Duplicate headers received from server. The response from the server contained duplicate headers. This problem is generally the result of a misconfigured website or proxy. Only the website or proxy administrator can fix this issue. Error 350 (net::ERR_RESPONSE_HEADERS_MULTIPLE_LOCATION): Multiple Location headers received. This is disallowed to protect against HTTP response splitting attacks.

Chrome did a security update recently that makes their browser adhere to web standards more "strictly." It in turn broke quite a few websites/applications out there.  If you get this error in your C# application, here is a fix:

When calling the Response's AddHeader method, make sure attachment has a semi-colon after it (instead of a comma) and put quotes around the filename.

context.Response.AddHeader("Content-Disposition", string.Format("attachment; filename=\"{0}.zip\"", title));

Times are changing everyone!

http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/05/technology/digital_music_sales/index.htm?hpt=hp_t3

With business, I'm continuing to learn that it has so many similarities to cultivation practices of bonsai trees.

Like a newly planted tree, a new business has many rough edges. Its roots haven't settled to their resting place and the foundation is unstable. Although adding new price plans or new features to the software plays an important role in the evolution of your business, most of the time is spent trimming off things that aren't needed or refining things that aren't quite perfect yet.

While we trim, we have a mental vision of how things should be, but that vision changes over time, so we trim more. We rotate the tree and try to look at the business through the eyes of our customers or from different angles. We continue to trim. It feels good to take some of the branches off - the tree begins to take shape. Others may have an opinion on where they think more pieces need to get added or taken off and we learn that it's ok to say "no" so that our core vision stays on course.

Running your business can be a delicate cultivation practice. It's important to listen to others' opinions all while staying true to your own vision. We're always trimming in hopes of achieving successful harmony.

All bias aside, the true passion behind this blog post comes from real-world experiences of mine over the years of being a regular recipient of digital promos via free file hosting services like MediaFire and YouSendIt (there are others out there).


So, you are a publicist for a firm or record label and you have a budget you need to stay under.  Maybe you are an independent artist with very little money to work with for promoting your band. You already recognize how crucial it is to get written about. You want to get the most promotional bang for your buck. You've gone out and done your research.  There are a few nice digital promo services out there, but they are way too expensive and take too much time to register for, RIGHT?


You decide to use a free file hosting service, because, well, it's free!


If this person I am describing is you, I have a couple questions:

1. Do you realize how much time the average journalist (who has decided to take on your album) spends listening to your album and writing about it?

Answer: Minimum 2 hours

2. Do you care what their experience is like when consuming your promo?

Answer: Obviously not


If I'm donating my time or even getting paid to write for a publication and you send the music to me this way:

Do you think sending music to a journalist in this manner gives them the sense that you even care?  Try and count how many spots on this page try to literally trick you into clicking their ad by making the ad appear to be part of the page's user interface.  I'm not even counting the regular Target and College advertisements or the annoying pop up ad.

This is a huge slap in the face to someone who invests time to write about your music. If you take the easy (free) route when you promote, you're cheating the artist you represent, you're giving the writers a vibe that you really don't care and it makes your business look shady.  If you want the press to put in the effort to do a good job, then give them the respect of getting the music to them in a clean and efficient manner.  Use a professional digital service, have a developer wire the downloads up to your own site or send the writers physical copies.

Case closed.

We are really excited to join forces with The Orchard and be a part of their marketplace. This week, I will be presenting two web demos to prospective Orchard clients.


Demo Days

Wednesday September 21, 2011 - 2:30PM CST
Friday September 23, 2011 - 9:00AM CST


The Orchard Marketplace Presents: Haulix

http://www.dailyrindblog.com/?p=7888

Here is an interview I did with Dotted Music.

http://dottedmusic.com/2011/interviews/interview-with-matt-brown-founder-of-promotional-platform-haulix/



Big thanks to Alex Gilbert!

I was clicking around on LinkedIn and I stumbled upon a job ad for a Web Developer. In the skills section, it mentioned:

"CSS/HTML - NO TABLES"


Wow, they still have to mention not using tables for layout? In 2011?



