Marketing In Music Videos: Amanda Rogers

Marketing techniques today have changed a great deal since the peak of the music industry in the mid twentieth century. In the digital age, marketing is done in the easiest possible way since there are so many ways to reach the public and spread word quickly. In fact because of the variety of artists emerging onto the scene, we have more choice with whom we chose to listen to. The main marketing methods remain:

• Posters - Nowadays these tend to be distributed in magazines, on-line newspapers and websites rather than distributed physically round an area- although many still opt for this method.

• Promotional Gigs (now tend to be hosted on TV at special events) - Previously bands would tour areas, performing various songs from the album to be released and generate a hype up to and sometimes after the release date of their album. Nowadays, because of the large crowds and fan base sizes, these gigs tend to be at other live events- for example talk shows like The Ellen Show/David Letterman (US) or the Graham Norton Show, however independent gigs still do exist. Taylor Swift for example sent out an impromptu tweet advertising an un-planned performance on Hollywood Boulevard, New York to which thousands of fans turned up. She however has the fan base size to pull off such an event. 

• Radio - Many artists still get a significant amount of radio play before an album or single will be released to see how well the song plays

Other methods of marketing include:

• Social Networks- Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Myspace etc...
• Word of mouth/Viral
• Adverts- TV advertising tends to be used to promote

Amanda Rogers: Record Label & Marketing

Being an independent artist, Amanda has taken up a lot of the responsibility of constructing her image and marketing herself. She has been with various record companies and distribution companies, however when it come down to graphic design, she has mostly been the one behind its construction. Much like the system for distributing films, large institutions (such as Warner Bros) will have their own distribution companies under their belt and so they will receive most of the profits. Other, independent record companies and artists need to find independent music record distributors who will strike up deals and build relationships with stores and companies such as HMV or iTunes for example. The latter is the process Amanda Rogers has had to go through for the distribution of all her albums. Depending on how independent the artist is, the distributor will have to either strike up a contract with the actual artist or the record label.

(source of info: HowStuffWorks)

Below is an excerpt from a very useful article summarizing the different kinds of distribution available, from which this information was sourced.

Music distributors can be categorized in several ways:

• Major label vs. independent -- Consolidation has left only a handful of major music distributors affiliated with the big record labels: Capitol/EMI Distribution (Time Warner), Sony/BMG Distribution, UNI Distribution (Vivendi Universal) and WEA Distribution (Warner Music Group). Independents can be national or regional. Among the independents, the largest is Curb Distribution.

• Subdistributors -- These are the middlemen between large distributors and retailers. They could be one-stops, which sell from a number of different distributors, or rack-jobbers who actually own and run the record department within a larger department or multipurpose store.

• National, regional or international -- While the major distributors operate on a national basis, area distributors are smaller and focus on a specific region of the United States, perhaps even a single metropolitan area. International distributors handle one or more overseas markets.

• Online, Internet or digital distributors -- These distributors supply iTunes, YouTube.com, Rhapsody, Napster and other Web music stores with the tunes that they offer. These distributors may also offer physical CDs, or they may operate only in the cyber-sphere.

• Niche distributors -- Some distributors specialize in and can be categorized by the type of music they handle, such as classical, Christian, country or alternative music.

• Printed or sheet music distributors -- Although they only account for a small share of the market, some distributors are actually publishers or work for publishers to sell musical scores, band music, pop songs for guitarists and vocalists, and other "on paper" works.

In the specific case of Heartwood, the album was produced with D.I.T Records (Do It Together Records)- an independent record label and "boutique agency". According to the internet, boutique agencies "specialise in creative advertising", meaning they offer a completely tailored and unique advertising service. These companies tend to have small client lists and work with specific companies to achieve a particular "look or feel". The website contains an entire list of companies that work closely with the record label to distribute music and provide the graphic design. Amongst this list of familiar companies are two different record labels with which Amanda has worked for her latest album and the one preceding Heartwood- Make My Day Records "...is an independent record label based in Germany with a hand-picked selection of artists they believe in, not for politics or marketability" and 2nd Records "...is a record label specializing in indie-electronica music (Hamburg, Germany)."

The following is their "mission statement"-

"D.I.T. is a record label and boutique agency dedicated to promoting indie artists of all kinds. Many of our artists are self-reliant and have had much success on their own. D.I.T. is set up to provide its roster with a promotional team and a vast industry network that works together to facilitate bigger and better opportunities. 'For Artists, by Artists.'"

D.I.T. Records Website > http://www.ditrecords.com/

More artists from D.I.T Records

The following couple of artists share similar musical influences and (for the most part) belong to a similar genre to Amanda Rogers, despite the differences in "sound" between them. 

The Last Internationale 

Drift Division