Kilted Chaos http://kiltedchaos.com Marketing for Independent Bands, Artists & Movie Makers Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:22:04 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Facebook Fatigue http://kiltedchaos.com/facebook-fatigue/ http://kiltedchaos.com/facebook-fatigue/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:22:04 +0000 Andrew http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2161

Thought we’d take a few minutes to update on the marketing of @DrasticJo and reflect on a recent Facebook campaign. Jo has an album coming out in November and we’re tasked with finding the people who would like it and developing a relationship with them so that they will buy it.

Peacemaker by DrasticJo - check out more artwork here on Flickr

Tommy Silverman recently made the case in Wired magazine that 80% of the music out there currently is crap – that the signal to noise ratio is so bad that it’s practically impossible for the good acts to break. Clearly one’s definition of good is purely subjective – but it does mean that the value of a personal recommendation becomes even greater.

As part of Jo’s campaign we built out a new Facebook page and wanted to let her friends know about it. We hijacked her personal account – put in a new profile image and sent a message out to all 500+ of her friends asking them to sign up for the mailing list and become a fan of the new page – You can see a copy of the message we sent here

The result: 25 new likes on the fan page and 1 new email address. Even better – one of her friends commented on her wall that they felt the message was Spam. Not exactly what we were going for.

The takeaway for us is that unless the message is personally tailored to each individual recipient – then it gets classified as band spam. Sure we could have spiced up the text – added more of a giveaway – thrown in a video etc, but I don’t think it would have made much difference. We were banking on Facebook friends having a deeper connection and being willing to help – but ultimately it felt like a MySpace campaign and is not something we’ll be repeating.

That’s not to say that we’ll be giving up though – we still believe that it is better to deepen the existing relationships than it is to develop more shallow connections. The value of a true fan throughout an artist’s lifetime cannot be underestimated, it’s apparent that we need to invest more in them at this stage than just a cut and paste form message.

We’ll let you know how well the next approach works out.

]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/facebook-fatigue/feed/ 0 Kilted Work – 3Gsignage http://kiltedchaos.com/kilted-work-3gsignage/ http://kiltedchaos.com/kilted-work-3gsignage/#comments Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:33:32 +0000 Andrew http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2149

“So our designer just fell off the planet and we need to launch in 4 weeks and the budget is half gone – can you help?”

Yes – we can help ‘cos we are Kilted Chaos and we are awesome.

3Gsignage - iPhone app and digital signage content management systems

Ok – so it didn’t really go down like that but it was close – either way – we think you’ll agree – the site turned out pretty nice!

3Gsignage are a European based technology firm that make it super simple for any size company to build and manage their own smart phone application and digital signage. We’ve built a few iPhone apps here at Kilted Chaos; it kinda reminds us of the early days of the web – you’d hire a programmer to build you a site and then when you wanted to change anything it cost you an arm and leg and took four weeks. 3gsignage have built an easy to use content management system so that businesses can change information inside the app without spending a fortune – genius!

The key message for them was to get across that they deliver Content Management Systems for the iPhone and for Digital Signage systems, plus they then wanted to funnel the visitor by customer type so they could better shape the language. They are just starting out with Social Media but they wanted a simple way to add blog entries and have everything hooked up to Twitter and Facebook.

We built on WordPress using the Thesis theme – we had an outline of what the front page should look like – the font and the iPhone image but that was pretty much it. Much of the design involved some subtle image and CSS work and we learned a few new things along the way.

We worked pretty much round the clock for a couple of weeks and hammered the site out. We moved them from their existing host (who we won’t name but seriously – having to fax in a signed copy of your passport just to change DNS and waiting all weekend for it to happen seems ridiculous in 2010) moved them to a new registrar and reduced their ongoing monthly costs – nice!

If you would like to know more about 3Gsignage’s services – you can contact them here.

If you would like some Kilted Chaos in your life – or maybe just on your website – give us a shout – although we’re out of here until the 5th – have a great holiday American people – we love you!

