Facebook Horrors and Twitter Absences

 By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

Seven weeks ago, vocalist, actor, songwriter, and producer Terry Barber wrote a guest blog (published here) that talked mainly about how his official music page on Facebook had been hacked.  While you should go read the whole post that he contributed, the bottom line is that now we’re sitting here at the end of September and he still hasn’t gotten it back.  He had well over 14 thousand likes/followers on there, yet has had to start over again and currently has 345.  No, I didn’t leave out a digit.  Instead of well over 14 thousand he has well over three hundred.

Getting hacked on Facebook is real.

And it’s a shame because, as you’ll hear in the interview that I had done with Terry back in June on Episode 333 of the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, he is extremely talented and doing big things.  Yet, scores of people won’t know about all that he’s up to because the method they used for following him is gone.

The day after tomorrow, Episode 347 will come out.  As I was preparing for that interview – as I always do with everyone else – I went on the guest’s website and social media (in addition to using notes, talking points, that they send to me).  When I was on the website and clicked the Facebook icon, it went to a Facebook page with a message saying, “This page isn’t available.  The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.”

I emailed the guest to ask if they were aware of this and the answer I got back was, ‘Yes, long story… it got hacked.’

And if you still aren’t convinced, I also saw a recent post on Instagram by NHTE 236 guest Carly Jo Jackson where she was saying, “My Facebook page was pretty much abducted by aliens for a while ((hacked))…” and then someone in the comments said, “The same thing happened to me!!!”

Maybe the craziest part of all these music pages on Facebook getting hacked is that obviously everyone is putting a huge priority on that platform, yet with little use for Twitter.  As upsetting as it is for me to hear about the former is as frustrating as it is for me to consistently observe the latter.

I look at Twitter accounts that performers have and so (so) many of them are doing very (very) little with them.  Their following is poor.  The frequency with which they tweet is poor.  Some of them pin a tweet and then obviously forget that it’s up there and, as a result, you look at their Twitter feed and it begins with something that they put out more than a year ago.  Others haven’t updated their Twitter bio and/or the image header, and you quickly understand that they are only on there to say that they’re on there.

Protect your Facebook account.  Change the password if you feel compelled.  Make it something tough with weird characters and numbers and symbols.  But then safeguard yourself further by placing a priority on Twitter and posting just as regularly on there as you obviously feel moved to do on Facebook.  In my opinion, Twitter is a stronger platform than Facebook when it comes to potential discovery by way of hashtags, so even if you only do it for that reason, then good for you.  But if your Facebook gets hacked and you’re scrambling for where to redirect people to while your help ticket gets reviewed, know that being regular on Twitter will provide tremendous relief for you then too.

Continue the conversation with me on (yes) Twitter via @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook (sigh) or even LinkedIn.  Plus, there’s always good old-fashioned email.

• • •

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 More Notice for What You’re Creating

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

I have often adapted the expression “You can’t be all things to all people” to instead imply that you can’t be on every single platform – industry-specific or social media.  But you do, however, need to be on some, meaning, enough.

The more you’re “seen,” the less likely people are to forget about you and, of course, the better chance you have of doing more business, whatever that looks like for you.

For example, every Monday I publish a blog here on this site.  But I also publish it on Medium and on Blogger.  I did a consult last week with a massage therapist who was looking for some marketing help and she asked, “A different blog for all those sites?”  Exhale.  No.  This same blog that you’re reading here on the Now Hear This website is the exact same as readers on Medium and Blogger will be seeing.

While there is yet another website that I publish a completely different blog on (totally different subject matter), the bottom line is visibility.  Have you heard the expression, “Meet people where they are”?  It’s used a lot in Christian communities, but in the world that creators live and work in, you need to have your work available where your audience hangs out.

I always remind people too that lots of us just seem to have a favorite platform.  So, in the example above, even though I want traffic to my website, there are people who love reading on Medium.  Thus, I’m better off meeting them there rather than agonizing over them not coming to the Now Hear This website.  (Besides, a link or two within my blog – or in my boilerplate at the bottom – will get them over to here anyway.)