That's like hiring a cellphone salesman and in the job ad:

"Smartphone Sales Experience - NO ROTARY PHONES"

I can't believe some people still use the "email receipt" feature in Outlook.  For those that don't know, it's that feature that prompts you to send the sender an email receipt that proves that you opened their email.

If you send an email to John Smith and don't get a receipt back, did he not view the email OR simply choose not to send you back a receipt? Definitely not a solid mechanism for measuring email view counts.

**This is part of a series of interviews that showcase Haulix customers who successfully use digital promos in their day to day operations.**

Earsplit PR, an independent publicity collective, was spawned accidentally back in 1999 when founding tag team Liz Ciavarella and Dave Brenner worked at Nuclear Blast Records together. What started as a side gig to help promote bands that deserved more recognition turned into a full-fledged husband and wife business venture that represents some of metal's top tier bands. The company specializes in extreme metal marketing/promotions and helps get bands and their music/tours noticed by consumers both stateside and abroad.

When asked how many artists and what genres of music they deal with, Earsplit had this to say, "Our roster is forever expanding/morphing. We’re always working several dozen highly active bands at any one time. Right now we have over 200 clients; some are active touring bands, others are lower-key studio-type projects (others are simply working on new records and temporarily dormant). We interact with an incredible array of musicians, managers and label folks over the course of a day. EarsplitPR focuses predominantly on the metal realm and other forms of heavy music; everything from classic heavy metal to lo-fi cult black metal, American and Swedish death metal bands who've been active for 20-30 years, brand new indie acts, experimental/genre-bending scene forerunners and anything in between."

When it comes to a typical work day, "[It's] long and hectic. It’s generally an endless stream of email, phone calls and various forms of communication between labels, bands, management companies and writers. Press releases are written, interviews are scheduled, reviews are logged, speakers are blown... it’s always an adventure at the Earsplit Compound. There’s never a moment where something doesn’t need to be done." 

We asked how strong of an impact written buzz from the media is, before an album is released. "It is one of many factors that go into building an album for release, and definitely an important one. With the incessant flood of music available to metalheads, and music fans in general, these days, it’s integral that a band stay in the spotlight."

Digital promos were always meant to decrease or eliminate the costs that traditionally came with mailing out physical discs. Earsplit added, "While physical product is always a treat, it’s generally not cost effective to mail 300 – 400 CDs any more nor do you get the same response. Promoting records digitally allows us to reach a far wider audience." Since going digital, their job has literally changed. "Our rates are far more affordable now that manufacturing and mailing costs have generally been eliminated from the equation. A single package containing two CDs to Europe can cost up to $7 each; that adds up quickly when you're trying to hit even just a handful of editors and writers."

Has watermarking proved to be a sufficient defense against early leaking? Earsplit responded, "While watermarking isn't on its own a foolproof method in preventing leaks, it is a major deterrent. On the rare occasion we've had a track leak via Haulix, the staff was very on point and immediately traced it to the leaking party."

In conclusion, we were eager to hear their take on where the music industry is headed, as well as their advice for anyone considering moving to a digital promotion strategy. "Like anything else in life, change is imminent. We are not a record label, but speaking from our perspective — as fans and as publicists —the digital market is definitely taking over. That however doesn’t mean the death of the music industry. It just means a need for different sales strategies. Bands are touring more; they’re selling more merch. Diehard fans are buying vinyl again and though more and more folks are purchasing the digital release, there will always be fans — and we think this goes for metalheads in particular who are generally more “collector” prone — who  appreciate packaging and the sheer excitement of buying a new CD. There are also more properly-promoted indie labels sprouting up and selling more product than ever. [This] creates a bit of a "middle class" in the record sales market, rather than a band being either a major act or an unknown band." They continued, "[As far as their experience moving to digital promotions] just what we said earlier: [benefits are] cost effectiveness, a farther reach and the security in Haulix’ watermark capabilities has really helped us in all our promoting endeavors."