Indie Music Marketer .com

INTRODUCTION
You know, these days most people ó especially bands and musicians ó live pretty stressful lives, running back and forth from work, school, daycare, the grocery store, doctorís appointments, and the like. Because of that, I thought Iíd put together a list of the top 10 things you should get, use, or do to make your life as easy as possible.

Now I want to throw out a disclaimer here, because I donít want people to think that I, in any way, support the modern materialistic view of life that seems so predominant in America and Europe, where weíre borrowing money we donít have to buy things we donít need to impress people we donít even like. NOT AT ALL the case here. The best thing you can do to make your life easier if your in debt is to GET OUT OF DEBT! But, assuming you have a job that brings in a healthy income and you donít owe CapitolOne your soul, these items should help make a positive change in your life.

1. NOTEBOOK COMPUTER WITH BLUETOOTH© AND WIFI
Iíve only more recently been introduced to the wonderful world of notebook, or laptop, computers. But the convenience and portability really broaden the usefulness of a computer.

Itís nice to be able to kick back in your easy chair and write an article or send an email. Itís also nice that moving your computer isnít an all-afternoon task like it is with most desktop or tower computers. And when you throw in a WIFI internet card, Bluetooth technology for synchronizing with your cellphoneís address book and calendar, and a wireless optical mouse to make it more like a real PC, you have a really powerful package.

And when you take all of this into consideration along with the fact that a basic laptop starts at only around $500 these days, you start to question why people even bother with desktop PCs anymore. If youíre a PC (or MS Windows) user, checkout Dellís lineup (starting around $499), which seem to be about the lowest price of any notebook Iíve seen. If youíre a Macintosh user like me, checkout the new MacBooks (starting around $999), which are basically ìfrigginí shweetî all around.

2. CELLPHONE WITH CAMERA AND BLUETOOTH
I donít understand why some people hold stubbornly to their old, out-dated land line telephones. First of all, mobile phones are more efficient for communicating because when you want to reach someone, you dial the number that goes straight to wherever they are, not their residence number or their company number. They allow you to more effectively reach people, no matter whether theyíre at their office, home, running errands, etc.

If everyone used cell phones, there would be less numbers to memorize per capita, because we would eliminate pager, residential, and work numbers, and people would be able to reach the people they wanted to with fewer messages to leave. Plus, with family plans, everyone can get a phone and save money per capita by ìbuying in bulkî so to speak. My personal opinion is that either Cingular or Verizon Wireless are the best bets when it comes to cell phone network coverage, features, and pricing per what you actually get from the service. Other networks like Sprint, NEXTEL and T-Mobile charge similar rates, but have terrible reception and compatibility.

If you get a phone with Bluetooth wireless technology, you can sync all your to-do items, calendar entries, address book contacts, and in some cases photos with your home computer, not to mention the ability to use wireless peripherals. And having a camera saves you another portable electronic device. A good modern cellphone can take the place of your digital camera, calendar, alarm clock, clock, pager, home phone, and more.

If you truly must have a landline, I strongly suggest either Packet8 or Vonage VoIP service, which saves you a lot of money on long distance and premium features. You do have broadband internet, right?

3. BROADBAND INTERNET
Okay, letís just put it this way: I understand that there are places in this world where it is hard to get any form of broadband internet, such as West Virginia and Mexico (West Virginians, I was born there, so believe me, I feel your pain). Even in places like that, however, there are options for you, such as DIRECWAY and Starband satellite internet.

Now, as far as what broadband offers, the benefits are clear. You get work, research, daily tasks, and play done fast than would be possible with dialup internet. That may not seem like much to some people who have a lot of time on their hands, but the difference between the two services is such that Iím quite certain I have gained back at least an hour out of each of my workdays ó and Iím completely serious when I say that.

