Hey Google – Where is My Music (or Podcast)?

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

Last night I was watching television.  I have a Google Home Mini sitting right next to the TV.  So, when a commercial came on in which someone said, “Hey Google,” and then gave it a command to start playing certain music, yup, you guessed it, my smart speaker started playing exactly what the person in the ad asked for.  As Homer Simpson would say, “D’oh!”

If you follow the Instagram account for my weekly “Now HearThis Entertainment” podcast, you’ve seen me post on there in the past a short video of asking an Alexa to play the latest episode.

If you think it gets a little overwhelming at times, trying to keep up with the comings and goings of the various music/podcast listening platforms these days, there is one less in the mix that you wouldn’t have expected to go away.

If you are creating original music and not podcasts, we have something in common.  We both can no longer count Google Play Music as a source for listeners to hear what we produce.

Here is what you can do, though.

Podcasters were notified earlier this year and then again when it just happened, emails being sent saying that Google Play Music was going away and that listeners should be directed instead to Google Podcasts.  (For some reason, a portion of the podcast community had an, “It’s about time” reaction.  I’m no Albert Einstein, but I knew what the difference was and certainly never complained that, until this recent change, Google was actually making NHTE available on two different platforms.)

But what about music creators?  Especially now, when there are few live showsto be had in many parts of the country, there need to be plenty of places where people can get your original music from.  To take away Google Play Music is just another jab by the boxer who’s trying to pummel your music career, right?

Actually, Google had a response planned for that too.  They have actually been directing music creators to push their listeners towards YouTube Music.  I’ll pause for a second while you re-read that sentence.  Yes, YouTube Music.  Not the YouTube that you’ve been used to where you upload your videos to.  Instead, while this might look a bit like YouTube, to quote a popular expression, “There’s nothing to see here.”  I test drove it recently and liked the accessibility and wasn’t turned off by there not being something visually holding my attention.  (That is, unless you relish the idea of staring at album artwork.)

Now, to clarify, yes, you can see some videos on there, but the point here is that the major emphasis is on this being a streaming service that can compete with the likes of Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio, etc.  Remember the context here – Google needed someplace to send listeners who were used to streaming through Google Play Music.  Thus, they weren’t going to say, “Go from a listening platform to watching videos on (the traditional) YouTube (platform) instead.”

The moral of the story is, you do need to keep up with these kinds of changes because you do need to make sure your music (or your podcast) is in as many places as possible.  And while there’s a good chance you might search for yourself on YouTube Music and find your content already on there, now is a good time to double check and make sure, if you haven’t done so and aren’t sure already.

Remember, though, that sadly, unless you’re an A-lister, don’t get excited thinking that this is going to be a pot of gold that you’re going to discover.  In the Related Posts links on this page, check out the blog that shows the harsh reality of returns (or lack thereof) from streaming services.

Where are you getting good streaming results?  Are you already on YouTube Music (or Google Podcasts)?  Tweet to let me know via @NHT_tweets or use Facebook or LinkedIn to give me your feedback.  Alternatively, you can send me a note through email.  And remember that if you need help sorting through this, or some other facet of your music or podcasting career, I'm available for a private, one-on-one video consultation.

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I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.

Influence or Be Influenced?

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

No matter what level of your artist career you’re at, undoubtedly you’ve had thoughts that companies should be giving you product and/or money to endorse them and what they sell.  You probably even have some ideas of which companies you’d like to rep.  Of course, no one minds getting an opportunity from someone that wasn’t on their radar, especially if it’s going to help raise the profile of your burgeoning career.

The proverbial 64 thousand dollar question for years has been, “Yeah, but how do I get on the radar of these companies and get to the right person to tell them about what I’m doing so that maybe I can get a deal with them.”  But nowadays it has become a case of, check your email and you might find them contacting you instead.

As you start into these, you’re going to ask the all-important question, is it too good to be true.  The answer to that, as you’ll read, is – let me find a way to put this delicately – yes.  (Sorry.  I just couldn’t sugar coat it.)

Do they really want you as an influencer or as you’re about to read, are they just hoping that you’ll be influenced enough to pull out your own wallet?

I have a client who gets not only the “DM me, let’s collab” comments on Instagram posts, but DMs initiated by those companies, and I’m not here to tell you about great opportunities that have come from those.  She did try to see what one of them was actually offering and – even after a discount code – it was going to turn into something quite pricey for her friends/followers, who she already knew wouldn’t be looking to fork over that kind of cash (for swimsuits).

Personally, I have gotten emails presenting similar offers.  In fact, almost to serve as a couple more case studies to complement that which I just described, I tried to follow through with two of them, just to see where it would really lead – and perhaps because I knew I would write a blog about it at some point.

The most recent such exercise was a company in London who wanted to send me a men’s watch so I could wear it on my arm and post pictures showing it off.  They said it would be free, that I’d get a discount code I could give out for people to use, and that I’d get a percentage off those orders.  Oh, but I would have to pay for shipping.  That amount would be 15 dollars.  (It’s a blog for another time, but, free plus shipping is a big thing these days.)

