Posted: Jun 24, 2013

Category: Live Performance

bundio create scarcity hometown promotion show booking

**Guest Post by Julian Weisser.

"Sure, you could probably play at least one show a week in your hometown, but that’s no good for you because at best you’ll be playing to the same people, and at worst you’ll be playing to no one at all. For the fans it’s just as bad because they’ll hear the same music over and over and it will change from an exciting night that they’ve waited a month for into exactly what they just saw a week ago."

Posted: Jun 21, 2013

Category: Songwriting

artistic conviction bret alexander brilliant vs. baby poop bruce springsteen make money mixing taste

**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.

"Sometimes the artist doesn’t even know if he likes his own work...When Bruce Springsteen heard the test pressing of “Born To Run”, he smashed the record into tiny pieces. Couldn’t stand to listen to it. He thought it was the worst piece of shit he had ever heard...The writer Saul Bellow is quoted as saying, “Works of art are never finished, they are abandoned.”...This is true. So the real question is when do you walk out the door? And if you are in a group, how do you get everyone going in the same direction so you can finish?"

Posted: Jun 19, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

iradio jeff price music streaming services pandora radio promotion siriusxm spotify tunecore youtube

The music industry of the new era has benefitted and suffered at the same time from the accessibility of music making technologies. As it stands, there are so many artists looking to break in and be heard that a lot of artists get lost in the mix. Tune in as we talk to Tunecore founder Jeff Price as he weighs in on all of the music streaming services that have become available to the common artist, and what he feels is the best way to be heard!

Posted: Jun 17, 2013

Category: The Lefsetz Letter

artistic conviction major labels music business radio promotion radio stations

**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.

"The major music business, the "new music" business, is built upon radio, it depends upon it....[but] just like music piracy is a dead conversation, just like streaming has eclipsed it, terrestrial radio is dying...however, its replacement has not reared its head yet. Therefore the oldsters say radio is forever. But lousy sales figures of today's mass market records proves this to be wrong...[so] The young acts of today have to depend upon the young entrepreneurs of today to build their careers..."

Posted: Jun 11, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

black veil brides getting started live performing managers

Bass player and manager Blasko discusses how he got his start as a musician, from underground hopeful to center stage bass player, and how he transitioned into becoming the manager of the Black Veil Brides.

Posted: Jun 10, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

be a friend community support networking promotion aris take

**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, a DIY singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, CA with 500+ shows under his belt, as featured in his blog "Ari's Take". 

"The most popular "myth" to debunk these days by talking heads in the biz is that it's not about who you know. Everyone will say "just be great - you don't need connections!" Bull...Most of the opportunities that musicians get aren't because they are undeniably great. It is because they are nice guys and gals who people like to be around."

Posted: Jun 3, 2013

Category: Merch

budget make money merch t-shirts

Booking fees and ticket sales only represent a portion of a performer's income for everyone from the independent artist to the big name band selling out huge venues. As a result, it is essential to take advantage of any opportunity to bring in extra cash via merchandise sales for CD's, T-shirts, and the like. But how can you create an inventory of merchandise without breaking the bank? Here are a few places you might be able to score some great deals...

Posted: May 27, 2013

Category: Promotion

call-to-action fan engagement newsletters promotion website improvement

**Guest Post from Bandzoogle.com.

"Having an email newsletter might sound a little old school, but the reality is that it’s still proving to be the best way to keep in touch with your fans over the long term. So when it comes to fan engagement, having a newsletter should be high on your priority list of tools to use."

Posted: May 21, 2013

Category: Songwriting

artistic conviction bret alexander hits radio promotion songwriting

**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.

"One of the biggest problems bands have is that most musicians think they can write when they can’t. A great song is oftentimes very easy to play. A lot of great players have an almost elitist attitude about simple songs. It’s a weird aura to have in the studio. I hate it. But I can tell you (cover band musicians take heed), it is a helluva lot harder to write John Fogarty’s “Down On The Corner” than it is to play it...

Bands could save themselves so much suffering if they would just admit that they need better songs than they can write. Maybe they need a new member. Or they need to focus on the work of one guy in the group instead of pushing for a lukewarm democratic process..."

