Posted: Jul 7, 2018

Category: Social Media

social media facebook twitter promotion marketing plan instagram cyber pr videos hashtags captions timing

**Guest post written by Ariel Hyatt, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.

"Instagram — the most popular visual social platform has experienced a meteoric rise. As of today, there are over 700 million active Instagram users, and 95 million photos shared every day...We hear from artists all of the time that they love Instagram the most because of it’s ease of use."

Posted: Apr 23, 2018

Category: Marketing

branding make money marketing marketing plan megaphone agency relationships with fans sell music selling your act trademark

**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.

"A huge component of being successful in the music industry has to do with how you market yourself...Creating a powerful brand will help you achieve [lifelong fans]. Your band is the music making machine that will enable your career, and your brand is the face of your music that people will learn to know and love."

Posted: Jan 22, 2018

Category: Marketing

advertising google adwords know your audience marketing plan online presence promotion trueview video marketing youtube

**Guest post written by Cassie Steele, content editor for GuitarFella.com.

"The internet has opened up a world of opportunity for musicians, enabling you to release music to a wide audience without the gatekeepers of record labels or a distribution company. However, you need to know what you’re doing. Releasing music online without a marketing plan and expecting it to sell is like dropping your CD in Times Square and expecting a record producer to pick it up..."

Posted: Dec 4, 2017

Category: Social Media

facebook fan engagement instagram keys to success know your audience marketing plan social media twitter zing instruments

**Guest post written by Ged Richardson of Zing Instruments as featured in the Ultimate Guide To Social Media Marketing For Musicians.

"The commonest mistake that musicians make is not to consider who they are trying to reach with each platform. That’s right. You need to think who are you trying to reach. And the complexity doesn't stop there. People you’re trying to reach don’t all use the same social media channels either..."

Posted: Aug 21, 2017

Category: Touring

aris take expert conversations make money marketing plan promotion show booking touring

**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, the author of How To Make It in the New Music Business.

"I’ve made a ton of mistakes and got screwed over by talent buyers, promoters and club owners more times than I’d like to admit. I learned everything the hard way and it took me years to figure out how to actually book a successful, money making tour. The biggest thing you want to remember when thinking about setting up a tour is: do not book a tour just to go on tour..."

Posted: Jul 31, 2017

Category: The Musician Business

artist collective branding internet kickstarter marketing plan payola record deal record labels recording

**Guest post by Vinnie Hines of Artist Collective.

"For ages, there’s been a cliché dream for any would-be musician...You’re immediately bombarded by these different suits throwing you offers from every record label you could think of, and finally, you’ve made it. You’re “signed...It’s all bullshit.”

Posted: Feb 21, 2017

Category: Marketing

apple music crosshair deezer digital influencers indie artists marketing plan pandora playlisting radio stations spotify

**Guest post by Garrison Snell of Crosshair.

"Placement on playlists is the digital equivalent of radio placement, except that playlists aren't limited by geographical location AND they can be used to work your song into bigger playlists...Influencer marketing (placing stuff with influential digital celebs) is still the most organic form of promotion and word of mouth..."

Posted: May 2, 2016

Category: Touring

couchsurfing.com ezekiel morphis gear marketing plan merch original material plan ahead show booking social media touring touring strategy vehicle web presence

**Guest Post by Ezekiel Morphis, San Diego based Americana/Folk Singer-Songwriter.

"If you just started playing music last week, this article will aid you further down the road as long as you stay committed and work on your music first. If you are like me — two EPs completed, well practiced, working on an album, playing for a handful of years, don’t mind smelling like beer and shame for days on end and still want to know how to tour DIY — then this is the article for you."

Posted: Feb 22, 2016

Category: Selling Music

distribution fan engagement fanbase make money marketing plan music album release musicgoat.com preparation promotion singles stay relevant

**Guest post written by Corey Koehler, an indie singer-songwriter from Minnesota, as featured in his blog MusicGoat.com.

"For the past 30-40 years musicians have been releasing albums. Many times the time between those albums was a year or more. Many bands and musicians these days still model their own release schedules after this same one. This is a mistake. These days you should be learning how to release a single and doing it often. Here's why..."

Posted: Nov 2, 2015

Category: Marketing

branding community support cover songs fan engagement indie artists licensing marketing plan

**Guest post written by Matt Bacon, Senior Campaign Manager at Independent Music Promotions.

You look out on the crowd after a high powered set opening up for one of your favorite bands – and then instead of playing another song off your latest release you instead pull off a killer cover of Just Like Heaven...People love artists who pay tribute to their influences.