How you can tell that these are not authentic (other than – among other red flags – them not starting off the email with your first name) is this.  Since I don’t even wear watches, I decided there was no benefit to me paying 15 dollars for one, and I just let it go.  Did they email me back to follow up?  Was someone sitting in a staff meeting providing an update and saying, “I’ve got an email or two in with Bruce Wawrzyniak from the Now Hear This Entertainment podcast to see if he’ll rep our stuff on his Instagram account”?  No, and that’s because they’re sending this “offer” out to all kinds of other Instagram users.

Another that I tried to pretend I was interested in led me to a bot conversation over Facebook and ended up telling me that I would pay them $59.95 a month!  This was for men’s clothing and made the above watch deal seem like a steal.  I didn’t need validation that this was a blast out to some email list, but I got it anyway when I saw someone posting in a Facebook group about having received the same offer and I quickly let them know what the real details were.

The moral of the story is that you do still need to do your homework, initiate the contact, try to find some connection that might get you to the right person, and tell them what you bring to the table – what you can do for them, not why they should roll out the red carpet for you.

In the meantime, when those “DM me, I’ve got a small clothing offer” comments pop up on your Instagram, delete them.

What experiences have you had with these “offers”?  Tweet me about them via @NHT_tweets or share them with me on Facebook or LinkedIn.  Alternatively, you can write me an email to share what you’ve seen.

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I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.

Get Back in Front with a Re-Release

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

Usually when I’m asked to cite one of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten or lessons learned in business, I’ll point to someone I used to work for who lived out combating “out of sight, out of mind.”  He would travel halfway around the world, sit in a meeting for three hours, and then fly all the way back.  “If you’re not there, they forget about you,” he would tell us in staff meetings, reporting on his latest trip.

So, what happens when you’re someone whose business is making music?  How do you make sure that people don’t forget about you, especially now at a time when many performers don’t have any live shows that they can do in-person?  And what if there is no new music on the horizon for you?

Meet your new best friend, the re-release.

There are three examples I can point you towards for ideas and inspiration.

One that’s really clever is singer, songwriter, guitar player Frankie Raye – who you heard as the guest back on “Now Hear This Entertainment” Episode 279 – and the official music video that she just released ten days ago.  What’s noteworthy here is the fact that she did a video for a song that had been on her album that came out in March of last year!  Brilliant.  Thanks to the video’s release, the song has found new life, as evidenced by the already more than 600 views it has gotten on her official YouTube channel.  Mind you, the angle here was that the song is relevant to current times because it’s about social issues, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, humanity, and standing together in tough times.  So, there is an element of timing involved that you should consider in evaluating your back catalog.

Next is recording artist Ana Cristina Cash (pictured above), who you will hear on Episode 354 of “Now Hear This Entertainment,” being released on Wednesday (November 18^th).  Interestingly, while she is currently promoting the rendition of the holiday song “Mele Kalikimaka” that she recently released, I’m not qualifying that as a re-release in the “Oh, covering someone else’s song?” sense.  It’s another song of hers that we talk about that raises a curious eyebrow.  Back in April her new album came out, with one of the songs on it being, “Brand New Pair of Shoes.”  You’ll hear during the interview that she explains the unique story behind the song as it relates to involvement by the late Johnny Cash, her husband’s father.  But it was Sony Music coming in and releasing a (Johnny Cash) collection that “Brand New Pair of Shoes” was featured on that suddenly brought Ana Cristina’s song back to the forefront.

This is especially significant as it relates to a past guest on NHTE who had told me about putting out an entire album and fans possibly overlooking a song or two or three, as opposed to when you just release singles and all their attention gets focused on that one song.  In this case, listeners will give all their attention to “Brand New Pair of Shoes,” yet, as you’ll hear me say on NHTE 354, that, in turn, might send people looking for more music by Ana Cristina Cash!  It all comes full circle and can only result in a big win.

The last example is at the A-list level, but there’s still a teaching moment in it.  Rush has been doing re-releases of albums on the 40^th anniversary (year) of when those first came out.  For example, arguably their best-known album of all-time, “Moving Pictures,” came out in 1981.  So, next year there will obviously be a 40^th anniversary edition, likely with extras to incentivize the buyer and make it a true collectible.  As an indie artist, why not look back on when your releases came out and find an album that you feel has stood the test of time and do a commemorative re-release of your own with some type of add-on to make it more special?

Hopefully, the wheels are turning in your head on this.  I’m excited for you.

Tweet at me with a successful re-release story – or maybe plans you’ll make after reading the above – via @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, share with me over Facebook or LinkedIn, or even just good old-fashioned email.

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I am a manager and publicist, running Now Hear This, Inc., an agency that has served clients across the U.S. ranging from music artists to authors to small businesses and even an Olympic athlete. Since February 2014 I have also hosted a weekly podcast (“Now Hear This Entertainment”), which has gotten listeners from 153 countries around the world. Find more about the company and the podcast at www.NowHearThis.biz. I am also a national speaker. Visit www.SpeakerBruceW.com for more information.