IOTM Blog
Posted: Jan 31, 2023
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post originally featured in the Symphonic Distribution Blog.
"Effective marketing is a fundamental part of being an artist. Without it, you, your music, and your branding can only go so far. This is where spending the money for thoughtful and dependable marketing comes into play. But how do you know how much money is the right amount to help you achieve your goals? In this part of our marketing journey series, we’ll break down everything you need to know about building a successful marketing budget..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 24, 2023
Category: Songwriting
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**Guest post written by Hovey Otis.
"When it comes to songwriting, having a unique and creative perspective can be the difference between a great song and an average one. But how can you look at the same lyrics in a different way and create something that stands out? Here are 3 tips to help you switch up your approach to songwriting and find new inspiration."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 18, 2023
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Lacie Blue, director of artist relations at Musik and Film Promotions.
"Nashville used to be the land where dreams came true for musicians. Superstar makers would walk into a bar and swoop up the “next big thing”—pretty soon you had Garth Brooks. Perhaps it still happens…once in a blue moon. Once upon a time, musicians and songwriters created music to create. They performed because it was in their blood to perform. They didn’t care if they fit into a genre. They wanted to connect to people on a higher level through music. Gone are those days. (But not the musicians…)"
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 10, 2023
Category: Social Media
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**Guest post originally featured in the Symphonic Distribution Blog.
"If you’re an active social media user, then you don’t need to be told how important accurate image sizing is on socials. Social platforms change their preferred image sizing and formatting every year, so make sure to update yours accordingly! To help you out, here are the updated requirements for 2023..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 3, 2023
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"If you're an independent artist and currently promoting your music by yourself without the help of a label, the process can be sometimes hard and take valuable time and effort. The purpose of this article is to give you some tips and links on how and where you can promote your music easily and efficiently."
Posted: Dec 20, 2022
Category: Technology
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**Guest post written Ramiro from GearAficionado, an online music magazine.
"If you are a human living on the planet Earth, it is inevitable that you have heard about how Artificial Intelligence is becoming every day more potent. Advancements that took us decades, now are deemed obsolete in a matter of months, if not weeks. One of the main concerns this brings along is that machines are starting to be way better than us for a lot of jobs. And indie musicians, particularly, are surely not out of the scope of automation."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 14, 2022
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Bobby Owsinski, originally featured in the Music 3.0 Blog.
"When I was a young musician, I lived in a time where there were so many clubs that you could play 7 nights a week in a different club every night if you wanted to, plus get paid for it. If you can believe it, you could actually make a pretty decent living as a musician just playing the venues in your local area. That helped bands get tighter, develop stage presence, gain experience working crowds, and grow to the next level. Those days are pretty much over though, and it appears to be getting worse as local clubs are closing at an alarming rate."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 7, 2022
Category: Tips & Tricks
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**Guest post originally featured in the Symphonic Distribution Blog.
"Every year, from about mid-December on, the music industry becomes a ghost town. People start going on vacation, taking time-off, major label artist releases slow down big time, and for indie artists, it’s no man’s land. And while that, coupled with the frigid temperatures, might be enough to have you want to hunker down and avoid leaving the safety of your home for the next few months, this time of year is actually incredibly powerful for setting yourself up for success. You just have to know how to take advantage of it. Here’s how..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 29, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"The music publicity process for any band or artist – no matter how big or small – is very much the same. Of course, the size of the music blogs and other outlets in which you receive placements will vary dramatically. This is based on what style of music is hot at the moment, combined with many other factors including label, tour schedule, size of your online fan base, and the number of streams." View Full Article
Posted: Nov 23, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"Here, in How To Be Your Own Music Publicist Part 2, we will go through the 5 things that need to be addressed before you can start pitching to music blogs and publications. 1. Research Music Blogs 2. Prepare Your Target Lists 3. Get Your Email and Newsletters in Order 4. Determine Your Ideal Release Schedule 5. Prep Your Visual Assets and Social Media Posts" View Full Article
Posted: Nov 16, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"The world of DIY music publicity can feel very overwhelming. Sadly, a lot of artists get bad advice when they are just starting out that the first thing they should do is go out and hire a music publicist. We don’t think this is the best advice at all as you may not be ready for a music publicist right off the bat. There are many things you should do first...Another thing to understand is, that when attempting to be your own music publicist you need to look beyond Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Rolling Stone. Being an indie music publicist involves understanding a complex ecosystem of music blogs, playlists, podcasts, social media influencers and traditional media – newspapers, magazines, television and radio. It is possible to do it yourself and this guide is here to help." View Full Article
Posted: Nov 8, 2022
Category: Tips & Tricks
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**Guest post written by Don East of Killer Rig Music in the USA.
"No one ever plans on their instrument being damaged or stolen, but the unfortunate truth is that accidents happen all the time. That's why it's important to have insurance for your musical instruments. This way, you can rest easy knowing that they are protected in case of an emergency. In this article, we will discuss the importance of musical instrument insurance, and touch on some of the policies to consider."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 1, 2022
Category: Technology
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"One of your band’s best friends should be Google services. They offer lots of free resources that can be powerful for running your band’s business. Did I mention these are FREE? Plus, these resources can be accessed anywhere you have an internet connection. Let’s talk about how you can use these to help your band run more smoothly."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 25, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"Your song is now uploaded to digital distribution platforms and it’s officially online with millions of streaming stores...Once your song is on all streaming platforms, the hard work begins: Promoting and Sourcing Your Music...Sending to a playlist is the most efficient and effective way to get your music heard, undoubtedly. But how do you place your track on a playlist? Should you focus your efforts on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer or Tidal?...If you want to know more, you've come to the right place."
