gurndotnet

Closedown

2006-08-13T18:55:00.000+01:00

This blog will no longer be updated by me.

Thanks for reading.

David

Guestlist available

2006-07-06T21:10:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Kinky Malinki
Venue: Pacha, London
Date: Saturday 15th July
More Info:

Album launch party: Jay and Dom, Grant Richards, Paul Gray, Percussion by Ali Bongo.

10pm-6am

www.kinkymalinki.com

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

The End and Red Bull give something back

2006-07-04T10:58:00.000+01:00

It’s not all sex, drugs money and hedonism: The cynical clubbing industry occasionally drops a genuine surprise.

This time it’s The End and Red Bull who have come up with £70,000 to sponsor a 3 studios that allow large numbers of disengaged young people to learn skills in mixing and music production.

We have been sufficiently inspired at Gurn to request an interview to get more details. Great PR for both companies.

How do they make it even better?

Get some of the kids involved to blog or podcast about their experiences.

Something missing from Express DJs

2006-07-03T16:02:00.000+01:00

If you are DJ you may have had the same email we had recently about a new service called Express DJs.

The idea is to save DJs time on sending in chart returns and reaction sheets. As I have a puny DJing career it doesn’t interest me, but pro DJs may well benefit.

I say "may well" because until you sign up there is no way of finding out if it works or how it works.

My experience could be the same as many looking into the service. The idea sounds good, possibly something we could plug on Gurn.net to our DJ membership.

So we read the email and click the link.

We get taken to the Express DJs landing page that tells me more about the service and asks me to part with my cash.

How can we trust that Express will do as they promise?

It’s here we want to be able to trust Express. It’s here we would benefit from testimonials, screenshots, a blog, a no obligation free trial and maybe access to a forum filled with DJs who already use the service and love it.

We could even review the service on Gurn in our clubbing features section.

Right now we just don’t care enough. It’s bad for sales and bad for PR.

The service sounds like a great idea though.

Maybe the folks at Highlight Media (for it is they who run it) want to get in touch with me to tell me more?

I’m sure the Gurn.net DJs would like to hear about it. Now over to you...

Some clubbers are more equal than others

2006-07-03T03:04:00.000+01:00

How do you get people through the door of a club night?

Put up posters, hand out flyers, get your listings online?

All good methods of attracting clubbers but none of them answer the fundamental question everyone asks when weighing up a night:

"What’s in it for me?"

For many the answer comes from their mates – the clubbers with the inside knowledge and wide social circle. Sometimes these people are called opinion leaders, sneezers, connectors or maverns but it’s all the same end result:

Genuine word-of-mouth from one clubber to another. Marketing generated by a passion that can’t be faked.

How does a club promoter build a relationship these influential people?

It’s a complex question. After all, these people have reputations to protect.

But you could just start talking and start trying to build a community.

All the best club nights feel like that.

Plus, It’s got to be better than flyering at 3am in the cold.

(Some links via The Viral Garden)

Why do only celebrities suffer from exhaustion?

2006-07-01T10:46:00.000+01:00

The clubbing world suffered one celeb lands biggest excuses recently.

Dutch DJ Sander Kleinenberg has "exhaustion" and has cancelled all his gigs.

While noone wants to mock the health of any other person (famous or not), exhaustion is something that normal people just don’t get.

When did being tired become a legitimate reason to have a month’s holiday?

Especially when your job is playing other peoples records.

Being exhausted smacks of a cover up of something more sinister.

That said, we certainly hope that is not the case. Everyone at Gurn.net wishes Sander a speedy recovery. We are big fans of his production (especially The Fruit) and have had a great time going out clubbing and seeing him DJ.

And maybe when he is better he can work on his PR.

If you were Sander, how would you have spun it?

How much do clubbers spend at festivals?

2006-06-28T18:26:00.000+01:00

According to Cream, the average person spent nearly £100 on stuff like buses, taxis, trains, drinks, food and accommodation for last years Creamfields.

The economic windfall of the end of summer festival for local businesses is likely to be more than £3 million.

No wonder 90% of residents were in favour of the event moving to Daresbury. The licence was granted this week.

Hopefully our funkpills legal high stall will get a slice of the action.

If you are going to Creamfields make sure you pop over and mention the Gurn blog. I’ll give you a freebie so you can spend your £100 on other stuff.

Keep clubbers together outside the club

2006-06-28T16:38:00.000+01:00

A big part of clubbing is the feeling of being part of something: Joining in a community of like-minded souls (no matter of freaky your mind).

How promoters create that feel outside the club?

An innovative way would be to use Ning – a website that allows you to create simple but stylish "social" pages online in a few minutes. You can manage members, post pictures, advertise events and even have a forum.

It won’t be the same as getting wasted in a club and being everyone’s best mate for a few hours, but it will help create a community around a night.

Which will get more like minded people through the door.

DJ Tips & Tricks Video Demonstration – A no brainer for Allen & Heath

2006-06-27T15:23:00.000+01:00

How do Allen & Heath get DJs to fall in love with what they do?

How about this: They make a mixer that DJs have been waiting for - The Xone:3D - and then put videos online of a great DJ like Ralph Lawson using it.

How can they make it even better?

Put it on YouTube, make it easy to share and invite others to show off their tricks with their own Allen & Heath mixers.

Free advertising.

7 things The End (or anyone else) could do to improve

2006-06-27T13:41:00.000+01:00

Club websites are crap. There is too much style over substance, reliance on big name nights or DJs for creating buzz and focus on information over conversation.

Luckily for us there is an exception.

The End in London’s clubbing site is a welcome respite from death by Flash.

What makes The End so good?

Firstly the layout looks great and is easy to understand. You can go where you want and get back without fuss or hunting.

But the real winning touch is the extras. You can go to The End’s site for the listings and hang around exploring stuff like the in depth DJ profiles while listening to their mixes, looking at the gallery or reading the interviews.

It’s nothing groundbreakingly amazing but it shows time and thought have been put in to what people want.

That said, The End still has some work to do to take it to the next level.

After all, modern marketing is about a 2-way conversation.

Here is how they (and any other club with a website) can improve even more:

Setup a subscription feed – There is a handy dandy email link, but how about a subscription link so fans don’t even to give their email address. No need to worry about spam for them and loads of extra subscribers who are much more likely to read the site.
Flickr photos – Put the clubbing photos on a service like Flickr and allow fans to comment on them and setup groups of End Club fans taking snaps. Give the best ones a prize every month.
Features on the shop – Get resident DJs to review the latest Endrecordings tunes and feature it. Let the DJs be honest. If they give a good review sales will be higher than just sticking up a link saying "shop".
Allow trackbacks and comments – These will let clubbers talk to you and about you. You will be able to see every bit of feedback in real time. You will know exactly what people think.
Give something away – Free mixes are great, so are listings. But how about podcasts? Discount vouchers? DJ tips and tricks? The possibilities are endless and the more you give away, the more people will spend time on your site.
Join everything up – Go where the people are online. Make a MySpace profile, a Squidoo Lens and a DSI group. Use them to build a clubbing community. Link everything together through the main website. Allow clubbers to move between the pages and get back to where they started without feeling like they have gone anywhere too far away.
Use press releases to show off – Given the right angle, a press release offering something for nothing would certainly get press on Gurn.net (and I’m sure other places too). Don’t be afraid to show off the stuff you are giving away.

Can you think of anything else? Have you tried these things and succeeded at other clubs? Let me know what you think.

10 reasons superstar DJs should have a blog

2006-06-26T18:46:00.000+01:00

Are you listening Judge Jules, Lee Burridge, Sasha or anyone else from bedroom to main room?

This is why you need a blog:

Your life is dead exciting and people want to hear about it.
There are no top DJs blogging.
The term ‘online diary’ is sooo 1995.
Clubbers love the internet and especially blogging.
You can talk to your fans when they are sober (or not as the case may be).
It’s 21st century branding.
You can podcast on it.
The kids can subscribe to you.
You can show how obsessive you are if you post every day (All DJs are obsessive compulsives, right?)
Writing posts give you something to do on the long flights (or if you are a prog DJ during a record).

The best story from Escape into the Park 2006

2006-06-22T11:03:00.000+01:00

While we were running around Swansea for Escape this weekend we came across the lovely ladies pictured.

(They are in the Gurn babes competition if you are looking to vote for something other than Big Brother.)

I happened to ask why they had decided to dress as army girls. The answer?

The outfits were Â£3 for the whole lot.

What a great reason, and what else would you need?

Good luck girls.

4 ways to make money from a festival (and still have a great time)

2006-06-22T09:56:00.000+01:00

What more can you ask for? It was blinding sunshine all day and a 20,000 plus crowd at Escape into the Park Swansea. The perfect chance to have some fun and make some money.

It’s not a bad life, so how did we do it?

We chatted up the clubbers all day on the promise of a "fittest bird and hottest guys" competition. It was a popular idea and we got some great pictures. The idea being they see the pictures and text in to vote for their mates. The winner gets a huge prize.
We pushed a load of funkpills on the unsuspecting Swansea punters through our main sponsor stall. We road tested them ourselves and can give the seal of approval.
We self promoted through our outdoor stage – the infamous Gurn Bus.
Finally the festival paid us for some advertising before the event through emails and banner adverts.

All in all a potentially profitable day for us, but the real test will come if we see a spike in members signing up and using us to buy more funkpills and the like.

How do we do that? Keep producing great clubbing content. (and pictures of semi naked ladies).

It's days like this that I remember how good working in the clubbing industry is.

Can Sonique cut it for Azuli?

2006-06-21T13:19:00.000+01:00

You would have thought the Sonique brand was well and truly dead.

Her 15 minutes of fame were back when pop-dance was at its millennium peak and for many her name will forever be associated with the fluffy, poppy end of dance music.

Which makes it odd that Azuli are using her to front a new Haji & Emanuel produced single: ‘Tonight’.

According to her website Sonique is still gigging, still making music (and good luck to her, she deserves it) and the track is doing well in dancefloor charts, but is her defunkt name the right one to use for Azuli?

How do they think it will help?

Chart success for their underground producers?

I'd like to know your opinion.

A clubbing money making opportunity

2006-06-20T11:50:00.000+01:00

Ask any promoter: There are plenty of ways to lose money in clubland. So when an untapped market comes along you should grab it with both hands.

What is this market?

It’s all about information, or more specifically, information delivery. It’s a format called RSS (which you may already know about).

It will work because clubbers are information junkies: Club listings, latest records, clubbing rumours, discussion and drug information is all sucked up as quickly as it is available.

At the moment this is done via email and forums. RSS is a better way of delivering the information.

How can you make money from it?

The idea is simple: Clubbers get the information they want, Promoters and record labels pay for access to clubbers.

It’s a system that works for email and forums already. It’s how Gurn.net and other similar clubbing websites make money.

Whoever can extend that service to RSS will make even more of a killing.

Who is going to get there first?

(Inspired by copyblogger - How to sell RSS)

More sex and drugs... now featuring gambling

2006-06-16T16:26:00.000+01:00

If you like gurn.net for the clubbing, drugs and sex then you can now add gambling to the list of vices we serve.

You might think it's immoral, but we like to think Gurn is giving you a choice of ways to corrupt yourself.

Sex - It's long been know that the gallery and forums are hotbeds of flirtation and boys meeting girls. In fact we have even had a wedding and a baby.If you want to get laid (but hopefully not pregnant), Gurn is the place to be.

