Announcing Spring-Summer 2009 Band Contest!

Hi Everyone!
With the spring and summer coming, a bunch of new features and new bands that joined, we've decided it's time to have some FUN!!!!

We're announcing Adva Mobile's

Spring-Summer 2009 Band Contest!

Every band signed up is eligible to participate. The more & better you use your Mobile Fan Club the bigger your chances to win!
Every two weeks we will raffle a cool prize: Semi-annual Sonicbids standard EPK account and more!

Read more about our contest here or get going by SIGNING UP!

How to make even more $ and drive buzz about your band

Does 'selling to fans' end at tickets for you? For many bands, selling means selling merchandise!
How about selling merch to your fans, right on their phone, before, after or maybe right at the show?
This week we're announcing a Mobile Fan Club upgrade that will allow you to setup items on sale that your fans can find on your "Buy" page. Checkout is easy and simple with Paypal. Your fans will receive an SMS as proof of purchase and you will be notified that the purchase was complete. You only have to coordinate shipping or pickup of the merch with your fan.
Check out the "Selling Merch" tutorial here.

Another upgrade is that from now on, any post your fans make on your "Post" page (similar to Facebook "wall") will generate Twitter buzz about your band!
The way it works, we've created an Adva Mobile Fans Twitter account. Depending on your preference, Every fan post will create an update to that Twitter account, plus a marker for your band, or we could update your Twitter account, if you gave us your credentials.
Now, not only we can power our little "Post" page with comment, you and your fans can see all comments made in real time also on Twitter.

To finish off with our new features announcements, here's a SMS shortcut you can use:
Let's say your fans want to go straight to one of your pages, let's say, your gigs page. All they need to do, is text "gigs" after your keyword, to GetMe (43863). They'll receive back an SMS that contains a link to your gigs page.
Similarly, if they text "Buy" or "Post", they'll be linked to the right pages!
For example, if you text "Positive Buy" to GetMe, you'll recieve an SMS link to Michael Bernier's mobile "buy" page!

On Stage: Michael Bernier

Michael Bernier is hands down one of Boston’s hottest acoustic singer-songwriters. Time and time again Michael has created songs that capture the ears and minds of his listeners. This is why it comes as no surprise to his loyal, and rapidly growing, fan base that he is making such an impact in the music scene both locally and nationally.

Together, Michael Bernier and his backing band The Uprising have headlined Boston’s greatest musical venues. Sellout shows at the Middle East Downstairs, the Hard Rock Café, Bill’s Bar and several other Boston hot spots have put them on every true music lover’s radar. So, when we heard that Michael Bernier & The Uprising had linked up with Live Nation and would be headlining the Paradise Rock Club this August 29^th, we were not shocked in the least bit. (Summer 2008 quote).

Michael Bernier has performed across the country and across the world in places from Massachusetts to California to Maui to Moloka’i to St. Croix to Dominica to Costa Rica to Germany and on and on. His songs have been heard on several radio stations and he has recently been selected as a River 92.5 Homegrown Artist. He has been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers, and internet blogs.

So, we ask, how has he come so far?

Michael says, “Hard work, dedication, love, excitement and time have brought me and the boys to this point. Mix that all up with the high powered positive musical energy that we create at our shows…throw in a little bit of inspiration from my vagabond lifestyle…add the amazing musical talents of the people in the band….toss in some of life’s daily struggles…and then add a heaping scoop of support from all of our fans and friends...and there you have it.”

“As of the recent years, we have been focused on taking advantage of all of the technological avenues that exist to expand our reach and our fan base. Internet tools like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter have been of great help for us. But, as we have all seen, the cell phone world is taking on countless types of innovative services and functions and it is now clear that it will be a large part of the wave of future marketing and advertisement. That is why we have teamed up with Adva Mobile… now we find our band on the cutting edge of mobile marketing…we are bringing our music directly to the hands of so many people…the fact that it is so convenient for people to join our fan base, download our music, and buy tickets…literally with a couple motions of the fingertips….is super sweet,” exclaims Michael.

To join Michael Bernier’s Mobile Fan Base, get free music and get the latest on this rising star and his band The Uprising, simply text the word ‘positive’ to GetMe (43863) or visit Adva.US/positive on your mobile phone or computer.

