The Audio Amigo Interview | September 1999
by Eduardo Bishop
Alan Horvath is everywhere on the Internet. Most notably, he is all over the mp3 charts. Online since only January, this seasoned veteran of the NYC/New Jersey music scene has attracted a lot of attention in a hurry.
With several songs in the Top 20 on charts like MP3.com, Amp3.com, and RollingStone.com, I thought perhaps Alan could share some tips about his unabashed guerilla self-promotion methods to get maximum Internet exposure.
In an exclusive interview with Audio Amigo, Alan Horvath lets us in on some of his chart-busting secrets and insights into his creative philosophy.
Eduardo: When did you begin promoting your music online?
Alan: I created AlanHorvath.com in January, 1999. A great friend, Jimmy Page (no, not THAT Jimmy Page!) gave me his old PowerMac, in September of '98 ... which is still a very happening piece of equipment because of the way he had it built! I snapped! I literally went nutzoid over html and graphic stuff in Photoshop, and built my site after some 3-4 months of computer/internet/html experience! If I wasn't working on my music, I'd be on the internet for 20 hours at a clip ... reading stuff from htmlgoodies.com and projectcool.com ... the internet was a love-at-first-sight kinda thing for me.
Anyway, I think I was first listed with UBL (the Ultimate Band List) and The Incredibly Small Concert Hall ... I'm still listed with both of those sites, but my favorite spots are at RollingStone.Com, MP3.Com, AMP3.Net, mpulse.com, SoundClick.Com, and quite a few others, actually. CDbaby.com RULES the roost!
Eduardo: How many places on the Internet have you registered your songs?
Alan: 17? 20? There's a link at my site that opens a page of links to mp3 sites that feature my music ... there are some- Italian sites, or Japanese sites - that I don't link to for obvious reasons, like, they aren't in english.
Eduardo: How long did it take your first offering to reach the top 20?
Alan: I think it took 4 to 6 weeks from the time I set up a page at MP3.Com, to the time I hit the top 20 for the first time.
Eduardo: You have songs in the Top 20 on Rollingstone.com, Amp3.net, and MP3.com to name just a few. Which rankings are you most proud of?
Alan: I had
I Don't Care at #13 in MP3.com's POP Charts about a week and a half ago. I thought that was the toughest spot I've taken so far. It's one thing to be #10 in Pop/Acoustic ... or Rock/Folk Rock ... but to get in the top 100 on the Rock or Pop charts is really showing that people are checkin' you out and diggin' what they hear! I live for attention, man. It feels great to see me sittin' high on ANY charts!
Eduardo: Your music is described as Acoustic Rock. When and how did you come to realize that the folk music genre was where you would have the most success?
Alan: A
review by Jon DiMarco said I was "Folk" so I threw in on some Folk genre charts to watch the action. I seem to chart equally in Rock> Folk Rock, too, but Jon's article was so cool - that's what made me realize that "Folk" wasn't any longer a matter of "Peter, Paul and Mary," or "The Kingston Trio" ... as it is in this old head of mine!
To me though, it's still acoustic rock. Because I write in a blues/rock mode and I play exclusively with an acoustic guitar. 80% of all the "Acoustic" genre acts I check out, are plugged in! Hullo!!?? If yer playin' an electric guitar, what the hell are you posting in an acoustic genre for? That kind of stuff drives me nuts ... and is what made me start the "Acoustic Rock ... for real" logo.
Eduardo: You have your own website, www.AlanHorvath.com, that facilitates your CD sales through CDbaby.com. Tell us a little about how you have set all that up.
Alan: Well, there's info about who I am and where I've been and who I'm associated with, all via my "bio" page ... and more of that via the "pressKIT" page ... the short bio gives you a brief rundown of what I've been doing and who I've worked with since 1969, and the pressKIT page provides information that industry pro's may want to view.
Via the "Alan's songs" link, you can hear RealAudio - full length - songs, and have at my free mp3s ... all are played or downloaded from the respective lyricsheet pages, so while you are listening you can read the lyrics and click on links to "inSIGHTS" (stories behind the songs) and any reviews or articles relative to the song.
The "Alan's CDs" link let's you buy my CDs. Delivered right to your door. In 4-5 days. Quick. Easy. Fast. Buy this CD! NOW! Oops! Sorry ... I got carried away there for a moment.
Eduardo: Not a problem. Just tell everyone you know about AudioAmigo.com ... (grins)
Alan: Another feature of my site is the
Jam! area, where I offer everything I know about playing acoustic guitar (for beginners or advanced players) ... I write "meanderings" about playing techniques, learning techniques, performing techniques ... I have over 20 open/modal tunings listed ... I'm NOT taking any stance as a "teacher" here, I'm only offering my personal knowledge and feelings about the experiences I've garnered through 30 years of living as a singer-songwriter, performing/recording artist. I wanted to use this part of my site as a way of "giving something back."
Eduardo: Have your CD sales figures increased in proportion to your download count?
Alan: I suppose. The going "rate" at mp3.com was 1 CD sale for every 1,000 downloads, but my personal experience has been 1 CD sold for every 70 Downloads. Whatever. It's all relative. I'm as happy about 10 downloads as I am about 1 CD sale. Exposure is more important to me than sales at THIS point in the game!
Eduardo: What advice do you give independent artists on how to go about promoting their music agressively online as you have?
Alan: I think it's purely a matter of sincerity. Same approach I have towards everything I do ... whether it's writing, performing, building a site, signing a deal or turning one down ... the results of whatever I do is always a matter of giving myself to something - totally. If I have a strong presence on the web, it's because I'm ON the web ... getting involved with newsgroups that I "believe" in ... pissing people off, and making them really look at themselves (newsgroups are a strange environment to get into!) ... answering emails immediately.
And, I think the strongest effect is charting songs at sites like RollingStone or Amp3 ... My site is averaging 900 (unique - not repeat) visitors per week. Not bad for 10 months, eh? I think it's very important that you really care about where you post links to your site ... where you create presences. People can "see" the motives behind the web, and I think they react to those "sensed" motives more than anything else - other than the music itself. And nothing will do as much as a good song!
Eduardo: So what's on the horizon for Alan Horvath in the new millenium, more of the same good stuff?
Alan: More and more of better and better stuff! Wait'll you hear my new project!!! These new songs make the 10 from my 1st Cyber CD really look "old!" I think my writing clearly shows the marks of an artist who has gotten much closer to his focus since the last CD. And, I promise, it'll always be that way.
I also want to pull out the Rock Opera I cut, way back in 1981, on J. R. R. Tolkien's
The Lord of the Rings, and put it up on the internet. The songs and the recording project still stand up strong ... maybe, because it's such a unique project ... I know everyone would enjoy the work I did on it. I have to remaster some old tapes to do that ... and when I do, I'll probably wind up laying out some very, VERY unique projects ... like, maybe my first recording session from 1968 in L. A. (I was 17 years old!) ... or the session I cut in '72 that got me a deal with Columbia/Elektra ... and there's a lot of other stuff from all these years of doin' this. Eventually, I'll have a much phatter discography happening on my site.
Eduardo: Thank you, Alan! You're a great talent and an inspiration to me personally and to many others as well. Good luck!
Alan: It's been my pleasure, Eduardo. Thanks for asking.
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