Super Ping

I read a “tip” on music sales today that made me angry. The author asked, “Are you selling your CD for $15?” Then goes on to say that we are Indie musicians and we shouldn’t. Sell it for less because it is the industry standard for Indie musicians to sell for less. How do I say this nicely…that’s Bull Sh*t!!!!

That attitude pisses me off. I mean it is hard enough for us to make a decent leaving selling CDs, but to sell them for $10? Unless you have less than 10 songs, don’t listen to em. It is that attitude that makes some people think you only have to pay $10 for a CD.

Will more people buy the CD? Well, probably…a few. But you know what? If people like your music, they WILL pay $15 for a CD! Surprise, surprise, surprise. They may falter a bit, but they will eventually buy it, and when they do, it will mean so much more to them. Don’t be fooled. You are a professional. Now act like one.

Now, let me give you an incentive why you should sell for $15 instead of $10. There are some age-old terms used in marketing, perhaps you’ve heard of them…discounts and sales?

Yeah, I admit it. I’m hesitant to pay $15 for a CD. It is a lot of money for a CD. I’m constantly looking for great CD deals online. I can’t stand paying $15 for a CD. It’s too much for my poor musician blood. But some, like me, require an extra incentive. So why not put your CD on sale? Offer 10% or 20% off. One-time only, or for a limited time. And you know, at 10-20% off, you’re still making more than $10. But to your fans, 10-20% off sounds like a great deal! Add a touch of urgency, and even those who hadn’t gotten around to buying your CD will.

Ever since I started running special prices on my new CD, Gullible’s Travels, I’ve gotten a helluva resposne. Right now, you can buy it for 10% off. Or buy both our albums and get 20% off each one.

So if you have an album with more than ten songs, and you are currently selling your album for $10, this is what I want you to do. Contact your mailing list now. Tell them this:

“It was decided that in order to take our band to the next step, we will have to start running our business more professionally. To start, we will raise the price of our CDs in four weeks from their current price of $10 to their new price of $15. This should give all our loyal fans the opportunity to purchase a copy of our music at a one killer price. But it won’t last long. So order your CDs now!”

Now, watch the orders come flooding in!

Bard Marc Gunn of the Brobdingnagian Bards has helped 1000’s of musicians make money with their musical groups through the Bards Crier Music Marketing and Promotion Ezine and the Texas Musicians’ Texas Music Biz Tips. Now you can get personal advice by visiting http://www.bardscrier.com for FREE “how-to” music marketing assistance.

No time to visit the site? Subscribe to the BardsCrier.com distributed weekly for Free. Just email subscribe@bardscrier.com

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Don’t kid yourself. The name of the business game isn’t Monopoly. It isn’t jobs or new products or vacations or the size of your office. The name of the business game is Money. And aren’t you glad. Without this medium of exchange we’d still be swapping cows for horses, for example. Instead we can exchange values of every conceivable kind for pieces of green paper, or some numbers on a bank statement.

Unless you are independently wealthy, your personal success is judged primarily by your financial success. Why? Because with financial success you can command so many other kinds of success. When you become financially successful, you open the door to all kinds of other successes, such as to use some symbolic examples, quality cars, yachts, spacious homes, good schools for your kids, diamonds for your wife or husband. It doesn’t matter what kind of success prizes you covet. The first step is financial success. Money provides so many other forms of success.

So. What should you do? Take a socially splendid job as a teacher? You won’t make much money. And you’ll get lip service thanks and honor from the community. But face it; teachers don’t command much respect because they don’t have much financial success. The good news is that financial success isn’t really that difficult to achieve. As evidence, look at some of the most financially successful people in your industry. Chances are that fewer than half of them are brainy.

The first and most important step is to set sound financial success goals. A surprising thing will happen. You’ll find all kinds of opportunities flashing across your idea screen. With your goal you can reach out and grab them.

You’ll be amazed what a challenging goal can accomplish when you seek financial success first.