]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/kilted-work-3gsignage/feed/ 0 DrasticJo and Facebook Promotion – #Kiltfeed 21 http://kiltedchaos.com/drasticjo-and-facebook-promotion-kiltfeed-21/ http://kiltedchaos.com/drasticjo-and-facebook-promotion-kiltfeed-21/#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:11:59 +0000 Andrew http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2134

  1. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex Oh, before we go. Stay tuned – its almost our 1st birthday and we’re planning to party! We’ll keep you updated when we have more #kiltfeed 1 minute ago via TweetChat
  2. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew and it’s goodnight ya wee tosser from me ;-) #kiltfeed 2 minutes ago via web
  3. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex And with that it’s goodnight ya prick from him ….. #kiltfeed 2 minutes ago via TweetChat
  4. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew Alrighty then – Man – it’s good to be back – had forgotten how amusing the #kiltfeed could be - 3 minutes ago via web

  5. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew So – I think we do a takeover through Weds, thurs, fri next week #kiltfeed 9 minutes ago via web
  6. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew So – the end result we are looking for is to have 200 Facebook Fans who have all shared the widget by July 4th – that’s the target #kiltfeed 11 minutes ago via web
  7. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew this is an opportunity to really connect with those 195 individuals and turn them into deeper fans – #kiltfeed 13 minutes ago via web
  8. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew what we don’t want to do is the same old lame “Hey – I have some music” please be my fan so i can go and be rich – sucker! #kiltfeed 14 minutes ago via web
  9. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew Take over Jo’s page for the week – Chaos brand it – push people into new Fbook fan page – – – #kiltfeed 16 minutes ago via web
  10. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex you know – thinking about developing that – why not brand the page for the day while we do it – Chaosphere everywhere #kiltfeed 16 minutes ago via web
  11. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew “hijack”? – maybe “pagejacking” would be a better word – the kilted chaos Gangstas go “pagejacking” LOL #kiltfeed 18 minutes ago via TweetDeck
  12. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew thinking about a simple vid – @drasticjo music in the background as she creates art piece – stream on ustream – #kiltfeed 24 minutes ago via web
  13. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex I think the facebook art for email #topspin page will help spread the word over on FB too -its a great wee concept. #kiltfeed 26 minutes ago via TweetChat
  14. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex That is the best frickin idea I’ve heard all year – any farmville programmers out there? #kiltfeed 29 minutes ago via web
  15. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew clearly playing in front of people is the best way to get fans – but we must leverage the digital connection to help the process #kiltfeed 30 minutes ago via web
  16. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew shit, the best way to get peoples attention on Facebook would be to invade farmville and write “unDrastic” in corn #kiltfeed 31 minutes ago via TweetChat
  17. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex heh! – yeah – def let’s do a kiltfeed next week on Fbook – although we’ll need to be “nice” #kiltfeed 32 minutes ago via web
  18. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex Go their houses and play unDrastic really loud at about 2am? that would get attention ;) #kiltfeed 34 minutes ago via TweetChat
  19. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew damn – you’re a genius @kilted_alex #kiltfeed – kiltfeed on facebook – that’s not a bad idea at all 34 minutes ago via web
  20. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew thing is – again – there’s so much traffic – low signal to noise ratio on facebook – what’s the best way to contact them? #kiltfeed 35 minutes ago via web
  21. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew lots of people sitting on the grass with flowers in their heads #kiltfeed 36 minutes ago via web
  22. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex BTW if you haven’t checked out the Acoustic version of “unDrastic” yet – go do it, compare it to the original too! #kiltfeed 36 minutes ago via TweetChat
  23. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex – so – right now – Jo has 195 fans on her current darling disaster facebook page – we need to move them across #kiltfeed 36 minutes ago via web
  24. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex Anyone joining the Drasticjo “tribe” gets exclusive tracks, deals, artwork and more. Hopefully they tell their friends, etc etc. #kiltfeed 38 minutes ago via TweetChat
  25. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew And we’re making sure anyone who becomes a fan isn’t just clicking a button for the hell of it. There’s “rewards” #kiltfeed 39 minutes ago via TweetChat
  26. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew So – here’s the plan for @drasticjo – she has a new album coming out in November and we are in Fan acquisition mode #kiltfeed 41 minutes ago via web
  27. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew I think that having a strong visual identity – along with the ability to produce new visuals alongside the music is necessary #kiltfeed 42 minutes ago via web
  28. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew but would you want to be OK Go? #kiltfeed 43 minutes ago via web
  29. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew MTV moved music into a more visual concept – the internet accelerates that trend – we experience music online with our eyes #kiltfeed 44 minutes ago via web
