“7 Ways Musicians Can Protect Themselves Online From Stalkers” plus 1 more

7 Ways Musicians Can Protect Themselves Online From Stalkers

Posted: 20 Mar 2020 02:00 AM PDT

You don’t have to be a celebrity to have stalkers. As an artist, especially if you’re a woman, putting yourself out there on stage or even behind the screen on social media, generates a lot of attention, making you a potential target of identity theft or a victim of stalking or harassment.

As you become more established as an independent artist, it’s very important for you to think about your safety and security. Stalking can happen to anyone and the tools available on the internet make it easier than ever for someone to find out personal information about you and track what you are doing. Even if you aren’t celebrity famous, someone who may not be the most mentally or emotionally stable might take an unhealthy interest in you.

I decided to put this little guide together after learning that an artist I work with had issues with stalkers in the past. More recently, she had a guy reach out to her and say some weird, disturbing things that made her concerned about her safety.

This is not meant to be an in-depth guide, but more to go over some basic steps you can take to help protect your privacy online, so you are aware of what personal information may be exposed online for others to see.

1. Use a stage name

This is an obvious one that you should know, but I just want to point out that there are good reasons why stage names exist. Chances are you already have a stage or artist name that you’ve been using for your music career. Use your stage name on channels you control, like your website and social media accounts. This ensures that your real name is not publically displayed. This is not going to deter anyone from learning of your real identity, but it definitely adds a layer of protection.

Or maybe you’ve established a career using your real name. If that’s the case, then this step can be disregarded, but you’ll definitely want to pay attention to the next point.

In case you’re just starting off, be sure to read my blog on how to choose the right stage name for you.

2. Remove your personal information from people finder sites

Many people don’t know how much of their personal information is available for just about anyone to search for and access. All of this information about you is compiled legally and made available on various sites, ranging from background checks to helping people find old friends and family members.

To educate yourself on what people can easily learn about you, try going to a popular search engine like Google and search your real full name and the city you live in. If it’s very common, try searching with your artist/stage name.

What may follow is a list of the top sites you should work on removing your personal information from. First, start by going to each site and searching your name to find what personal information is being made available to the public. If you find personal information you don’t want people to know, follow the directions on how to opt-out of those sites.

Tip: Some sites will require you to create an account or provide an email address to send an opt-out email. Use a burner email address that you don’t regularly use or create a new one for this purpose. This helps ensure that your privacy is protected and they aren’t going to spam you.

Spokeo - https://www.spokeo.com

This one is relatively easy. Find your profile by searching the site with your full name. You will need the URL of your exact profile on Spokeo and an email address. Once you have those two things, opt-out here on this page: https://www.spokeo.com/optout

Radaris - https://radaris.com

This process is a bit more tedious. You may need a phone number and email address. The idea is to take control of your profile and remove specific records.

Removal Instructions: https://radaris.com/page/how-to-remove

PeopleSmart - https://www.peoplesmart.com

You will need an email address for this. Go to the link below to start. You’ll just need to search for your exact profile and provide an email address to opt out. https://www.peoplesmart.com/optout-go

TruthFinder - https://www.truthfinder.com

Follow the directions in the link below. You’ll need to search and locate your profile. Click on ‘Remove this record.’ https://www.truthfinder.com/opt-out/

BeenVerified - https://www.beenverified.com

Search for your profile in the link below. You will need to provide an email address. https://www.beenverified.com/f/optout/search

PeopleFinders - https://www.peoplefinders.com

Search your name and find your listing. Once you click on the ‘This is Me’ link, there should be a button labeled ‘Opt out my info.’ Follow the next few steps, and you are done; no email or account is required. https://www.peoplefinders.com/manage

MyLife - https://www.mylife.com

There are two ways to remove your information from this site. I found calling and telling them you want to delete your profile was actually the easiest way. Call their Customer Care toll free at 1-888-704-1900, Mon-Fri 6am-7pm PST, Sat-Sun 6am-5pm PST. To do it on their website, you have to locate your profile and go through the claiming process.

Intelius

Follow the directions in the link below to opt-out. You will need to provide some form of ID and an email address. https://www.intelius.com/optout.php

Advanced Background Checks - https://www.advancedbackgroundchecks.com

This one is easy, since you don’t need any extra information, like an email address. First, find your listing with the link below. Once you locate it, click on ‘Opt out my info’. https://www.advancedbackgroundchecks.com/manage/

For any other sites

If you come across other sites not listed here that contain personal information, search the name of the site and add the keywords ‘opt out’ to find instructions on how to remove your information.

3. Get domain name privacy

If you pay for your domain name using your own finances, your information may be publically available.

ICANN’s WHOIS is an online service that publically provides contact information about who has registered for a domain name for anyone to search for in a public directory. It provides information, such as full name, address, phone number and email address.

To see if you are listed, search your domain name here: https://whois.icann.org/en.

Web services where you register your domain name will usually give you an option to make your contact information private if you pay an extra fee every year. Depending on what web hosting service you use, the cost can range from $10 to $20 annually.