Drugs - Clubbers take drugs. Sorry if that's news to you officer, but it's a fact. We are concerned about our members (especially as one got sent down for dealing). So now we are selling legal highs at our brand new funkpills page. Avoid the law and get high on Gurn.

Gambling - Our second new venture is our poker page. We figure online poker and clubbers will go together nicely, our member will have a laugh between weekend antics and we make a couple of quid. Everyone wins.

Both new ventures need some work. We are putting some features together on how to play poker and some reviews/testimonials for the legal highs. Do you know how to play poker and want to give me some advice?

Also I want to improve our maketing by following the always excellent advice at copyblogger on 5 Steps to Pay Per Click Advertising That Works

Will the new den of naughtiness that is Gurn.net work out? Do clubbers like sex, drugs and gambling? How well do we need to market these new ventures or will then take off by themselves? I'd like to know what you think.

Gurning in Swansea

2006-06-15T14:01:00.000+01:00

If you are going to Escape Into The Park this weekend make sure you head over to the Gurn Bus to say hi and I'll give you a free gift.

I'm especially keen to talk to any clubbing bloggers about an idea I have.

We will be at the back of the second field up by the Hard Dance Tent and will be boshing out legal highs and classic tunes until they tell us to stop.

The picture is me last year enjoying the errr... sunshine.

How can you resist?

5 years of sex, drugs, music and politics

2006-06-14T13:44:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday to the Skrufff dance music newsletter; the best news source on the net. If you don’t subscribe to the weekly dose of alternative clubbing news already, sign up now.

I have always tried to get the Gurn news section as good as Skrufff, but sadly I have never quite made it work as well.

Jonty also has a blog (of sorts) which tends to cover the same ground as the newsletter. It also doesn’t allow comments and doesn’t have RSS.

So let me extend an offer to Jonty (or anyone else in clubbing wanting a blog) – get in touch and I’ll help you out.

Wouldn’t you like to see a combination of the news gathering expertise of Skrufff with a proper blog?

What's your expertise?

2006-06-13T09:03:00.000+01:00

Sharing expertise makes you more of an expert. It builds relationships with people and allows you to get free advice in return.

What kind of expertise do you have?

What kind of advice do you need?

I want you to get in touch and tell me what you know. With your support I can start an informal network of advice sharing through this blog.

Imagine the benefits: A freely available resource for anyone in the dance music industry to get answers to their questions as quickly as they need them via forums, MSN, Skype or email.

Everyone can benefit: DJs, promoters, club owners, producers, PR people, website owners and just about anyone else involved in clubbing.

So contact me now and lets get started making life easier.

(Idea adapted from Qunu)

Tags: resource, sharing, expertise, information, clubbing

Why is selling a dirty word?

2006-06-09T09:38:00.000+01:00

Sales.

What does that word conjure up in your head?

Slick men in shiny suits? Objection Handling? Getting talked into something you dont want thanks to a smooth talking charlatan?

Bad selling has made selling a dirty word.

There is plenty of good selling going on every day too and that has been sullied by the bad image.

Ever got your mates to go clubbing when they didnt feel like it? Thats good selling.

Ever convinced yourself that you really, really need that new pair of trousers? Thats great selling.

Ever had someone listen to what you need then work with you to solve a problem?

Ever had a salesman tell you they cant do what you want, but they can tell you who does?

Thats amazing selling. In the way it should be done.

Thats the way we like to sell at Gurn too: making sales a good word, one customer at a time.

What good selling have you experienced? In clubland or outside?

Now I'm hitting the big time

2006-06-09T09:36:00.000+01:00

Well, maybe not quite the big time just yet. But Annie Mac has added me to her blogroll

Which is very exciting.

6 reasons why flyers will never die

2006-06-07T15:06:00.000+01:00

Internet club listings should have long overtaken the flyer as a way of advertising: It’s cheaper, easier to distribute widely and it can be changed in an instant.

So why has the flyer lasted?

It could be an ego thing:

Everyone likes to see their brands on TV or in print. It validates the products we make and market when Mom sees it in the paper. The Web doesn't offer the same kind of tangibility that other media offers. "I saw it on TV" holds more weight than "I read about it online."

If that’s true, it’s as true for clubbing as it is for perfume (apart from Mum seeing it perhaps).

Also, it’s just as important to remember the other reasons why flyers kick the internet into touch:

You can’t make a roach from a webpage.
Wepages don’t look as good on the wall.
You can’t find a webpage under a sofa 2 years after the event and have a rush of great memories.
You can't get a job handing out webpages
You can’t give out webpages to your target market outside a club at kicking out time.
Webpages don't look as good (usually)

Steve Rubel thinks that as the web generation starts to become adults, other advertising will take a back seat.

They will. But the flyer is not going to die anytime soon, even with the MySpace kids.

What do you think?

7 steps to becoming a clubbing professional

2006-05-25T18:17:00.000+01:00

So you have decided to become more professional. You are doing it to build your reputation and reach your aims in the clubbing world.

What practical steps can you take to get there?

These tips are universal. So a budding DJ can use them just as effectively as someone in dance music PR or promoting a club night. They also apply just as much to the part time flyerer as they do to the MD of a major clubbing brand.

Tips to becoming a clubbing professional

Make a plan – They say that failing to plan is planning to fail. You need to know exactly where you want to be and how you want to get there, and for that you need a plan. Planning is a massive subject (and one I have touched on in the past). If you want to get into the nuts and bolts, drop me a line. But for now, just make a plan. Fill it with realistic and achievable goals, then start doing it.
Start a blog – Blogs are great for personal development. They allow you to write down your ideas and get your experience across to others. Professionals with good, well written blogs are seen as experts in their field.
Network – Schmooze and make friends with everyone you can. Again this is a massive topic, and a very difficult skill to master (I’m rubbish at it). The two key principles are that everyone prefers working with people they know and like and you have to be genuine. Noone likes false smiles.
Get coached – Top sports performers need coached to get the best out of them. Why should you be any different? While a good coach can be hard to find they are worth seeking out by hook or crook. They can focus your mind, develop your weaknesses and help you see the whole picture. Stay tuned for a longer post on coaching.
Coach others – Coaching others is a great way to development. It helps you put your skills into words and shows you to be an expert. Offer your skills out to help others. It might even become a nicely paid sideline if you get results.
Be organised – It sounds obvious, but actually getting stuff done can be very difficult, especially if you are very busy. Get a system and stick with it. If you are a bit geeky like me (I’m looking a DJs particularly here) you will love setting up Getting Thing Done by David Allen. Even if you’re not, a good system is vital.
Play the percentages – I was never great with numbers, but sometimes they simplify things. Take this example about sliding coins to get a difficult task done. It’s all about using numbers to maximise whatever you are doing.

More on professionalism is coming up, so make sure you subscribe for regular updates.

Some of this guide has been adapted from work by Catherine Franz.

Do you need a favour?

2006-05-24T15:52:00.000+01:00

Favours make clubland go round. The whole fragmented, nature makes networking essential.

But networking is a fine art. Not all are as skilled at its subtleties as my mate Vince.

So why not get it all out in the open?

Do you work in the clubbing industry and need favours? (Let’s face it, who doesn’t?)

If you do just tell people what you are offering in return.

And where better to do that than a blog? So lets trade skills.

You might be surprised by the response. Start here by dropping me an email or a comment telling me what you want and what you can offer.

How to be a dance music professional

2006-05-23T17:06:00.000+01:00

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be considered a professional?

You probably have. There are no training courses on how to be a professional in dance music. Which is odd considering the number of jobs and the amount of money involved in the industry.

After all, Professionalism is about more than just being paid.

How do you learn? Read on and you will find out the secrets.

What is a dance music professional?

You could be a small time club night promoter or a DJ, have a PR company with a massive list of clients, run a record label or clubbing website or just be desperate for an industry break anywhere.

It doesn’t matter what you do.

In fact, you don’t even need to be paid by the dance music industry to be a professional. There are plenty of DJs, promoters and clubbers who dip their toes in the pool of clubland without a pay packet.

Being a professional needs a combination of skills:

Competence – The basic knowledge and ability to do the job is an essential starting point. You can learn this over time.
Reputation – This is much harder than the ability to do the job. It’s the perception by others that you are the best. When someone mentions your field, you are one of the first names on their lips. It’s something that needs to be built, nurtured and defended at all costs.
Confidence – This skill is one of the most difficult to learn. Confidence comes with inner knowledge of your own unique skills. You also need to be able to show your confidence to others without becoming cocky.
Responsibility – It’s hard to get responsibility if you have never had it. But a bulging portfolio of people who rely on you for your skills is vital to the professional.
Respect by Peers – Others in the industry need to see you as both a well of resources and a threat. If you are not on the radar for both those reasons, you are not a professional.
Trustworthiness – Trust is difficult to get and easy to lose. When you have it you are all powerful, but if you don’t respect it you can kiss your professionalism goodbye.

How do you get all those skills? Subscribe to this blog and in the coming days you will find out.

2006-05-19T12:42:00.000+01:00

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Guestlist available

2006-05-19T08:50:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Native North East Launch Party
Venue: The Cornerhouse, Middlesbrough
Date: Friday 26th May 2006
More Info:

The concept behind the night is to bring back the excitement people felt when they first started clubbing. The underground vibe that you got in the era just before the commercial peak of dance music phenomenon back in the day was half of the fun. The feeling of doing something different and belonging to something you could call your own. These feelings have been pretty much lost in recent times. That’s why Native is here: ensuring that the main ethos of the night is to bring back the party vibe & clubbing family environment that dance music was so synonymous with in its early days!

Room 1 - Cutting edge Tech-trance built up to ferocious Hard Dance
Room 2 – Uplifting, Tough House & Electro

Pic: Tylor Leigh.

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Guestlist available

2006-05-19T08:08:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Sander Kleinenberg launches This Is
Venue: Ministry of Sound
Date: Saturday June 3rd 2006
More Info:

Having road tested the concept @ this years WMC, Sander Kleinenberg prepares to introduce This Is to the UK on the 3rd June @ Ministry of Sound. Fully loaded with an array of secret weapons the ones hell put images to, Sander will entertain us, pushing the boundaries of technology, Djing both audio and video via live DVD mixing.

In the Bar ISSST bring their leading underground electro party with main meddlers Kevin Griffiths, Bobby M and the Swedish house music prodigy John Dahlback, for a night of high-octane entertainment set to an aural backdrop of sleazy electro-techno-acid-house.

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Blogs are better for music promotion than MySpace

2006-05-18T14:01:00.000+01:00

MySpace should be a no-brainer to spreading the word in the music industry. It’s got squillions of users, most of which are music fans.

That’s why a great deal of clubs, dance music artists and promoters have a MySpace profile. It’s easy to setup and attracts a bunch of ‘friends’ that you can market to.

It’s a free mailing list isn’t it?

Jewel certainly treated it like that when she sent out a bulletin to her fans, including Mack Collier giving away some posters as a promo.

Mack wasn’t impressed. Here was the reply:

Instead of offering $2 posters(eight!), why not give away 100 copies of GOODBYE ALICE IN WONDERLAND to 100 bloggers? And as an added bonus, when those CDs arrive to those 100 bloggers, have them all be SIGNED and INSCRIBED to the person.

