datamusicata

It’s 6:30 in the morning. I’m still on Memphis time. I spent the Tuesday thru Sunday morning at 6 am in Memphis doing the National Folk Alliance Conference (which is changing it’s name to Folk Alliance International (FAI) in the near future. I know this because I’ve been elected to the board of directors. That means that in addition to the various showcases (I played fourteen in four days), and the schmooze fests, I had board meetings for several hours every day. I know…sleep when you’re dead. But this is my problem. Let us talk about yours.

You’ve been to the conference (or a conference somewhere); you’ve connected with several DJ’s, managers, labels, venues, and people you just like. Now what?

I’ve stated before that I don’t normally give folks CD’s at these events. These people are going to be traveling back with some much unsolicited stuff as it is. I like to not burden them with another CD that there are going to listen to as fast as they can, as they want to get thru the stack. If they can manage to fit in the time to listen to them at all. This is not to denigrate these folks. They just have a lot to listen to already, so if they go home with a stack of CD’s that they didn’t actually ask for, they are probably not going to give them the best shot. Of the folks that I make contact with, some of them seem to have a genuine interest or there is a solid connection, or they’ve actually asked for the CD. Here’s what I do.

On the plane home, I go thru the conference book and circle all the folks that I made contact with; all the ones I wanted to make contact with and all the folks that I know and/or saw at the conference. I have a pretty good memory, so I send them a personal post just to reconnect and either thank them for the time or talk about what a good time we had or how much I enjoyed seeing them or how sorry I was to have missed them. I simply say whatever is true. And I put all their email addys in a folder with a label that makes sense to me, such as FAI 08 First Mailing. That way I can easily follow up and that is key.

Then after I have contacted all the folks that I wanted to, I put together the packages that I will be sending out. (the packages usually contain the CD, a photo and a brief pr insert, say one or two pages and I include a personal note) . That is the second round of contact.

Then I send them out and I wait a week or so and then I send out a follow up post to ascertain that they have received the package and have listened to it. More than likely they’ve gotten the CD but haven’t listened to it. This gives them a little noodge to listen because obviously I am going to contact them again. That was contact number three.

Then I contact them again and, if I’m looking for work, I don’t ask how far out they book, I ask when we can work together or else I tell them that my booking schedule will be bringing me into their area at such and such a time. Contact number four. It is essential that you follow up with more contact as it’s easy for your one contact to fall thru the cracks. Contacting someone four times in a three or four week period gives them a picture of a professional, who follows through. Just don’t be a pain in the ass.

If it’s a DJ, I ask what cuts stood out for him or what cuts he has been playing and whether he is a reporting station and whether there have been any phone calls or emails regarding the cut. And I offer to do something for the station, even going so far as to offer some CD’s for their fund drive if they are NPR or giveaways for their contests if they do that. Something that helps them and helps you.

I’ll give you my rundown on the FAI 08 tomorrow. But I can tell you I had a great time, met some really great people and actually got some work out of it. I love it when that happens.