  30. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @DrasticJo hopefully it’s not our occasional bad language making you blush….. ;) #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
  31. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex right – and i think that’s gonna be a trend in some of the more talented artists – not just music but art too #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  32. N820150330_6259555_2203351_normal DrasticJo The @kiltedchaos boys are making me blush on the #kiltfeed this morning. about 1 hour ago via twidroid
  33. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew Before you get into their mouth, you need to get their ears (and in Jody’s case – eyes too) #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
  34. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew right – it’s the whole concept of talent – being creative – the more “quality” output – the better – whatever the media – #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  35. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex (sorry i should refrain from ranting about overhyped, undertalented pop culture artists shouldn’t i? …) #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
  36. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew but – how do you get into that first person’s mouth?!?!?!?!?!? #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  37. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew true dat, & who would U rather fall in love with? talentless shite like Keyshit ;) or real talent like @drasticjo #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
  38. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew with so many people making music – the signal to noise ratio is so low that the only way to grow is by trusted word of mouth – #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  39. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew it’s that whole – build a fan base 1 fan at a time -the only way you can do that is to get people to fall in love with your artist #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  40. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex particularly nice work on the Facebook tab mr Mccluskey http://drasticjo.com/facebook/ sweet integration of that #topspin goodness #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
  41. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew Yep – check out my new wallpaper – welcome drama! ;-) #kiltfeed #drasticjo http://yfrog.com/4b5lymj about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck
  42. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex laughing! – hard! – so – what’s going on with @drasticjo well – new drop page at http://drasticjo.com #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  43. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex Indeed – lets talk about the artist that is @drasticjo – killer music – but killer art / imagery too #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  44. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew Oh yeah, 37 ZZ top trax -thats a steal. Saw em twice up at Sturgis – still bloody marvellous band! #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
  45. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew “draining” (snickers childishly) #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
  46. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex last week i picked up 37 tracks from ZZ top at emusic for around 3 bucks – good stuff – #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  47. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex First up – shameless plug! Who wants free music? free art? free Twitter BG? You all bloody do and @drasticjo has it all!!!!! #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
  48. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew @Kilted_Alex you know – you can’t beat a bit of bikram – everything all hot and sweaty – a very “draining” experience #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  49. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew Yes – and we’re going to be controlling our language – kinda – – #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  50. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew Why yes indeedy i had a good trip back to the motherland, but its good to be back in the #kiltfeed saddle again! about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck
  51. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex @kilted_andrew Holaaaaaaaa! nah, you need some of this classic Rock n roll: http://youtu.be/9tKO3m_M4dQ on the #kiltfeed – how was the yoga? about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck
  52. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew How the fuck are you @kilted_alex? – it’s been about 3 weeks and you’ve been back home – did you have a good trip? #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  53. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex amongst other things on today’s #kiltfeed we shall be talking about @DrasticJo about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck
  54. Summer-09_normal kilted_andrew Fires up a bit of Black Dog – ‘cos we’re gonna make you groove – #zep #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via web
  55. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex Oh yeah. Today we’re going to party like its 1967 ;) #abe on the #kiltfeed – its been too long, but we’re glad to be back!!!!! about 1 hour ago via TweetDeck
  56. Abe_normal Kilted_Alex When i just said @kilted_andrew was going to choke his chicken, of course i meant he was having fresh pollo for dinner. #kiltfeed #kiltfeed about 1 hour ago via TweetChat
]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/drasticjo-and-facebook-promotion-kiltfeed-21/feed/ 0 The Answer to the Age old Question …. http://kiltedchaos.com/the-answer-to-the-age-old-question/ http://kiltedchaos.com/the-answer-to-the-age-old-question/#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 17:22:13 +0000 Alex http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2125