Not only does paying for this service hide your contact information, but it may help reduce spam and marketing phone calls.

4. Delay Posting your Instagram and Snapchat Stories

Instagram and Snapchat Stories are great social media tools that help show a more personal side of you as an artist. But they can also be used for others to figure out where you are, especially if you’re using location tags or stickers on Instagram.

If you have some suspicion that someone may be stalking you, you may want to delay posting until you are no longer in that area or location. In cases where you know the exact person, block them from your social media account. You may still want to delay posting videos that show your location because it’s easy for someone you blocked to set up a secondary account using a fake name.

5. Use a P.O. box

If you use an email marketing service like Mailchimp, you should know that you’re technically supposed to provide a physical mailing address or P.O. box in the footer of all your emails. Not having this violates anti-spam laws.

I mention this because you may not realize that your home address is being exposed to your fans when you send your email newsletter. I know that the templates available on Mailchimp automatically display your physical address in the email footer. This is common with email marketing services, so if you sign up with an account using your home address, it may be displayed for your fans to see.

If you want to be compliant and protect yourself, you should sign up for a P.O. box at your local post office or try these alternatives. It just needs to be an address that you can get access to receive mail.

A big benefit of having a physical address in the footer is to improve the deliverability of your email newsletter. Spam filters will check for a physical address to evaluate if an email is spam, so this helps make sure your newsletter will be delivered to your fan’s inbox and not filtered into their spam folder.

6. Use stronger passwords

Surprisingly, there are still many people who use very basic passwords, like ‘password’ or ‘123456.’ The last thing you want is for a stalker or hacker to have access to your email account or any other site that may have sensitive information.

At the very least, use passwords that contain a number, symbol, and capital letter. Security experts also suggest to change them often.

Try not to have one standard password you use for all sites and accounts. Personally, I use different passwords depending on the type of site. I have one separate password for social media sites and a different set for anything related to e-commerce. My banking password is unique, and I have a different password for my email accounts.

Also, be sure to activate 2-step verification so you are required to verify your identity with a call or text to your phone. This can prevent a hacker from signing into your account even with a password.

7. Manage Privacy Settings on Facebook

As we all know, Facebook has a lot of information on us, much of which we volunteer. It’s a great tool to keep in touch with our friends and family, but it’s important to manage your privacy settings. You want to control or limit the information or photos the public can access. Although your business Facebook page should be your main point of contact for fans, you don’t anyone to be able to find your personal account.

To manage this, go to your privacy settings: https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=privacy

If you need more information, check out the link below: https://www.facebook.com/help/325807937506242/

Conclusion

I’m not a cybersecurity expert, but these were some things I noticed as an online marketing professional that could compromise an artist’s personal information. At the end of the day, there’s no sure way of avoiding stalkers, but I think taking these basic steps will remove any easy ways for people to access private information about you.

If anyone does harass you or make you feel uncomfortable online, report and block them. Be sure to file a police report and document all the contact you’ve had with the person.

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David “D4” Nguyen is a music marketing contractor and content creator for D4 Music Marketing, an online resource he created to help aspiring and emerging independent artists improve their chances of making a living off music. As someone passionate about biohacking to reach optimal healthspan, David wants to fuse the world of music and health together in a future project to keep artists alive. You can read more of his work and follow his journey at D4 Music Marketing.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Basics Of Branding For Musicians: Figuring Out What Makes You Unique

Posted: 19 Mar 2020 04:05 PM PDT

One of the common challenges I’m noticing artists have about branding is figuring out that one thing that sets them apart from everyone else.

You hear it often in regard to branding. I have even said it in my previous blogs. Because there’s so much competition for attention in the digital era, you have to be able to distinguish yourself to stand out. You need to find what is “unique” about you.

I realize now that this could be misunderstood.

Yes, the concept of branding is to essentially distinguish yourself as unique compared to others… at least to public perception.

However, you shouldn’t have to figure out what makes you unique. The fact is you are “technically” unique as you are. No human, even if you have an identical twin, will ever share the exact same combination of life experiences, social interactions and genetics as you. Does that automatically make you interesting and special as an artist?

Probably not - which is why you’re here. But the way I see it, the focus should be less about figuring out what is “unique” and more about how you will stand out and appeal to specific people who find you interesting.

For the third part of my Basic of Branding for Musicians series that I originally wrote on D4 Music Marketing, I will address 7 key points about this idea of uniqueness in branding and why you should rethink it.

1. Your brand can be multifaceted.

Some of the artist questions I’ve been getting emails about have to do with figuring out that “one thing” that will make them super unique and interesting. Theoretically, for the sake of simplicity and clear communication, a good brand tends to have “one thing” that stands out and sticks in people’s minds. That one thing makes it easier to set expectations about who you are.

At the end of the day though, we are all multifaceted people. Some people, even within your target audience, will resonate more with different aspects or identities of you than others.

You can explore different parts of you to see what sticks for your branding. Don’t get caught up with this idea that you have to have this “one thing”. It will help to highlight or focus on one thing as a priority, but every artist is different so see what works best for your circumstances.