How much positive publicity to you think that move would get Jewel and GAIW in the blogosphere? A ton and a half.

How much positive publicity do you think giving away 8 $2 posters is going to get Jewel? Most if not ALL of the people that will go to the trouble to apply for the poster, already have Jewel in their Top 8 anyway.

Which move, giving away 100 signed copies of GAIW to 100 bloggers, or giving away 8 $2 posters on MySpace, is going to generate more publicity for Jewel and GAIW...and ultimately more sales of GAIW?

We both know which will cost more, giving away 100 CDs. It will also require Jewel to set aside 10 mins or so to sign them. But it, unlike giving away 8 posters, will lead to sales.
Isn't that the name of the marketing game here?

It is indeed. Blogs are better marketing tools than sites like MySpace because bloggers are more influential.

Want to know more about using blogs to market dance music? Subscribe for regular updates.

The manifesto for a new clubbing industry

2006-05-17T14:13:00.000+01:00

Being different is good. In sales terms, it’s all about having USPs. In personal terms it’s about standing out from the crowd.

How hard is it to do?

In the world of clubbing and dance music it seems to be very hard indeed.

You could use record labels, DJs or club nights as an example but lets use clubbing websites as a case study (after all, I know most about that).

There is massive number of clubbing websites in the UK alone. Some are big, some are small. Without a doubt, all of them are completely interchangeable in terms of content.

Listings, photos, reviews, flyers via email and adverts via text message. It’s a stream of sameness (and often badly written sameness).

Not unique at all.

Clubbers love of clubbing means that poor quality is accepted. After all, they are getting the information about nights and music, even if there is a lot of ‘noise’ in the process.

This needs to end.

This list of demands is my thinking behind how we can do it. While it applies to the web, it can just as easily be transferred to other areas of clubbing and dance music.

The manifesto for a new clubbing industry

Respect - Not everyone into dance music is a crazy madcap clubber hell bent on drug taking. Clubbers will be respected whatever they are hell bent on.

Personalisation - Clubbers will get the content they want on their own terms. We can get the information we want, when we want it.

Privacy - Clubbers will only get information via email or text when they ask for it. All our lives are busy. Interruptions are not welcome.

Community - Clubbers will be able to interact with themselves freely and the people who run clubland directly.

Unique - Clubland is a unique and exciting place to be. The clubbing industry will be just as unique and exciting. In every aspect.

This can happen. We in the industry can make it happen because it will make us more money and be more fun along the way.

Will it happen?

If you work in the industry I’m interested in your comments, especially if you work in clubbing PR, for a record label or as a DJ. Get in touch or add a comment.

What clubbing can learn from cleaning

2006-05-16T14:34:00.000+01:00

To be more specific – what club promoters should avoid when designing flyers.

John Dodds tells us the tale of a badly designed flyer for a cleaning company:

...the company have turned off all the people who's worldview is skewed against marketing bullshit and yet has failed to expand on its hook for those who were enticed.

John is right. More so than ever, everyone’s bullshit radar is finely tuned. So while club flyers have traditionally been more about good design and information, they also need to sell as much as an advert for a cleaning company pushed through a letterbox.

So what is the lesson the clubbing industry can learn from cleaners?

Perhaps the answer is to leave it to the experts. Promoters may know how to promote but do they know design, or do they know how to write good marketing copy?

But that leads to more problems. Do you ask a designer or a copywriter to help you? Or do you fork out for both?

How many promoters can realistically do that?

The most effective method is to stop relying on flyers to spread the word. While they have an important place, there are plenty more targeted and permission based methods.

Including using blogging.

The reason for this clubbing industry blog

2006-05-15T15:01:00.000+01:00

Blogging has a bad reputation in business. It’s still uncommon to find business blogs, especially clubbing industry blogs.

Mike Sigers may have part of the reason why:

Business people can’t see the profit in blogging.

Mike attacks Bob Bly’s theory on why that is. Quite rightly too. But that still doesn't change the fact that there are not enough business blogs and there are no clubbing business blogs of note.

What we need to be asking is not: "How can we make this guy sound like an out-of-date idiot?"

Which is what Mike did in a very skilled way.

The question is: "What can we do to prove the power of blogging to guys like Bob?"

It seems the message is not getting through and blogging is still seen by many in business (especially the clubbing business) as the place for rambling about pet cats (damn you MySpace). Clubbing blogs are not seen as ways to make money, or even advertise.

Bob is just an example of the work we have to do.

We still have a long way to go.

Stick with this blog by subscribing and maybe we can get there.

Is it worth advertising online?

2006-05-10T14:23:00.000+01:00

Critics say that advertising online is a waste of time. Is this a valid argument? Does nobody click banner ads or read spam email?

News.com, a US technology site, have a nice (if horribly dry) report of the state of online advertising. It’s a positive report in general, but can we apply it to our little UK clubbing corner of the web?

Yes, with certain caveats.

The facts are that more traditional online adverts are becoming less relevant. Banner adverts and pop-ups are blocked, spam is bounced.

That doesn’t mean the medium is flawed. It means we have to get more creative when advertising online.

Building communities, reputation monitoring, creating a buzz and great content is the new online advertising. While banners and opted in email are a big part of that so are rss feeds, podcasts and blogs.

It’s why, at Gurn, we don’t like selling banners on their own, we like selling solutions that get results.

Are you embracing this? Do you still stick with traditional offline methods? Would you like to know more?

I’d love to hear your opinion.

Link via Andy Beal

My biggest money making secret

2006-05-10T13:29:00.000+01:00

There is a secret that has helped me make money. Want to be in on it?

If you are a club promoter or a label owner, you should be considering it.

The secret is Copyblogger and his latest series "Building Your Fan Club" is set to be a big part of how to make a club night or a record label a success (or any other business for that matter).

I have been agreeing with Copyblogger Brian since before I knew I was. So, maybe it’s not so much of a secret.

But who cares as long as you are rich, right?

Related Posts

Clubbing photo tips

2006-05-09T13:06:00.000+01:00

If you take photos for us at Gurn you get to go clubbing for free. Not a bad deal in itself, but if you are going to do something you may as well do it right. Why not take even better clubbing photos?

I'm no expert on taking photos, but I know a man who is. Take a look at the new Digital Photography School blog for tips and tricks and you could be showing off your new found skills in the Gurn.net clubbing picture gallery.

Interested? Get in touch.

Related Posts

Organising yourself and Getting Things Done

2006-05-08T14:36:00.000+01:00

Do you ever find the amount of "stuff" in your life getting out of control? Are you sometimes so overloaded with work that you become paralysed into doing nothing?

It's perhaps not a problem for many promoters, certainly not ones I have met, but if you do there is an answer that I have tried and works very well.

For example, ever since getting back from my holiday I have not been able to motivate myself properly and my list of things to-do just keeps piling up. (If I owe you an email… sorry.)

That just makes me even less motivated.

Recognise the symptoms?

Lucky for us both the answer is: Getting Things Done by David Allen.

It’s a system for dealing with things that need doing when it all goes a bit crazy. I have been using it for months to great effect.

Trouble is, even when you are highly organised, you still need to actually do the things: That’s where I have been struggling recently (and the apology for not getting back to you is the subtext of this post if you hadn’t already noticed).

But that’s because I have not been following the system closely enough. So, buy the book, read the blogs (start here) and get organised.

Lets face it, the clubbing industry could do with being better at that.

Guestlist available

2006-05-05T14:47:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Club: The Priory Hawaiian Ball with Phil Kieran
Venue: Marquee @ CCFC
Date: Sat 13th May 2006
More Info: The Priory's season of summer parties starts with our Summer Ball - a one-off special event in a 450 capacity marquee on Cambridge City FC's pitch!

line up: Phil Kieran, Pete Lever, Sam I Am, The Fish, Mr Burns

www.priorynights.com

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Guestlist available

2006-05-05T12:43:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Josh Wink - MoS Sessions Launch Party
Venue: Ministry of Sound
Date: Sat May 13th 2006
More Info: Josh Wink, Yousef, Benny Rodrigues, Marc Hughes, Eden Collective

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

How to give people what they want

2006-05-04T16:24:00.000+01:00

People don’t buy what they need. They buy what they want.

Not sure if you agree?

Coca-Cola sold 500 million cans of soda yesterday. I think a consumer can find a cold beverage somewhere if they really need to… Nobody's going to lose any sleep, no one's going to get dehydrated.

People only buy Coke because they want to and people will only buy records, club tickets or banner adverts because they want to. The rest is justification.

So how do we give people what they want?

It’s a pretty big question, one hopefully you will gradually get the answer to if you subscribe to this blog.

Until then, lets talk about one part of the equation:

Give people what they want by telling them stories

You have to have a great (6x great) product or service in the first place, but once you have that, start telling a story.

It’s part of how Coke sells billions of cans.

It’s a big part of how word of mouth works.

So get started with this guide to telling a great story from Seth Godin.

Then setup a clubbing blog to tell it and encourage your fans/regulars to do the same.

Just one little hint though. Don’t rely on MySpace to do it. Everyone’s already doing that. You want your story to stand out.

Related Posts

5 reasons books are great at promotion

2006-05-03T13:57:00.000+01:00

Clubbing, dance music and literature. You wouldn’t put them together naturally (a few have tried with varied success).

Which is probably the reason you should consider a book as a marketing tool if you work in the clubbing industry.

It doesn't matter if you do PR, marketing, promote a big dance music label, a small night in Sheffield or are trying to become s superstar DJ. It’s not hard or expensive to self publish, and you are enough of an expert in your field to do it.

Jim Logan, a marketer who knows what works, thinks real, hard copy stuff is simply more convenient. Which is good enough reason in itself.

But if that wasn’t enough:

Love – You can hold a book in your hand and it feels special: More than a flyer or a lanyard. People will love a book. Like vinyl, a book is highly keepable and will be treasured. It’s turning your brand into a Lovemark.

Passion – What better way to show the world (and the people you want to sell stuff to) that you are so passionate about what you do that you can write a whole book about it?

Reputation – People who have written books on subjects are considered experts. Experts command respect. Other people will turn to you for advice. A book could even have your competition paying you as a consultant.

Uniqueness – Face it, even if all the above is a massive lie, who else in the clubbing industry has written a book? Answer: You and Ministry of Sound. Not a bad list to be on.

A word of warning though. Make sure what’s in the book is up to scratch. Content, after all, is always king.

Need a hand with the writing? Get in touch with me and I'll be happy to contribute.

Related Posts

Should DJs kill themselves?

2006-05-02T15:29:00.000+01:00

We may not be sure what Bill Hicks thought of DJ’s but we do know what he thought of marketers:

By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing, kill yourself. No, this is not a joke: kill yourself.

Maybe he would advise DJs the same because DJs are in marketing.

They are selling records as well as playing them. In choosing one tune over another they are advertising it's merits to a captive audience. That sounds like niche marketing to me.

But maybe Bill would give the DJs a break. After all there is a difference: DJs market by passion.

It’s marketing by a belief in a "product" that is so strong the salesman is actually using it at the time.

Not a bad recommendation. If only all marketing (clubland included) had that level of passion, maybe Bill wouldn’t have been quite as funny.

He probably would have been though.

