Posted: Jul 16, 2018
Category: Touring
diy touring networking touring tips ask fans friend support emotional health andrew tufano
**Guest post written by Andrew Tufano, Nashville based Acoustic Pop Singer-Songwriter.
"In most professions, emotional health is largely neglected. When you’re a touring musician, it can feel taboo to even admit to yourself that you’re lonely or that you need help, nevermind telling others...Here’s some of what I learned about relationships and self-care during my time on the road."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 7, 2018
Category: Social Media
social media facebook twitter promotion marketing plan instagram cyber pr videos hashtags captions timing
**Guest post written by Ariel Hyatt, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"Instagram — the most popular visual social platform has experienced a meteoric rise. As of today, there are over 700 million active Instagram users, and 95 million photos shared every day...We hear from artists all of the time that they love Instagram the most because of it’s ease of use."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 2, 2018
Category: Online Presence
call-to-action conversion rate know your audience make money online presence the music entrepreneur website improvement websitebuilder
**Guest post written by Josh Wardini, Editorial Contributor and Community Manager at websitebuilder.org, originally featured on The Music Entrepreneur HQ.
"Today we’re going to talk about increasing your music website’s conversion rates. And by this, we mean making on-site changes that will give you more results, even if the same number of people visit your site. We’ll also be looking at an example of how conversion rates work, and why increasing them could mean a much more profitable music career for you. So without dragging out the intro, let’s get to the good stuff."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 25, 2018
Category: Promotion
discover weekly ditto fan engagement marketing new music playlisting playlists promotion release radar spotify
**Guest post originally featured on Ditto.com.
"Musicians often focus on making it onto curated playlists, whether that’s Spotify’s own weekly compilations like New Music Mondays or alternative playlists built by independent users. However, if your aim is to gain more streams, getting on algorithmic playlists like Discover Weekly and Release Radar can be much more effective...Before we delve into Release Radar and Discover Weekly individually, here are a couple of pieces of advice that apply to getting on both of these algorithm-based playlists..." View Full Article
Posted: Jun 18, 2018
Category: Promotion
checkered owl media emotion facebook fan engagement instagram promotion social media sponsored content video marketing youtube
**Guest post written by Andrew Jones of Checkered Owl Media.
"Most people have noticed that video is often the most effective way to both spread your message AND create engagement with an audience. People watch more and more video all the time...So, with that in mind, we all need to be considering video content. The big question becomes what kind of video to make? What will actually help you stand out from the millions of other videos being created every week? We can help with that. I divide most business video content into four levels..."
Posted: Jun 11, 2018
Category: Social Media
advertising call-to-action facebook know your audience social media targeted advertising music oomph
**Guest post written by Gavin Whitner, an F1-loving guitarist of an alt-rock band. He’s also a songwriter and composer. In his free time, Gavin blogs about musical instruments and music in general at Music Oomph.
"As a musician, whether you’re a solo artist or in a band, building your fanbase is one of the toughest jobs there is...In today’s world, if you’re looking to build your fanbase to huge numbers, you're going to have to be proactive in your marketing. While performing and selling merch at your gigs is one way of getting your name out there, there is an all-powerful tool that is renowned for being the best way to introduce yourself to new fans − social media."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 4, 2018
Category: Touring
andrew tufano exercise food grocery stores physical health planet fitness touring
**Guest post written by Andrew Tufano, Nashville based Acoustic Pop Singer-Songwriter.
"Not many musicians return from a tour in better shape than when they left. There’s nothing wrong with putting on a few pounds over a two or three week tour, but if you’re looking to have the energy to tour full time, diligent self-care is the secret. Here are some of my strategies to not completely ravage your body while on the road."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 29, 2018
Category: Music Streaming
amazon apple music cd's music streaming services nabster pandora spotify the singer's corner youtube
**Guest post written by Cameron of The Singer's Corner, a great place to learn a new approach to singing, receive tips to make you better, or learn ways to be the best of the best.
"In the present context, business sustainability refers to the overall business model and the decisions taken in the realm of financial and social aspects. Building a sustainable business is all about building a business with a long-term perspective in mind...Before we get into the part whether music streaming businesses are sustainable or not, let us briefly know the story of music streaming services..."
Posted: May 21, 2018
Category: Licensing
alternatives instrumental versions licensing live recording recording budget synch the legit musician
**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"If you are trying to license your music then you really need to think about alternative versions. Especially, instrumental versions of your songs."
Posted: May 14, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
advertising budget ep vs album music business promotion publishing relationships with fans soundstage direct
**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
ascap bio biography bmi calendar listings performance rights organizations photos push power promo register your music sesac videos web presence
**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 30, 2018
Category: Online Presence
bandzoogle call-to-action cohesive colors consistency epk font have a story layout mobile friendly navigation photos sales funnel website improvement
**Guest post written by Melanie of Bandzoogle.com.
"It’s no secret that in order to appear professional, your own website with your own .com address is essential. So what ingredients make for a great musician website exactly? You’ve got the music of course, some images, videos, and show dates. Pulling together content is an easy first step. The part where many musicians get stalled is with the website’s design..."
