Posted: Nov 11, 2013
Category: Fundraising
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**Guest post written by Dae Bogan, Music Industry Insider For The Indie Artist, of Dae Bogan Music.
"What do you do when you don’t have a label underwriting your career and you have to choose between paying your personal bills and paying a studio engineer, publicist, or rental van company? You fund raise!" But how...
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 9, 2013
Category: Renman Music & Business
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As an artist, it's hard to make creative decisions based on money. Sure, you need cash to make a living, but when it becomes your main decision maker, you can run into trouble down the road. In this clip, musician and founder of Artist Growth, Matt Urmy, talks about these challenges and how he's learned to deal with them. In addition, Matt reminds us how an artist in today's Music Industry needs momentum and traction on the business side to supplement the music.
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 7, 2013
Category: Merch
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**Guest post written by Phil Johnson, as featured in his blog, Big Whiz Bang!
"So let me tell you my strategy for this. Just like on the internet, content is king. The more the better. Your goal should be to have a merch option for everybody that wants to take a souvenir home. And make no mistake, that’s what it is. A souvenir..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 16, 2013
Category: Merch
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**As featured in Indie on the Move's Touring Tips Section.
When first breaking into a new market, even the best promotion can often yield poor results in attendance because you have yet to build name recognition in that area. Other times, you are forced to play for exposure alone just to get your leg in the door at one of the local music venues. In either case, merchandise sales can not only get you to the next show and pay for gas, but also allow you to continue and finish the tour without going bankrupt.
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 28, 2013
Category: Renman Music & Business
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Seth Hurwitz is a partner at I.M.P. Productions and a longtime veteran concert promoter. As part owner of the 9:30 Club in Washington DC, Seth has been involved in the independent promotion business for decades and his experiences in the business shaped a "realist" attitude toward the industry, to say the least. In this clip, Seth advises aspiring artists to simply: bring it. And for the aspiring business professionals, Seth says the key to success is to figure out what reality is, stick by it, and don't change your version of it because someone's trying to change your version of it. Wise words from an experienced veteran.
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 26, 2013
Category: Show Booking
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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".
"...But what all the non-superstar musicians in LA have in common is, when we play a show in town we accept shitty shitty deals...This isn't going to be a post about LA (as that could fill a book), but rather the issue of "pay to play" clubs. Let's explore some of the many scenarios bands get offered by venues and promoters every day..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 5, 2013
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by Mike Vial as featured in his blog.
"The fact that it’s free or crowdfunded shouldn’t be the story; those are footnotes to the actual story, a story about the music."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 15, 2013
Category: The Lefsetz Letter
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**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.
"DON'T DEPEND ON THIRD PARTIES - Being an artist is doing it your way. Now you no longer need a label, gatekeepers are not as powerful as they once were, so why are you playing to them? Of course it's more difficult going your own way, but that's the paradigm of the future. He who plays by the rules gets left behind..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 2, 2013
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Nifty of MusicFullTime.com.
"Begin by thinking of yourself as more than just a “hired” musician playing for an evening in a nice (or not so nice) restaurant. Viewing this opportunity as a typical “gig” is actually a 9 to 5 mentality that’s fatal to your income potential. The restaurant has hired you, not for the purpose of doing “you” a favor, nope. The restaurant owner is trying to add value to her customers."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 21, 2013
Category: Songwriting
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**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?"
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 3, 2013
Category: Merch
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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...
View Full ArticlePosted: May 16, 2013
Category: The Lefsetz Letter
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**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..."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 13, 2013
Category: The Musician Business
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**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..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 1, 2013
Category: The Musician Business
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**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.
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 13, 2013
Category: Merch
**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.
When you're on tour, merch is your #1 income generator. This can't be stressed enough. Believe it. Bands stress over their guarantees and door splits and turnouts. If you want to survive financially with your music you must understand the importance of merch sales and approach it as such. I've played shows where 10 people showed up, but they had such an amazing time and I stressed the merch to them that all 10 people bought something averaging about $15. That's $150 in merch sales. That's good for any night.
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