Let’s get one thing out of the way; your music is important. It’s your art, it’s why you’re here on the planet, and you’ve got to pour your blood, sweat, tears and soul into it. It has to be real and you have to feel it. They have to feel it. it’s all about the music.

What you have to understand, however, is if you want to make a decent living recording and performing your music, you have to understand how to capture the attention of your audience. You have to figure out how to create an emotional connection with them. This is the secret to building a fanbase and becoming successful.

The secret is INTERACTION.

Your first and foremost interaction is through the music itself. And the more someone listens, the more they become attached.

The problem is that the music is not enough to fuel the tank on the road to success. People are bombarded with new music everyday, and it’s the artists who take advantage of all methods of interacting with their audience who will make the biggest impression on them.

Your next weapon is your blog. You connect with the audience using words and pictures, bringing them into your world.

Did I say pictures? People love pictures. It’s how we remember our lives. They see pictures of you in the studio, you back stage. Pictures of you drunk. Pictures of you eating a cheeseburger. When people look at your pictures, they connect with you - you are alive and living your rock star life.

But VIDEO is the biggest gun in the battle. It takes both of our most important sense and grabs our full attention. Video is the outlet that really makes people feel apart of your life.

With the way the industry is changing, there needs to be other methods of monetizing your art. You’ve got to give away music, and your blog has to be free to read and subscribe.

Video, however, can be something you can charge extra for. You rope them into your art with your music and your blog, with your pictures. And once they’re in, they want to be REALLY IN! They’ll spend the extra thirty bucks to join the fan club and see the behind the scenes footage of you in the studio laying down the tracks, of you bickering with the producer, of the girls you brought to the after party.

And you’ve got to keep the video cranking. If you’re in the studio, document every part with video. Get as much tour video as you can get. And yes, get some video of your band hitting up the Taco Bell at three in the morning. Mix it up.

There’s a line you can cross where it no longer becomes about the music, so be careful. Keep it as much about the art as you can, with the occasional goofy bit or personal side.

Give a taste away - that’s where the viral and social perks of video will help you get the attention you need.

But for the hardcore fans, the ones who will make or break you - save the documentary style stuff for them, and offer it in an affordable fan club package. Look at what Metallica is doing with MissionMettalica.com; Staind is offering a similar style product for their new Illusion of Progress album.

And sell it along with the music. Hell, I just paid twenty seven bones for the new Staind CD, a t-shirt, access to their video fan club, and three exclusive tracks. Not a bad deal.

And I can’t wait for not only the album, but for the VIDEO. I can’t wait to see Arron and the gang screwing around in the studio.

So if you’re trying to figure out how the hell you’re going to make a buck in this industry, just remember that being a musician isn’t all just about the CD or the digital tracks or the gigs. It’s all about the EXPERIENCE and the INTERACTION. And as far as media is concerned, nothing showcases the experience like the interaction via video.

Whether you play guitar, smash drums, or scream through a microphone, there’s one instrument that every musician needs to embrace: the video camera.

Here’s my first foray into doing some video myself. I shot this a while back with no script and no editing, and it’s kind of funny. Reminds me of an extended UPS commercial (gotta love my silly drawings!)

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