Posted: May 18, 2015

Category: Social Media

charities facebook fan engagement get personal google hangouts marketing plan scatterradio social media twitter

**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

call-to-action direct to fan free downloads marketing plan newsletters social media sonicbids the diy musician website improvement

**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: Feb 23, 2015

Category: Sponsorship

brand partnerships fan engagement identify companies know your audience licensing look the part make money marketing plan promotion sponsorship

**Guest post written by Anelka Argiro, VP of Brand Partnerships for Wind Up Records.

A good song just isn't enough [to break through the clutter] these days...Enter your new best friend -- brand partnerships.

Posted: Dec 22, 2014

Category: Promotion

aweber direct to fan fan engagement mailchimp marketing plan newsletters promotion

**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars.

"It is no secret that creating and adding to a list of e-mail subscribers is one of the most important marketing tools for singers and bands. It is also one of the most difficult and frustrating tasks to undertake..."

Posted: Nov 4, 2014

Category: Marketing

blogging have a story indie artists licensing make money marketing plan online presence social media website improvement

**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: Jul 28, 2014

Category: Promotion

college radio indie artists marketing plan radio airplay radio promotion radio stations touring

**Guest post written by Erica Sinkovic, CD Baby's Web Product Manager and general music enthusiast, as featured in the DIY Musician Blog.

"Whether you’re an independent artist or signed to an independent label, you’re sure to have a lot on your plate already. Between booking shows, debating merch, planning your next big marketing move, juggling social media-insanity, oh yeah, and writing new material, the last thing you want to add to your plate is a radio campaign...I’m here to tell you: don’t abandon radio."

Posted: Jul 7, 2014

Category: Live Performance

fan engagement live performances make money marketing plan music business promotion rocket to the stars supply and demand

**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars.

"Saxophonist Dave Goldberg has been getting a lot of attention lately for an open letter he wrote to operators of venues that host live music. The letter was Goldberg's way of sounding off against venues not paying artists as much money as they feel they deserve. The text, while not hostile in nature, was extremely misguided and managed to ignite another round of firestorms by similarly misguided artists. It was missing a lot of important information concerning why the music scene is the way it is right now and really offered little in the way of how to improve it other than to say venues should simply pay bands more money..."

Posted: Jun 30, 2014

Category: Promotion

facebook fan engagement jambase marketing plan message boards promotion simplecrew social media songkick street team

**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: Jun 9, 2014

Category: Promotion

college radio indie artists marketing plan radio airplay radio promotion radio stations tinderbox music

**Guest post written by Patrick Hertz of Tinderbox Music. This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids Blog.

"College radio is a unique mix of non-commercial stations that range from small-watt student-run operations to huge, vastly influential public and/or community stations. This spectrum allows for most any independent artist to find terrestrial radio airplay – that is, of course, if the music is good..."

Posted: Apr 28, 2014

Category: Promotion

fan engagement marketing plan newsworthy pr campaign promotion publicist

**Guest post written by Carlos Castillo of Schwilly Family Musicians - music marketing strategist, web designer, live performance recordist, international road-tripper, lap steel player, and Captain of the Schwilly Family.

"The truth of the matter is that if you want to take a proactive approach to getting attention for your music, you have to think about that kind of stuff [your story]. Whether you are looking for some press or simply to connect on a deeper level with your fans, your story matters. That’s right. Not only do you have to write and record the songs, but you also have to tell an engaging story..."

Posted: Mar 24, 2014

Category: Online Presence

cover songs fan engagement keywords marketing plan online presence seo social media youtube

**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: Feb 24, 2014

Category: The Musician Business

diy entrepreneurship licensing make money marketing plan music business

**Guest post written by David Priebe of Green Room Music Source, a full time agent/artist manager and also part time instructor of music business at the Institute of Production & Recording in Minneapolis.

"It official- it’s now impossible to make money in the music industry." There are scads and scads of articles and commentary that sound a lot like that statement. What you hear much less about are the people who completely disagree with that sentiment. I’m in that camp, and I’m going to tell you why...

Posted: Jan 13, 2014

Category: Marketing

community support free music grateful dead make money marketing marketing plan marketing platform music business yovigo

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

Music marketers and artists who have come after The Grateful Dead have been trying to emulate this marketing model since the group's success with it. The model casts a wide net of influence for any artist or group hoping to make a serious mark in the music industry. Here are some reasons giving away your music works so well and has the power to help those who are willing to make a considerable profit.

Posted: Dec 18, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

marketing plan music business promotional budget record labels tour support recording budget

Though their business has changed, Record labels are an essential part of today's music business. Even if you're still far away from landing a record deal, it's helpful to know what record labels do, their different departments, and how you can get your foot in the door with them. But what exactly does a record label do and how can it help you? Watch this video to find out!

Posted: Nov 11, 2013

Category: Fundraising

crowdfunding fundraising licensing make money marketing plan raise funds raise money royalties youtube

**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...