IOTM Blog
Posted: Jan 26, 2015
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Phil Johnson, as featured in his blog, Big Whiz Bang!
"Over the course of a month or so, I tried a ton of promotion techniques. And with this post I want to give you a huge checklist of stuff you can do to promote your own gigs. Some of them worked for me, some didn’t. We’ll get into the hows and whys of each..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 20, 2015
Category: Touring
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**Guest post written by Shannon Curtis, an independent songwriter, singer, performer, recording artist, and author, as featured on Pyragraph.
"Then we discovered this awesome phenomenon of house concerts: they’re viral..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 12, 2015
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by John Waltmann, Client Relationship Manager of Symphonic Distribution.
"The countless features and optimizations of YouTube’s platform can seem intimidating, but we are here to provide you with a few basic optimizations on YouTube profiles that can have you looking the part in no time..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 6, 2015
Category: Advanced Ticketing
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**Guest post written by Joy Ike, creator of Grassrootsy.com and Independent Musician, as featured on Grassrootsy.com.
"Oftentimes people don’t understand the importance of pre-sales...But pre-sales are important because they help you the artist gauge how well your promo is going, help the venue determine how busy the night is and how many employees they need to staff the room, and help both you and the venue determine if it will be a well-attended, successful show. Here are some tips for encouraging pre-sales and making sure your show is a success even before it even happens..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 22, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars.
"It is no secret that creating and adding to a list of e-mail subscribers is one of the most important marketing tools for singers and bands. It is also one of the most difficult and frustrating tasks to undertake..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 15, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Matt Jones, a full-time singer-songwriter and solo artist, as featured on Pyragraph.
"I’m not sure what your goals are as a musician/artist/songwriter. Many of the people who have relocated to Nashville do so from a desire to be around the best creative people, and to have a much better chance for their music to be noticed on a larger scale. I think most of us have a similar desire..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 9, 2014
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest Post from David Dufresne, from Bandzoogle.com.
"The Internet is a big and scary place. When you're a musician and your focus is to practice, write and perform, figuring out where to spend the little time and money you have left for an "online strategy" can be confusing. Many bands we've met tell us that they see it as a real challenge. Here are some reasons why I think [owning your own .COM] is necessary..." View Full Article
Posted: Dec 1, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Yannick Illunga of The Jazz Spotlight, as featured on The Jazz Spotlight.
"...it is time to promote your gigs...You have to ask yourself this first: How am I going to promote my gigs? The answer is simple: be memorable!..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 25, 2014
Category: Technology
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**Guest post written by Dae Bogan of Dae Bogan Music.
Over the last six years, the SF MusicTech Summit has become a staple platform for the convergence of music, technology, and entrepreneurship in San Francisco. The summit has attracted attendees from around the world who’ve looked to SFMT as a place to learn, network, and get inspired. Here’s my list of 5 startups that every touring indie artist should know... View Full Article
Posted: Nov 17, 2014
Category: Licensing
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**Guest post written by Jennifer Kes Remington, composer and filmmaker, as featured on Pyragraph.
"So in my quest to throw multiple things against the wall and hope that money comes out of it, I’ve been licensing a lot of my music to library companies...I asked a few other composer friends if they knew of any library companies offhand. On their initial recommendations, I started entering my music into a couple music libraries, and waited and watched as the royalties came in..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 10, 2014
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Joshua Powell, singer-songwriter, DIY musician, and frontman for Joshua Powell and the Great Train Robbery, as featured in his blog Fearsome Folk.
"Your bobber just exploded and somebody took the bait. Now it’s time to let out on the line. One of those thirty-four venues replied to your excellently crafted pitch email and now you’re in negotiations to set the stage for your impending show. But the thread of your line is steadily unspooling, and sure, your cast was masterful, but there are other things to which we must attend. We’ll do that here—in the follow-up..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 4, 2014
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Brandon Seymour, musician, SEO analyst, web designer, and social media marketer.
"I know - I'm not the first genius to point out that the music industry is dead. I'm also not the first person to point out that artists have been complaining about this for a very long time. I just can't help but wonder if maybe - just maybe - the music industry needed to die..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 27, 2014
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post originally featured in the DIY Musician Blog.
"Pandora launches free analytics tools for artists..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 20, 2014
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Randy Young from the Ottawa based rock band Cherry Suede.