Richard Riley Conarroe is the author of Success Simplified, the book that tells you how to win maximum success in your job–and in your life. The book is not just about financial success or job satisfaction. It deals with a world of elusive dynamics most people fail to consider or apply. Learn more at http://www.success-simplified.net

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The Amazon: Enchantress [Peru]

(The river and its jungle)

I would recount the time, your crown, allured:

Your majesty, that charmed me, to yours,

O, wild, beguiled, Enchantress River
Your lore and years and livelihood reigns.

With lazy waters, easy sways your trees
Proudly like a child, twilight sings victory,

Along the banks of your jaunty breasts
So rests, triumphantlymy earthly flesh.

Your sweeping wide skirt, of blue and green
Laden with boats, combined animals scenes,

A treasure chest, filled with wondrous things,
You are the sweeping AmazonEnchantress …!

#1131 1/31/06

La Gran Sabana
[Salto Angel]

(Advance) I left the madness of the city to seek out the jungle of the Gran Sabana that melts into Amazonas in the year 2000(year of ‘Beast’ for me). How shall I tell you what I’ve learned? Its beauty is out of the order of the minda strange beauty indeed; thus, the verse blended in this poem here is the labor of a dim eye (a clap of the eye also), in the back of my mind:

1

I did not go to the Gran Sabana over Angel Falls, for joy, or for
the burning stars at night; nor did I expect to see mountains
called: Tepuistowering over the highlands, and its virgin terrain
(a lost world, I do maintain). But rather, I went for quietness, which
covered my wishful eyes. But joy I found in natures wonders,
amongst the winking star-lit-nights;–the Jungle!

2

O, yes, I’ve trekked through her rainforest; sat on the edge
of her towering peaks, looking up and down, Angel Falls
(3000-feet). Walked her plateaus, descended her cliffs, retuning
to civilizationwith an uplift. She is timeless, par excellence,
to anything on earth; in the vein of a wonders dream!

End Notes: the jungles of Venezuela, where I was, were three areas enmesh: we have the Gran Sabana, but also we have what is called Amazonas. The Gran Sabana meshes as others do, into the Amazon Basin. It is different than the Peruvian area where the Amazon River is and its thick rainforest beyond its banks. Here you will also find the Orinoco Basin, again I say, enmeshed: again I say together, for there are no fences, as if thrown into a bowel of soup. This area was undisturbed by white men until the 1980s; there are a number of ethnic groups in this area, Amazonas, I saw a few groups, with their dug out boats, going about their business, as I was going about mine, and I did not invade their privacy. In contrast, the Peruvian Jungle and Amazon River, I went to, and down, and inland, I did join a few communities, observing their dwellings within the jungle, their habitat, customs, way of life for the most part, by invitation. This area, the Gran Sabana is right out of Mr. Doyle’s story “The Lost World”; most incredible.

See Dennis’ web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com

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What we really want to know is, “Are there any entertaining or
interesting programs on television?” We now have at least ninety-
six channels to choose from, even though two have duplicate
programming and five are in Spanish. Here’s a list of currently
available offerings:

…Infomercial on how to turn your life savings into a million dollars
or nothing in one month.

…Chucky watches Binky discover his winky.

…The life and times of an ant colony. (repeat).

…Actual police raid in Los Angeles (re-creation of a re-creation, not to be confused with real life.)

…How to own an amazing and unbelievable cheese grater for only $39.99 in four easy payments.

…Situation Comedy - Three men and a goat. (Unsuitable for
children under 18).

…Exerciserama. How to remain thin exercising for only three
hours per day. Photographed on an actual rooftop in San
Francisco.

…Sci Fi movie of the week. Nancy discovers that her hometown
boyfriend is not from her hometown, is not her friend and is not a boy.

…Actual taped footage of a Unitarian Service including selections from the over-70 choir. Four hours.

…Stock Market graphs showing a rising market followed by seven
reasons why we all lost money last month.

…Yesterday’s news in a new user friendly entertainment
production.

I remember television from the sixties when we could choose
from only seven channels. The meager offerings included: All in
the Family, The Carol Burnett Show, The Sound of Music, You
Bet Your Life, The Honeymooners, Mannix, Taxi, Mission
Impossible, Dean Martin’s Roast, The Lucy Show and The Untouchables.

Writing is much more fun than television.

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