Top News Stories from Around the Web

There’s always something new and exciting happening in the world of social media! Whether it’s an article about making the most out of LinkedIn or a news story about a new Twitter feature, there’s always something new to read, learn about, or explore. Keeping up with all of the latest social media news can be a daunting task, so we’re here to help! Here’s a quick run-down of last week’s top 5 social media news stories you should know about.

LinkedIn and the context of social media etiquette

Helpful tips for abiding by unspoken social media etiquette rules while using LinkedIn.

Social Media Monday: How you can take advantage of Instagram Direct

Helpful tips for making the most of the newest Instagram feature, Instagram Direct.

26 ways to make Pinterest work for your business

Are you on Pinterest? Then you will want to read these 26 easy ways you can leverage Pinterest to build your business.

How to craft the most retweetable tweets

If you’re not engaging with your followers on Twitter (or vice versa), you’re missing out on the most important aspect of the social network! Read these tips for writing the most retweetable tweets.

5 biggest social media lessons of 2013

2013 was a big year for social media! Check out the top 5 most important things we learned from or about social media this year.

These are some of our favorite social media-related news articles from the past week... Do you have any to share? We would love to hear about yours! Tell us in the comment section below which topic or article you think was especially noteworthy this week.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years from the Swartz Family!

What if You Could Practice in a Studio?

The idea is great. Locking yourself in the vocal booth writing your soul out on paper. The guitarist messing around with a riff that catches the interest of the producer and the engineer. The engineer hits the talk back button on the mixing board and says “What was that?” The guitarist says “Just something I was working on. “The producer says “Let’s lay it down.” Magically, the drummer has a beat for it. The bass player is on the same groove and the lead singer’s lyrics fit perfectly. Aren't those movies great? We see it in music videos with the behind the scenes footage. This has to be the way it’s done, right? Well, not really.

Recording studios cost money. It costs bands and artists money… Even when the record company owns the studio. Let’s say you were in the studio for a month (31 days) making your new album. That’s a pretty cool statement to declare. Now let’s say you weren't in the studio for 24 hours a day, more like an 8 hour block of time each day. The studio itself will cost $55 an hour. Your engineer is $35 hour, producer is $60 an hour. One hour of time in the studio costs $150. Multiply that by 8 hours and you have $1,200 per day for 31 days. You are looking at $37,200 to make your new album and that doesn't cover mixing or mastering; only tracking. Now how much of that money/time would you want to spend practicing? And this is a really cheap rate.

Yes, bigger bands have bigger budgets to pull this off with. When you get there, you’ll probably also have enough to build your own high quality recording studio. Until then, the garage, basement, bed room, car, storage shed, barn, etc. are pretty cheap (respectively) ways to practice and get thoughts, ideas, layout and harmonies down cold. So when you get in the studio, it’s all business.

Here is how to make it look like you were there for longer than you really were. Bring in someone to film your studio session. The producer will most likely recommend a change to a song. Whether it be an extra note or a different key or adjusting the tempo or even a change in lyrics. Record on film (or digital) the lead singer writing down an adjustments to the lyrics, video of the drummer, bass player, guitarist and so on doing sound checks, and film of the band members in the control room listening to tracking while waiting their turn. Add all that together into a video and it looks like you all were in there practicing and being high rollers in the music industry.

Pridek Studios is the perfect all-in-one source for doing just that and you don't even have to bring someone to film your studio session... it's all right there. And when it's all done, you’re now looking like a full-time professional artist. Just think of the buzz you can create, and then be part of Industry Night at Pridek Studios. Not only does it look as if you have been practicing and developing your song in a studio, but you are being asked to perform on a special event with the studio! Now that is a home run!

Q&A about Conquer Entertainment & the UnLabel Owner

Recently Market America sat down with successful UnFranchise® Owner Michele Molinaro to talk about Conquer Entertainment®. Being a product brokerage company, Market America has a very unique business approach with respect to marketing and compensation; it's all about paying it forward and putting the majority of the profits in the hands of those who are the actual performers.

Michele along with her husband Tony, are the most successful internet entrepreneurs with Market America being they were extremely successful before partnering up with Market America. Why did they partner then with Market America? I believe the interview below will help shed light, and why this company has been so successful at attracting more business professionals in today's tough economy. And when it comes to the music industry, this company has gone above and beyond when it comes to providing the very best solutions for everyone... even the fan base which has never been accomplished before. Here is the full picture from top to bottom:

How does Conquer Entertainment® work in conjunction with SHOP.COM?

Every artist (which includes but is not limited to musicians, bands, and solo singers/artists) is presented with a Conquer site as well as a SHOP.COM site after being accepted to the platform. The artist will receive retail profits from all Market America products they sell through their site, as well as commissions from both partner stores and our MA branded products.

