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.