The other website that I mentioned that I publish to that is for totally different subject matter?  I do nothing at all to promote that I have blogs on there.  Yet, because they are so well established and have such a huge volume of traffic, the content that I publish on there is getting a good number of eyes on it.  (I can see the number of reads, even though I’m not paying to be on their site.)

There was a time when the future of SoundCloud was in doubt, but they have done a masterful job of reorganizing and all is well there.  I have long encouraged people in the music community to have their music on there.  Why?  For the reason I alluded to above.  That’s an online destination where music people hang out.  It’s why I’ve always had the “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast on there.  Since the show caters to listeners who are singers, songwriters, musicians, etc. who want to learn more to help them grow in their career in music, that’s absolutely a place where NHTE should be.  And as a result, I’ve gotten listeners from all around the world on SoundCloud.  Had I only kept the podcast here on the website and/or “just” on iTunes (Apple Podcasts) and Spotify, I would have missed out on thousands and thousands and thousands of listens from SoundCloud users.

To be sure, there are only so many hours in a day, and no, you can’t be all things to all people (can’t be everywhere and shouldn’t be everywhere).  But, social media-wise, if you’re not on what I personally consider “the big three” – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – you’re off to a bad start.  Take inventory of not only where you are, but where you aren’t.  If you want more exposure, go out and get it.

Remember that I am here to help you.  With the weekly podcast, through the blog I publish every Monday, and even through personal one-on-one consultations.  It starts with you, though.  Don’t wait any longer to kick your career up a notch.

Continue the conversation with me on Twitter via @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook, LinkedIn, or even good old reliable email.

 • • •

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.

Don’t Register for that Masterclass Just Yet – Consider the Source

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

Consider the source.  We’ve all heard that expression, but do we execute that when evaluating opportunities?  I’m really starting to wonder.

Musicians, podcasters, creators, it’s time for a little warning.

Quite honestly, I was thrilled to see a highly respected figure in the podcast community raise, in a Facebook post, the issue of all the inexperienced people out there who are offering lessons on podcasting.  Consider the source.  Do you really want to learn from someone who has only been podcasting for, say, six months?  How many episodes have they done?  Guess what?  They’re still learning themselves.  They are still the student and shouldn’t be the teacher.

Have you ever heard the expression, “I taught him/her everything he/she knows, but I didn’t teach him/her everything *I* know”?  That’s what I’m talking about here.

It’s not unlike how much the word ‘masterclass’ gets slapped on every course, webinar, or other class that someone is trying to sell you these days.

If someone is offering you voice lessons, do your research first to see what their background is.  What are their accomplishments, sure, but, have they, themselves, been classically trained in voice?  If not, that’s not the singer you want to learn from.  There are lots and lots of vocal coaches out there.  Consider the source.  Don’t be fooled by the word ‘masterclass.’

Dictionary.com defines it as, “a small class for advanced students, especially a class in performance skills conducted by a distinguished musician.”

Ya’ gotta love that ‘distinguished musician’ part.

Consider the source.  Does the person offering the class, the seminar, the course, the webinar, the ‘masterclass,’ have a website (about themselves, not about what they’re trying to get you to register for)?  What is their social media presence like?  Meaning, how many platforms are they on?  What’s their following like?  Do they post regularly?  What kind of engagement do their posts get?

Again, do some research to find out what they have done.  It’s not unlike the checking around that you do before you purchase a TV or a computer or plang a trip.  You look at price, you look at what you’re getting, you look at reviews.  And, of course, you’d rather purchase through a reputable retailer like, say, Best Buy, than an eBay seller who has four ratings.

Nowadays a lot of people can manipulate photos and leverage tools like Canva to make a good-looking Facebook ad or social media post.  Looks can be deceiving.  Are you buying/registering because of a well-designed ad or is it because this person is qualified?

Consider the source.

Continue the conversation with me through Twitter via @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook or LinkedIn or even good old-fashioned email.

• • •

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.

