FREE BOOKS, FREE MUSIC

by Tim Bete

When it comes to book promotion, Steve O’Keefe is one of the most-brilliant people I have ever met. He’s a 20-year book-publishing veteran who has launched online marketing campaigns for more than 1,000 books and dozens of publishers.

While chatting with Steve a few weeks ago, he told me something surprising: Giving away an e-book increases print sales. He used Seth Godin’s book, The Idea Virus, as a case in point.

“Godin gave away the entire book online and more than one million were downloaded,” said O’Keefe. “He also sold 20,000 copies the first week on Amazon.com. If you give away the entire book online, it increases sales.”

That brings me to Moes Haven, a New Hampshire band made up of Matt Farley and Tom Scalzo.

I get a lot of review copies of books in the mail but, until last week, I had never received a music CD. Then I got a package in the mail from Farley and Scalzo. Inside was a copy of Out With The Old, which features some of their “best acoustic ballads.”

I had never heard of Moes Haven before opening the package. Inside, a letter said, "Please enjoy this complimentary Moes Haven CD. Listen to it five times. If you like it, make copies and give them to your friends. If you don’t like it, give this copy to an enemy and forget all about it.”

The letter explained that Farley and Scalzo “…spend much of their time surfing the Internet, collecting the addresses of people they find interesting and sending them a disc. You are one of those people…Something about you struck Moes Haven’s fancy and now you have been rewarded for it.”

The two artists look for people like themselves, who are interested in the arts -- especially writing, movies and music. In addition, they sent a lot of discs directly to newspapers and radio stations. But they get the biggest kick out of sending CDS to regular people -- college professors, store owners, writers and even real estate agents.

Unlike most of the review copies I receive, Farley and Scalzo were very specific about what they wanted me to do. The letter continued: “If you’re a writer, write a story. If you have a Web site, put up a link. Buy another one of their albums. Get “MOES HAVEN 4-EVER” tattooed on your forehead.”

I ruled out the tattoo but was intrigued by the artists' moxie and determination. The letter grabbed my attention. It was funny, too. One part said that Moes Haven had created a 24-hour long album. It’s release was marked by a "poorly-attended listening party at Farley’s apartment."

I wrote Farley and asked about his marketing program and whether it’s been a success.

“I'd love it if I received a CD from a stranger out of the blue,” responded Farley. “I hope most of the people I've sent it to feel the same way.”

Their marketing campaign began in the beginning of last summer. Farley has been sending out about 40 CDs each week and has mailed a total of 600.

While the band hasn’t seen a huge increase in sales, it is pleased with the promotional exposure, which includes a positive review in The Santa

Barbara Independent. The band was also hired to play a show in November and an Internet radio station has played some of their songs. The number of visitors to their Web site has increased significantly, too.

“I have a full-time job that doesn't involve my music,” wrote Farley. “So I'm not relying on this succeeding for my survival. But I also think it's possible that we may one day make money off of this venture. The popularity of a band is something that can grow very slowly through word-of-mouth.”

Farley and Scalzo aren’t just musicians, they’re also the co-authors. of Shockjuly: An Adventure in Horror – 168 pages of irreverent reviews of horror movies. Based on his experience, Farley thinks his CD promotion strategy could work for books, too.

“The only problem would be the expense,” wrote Farley. “Burning a copy of a CD is a lot cheaper than printing an entire book. But perhaps just sending excerpts would suffice.”

Writers and musicians often debate the merits of giving away their material for free. They worry if there is a return for such efforts.

While Farley and Scalzo haven't seen a huge increase in sales, their marketing technique is effective. It got me to write this article, which is sent to more than 3,200 writers.

Not bad for the cost of a single CD and a few stamps.

Tim Bete is the director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.

The first 20 people to order $25 worth of music from Motern Music will each have a song written about them on Moes Haven's next album. Read more.

When you think of Moes Haven, you should think of EXCESS. They don't do anything small. In fact, they have recorded a 24-hour album. That's right! It was released in 2002 to little attention and even less acclaim. But it exists. And four tracks from OUT WITH THE OLD come from that amazing album.

Tom Scalzo and Matt Farley of Moes Haven have written some of the most bizarre songs of all time, including "Husbands 'R' Us," "Eat Your Heart Out, Carly Simon," "Readings From Nick Drake's Little Black Notebook," "Am I Wrong To Be Treating Such a Serious Situation With Distance and a Lack of Care?" and "Beautiful Cars."

Just look at the lyrics to the extremely short song, "Life is Beautiful" and you'll see that you're not dealing with some run-of-the-mill sensitive singing/songwriting hacks:

I was reading short stories by a Russian Diplomat

Who, unlike his predescessors, didn't conclude that

Life is nothing but drudgery

And painfulness

And misery.

You know life is beautiful

Sadness comes here never

I don't wanna die

Ever.

The song is less than 30-seconds long and yet it stays with you for days.