Meet the Blogger is a feature here at the BlogWorld blog where we introduce you to some of newest bloggers in various niches. Today, we’re talking with Michael Brandvold, who blogs at Michael Brandvold Marketing. Check out his interview below, as well as the full list of Meet the Blogger interviews (including instructions for participating).

Allison: Thanks for being a part of Meet the Blogger, Michael! Tell us a little about you and your blog.

Michael: I am a freelance music industry consultant based in Northern California. Having launched Michael Brandvold Marketing to leverage my years of experience (over 20) to provide direction to large and small clients in the areas of online & social marketing as well as e-commerce and customer acquisition and retention.

Gene Simmons of KISS first tapped my skills as a pioneering online marketing strategist to launch and manage all aspects of Kissonline.com‘s multi-million dollar enterprise, including their ground-breaking VIP ticket program.

I have also managed the online branding,  marketing,  and sales efforts for U2,  Motley Crüe,  Rod Stewart,  Madonna,  Ozzy Osbourne,  Madonna and Britney Spears,  as well as marketing programs for iconic entertainment corporations including Universal Music Group,  BMG/Sanctuary Records,  Rhino Records,  and Playboy,  to name only a few.

My blog is simply my outlet to provide the knowledge and insight from working with all these clients. I provide very actionable advice, tips and directions for musicians.

What initially attracted you to blogging and why did you choose to blog about music marketing?

I have always had a opinion when it came to online marketing for bands and felt it was time to fully express it. Music has been my passion since I was a kid. I have been in a band, buy I have been a fan my entire life.

I noticed that you’ve chosen to have a static page as your homepage, rather than a homepage that shows your most recent blogposts. What led to this decision?

I guess that comes from many years of building and managing websites. I like to have a static page that I can control to push and promote whatever I need. Though honestly this might change as I am working on a new site template.

What are some of the challenges you’re facing as someone who’s new to blogging?

Probably the biggest challenge was establishing myself as a authority. I know what I was talking about, and friends and clients knew as well. But nobody else knew me from the man on the moon. So I have spent six months really focused on becoming a respected authority.

Establishing authority is something I think is a challenge for a lot of new bloggers. Can you give us some tips/advice on this topic – what have you been doing that works?

I have spent the first six months focused on nothing more than blogging and providing knowledge. Before even thinking about using your blog to generate revenue you need to establish yourself. Gain trust of the community before you start looking for revenue. Blogging, Facebook and Twitter engagement needs to be consistent, and seek out other established authorities and engage with them specifically. Join the communities they are part of, follow the sites they follow. And finally, write about what you care about. Don’t worry about not having an audience initially, just keep writing. The audience will find you.

What’s the single most important lesson you’ve learned so far as a blogger?

Write about what you believe in. If you are called to back up something you write that can be difficult if you don’t care about the topic. If you love what you write about you can defend and stand behind your words very easily. Oh, and maybe don’t be afraid of some controversy.

I love that you have a ton of audio content on your blog – it really fits your niche well! Can you give bloggers some tips for transitioning from text-only to producing audio content?

After a few months of blogging the transition to a podcast just felt very natural. Don’t over plan a podcast, just do it. Let it be natural and just flow. Talk about what you might normally discuss with a friend. I have also posted alot of audio clips that I have gathered over the years. Interviews I have conducted, as well as some radio clips. If you can find audio that interests your audience go for it. Be sure to do your best to credit the source.

What blogging topics do you hope to learn more about in the coming months?

Hmm, really good question. I would love to learn more about using my blogging to get speaking engagements and how to translate my blogs into ebooks.

Thanks again for the interview, Michael! Readers, make sure to check out Michael’s blog, and follow him on Twitter @michaelsb.