- So now you know!

]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/the-answer-to-the-age-old-question/feed/ 0 Introducing a new Friend of Chaos – Sport kilt http://kiltedchaos.com/introducing-a-new-friend-of-chaos-sport-kilt/ http://kiltedchaos.com/introducing-a-new-friend-of-chaos-sport-kilt/#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 15:45:00 +0000 Alex http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2111

Phwoarrrr! A Hot Kilted Dude!

Just today we wrapped up the first project for a company that’s right up our street: SPORT KILT ! A month or so ago, we talked with Seamus over at Sport kilt about the possibilility of doing some work with him to further the cause to bring back the kilt! We brainstormed and came up the with idea of THE KILT-A-NATOR, a fun little piece of FBML highlighting the company’s best selling kilts in a highly entertaining way!

To make life as simple as possible, Kilted Alex decided to model the kilts, but not being particularly feminine looking, wearing a mini-kilt would have just been plain wrong. That’s when Twitter user, and all round great photographer Alexandra Cruickshank stepped up to the plate, not only offering to model the women’s kilts, but to shoot the photos too.  You can see the results of just some of the great shots we captured one fine Sunday on location in Nederland, Colorado and Chataqua, Boulder, over on Sport Kilt’s new Facebook page – and hey, if you feel like joining the kilted movement, they have some  pretty good discounts through the kilt-a-nator! Still not sure? Well, keep reading this post for a review of some of the kilts Alex had the pleasure of wearing!

Yeah, we know that money is money and all that, but when it comes to certain things, pride is more important than a fast buck, and that’s exactly why Kilted Chaos are proud to endorse Sport Kilt as the “Official Kilts of Kilted Chaos” If Sport Kilt made a poorly fitting garment or one that just didn’t feel comfortable, you wouldn’t be seeing us endorse them! Its that simple! But heck, we can safely say, through the reliable testimony (reliable when sober anyway ;) of Kilted Alex, that Sport Kilts are great value for money, look awesome, and feel damn comfy to wear too!

Alex modeled 5 kilts for this promotion:
(Disclosure – We were very generously allowed to keep all kilts used for this shoot. But if you think that would cloud our judgement, bugger off and read someone else’s blog! you should know by now, we call it like we see it, whether good or bad, oh friends of Kilted Chaos!)

(Note: if you like the Kilts and fancy one – head over to the Sport Kilt Facebook Page and check out the promotional codes they have on offer. or heck if you’ve got mair money than sense, just go buy one without the discount. oh wait, better idea, use the discount, and send kilted Chaos the difference to cover our bar tab!)

Let’s have him talk about them in his own words shall we? - Over to you Kilted Alex:

Alex:

Well, I have to say that each and every kilt I tried fit perfectly, which considering i’m on the chubby side (a nice way o saying ah’m a fat bastard!) is no mean feat! I especially enjoyed the rockstar feeling gained from wearing the Commando Kilt, and the two cargo pockets as an add on are genius. Perfect for carrying anything from guitar strings to hip flasks ;) This kilt is going on my roster for rock concerts and for next year when i return to Sturgis to Unleash some Chaos again!

At first glance of the Team kilt I have to admit to thinking “it’s kinda like a Skirt”, but seriously, slip one of those bad boys on, and damned if it doesn’t act like a kilt and look way kick ass! I seriously wanted to keep this one on the whole time! I also admit to egotistically thinking “now this Kilt with the black panels and our Chaosphere screened on it, that’s some kick ass rock n roll gear right there” – stay tuned, you just never know folks….

Or at least I did until I tried on the Comfy Kilt. Whoah Nellie! perfectly named, I could fall asleep wearing this one! Who would have thought a flannel kilt could be a good idea? Well, those clever Sport People obviously did, and it’s a great kilt! I’ll be wearing this one regularly at the neighbors weekend parties and suchlike!

Being a bit of a runner (running from the polis, running from the repo man, etc etc!) (and you’d never guess it from my fat bastardness huh?), I was very intrigued to see how the Original Sport Kilt fared up when actually running, so we took some great action shots of me in it. Felt bloody marvellous. Now, I think for short runs “going traditional” might be okay, but for longer distances, I have to confess I’ll be wearing the old lycra shorts underneath this one – “chub rub” is never a good thing on any runner, and especially not “chub rub” of the ole nether regions!  if it’s a toss up between friction burned ‘nads and tradition or comfort – sorry, but on a half marathon, comfort and intact pain free nuts will win every time.  I’m aiming to run some 5-10k’s this summer, so if you’re in the Denver area watch out for me, and i’ll be posting some more pictures of this superb piece of any serious runners wardrobe on this very site in due course.

And lastly, but not leastly (?) The Works Kilt. A fine piece of kit, that could be worn easily as a traditional kilt to casual events, or just out and about for the sheer fun of it. It’s got all those little extras a traditional kilt has, but at a fraction of the cost of a full on kilt. It felt lightweight, perfect for warmer weather, the pleats were well pleated, the buckles and fringe looked spot on – pair this one with a sporran nae problem. Maybe not for a wedding or suchlike, but if you’re getting dressed up for a works night out, or to impress your woman on date night, this is the kilt to go for!