Live Entertainment Industry on Life Support

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

It’s Labor Day, when lots of people get the day off from work to, well, have a day off as a reprieve from all that they do every day at their job.  While the 2020 edition will probably look different thanks to the still-prevailing Coronavirus, this typically is a day when people will have a cookout and/or do some kind of family picnic.  Still others, though – and in large numbers, I might add – will say, “Ya’ know what?  It’s a day off from the job.  Let’s not do any work here.  How about if we have someone else do the cooking?  We’ll go out somewhere, get something to eat, listen to some live music, and relax.”

Sounds good, right?  Although one element in there is looking really, really precarious these days.

For months and months now, some part of the conversations I have every week with guests on “Now Hear This Entertainment” end up including the huge impact of the pandemic on live music.  While some have said that they’ve done some livestreams, that’s a knock off of what they really do.  While the pay scale isn’t comparable by any stretch of the imagination, it’s kind of like the NBA currently playing in venues in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, that look like college or high school teams should be competing there, not the pros.

And for recording artists, at home in front of a camera not only isn’t going to do it, but, if some action isn’t taken immediately, the venues that scores of them are used to plying their trade at will be gone.

In a blog I wrote two-and-a-half months ago there was a reference to an NPR report just under two weeks earlier that said 90% of independent clubs, festivals, and other music venues could close – permanently.

How serious is this?  The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is making a push to get Congress to pass a Save Our Stages Act and a RESTART Act to ensure the survival of independent venues, theatres, and even the event promoters across the United States.

Pointing out that they were the first to close and will be the last to re-open, the venues are not an option for the American public on this Labor Day holiday, nor will they be next month at Halloween, the month after for Thanksgiving, or the month after that for Christmas or New Year’s, not to mention all the days in between.  And as a result, performers have fewer and fewer and fewer outlets to go put on a show that isn’t their house or apartment.

Of course, all the while, operating expenses for those venues (i.e., electric bill, mortgage or rent) and routine bills that performers have (i.e., electric bill, mortgage or rent) continue.

Understand that this touches not only the live music industry, but it even reaches into comedy shows as well and the venues where comedians normally go to entertain audiences in-person.

It’s also important to realize how far the tentacles reach on this animal.  Venues need to be able to re-open not only for themselves and the performers that come provide entertainment there, but others are affected such as the sound and lighting industry, not to mention the neighboring bars, restaurants, and coffee shops that count on that foot traffic from people going to these performances.

Spend some time on the NIVA website, where you can even fill out a form, which will be sent to legislators.  Thousands of events have been canceled.  Jobs have been lost.  Businesses are failing.  It’s time to act.

Continue the conversation with me on Twitter via @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook, LinkedIn, or even email to be a part of this important discussion.

• • •

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.

Attitude Adjustment isn’t Just for Politics and Civil Activity

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

From time to time you see guest blogs posted on this site, generally identifiable as such by someone’s byline other than my own, and usually a brief (italicized) intro paragraph letting you know who the writer is.

You might do a double take and look up at the byline to see if this week’s post was written by someone else because it’s not going to sound like me.  Generally, in these blogs and on the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast you read/hear a chipper, positive Bruce Wawrzyniak.  Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the compliments and every thank you I get for the work that I put in for the creative community.  But maybe I’m fed up with nice guys finishing last and/or I’ve shown that I am human and let the weight of the world influence me for this week’s blog.  It’s time I spoke up and practiced a little tough love here.

Over the weekend I had brunch with a client who said – despite being a singer, not trying to directly reference the song from the mid-1960s – “What the world needs now is love.”  And she is completely correct on that.  To me love and selfishness do not go together unless you consider ego to equate to love because it means you’re full of yourself.

Whether you’re in the entertainment business or you’re an author or you work in retail or you’re unemployed, no one is better than anyone.  Anywhere.  Period.

So, when you decide to promote only certain appearances of yours but not others, shame on you.  Don’t your fans, your loyal followers, deserve to hear what you’re doing?  We see a bigger push these days to support small businesses.  By extension, aren’t you also hurting the little guy when you decide not to promote his or her venue or show?  Get off your pedestal.