Posted: Oct 18, 2022
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Dennis Kurtz of What's Next Nashville.
" Last week I made the point that you are worth what you can draw! This is true if you are doing a hard ticket show...Most original music artists build themselves as a hard ticket, but also play soft tickets shows along with their hard ticket shows. Usually as a seller I try to find out what the budget is in these situations before I quote a price...Typically, here is how these gigs are priced..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 11, 2022
Category: Recording
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**Guest post written by Hovey Otis.
"As a musician, there are few things more frustrating than feeling fatigued during a recording session. You're in the studio, you've been working hard all day, and suddenly your creative spark just seems to disappear. It's normal to feel exhaustion setting in from time to time, but there are ways to overcome it and get back on track. Here are some tips for dealing with fatigue during a recording session."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 4, 2022
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Matt Santry, founder of www.WellPaidMusician.com.
"The app is called Thumbtack. I think it's overlooked by musicians because it's an app for every imaginable freelancer from dog walkers, plumbers, website designers, and yes, performing musicians. So what sets this app apart from Fiverr and other freelancing marketplaces?...how does it work?...what's their business model?"
Posted: Sep 27, 2022
Category: Social Media
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**Guest post written by Yona Marie, originally featured in her blog.
"It's not too late for you to get some shine and go viral on this popular platform. I say this mainly because of TikTok's current algorithm, which doesn't focus as much on follow count as you think it would. Sure, people who already have tons of talent will get a lot of views since they have probably been working hard on their content for a while now. But with great content and a great approach, you could also blow up on the platform!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 20, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"Without a doubt, Spotify is the biggest music streaming website on the market. As for 2022, there are currently more than 356 million Spotify users, 182 million of them are paying subscribers. Out of all these users, there are loads of Spotify playlist curators...If you're an artist releasing music to Spotify and other streaming platforms via a music distribution service, the best way for you to get your music heard is by getting on Spotify playlists."
Posted: Sep 13, 2022
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Wes Walls of Bandzoogle.
"Once you have created a music website, you can take your online presence a step further by optimizing your band's ranking in search engines. This is called SEO for musicians, and it makes it easier for your fans to find the information about you that they want. Whether you want to discover the best SEO keywords for musicians, or just start making your songs, social profiles and events show up in Google, this checklist will help you to get started."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 6, 2022
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Jesse Young El.
"You're an artist who's just starting out in your career. You've been hustling, grinding, and making connections for years, and you're finally starting to see some success. Your music is starting to get attention, and you're beginning to perform at shows and venues. Or maybe that's not your story at all. Maybe you're rarely getting calls for shows. Maybe the venue you do get booked in is paying you very little. Perhaps your music isn't generating much revenue from royalties. If any of these is the case, then you're really going to have to hustle differently to make additional income. But don't worry, there are ways that you can make money as a singer or hip-hop artist beyond just shows and royalties."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 30, 2022
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Digby Pearson, founder of Earache Records.
"...every new band or artist needs to get their music online if they want to be heard by as many people as possible...Playlists on platforms like Spotify have the potential to propel a song into the public sphere as much as the charts or radio play. And if your music gets used in a viral TikTok video, you could soon see your fanbase soar. Music distributors help to make that happen...If you’re ready to take the next step in your music career and want your tunes to be heard by more people, here are five things you should know about how digital distribution - and the distributors that make it happen - work."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 23, 2022
Category: Managers
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**Guest post written by Yona Marie, originally featured in her blog.
"Have you reached the point where you need someone else to manage many of your business aspects in order to you to be able to focus more on the creative side of things? Are you unsure of the process for getting a manager that fits your style, location, budget, and interests? You are not at all alone...Not everyone that can manage should manage you. Also, more importantly, not everyone that is looking for management is ready for it."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 16, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"How to avoid this kind of fraud? 1. Use Chartmetric and SpotOnTrack 2. Curators have multiple playlists that all roughly have the same number of followers 3. Curators have large playlists but hardly any followers for themselves 4. The curators' playlist followers have very often no profile pictures and similar names 5. Curators sell playlist placements for money 6. Playlists do not appear on the ‘Discovered On’ section on the profile of an artist..."
Posted: Aug 9, 2022
Category: Tips & Tricks
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**Guest post written by Logan Crowell, Founder & President of HOME, Helping Our Music Evolve.
"Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Imagine that your job and your next promotion rides on finding that one in a million song or artist that is going to take the world by storm. IT MAKES SENSE THAT EXECUTIVES AND A&R REPS RELY MORE ON DATA ANALYTICS THAN THEY DO ON THEIR EARS. They can find artists and songs based on the reactions from a huge ‘test group’ like TikTok, which gives them more objective confidence in their decision making than their own ears can. STILL...DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE PITCH."
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