And then i slipped on my women’s underwear and wig and put on the Mini kilt – here’s a sample of how i look when in full drag! Okay, Okay, so it’s not me. Even a bloody truss couldn’t slim me down this much! No folks, this is our female model, and stunningly talented photographer – Alexandra Cruickshank. I was bottling it because I had to take her photos and I can hardly take a decent picture with my wee point and shoot Fuji camera, never mind a DSLR, but somehow between us, we managed to get the settings right, and I even managed to get some interesting shots, that worked perfectly for the Kilt-a-nator concept.

So there you have it, a brief recommendation of  5 of Sport Kilts high quality product line. And if Seamus’s friendliness when we worked with him on this project is any reflection on how his company handles their customer service, I think it’s safe to say you’ll be highly satisfied with your Sport Kilt.

Hopefully this piece of Facebook customization is just the start of many more great projects with the Sport Kilt team, as they grow in their new found role as “Official Kilts of Kilted Chaos”

And hey, if you’re a small business and like what we did for Sport Kilt, you know how to reach us! We’ll throw you a good deal, just drop us a line, let us know what you’re looking for and we’ll make sure the price we quote is worth every cent and makes your Facebook pages shine and stand out from your competitors! (heck, we’ll even throw in full Google Analytics tagging of your pages, and a weekly emailed report for you to see the results!)

Stay tuned as we bring you more “Friends of Chaos” over the coming months. People, bands, products that we believe in our gut to be value for money and worth your while checking out. (Oh, and don’t bother emailing us asking to become a “Friend of Chaos” as Bugger aff ya cheeky bampot often offends! if we like you and want to feature you, we’ll let you know, sit tight and dinnae panic! We know you’re out there and we’ll be in touch soon enough dinnae you fret!)

]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/introducing-a-new-friend-of-chaos-sport-kilt/feed/ 0 Turning Fickle Fans into Friends http://kiltedchaos.com/turning-fickle-fans-into-friends/ http://kiltedchaos.com/turning-fickle-fans-into-friends/#comments Thu, 13 May 2010 17:47:15 +0000 Andrew http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2097

Just got off the weekly skype call with one of our artists – Drastic Jo – she has a release scheduled for November 13 and we’re busy developing the direct to fan marketing plan.

Typically one of the most important parts of such a plan is the acquisition stage – this is where you set up the digital platform in order to reap as many email addresses, Twitter followers, Facebook and MySpace friends as possible. Figures show that the more people you have on your “lists’ the more dough you make.

However, over recent months there has been a lot of discussion around the importance of developing a deeper relationship between the artist and their existing fans. Having been out and about this week, it was interesting to hear one established management firm state that “Fans suck – it’s all about Friends” – and he wasn’t talking about the digital ones.

With the exploding number of bands and tracks now being marketed to the same audience – an artist not only has to grow new fans and convert them to friends, she has to look after her existing friends in order not to lose them to a competing artist.

Current Direct to Fan marketing is still based around a traditional release date – it makes sense on many different levels; having a specific event and a date allows both artist and fan to focus on each other at the same time. How then does the artist engage the fan and deepen that relationship outside the period of a specific release?

There’s a longer post brewing here – but here’s the short version.

Up until recently the people behind the music were strange mysterious creatures – beings that had this amazing ability to create stuff that changed our lives and made us feel. We assumed that ‘cos we liked their music we would like them – prior to the last decade the only exposure we had to artists were either on stage or through corporate controlled media channels.

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder – though we had their music in our heads every day – the artists themselves were distant figures and we loved them. Compare that to nowadays: bands are encouraged to Twitter their every move – it’s hard to distinguish between your favorite artist and your favorite social media douche.

As the dust settles on the new music marketing revolution one thing is clear – artist’s lives are no more interesting than yours – and considerably less interesting than your immediate friends. If absence made the heart grow fonder then familiarity clearly breeds contempt – just ask John Mayer.

The only reason I am interested in an artist is because they create music – or in Jo’s case not just music but killer art as well. Once I’m beyond the initial rush of having complete access to who they are, the only time I want them to push out to me is when they have something new.

We think artists and bands need to think about how they release their music. We think a combination of specific release date combined with a monthly release of individual tracks allows for dedicated acquisition planning as well as looking after and deepening the relationship with existing fans.

Things have changed – no shit – but things are changing faster than the experts can write about it. A fan will move onto the next new thing – the next free download – the next photo opp or scandal. A friend will stay with you, will open your email, will come to a show and bring a friend. If your marketing plan purely deals with getting fans, you might want to hang on to your day job.

