Above the Noise

I recently had a great conversation with David Dufresne, CEO of Bandzoogle, an amazing company that probably a lot of you all ready use to build your websites. Bandzoogle is based in Quebec and have made a major impact on the independent music scene giving tools to musicians to help build their career.

In our conversation we discussed ways you can ensure visitors to your website are converting into fans and spending their time and money where you want them to, website dos and don’ts, apps and responsive websites as well as knowing your audience and who consumes your content. With David’s background as a venture capitalist he shares his unique perspective on this new music industry.

This episode was edited by Andy Warren of http://www.applesandchocolate.com

Take a listen!

Aaron Bethune.

http://www.aaronbethune.com

Music Specialist. Creative Collaborator. Author. Musicpreneur.

It has been quite some time since I last posted an interview. Although the posts have slowed down I have continued interviewing people on a regular basis. Of course this means I have numerous interviews backlogged. In fact so much so that some of the people I have interviewed have moved onto new roles at new companies since the time of the interview.

Greg Van Bastelar is somebody I met at Rifflandia in Victoria while participating at a music industry panel. At the time Greg was marketing Director of Deezer Music Canada. After speaking with Greg I was immediately interested in interviewing him for the podcast. He has a lot of experience in the music industry ranging from working for FACTOR (The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recording) and seeing artists get funded for records to becoming the marketing director for the European streaming service Deezer Music.

"Greg Van Bastelaar’s career began in 2001 by studying Recorded Music Production at The Trebas Institute Of Toronto. It was there that he met world-renowned Songwriter/Producer Justin Gray. A relationship was struck and his time at Big Boom Entertainment resulted in a phenomenal experience working directly in the creation of music. 2006 brought an exciting opportunity with Warner Music Canada, working directly under the General Manager of Warner Chappell Music Canada. During this time, Greg's knowledge of the industry grew considerably and a wealth of industry contacts were added to his network. Greg eventually jumped at the chance to work for The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recordings (FACTOR). This environment plugged him into the main-line of the Canadian music industry, allowing him to further develop key relationships as well as to directly help the industry thrive as a whole."

Greg is a big sports fan as well as music fan. I have always been intrigued with the overlap in fan behaviour and their impact on performance in the music and sports world. Speaking with Greg gave me a chance to cover this topic and get his opinion on the subject.

Enjoy!

Aaron Bethune.

Music Specialist. Creative Collaborator. Author. Musicpreneur.

http://www.abovethenoise.ca

http://www.playitloudmusic.com

http://www.musicpreneur.ca

http://www.aaronbethune.com

It has been quite some time since I last posted an interview. Although the posts have slowed down I have continued interviewing people on a regular basis. Of course this means I have numerous interviews backlogged. In fact so much so that some of the people I have interviewed have moved onto new roles at new companies since the time of the interview.

Greg Van Bastelar is somebody I met at Rifflandia in Victoria while participating at a music industry panel. At the time Greg was marketing Director of Deezer Music Canada. After speaking with Greg I was immediately interested in interviewing him for the podcast. He has a lot of experience in the music industry ranging from working for FACTOR (The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recording) and seeing artists get funded for records to becoming the marketing director for the European streaming service Deezer Music.

"Greg Van Bastelaar’s career began in 2001 by studying Recorded Music Production at The Trebas Institute Of Toronto. It was there that he met world-renowned Songwriter/Producer Justin Gray. A relationship was struck and his time at Big Boom Entertainment resulted in a phenomenal experience working directly in the creation of music. 2006 brought an exciting opportunity with Warner Music Canada, working directly under the General Manager of Warner Chappell Music Canada. During this time, Greg's knowledge of the industry grew considerably and a wealth of industry contacts were added to his network. Greg eventually jumped at the chance to work for The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recordings (FACTOR). This environment plugged him into the main-line of the Canadian music industry, allowing him to further develop key relationships as well as to directly help the industry thrive as a whole."

Greg is a big sports fan as well as music fan. I have always been intrigued with the overlap in fan behaviour and their impact on performance in the music and sports world. Speaking with Greg gave me a chance to cover this topic and get his opinion on the subject.

Enjoy!

Aaron Bethune.

Music Specialist. Creative Collaborator. Author. Musicpreneur.

http://www.abovethenoise.ca

http://www.playitloudmusic.com

http://www.musicpreneur.ca

http://www.aaronbethune.com

I really enjoyed being interviewed by James Lynch on the Big Value Big Business Podcast. Here is what he had to say:

"Aaron Bethune comes to us from Musicpreneur.ca – Where you’ll find his epic marketing book by the same name: Musicpreneur: The Creative Approach to Making Money in Music.

While being a musicpreneur as well as an author Aaron is also a speaker, a music

educator, and an in-high-demand creative consultant.

Aaron’s expertise in branding and marketing goes well beyond the music industry which has allowed him the opportunity to work with many major companies outside of music. You can find his agency at PlayItLoudMusic.com where he offers booking, management and consulting services for musicians, artists and more.

Have a listen to my chat with Aaron Bethune"

For the original interview please visit: http://bigvaluebigbusiness.com/podcast/aaron-bethune-interview-big-value-big-business-podcast-with-james-lynch/

I really enjoyed being interviewed by James Lynch on the Big Value Big Business Podcast. Here is what he had to say:

"Aaron Bethune comes to us from Musicpreneur.ca – Where you’ll find his epic marketing book by the same name: Musicpreneur: The Creative Approach to Making Money in Music.

