Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! The late summer doldrums are winding down, people have returned from vacation and are preparing to blast into the fall and winter shopping seasons. I always see my sales pick up in the fall. It can be the same for you and your music ... if you take a few simple steps now.

Those simple steps include:
- Getting clear about who you are as a musical artist
- Knowing how your music affects people physically, emotionally and spiritually
- Defining your music and the benefit you deliver in a clear and concise manner ... on all of your web pages, post cards, fliers, press releases, cover letters and more
- Getting over the mindless notion that you need a record label, hotshot manager or other "industry" entity to be successful
- Knowing who your fans are and where they can be reached
- Going directly to the people most likely to embrace your music and hitting them with a well-defined message that screams "this music is meant for you!"

To help you on your worthy quest, here are some useful resources. Some you may have heard me mention before; others may be new. But all of them hold the potential to boost your career ... if you take them to heart and act on them.

Here we go ...

Texas Music Office
It's hard to believe a government office put this together, but when a state has a music history as rich as Texas, it makes sense. Not only does this site give you an extensive directory of Texas radio stations, record stores, venues, studios and more ... it also has many helpful guides, such as "Getting Started in the Music Business" and "Musician's and Retailer's Guide to the Internet," as well as tips on copyrights, trademarks, licensing, you name it. Check this out.

Publications from St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers & Accountants for the Arts - http://www.vlaa.org/publications.asp. I may be biased because this is in my hometown, but the St. Louis chapter of the VLAA appears to be one of the best in the country. On this page you'll find dozens of handy guides on intellectual property, publishing law, collaboration and more. Many of these tips are for visual artists, but you should find many useful applications for music, too. Plus you can find the VLAA chapter nearest you.

For Buzz subscribers only:
- Four Ways to Attract More Music Fans Faster (PDF handout)
- Two free chapters from my "Branding Yourself Online" book
- Smashing the Press Release Myth by PR expert Bill Stoller
- How Radio Promotion Really Works by Bryan Farrish

All of the above and more are available on the Buzz Factor Premium Content site at: http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/zine/pc.html

Artist Couch Exchange
An interesting concept for a web site. Here's a description: "A place where touring indie artists can find a couch to crash on when passing through an area. They in turn offer a couch to other artists coming through their hometown. You don't need to be an artist to offer a couch, and you don't need to offer a couch to join, but you do need to be invited into the community."

Read a free sample section of the highly acclaimed "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/gmmhintro.html

Read six free excerpts from the book "Unleash the Artist Within" at http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/unleash/

That should keep you busy for a while. Now get out there and promote yourself!

-Bob

"Reprinted from Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor, featuring free marketing and self-promotion ideas for songwriters, musicians and bands on a budget. Visit www.TheBuzzFactor.com for details."