Posted: May 14, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Ellie Batchiyska, a writer for SoundStageDirect, the number one online source for the best vinyl records and turntables.
"The final step in your self-promotion efforts, however, should be none other than creating an EP...Having an EP is great for giving people a taste of your musical sound and style. Think of it as your curriculum vitae, a summary of your most impressive and promising work."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 7, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Rachel M., originally featured on Push Power Promo's Blog.
"Do you want to make a good impression on your fans and for other people in the music industry?...If so, there are plenty of ways to make this happen...Below are a few ways to boost your brand and show people that you're the real deal."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 16, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"Most people don’t even carry cash and never use checks for anything. Your band, which is your small business, needs to change with the times and accept credit cards. Don’t worry, it is very simple to do."
Posted: Apr 9, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by John Kay, a touring and performing songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, and the leader of John Kay & Who’s To Say.
"..the burning question which keeps those who are truly passionate about their local music scene is: Why? Why does “the scene suck”? Why does it need fixing? What is the root of the problem? It’s more complicated than a one-answer summation, but I proffer that a major contributor to why a local scene suffers—and new/young/up-and-coming bands ultimately fail—is the recording engineer’s decision to manipulate an amateur band’s recorded performance into a near-perfect production."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 5, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joshua Rich, a pop pianist out of Washington, DC.
"Have you heard the famous story about the invention of the V-8 engine? Seems that Henry Ford kept telling his engineers to create it, and they kept coming back saying it was impossible...As a creative person - one who is pursuing my dream of becoming a successful performing artist, I think it’s super important to remember these points:"
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 2, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joshua Rich, a pop pianist out of Washington, DC.
"The best thing I have learned as a performer is how to get out of my own way - to look at myself through other people’s eyes...Listening to others and being open to what your strengths are can be the difference between making it and not..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 13, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joe Hoten of Bands For Hire.
"When your band breaks up, it's like losing your family, your job and your favourite hobby all in one fell swoop...This is of course a feeling best avoided at all costs, so here is a list of ten reasons explaining why it happened, and how you can hopefully prevent it from happening again."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 30, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"Most musicians sink a lot of money into their gear. This is how they make a living! Sometimes, it took years and years to acquire this gear. Don’t let one horrible event wipe you out. I’ve seen too many stories about how a band had to call it quits because their gear was stolen, or damaged. They couldn’t continue to make a living, so they gave up their dreams to get regular jobs to pay the bills. If this sounds like you, then you need INSURANCE." View Full Article
Posted: Sep 5, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Carlos Castillo of Schwilly Family Musicians - music marketing strategist, web designer, live performance recordist, international road-tripper, lap steel player, and Captain of the Schwilly Family.
"Over in our Facebook Group I was asking about what excuses people are allowing to hold them back. As it turns out I've had a LOT of the same excuses hold me back over the years. So I reckon it would be useful for you to know how I put them behind me. Interested? Here we go!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 31, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Vinnie Hines of Artist Collective.
"For ages, there’s been a cliché dream for any would-be musician...You’re immediately bombarded by these different suits throwing you offers from every record label you could think of, and finally, you’ve made it. You’re “signed...It’s all bullshit.” View Full Article
Posted: Jul 3, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Paula Tolly, one half of the Boca Raton based Americana duo 33 Years.
"Did your bass player just move out of town? Are you broke and can’t afford the next photo shoot? Looking for a way to make a bigger online splash?? Don’t fret! Here are a few DIY Band Fixes that you can try RIGHT NOW before your next gig."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 26, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Canadian entertainment lawyer Byron Pascoe, originally featured on Bandzoogle.com.
"Before signing a contract with a label, it’s important to understand what you’re signing. When I’m reviewing a record label agreement for an artist, it’s not uncommon for there to be a number of “red flags” – warnings to watch out for in the agreement and/or the relationship with the label. The following list (in no particular order) provides some common red flags to keep in mind..." View Full Article
Posted: Jun 19, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Vinnie Hines of Artist Collective.
"It’s almost understood that if you’re a musician, you’re likely unemployed, homeless, broke or all three. I deal with it constantly when people ask what I do for a living. Though I love writing and booking, I will always and forever identify as a “musician.” It’s my passion and my purpose and here’s the kicker: I’m not broke. The reason for that, is that I have approached my music like a business from the get-go." View Full Article
Posted: Apr 10, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Debbie Stanley, a professional organizer, South By Southwest 2017 speaker, and owner of the consulting practice Thoughts In Order. This post is an excerpt from her book The Organized Musician.