While being a musicpreneur as well as an author Aaron is also a speaker, a music

educator, and an in-high-demand creative consultant.

Aaron’s expertise in branding and marketing goes well beyond the music industry which has allowed him the opportunity to work with many major companies outside of music. You can find his agency at PlayItLoudMusic.com where he offers booking, management and consulting services for musicians, artists and more.

Have a listen to my chat with Aaron Bethune"

For the original interview please visit: http://bigvaluebigbusiness.com/podcast/aaron-bethune-interview-big-value-big-business-podcast-with-james-lynch/

I enjoyed being a part of Australian musician and marketer Dimitra's "Music As Your Business Summit." This is my portion of the summit, to hear all the experts you can visit: http://musicasyourbusinesssummit.com

I enjoyed being a part of Australian musician and marketer Dimitra's "Music As Your Business Summit." This is my portion of the summit, to hear all the experts you can visit: http://musicasyourbusinesssummit.com

A while back I interviewed radio host, author and music marketer David Hooper about his book Six Figure Musician. We did the interview in Nashville about a week prior to the launch. At the time he told me about his plans for the book and how he intended to market it. I thought it would be interesting to follow up with him and find out how his marketing strategies were working and what he had learned about his audience. The book is available for free as well as a number of paid versions too. Would people value them differently? Was there any unexpected insight as to what people would go for? I have noticed that free can often result in less interest due to a lower perceived value of the content, whether it is a free music industry panel, workshop, webinar, concert or album download... What can David tell us about the world of book marketing within the music industry?

In our conversation we talk about marketing, getting a #1 on the billboard charts and a best selling book on Amazon. We discuss the global business market and the ability to choose the best partners on a global scale. Although I am not one for talking about hype, on this occasion I ask David his opinion of the media around Miley Syrus from a marketing perspective.

As always the conversation takes many twists and at every turn David has some hugely valuable insight to share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Aaron Bethune. Music Specialist. Creative Collaborator.

http://www.playitloudmusic.com http://www.abovethenoise.ca http://www.twitter.com/playitloudmusic

For more on David Hooper and his book Six Figure Musician please visit:

http://www.musicmarketing.com

http://www.musicianbook.com

A while back I interviewed radio host, author and music marketer David Hooper about his book Six Figure Musician. We did the interview in Nashville about a week prior to the launch. At the time he told me about his plans for the book and how he intended to market it. I thought it would be interesting to follow up with him and find out how his marketing strategies were working and what he had learned about his audience. The book is available for free as well as a number of paid versions too. Would people value them differently? Was there any unexpected insight as to what people would go for? I have noticed that free can often result in less interest due to a lower perceived value of the content, whether it is a free music industry panel, workshop, webinar, concert or album download... What can David tell us about the world of book marketing within the music industry?

In our conversation we talk about marketing, getting a #1 on the billboard charts and a best selling book on Amazon. We discuss the global business market and the ability to choose the best partners on a global scale. Although I am not one for talking about hype, on this occasion I ask David his opinion of the media around Miley Syrus from a marketing perspective.

As always the conversation takes many twists and at every turn David has some hugely valuable insight to share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Aaron Bethune. Music Specialist. Creative Collaborator.

http://www.playitloudmusic.com http://www.abovethenoise.ca http://www.twitter.com/playitloudmusic

For more on David Hooper and his book Six Figure Musician please visit:

http://www.musicmarketing.com

http://www.musicianbook.com

Today's interview is with Gregg Stewart, a marketing expert with over 13 years of first hand experience in the entertainment industry.

As the Associate Director, Music Marketing Strategy & MuchFACT he's the main point of contact for music industry partners at Bell Media Inc. when it comes to music & entertainment.

Gregg leads the music team in weekly committee meetings, promo opportunities, communications, production, programming, appearances on all media platforms across their brands. Brands include MuchMusic, MuchMore, MTV, MTV2, MuchLoud, MuchVibe, MuchRetro, Juicebox, The Loop, E!, at broadcast and for all of their digital offerings.

Gregg also leads the MuchFACT team which is a funding board that supports Canadian music through content creation for all media platforms.

He was instrumental in the launch of MTV in Canada in 2006 and also grew the audiences of the major shows by 40% from year one! He has been involved with MTV events nationally from Wakefest in Kelowna to World Ski and Snowboard Festival in Whistler.

This interview covers topics including:

How to get into the music industry

Building your value

Instant gratification and YouTube

New music discovery

Making the most of music placements

Building relationships and following through.

SXSW and beyond

Factors that count beyond the music

Timing

How MuchMusic and MTV formulate their own countdown chart and what factors in

MuchFact and creative pitching

Gregg is a very knowledgable guy and offers some great insight. Get out your pens and paper and take notes!

Aaron Bethune. Music Specialist. Creative Collaborator.

http://www.playitloudmusic.com http://www.abovethenoise.ca http://www.twitter.com/playitloudmusic

To visit Gregg's blog Good Music Is Good Music:http://goodmusicisgoodmusicblog.blogspot.ca