Related Posts

Guestlist available

2006-05-01T07:31:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Pure Pete Tong
Venue: Ministry of Sound, London
Date: 20th May 2006
More Info: Pete Tong, DJ Vibe, Mark Knight, Paul Harris, MYNC Project, Damien Wilson

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Guestlist available

2006-05-01T07:27:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: King Roc Launch Party @ AKA
Venue: The End, London
Date: Sat 20th May 2006
More Info: www.buggedout.net

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Guestlist available

2006-05-01T07:22:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Freelance Hellraiser Album Tour
Venue: see below for venues and dates
Date: see below for venues and dates
More Info:

May 27 2006 - Turnmills, London
Jun 3 2006 - "Good Luck Studio !"@Sosho, London
Jul 1 2006 - "Good Luck Studio !"@Sosho, London
Jul 14 2006 - Arches, Glasgow
Jul 29 2006 - Global Gathering
Aug 5 2006 - "Good Luck Studio !"@Sosho, London
Aug 19 2006 - The Secret Garden, Huntingdon

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Greatest Hits

2006-04-21T21:42:00.000+01:00

No updates from me for a week as I'm going on holiday to an undisclosed location (I don't want to get papped).

So while you wait (and please do wait) why not read some of my favourite posts from the last few months?

The best clubbing books
How to make a press release interesting
5 reasons why clubbing websites are rubbish
8 ways to be memorable
7 reasons you need a clubbing blog today
A day in the life of a clubbing website
The web terms that can make clubbing better
Sankeys Soap: Closing down or getting clever?

Annie Mac goes blogging

2006-04-21T12:24:00.000+01:00

Do you have a blog yet? Annie Mac off of Radio 1 does and it's a proper one with comments and RSS and everything.

Welcome to the world of blogging Annie. Let's hope others in clubbing and dance music follow your lead. Also it gives our Tour Manager Nobby a chance to express his undying love for you instead of to me via MSN.

Annie Mac - Another reason to add to the 7 reasons you need a clubbing blog today.

Guestlist available

2006-04-21T09:05:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Goodgreef Presents Junior G
Venue: The Cosmic Ballroom, Stowell Street, Newcastle Upon-Tyne
Date: Friday 12th May 2006
More Info:

Room 1 Tech Trance & Techno
John Askew
Shan
Richard Tulip
Mark Maitland
James Anderson

Room 2 Electro & House & Breaks
Untaimed Society
Deep Down & Dirty

10pm-3am

www.goodgreef.com

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Guestlist available

2006-04-20T21:25:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Native
Venue: Club North, Tib St, Manchester
Date: Friday 5th May 2006
More Info: Andy Whitby, Matt Pickup b2b Stuart M, Fake DJ, Andy Hames. 10pm-4am

www.nativeuk.com

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Hi:Fi Festival - what we can learn

2006-04-20T14:43:00.000+01:00

You already know that free mixes are great promotional tools. Not only for DJs, but also club nights, festivals and labels.

It’s a no-brainer – if you are involved in dance music you need to have mixes to give away. They give something for nothing and they showcase what is on offer.

But there are loads of places to go to get mixes and no guarantee of quality. How do you filter?

You could follow the example of the Hi:Fi Festival.

Hi:Fi has allowed us to run a mix on Gurn. It’s going up next week so keep your eyes peeled. (Why not subscribe and be the first to know?)

We will be letting our 46,000 email subscribers know about it and we are one of the top results when you search in Google.

In other words, don’t put a mix out there and hope people will come to you, put your mix where people can find it.

If you want your mix on Gurn.net then drop me a line.

Related Posts

A new clubbing podcast

2006-04-19T12:20:00.000+01:00

Turns out that our members seem to love dance music podcasts as much as Pete Tong and Gareth Emery.

Good news for Pete, Gareth and us. We found this out because last week we had a vague idea that doing a clubbing podcast might be a cool thing to do.

So we sent out a request our weekly newsletter for people to present it.

We said upfront that it’s unpaid, unglamorous and only involves talking into a microphone, yet we got a huge response.

So, this week I’ll be holding auditions (don’t call us…) and we should have a working demo pretty shortly.

More information as I get it so stay tuned, especially if you are interested in what show format we are going to use and if you are wondering if all these new fangled ways of starting conversations with clubbers actually work.

I’ll be the first to tell you if they don’t.

Related Posts

Promoting for the inattentional blind

2006-04-18T15:58:00.000+01:00

I noticed yesterday that we were running an advert on Gurn.net for a club event that happened on the 4th April.

And I run the adverts.

And I am on the site for several hours a day.

If that isn’t the best example of “inattentional blindness” I don’t know what is:

…as certain methods of web advertising become more common (banner ads, google ad bars on the right of the page, etc.), regular users develop “inattentional blindness”, seeing through the branding and focusing on the information, entertainment or tool they seek. This phenomenon becomes increasingly problematic as more and more advertising dollars are directed to the web.

Adam Eland explains how people are focussing more on content and less on adverts.

The solution?

Give people content, good content and they will engage. Throw them an advert and they will block it out.

That includes the clubbing people too.

(Link via chartreuse)

Related Posts

Guestlist available

2006-04-14T12:55:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Toolroom Sessions
Venue: Ministry of Sound, London.
Date: 29th April 2006
More Info: Derrick May, Mark Knight, Jim Masters, Marc Hughes, Dave Spoon.

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Record Labels: How to make sure artists fail

2006-04-13T13:33:00.000+01:00

Music, dance music included, is pretty pointless if it never gets heard. Artists won’t get many fans if they restrict the number of people who hear their music.

That’s why the actions of Island Def Jam are so bizzare.

Chartreuse tells us the tale of The Killers having their video removed from YouTube for copyright infringement. That is technically true, but it shows how spectacularly Island has missed the point.

I know the title is a bit dramatic, and I’m sure The Killers will have a long and successful career. I do feel sorry for acts without such a fan base to fall back on though.

An artist is getting out there with ZERO extra marketing from the label, and they decide its bad PR.

It’s amazing PR. It’s amazing for business. If even 1% of the YouTube Killers fans buy the record, that’s several hundred extra customers for the price of a smile.

And how many more people will they convert? YouTube fans are more likely to sell the band to their mates.

I deal with PR people on a daily basis, all trying to get stuff on Gurn.net. They would be sick if this happened to them.

Island should be slipping MORE stuff into sites that are taking off like crazy. YouTube, Google Video, MySpace. We even have an unused media server at Gurn just waiting to host all kinds of cool stuff.

It certainly won’t be a Killers video.

Related Posts

How important is 10 out of 10?

2006-04-12T16:57:00.000+01:00

The new Mixmag boss, according to the Observer blog, invented the star rating system for album reviews.

That little fact got me thinking. How do star ratings really help dance music record labels?

We have an "out of ten" rating system where users can disagree with our reviewer if they wish. For some reason, it’s hardly used.

Does that mean dance music buyers don’t rate ratings?

The star rating system is great for labels wanting to cause a fuss about how good their music is. It’s an easy to understand way of saying:

Don’t take our word for it, someone else thinks this is great too

But people don’t buy a record just because it got a top rating in DJ Magazine or the NME. The rating system is still top-down and people don’t like being told what to listen to.

So while it might be a seductive idea, the real future for labels is not getting good star ratings. The real future is in starting a conversation with their fans and getting them to spread the word themselves.

Related Posts

Guestlist available

2006-04-12T10:27:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: South West Four Launch Party
Venue: Brixton Academy
Date: Saturday 15th April 2006
More Info:

The Main Room will be hosted by Carl Cox and Friends – Tim Sheridan & Mr.C whilst The Foyer sees one of London’s hottest breaks events Platform 12 welcome Meat Katie, Ali B, Future Funk Squad and Platform 12 Residents Clive Morley & Ladykilla + more, to keep the club vibe rocking upstairs will be hosted by Plush De Funk, Dirty Groove and Hot N Spicy delivering the best in London house music.

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

Sankeys Soap: Closing down or getting clever?

2006-04-11T15:30:00.000+01:00

We announced yesterday that the Manchester club Sankeys Soap is set to close.

It’s a big headline, but is it a clever ploy to get a buzz going?

The club is being tight lipped at the moment, but when you read the press release between the lines they tell us it is closing, then say something special is happening the very next week.

Also, there is currently nothing on the Sankeys Soap website.

Sounds dodgy already. Is it causing a buzz?

Lets take a look online:

Nothing in Technorati or Google
Dontstayin is not fooled (heck they don’t even mention it)
The big message boards are quiet
2 posts on Feedster, but the site also has the real answer:

Suddi on UK Dance:

its not closing down... its closing down to be done up while thy expand it.. it will reopen with flash new interior after summer, rebadged.

So it is a buzz creation tool and not what it seems.

While they might not quite have created the buzz they were after, it certainly was a sneaky idea, and it fooled me enough to run with it without checking my sources.

Good work David Vincent. Next time maybe you can get the information out to bloggers as well as the bigger websites, it might have caused more of a stir.

Sidebar: Don’t you love the power of the web to launch and then kill a story in a matter of hours?

Related Posts

What’s right with Gurn.net?

2006-04-10T17:09:00.000+01:00

I got some great feedback when I posted “What’s wrong with Gurn.net”. I promised I would reply properly.

While I am loathe to criticise someone’s thought out opinions, I’m doing it in the spirit of debate rather than a fight. After all, if Gurn.net is better then everyone is better of – clubbers, promoters, DJs and members.

Just to remind you, here are the original criticisms, and here is my reply:

Articles are iffy

As the main article writer, I would disagree with that wouldn’t I?

Admittedly we are focussing our attention on more, shorter, snappier, more opinionated articles. If that makes them iffy then I hold up my hands, but I would rather have a half a dozen shorter articles that generate a reaction than one that never gets read.

Not enough new photos in the gallery

Guilty as charged. I would like a couple of new galleries a week and we are not there yet.

We do get a lot of people asking to be photographers for us, but for some reason most don’t come though with the goods. I’m convinced it’s something we are doing to put people off, I just can’t work out what it is.

No automated press release uploading

Hands down: A terrible idea. While we do publish press releases verbatim sometimes, letting PR companies loose is just inviting unfliltered advertising of events. We make our money from advertising, so it’s bad.

The Gurn Bus is underused

Agreed again, although it does get out a few times a year. It was all a question of finding a market outside of the traditional festivals. We were terrible at that. We have secured a sponsor who wants us to do this too, so we be getting the bus out there.

Do you promote a night big enough to have the Gurn Bus there? We don’t charge for it.

The forums have not changed

The forums are the best and worst part of the site for me. They are always busy but always cause headaches for us in some way or another. They have got quieter recently while the main site has jumped in popularity. It’s debatable whether changing the forum layout will make much difference, but it’s worth a try.

We have agreed some changes and will be rolling them out slowly soon.

I'm also interested in getting links and infomation about building web based communities.

Users can’t upload pictures

They can, just not directly to the gallery. It’s something we need to change but it’s way down the priority list at the moment. Someone else has stolen our thunder on user uploading, so we need to find a way to make it better.

The site needs a new design

We are working on that but it’s not going to have another major overhaul anytime soon. It would take too long for too little return. The purple and orange colours and the aliens are here to stay. That is unless any web designer has a spare month and doesn’t mind doing a total redesign for free.

Also, take a look here for some more features that I like but are underused.

Gurn is a great site, and I love working here, but we still have work to do, which I am happy to admit. As usual, your comments are needed by us to help us improve. What do you think? Add acomment or drop me a line.