Posted: May 16, 2013

Category: The Lefsetz Letter

artistic conviction fame hits major labels make money music business relationships with fans

**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.

"...That's one thing wrong with the younger generation, they date in groups, they want to be a member of the club, individuality is shunned. But when it comes to lasting art, individuality is key..."

Posted: May 15, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

dale connone in2une music indie artists radio promotion

Dale Connone has got to be one of the most well-traveled radio promoters in the business today. If you can think of a record label, he's probably worked there. But, after putting in more than his due diligence, Dale decided to split off to do his own thing. He wanted to build a radio promotion department that record labels have and make it into an actual independently run company. So he did just that with in2une Music, which has brought him such success that he still pretty much does radio promo for all the labels (if you take a look at his clients). One of our members, I am Demure, called in to ask Dale about radio promotion for indie artists, and he gives his thoughts on how to find the right promoters and what to look for here!

Posted: May 13, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

live performances make money music business promotion relationships with fans

**Guest post written by Nifty of MusicFullTime.com.

"What many struggling artists fail to realize is that “successful” musicians operate with solid business principles. Successful business models – for the most part – can be applied across different businesses and areas of life. The primary business principle I’m talking about is “putting your customer first”; in this case, your “customers” are your fans. Fall in love with your fans and stop falling in love with your own music..."

Posted: May 9, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

artistic conviction bob seger bret alexander heroes john lennon rock and roll unemployed

**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.

"To be a successful musician, you don’t have to go to private school and you don’t have to go to medical school. Hell, you don’t have to go to school at all. If you can connect with an audience, you are in. It doesn’t matter if you went to Berklee College of Music like John Mayer or if you were a high school dropout like Dave Grohl. All that matters is when your boots hit the boards of that stage, people sing along. Or when the needle hits the vinyl people listen...That kind of thing just doesn’t happen in other occupations."

Posted: May 6, 2013

Category: Promotion

blogs forums merch music sharing sites newspapers podcasts promotion radio promotion radio stations record shops social media youtube

Word of mouth is as important today as it has ever been, plus now it’s got the engine of online social media behind it. People are more connected than ever and music fans, as you know, love to spread the word about their favorite music and bands. Fans also enjoy being a part of the discovery process and the more you enable them, the more effective their promotions can be. After you win them over with your awesome music, it is key to engage your fans regularly and show them that you really appreciate their support.

Posted: May 6, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

c3 presents charles attal music festivals show booking

To gain real traction as an artist in today's music industry, you need to get on the bill of some of the major music festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, SXSW, Warped Tour, Austin City Limits, and Electric Daisy Carnival. Getting on the bill takes some chops. It may take awhile as you build up your touring, but a key factor of getting on a festival is knowing when the promoters are doing their scheduling. Our Music Mentor Contest winner, Andrew Jones, called in to ask Charles Attal, Partner of C3 Presents, how he goes about scheduling the line-up for his festivals. Charles explains how C3 Presents approaches their scheduling and what kind of team is in place to handle determining the line-up!

Posted: Apr 27, 2013

Category: The Lefsetz Letter

album format artistic conviction direct to consumer diy promotion

**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.

"We live in a direct to consumer society. Amazon knows it. Google knows it. Apple knows it. But somehow musicians don't know it. They want someone else to do the work for them. They don't want to take risks, they don't want to fail, they don't want to try new ways. The new way is you bond to your fan. If he or she doesn't think you're living in their house, you're doing it wrong."

Posted: Apr 25, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

canvasback music jack hedges marketing plan promotion

So you've outlined your marketing plan like in step #1, and you know what areas of promotion you want to focus on. That work begins in this step with the music. If you don't get that right out of the gate, you are toast. No marketing plan can save a record, if no one wants to hear the music. Jack Hedges, Director of Marketing at Canvasback Music, goes over step-by-step what you need to do in this phase. Of course, you have the elements of physically making the record, but then there are other considerations to be made. Do you want to make mechanical reproductions like vinyl or CDs? Is it going to be a digital/streaming release? Is it smarter to go with an EP or a full album? Jack walks you through all these things and more in step #2 to Building your Marketing Plan for your Album Release!