Scenario: I head out the door to go on a weekend vacation, and Iím really anxious to get on the road so I get to my destination before dark. I get downstairs and out to the car, but wait ó I forgot my directions. I run back upstairs, sit down at my desk, and about 1 and a half minutes later Iím locking the door and heading back out to my car with a freshly printed Google map. The same task would take at least 5 minutes with dialup, if not more. Iím quite convinced that there is a lot more time saved with ìinstant-onî service and not waiting for pages to load than most dialup users realize.

Plus, broadband permits other peripheral benefits such as downloading email faster, watching movies online (my daughter watches VeggieTales on YouTube virtually every day of late, instead of on the TV), listening to streaming music and podcasts, sending pictures, etc.

4. VISA DEBIT CARD
Okay, there are some of you out there that are reading this and saying, ìI thought everybody in the world already had a Visa debit card,î and then there are some of you that are saying ìVisa whuhhÖ?î Donít try to deny itÖIíve seen you people:

Youíre the check-writers.

Youíre the people that slow everybody down in the checkout line at Kroger. One question for you: if youíre gonna lug around that huge booklet with you everywhere, why not just bring a wad of cash? Itís faster, thereís less math to do, itís accepted everywhere, and it weighs less in your pocket or pouch.

I honestly can save Iíve never balanced a checkbook, and only on very rare occasions have I ever written a check. Cards are just too much quicker and easier. I swipe my card, and check my account online to make sure everything adds up. It makes a lot more sense than the old paper version of writing a check, balancing your booklet, and then trying to reconcile everything with your paper bank statement at the end of the month. Yeah, you guys still wait for those things to arrive in the mail too, donít you?

Time can never be regained, and wasting everyoneís time (including yours) at the checkout line is just not called for.

5. ONLINE BILLPAY AND AUTOPAY
This is related to the whole check-writing issue as well. Now that I have online billpay and several of my bills set up with automatic debits on their due dates, checks are even further outdated. Type the amount, choose the payee, and click send. The bank then takes care of sending all the checks in the background. I even use this for my $14 garbage bill each month. This really is a no-brainer.

6. WHITEBOARD OR BULLETIN BOARD
Some things just canít be improved by making them digital. I believe whiteboards may be one of the greatest inventions since paper. I keep a list of to-dos written in big letters on a white board in my room so every day Iím reminded what I need to get done. And when I finish a task, itís as easy and using the eraser or marking it off the list. If you already have a bulletin board, you can use it the same way and just pin up a Post-It note for each task you need to accomplish. Tear it down after you complete it. These things are especially effective when you hang them on your wall in the area of the house where you spend most of your time. Try it, youíll get a lot more done in less time, simply because youíll have the constant reminder in front of you.

7. UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL
Who wants to get up out of the recliner during their favorite show to turn up the volume, or even worse, search for one of your 3 or 4 different remote controls to change a setting? A universal remote control can save you trouble, time, batteries, money, and stress. This may seem obvious to some, but I canít believe how many people I see that still have a growing collection of proprietary remotes that they seem to never be able to find when they want them ó and when they finally do find them, the batteries are dead! Do yourself a favor and get one today. I recommend trying Froogle.com for the lowest price, or Wal-Mart.

8. SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC SERVICES
Youíve all heard of them ó Napster, iTunes, eMusic, and Rhapsody. But whatís the benefit of these services over buying regular CDs? Well, being a musician myself, I happen to know there are a few things I can mention:

First, you can save money and time by only getting the tracks that you like. Some would contend that this is the weakness of digital music, because most albums tell stories as they progress, and if you donít hear a song alongside its albumís other tracks, it can take away from the artistic value by not giving you the whole story that the artist was trying to convey ó not ìpainting the whole pictureî so to speak. You only get a snapshot of what the artist was saying with the song. But you can still download all the tracks if you want, and with some of the services out there, such as Napster, you donít pay on a per-track basis anyway, so it really doesnít cost any more to download the whole album.

Second, you can sample all the songs ó not just one or two selections ó before downloading. This is really cool and saves you time because you donít have to download a track all the way to find out if you like it.

