IOTM Blog
Posted: Aug 15, 2023
Category: Merch
merch make money exposure branding know your audience visibility amplifyyou gigging
**Guest post written by Janelle Borg, originally posted on AmplifyYou's blog.
"For gigging artists like you, music merch should be an integral part of your brand-building strategy. It’s not only a great way to project your musical identity through a tangible item, but also serves as a much-needed financial lifeline. Best of all, music fans love merch, and are ready to spend money on quality pieces they truly like. If you need convincing, here are 5 reasons why you should start selling merch now rather than later." View Full Article
Posted: Aug 8, 2023
Category: Live Performance
music venues live performances gigging lighting soundfly food drinks location acoustics sound engineer know your audience sugar studios
**Guest post written by Frankie Barclay of Sugar Studios, originally featured in Soundfly's Flypaper blog.
"Choosing the ideal music venue can be tricky. You need the right acoustics, size, location, and more to really get things right. Whether you’re an aspiring artist planning a gig or a devoted music lover seeking the ultimate sonic escape, finding the perfect venue is crucial...Here’s what you need to consider and why. Are you ready? Let’s go!" View Full Article
Posted: Aug 2, 2023
Category: Live Performance
fan engagement keys to success know your audience gigging work smarter stage presence learned skills k&m music school
**Guest post written by Katherine Dvoskin, Co-Founder & Piano Teacher for K&M Music School, San Diego.
"In the enthralling journey of morphing from a classroom maestro to a virtuoso on the concert stage, there's a symphony of skills that every musician ought to master. These skills are the crescendo to your performance, and like the meticulous tuning of an instrument, they prime you for the ebbs and flows of a life spent on the road. In this post, we will explore three key skills that music education helps cultivate: stage presence, repertoire selection, and audience engagement." View Full Article
Posted: Jun 13, 2023
Category: Tips & Tricks
diy music business keys to success lords of the trident promotion indie artists gigging martin atkins
**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!
"We sit down with Martin Atkins - the godfather of the DIY band business, and inspiration for this whole video series - to talk about the current state of the music business, and how to make your band stand out!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 26, 2022
Category: Live Performance
stage rules live performances gear gigging the legit musician stage banter timeliness
**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"I have played many live shows where I have seen bands do some unprofessional things. A lot of these things are simple things that can be fixed. Most of them will improve your overall image as a professional musician. Some of them will improve your relationships with other bands as well. Here are 10 things you need to stop doing on stage immediately."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 12, 2021
Category: Live Performance
show booking tour booking live streaming lodging touring live performances fan engagement online presence cover songs bandzoogle practice gigging original material plan ahead be prepared kristen ford
**Guest post written by Melanie Kealey for Bandzoogle.
"As restrictions are starting to ease in some parts of the world, we thought it would be beneficial to have a conversation with Kyle Weber (founder of live show & tour booking platform Indie on the Move) and Kristen Ford (singer-songwriter and touring artist) to gain some perspective on how artists are going about booking or re-booking tours..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 6, 2021
Category: Touring
touring keys to success touring tips amateur bands lords of the trident touring guide live performing gigging
**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!
"I've been playing shows FOREVER, yet I ALMOST NEVER see bands bringing these 10 ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL items to their shows! Make your life on the road 100% better by keeping these ten items at the ready!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 15, 2021
Category: Live Performance
show booking make money stage rules live performances marketing plan super fans gigging timeliness lords of the trident
**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!
"👴HUH? WHAT!? YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP JIMMY, I'M QUITE OLD."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 4, 2021
Category: The Musician Business
music venues live performances music business gigging grassroots funding save our stages national independent venue association
**Guest post by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers. Originally featured on CelebrityAccess.com. Reprinted with permission.
"The Save Our Stages Act...just passed as part of the COVID-19 Relief Bill. The Save Our Stages Act will provide financial assistance to independent venues and promoters that have been devastated by the pandemic’s shutdown. The Save Our Stages Act will enable these locally owned businesses to hold on until it is safe to gather, reopen fully, and once again return to serve as economic engines for their communities."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 8, 2020
Category: Technology
music business calendar listings gigging music technology google communication be efficient bands for hire textexpander slack
**Guest post written by Adam Mezzatesta of Bands For Hire.
"Whatever your current situation, at some point in the future you might find the day to day running of your band will start to take its toll. Whether you’re an independent musician, touring band or function band, life can get busy, so it’s a good idea to get things in order right now...Check out these awesome free tools and get one step closer to organizational heaven."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 15, 2020
Category: Live Performance
live performances gigging kristen ford coronavirus relationships with fans touring tips ask peers health be prepared venmo safety
**Guest post by Kristen Ford, Nashville based indie rock act with a passion for music business and a book on DIY touring in the works, featuring members of the health, scientific and musical communities of Nashville.
Until we have a vaccine, have increased testing capacity and learn more about antibody testing and if having the Coronavirus antibodies in your system means you cannot contract the Covid-19, we must move forward in a "new normal" environment...
