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MARKETING: CRUCIAL TO ANY VENTURE (A “niche” business takes extra creative energy)

June 12, 2011

By Bob Burnham


Marketing is at the core of what makes any business survive or die.

I know this from first hand experience.

It the world of old-time radio, many years ago, it could’ve been something as simple as copies of a hand-typed list of shows available on tape for a negligible cost…snail-mailed.

Today, “simple” doesn’t work and hasn’t worked for a very long time.

People are more sophisticated.  If I stop marketing, the business stops. Period.  A big slick catalog that cost thousands of dollars to produce doesn’t work either.  People throw away catalogs. 

If they want to look at a LOT of content, they will go to the website.  That’s what I do whenever I need something… ANYTHING!

As far as audio content, they will either stream it or download it for later consumption probably on a portable device.  This is how MOST entertainment and music is marketed

Old-time radio fans, however, ARE different in the traditional sense (at least the hard-core ones, and not the youngest listeners).  They still like the physical media.  They will still respond to something physical on paper.  The newer ones may respond to something e-mailed to them. 

CHANGES…FORCED OR NOT
Who writes checks anymore?  The people who responded to a PRINTED piece will write checks.  Further, almost single-handedly, hearing screaming and yelling, I was able to convert those with large audio cassette collections to the more practical (and cost effective to produce) audio CD while others went directly to the mp3 data disc.

Both formats, however, are now completely obsolete as far as the rest of the world is concerned. An entire collection can now be acquired without waiting for anything in the mail, writing a check, or touching physical media (such as a disc or tape).  That entire collection can be played directly on the device that downloaded the audio, moved to another more portable device, or “streamed” to devices in your home.  There’s no tape heads to clean, racks of jewel cases to contend with, or bookshelves full of boxes reel to reel tapes….EXCEPT for people like me who are constantly transferring content of older media to digital electronic formats.

AUDIO FROM “SOMEWHERE”
Old-time radio from “The Clouds” is merely another way of saying shows are stored somewhere on the public internet. 

One can get anything about anything on the internet.  Tens of thousands of full length movies, television shows, music of every imaginable genre are all downloadable sometimes for a fee, but sometimes completely free.

Those of us (who in a previous decade) acquired huge accumulations of old-time radio are trying valiantly to keep up with the rest of the world by copying our old reel to reel tapes to digital formats.  None of us will live long enough to complete the task even on an individual basis, but we will get a lot done in the meantime (and I personally will let you know which titles are coming out as they are re-mastered!).

We do not, however, have the financial backing of major media or motion picture people financing our efforts.  Because of this, it takes longer than some people would prefer.  Fortunately, the cost of physical storage devices like hard drives is constantly dropping.

MARKETING STIRS UP INTEREST & DOLLARS
For me, Marketing old-time radio is still my source of financing for that part of my business.  It is at the core of what allows me to do what I do.  Marketing also takes time, creative energy, and yes, there is a cost involved to marketing itself.

I’ve tried most forms of marketing, and for a niche product (like old-time radio), it’s an aspect you have to keep re-inventing.  There is no “tried and true” approach or method in the year 2011.  But…the more you keep trying, the greater your chance of success, especially if you land on something that IS successful.

If you stop or give up, or become discouraged too easily, the response WILL stop almost immediately.  People don’t really save old mailings nor do they re-visit a spot on the web if you don’t give them a reason to do that.

THE BOTTOM LINE OF MARKETING SUCCESS
Successful marketing is merely offering a product THEY want at a TIME they want it, for a PRICE they’re willing to pay.  Of course, the product must be cost effective to produce.  They MAY return to you for more only if you delivered a good experience for them.  

My “good experience” starts with a good product, developed from a lifetime of collecting old shows from good sources.  I use professional-grade hardware, including several custom-built computer workstations.  I rely on software from Adobe for both the audio itself and the Creative Suite and FileMaker database software for marketing.

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The core concepts behind the marketing are the same, however, if I was still running cassette decks, a rack full of sound equipment, and IBM typewriters, I would not be competitive.  

The other part of “good experience” is customer service.  Many businesses over-look this crucially important aspect.  If one constantly works toward being the best, they develop a good reputation.  I am happy to say I’ve managed to achieve a decent reputation.

When friends of mine in the old-time radio business complain business is not what it once was, I’m working on my next promotion and enjoying some success.

Marketing to a business IS a major part of success, but so is ATTITUDE! 

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So how are things in my bands going?

June 10, 2011
By Bob Burnham
I am a Broadcast Engineer and a Detroit area musician.

The bands I’m in and those involved have been the victims of the economy.  Most of us are surviving on a personal level, but paying work for “your local band,” no matter how great they (the band) may be, is fairly rare these days (at least so I’ve been led to believe). 

More than that, those of us who in the past spent time “pounding the streets” for band work are NOW  a.) spending more time at the day job, b.)  have taken a second job or c.)  having other personal problems, or (of course) any combination of the above.

People in bands also become discouraged when the band commits to too many “freebies” that lead nowhere and the band seems to be in forever in a passive mode.  The set-list seems to be frozen in time.  The best way to get the best out of any performer is to help them feel good about themselves.  I’ve spent a lifetime doing this at various levels, also as a former studio owner.  When band members are bored or discouraged, they will  not be at their “best:” In fact, they will be at their absolute worst. I've been on both sides of that fact.