Related Posts

Guestlist available

2006-04-09T20:28:00.000+01:00

Don't know what this is all about? Read "How to get on the guestlist" for all the information you need.

Club: Goodgreef presents Paul van Dyk
Venue: Tall Trees, Yarm
Date: Sunday 28th May 2006
More Info: www.goodgreef.com

If you want to get into this event for free and you are prepared to take pictures and/or write a review then follow the instructions at "How to get on the guestlist"

Tag: guestlist

How to get on the guestlist

2006-04-09T18:56:00.000+01:00

We get a lot of requests from clubs for clubbing reviews and galleries: So many we can never fill them all.

Can you help?

You can join our staff of reviewers. In return for guestlist entry to clubs we ask for a review or a gallery that is up to our intense standards.

Are you up for it?

It couldn't be easier.

I will post up the opportunities for guestlists as they arise. All you need to do is keep your eye on this blog (I recommend you subscribe to make it easier) and get in touch if you are interested.

How do I subscribe?

You can subscribe here, or add your email address to the box on the side. You can also get directly to all the guestlist chances through this link (you can bookmark it in delicious).

How do I get in touch?

Im pretty easy to contact. You can email me, use this form, write in or phone the office.

Its that simple. So if you are a clubber who has a way with words or a digital camera itching to be used, get subscribing!

I run a club night, how do I get Gurn.net to come down?

Get in touch with me and I will let our review team know directly as well as posting it here.

Tag: guestlist

Related Posts

Clubbing and dance music blogs

2006-04-08T21:47:00.000+01:00

One of the joys of blogging is that you get to open a conversation with people you would never meet otherwise. In the past I have been frustrated by the lack of blogs in the industry. There are some clubbing blogs dropping onto my radar recently, so let me give out some love.

Voltage is an electro/electroclash blog with some strong opinions. As a closet metrosexual hidden in the body of an unfashionable MOR funky house lover, I can highly recommend it.

Dirty Funky Sexy is a club night with big plans. They have an Ibiza week in a hotel coming up and it's based it's website around a blog and forum. This level of interactivity is where things are going.

Disco Disciples is a clubbing blog I have just come across. It's intelligently written. More clubbers should have blogs like this one.

Related Posts

The web terms that can make clubbing better

2006-04-06T15:21:00.000+01:00

It's somewhat of a trusim that the clubbing industry is behind the times when it comes to the internet.

Our customers at Gurn.net range from the highly technically savvy to those who just about know how to send an email. Their goal is always the same though - to make some money.

Avoiding the obvious argument that it's not about profit it's about the party, how do those working in the industry use the web to make money?

I have already talked about a few ways, but here is a new one:

Understand the terms

The web is awash with exciting and bewildering terms (it always has been). Here is a brief guide to the new internet (some call it web 2.0) and the potential to those who work in clubland:

Blogs: A blog allows you to save time, save money and strengthen relationships.

In simple terms a blog is just an instant, easily and frequently updated website. They are traditionally seen as online diaries for angsty teens. As this blog (hopefully) shows there is much more. There are plenty of people who agree, both online and in real, old skool books.

Can you use blogs to make money? Yes. But the best benefits are not direct. They allow you to start a conversation with customers/record buyers/DJs/clubbers like no other medium can. Since having this blog, we have seen a huge increase in two way communication between Gurn.net and our client base.

RSS: RSS lets people read their favourite websites without having to check them every day. Unlike email newsletters there is no messy mailing lists to faff around with. One click and you are subscribed. Another click and you are gone. No spam, no viruses. Itâ€™s closely tied to blogging (blogs have RSS subscriptions).

Is there money in it? Not in the medium, but RSS subscribers have bought in to you more powerfully than email lists or visitors to your website. They like you so much they want to be up to date all the time. They luuurve you.

RSS exposes you to your biggest fans. And you know how important they are right?

Podcasting: Podcasting is getting big in clubland. Pete Tong loves it. Itâ€™s taking the concept of the mix CD to the next level. It's like RSS for your favourite music.

Just like RSS, fans can subscribe to podcasts and get the latest editions of shows/mixes delivered to their computer automatically. They can listen when and how they want â€“ on an ipod, on a CD, on their PC.

It's early days for the podcasters and they have not worked out how to make money directly just yet. There are a few methods knocking about. Again, itâ€™s about finding and talking to your biggest fans.

So it's all about blogs, RSS and Podcasting? Not quite. There are plenty more terms to digest, but as the most relevant to clubland, those three should do it for now.

How many people in the clubbing industry are using these technologies to develop and stay ahead? Virtually no one. Instead we are stuck with user un-friendly, un-interactive websites that act as online flyers. The conversations go on ignored by the big players.

If the smaller industry people get their acts together and embrace the new, they might just nip in while the big boys are busy putting the finishing touches on their flash websites.

Always get permission

2006-04-05T12:49:00.000+01:00

I got a very cross email yesterday from a photographer. We used one of his images in our Pete Tong on Podcasting feature without permission.

It was a mistake. The licence of the picture didn’t state you needed permission (it said it’s OK as long as you credit the photographer which we did by linking to his flickr page).

Clearly I had broken the unwritten etiquette rules around photo permissions. Which I did apologise for, and we have resolved the issue.

If you want to use images properly online I recommend this page on free stock images. Don't learn the hard way like me.

What have I learned? Always get permission!

Related Posts

How to make money while you sleep

2006-04-04T13:32:00.000+01:00

We are turning our attentions strongly to affiliate deals at the moment. Everything is automated and you get a kick back on every sale. In short, you make money while you sleep.

It’s good for us because we make money, and it’s good for our users because they get to buy the stuff that we review anyway. I think they call that an end-to-end experience. Whatever.

If you are involved in the club scene and want to do the same I recommend the legal high site everyonedoesit.com (aff link).

It’s relevant to our audience of clubbers on Gurn.net and if you have a clubbing blog or website it will be relevant to your readers too. So how do you make the most of it?

The secret to making money while you sleep is to work at it while you are awake. Here is what we plan to do to encourage our readers to click through:

Reviewing the legal highs that the site supply us and adding an affilate link to the products
Having a legal high forum that allows Gurn users to discuss the products
Setting up a Gurn.net branded shop selling EDIT stuff
Banner ads

The idea is to start a conversation between your users about the products. If they genuinely like them (or hate them) they will talk about them. If they are good products they will encourage each other to buy them. It’s allowing your users to sell for you (while you sleep).

Of course, the products have to be good enough or no one will bother. You can’t fool people. EDIT have a good range, we just need to make sure enough of our users try them.

I’ll keep you posted on how we are doing, and if you need any info on how to do it yourself then drop me a line. I’m always happy to help.

Related posts

Brand New Email Newsletter

2006-04-02T20:12:00.000+01:00

Newsletters are a great way of staying in touch with your audience. We have a weekly one on Gurn.

So to practice what I preach I have teamed up with Zookoda to bring you the Gurndotnet Email Newsletter.

It's a once a week summary of all the posts on the site so you don't have to keep checking back every day and you can quickly scan the posts for anything you are interested in. Like this blog it will be packed with clubbing industry insider tips, advice and tricks for everyone interested in dance music.

So what are you waiting for? Add your email to the box on the right and hit Subscribe...

How your clubbing blog can make you money

2006-03-30T17:32:00.000+01:00

As you may have noticed before, I'm all for blogging. I think it's a great way to build a community and make you stand out.

Blogging is a way of 'flipping the funnel' in the cutthroat clubbing industry sure, but it can also make you money.

There are many people who make money from blogging. In very simple terms, they do so because they have found an audience and they run adverts to that audience.

Clubs, record labels and promoters have a potential audience in their existing fan base. There is some cash to be made.

How do you do it?

There are plenty of pages on the net devoted to showing you how. Problogger is one of the best and I strongly recommend you delve into the archives there for a full picture.

I'm not going to steal his thunder, but here are the basics:

Have great content: This is the hard part. What you write on your blog need to be interesting and relevant or people will just stop coming. You won't have anyone to advertise to. Dry press releases or information alone is not enough. You need something new and interesting all the time.

Have relevant adverts: You can make money based on the number of people who click on ads and buy stuff. There are plenty of people who will help you run ads on your blog. Google Adsense and Amazon are good places to start. Just make sure what you advertise is relevant to your readers. If it's not they won't click and you won't make any money.

Ask for donations: Services like Paypal allow you to add a "donate" button to your blog. If you are giving people good quality content for free, plus they love what you do offline, many will put their hand in their virtual pocket for you.

Merchandise: Merchandising and music have always gone hand in hand. You can sell your own stuff if you are organised enough, or you can use a service like Cafepress to add your logo onto all kinds of crap.

The real key though is to stick at it.

It takes a long time to build a fan base in itself, and it's hard to win them over to become regulars on your blog. But if you build up a niche of a few hundred fans you have enough to start making a nice side income.

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The dillemma of sniffer dogs

2006-03-29T15:43:00.000+01:00

If there were one symbol to represent the insanity of clubbing the sniffer dog would be it.

To fill legal requirements festivals bring them out every year to find some evil drug takers. It’s their job to catch out clubbers.

The signal is clear: Come and take drugs at our festival if you wish. Just don’t get caught.

Never was this juxtaposition brought home to me more than at Homelands one year. While walking in, we were first attacked by PR people offering free samples of iced tea, then funnelled into a single file so the sniffer dogs could check us.

Come in, come in, spend money, be a target demographic. YOU EVIL DRUG
SCUM.

It doesn’t really work as a marketing message does it?

But that is the dillemma. Dogs show the world that big festivals are law abiding. The culture of dance music is anything but law abiding and none of the big names want to mention it.

Does it mean that while dogs and drugs exist the industry will never be taken seriously? Maybe, but we can still be a serious industry even if we are not considered as one, just a very unique one.

And unique sells almost as well as drugs do.

Musicubes - another way to spread the word

2006-03-26T09:49:00.000+01:00

Radio One have an interesting viral toy called Musicubes. They allow you to share your musical tastes with the world and tell your friends about the service.

Here is mine:

Adblock

It would be interesting to see a clubbing brand try something similar.

Content is filtered in, adverts are filtered out

2006-03-21T18:23:00.000Z

People, especially clubbing people, are very savvy to ‘marketing ploys’. They also love great content. A great message will spread by itself across clubland.

We experienced it with the infamous Glastowank which spreak like wildfire. Pete Tong also agrees.

Stuff like this shows that the most important tool of any promotional campaign is the quality of the content. Music, websites, radio, blogs, club nights, EVERYTHING.

That’s why we are constantly striving to make our content better, more interesting, funnier and downright great. It’s paying off with a big spike in people visiting the site.

People are in contact with thousands of messages every day and they are filtering you out. What are you giving them that gives them a reason to filter you in?

Related Posts

What do you do with your regular fans?

2006-03-21T15:27:00.000Z

Fabric don’t have a fan club, but they do have a lot of fans.

So why are they not building a community around them? As the church of the customer put it:

[a fan club is] a community of validation. It's official recognition of a relationship. It's a relationship network. It's a word-of-mouth ecosystem. It's the test-marketing forum for new ideas, products and strategies.

Does your club night or label or business have regulars? Are they in your fan club? Are they spreading the word without your interference? That’s what fan clubs do.