Michael Bernier & The Uprising Upcoming Shows

4.04.09 WSCAfm.org - Live in Studio on Air & OnLine!!

4.17.09 The Claddagh Pub - Lawrence, MA - Welcome Back to the Mainland!!

5.01.09 WGXR 101.5 Portsmouth, NH Live on the Air & Online!

5.16.09 The Precinct - Union Square Somerville. MA

6.12.09 The Grog - Downtown Newburyport, MA

6.19.09 Johnny D’s - Davis Square in Somerville

6.25.09 The C-Note - Hull, MA

8.01.09 Waterfront Park - Yankee Homecoming - Newburyport, MA

8.29.09 PARADISE ROCK CLUB - Boston, MA

9.12.09 FestEvolve 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Dracut, MA

What's the Value of a Fan?

Artists and labels have a new way to strengthen ties with fans and make them buy more music - their mobile phone. Whether you think ringtone stores, iPhone Apps, or your own mobile web presence is the way to connect with your fans, the mobile phones' versatility gives bands a way to draw your fans closer. So use it!

Mobile phones are becoming a viable platform for the promotion and distribution of music. Songs, images, news, videos and other content can be distributed for free directly to fans, and your mobile web pages can contain 'buy' links to your favorite music store, ticket purchases, and merchandise sales. If my favorite band has a mobile fan club and I have a phone that can play music & videos and surf the web, I'm going to join. At that point, the band has a friendly, band-branded Trojan horse on my phone to import whatever content it wants me to have, as well as an easy way to convert renewed interest into sales.

And, the mobile fan club lets the band reach out to me. You don't have to wait around for me to run into you on MySpace. It's very cool to get texts from my favorite bands. Adding regular texts to my mobile music activities keeps me up to date with relevant info. But the band has to get me to sign up before I can get these texts. So sign me up!

The tools are only as good as your use of them. Building your mobile fan club has to be a strategy for you if you want to reach your fans with new music, merch, gigs. We''ll reward you with loyalty and more sales.

"In the current economy, it's better to think niche and build a direct relationship with fans that can translate into multiple small revenue streams"

More people make the connection between having direct fan relations and the "success" of a musician:

"...At panel discussions in the Austin Convention Center, managers, record-label executives and technology experts discussed marketing strategies for breaking bands and making money at a time when sales of recorded music are plunging. Among the conclusions: Bands need to build small, flexible support teams that will play the role that stodgier, wealthier corporations used to occupy. In the current economy, it's better to think niche and build a direct relationship with fans that can translate into multiple small revenue streams." read the full post.
Greg Knott at Chicago Tribune writes about SXSW "South by Southwest: Festival is more than music"

"It's no doubt a computer age. With sales of CDs dropping like flies and iTunes mp3s selling (sort of) like hotcakes, the shift into the interactive age seems to be exactly what the fans are after. As artists struggle to keep up with the times, its the ones that embrace the changing tide and the multiple outlets toward their fans via the smattering of successful technology-based services that will end up victorious in the end." Read the complete post

Mel ("Melismatic"), a "lifelong music fan" who covers talented musicians and innovative promotion services in her blog wrote this post about Adva Mobile's free mobile marketing service for musicians. "I guess you could say I was destined.", indeed!. Thanks Mel!

On Stage: McAlister Drive

Band Name: McAlister Drive
Genre: Indie / Rock
Hometown: Boston, MA
Sold-out Shows: 3 (+ 1 coming!)
Fans on Mobile Fan Club: 15
Tickets Sold On Mobile: 10
Keyword: Text GetMD to GetME (43863)

Here's Christoph, McAlister Drive's lead singer:
By anyone who has worked with McAlister Drive, they know that MD is one of the hardest working bands in the Boston area. With a rigorous schedule, recording, promoting, and writing, MD is looking for the next thing to streamline their hard work and get back to just focusing on the music. Adva Mobile has offered just that in their new Mobile Fan Club service.

With a world of conveniences, the fan wants everything in music to be at their fingertips.The partnership between Adva Mobile and McAlister Drive has certainly changed the way a band can interact with their fans. Imagine a convenience of being in a band and not having to drive from door to door to get fans to buy tickets to your show. Instead you simply say text GetMD to GetME (43863) and the pressure is off your shoulders!

This week will mark the first week McAlister Drive is implementing the new ticket service into their promotional mix. On March 14^th, 2009 MD will be headlining Bill’s Bar in Boston with the prediction that this will be their 4^th consecutive sold out show in Boston. To experience this new exciting service first hand, just text GetMD to GetME (43863) and join us in what will be a show that is on the cutting edge of the music industries technology!

Check out McAlister Drive's mobile fan club: text GetMD to GetME (43863) or visit Adva.US/GetMD on your phone or your PC.

How to Sell More Tickets Without an Expensive Service Ripping Off Your Fans

"Convenience" charges and "service" charges aren't convenient for your fans and the service isn't any good! Sell your tickets your way by allowing fans to buy seats to your shows directly from you using their mobile phones and your mobile fan club from Adva Mobile.