Posted: Apr 23, 2018
Category: Marketing
branding make money marketing marketing plan megaphone agency relationships with fans sell music selling your act trademark
**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.
"A huge component of being successful in the music industry has to do with how you market yourself...Creating a powerful brand will help you achieve [lifelong fans]. Your band is the music making machine that will enable your career, and your brand is the face of your music that people will learn to know and love."
Posted: Apr 16, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
credit cards make money merch paypal small business square the legit musician
**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
amateur bands don't bad-mouth engineer john kay & who's to say live performances producers recording support your scene
**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: Apr 2, 2018
Category: Marketing
call-to-action drama know your audience newsletters newsworthy subject lines suspense thecraftymusician.com
**Guest post written by Anitra Jay of TheCraftyMusician.com.
"Writing strong email content to engage your fans is not an easy task...The first most important thing about a good email is its subject line. The majority of your fans will use the subject line to decide whether or not to read your content. So if you want to get your fans to open your email newsletter, you have to write appealing headlines."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 26, 2018
Category: Marketing
apple music deezer digital influencers get creative have a story indie artists know your audience marketing platoon playlisting promotion spotify youtube
**Guest post written by Lucie Watson of Platoon.
"If you’re working in the music industry as an artist, manager, label, distributor or any other field you’ve probably had or heard a conversation about the power of Spotify playlists. Some questions I frequently get asked are “how can I get on Spotify’s playlists?” or “how can I get on New Music Friday?” or “when can I start to see playlist additions?”. What I’d love to tell artists and managers is that it’s easy...but more often than not the response I give is this: there’s no way I can guarantee placement on a playlist ahead of a release."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 19, 2018
Category: Recording
condenser mic guitarfella home recording mastering software online tutorials preamp recording recording budget
**Guest post written by Cassie Steele, content editor for GuitarFella.com.
"While many successful indie artists are still tied to big labels for distribution purposes, many are seeking alternatives in terms of recording and producing. We are living in the age of the home recording studio with especially indie artists producing top-quality tracks with inexpensive gear. While creating a home recording space to produce your dream indie album can be time and energy consuming the end result will be well worth it, especially if you want to achieve the best sound possible without sacrificing your artistic integrity."
Posted: Mar 12, 2018
Category: Sponsorship
know your audience make money rocket to the stars save money sponsorship sponsorship deck
**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars Artist Services.
"This is the first in a new series of articles examining the various tools music artists should be using to advance and grow their careers...All music artists are looking for ways to make more money but a lot of them aren’t aware of some of the tools that exist to help them increase their income. One of the most common questions I field from artists has to do with how they can get sponsorships. They know businesses are out there sponsoring everybody from artists to athletes but many have extremely limited knowledge in how those sponsorship agreements actually come about. Simply put, they don’t know about sponsorship decks."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 5, 2018
Category: Show Booking
booking agents diy live performances megaphone agency music career show booking touring
**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.
"In the early days, a lot of bands book their own shows until it becomes necessary to seek out an agent or when an agent finds them. For serious artists, hiring a booking agent can be a big step in launching their music career to the next level. If you are wondering when you should get a booking agent, here are some things to consider..."
Posted: Feb 26, 2018
Category: Online Presence
bio biography bitchin bios hire a pro online presence quotes ty hager website improvement
**Guest post written by Ty Hager, a writer, songwriter, novelist, radio producer, and owner of Bargain Bandsites & Bios in Nashville.
"With all the spiffy technological advances, getting your music out there is easier than ever before...However, some things technology simply can't do: it can't un-suck a sucky song, and it can't un-crap a crappy bio. There are ways to make songs suck less, and to make bios less crappy...These are just a few things I've learned not only from writing bios (and press releases) for thirty years, but from reading countless articles on the subject. I'll share enough of the highlights with you to maybe un-crap yours a bit, or to help you start from scratch!"
Posted: Feb 19, 2018
Category: Online Presence
autostart bandzoogle call-to-action epk have a story homepage text make it obvious mobile friendly newsletters online presence photos sell music style website improvement
**Guest post written by Allison S. of Bandzoogle.com.
"The best way to keep fans focused on you is through your own custom website. A website puts the focus on you and your music. It’s easy to build a website, but how do you know if you did it right? Let’s take a look at the most common ways bands win and lose with their website."
Posted: Feb 12, 2018
Category: Live Performance
be courteous be prepared have fun live performances setlist sound engineer zing instruments
**Guest post written by Roz Bruce of Zing Instruments.
"So, you've been rehearsing with your band mates for several weeks now, you have a set together and are finally feeling ready to start gigging. But what can you do to make sure everything runs smoothly? As someone with 10 years of gigging experience, I would like to share some first gig: dos and don'ts with you, to ensure that your first gig is memorable for the right reasons!..."
Posted: Feb 5, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
career goals diy joshua rich keys to success mentors stay positive
**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 29, 2018
Category: Marketing
ask fans facebook instagram know your audience marketing merch relationships with fans social media survey survey monkey the legit musician twitter
**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"Find out what your fans want by asking them. I learned this little tip by following online guru Michael Hyatt. He does a reader survey every year, and he learns how to run his business from the results. Don’t be afraid to ask your fans what they want. Most of the time, they will be excited to share this info with you. It will make them feel more connected to you as well."