In today’s society we know that the moral fiber of our communities is in peril. Why then, do we not protect our children? We have a responsibility to safeguard our most vulnerable; instead, we prematurely catapult them into a world they are not mature enough to handle and destroy their innocence.

Frequently, I am asked by parents and friends of aspiring “stars” to offer my opinion about getting their child into show business. Recently my publicist, Marsha Friedman, President of Event Management sent me the following question:

“…After the performance I spoke with her mom (who was in tears the whole time) about their incredible daughter and her future. Their daughter’s dream is to be on stage singing professionally…I said I would forward some information to you – to get your thoughts.”

Being signed by a major label is not the prize card it used to be for many struggling musicians and indie artists. It’s no longer the Yellow Brick Road that leads to the Land of Oz where your dreams come true so to speak. Conventional radio airplay, standard brick and mortar distribution and being signed by a major record label are no longer the only means of getting your music noticed.

Because of the massive appeal of digital distribution and the easy and fast access to the Internet available now to most people, unknown musical talent now has a real chance at real success. Additionally the indie musician is not stuck with the costs of making an entire CD. They can make a single and post it on the Internet, gaining huge success from one song.

With marketing sensibility, a little business acumen and some know how, any musician with talent can now achieve success, great success in fact on their own. Recently, while a guest on the Sirius Satellite Radio Show The Good Life, I spoke with the host who told me that his two teenage boys get most of their music off the Internet and never listen to regular radio anymore. Why? Because they can obtain music from acts they wouldn’t be allowed to listen to on traditional radio. They’re tired of the same old bands and singers being played over and over again. “Most don’t have any talent, they’re just showpieces.” This isn’t the first or the last time I’ve heard that statement from teenagers and adults alike.

The winter months have hit us and unless you live in Southern California, most people aren’t swimming in open-air pools any longer.

Until recent times, Indie Artists and the labels they set up for themselves had a hard time getting their music heard by anyone outside their own backyard pool of fans. With guerilla marketing finally becoming common practice and online music stores becoming a main stay for the music aficionado, record pools are now open for business to the general indie population.

What is a record pool? Basically, a record pool is a membership of DJ’s that act as an intermediary between DJ’s and the music makers. The power behind a record pool is that it can reach a mass, global market in lightening speed.

Promoting your CD to radio takes a lot of organization and time management skills. Let me help organize your process. First you need to find radio stations that are willing to accept submissions from independent artists (Contact names, addresses, phone and email for radio stations across the globe are listed in “The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money” and The Indie Contact Guide – it’s companion book.).

You have to decide whether you are going to local and regional stations (which are a good recommendation if you don’t have a lot of money to work with and you aren’t worried about charting.), or if you are going after national stations, which is only a good idea if you are already established locally and are seeking national exposure and a chance to chart.

As with all submissions, always get permission ahead of time before you submit your music. There are two easy ways to find radio station information. The first is to log onto the internet and search the radio station databases available. This method is free, but will take some time. The best resources I have found are “MIT Radio Stations on the Web” (http://wmbr.mit.edu/stations/list.html) and “BRS Radio Stations” (http://www.radio-directory.com.)

Most sites list the stations by genre (style of music), state, etc. You should bookmark these sites in your Internet browser. You will find yourself going back to these sites often. The major advantage the internet offers is the ability to download information into a spreadsheet or word processing document to make labels and save data for your follow-up files. However, if you decide looking for information on the internet takes too much time, an alternative is to purchase books that already have all the information for radio stations listed in them.

Thanks to the electronic revolution, the music industry is changing. No longer do musicians and singers only need to rely on radio stations and big record companies to start building a fan base or having a successful music career. Forget about American Idol and Nashville Star, an artist can make a name for himself / herself first! Then you’ll have the chips stacked in your favor when you are offered a recording contract and you’ll be in a position to make a great deal.

American Idol and Nashville Star winners and runners-up are held to strict contracts and tightly controlled careers. We hear about very few of the winners with the exception of Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. There’s been no better time to be an indie musician – making the music and money you want and deserve.