Similarly, if you share something in a public forum and then someone contacts you to follow-up on that business, product, or service that you mentioned, you have an opportunity to be of further service.  You can show your willingness to help.  You can provide information that the person contacting you can now benefit from.  And again, you’re helping a business that you’re giving a referral to.  So, if you ignore that incoming inquiry, it not only reflects poorly on you, but is shutting out other people in the process.

A third example of behavior that doesn’t reflect well upon your character is this.  Without putting a lot of thought into it, I know of three different people who have told me directly that they were going to sign up to the Patreon for my weekly podcast.  To use a baseball analogy, that batting average is at .000 because none of them did.  People forget, circumstances change, those folks might have it on a To Do list somewhere, and those all, to me, are excuses.  Or, since there are too many signs of cockiness showing up these days, maybe it was all just to try to look good in the moment and there never was any follow-through intended in the first place.

My father used to work for an employer where it was said that one “Awe s—t” equals ten “Atta boy” compliments.  At a time when there are some individuals and organizations who are trying to do right, it’s sad to see that others are carrying on with a “me, me, me” take-no-prisoners attitude.

In the United States numerous attempts are being made for change, and people will look back on the events and the individuals that presumably will result in such.  Do you want people to look back on actions you took – or didn’t take – and remember you for those disappointments?  Not only are we here for just a short time, but it really is a small world and you’re going to be in for a big surprise when those slights come back to haunt you as something comes around to bring you back together with someone you passed over before.  Be careful.  Think twice.  Look in the mirror.  If your personal infrastructure is not something that leads to a desire to collaborate and cooperate, you’re probably in a competitive posture and that’s not going to serve you or many others well.  While so many others are trying to, I suggest you hit the reset button.

Share your struggles with me by tweeting to @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, continue the conversation via Facebook or LinkedIn, or even via email.

• • •

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.

Promoting and Preparedness: Some ‘How To’ Notes

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

It’s time for an empty-out-my-notebook blog entry.

In no particular order…

Whatever it is that you create, don’t promote to fellow creators.  They are not your audience.  Go to the people who do consume whatever you put out, whether that’s music or podcasts or books or something else.  Here’s what I mean.

I’m amazed when I see podcasters trying to promote their show in a podcast industry newsletter.  Or similarly, when I see musicians posting links to their new single, EP, album, or video in a Facebook group of other recording artists.  No!  You should know who your listening audience is (podcasters or musicians) and be seeking out those folks where they hang out.

It would be like an author going to a writers’ conference and trying to sell their books to other attendees.  Right?  It’s not even so much a thing of ‘competition’ as much as it is just the wrong people to try to market to.

Another note I jotted down is my surprise at people who don’t promote shows that they’ve been interviewed on (TV shows, radio shows, podcasts, livestreams).  Don’t you want your family, friends, fans, and followers to know what you’re up to?  They deserve to hear what you had to say, so why not tell them and share a link where they can go watch or listen?  This is how you show people that you’re busy (especially during these pandemic altering times) and thus create more demand for you and your business, product, or service.

Here’s something else.  For a couple weeks or so now I’ve been running a survey about the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.  (One person who fills it out will win a $25.00 Amazon e-gift card in a random drawing to be held on September 14^th, so, if you haven’t already completed the survey, do so now and maybe that lucky winner will be you!)  The point here is that if you have a podcast or a book and want to get feedback – meaning, rather than waiting and hoping for it to come to you in an email or on a social media post – go ask people for their input.  Instead of guessing what your audience wants (or convincing yourself that they do, even though no one has told you so), solicit their opinions and then react accordingly (for, say, changes to your podcast or what your next book should be about).

This one wasn’t on that list in my notebook, but since it’s happening today, there is another “Be prepared” lesson in this morning’s worldwide Zoom outage.  That is, have alternate methods not only for people to get a hold of you, but, for video conferencing.  Everyone jumped on the Zoom bandwagon when the pandemic forced workers everywhere to stay at home.  I’ve still been on Skype, where I’ve been recording NHTE episodes for six-and-a-half years.  There is also Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, among others.  Include your Skype name in your email’s electronic signature.  When a service goes down, don’t be handcuffed.  It’s like when your Internet service goes down right when you’re working on a deadline.  Tether your phone and voila, thanks to your data, you now can proceed with what you were working on.