2. You’re unique, but your branding angle isn’t.

When it comes to defining your brand, what you choose to highlight is rarely ever going to be truly unique. Don’t get caught up in finding that one perfect thing that no one else is. When it comes to that branding angle, it’s okay to be like so and so. There are a lot of artists who are potheads (Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Cypress Hill) or have dealt with drug addiction (Macklemore, Eminem, Eligh) at the forefront of their brand. This shouldn’t stop you from going in that direction if that is true to who you are and it supports your goals as an individual.

You can approach different angles by combining them in some creative way. Just saying you are a rapper or singer-songwriter from so and so is pointless. Don’t be afraid to be more fine-tuned with your niche. My good friends AstraLogik are a music duo who are Filipino, gay and life partners with each other. Their brand is a mixture of these things that make them unique and multifaceted.

Branding isn’t always just about what you are or what you’ve experienced. It could be based on the creative, political, economic or social pursuits you are working towards. If you care about social issues like homelessness, your brand could be based on opening up your own homeless shelter. It could be based on things you are working towards, which can make for an interesting story.

It could even be based on presenting your music creatively like Tierra Whack did with her album Whack World.

Some people fall into a branding angle much easier because they do have some really interesting life experiences that make it natural. Good examples are Slick Rick and Black Violin. For others, it can take time to develop. This leads to the next point.

3. What makes you unique will take time.

Establishing your brand identity is the foundation of building yourself as someone who is unique. The reason why I feel you shouldn’t obsess over that “unique” angle earlier on is that I believe that it can take time for your “uniqueness” to manifest.

Yes, you do need to eventually be able to build your brand in a way that is distinguishable and somewhat unique. However, there shouldn’t be pressure to do so right off the bat, especially if you’ve only been in music for less than a few years.

It’s possible to stumble into some life event or opportunity later that may redefine your brand.

Your brand identity can and should be a work in progress. Even with a good brand, you still need patience. Just because you’re not famous in 2 years, doesn’t mean you’re not unique enough. Trust the process!

4. The sole purpose of branding isn’t to be different.

Sure, one big part of branding is making yourself distinguishable. But you aren’t establishing yourself as this super unique artist just to be different. The goal is to stand out AND draw people into you as a brand they resonate with.

The other part of branding is to develop a deeper emotional relationship. This is often done by doing the opposite of being “different,” which is showing how you are similar to those you want to reach. After all, presenting yourself as someone who is relatable is what helps people feel more connected to you.

5. Don’t overthink it or try too hard. Ask for help.

A good brand isn’t one that is the most unique so don’t get stuck on trying to be so different. If you’re overthinking it, then it’s probably not going to be natural.

I had an artist reach out to me who had trouble figuring out his brand because he felt there was nothing interesting about him. I had him fill out my brand assessment questionnaire and learned he had a bunch of interesting angles that could be taken.

This is why something like self-awareness is important. You might not think you are interesting, but sometimes you’re not the best judge of that. Try getting an outsider’s perspective and ask people you know what they think may be interesting about you.

6. Don’t just state it, follow through and live it.

It’s one thing to say you’re this and that when defining your brand, but it’s another thing to show and live it. Branding is less about what you say you are and more about what people see and hear.

If you say you are a mental health advocate or a political activist in your bio, make sure the content you push on your social media channels shows it. A big component of branding is creating and maintaining a public perception that reflects an authentic part of you. This is why it can take some time as well to develop it. Branding isn’t something you set and forget.

Branding is about owning your narrative. It’s highlighting what makes you who you are and embodying that in everything you do. What ultimately will make you unique is how you transform that angle into your own.

When you are figuring out your brand, you’re trying to set a foundation and an expectation for others. That can be difficult in itself, but the harder part is you have to live it, which is why it should be authentic.

7. Branding alone isn’t going to save you.

To expand on the first point, I get the sense some artists get too obsessed with finding that one unique thing. They feel it’ll make or break their career. Just like talent alone isn’t going to carry you. You still need to have talent, put in the work and create amazing music. Super cliche but it’s true. Success involves many factors so don’t let this aspect of your brand slow you down.

I stress branding as being massively important in today’s climate, but it’s not the magic pill. Figuring out that one branding angle isn’t going to magically take your music to the next level. Your main focus should be on making music.

Branding is a long term investment, not a shortcut or a tactic.

Conclusion

If you found this blog useful, check out my Branding Guide for Musicians eBook. I took my ‘Basics of Branding for Musicians’ blog series, rewrote parts of it and combined them into one convenient guide. I also included a branding workshop section to provide further help in establishing your brand that you can only find in this eBook.

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David “D4” Nguyen is a music marketing contractor and content creator for D4 Music Marketing, an online resource he created to help aspiring and emerging independent artists improve their chances of making a living off music. As someone passionate about biohacking to reach optimal healthspan, David wants to fuse the world of music and health together in a future project to keep artists alive. You can read more of his work and follow his journey at D4 Music Marketing.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now