Recent Posts in ‘MarkLaFay.com’
Think like a marketer not like a musician
Musicians are an interesting breed. Well…. Creative people in general are an interesting breed. Creatives tend to go to great lengths to create something they deem new and unique. Creatives put their own personality, flare, flavor, taste, etc. into their respective works of art. So why is that drive for creative perfection and uniqueness completely
Building the better press kit
A press kit in the traditional sense of the phrase pertains to a collection of documents, marketing collateral and informative pieces that are distributed in whole to journalists, reporters and media at a press event. Press kits as they pertain to musicians aren’t too far off. They are a collection of information about the artist
2011 is an UP year for album sales
That’s right! In 2011, music sales took an upward turn for the first time since 2004. But… Don’t get TOO excited just yet! It was only a 1.3% increase but hey, it didnt drop for a change. 2011 was a big year for some big albums and the crown landed on the head of Adele. Take
In 2012, Go Digital or Go Home
It’s 2012 OFFICIALLY and I thought to myself: What better way to ring in the new year than New Year than with a blog about 2 new self-released albums? This idea is slowly turning into an idea to write about independent releases throughout the year. SO, if you or someone you know is releasing an
Good fans vs. everyone else.
The other night I met with a band that I’ve known for a long time. We meet periodically to discuss what they have going on and the best way to attack certain scenarios. The guys just got a new drummer in the band and they’ve been writing, playing new material and they feel they are
Norma Jean public rant justified, or not?
I’ve been a fan of Norma Jean since they were the Luti-Kriss and had a DJ. In 2001 I had the band play my church in support of Living Sacrifice and it was a ridiculous show. I’ll never forget my pastor covering his eyes and going home the moment he saw Josh walking across the
Kickstarter My Heart
About a week ago I saw an update about Five Iron Frenzy hit my Facebook feed regarding their return to creating and performing music. What really struck me about this was not the notion that SKA could be seeing a revival… It was more like “holy crap, they’ve raised HOW MUCH MONEY?” The news item
Spotify and the new economy
We can all agree that the improvements of technology over the past 10 years have drastically changed the way we receive and process information. Entertainment is the best example of how this change has taken place. We are an “On-Demand” culture. We want to be able to watch, listen, eat on our terms. Tivo, NetFlix,
Q&A: Should we make a good DEMO?
From: Austen Question: Hey Mark! A few friends and I are in the process of forming a hardcore/metalcore band after some like The Chariot, Haste the Day, but with influences from all over everywhere. I, being screamed vocals/bass, have 90′s-to-modern hardcore and metalcore influence, while our guitarist LOVES hair metal, with that being his main