Lastly, I’m working on an online course that I hope to have available soon.  It will teach you interview tips, since so many people are staying home and trying to promote their business, product, or service by getting on as many shows as they can.  I suggest you use the newsletter signup box on this page so you can see when that course is ready because it’s one thing to land an interview, but it’s another to get ready for it so that you maximize the potential return from it.  After all, if a musician gets booked to perform somewhere, isn’t there still the task of getting ready for and then actually putting on the show?  Two different things.  I will help you be ready for the interview form of “it’s showtime.”

What else is on your mind that I can help you with?  Tweet at me to @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook or LinkedIn, or even email!  Keep in mind that I also offer private, one-on-one video consultations.

• • •

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.

What the %*&@# Has Happened to Song Lyrics?!

By: Bruce Wawrzyniak

They tell stories about Elvis Presley in his heyday being criticized – labeled as scandalous – because of the way he would gyrate his hips on television.  Viewers were appalled at this sort of demonstration.  In those times this was more than frowned upon.

While it’s true he went on to become known as the King of Rock & Roll, keep in mind that he kept all his clothes on, was clean cut, and (without reviewing every lyric of every song in his vast catalogue) probably didn’t have any profanity in his songs.

Before you slap the “old guy” tag on me, understand that scores of listeners and creators (and maybe even psychologists) would tell you how impressionable music can be.  It’s not unlike why there is a ratings system for movies.  Responsible parents don’t want their kids hearing bad language and/or seeing adult-type scenes.

Which brings me to the sad state of song lyrics today.

What the heck has happened and when did it get this out of control?

I remember being a kid and saying someone was a jerk, and my parents coming down on me as though I just damaged that person’s property.  Yet in 2020, kids can potentially hear any of George Carlin’s proverbial seven dirty words by easily accessing music on their phone, which most seem to own and carry these days.  Even YouTube is making a big push to get more users to embrace YouTube Music as the streaming platform of choice from the sea of endless app options that make songs so easily accessible.

A look at the charts this morning reveals some gruesome findings.

On the Top 200 chart on iTunes (a.k.a. Apple Music), 43 of the songs are marked as having explicit lyrics. That almost 22 percent, or, more than one out of five songs.  Keep in mind how many songs might be listened to in an average streaming session and that means you can probably be assured of hearing at least one song with explicit lyrics.  The chart does span many genres, including at least one Christian artist that jumped out at me, not to mention country and even “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins.  Even Taylor Swift is on there – with a song that’s marked as explicit.  You know, the same Taylor Swift who is supposed to be a role model to so many young kids, but who also committed two offenses that I documented on this site three weeks ago.

It gets worse.

This morning I also looked on Spotify at the US Top 50 chart, which is labeled as, “Your daily update of the most played tracks in United States right now” (sic) and has close to 3.3 million followers.  They would be jealous of Apple Music’s figure of “only” almost 22 percent.  How about that 35 out of the 50 songs have explicit lyrics?  Are you kidding me?  Seventy percent?!

From the category of, “Watch your mouth, young man,” what point are you trying to make that has to be done through profanity?  Perhaps I should start taking a poll with the songwriter guests on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast and ask, “Where does profanity come into play in your songwriting process.”

Last week UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten said that during his career he noticed that when opponents would start using profanity, they were nervous.  He took it as a sign of weakness and was able to exploit it.  Perhaps there are recording artists nowadays who struggle with confidence in their lyrics and try to hide behind profanity to try to be that same tough guy that went up against Bas in the octagon.  To them I simply say that Bas ended his career on a 22-fight unbeaten streak.  So, the cursing wasn’t fooling anyone.  The best rose to the top.

Clean up your act.

Want to disagree with me?  Tweet your reaction to me on Twitter to @NHT_tweets.  Alternatively, use Facebook or LinkedIn, or even email to continue the conversation.

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.