Posted: Sep 14, 2015

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Megan Liscomb, originally posted on TakeLessons.com.

"Congrats on getting the big gig! Whether you’re preparing for your band’s first show or your album-release party, these tips will help you learn how to promote your band, make your best impression on stage, and get invited back to the venue to do it all again."

Posted: Sep 8, 2015

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.com.

Posted: Aug 17, 2015

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post by Stephen Wrench, CEO of Musik and Film.

"I recently had the pleasure of pitching a very talented well produced artist to major labels...They never listened to it [the music] because their social media numbers were not good enough?"

Posted: Jun 30, 2015

Category: Social Media

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**Guest post written by Frederic Sahyouni of SplashFlood, a mobile app that rewards musicians for their talent.

"So you started a new band or a new solo music project and, as you absolutely must, you want to set up your online presence on all the typical social media platforms available...Here is a list of things you should and should not do in order to kickstart your social media presence on Twitter..."

Posted: May 18, 2015

Category: Social Media

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**Guest post written by Melinda Lewis of ScatterRadio.

"The evolution from simply surfing the internet on a computer to consuming content on mobile phones has put a growing emphasis on social media. And, the pressure to be “good” at social media has never been stronger...Your audience may be inundated with the same messages from different people and the quest to stand out oftentimes seems like an uphill battle. Instead of focusing on the quantity, cultivate quality..."

Posted: May 11, 2015

Category: Promotion

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**Guest post written by Hugh Mcintyre via the DIY Musician Blog, originally posted on the SonicBids Blog.

"These days, everybody’s email inboxes are fuller than ever, and people are becoming more and more selective about what newsletters they sign up for. Here are six tips that could help you..."

Posted: Apr 7, 2015

Category: Social Media

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**Guest post written by Andrew Jones of Checkered Owl Media.

"FB events [are great. They] get you all the details and can be a perfect way to get show info; HOWEVER, there is one kind of invite that becomes REALLY tiresome: Invites to shows that are nowhere near me..."

Posted: Feb 2, 2015

Category: Promotion

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**Guest post written by Phil Johnson, as featured in his blog, Big Whiz Bang!

This is the continuation of last week's post "33 Gig Promotion Strategies (And Which Ones Actually Work!) - Part 1", but rather than focusing on Offline Promotion, Phil talks about his online promotional efforts and their successes/failures.

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!..."

Posted: 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..."

Posted: 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!"

Posted: 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."

Posted: 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..."

Posted: Jun 30, 2014

Category: Promotion

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**Guest post written by Alan VanToai of SimpleCrew - the mobile app for street teams. This article originally appeared on the SimpleCrew Blog.

"Street teams are a powerful force for independent artists - they’re a win-win all around. You get to engage your fans, give them a chance to get closer to you and “in on the fun”, and you get to spread the word about your shows." Read on for ways that you can use online and offline technics to power your team...

Posted: Mar 31, 2014

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Brandon Swift, musician and creator of Yovigo.com.

When marketing a band online, a musician should create a website that lets the band accept countless payment methods, establish numerous pages on the social media networks, encourage people to write positive reviews about the group and consistently post ads for the band in local directories. So how do you do this?...

Posted: Mar 24, 2014

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Brandon Seymour, musician, SEO analyst, web designer, and social media marketer.

Independent bands and musicians in particular stand to gain a great deal of exposure if they put the time and effort into creating quality, engaging videos and marketing themselves on popular video platforms like YouTube, Vimeo and others of the like...Plain and simple, videos work. It's just a matter of figuring out how they can work for you...

Posted: Sep 3, 2013

Category: Facebook

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**Guest post written by Chris Lee of The Shakers, a melodic high energy Rock act from Los Angeles, CA. 

"I would like to go on record and state that, with every fiber of my being, I vehemently HATE social networking. I hate it. I hated Myspace. I hate Facebook. I hate Google+. I hate Tumblr. I hate Twitter. I hate Pintrest. I hate Instagram. And god help your mortal soul if you so much as THINK about sending me something on frikkin LinkedIn. Unfortunately for myself, and hard working musicians everywhere, the fantasy of being discovered over night came and went with my TMNT feetie pajamas as did almost the entirety of what I once (thought I) knew of the music industry."

Posted: Jul 8, 2013

Category: Managers

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**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". 

"A manager's biggest asset is not being you. A manager talking his band up will get a much better response than the singer talking his band up. Even if the manager is the lead singer's brother (Imagine Dragons)...You need to be kicking ass on your own BEFORE any manager will want to represent you."

Posted: May 6, 2013

Category: Promotion

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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: Feb 12, 2013

Category: Twitter

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**Guest post written by Chris "Seth" Jackson, a bass guitarist and composer, and founder of HowToRunABand.com.

Twitter for Musicians is a 30 day guide to kick ass and take names using Twitter for your band.

Posted: Jan 26, 2013

Category: Facebook

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Social media sites are great places to spread the word about your music, interact with your fans, and promote your tours and recordings. But what do you do when you're ready to move beyond your friends, family, friends of friends, and real life acquaintances? Facebook Advertising can be an effective and inexpensive way to help you expand your social network, but it needs to be done the right way to truly be effective.

Posted: Jan 2, 2013

Category: Lodging

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Hitting the road and playing directly in front of your fans is one of the best ways to spread the word about your music, and is one of the most exciting aspects of the music business for many artists. Of course, it can also be downright expensive. The tour budget has to include transportation, lodging, food, and promotion. But a tour on a budget doesn't have to mean sleeping in the van or sneaking ten people into a two person room. At the same time, if you want to maximize the amount of money with which you arrive home, don’t just plan on staying in a hotel every night. Check out the following tips for low cost lodging options...

Posted: Dec 11, 2012

Category: Promotion

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You sold the talent buyer, booked the gig, and are fine tuning the perfect set to blow the minds of a packed house full of soon to be die-hard fans. The last thing you want is to play your hearts out to a half empty room. Sure, the venue marketers will promote the show and do their best to fill the space, but don't just sit back and hope the space is filled with warm bodies...get out there and make it happen!