"Being organized isn’t just about having a tidy closet, being on time, or keeping up with email. The consequences of disorganization can be severe for indie musicians, including damage to or even destruction of your relationships, and, by extension, your career...Of all the habits that either build or erode relationship equity, a surprising number are related to organization. Let’s look at some habits that are likely to undermine your relationships..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 27, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Nicholas Rubright of Dozmia.
"Releasing music requires a huge amount of work, which makes it easy to miss something important. In addition to promoting your new release – sending it to radio stations, getting bloggers to write about it – there are some important things to take care of on the administrative side. Here’s a checklist of all the boring things you should take care of when releasing new music..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 13, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Vinnie Hines of Artist Collective.
"There’s a place where that musical dream can still become a reality. The beautiful part of it is that it’s a rapidly growing industry based completely around good times, scenic views and constant entertainment. It’s the cruise ship entertainment industry, and this is how you “get in"..." View Full Article
Posted: Nov 7, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Jonny Carroll, a touring singer-songwriter from Grand Rapids, MI, as featured in his blog.
"In my short time burning the pavement that is independent vocational musicianship I’ve come to observe the artists who, regardless of genre, possess some traits for being wildly successful at making it into a flourishing career. The common denominator between them is simple..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 17, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.
"This week I finally got around to watching the Steve Jobs movie. He was a complicated man for sure. It wasn’t the most feel good film I have ever watched. But I must say there were several scenes that apply to many of the things I try and discuss in this music blog. I was surprised how much Steve Jobs referenced musicians when talking about his quest to democratize the computer. It was pretty cool..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 19, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joy Ike, creator of Grassrootsy.com and Independent Musician, as featured on Grassrootsy.com.
"We’ve been working on this list for a while and thought it was high time to share it. Keep in mind that this post is primarily for the working musician..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 23, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Bandzoogle.com.
"One of the biggest challenges facing musicians is generating income. Although sales of recorded music have dropped significantly, there are many new sources of income available to musicians. Bandzoogle have put together a free eBook called “23 Ways Musicians Can Make Money” to help musicians and bands find ways to generate more money for their careers."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 8, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Music Director and guitarist for Kenny Babyface Edmonds, composer, artist and author of: The Career Guitarist.
"1) What does the term "Career Guitarist" mean? Typically when speaking of a musician who solely earns their money from music, we refer to them as a professional musician. I just simplified it and coined the phrase Career Musician, then narrowed that down to Career Guitarist which is the embodiment of what I’ve done throughout my career in the music industry, which includes..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 5, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.
"I have always said that the best way to break up a band is to make a record. I’ve seen it a hundred times. A bunch of guys have a rock and roll dream. The band gets all excited and starts diligently writing songs. They save up some money...Then, they do the recording. Then, they put together the artwork. Then, they plan the release party. Then……. About two weeks or so after the release party the phone calls start coming in. The band is depressed. At this point they ask the question that whole empires have risen and fallen on: Now what?"
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 6, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.
"Over the past few months, I have written several entries about diversification in the music business. You have to be able to do it all to keep your calendar full. Write, play, record, teach, etc, etc…… it takes a wide array of skills to fill your calendar these days. But here is the rub: Once the calendar is full, that’s when the real soul searching begins. Ironically, the real gold is in being a samurai at something. That’s how you get to the next level. A master of one, not a master of none."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 23, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest Post by Max Garcia Conover, modern folk singer-songwriter out of Portland, ME.
"i just did the taxes for my first year as a full-time independent songwriter and i wanted to share some details about the business side of the work i’m doing...so here’s me...taking some pride in humble, honest, hard-won earnings:"
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 26, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.
"Many years ago I remember standing on the side of the stage talking with a crew member of The Marshall Tucker Band...We were in the middle of our first tour as a major label act and I was chatting with him about our experiences on the road...After a while, the roadie pointed up at the sound check that was taking place onstage and in his thick Southern accent he said, “These guys are just happy to still be playing.” Things had certainly changed for these guys over the years, but they were still at it. Why?"
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