Posted: Apr 23, 2013

Category: Merch

hard core fans merch small batch pressing vinyl

Although vinyl represents only about 2% of total U.S. album sales, the growth in vinyl over the last few years has been dramatic. According to Nielsen SoundScan reports, vinyl LP sales rose 17.7% in 2012 compared to 2011, representing a continuing upward trend in the sales of vinyl albums since 2007. The most popular vinyl LPs are split between newer acts and classic albums, like the Beatles’ “Abbey Road.” Some of the vinyl chart toppers in 2012 came from acts including Jack White, Black Keys, Adele, Mumford & Sons, the Shins, Beach House, Alabama Shakes, and Bon Iver. So where can you get your own album pressed to vinyl?

Posted: Apr 16, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

hometown imagine dragons managers show booking touring

Imagine Dragons blew up to become a huge band last year and that took plenty of time and seasoning. Their manager, Mac Reynolds, knew from the get go that the bread and butter for many artists is touring both monetarily and in terms of exposure. Building those touring chops though is a tough cookie for plenty of bands. First, you got to hone your skills, then hone your hometown, and work around from there. Mac talks about what Imagine Dragons did to hone their live performances along with how this paved the way for how they played shows live when they were huge and had all the eyeballs on them. Mac is a firm believer that you don't have to be in either LA or New York to be successful, and he illustrates how a band can use their hometown (Vegas being very unique in this instance) to an advantage. If you are just starting out playing live, watch this video for great strategy on how to round out your own live set!

Posted: Apr 13, 2013

Category: Live Performance

bret alexander mullet rock and roll

**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.

"When navigating the long and winding road to rock and roll success, you will encounter many, varied species. Some friendly, some not...So, in this week’s entry, I decided to write about a few of the most common species I have encountered out there. [Afterall], like bird watching, a lifetime of rocking takes patience and stealth. And the more information you have going in, the more pleasant your journey will be."

Posted: Apr 9, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

music business show booking the windish agency touring strategy

Tom Windish heads up The Windish Agency as President, representing one of the most diverse and eclectic rosters in the music business. Operating on gut and killer instinct, Tom moves fast and snatches up his talent early. That can be both wonderful and intimidating all at the same time because The Windish Agency gets the chance to develop their touring plan and add value to the band before they take that leap to the next level. But, what is their strategy to develop and build that band on the live side? Sometimes, their acts haven't even played a live show yet! So, how do they get the band the necessary reps to build up and deliver a mind-blowing concert? Find out right here with Mr. Windish!

Posted: Apr 8, 2013

Category: Online Distribution

amazon catapult cd baby deezer emusic google play itunes music aggregators radio promotion spotify tunecore

Hear a new song you like? It can be yours in moments. It just takes a few clicks of the computer mouse or swipes on a smart device to find the song online, purchase and download it, and hit play. Is your music available for the instant gratification of your fans? If not, you could be missing out on potential sales and NEW fans. While iTunes dominates digital music sales, you can usually land your songs on Amazon, Google Play, and others at the same time. After all, the more places that people can find you, the better the chances are of them downloading your music.

Posted: Apr 2, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

entrepreneurship helping artists live performances stageit

Evan Lowenstein started out in the music business as an artist with his brother, and they produced a top 20 single in their hey day. However, Evan felt a calling to something bigger than just his career as an artist. He wanted to help other fellow artists knowing what the struggle can be to even succeed in this business. Therefore, he decided to dive in and create a company that could serve as a platform to benefit all artists. This was the genesis of StageIt, a virtual interactive platform on the web where artists could sell their live performances. In this clip, Evan explains how he started this project and what to expect when developing your own entrepreneurship!

Posted: Apr 1, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

make money marketing prima donna

**Guest post written by Nifty of Music Full Time.com. 

By the end of this post, you might be annoyed with me. And that’s good. It means that you’ll be making money very soon.

Posted: Mar 23, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

artistic conviction bret alexander musician record deal unemployed

**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.

"When I started producing records, almost every band I worked with talked incessantly about getting a record deal and “making it”. Now I almost never hear that discussion. And that, for me, is a welcome development."