If not, don’t worry you don’t need to start making posters and badges. But you can make them feel special.

What ideas do you have for turning your fans into your salesmen?

What Fabric need to do

2006-03-21T10:52:00.000Z

Fabric in London is a great club, and a very clever brand. They keep an "underground" feel while filling a massive club and selling lots of CDs. But they do't quite have their web promotion right.

Actually, that is a little harsh. They are better than most. The website is cool and functional. They do discounts on their CDs if you subscribe. Where they have missed a trick is their blog.

At the moment the blog is for press infomation and simple posts pictures/press releases. This might be a great resource for the media, but what a trick that has been missed!

Imagine if they used the blog to start a conversation with people in the press instead of just posting dry press information. They could build a community of like minded hacks based around their blog.

How much more press would they get if journalists are making it a habit to visit the Fabric blog?
How much better can they make the brand by doing the same thing for punters? There is a latent desire there. I know because Fabric is by far the most request club for reviews and pictures (and also the least likely to give press access).

Sure, it would be hard work. But it's cheaper than traditional advertising and more effective.

That's what Fabric need to do.

Not all clubbers are equal

2006-03-19T18:24:00.000Z

How many 'tribes' are there in clubland?

It's a question which is almost impossible to answer. things move fast and people, especially clubbing people, hate to be boxed off. One thing is certain though. Not all nights are for all people.

Promoters can utilise this knowledge to fill a club.

In dryer marketing terms it's called "knowing your niche" and it's the subject of this marketing article on about.com. Hard house nutters will not be found at a minimal techno night very often. The key factor that promoters can use is the 3 point process:

Write out a profile of her "perfect customer", i.e., those most likely to be interested in buying her product. What other products do they buy? What do they do for a living? What's their income level? Are they male or female? Young, old or somewhere in between? What do they do for fun?

What appeals to this person about your product or service? Now you can hone your message. What motivates this person? Health? Wealth? Beauty? Adventure? Relaxation? Now that you've narrowed it down, you can focus on a strong, simple message that appeals to this person.

Where can you reach this person? What periodicals do they read? Where do they go for fun? Do they attend business networking events, and if so, which ones? Where do they hang out online? Or do they just surf, and if so, where?

How many promoters heed this advice and laser in on the type of clubber they want? How many rely on traditional methods like posters and flyers and hope that if they get enough out someone will notice?

Will targeting make the difference between a successful night and a failure? Maybe, maybe not. But finding a niche and sticking to it is cheaper, easier to control and more intuitive.

All clubbers are not equal, so why promote like they are?

Related Posts

Pete Tong talks to Gurn.net

2006-03-17T14:30:00.000Z

After a very long wait we finally got the Pete Tong interview online. Pete talked to us about podcasting.

If you want to help promote this article you can do it by clicking the "Bookmark this page in del.icio.us" link.

As I know blog readers like the inside track I thought I would post the mp3 of Pete talking to Meza outside a windy studio so you can get a feel of what he actually said.

You can find the mp3 here

Dance music writing: dancing about architecture

2006-03-14T19:15:00.000Z

I have just finished off a feature on Terry Church (editor of djmag.com). Hopefully some budding writers will pick up on it and get in touch. Are you one of them?

Until the article goes live, I thought it might be interesting to get the raw Q&A published too. It was a good interview, although I’m not sure about his thoughts on blogging. What do you think?

An interview with Terry Church

First of all can you tell me a bit about who you are and what you do in your own words.
I'm a music journalist for DJ Magazine, and editor of the mag's website DJmag.com. I'm also a sleep-deprived DJ and clubber who burns the candle at both ends.

Are you a DJ who writes or a writer who DJs?
Both. At school, English was my best subject, and rather strangely, I enjoyed writing big essays on politics and history. But since the age of 14, I've been DJing and it's something of an obsession. I'm very lucky that I get to write about my obsession - I love my job, and not many people can say that.

How did you get into writing for DJ Mag?
I blagged it. I bumped into the editor of DJmag (Lesley Wright) at an awards bash once, and hassled her for a job. She told me to piss off, but the next week I spotted her again, and begged for work experience. After six months of hassling and bumping into each other in nightclubs, she eventually gave in, and offered me some work experience. During the placement, I wrote some club reviews and news articles, and that became a regular thing. Then eventually DJmag asked me if I'd like to be website editor. At the time I was training to be a journalist, and all my university mates couldn't believe that I was working for this cool music magazine already.

How long have you been writing?
Professionally, for four years.

What other writing have you done?
I've worked for local newspapers, doing news and political stories. I got to interview MPs in the House of Commons, and do crime reporting, but ultimately I found music journalism more challenging and much more fun.

Have you got any tips for people trying to get into dance music journalism?
There are very few professional dance music media outlets, so if you're not a good writer, you won't get a job. Having passion for dance music is not enough. Be prepared to do work experience for a long time.

Whose writing do you enjoy?
Hunter S. Thompson, Dan Brown, and Chaucer are brilliant. Academically, I always find Anthony Giddens and Jean Baudrillard fascinating. And at DJmag, I always piss myself at the latest Spank The Monkey column.

What do you think about blogging?
Blogging is great, but ultimately it is a bit useless. The first casualty of today's 24/7 globalised communication system was context. There's too much information, and too many blogs on the web to ever be taken at face value.

What about podcasting?
I love new technology, and podcasting is cool. But most of them are too amateurish and badly produced. Anyone can make a podcast, and so that means a lot of them are rubbish. Over time, hopefully investment will lead to more professional-sounding podcasts.

What are the other hot issues in clubland at the moment?
There are a few hot issues at the moment, like how the smoking ban will affect clubland. The new digital DJ license is causing a stir amongst DJmag's readers, and the relaxed licensing laws have meant a strange shift in clubland towards the perpetual. Now in London, you can go clubbing practically 24 hours a day, from Thursday to Monday.

What are your ambitions?
To be happy.

How are you going to achieve them?
By doing whatever it takes. We're all in charge of our own destinies, Daniel son.

What is the most important rule of writing on the web?
Writing for the web is exactly the same as writing for newspapers. Write clearly, concisely, and thoughtfully. Amateurs write a lot of dance music journalism on the web, and it shows.

What are the best and worst parts of your job?
I get in to most clubs free, sometimes get free booze, and get to hang out with superstar DJs. I love my job, but I don't sleep much, and don't earn a fortune.

Clubbing holidays for grown ups

2006-03-12T09:36:00.000Z

The Observer has spotted that not every clubber wants to go to Ibiza anymore. Especially as crowds get older.

The feature - Clubbing holidays for grown-ups, covers the growth of holidays that combine all night parties with more exotic locations and luxurious surroundings.

It's certainly a trend we have noticed on Gurn in the last couple of years as members get that little bit older. Some of the most popular events have been the ones that offer a little more in the way of luxury, but don't comprimise on the hedonism.

Is this a growing market that has not been tapped fully yet?

Related Posts

How to take your successful club night to the world

2006-03-11T21:15:00.000Z

New contributor Nina has dropped in a great feature about how the Immaculate Touch promoters have taken their party worldwide.

Take heed if you are a promoter. How To Go Global

The best clubbing books - Part Two

2006-03-11T09:55:00.000Z

Ministry are the biggest brand in clubland, so it's no suprise they have a book chronicaling the development of modern clubland. Unlike Altered State, Ministry of Sound - The Book is less social historical account and more about dipping into every aspect of club culture.

If you have a coffee table, this book wouldn't be out of place on it. Well designed with great pictures it has magazine style articles, lists and quotes galore. It's the story of the brand, but it's wrapped so carefully around club culture that most of the time you can barely tell if Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton are talking about MoS or clubbing in general.

It's the type of book you buy if you don't read books. You can pick out the bits you want and enjoy the entire package.

Related Posts
The best clubbing books - Part One

A day in the life of a clubbing website

2006-03-09T16:06:00.000Z

It’s a big week in Gurn HQ this week. The boss is away and I’m in charge. So what a good opportunity to give you an outline of what we do day to day here.

Without further ado, here is a typical day in the life of Gurn.net (if anything can be called typical):

8:30am – I work from home, so I fire up the laptop and check my emails. Although there are about 50 that have come in overnight, most are adverts for club nights, spam or don’t need dealing with. I check my to do list for pressing stuff.

9:00am – I notice there is a typo in a Circus review that has gone up last night so I correct the error and whip off a couple of emails to the chap who uploads the content.

Then it’s time for the first major project of the day, so with a nice big cuppa in hand I write up some marketing emails to go out to members and promoters.

We are trying to improve the the number of repeat visits to the site once people have joined and this project is the main part of that.

10:30am – I call some promoters interested in doing advertising on the site, then I draw up a quote for a mailshot.

After a quick IM chat with a couple of Gurn members (I’m always on MSN and Skype) I call Godskitchen about some Hi:Fi Festival arrangements.

11:00am – I start to go through our news feeds trying to pick out the juicy stuff and avoid the press releases for our news section. Not much going on today, but it still takes about 30 minutes to sift through it.

11:30am – I get some calls from more people interested in running some ads. 2 record labels this time, one a potential new customer – CR2 records, one existing. I quote some prices.

12:00pm – Frustratingly, my emails stop working. Luckily it’s only a temporary glitch and I have it sorted in a few minutes.

In the meantime I get an urgent call from the Gurn.net team of lawyers that is a bit of a headache. Everything stops while I sort out this pressing matter.

1:30pm – Grab a bite to eat with my little boy. The great (and bad) part of working from home is you get to see your family instantly if you want to, but it can effect productivity so I’m very strict on seeing him only at lunch and after 5. As you can imagine, he doesn’t agree!

2:00pm – Good news after lunch, Kinky Malinki confirm that they will be running an ad with us this week.

On the back of the success I clean out my email inbox (I only check it twice a day to avoid getting bogged down) and do some more work on our Hi:Fi Festival project.

3:00pm – Another payment comes in for a mailshot. I figure it’s time to setup the mail server to send our weekly newsletter and a dedicated mail out for a hard house night in Manchester.

Once that’s done I knock up the invoices for the days sales so far. I also deal with a few more emails related to new content. We have a couple of new writers in the pipeline that do great work. I’m hoping the will come on board so I’m schmoozing them.

4:30pm - I make a long call to Marc Vedo at Koolwaters about us working together on various things. Marc is a long time supporter of Gurn.net and does a lot of tour nights with us. He's also a top bloke and DJ.

I email Godskitchen for a Hi:Fi festival update and whip up a couple of thank you notes.

5:00pm – I log off to spend some time with the boy, go for a run and get some food.

8:30pm – I check my emails in front of the TV and answer whatever is left from the day. I also use this time for some boring admin work and updating the blog. I check the forums to see what’s happening. Finally I make a start on a couple of features I have been meaning to do.

11:00pm – I’m not a night person so I pack it in, have a quick mess about on a game on the PC and tuck myself up in bed.

I got about 6 work related "things" done today, which might not sound like much but I reckon that’s a pretty productive day, especially as I got to spend time with the family and get my fitness quota in.

See you tomorrow!

Related Posts

What is your reputation like?

2006-03-09T14:47:00.000Z

What people are saying about you is more important than ever.

That’s why you should read this post by Andy Beal if you are involved in the clubbing industry. As he puts it:

Every single day, someone, somewhere is discussing something important to your business. Your brand, your executives, your competitors, your industry. Are they hyping-up your company, building buzz for your products? Or, are they criticizing your service, complaining to others about your new product launch?