What kind of opportunity does Conquer Entertainment® offer Shop Consultants, and how can they tap into this opportunity?

As Shop Consultants, Conquer offers us the opportunity to open our business to another industry and connect with talented artists and other individuals. The music industry is composed of so much more than just talented musicians and artists; there are also managers, attorneys, street teams, band members, and even the fans themselves! I have always said, “If your mouth is not open your business is closed.” With Conquer as one of my divisions in my portfolio, I have a whole group of individuals I can tap into to build my business and retail products.

What kind of opportunity does Conquer Entertainment® offer new and/or established artists? Why do these artists choose Conquer over other labels and avenues of distribution?

Conquer gives the artist freedom to build their brand and image without a corporate team telling them what to do. Not only that, but that corporate team that controls their every move also takes about 98% of all retail profit, which can leave aspiring artists struggling. If you look at the market today, online music sites pay the artist approximately 8-12¢ per download. With Conquer, the payout is significantly higher for artists.

What does it mean to become a Certified Artist Developer?

A Certified Artist Developer (CAD) is someone who has completed the two day Certified Artist Developer training with music industry experts. In the past, these music industry experts have included producers who have worked with Swizz Beats and Marc Anthony, and PR Professionals with over 15 years of experience. When you attend a CAD training, you will learn about the music industry, common issues that artists face, the people and organizations generally associated with the artists (i.e. manager, street team, etc), how to effectively research an artist before partnering with them, and the types of questions you want to ask an artist in order to identify important information.

Anyone who is an UnFranchise® Owner can become a CAD.  It is very important in our business to have a clear understanding of each division so we never miss an opportunity to talk with someone or build our business.  Just because we are not majoring in “blank” (blank representing a certain “major” in the ma® University) doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t learn about the products associated with other majors. We all love music; why wouldn’t you want to learn how you can make money from music sales?

Can artists act as ambassadors for Market America products? If so, how can they effectively leverage this aspect of the business?

This is my favorite question because it is exactly what Conquer artists are: Product Ambassadors to our millions of products on SHOP.COM!  Conquer artists have the ability to capitalize on the image they have created around their music to retail products. For example, if they wear a brand of jeans, prefer particular cologne, or take a certain supplement, they can capitalize on this by exposing their fans to where they can buy the very same products on SHOP.COM.  Think of all the musicians in the world; how many are offered endorsement deals with major brands? Not many, that’s for sure. But Conquer offers this to the artist from day one.

The music industry has completely changed from the way it was years ago. We no longer go to the store and buy CD’s, instead we download our music from a website straight to our computers. There are more and more artists who are taking it upon themselves to promote their music rather than waiting to get signed to a record label. When you think about it, it’s not hard to understand why having multiple streams of income would be appealing to an artist.

Does every Shop Consultant have the ability to build their business with Conquer? If so, how?

Every UnFranchise® Owner is equipped with a Conquer portal the day they register their SHOP.COM business. With their Conquer portal, Shop Consultants have the ability to promote music and sell artist merchandise. However, the real benefit comes from the artists who are also promoting SHOP.COM, because all sales generate commissions and retail profit.

A great way to learn about Conquer and become familiar with the site is to download music! While the site accepts all major credit cards, you can also use your Cashback as a payment method. What do you have to lose?

How do Conquer artists expose fans to Conquer and SHOP.COM?  

The artists that are selected to be part of the platform are very high quality artists that have a strong following and presence on social media. Fans fall in love with the music as well as the lifestyle the artist portrays. Every day, Conquer artists are talking about their lifestyle on social media and connecting their fans to Conquer and SHOP.COM.

What makes the Conquer site different for an artist than others music sites online?

Conquer offers artists the following:

• A platform that optimally displays their music and makes it available for purchase and download.
• A profile that displays photos, videos, and a bio.
• Their own Trend Shop, which is featured on their page. This allows fans to browse and purchase the artist’s favorite products without even leaving the site.
• A platform that promotes artist’s social media pages by displaying social media plugins to their profiles and pages.

Michele has had an exceptional impact on sharing and educating other business owners on connecting the dots with respect to SHOP.COM, Trend Shops, and Conquer Entertainment's platform.

So what's Next?

Next Year will be another big year for Conquer Entertainment with a new release of our Conquer Entertainment website which is scheduled to launch in January 2014. And, there will be more big name entertainers coming to our site along with new features including dynamic charts and free streaming that make it even easier to discover our artist's music.

It is important to know that Conquer Entertainment artists are selected exclusively by Certified Artist Developers who again are qualified business professional partnered with SHOP.COM as well as being trained and certified by professional artists to help artists implement the UnLabel System.

For more information about the UnLabel Owner program, or in becoming a Certified Artist Developer, visit Explore Conquer or contact Bruce I. Swartz bruce@growonlinenow.com.