So how can an artist move product when it seems that even the famous artists can’t sell a blockbuster? How do you make a splash turn into a tidal wave when you’re in such a big swimming pool?

What is Guerilla Marketing and how can you, as an indie or DIY artists use it? Guerilla Marketing is the use of avant-garde marketing techniques intended to get greatest results from minimal resources, which let’s face it; most indie musicians have minimal resources. Today, guerrilla marketing is a non-traditional, low-cost, and highly effective marketing endeavor, which when used properly can reap many rewards for the diligent user.

To further your music career, it is imperative that you market in ways that are new and unique in order to catch someone’s eye and get ahead of your competition. The first step into the guerilla marketing zone is to think outside the box. What does that mean? Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Here area few ideas to get you started:

A very important person on your successful team is your manager. Finding a good, responsible and reputable manager is not an easy task. If you don’t already have a manager, you may not need one. Experience proves, however, that you can only go so far without one. But how do you obtain a manager if you don’t already have one?

That’s a tricky one. While I have a huge list in my book, The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money, you also need to get references. Once you obtain a list of managers you want to talk to, that are also interested in having a meeting with you, and here is a partial list of questions you should ask a manager to find out if they will be a good fit for your musical career.

Just by the title of this article, I feel like Andy Rooney from 60 minutes. I grew up watching him with my Grandma, although he looks just the same as he did when I was 3. So last night, when I turned the on the TV and he was there, I thought I would watch him to bring my Grandmother closer to me. Low and behold, he began talking about the packaging and marketing of items, and how companies, even software companies, have more hype then product. And judging by Fan Fair, I would have to agree with him.

This was my first Fan Fair, so maybe I should give it a few years, but I also got the pulse of the situation from other Fan Fair attendee’s, the tried and true dedicated fans of Fan Fair. So let me start at the beginning. Being a novice Fan Fair attendee, I did all of the wrong things. I didn’t make reservations, and I didn’t purchase tickets ahead of time. When I arrived at the airport, there was a woman waiting for me with a sign that had my name on it. (One of the perks of being part of Fan Fair I guess, but trust me, one of the very few! And I am smiling at that!) I arrived at my dear friend’s house and started to unpack. The next day would be a busy one with the baseball game and some interviews.

Finding a brick and mortar distributor can be a daunting task, but it can be done. The question is, do we need the antiquated system to sell our goods? It can take months and months before you find and secure a distributor, which is not an easy process for independent labels or individuals. However, with the advent and every growing popular of online distributors, not to mention selling your own music one download at a time off your website, do you really need brick and mortar stores anymore?

I don’t believe that brick and mortar will be going away any time soon, but with our fast paced society that is extremely mobile and always on the go, people prefer convenience and ease to that of trying to find a parking space, wasting money on gas only to end up at a store that doesn’t carry what you want.

While getting into a brick and mortar star can be next to impossible unless you are a local artists or you already have a huge fan base, the same does not hold true for online distributors such as iTunes, Rhapsody and others. It’s as easy as filling out an application and uploading your music, one song at a time. There is an additional benefit of online distribution and that is you don’t have to have the expense of making an entire CD, you can make a single and still make money and have a hit. It’s not easy and you will need to market and play live in order for you to achieve any sales strength, but it can be done. Don’t just upload your music and expect the money to start rolling in.

I get asked a lot about press kits. People want to know how to present them, what’s in them, etc. I have been asked over and over again to write articles on the subject, so here you are: a brief crash course on press kits.

Your press kit is your calling card. It will introduce you and your band to the people you need to help move your career forward before they meet you or hear your music. Make it interesting, exciting and entertaining. Make it attractive (and interactive if it’s a digital press kit). Capture their attention and make them want to see, read and listen to what you’ve sent.

Your press kit should include reviews you have received for shows, information on current venues, and any reviews from your new CD when they are available. Include a head or group shot (black and white is the least expensive, but color really catches the eye and many people require it), a bio (if you don’t have a bio, create one, or get someone to create one for you), a cover letter, a CD, and a business card.