How are you dealing with this?

Are you using all the tools at your disposal?

If you are not then you are missing a massive opportunity to get comments from the very people who love you the most.

And more importantly, limit the damage when something goes wrong (something always goes wrong).

As usual, if you want more on this subject then get in touch. I’m happy to give free advice if it helps make you a success.

Related Posts

Do you fancy a go at this clubbing blog lark?

2006-03-07T17:09:00.001Z

What do you want to tell the world about the clubbing industry?

I'm looking for people from within the industry (at any level) to contribute a post on this blog. I don't mind what your background or expertise is, as long as you care enough to write a few words down.

Just to get the juices flowing here are a couple of ideas:

What makes a good night out?
The pitfalls of setting up an independent record label
How important are regulars in a club night?
A day in the life of…
What to look for in a venue
The secrets of…
Everyone's a DJ, how do you stand out?

I’m looking forward to hearing about your passion…

What’s wrong with Gurn.net?

2006-03-05T14:36:00.000Z

Criticism is vital to growth. That’s why I literally punched the air when I got emailed a massive critique of Gurn.net yesterday.

I know it’s against the grain, but I’m putting the best bits up for you to decide whether it’s right or not.

It means someone cares enough to spend the time to point out our mistakes. So thank you!

I was a clubber and passionate user of Gurn.net long before I worked here. So I know what it’s like when you care so much you just have to let it all out. Even if it’s way uncool to say so.

So what is wrong with Gurn.net?

I have deliberately not commented on these, even though I disagree with some. They are someone’s perception then they must be right to that person.

More importantly, do you agree? Do you have more to say? Get in touch, I want to know from your angle so I can make Gurn.net better for you.

If I get enough feedback I’ll post a reply.

Related Posts

How to promote on clubbing forums

2006-03-04T13:08:00.000Z

It might seem easy to promote events on clubbing forums. Just sign up, stick an advert up and you are done.

It doesn't work like that.

Forums are cliquéy places in my experience, so unless you are a hardcore member with thousands of posts and loads of mates on the site you are setting yourself up for failure. At best you will be ignored. At worst you will be abused.

Using forums to promote is like going on a date. You don't try and get sex the first time you meet someone. You have to build a bit of a relationship first.

So instead try the following:

Start with the orginal members - The people who run the site are often the most influential, and they have editorial control. talk to them regularly. Meet them in real life if you can. Come up with stuff that would make their life easier: like offering interviews, features, galleries and generally being helpful.

Find the most influential people - Every forum has hardcore members with big reputations to keep. Just like the site owners, if you can build a genuine online (or even better offline) relationship with them, they will start recommending you. Where they lead others will follow.

Get the right people on your side and the word spreads like wildfire across forums and IM. It's a phenomenon called "the tipping point" and you can read the proof that it works in Malcom Gladwell's excellent book about how ideas spread:

Yep, it seems like hard work. It's not as easy as the "hit and hope" tactic of posting listings on 50 different forums. But it works.

Like dating, if you want to get your rocks off you have to buy dinner first!

What do you think?

Is the clubbing industry sexist?

2006-03-04T12:04:00.000Z

There are very few women working in the clubbing industry. Is this because the jobs are more appealing to men than women?

Or perhaps it's down to the built in sexism in this ego driven game.

I have been talking to a woman promoter this week. She seems convinced it's the latter. Emphatically telling me she has to put up with blokes giving her:

"bullshit to try and get a quick jump and a struggle trying to get people to take me seriously"

Not a good sign.

So here is my question to the girls (and boys) of clubland. Do women get less of a chance in the industry, or do they just not want the jobs in the first place?

How Back2basics are spreading the word

2006-03-02T09:30:00.000Z

I was recently talking to Back2basics promoter Huw (they are starting a night in Cardiff). He had some great ideas for promoting a new night.

The best one was a clever twist on generating a buzz about the night through groups of clubbers.

Instead of selling tickets directly in the traditional manner, he is planning on selling tickets in bulk at a cut price directly to clubbers so they can sell them to their mates. The seller gets a kick back and the power of peer pressure will boost sales.

If your mate asked you to buy a ticket to an event all your other mates are going to you would find it hard to resist. I know I would.

Loving the flyer for the event too. It tells a story.

By the way, does this system remind you of any other informal distribution system in the clubbing world? One that has worked pretty effectively over the years.

The law of 6x

2006-03-01T15:38:00.000Z

It's a commonly held law of ideas. For someone to "invest" in what you are selling (a night out clubbing, an idea, a record) they need to get exposed to it six times.

How about adding a little bit on the end of that.

...unless your idea is six times better than everything else, and it can spread six times more quickly.

For more on this see Unleashing the Ideavirus (it's not a clubbing book though).

The best clubbing books - Part One

2006-02-28T17:20:00.000Z

The literature world may never be set on fire by this genre, but there are still several books on clubbing and club culture that are worth getting your nose into.

I’ll be introducing you to my favourites in this series. Here is part one:

Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House

It’s no secret that drugs and clubbing have gone hand in hand for many years. Never has this combination been more powerful than when acid house and Ecstasy joined forces in the 1980s.
Matthew Collin writes in glowing, nostalgic terms about this time. He has been criticised for rose tinting the culture and this book does have a feel-good factor about it. Reading ‘Altered State’ will, depending how old you are, make you want to get back to the warehouse parties or wish you lived through it.

If you are involved in the scene, the lessons from those early days are important to note.

Since the late nineties (when it was written) times have moved on again and dance music doesn’t occupy the national obsession quite as much. Nevertheless, it’s not to be missed as a smile-along account of some of the most important historical events in club culture.

If you have not read it, why not buy it from Amazon?

If you have read it, what do you think?

The power of the thank you note

2006-02-27T14:40:00.000Z

Have you ever had a thank you note?

I bet that if you have you remember it vividly. Short or long it’s one of the most personal and powerful methods of communication on the earth.

It makes a connection. It’s polite. It makes you stand out. It shows you took some time and it’s the right thing to do.

You need thank you notes Whether you are a club promoter, a clubber, a DJ, a record label executive or a record shop owner. Chances are you have someone to thank.

Chances are they will remember you with a warm glow if you thank them sincerely. Which will make your life so much easier. It doesn’t have to be an essay (two sentences is plenty). It doesn’t have to be for anything particularly wonderful (a job well done is more than enough reason).

It does have to be hand written.

So remember what your Mum taught you and start making a thank you note part of your daily routine.

Want to know how to write a good one? Email me or get me on MSN (both are david [at] gurn dot net) for a 100% free guide.

What would you like to see in a clubbing book?

2006-02-26T20:47:00.000Z

If you were given a book about the clubbing industry what would you like to see in it?

Some ideas (feel free to add your own)

Promoter tips
Stories
Practical ideas
Pictures of nude fitties
Something else
Nothing at all

A little later this week I’ll show you my favourite clubbing books, but I still want your opinions. What is missing from the clubbing shelf on Amazon?

Add a comment, get me on MSN/Skype or email me.

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Picture from Murn

How to write better clubbing reviews

2006-02-24T08:51:00.000Z

I want you to send me your club reviews. Writing about music may be the same as dancing about architecture but we love it anyway.

Reviews get us on guest lists and get clubs exposure to the right audience. They also contribute to the overall reputation of a club in the eyes of clubbers. They are influential.

They are also few in number. We want more, so here is our guide to writing club reviews as orginally sent to me by the world infamous Random Bird off of Mixmag.

How to write better club reviews

Reviews need to be made a bit more punchy and original. It’s worth bearing in mind a headline you would put on the review while you are there, something like ‘What’s so good about [insert club name]’ or ‘What’s the secret of [the club’s] success’ or ‘500 munters in hard house convention’

We are going to be putting headlines on all the reviews, so it will help if you can bear in mind what these could possibly be.

Things we need to see in reviews:

Quotes from the promoter

It’s his/her job to big up his own club, and a good way to include the club’s history and maybe even get some juicy gossip – ie: local club wars – which would be good for news stories.

Quotes from Ravers

Overheard conversations are also a good way of telling the story of the night without droning on too much yourself. Sometimes they can sum up the sort of people at an event without you having to say too much. Always try and describe the people you are quoting if they don’t have names.

Quotes from DJs

Always good to have a word with the resident about the night from his perspective. Don’t include too much playlist stuff unless the DJ was amazing. In general, as well as a brief description of the club’s music policy, the atmosphere you describe should give the feel of what sort of music it is ie:

“The rumbling bass vibrates the soles of 300 trainers in the back room.”

Quotes from Big Name DJs

If you can’t get to speak to them then it’s always worth looking on their websites in case they have a ‘tour diary’ you can pinch quotes from.

Try and write some reviews in the present tense, as it gives a sense of ‘reporting live from the scene’ and makes the review fresher for longer.

Tips for writing with structure

A feature (or interview) should tell you five things you didn’t know before. If you can’t get five, go for three.

When writing a feature, the intro is the most important part. There are 3 ways to traditionally start an article:

Ask A Question: What do you do when your nearest club is 50 miles away?

State A Fact: If you live in Bangor, your nearest night out is 50 miles away.

Use A Quote: "Bangor was full of blue-rinses before we came along".

A good intro should pose the question or debate, the middle of the article should be the actual debate or information and the end should tie it off nicely. A good tip is to link something in your intro to the end paragraph, ie: “…and we never did find the other shoe.”

Club marketing – Futurhood leads the way

2006-02-23T15:35:00.000Z

DJ Silverback from Sheffield (pictured) is using new web services to bring together all his online activities in one place.

His lens contains information about Futurhood - his promotional service, pictures of his events, links to the clubs he works with, blogs and clubbing news. Powerful stuff.

Imagine if every club and record label did the same thing. It’s highly targeted, easy to find and simple to update.

You are selling yourself by sharing your knowledge. More powerful stuff.

The only criticism I have is that he doesn’t use Gurn for his news feed!

What innovate ideas do you have to develop "word of mouse" marketing?

HiFi Festival South

2006-02-23T14:49:00.000Z

The official announcement for Hifi South has been made. As I smugly noted a while back it will be at the old Homelands festival site – Matterly Bowl.

At this point it’s all about the hype which is great. I love hype. Anticipation is the best part of big dance music events like this. Especially as it’s the first major festival on the clubbing calendar.

We are involved with the festival, but I’m promoting it in my own time. I want to see what kind of buzz I can generate. I’m doing this through an unofficial hifi festival blog page. I also have a landing page for all your Hifi clubbing needs.

As usual I want to know your feedback on the whole thing. Are these pages any use to you? Are you interested in getting unoffical, informal information from the inside about the hifi festival?

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What do dance music labels want in an advertising package?

2006-02-22T18:20:00.000Z

I’m looking for feedback from people who work at dance music labels. What sort of advertising floats your boat?

I have a hunch none of it involves utilising new web technologies, but feel free to correct me.

I want to develop a package that meets the needs of dance music labels so they feel confident using Gurn.net as an advertising tool.

With a view to that, I’d also love to know what dance music record label owners and managers think about advertising and marketing through blogging in particular.

Do you do it?
Do you like the idea but don’t trust it enough to invest your time and money?
Do you think the whole idea is daft?
Would you use a blogging service provider if the price was right?

