IOTM Blog
Posted: Nov 5, 2024
Category: Touring
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**Guest post by Musician Indie Coalition, Business-Based Artist Development Experts who help DIY Musicians develop, launch and scale their music careers.
"Embarking on a tour is something every musician dreams of. It's a chance to travel, connect with fans, showcase your talent in new cities and build momentum for your music career...the whole process of booking a tour requires careful planning, organization and strategic decision-making. A missed flight, a canceled show or simple typo on the tour schedule can cause total chaos and put you at risk of losing a ton of money. So whether you're a solo artist or part of a band, here are my step-by-step recommendations to help you navigate the process of booking your first tour and setting yourself up for success."
Posted: May 9, 2023
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.
"As a musician, you need tools for promotion. An EPK is your online resume and musical business card, making it easy for industry professionals to discover who you are. Included in an EPK are assets to help industry easily understand and promote a band’s music. You’ve likely heard that every artist should have an EPK - let’s look at the reasons you might need one."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 29, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"The music publicity process for any band or artist – no matter how big or small – is very much the same. Of course, the size of the music blogs and other outlets in which you receive placements will vary dramatically. This is based on what style of music is hot at the moment, combined with many other factors including label, tour schedule, size of your online fan base, and the number of streams." View Full Article
Posted: Nov 16, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"The world of DIY music publicity can feel very overwhelming. Sadly, a lot of artists get bad advice when they are just starting out that the first thing they should do is go out and hire a music publicist. We don’t think this is the best advice at all as you may not be ready for a music publicist right off the bat. There are many things you should do first...Another thing to understand is, that when attempting to be your own music publicist you need to look beyond Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Rolling Stone. Being an indie music publicist involves understanding a complex ecosystem of music blogs, playlists, podcasts, social media influencers and traditional media – newspapers, magazines, television and radio. It is possible to do it yourself and this guide is here to help." View Full Article
Posted: Aug 23, 2022
Category: Managers
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**Guest post written by Yona Marie, originally featured in her blog.
"Have you reached the point where you need someone else to manage many of your business aspects in order to you to be able to focus more on the creative side of things? Are you unsure of the process for getting a manager that fits your style, location, budget, and interests? You are not at all alone...Not everyone that can manage should manage you. Also, more importantly, not everyone that is looking for management is ready for it."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 16, 2021
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Carla Malrowe for Bandzoogle.
"A brilliant band photo is one that captures the style and story of the music, expresses the characters of the musicians, and bears elements akin to the genre. It is impressionable, professional, unique and authentic. Brilliant photos sell the total sonic experience that awaits the listener...Here are the do’s and don'ts when it comes to putting together your band photoshoot project."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 24, 2020
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Rachael Rubright of Dozmia.
"...a booking agent has a lot of artists vying for their attention or pulling their interest away from you. So, what can you do to put yourself on that booking agent’s radar? This article will outline some tips to help you get noticed."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 28, 2019
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Scott Cooper, talent buyer for Testarossa Winery and Sam's Chowder House and previously syndicated music journalist for newspapers across the country.
"As a Talent Buyer...I only book via email. Emails are a traceable record of who said what and the details of the agreement. Sometimes I can even tell if I want to book the band just by how well or poorly the email is formatted. So what to include or exclude in your email? There are certain things I want to see and other things I don’t want to see..."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 6, 2019
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Dave Cool, an excerpt from Bandzoogle’s free online guide "How to make a website for your music".
"If you’re actively promoting a new album or looking to book more gigs, you’ll need to have a specific EPK or Press Kit section on your website to centralize information for media and bookers. With an EPK page, they can quickly find all the details they need. So here are the essential elements to include in your EPK..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 30, 2018
Category: Online Presence
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**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: Feb 19, 2018
Category: Online Presence
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**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: Oct 19, 2015
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest Post written by Dave Cool of Bandzoogle.com.
"There are many different kinds of people that will be visiting your website, but likely for different reasons. These include your current fans, potential new fans, as well as media, bloggers, bookers, and other industry folks...To make it easy for media and industry to find the information they need (and quickly), the best thing to do is create a Digital Press Kit section on your website..." View Full Article
Posted: Oct 5, 2015
Category: Music Festivals
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**Guest post written by Amir Mozafari, Director of BD for Everfest and formerly of C3 Presents.
1. Develop a relationship with local promoters. 2. Practice, practice, practice! 3. Keep your EPK (Electronic Press Kit) up to date...
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 23, 2013
Category: Touring
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**As featured in Indie on the Move's Touring Tips Section.
If you are considering going on tour, there are a few prerequisites that must be met in order for you to make everything happen...
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