View Full ArticlePosted: May 11, 2020
Category: Live Performance
live performing gear practice gigging organization soundcheck be efficient be prepared making mistakes drum helper gideon waxman warm up
**Guest post written by Gideon Waxman, a London based drummer & music educator.
"...it [performing live] can be stressful if you are not adequately prepared and if your musical equipment isn’t in top condition...your mindset can also be holding you back from reaching your full enjoyment...Whether you are playing at a local open mic night, or if you’re performing a theatre to a thousand people, we’ve got you covered with these top tips to help prepare you for successful and enjoyable live performances."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 30, 2020
Category: Live Performance
live streaming touring twitter youtube stageit spotify call-to-action instagram persistence house shows gigging paypal craigslist facebook live the legit musician teach fiverr venmo soundbetter
**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"I wanted to come up with a few ideas for you if you are dealing with lost revenue from a gig being cancelled. I also wanted to make this post more universal than just for this latest pandemic. My hope is that you can use these ideas for a cancelled gig under any circumstances."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 3, 2020
Category: Promotion
social media networking marketing live performances newsletters pr campaign consistency gigging google data promoly email
**Guest post written by Rahil Verma of Promoly, a software that helps record labels and publicists keep on track with their promotion.
"Even though any promo is better than none, it’s undeniable that some music marketing strategies are better and more effective than others. That means that choosing how you’ll promote your music is half the battle. These are the six music approaches we recommend you start out with."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 29, 2019
Category: Live Performance
make money exposure live performances rocket to the stars gigging free shows 6 minute music business podcast pa house bill 561
**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars Artist Services.
"You know how difficult it can be for bands to create leverage when trying to negotiate better guarantees from venues? Well something is happening in Pennsylvania that is going to make that even more difficult ... and musicians nationwide should be keeping an eye on this because it is something that could spread to other states."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 11, 2018
Category: Fans
social media merch facebook twitter website improvement youtube spotify music business relationships with fans newsletters soundcloud instagram gigging blogging ariel hyatt cyber pr survey
**Guest post written by Ariel Hyatt, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"This post focuses on how to energize and connect with Community 2 – Engaged Fans. These fans are your Active Online Audience...They know who you are but they may not know you very well (yet)...In Community 2 contribution is critical but engagement is even more vital." View Full Article
Posted: Oct 23, 2017
Category: Touring
bookkeeping expenses finances gigging make money merch royalties taxes touring andrew tufano
**Guest post written by Andrew Tufano, Nashville based Acoustic Pop Singer-Songwriter.
"I’ve made $44,917.42 in revenue in the past 18 months exclusively as an independent touring musician without a fan base. Over that time I played 249 shows, taught 91 lessons, and did other musical jobs for cash. There’s nothing particularly glamorous about my financials, but enough people have asked me to help them through theirs that I thought I’d publish my strategies. Here are some tips to keep your finances in order so you can tour profitably." View Full Article
Posted: Jan 3, 2017
Category: Marketing
bandsintown dailymotion distribution dozmia facebook gigging instagram marketing newsletters pinterest promotion reddit social media songkick stumbleupon twitter vimeo youtube
**Guest post written by Nicholas Rubright of Dozmia.
"Succeeding in the music industry is hard work. You're competing with literally millions of people crawling their way to the top. However, most of these people don't know how to effectively market themselves or their music...Instead, set yourself apart from the crowd by learning all you can about different music marketing tactics, and treating your music career as a business. Here's a list of 50 music marketing strategies to get you started..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 18, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
build a buzz commitments danny barnes ego gear gigging hometown make money sidemen stay connected taxes
**Guest Post written by Danny Barnes as featured on DannyBarnes.com.
"I hear so much complaining about this subject, I just wanted to lay my practical experience on you. free... Assuming... you are financially workable and you have the music where you want it and you are surely called into the art, here goes, in no particular order..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 29, 2016
Category: Show Booking
bandzoogle be courteous be honest be patient be respectful gigging please and thank you show booking tour booking touring plan
**Guest Post written by Dave Cool of Bandzoogle.com.
"I spent three years as program director for two venues here in my home city of Montreal, overseeing 500 shows during that time. Here are 5 ways that you can impress venue bookers and give yourself the best chance to get more gigs..." View Full Article
Posted: Jan 25, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
career goals gigging keys to success licensing live performances los colognes making it masters music business practice publishing sync placements
**Guest Post written by Jay Rutherford of Los Colognes.
"Like millions of other morons out there, I'm attempting to make music both the primary joy and primary financial security in my life. My band Los Colognes has achieved marginal success, just enough to get mom and dad off our backs, so to speak. Without further adieu, here’s me convincing myself I have achieved some wisdom, when in reality I have no psychological control over any of it yet. Pretend this is the Old Ben Kenobi version of me, from somewhere in the future..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 28, 2015
Category: Promotion
gigging indie 411 live performances merch networking newsletters promotion
**Guest post written by Brad Barnett, professional musician and founder of Indie 411.
Most musicians have a general idea of how to promote their upcoming shows...With so many musicians actively promoting their gigs, it comes as a surprise to me that most of them stop there. What I mean by that is they work hard to try and get people out to their event, then don’t do anything to promote or sell their brand once it’s show time...If the goal is to get as many people to know about you as possible, then there are a few things you should be doing at gigs to maximize your reach.
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 8, 2014
Category: Promotion
build a buzz concise gigging have a story newsworthy no attachments pr campaign press press release professionalism publicist
**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