Add your comments, or get in touch with me directly. My contact information is on the sidebar.

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The best way to make sure your advertising goes far

2006-02-21T13:21:00.000Z

Talk to advertising sales people who dance (not literally, keep reading).

There are a million ways to advertise. Email, flyering, posters, clubbing websites, word of mouth, standing on a park bench with a megaphone.

All of them have some kind of cost. Most of them require you to buy something. You might not believe it, but the people selling sometimes don’t really care why you are buying. They are wrestling against you, not dancing with you.

That is a fact, but one you shouldn’t put up with.

Jim Logan offers some sound advice on the matter:

I was… approached not that long ago by a newspaper and a radio station to advertise on their respective media. Both approached me the same way - rate sheets and audience demographics. Neither asked me a thing about my business, neither suggested a process to develop my message, and neither asked about my business needs or desired call to action. Both said their media would be great for reaching new customers.

How do you know if someone wants to dance?

They don’t just send rate sheets. They ask what you are trying to do, they listen to what you have to say and they recommend the best advertising for your needs.

Good selling is a dance, not a wrestling match.

And to stretch another metaphor to it’s limit: Square pegs don’t fit in round holes, but bad marketing and bad selling try to make them fit.

Good advertising sales either find you a square hole, or show you a competitor who have a square hole.

Good selling does exist and you can spot it yourself. Are you dancing or wrestling when you ring up for a quote?

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How to compete with someone better than you

2006-02-20T12:58:00.000Z

Also know as: What to do when your arse is getting kicked.

The Church of the Customer blog has piece on a restaurant that learned to compete with someone better. It’s a lesson promoters (and label owners) can learn too.

So using their template here are my ideas:

Match your competitor's exceptional quality.

This can be hard. If you have a crummy venue there is not much you can do. It’s out of your control to a certain extent. However, you could turn a clean up into an event in itself.
You could rustle up some regulars, offer them free entry and access to your exclusive pre-party. Get them to clean, ply them with drinks. Watch them tell everyone who will listen that they help make the place a little better.

Allow your customers to customise.

How do you customise a club night? How about having the door person write down the favourite tracks of clubbers as they walk in. You could have in pre-arranged with your resident DJ to play a couple of the most popular ones.

Do something buzzworthy in the first few minutes.

The aim is to make people say ‘wow’. If you are lucky enough to have a queue forming, why not loan out coats to ladies with little on? Or just give out hot drinks?

Do something buzzworthy again within minutes.

Take their picture as they walk in. you could give them a massive picture frame to hold. Give them a card (maybe even a Gurn.net card) and tell them you will text or email them when the pictures are online.

Work harder to nurture customer relationships.

People go clubbing for all kinds of reasons. One of which is to feel a sense of belonging, of being part of a tribe. You can enhance this tribal feeling. Bouncers, promoters even moody DJ types have no excuse. Make it feel like a house party by making people feel welcome.

What about your own ideas? Are you a promoter who does something special? Maybe you are a clubber who has seen something special when they are out and about. Add your experiences to the comments box.

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Clubbing features vs. interviews - an editorial dillemma

2006-02-19T11:31:00.000Z

I recently got some feedback on our change of editorial tack away from interviews and towards features :

Features are all good with the diverse stuff but I think you a need a mixture of feature style interviews and Q&A sessions. Q&A's are the best way to find out about a producer/DJ/promoter and I don't think you should ingore them totally. 'Top tips' are good but be careful not to overdo the idea.

I kind of agreed. Here is my reply.

I agree that an interview is a great way to get to know the interviewee and there will always be a place for a good interview, like we had with Zabiela. Good interviews regularly get good hit figures. Even years later.

Our MC Storm interview has been in the top 2 or 3 interviews since in came online in 2003!

There are 2 aspects I don't like about interviews and it's those 2 aspects I try to avoid where possible (not ban, just avoid).

Straight Q&A - Every clubbing website does it that way and we are trying to be different. Plus, it increases the chances of lazy questions like "How are you?" It makes me want to scream when I read that.
Using interviews as an advert. People don't want to read interviews with industry types they have hardly heard of and have no empathy with. It's bad for our credibility to wheel out relative unknowns with nothing but an agenda to get people to go to their latest gig.

So, we either need to interview big names or we need to find a hook to drag in people who are asking "what's in it for me to read this interview?"

That's where features come in.

Doing interviews as a feature provides the hook people need to read it. Take this one with Vince Robertson called the "The Hardest Working Man in Dance Music". A straight up interview with Vince would have died. By creating a hook and making a slightly controversial statement it is the most popular feature or interview we have done so far this year (and it's only been up since Feb 11th).

I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't care what the format is as long as it's good, Q&A sessions included. If it breaks a few rules and is original on the way that's even better.

What do you think? Do you read Q&A interviews?

Hifi festival announced with a tasty line up

2006-02-18T20:25:00.000Z

We are working closely with Angel Music Group at the moment. So it's been painful watching other websites unoffically talk about the HiFi festival when we were not allowed to say anything.

Now the Hifi Festival has officially launched we can make an announcement. Phew.

The line up is pretty sexy too.

We are hoping that as it's the "festival for the ipod generation" that they will want to take some cool extra online services from us. The ipod generation love the web after all.

We have offered then all kinds of neat interactive stuff. If they decide to go for it I'll announce it here first.

Speaking of ipods, Carl Cox has started podcasting. Subscribe to it in iTunes or via the Feedburner link on the Carl Cox website.

Ministry of Sound give clubbers cash

2006-02-16T07:02:00.000Z

My hat is off to clubbing brand Ministry of Sound. They have announced that they will be launching a service that lets clubbers upload and share videos.

The clever bit is that they are sharing the revenue with the people who do the uploading.

It's a great way to ultilise technology anyway, but the bribery is just genius. Plus they even do the phones.

How to promote dance music online

2006-02-15T13:13:00.000Z

You might think you already know about how to promote clubbing and dance music online. You don’t. No one in the industry is.

The industry knows the benefits of online promoting, but the methods are out of date.

The old techniques are not working the way they used to, but clubland has not caught up. If you can harness the power of online promotion you will have a clear advantage.

And make lots of money. And have a great time doing it.

Find the right people.

Targeted marketing is an old standby. What targeting misses is this: within a group there are some people with more power. If you can influence those people then they will do the work effectively influencing everyone else.

Hint #1: there are very few of these "salesmen". You can get to know them very well.

Once you have found them, what do you do?

Start a conversation by telling a story

People want to know what is in it for them. It’s human nature. Does your online promotion appeal to people by telling them an appealing story?

Hint #2: A superstar DJ on the line up doesn’t tell a compelling story.

But it doesn’t end there. Once people have the story can they react to it? Can they talk back to you? Can they pass it onto their friends?

Your aim is to turn a story into a genuine conversation.

That’s when it gets exciting, because people start selling for you.

Wow people

Conversations and stories don’t just start. They have to have something different in them. I have talked about wowing clubbers before. Have you got a blog yet? Have you got a lens yet?

Hint #3: the cost of your lighting system doesn’t wow anyone (except lighting guys).

Make a call to action

Currently the call to buy comes first. That’s the wrong way around. Most people seeing "New release on foo records, click here to buy" won’t bother. There is nothing in it for them.

The story should come first, the details later.

Once you have someone hooked on your story they need to know how much it costs, how to buy it and what guarantees you have. There should be a clear call to take the next step and it should be something they can do easily.

This is a whole new world to everyone, including successful clubbing brands. If they are to remain successful they need to embrace it. Or others will overtake them.

So if you are one of the brands or one of the others why not drop me a line. I can help you navigate the maze.

This is part two of the "Promoting Online" series. To go back to part one click here.

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Promoting dance music online. Does it work?

2006-02-14T15:56:00.000Z

I recently asked a few of our customers what their biggest question is about promoting online. The main response:

Does it work?

My answer is: depends how you do it.

Let me clarify. There is no way to ignore the scope of the web to promote anything to anyone. Whether you have a club night in Aberdeen, a record shop in Brixton or a massive global clubbing brand.

There are people online now searching for information about what you do. If you do what they want they will give you their money. There is no better medium to reach more of the right people for less marketing outlay.

Why?

Cheap. It allows small companies to compete with big ones.
Informative. Everyone is looking for something, they might be looking for what you have.
Respectful. People can take their time over their decisions. There are no moody shop assistants making you feel inadequate.
Interactive. The web is a two way thing. Instant feedback is a click or two away.

But you have to do it right.

If you don’t your voice will get lost in the billions of others that make up the web.

So yes, promoting online does work. Stay tuned this week and I’ll show you how.

This is part one of the "Promoting Online" series

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The twice as good rule

2006-02-13T21:12:00.000Z

James Kew understands how important it is to wow people.

He might be talking about MSN Virtual Earth, but his point is just as relevant to any aspect of the clubbing landscape.

If you want to be adopted enthusiastically, you’ve got to be twice as good as what’s gone before. Put more bluntly: you’ve got to wow people.

What is your equivalent of the ipod?

7 reasons you need a clubbing blog today

2006-02-13T14:20:00.000Z

I have been asked to explain the benefits of blogging to the clubbing industry. My boss: Meza has heard of blogging but doesn't know the benefits. If I can sell blogging to him, I can sell it to everyone else in the same position in the industry. Here is my pitch.

Blogging will revolutionise the way the clubbing industry reaches its customers and potential customers. Before long everyone will have a blog just as everyone has a website now.

At the moment the field is wide open. Nobody in clubland blogs.

The clubbing organisations that get into blogging first will take the lead. They will have a distinct competitive advantage. Now is the time.

Why is blogging so important to the clubbing industry?

Blogging used to be the domain of supergeeks and teenage girls. All that has changed. Chairman of multinationals, marketers, small business owners and, heck, REAL PEOPLE are starting to realise the benefits. What are they?

Recognised Expertise. Everyone is an expert in something. Blogging allows you to share your or your companies expertise. Customers will find your knowledge online and be attracted to you. Attraction is easier (and cheaper) than hunting.
Word of Mouth Marketing. Imagine how fast an honest, informative blog post through clubbers desperate for knowledge and gossip would spread. It may be from the MD of big clubbing brand about a mistake they made and how they plan to correct it. You can harness this never-ending thirst for knowledge to spread your brand. You can flip the funnel.
Speed. The ease of posting to blogs mean you can instantly react to, say, negative PR and get your customers reactions almost instantly back. You can post an idea for a new night or a spin off label and your customers will be right there to react to it.
Forum Ass Kicking. They are easier to use, read and comment on. They have more compelling content. They are open to all but don’t require the same level of moderation. People can’t subscribe to forum updates very easily.
Search Engines. A blog filled with relevant, honest and informative information will get links. Links improve search engine results. People can find you easier than the competition.
Cost and Time. Blogs are cheap to set up. They are easy to maintain even for the most technophobic. They give control to the people who most need it rather than those who are most technical (It’s rarely the same people). Anyone can blog.
A Human Face. Blogging shows your customers you care. It shows your customers you are a human being not a faceless company. You customers can see their feedback making a difference because you blog about it. It might not change your company, but it makes it seem more human. Because it is.

It’s only a matter of time before the features of blogging ensure it becomes a communication standard on the web. It already is in some industries. You can follow or you can lead. Which do you want to do?

If you would like more information on clubbing blogs then drop me a line. I can help you setup and maintain a high quality blog.

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