On your gigs page in Adva Mobile's artist portal, you can control your gigs, including adding tickets for sale for each gig. You can set the age restrictions for the gig, how many tickets you want to sell, and at what price.

Next, blast your fans with an SMS blast, telling them they can secure their tickets, easily and cheaper, through your mobile site.

As your fans purchase tickets on their phones, we will pass them over to PayPal to complete the processing. They will recognize PayPal as a secure and trusted processing authority, as well as the ease of checking out.

Next, your fans will return to a purchase confirmation page on your mobile site, including their name, how many tickets they bought, authenticating transaction ID and more. They will also receive an SMS containing the same information, that's their proof of purchase at the will-call booth on the night of the show!


Shortly after, you'll receive an email from PayPal telling you that your money has been deposited to your account.

At any time, you can visit the reports page to see how many tickets sold and how many are still available. On the night before the show, the mobile tickets sale will end, and we will send you a tickets sales report that you can email or bring to the venue with you.



Click here to learn more.

Note: Please DO NOT sell tickets you don't have!!! You'll make fans unhappy as well as the club, promoter etc.

Selling tickets with your mobile fan club will give your fans easy, cheaper and early access to your show. Before you know it, they'll ask for more...

Start Selling Tickets.

Limited Time: Sell Tickets and Make Extra $ Over the months of March & April '09, for every ticket you sell, we will pay you $1! Build your mobile fan club, sell tickets, and make $$$

Going Mobile - The Future Of Marketing For Musicians

How can you be effective and proactive in your music promotion to your fans? Get very close to them...on their mobile phones.

Our first featured article comes from two distinguished thought leaders in Music promotion and Mobile Marketing Ariel Hyatt and Helen Keegan.

How Can Musicians Effectively Use Mobile For Marketing? - 7 Questions For Helen Keegan of Beep Marketing

Using mobile phones is now integral to our lives. Artists should be thinking about who their audience is and how to build it - whatever ways are relevant. And that has to include mobile today. Young audiences in particular are technology agnostic and want instant gratification and will use the nearest device or service available to them whether that’s their phone, their laptop, the TV, their iPod, their PSP, whatever. Read the complete article.

Ariel Hyatt is the founder of Ariel Publicity & Cyber PR a New York based digital firm that connects artists to blogs, podcasts, Internet radio stations and social media sites. Over the past 12 years her firm has represented over 1,400 musicians of all genres. Teaching and educating musicians is her passion and her philosophy is: combine social networking with Internet marketing to help artists grow their fanbases and increase their income.

Ariel has written dozens of articles on how to navigate the “new” music business and her book: Music Success in Nine Weeks is available at Amazon. She is a contributing blogger to New Music Ideas, and Music Think Tank, and she has spoken at countless music conferences over the years including SXSW, FMC, ECMAs & OCFF (Canada), A2A (Amsterdam),CMJ, BMI Music Panel Series, and NARAS.

Sign up for her musicians Tips Newsletter Sound Advice at http://www.arielpublicity.com

A marketing and communications professional with over 20 years work experience, Helen has specialised in mobile marketing, advertising and media for the past 9 years. Helen was Head of Customer Experience at ZagMe, the location based mobile marketing pioneer back in 2000/1 and since then Helen has been consulting in mobile marketing, advertising and media consultancy,for clients including the BBC, NewsCorp, SonyEricsson, the English National Opera and Danone.
She runs the popular mobile networking event, Swedish Beers and also organises the Mobile Monday London events. She is a founder member of the Women in Mobile Data Association and blogs about mobile marketing and media over at technokitten.com and is a regular on the conference speaker circuit. Helen was recently voted in as one of the top 50 women in mobile content globally for Mobile Entertainment Magazine.

New Ways to Nab New Fans From the Stage

Playing live means there are always people in the audience who could become fans. Don't let them go home without asking them to join your fan club so you can tell them about your next gig and sell them your music!

Here are three ways you can nab new fans from the stage by using their mobile phones:

• Tell them to SMS your keyword to GETME (43863): Text McAlister to GETME...Easy to remember, easy to join! It'll even work better if you add it to your merch table as well.
• How about a cool snappy URL? Adva.US/ is for your fans to access from their phones or PCs. For example: Adva.US/McAlister
• Spread the word over your MySpace, Facebook pages, or anywhere else using your own personalized widget.

To learn more and start using, check out the "Promote" page on our portal. If you've not joined Adva Mobile yet, click here to join!