Monroe Mann on Ludo and Rock Band Success

BLOGGER: Monroe Mann
(Host of Before the Big Break; Founder of Unstoppable Artists, LLC; lead singer--Running For Famous)

So, a big thanks to Ludo for sitting down for an interview with us. Thanks Andrew and Tim! We love you... DEAD!

Now, we did try to get a blog from the boys from Ludo, but unfortunately, their tour manager said they were too busy on tour right now to get us one. We hope they'll find the time to contribute a blog post once they get off their latest tour.

In the meantime, here are some of my own tips on rock band success for those who may have musical aspirations.

* Non-negotiable: You have to produce your own first album/demo. Unless you somehow blow the socks off some major producer at a live performance, you need to produce your own album. Once you have that, it's then just a matter of promotion, promotion, promotion. And don't believe it when they say you need thousands of dollars to produce your first demo/CD. If you have good enough negotiating skills, and you project confidence, you can get your album produced and mixed... for free! I did, at the famous Quad Studios in New York City, and heck, one of the songs is the theme song that you hear at the beginning and during the end credits of Before the Big Break called, "Hollywood Girls". You CAN get that first CD made. More importantly, you MUST. Do whatever you need to do. Just get it made. Even if it means starting your very own indie record label.

* If you already have a CD, you can easily get your songs on iTunes, Rhapsody, etc. Just go to CDBaby.com, and register, and then select 'digital distribution'. It costs about $100 or so, and voila, soon you'll be on iTunes, etc. For example, go ahead and search for "Running For Famous" on iTunes. That's my band, and our songs are on there as a result of exactly what I just outlined. Easy as that. :)

* MARKETING BABY! You need people to hear your music and learn about your band! Do this in ANY WAY POSSIBLE. For instance, this talk-show is a marketing vehicle for my music in a roundabout way: that song playing in the opening and during the closing credits is my own band's song, "Hollywood Girls". Now it's not just there because it's my song--that would be crass and unproductive; instead, it's there because it actually FITS the subject matter and flavor of Before the Big Break. But as a bonus, everyone who watches each interview is getting a taste of my funny song about all the girls I want to date from Hollywood, haha. Along the same lines, you too need to do whatever you can think of to get people to hear your music. Like Tim Ferrell of Ludo says in our interview, "It doesn't matter if they love you or hate you as long as they have an OPINION". So love my music dead (or hate my band alive), but please don't be indifferent!

* Marketing, part two: Make SURE you have a website. Check out: www.RunningForFamous.com. When you go there, it takes you to my band's MySpace page. How simple: a professional URL, and you can listen to our songs at the MySpace site. Perfect and inexpensive for marketing purposes. Most importantly: it allows people to form an opinion of your music, and that is KEY.

* Get a good lawyer. I'm a 3rd year JD/MBA student at Pace Law School and I am actually in entertainment law class right now. We've been pounding away at record label agreements for the last 6 weeks and it blows my mind how complicated music industry contracts are (as compared with film, television, and publishing). Not only do you need a good music lawyer to help you negotiate your deal with the labels, etc., but you may also find that a good music lawyer is in a great position to SHOP your demo CD to record labels on your behalf. Start spreading the news: you're looking for a music lawyer! Tell everyone you know; you may just find the one person who can help you move to the next level.

* Finally, PLAY OUT! The more you can play to a live audience, the more fans you will earn, the better you will become, and the more label and media interest you will ultimately receive. Remember that. And remember that it may take YEARS before the 'deafening silence' that Andrew Volpe of Ludo talks about starts turning into a 'rustle'. WORK FOR IT!

ROMP ON! And meet you at the top!
-Monroe

NOTE: Watch a new episode of Before the Big Break on the 1st and 15th of every month at www.BeforeTheBigBreak.com