Third, in general, the actual artist normally gets more of the money, instead of the retail store, the distributor, etc. With a $16 CD, an artist and their record label could be expected to get somewhere between $5 and $6 after the other institutions all take their cut of the income ó and out of that, the artist themselves will probably never see more than $0.50 for the whole CD if theyíre signed with a label. Now conversely, with digital music where you might pay $0.70 to $1 per track, the artist could end up with anywhere from $0.20 to $0.75 depending on whether or not theyíre signed with a label. When you download the whole album, theyíll end up with much more than the $0.50 total they would get from a physical CD. This helps the artist produce more music and doesnít make the record companies rich while the artist is barely scraping by.

Fourth, itís just easier to find, choose, and download the music you want when you donít have to work with the traditional retail store inventory system, where they may or may not have the music youíre looking for. You can literally get any music in the world this way, not just ìtop 40î music, because any independent artist can get their music on iTunes or eMusic, whereas youíll almost never see an independent artist in a record store. The selection is better by a long shot!

Also, my favorite benefit is the fact that you never have to even leave the house and bother with traffic, parking, and mall shopping to find the music you want. You just get on the computer and hit ìdownloadî. And prepaid iTunes Music Cards or subscriptions to services like eMusic or Napster make great gifts for friends and family.

My personal picks are iTunes for a pay-per-download service, and Real Networksí Rhapsody for an on-demand music service. eMusic would be a close second for "unlimited download" sites, and Napster would be my last pick in the subscription arena. They all have pretty comparable rates when it comes down to how much it costs per song you download or how much you pay per month, so just choose the one that works best for you. Their selections are all pretty similar, as well. But beware, with most of the subscription services, you donít actually own the music, and when you stop paying your monthly fee, all the music files become worthless and unplayable. So decide if you want to keep the music permanently in your library, or just while you have the service, and then take your pick.

9. SUBSCRIPTION MOVIE RENTAL SERVICES
Another way you can simplify and improve your life, as well as your budget, is by not paying $4 to $5 per movie for a rental. You know, Iím not usually one to fall for retail store promotions, but with movies, you truly do save money by doing the subscription service if you rent more than 3 to 4 movies a month.

There are a couple of options for you. First, you could make use of one of the online services, which you subscribe to on a monthly basis, and then go the website and select the titles you want in the order you want, and they mail them to you. You can rent an unlimited number each month, but they only allow a certain number at a time, depending on how big of a plan you buy. When youíre done watching them, you either mail them back in their pre-paid envelope, or, in the case of Blockbuster.com, you can take the movie back to one of their retail stores.

The four major companies offering this service are Blockbuster.com, Netflix.com, Intelliflix.com and Peerflix.com. All offer basically the same services for basically the same prices (truly, theyíre almost identical in prices because they are in a price war with each other ó which is great for the consumer). Basically, the bread-and-butter plan is 3 DVDs out at a time, unlimited rentals each month, for $17.99 per month. The prices even go down to $9.99 and even $5.99 for more limited plans. And both of the major companies offer a free trial period so you can determine if you like the service before really ìcommittingî. You can sign up for Blockbusterís service by clicking here. You can sign up for Netflixís service by clicking here. You can sign up for Intelliflix's service by clicking here.

10. RECLINER
Iíve heard this one before, and I decided to include it because it really is true. A good easy chair can really make your life easier, especially when youíve had a long day at work and need to wind down for a little while.

Some of the most relaxing and peaceful experiences I remember in my life include staggering into the house, and sinking into one of my grandparentsí easy chairs after a long road trip.

As far as the best chairs out there, I would say youíve gotta go with Daytonaís Chocolate Leather & Vinyl recliner from TotallyFurniture.com, or Montclaire Collectionís Chocolate Leather recliner from FurnitureOnline.com.

I admit it, I have a thing for chocolate.

By combining some of my suggestions, you create an organized, efficient, and carefree workday thanks to the laptop, camera phone, whiteboard, broadband internet, Visa debit card, and online billpay, which ends in a peaceful evening of entertainment and relaxation thanks to the recliner, movie subscription service, music download service, and universal remote control. Have fun and enjoy a better life! ~