‘Hattori Hanzo’ by Bill Breeze

We continue our conversation with Bill Breeze about the marketing strategy he is implementing to promote the upcoming release of Ill in the Ville Vol. 1.

The important thing to keep in mind is the value of the direct-to-fan connection Social Media provides for bands and everyone else adopting a DIY approach to self-promotion.

Being able to release new music when we want and how we want with the added influence of instant feedback from listeners is changing the landscape of the music industry daily.

If you make music and you want to be heard, you now have the power.

Forget a label or a million dollar budget…get off your ass and apply yourself.

But don’t forget, producing the highest quality music possible is still the #1 key to a fruitful music career.

Interview

JS: Following up your release of ‘Encore’ , what was the response?

Bill Breeze: I’ve been getting great feedback. I’m exceeding my original business model which was the 100/10/4 concept. Basically, if I got 100 plays, I expected 10 “likes” and 4 downloads.

The biggest problem was that my actual numbers haven’t shown up yet. I can view them in my analytics, but they aren’t open for the public. I think the biggest advantage to “Shake It Off” was the notoriety provided by how many “Likes” the song received. As you know, it’s all about the visible numbers…

JS: Numbers definitely influence but I think its important for everyone to note that big numbers are not always better. And having 10,000 Twitter followers really means nothing unless you can influence those people to consume music. Moving on, what led you to release ‘Hattori Hanzo’ so quickly after dropping ‘Encore’?

Bill Breeze: I dropped “Hattori Hanzo” because I was considering performing it at my show on the 22nd at Jazz and Jokes. The show has a prize of $1500 for the best act and I’m the only hip hop act.

I also released the song because I didn’t generate the amount of plays I wanted for “Encore”. I only generated 40 plays for the song. I got 10 likes and zero downloads. I think the reason for the low numbers was that one song wasn’t enough incentive for people to come back.

I received less than 50 “likes” from my network for “Shake It Off”. The rest of them came from outside parties that I have no connection to. However, those parties found it due to the 50 people in my network.

If I can continue to generate 50 likes from my network for each song, I’ll be set to succeed in a major way.

JS: How does Social Media and the direct connection to listeners affecting your marketing and the way you are promoting the release of Ill in the Ville Vol 1?

Bill Breeze: I watch demographics on all of my social networks. Facebook allows you to see the most information because it’s literally an open book about your fans.

Other social media such as Reverbnation, Myspace, and Twitter share smaller amounts of information. However, all three give you a general idea of a/s/l of your fanbase.

I know my fans are typically 25-32, and males like my lyrical tracks while females like my smoother tracks. Based on that information, I can better decide who to market future material to.

Ultimately, I control my success in real time by monitoring fans/listeners on a daily basis.

Visit Bill Breeze’s Official Website

Are you using social media to engage, interact, and build a buzz about your music? Leave a comment and share your experiences.