There are two reasons I play music in addition to being a broadcast engineer:   Fun and Money. The two go together.  If it’s not FUN it damn well better be putting some money in my pocket!

When it IS a lot of FUN, anyone can survive as an actively playing musician when they have a daytime non-music profession.  With no money, when it Ceases to Be FUN, I stop doing it, or at least move on to another project with people who ARE having FUN and making some money.  

I’ve managed to have FUN for a as an actively playing Detroit area musician for decades, however, that music FUN has started to fade. 

If it’s PAYING music work, the tolerance level may be extended a little longer, but without the FUN-factor, it won’t last..

But for me, the real “PAY” is that “religious experience” or “magic” we make when we play music and we are all in synch to each other. 

In some ways, music IS my religion.  NOT everyone is up to that “magic” level, but those that are, that I’ve worked with – know who they are.

Will we ever get back to prosperity?

Will people NOT be burned out on life and living, and playing the same songs over and over, and in a passive mode for (on top of that)  NO Money?

I don’t have the answer to that, but in the meantime, I have a lot of stuff to accomplish.

I AM inherently optimistic and still look forward to making more “magic” on a daily basis and at least one more time playing music tonight
(where I promise to give 110% no matter what).

----Bob B

 
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“Old-time” Radio Takes Backseat to Paying its own expenses
June 5, 2011
by Bob Burnham

WHO AM I TO THE “OTR” WORLD?
I’m the guy for the last several years who has sat behind tables of thousands of audio CDs and a few other products. I have been a “regular” for many years at both the Cincinnati and Friends of Old Time Radio conventions in Newark.

Fewer and fewer people, however, really know who I am who still attend these events today. I’m not much of a “recreation” fan.  While I’ve met a lot of really amazing radio “celebrities,” since I’m in the business anyway, I don’t regard any of them as anything more than “regular people” with unusual occupations – and that’s what the best of them are like. 

I’m the one who developed the audio product from the ground-up.  I’m not an mp3 peddler, content to be salesman.  I’m an audio engineer, too.

Clean up, creation and production of those products requires a lot of technology.  Fortunately, that’s my business, too, but it does not come without some cost.

HOW IT STARTED & PROGRESSED
I began the business long ago with little more than a Smith Corona typewriter and a bunch of tape decks.  Eventually, better quality tape decks and typewriters were acquired.

Then we computerized much of the operation in the 1980s.

Dot-matrix printers and eventually Laser Writers were used for such things as cassette labels and catalog layouts.  Hand-typing labels of any kind became a thing of the past and the old-time radio world readily supported this advancement.

OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW
However, the end of the 1990s phased out, the audio cassette product, replaced by audio CDs.
  This was a change we had to “force” upon many loyal supporters who already had very large accumulations of analog tapes.   We all managed to survive.

On the plus side, that product has also evolved as the technology to clean-up and “master” audio evolved and became more affordable.

LOOKING BACK
Thirty-five years is a long time to be doing anything, but during that time, a few things never changed:  That we would support any entity or person who supported us, that we would have uncompromising attention to detail with regard to sound quality, and that we’d deliver the best service we were able to at reasonable prices.

There are a lot of “methods” to my madness – and madness IT CERTAINLY IS having operated the “old-time” division in the “red” for the last couple years.

Yet we have many friends, and the “enemies” if there ever really were any – have faded away. By nature, I’m a survivor and we never REALLY stopped.  We took a couple years “off” to work on the newer product plus nurture a “professional services” business.

HOW IT’S DONE
To make the catalog marketing work today (now essentially as a one-man-operation), we use several mostly custom-built networked computers. Along with those workstations are two HP printers, four network-attached storage boxes, plus specialized “nostalgia” audio equipment (to retrieve the content of original masters). Such old-school equipment includes Otari and Tascam reel to reel and cassette decks.  We have no “consumer-grade” equipment in service at this time.

The computer software has also evolved and I have to know enough about everything to be fairly dangerous, but fairly efficient at the same time.  Once in a great while, there are equipment failures.  We don’t generally use repair centers, as that is also one of my specialties. 

A variety of methods have been used to help pay the bills.  Of recent years, the most “profitable” (if you could call it that) of which has been the two conventions we attend every year.  

One of those conventions will cease to exist after this year.
What this will mean to my operation is unknown at this time.
I intend to continue to issue periodic supplements hopefully on a quarterly basis.  These are primarily recent additions to the digital library.  Occasionally, there are still new shows found and brought into circulation.

A LOOK TOWARD TOMORROW
With a look toward the future, all shows are mastered at a higher quality grade than that of a standard CD.  If there is some variation of “SUPER MP3” that catches on, our archive will already be ready for it. 

My audio work will eventually all be downloadable at minimal cost. Anyone who has already posted any of my work without my permission will eventually fade away as well.

I have a lot more to accomplish as one of “sources” to the digital world of original material.  The fact is it’s available right now in a couple different popular digital formats, but wait!  There’s more:  Those who have supported my work over the past couple decades will have free access to the downloadable archive library… as mentioned, I am a “survivor,”. but it’s going to be A WHILE!

----Bob Burnham 
----06-05-2011