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. 

5 Music Submission Mistakes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Artist’s Guide to Streaming: Digital Music Distribution

As an artist, finding the right distribution method can be tricky, particularly because there are so many online services these days. In terms of royalty payments, each site has its own pros and cons, so knowing the way they work is essential to growing your career and generating revenue. A closer look at five of the biggest distribution methods can help you understand. 
Bandcamp: This site is most often used by smaller bands or labels. Inexpensive and easy to use, the site provides easy downloads and streaming and allows artists to name their own price for a download. Physical releases and merchandise are also up for purchase. Unfortunately, no revenue is generated from album streaming alone, so purchases are needed to making money on the site.
Soundcloud: This service offers free accounts for only two hours of upload time and then an up-front payment is required. Extended accounts or even unlimited ones offer more uploads, analytics and let users highlight five songs at the top of their profiles. It does not pay directly for streams which makes it a better tool for sharing rather than selling. Links to sites that offer your music for purchases, however, can be included on your profile. 


Spotify: Though it is free to put music on this site, it only uploads music from distributors or labels. Merchandise can also be posted for free on profiles and no cut is taken. Royalty payments vary from $.006 and $.0084 per stream.

Pandora: One million plays on this site can result in about $1,370. This money does have to be divided among performers, songwriters and labels, but still makes more money than song plays on terrestrial radio. Music must already be on iTunes or Bandcamp in order to be posted to Pandora.

iTunes: The dominant distribution service for music, iTunes relies on downloads as opposed to streaming. It can be costly to upload songs to the site, especially if an aggregator is required to post the music, but the music is readily accessible for fans since it can easily transfer to laptops, iPods and other devices. 
While certain sites offer more reward for music distribution, others still provide exposure and music for the masses. Whichever services you feel are right for you and can lead fans to discovering and sharing your music, Pro Music Records and Entertainment Media can get you set up for success. PMR can put up a single, EP or entire album on any site so you can start making money today. We can even do promotions on sites like YouTube, another distribution option, so your music can be heard even more often. You own all the music and rights in this non-exclusive deal, Pro Music Records is simply the distributor that gets your secure digital media to retailers. Visit us at http://www.promusicrecords.com to learn more or e-mail info@promusicrecords.com with questions and submissions.

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7 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your YouTube Channel

#1. First Impressions are Everything.
Make sure you have a great thumbnail photo for each video. It’s the first thing people will see when they search for you, so make sure it appealing. 

#2. Use Titles & Descriptions to Your Advantage
Your title is of course important for intriguing viewers, but it can also improve your search results. Good marketing can allow your video to reach the most viewers with keywords and tags.

#3. Remember that YouTube is Interactive
According to recent stats, YouTube is more popular than Facebook for certain age groups. Artists should be engaging with fans after posting a video to keep them interested and excited.

#4. Make Use of Call-To-Action Videos
A few quick videos can encourage your fans to take action. Ask people to buy your single on release day, go support another artist, or ask fans to come see you on tour. Videos can create opportunities!

#5. Advertise
Add websites, comments & purchase links to use your channel as a billboard for promotions. Direct fans to subscribe to your channel so you can keep them coming back for more and link to your other social media profiles.

#6. Hook Fans with Playlists
Instead of having a series of isolated videos, use a playlist to get your fans hooked. Start with your most recent and popular videos and then let them cycle through older material. Just make sure that all of your content represents your best self and brand.

#7. Timing is Key
If you’re busy promoting your music, you’re being featured on music blogs, your album just came out, or you have a song on a TV show, make sure you have relevant content on YouTube as well. Make sure you are uploading high-quality videos whether they’re music videos, lyric videos, or vlogs.


Ready to take your YouTube channel to the next level? Try out the tips above with Pro Music Records and Entertainment Media. We can create your high-caliber videos and then handle your promotions and marketing to ensure you reach the right audiences.