"Using storylines to create context for your content boosts its relevance to your audience. The result? More fans, sales, and profits!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 13, 2014
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.
“The first requirement for being successful in anything is to define what success means to you. That is one of the biggest challenges musicians face today. There is no standard to follow..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 7, 2014
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest Post from Bandzoogle.com.
"We cannot overstate the importance of photos when it comes to your website. In fact, we often tell bands that they should spend more money on professional photos than on their website. Great photos can create a positive first impression for potential new fans, as well as for industry and media. But if the images on your website look unprofessional, chances are, people won’t take you or your music seriously..." View Full Article
Posted: Sep 29, 2014
Category: Touring
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**Q&A with Eva Alexiou-Reo of FATA Booking Agency.
This is a great question! I feel that a band should take on a booking agent after they have booked a few tours themselves or if they have a high demand by fans to be in national markets. Since an agent's job is to find and route live engagements, then it should be during a time when there is something going on in those markets...
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 22, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Randy Young from the Ottawa based rock band Cherry Suede.
"As musicians, we tend to think we can do it all. We’re independent artists. We’ve got our music, our talent, our fans—and nothing else matters. Well, at least that’s how it works in theory. The reality is we need help, and lots of it. I don’t care how good you are—there is simply not enough time to do everything and still be a master at your craft, which is the music itself. You need tools and you need to outsource. You need to learn how to run your band like a business, and being resistant to this fact is the fastest way to kill off whatever income—and independence—you have left."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 15, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Ari Herstand. It originally appeared on Ari's Take.
"Of course everyone wants a 5 star album review in Rolling Stone or an 8.7 in Pitchfork, but you have to be realistic about your press pursuits. If you have never received press, there is a very slim chance that you will get an album review in a popular blog or nationally distributed magazine. Your best chance for media coverage is your hometown papers, magazines and blogs or local publications in cities you're touring to..." View Full Article
Posted: Sep 8, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Ari Herstand. It originally appeared on Ari's Take and in Digital Music News.
"Music reviewers know their audience. The average reader doesn't care how you achieved that guitar tone on the bridge of track 3. But if your lead singer went on a spiritual quest for 9 months in the Amazon and came back with 12 songs written on an invented instrument he made out of found objects in the rainforest, now THAT'S a story! When you write your press release or pitch an article, highlight the most interesting aspects of what makes you stand out..." View Full Article
Posted: Sep 2, 2014
Category: Copyright
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**Guest post originally featured in the DIY Musician Blog.
"Copyright law tends to get thrown under the bus in favor of more interesting topics like marketing and social media, but it’s actually one of the most important things to understand as an indie musician...You can leave the finer points of the law to lawyers, but you should have a solid understanding of the basics. Not only will this knowledge help you feel more at ease when discussing contracts, you’ll also be able to secure income streams and protect your rights. Here’s 5 points of copyright that every musician should know..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 25, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Jorge Brea, Owner & Managing Director of Symphonic Distribution.
"By now it’s apparent that there is a ton of music out there – over-saturation is a term you may hear often these days. For anyone getting involved with the music industry, there is always a need for more exposure and promotion. If an artist or a record label has it, they will sell better, simple as that...Here are 7 quick tips that you can apply to increase your exposure and potential..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 18, 2014
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by John Safari, President and Co-Founder of Orange County Music League.
"A lot of bands complain about the music scene for one reason or another. In my opinion, most of these bands aren’t thinking of the bigger picture, or outside of their band for that matter. I started Orange County Music League to put an end to pay to play. Bands are not a dollar sign. Here are some things that local bands are going to need to start doing in order to build a thriving scene..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 11, 2014
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars.
"When you take into consideration how many singers and musicians complain about the current state of artist-venue relationships, you would think most performers would jump at the opportunity to explore alternative methods of putting on shows and generating income...I'm here to tell you that there IS an alternative live show model, house shows, that many artists ARE having a great deal of success with...So I reached out to somebody for answers..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 4, 2014
Category: Licensing
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**Guest post written by Ari Herstand. It originally appeared on Ari's Take.
"There is no one way to get music placed on TV (or in film). In addition to how I've gone about it, I've spoken with many of my musician friends who make livings on song placements about this." So what is their advice?... View Full Article