Photo Credit: The Explosion in the Alchemist’s Laboratory, Justus Gustav van Bentum – Chemical Heritage Foundation, Flickr

]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/turning-fickle-fans-into-friends/feed/ 0 $600 Website Advance http://kiltedchaos.com/600-website-advance/ http://kiltedchaos.com/600-website-advance/#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 23:03:40 +0000 Andrew http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2092

“Someday I’ll pay the bills with this guitar,“ but right now you’re busy working two jobs just to keep shit together and the dream going?

We hear you – and actually, if we like you – we’ll invest in you.

Here’s how it works:

We agree to:

1/ Work with your current imagery to develop a simple digital brand (that means logo, avatars, etc)

2/ Build you a kick ass website – wordpress, premium theme, SEO’d to the hilt with plugins that make your life easier

3/ Build out your digital footprint across Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and make it look cohesive and Pro.

4/ Hook everything up so that you write once and it appears across your digital footprint

5/ Design your footprint so that it is easy for you to collect email addresses

6/ Hook you up with an eCommerce provider if you need one

You agree to

1/ Pass 50% of all revenue that comes through the website to Kilted Chaos until you have paid back $600

And that’s pretty much it.   If you think you or your band would be a good candidate for this service – contact us here.

We call this phase 1 of our artist marketing services; we work together for a short while and see how it works out. If you dig what we do – then maybe you’ll want to work with us on a direct to fan campaign.  Likewise, if we dig you and see that you’re commit ed to your career and capable of selling at least 150 CDs a year, then we might want to work with you too.

At that point – we’d look at phase 2.

]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/600-website-advance/feed/ 0 What You Get For 20% #Kiltfeed 05.07.10 http://kiltedchaos.com/what-you-get-for-20-kiltfeed-05-07-10/ http://kiltedchaos.com/what-you-get-for-20-kiltfeed-05-07-10/#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 17:12:55 +0000 Andrew http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2086

]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/what-you-get-for-20-kiltfeed-05-07-10/feed/ 0 Quote of the Day http://kiltedchaos.com/qotd/ http://kiltedchaos.com/qotd/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 18:16:28 +0000 Alex http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2078

“Music is now the realm of fans, of believers.  If you’re doing it to get rich, get out.”
- Bob Lesfetz, The Lesfetz Newsletter”
(by the way – if you don’t get the Lesfetz newsletter – why not? Chock full of music biz insight!)

]]> http://kiltedchaos.com/qotd/feed/ 0 Is a Free Band Website Really Possible? http://kiltedchaos.com/is-a-free-band-website-really-possible/ http://kiltedchaos.com/is-a-free-band-website-really-possible/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:25:18 +0000 Alex http://kiltedchaos.com/?p=2061

Yes, if you do it yourself, but frankly do you really have the time & the chops? It’s not just design and coding, it’s how to integrate social media, how to keep it fresh, how to professionally embed ecommerce and distribution, how to collect email, how to pay for hosting and tech support, and how to do all of this for next to nothing without it looking lame.

In our recent #KILTFEED, Andrew and I began brainstorming what we believe to the be the nearest thing a band or musician will ever get to a free, professionally designed and managed website. It’s a simple concept so I’ll keep it simple here too:

YOU GET A FREE WEBSITE! - BUT!!!! – You pay us back!
Consider this our version of a record label “Advance”

The payback process is simple: we host your site and manage your ecommerce & until we break even on the cost of the website, we keep 50% of all revenue generated from the site – oh, and we’ll work with you to get the best distribution system for your band as well. After the site has broken even, you can go off on your merry way, or…

…you can stick with us, and we’ll handle all of your online marketing – keeping your “digital footprint” up to date, developing and implementing direct to fan promotions, helping you out with your graphic design needs, and much more besides! We’ll do this for 20% of your revenue in the first year. At the end of year one if you’re as popular as we believe we can make you, and you’re selling shitloads of music and merch from your site, we’ll revisit that % and reduce it accordingly.

Why are we doing this? Put simply, we at Kilted Chaos believe that a “When you make money, we make money” strategy, is the best way to grow both our businesses (you are a business right?)

If you’re interested, have a read of this great article by Shane Snow on Tech Startups vs Rock Bands – with the way direct to fan is changing things it might not be quite so linear, but think of Kilted Chaos as facilitating steps 3 to 5 – but be prepared to show us that you have the passion and dedication it takes – we’ll be listening.

BANDS! – Get the ball rolling today on the closest thing you’re probably going to see to free, other than that pukey site your high school cousin threw up!


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