Getting Real About Getting Plays
Everyone talks about going viral. That seems to be the new buzz word now-a-days. “Going viral” means to get a large number of hits, views, or plays on user generated media (e.g. Jill and Kevin’s wedding dance). For some reason everyone thinks if they post their song or video on YouTube, Facebook, Myspace or Twitter they will automatically go viral and get millions of hits. More often than not this isn’t the case.
When people happen to go viral it’s usually unintentional. Not to say that your next Youtube video won’t go viral, it’s just unlikely. But don’t mistaken me, continue to post your media where ever you’re allowed to, I’m only saying that you shouldn’t hold your breath.
So else how do I get plays?
Good question. My answer: pay for em’. The easier it gets for people to create music (or any other type of media) and put it online, the more people you’ll have creating music and putting it online. Which means your chance of getting heard will be drastically reduced. And it will only get worse as time goes by… exponentially worse.
Put your money where your mouth is…
So you think you’re hot shit? How much will you bet? I don’t know about y’all but I play to win. A couple of months ago I experimented with the site Jango.com. It’s pretty simillar to Pandora in that it lets people create a playlist based on the songs they like, which is great. What makes this site wonderful is that it allows independent artist to post their music up and pay for guaranteed plays (like radio stations claim they don’t do). For as little as $10 you can get 250 plays (which isn’t much but it’s a start).
Testing the waters
I tested the site paying $20 for the song Shoot Dice to be played 500 times. By the end of the 500 plays I gained 13 new fans. That’s a 2.6% conversion rate, which is average when considering all industries. So what does that mean for me?
- My song got played 500 time (some patial plays as well)
- I got a sense of what the conversion rate is for Shoot Dice
- I got 13 new fans! For every fan you get Jango allows you to email them, which is a huge plus. (There is now a new feature that allows the fan to give you their e-mail address directly, which is a bigger plus)
Getting real
500 plays is cool to test the waters but now that I see some people will actaully sign up to become a fans I’m going to invest more. I know that a 2% conversion rate isn’t glamorous, but it’s real. Stop focusing on going viral and start getting real.
I’ve been rhyming since I was 11
and will continue to rhyme until I die. My music is music for the mind, music for the heart, and music for the soul. It’s music for me. It’s therapy, it’s self realization, it’s being able to step outside ... 
January 29th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
You are an intelligent brother. Thanks for the this knowledge…
January 30th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I’m trying Jango for the first time this week. In a week I’ve gained 93 new fans at a 4.5% conversion rate, so I guess I’m doing OK.
January 30th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
I’ve used Jango for 3 weeks. This past week, based on 247 plays, I got 19 fans, and 2 shared their real email with me. Using the Jango email is useless; less than 1 in 10 opens their message. They are not using Jango for social networking. I seriously doubt that “fans” are rushing out and buying my CD. However, the people that share their real email may eventually purchase. So far, I have 6 of those in total.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
I could be writing these songs, recording them, and having nobody listen to them except the people I know personally.
I just released one that that will make some people sad, some people mad, and some people do something about the way they feel. I remember one of the songs that affected me the most in my life was a top-40s release back in the mid-70s that threw a life-shattering experience back in my face every time I heard it. To the other people involved in the situation, it meant something completely different. It depended on who you were, what you did, and how it made you feel. When two people riding in the same car hear the same song and one of them gets angry while the other one cries, that’s a powerful thing.
I don’t care if you buy my recordings. I do care if you like my songs. The rest will take care of itself.
I paid for 1200 plays, got 1225 total so far, and have over 100 positive responses from all over the world and all but a few of the United States. Knowing that all these people cared enough to click “like” or “become a fan” is plenty of justification for me to keep at it.
One song (of three I’ve released so far) has been played on broadcast radio one time. Once. Think about that. How many people out there will never have a song they wrote played on the radio?
I may never make my living from music, but music has always been a part of my life. I do it because it makes ME happy, and that’s a lot more than I can say about the job that pays my bills.
January 30th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
You are right. It’s a nice way of getting out of the job routine. Writing songs makes life more interesting.
February 1st, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Nice article on Jango. The point someone else made is important though…Jango fans aren’t completely “real” at this point. Messaging them has a very low conversion rate because most listeners never check their inbox. I know this personally when I sent out a few hundred messages (which is quite annoying to do on an individual basis) to download one of our songs for free. The click-thru rate was very low, and it was one of the songs we have posted on Jango (only have 2 right now). So either people aren’t really “fans” or they aren’t reading the messages.
That being said – I still like Jango and think it’s a great way to gain exposure.
February 1st, 2010 at 1:31 pm
PS- I have the same watch you are wearing in the banner. haha
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:56 pm
@Rex thanks for reading
@melodymitch you’re doing pretty darn good! keep it up
@Mariah Ver Hoef you’re probably write about the fans not opening or responding to the messages… i’ve gotten one reply with all the emails I sent… there are still some nuances that i need to work out with the way i use the site
@Randy… wow… i’m kinda the same way… i do music because i love it… a lot of my music is personal and when i share it w/ people i know i really enjoy the reaction i get… that why i continue
@LeiRey … Agreed!
@Chris i’m still experimenting w/ jango… i need to find the most optimal solution for me… when i find it, i’ll write about it
(ps i got that watch as a gift, i have no taste lol)
February 28th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
I think I’m done with “Jango.” I’ve used it for weeks and have accumulated 400 fans (at a cost of course). The problem is, after posting bulletins, sending emails (including personal ones to those who give addresses), only three of the 400 have joined my Facebook Fan Page where I can interact with them. I don’t know how many my be buying downloads, as the sales stats won’t be in for months. Bottom line, I think the money is better spent with organizations such as “CD Register” or “Music Submit” who get the material to radio stations. Just the other day, three songs were featured during prime time on a radio station in Vancouver during the Olympics. And….this didn’t cost me, rather gave me great exposure…
October 20th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
I agree with you 100%. I read so many posts from people who sign up with CDBaby and then get mad when no one buy their CDs, and they blame CDBaby for it. And then there are the people who are totally against pay for play. To me, this is no different than paying for advertising. Try going to a commercial radio station and see if they’ll play your music. Good luck with that. And without radio play, how are you going to get your music played? Posting songs on your own website or YouTube doesn’t help if people don’t know who you are.
Jango isn’t some vanity press where they press your CD so you can pretend you’re on a label. They are upfront about what paying them means–guaranteed plays–which means guaranteed exposure. After that, it’s up to my music to convince people it’s worth buying. Just like iTunes completely changed the landscape by allowing independent artists to sell their music alongside established stars, Jango is allowing independent artists to be played (and as a result–listened to) alongside establish music stars.
You also hear the argument that the radio station should be paying the artist and the artists should not pay them. The thing is, if you are an unknown artist, why would a radio station play you? You can’t attract listeners by playing unknown, unproven artists. No listeners == no advertisers == no MONEY.
I’m just starting experimenting with Jango, too–trying to see what combination of things works the best. I don’t care about the popscore. What I’m looking at is my iTunes report a couple of months from now to see if sales spike. Because that’s the ultimate test–if someone who listens to your song likes it enough to want to buy it.