. Real success doesn’t happen overnight and you’ll need to grow your audience little by little. The longer it takes for you build your fan base, the more likely you’ll have a long-lasting career instead of being a one-hit wonder.
4. Create music regularly. With so much music available on the internet, fans have a shorter attention span than ever. Keep them excited about your music by putting out songs, even if they’re just acoustic covers or lyric videos, to stay at the forefront of their minds. 
5. Cultivate an organic audience. Friends and family are great for spreading the word about your career, but they don’t count as real fans. Finding an audience that loves your music without even knowing how great you are as a person will result in a loyal fan base.


Money Solutions to Streaming: Licensing & Publishing Deals

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It’s pretty clear that sites like Spotify and Pandora aren’t paying out big bucks for all artists, so small to mid-level musicians need to start being craftier. Though streaming can be beneficial for growing a fan base, there has to be a better way to make money than half a penny per play. Fans streaming your music can hopefully lead to purchases and increased sales, but these sales are harder and harder to come by in an age of digital music. Then again, artists have always had to look to other sources of revenue such as merchandise and tours…
However frustrating it may be, streaming and piracy aren’t going anywhere. It’s time to start embracing alternatives to generating income by looking to diversifying streams of income. Licensing companies and publishing deals are becoming more and more popular. These resources help artists get their music placed on TV shows, in movies and commercials. 
The solution? Adopt new ways of spreading your music and becoming successful. The technologies that are available to us today to build relationships with fans on social media and other sites are a great place to start. And, with the option of submitting music to a licensing or publishing company, monetary success can become a very tangible option.
Pro Music Records can set you up with either an exclusive publishing deal or simply submit your music to as many music libraries as your budget allows. The greater the number of submissions, the better your chances at landing a placement and making thousands of dollars through entertainment media. Please visit us online at www.promusicrecords.com to find out more about our licensing opportunities and take your music career to a new level! 

What to Avoid: 4 Ways to Ruin Your Music Career

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Navigating the music industry can be tough, but there are four basic ways to ensure your career isn’t a flop. Pro Music Records has the tools to help you avoid these mishaps!


1. Depending on anyone but yourself to build your career
These days, having a solid fan base is essential to even getting noticed by a record label. They want artists who are working and developing their fan base, which means that you need to make sure you’re fulfilling fans’ needs (ie. putting up new material often, interacting with fans through comments).


2. Not having a serious web presence
Be everywhere. Not only do you need to be on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, but using other platforms like Instagram or blogs can help reach your target demographic. This will make it easier to interact with your incoming fans, too.

  
3. Not selling merchandise
Selling a variety of merch at all your shows (and online) is key. It helps pay for all the little things that got you there, like gas and food. Not only does your stand or site need to exist, but it needs to be easy to get to and easy to purchase from.

  
4. Delivering subpar press kits
A strong, well-crafted press kit can greatly increase your chances of getting into a venue or onto a radio station. With only a few slots to fill, you’ll need to be noticed immediately through your marketing materials. A powerful bio, press release, EPK and one sheet can ensure your submission won’t simply get deleted.  

  
For music promotion services to get your work out to radio stations, blogs, podcasts and magazines, as well as merchandising and publicity services, visit www.promusicrecords.com. 


Millenials & Music: Building a Loyal Fan Base

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We’ve all heard the term “millennial,” which basically refers to the generation of young adults in our world. This demographic, which makes up 2/3 of any music artist’s fan base, has different expectations, spending and consumption behaviors than others. Recognizing how building brand loyalty among this sector can greatly contribute to making you a successful working artist. 


Millennials love music and are interacting with artists in different ways than previous generations. When reaching this group with music, it can be simple and easy with the many available avenues on the internet. Social media efficiently reaches the widest audiences, sharing your music on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. 

Listening and online interaction data can help marketing teams decide who to target with your music. Identifying who is watching your videos based on comments or likes or can help you accumulate even more fans. Given the wealth of information accessible to us through social data, understanding the audience you are trying to reach with your music is key to a profitable campaign. 
It can be tricky to know how to use the numbers available, so hiring a marketing manager can be an efficient way to carry out your campaign. Here at Pro Music Records we use the data to hone your primary audience, which may very well be millennials, and promote your music specifically to them. This can help your fan base grow exponentially, the crucial aspect to generating revenue and popularity in the industry.

Music Artists as Entrepreneurs: Building Your Empire

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Until recently, the only way to “make it” was to be picked by an A&R rep at a major record label, and even that didn’t guarantee success if the label dropped your record or cut your marketing budget. Today, your success is primarily up to you. You are your own CEO and your product is your music. Identifying multiple sources of revenue and having a team is the first step in thinking like an entrepreneur and forming your thriving business 

Develop Your Product & Identify an Audience
Think about exactly what it is you are making and how it is different from existing music. What genre do you mow identify with? Your personality and image are significant aspects of your business, too. Understanding how to develop your brand in the market is invaluable.
Next, find out who your customers or fans are. Use internet tools like Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels to see who is listening, watching and commenting. Talking to fans after shows will allow you to figure out who your key demographic is. 
Get Your Music Out There
You’ll need to get your product to the market as quickly as possible, so release small and often on easily accessible digital platforms. If you don’t have the money to release a full length album, start with distributing singles every few months or EP’s. Cover Songs for your YouTube channel can keep fans interested without forcing you to spend thousands of dollars. Another good method is releasing a song to social media and telling fans you’ll release the next once you get a certain number of comments or likes. Promotions are key to building your fan base. Most importantly, get feedback as soon as you can and adjust your business accordingly. 


Network
Take tips from outgoing and energetic entrepreneurs and don’t be afraid to talk about your music, your band, and what you are trying to achieve. When you play gigs, Introduce yourself to the other bands playing or the guys behind the scenes running lights or sound. You never know who you can meet and you may find a way to collaborate! In the music industry, your success will come from your connections.
Build a Team
Think about who you know who would be willing and able to work with you to develop your career. Hiring professionals, like those at Pro Music Records, to carry out your website, marketing, promotions, and submissions to labels or radio stations can ease your stress and keep you organized. Delegating tasks to your team can also give you more time to hone your craft and create more music. There’s a reason most successful businesses are more than one person! 
Pro Music Records & Entertainment