IOTM Blog
Posted: May 6, 2025
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Xander Rushie of School of Sync.
"If you're an indie artist writing, recording, or producing your own music and you’re even thinking about getting into sync licensing, there’s one tool you need to know about: DISCO...[It] is the professional standard for sharing music with music supervisors, ad agencies, and sync reps. If you’re still using Dropbox or SoundCloud to send your tracks, it might be time to level up...Unlike Google Drive or WeTransfer, DISCO was built by music supervisors for music supervisors to solve common challenges in the music industry and simplify the process of sharing and managing files. It loads quickly, preserves your metadata, and presents your music in a polished, professional way."
Posted: Feb 19, 2025
Category: Merch
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**Guest post by Wes Wolfe of Tangible Formats - Custom Vinyl Records For All.
"For many independent artists, releasing vinyl isn’t a viable option. It’s impractical—the process is expensive and complex. The final product is heavy, inconvenient to transport, and takes up valuable space...Fortunately, we’re in a time when pressing plant capacity finally exceeds demand. Independent artists now have more options and leverage than they did just a few years ago...Releasing your music on vinyl is now more accessible for artists at any stage of their career."
Posted: Feb 7, 2022
Category: Career Goals
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**Guest post written by Yona Marie, originally featured in her blog.
"Back in the day, you didn’t need much but talent and potential in order to grab the attention of an A&R or label scout. A huge amount of time and money from a label was invested into the artist development process for fresh acts that needed to be groomed for the music world. Now, with so much competition around, musical acts that bring a lot to the table usually outshine those who are talented but less prepared. Here are some tips that will help you reach the top of the ladder among other musicians and artists who are on the front lines for opportunities."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 7, 2021
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Bruce Wawrzyniak, who runs Now Hear This, Inc. and www.InterviewTipsCourse.com.
"It has come to my attention that there’s a whole generation barely even using email...regardless of your age, if you think you’re missing out on opportunities, it might simply be because (gasp) you did send one email and then gave up, moved on, when you didn’t hear anything back. The simple fact is, if it’s important enough to you, a second email should be sent when sufficient time has gone by (in other words, not the next day) and that simple follow-up could make the difference in actually getting a response."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 29, 2021
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan of MakingMoneyWithMusic.com.
"In the last part of our DIY music business series, we cover the tasks required to get your videos created, recorded, edited, produced, and made ready for distribution. You may be an independent musician, but being independent should never mean that you're alone. In fact, the list of people credited for being part of each release you do will probably get longer as you grow your career and level up the music, art, and entertainment that you release and perform."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 22, 2021
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Dustin Drennen, DIY independent songwriter and musician.
"Shouldn’t music and friendship still be central to building a community and playing your songs? Absolutely. But, you don’t have to bumble along, you don’t have to loose direction or heart. That’s where this advice will come in handy. Here are four bits of advice for securing shows and building a reputation that makes it easier to do so."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 21, 2020
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!
"Kids, if a stranger in full armor comes up offering you free band advice, you know what to say, right? JUST SAY NO!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 5, 2020
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Dre Dimura of Bandzoogle.
"With so many methods of promoting your music online these days, the importance of having a dedicated website can often be overlooked. Websites are still one of the best tools to drive fan engagement, curate your web presence, and manage the rest of your socials from a branded homebase. Here are five reasons to have a website for your band or solo musical effort..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 29, 2020
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!
"Want to make your music livestreams as AMAZING as possible? Don't just sit in front of your webcam with a guitar! Follow this tutorial and your streams will be INCREDIBLE!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 26, 2019
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Mark Smith, owner of Musical Instru.
"Let’s face it - a promo photo is an extremely powerful part of music, with its ability to catch the attention of fans, bookers, music journalists, and the industry in general. However, while the capabilities of a promo photo can’t be overstated, it all depends on the amount of care you exert into its production. To be honest, your promo photo is just as capable of effectively telling your story as your music, but that’s only if you get it right..."
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: Mar 4, 2019
Category: Performance Rights Organizations
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"I am always surprised at how many musicians I talk with that really have no idea what a Performance Rights Organization is, or what it does for artists. I’m not just talking about indie musicians either. Some well-known national acts are in the same boat and could learn some things from this post. Let me explain how you can become a pro by joining a P.R.O."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 19, 2018
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.
"Booking shows can be difficult, especially if you don’t have an experienced booking agent working with you...Most artists start out booking their own shows early on in their career...Knowing how to properly represent yourself to venues and get booked is an essential skill for independent artists. There is no definitive playbook for getting gigs, but here are some things that can help get your foot in the door."
Posted: Sep 19, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joy Ike, creator of Grassrootsy.com and Independent Musician, as featured on Grassrootsy.com.
"We’ve been working on this list for a while and thought it was high time to share it. Keep in mind that this post is primarily for the working musician..." View Full Article
Posted: Feb 16, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Sylvana Joyce, NYC based indie artist, originally featured in her blog Scenipedia.
"Let's face it. I'm not Lady GooGoo and I'm not rolling in the deep, deep cavern of Scrooge McDucklike's money vault. But I am a small indie band who has built an intimate fan base from the ground up - enough of a fanbase that I was able to raise $2000 in less than 24 hours to fund my debut album. So let's say I have something to say on the subject of oh, being a successful indie band...here are the 10 things I think are important to making sure you're on the right track as a band and to make sure you have a long and prosperous career where you continue to grow and shoot for greatness..." View Full Article
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."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 13, 2014
Category: The Musician Business
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**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 first requirement for being successful in anything is to define what success means to you. That is one of the biggest challenges musicians face today. There is no standard to follow..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 8, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**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
Posted: Mar 17, 2014
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Samuel Mahler, marketing manager, booking agent, and band member of "The Electro-Lights".
One of the major problems that has plagued today’s music world is the bad stigma placed on bands’ lack of “Professionalism”. This seemingly simple word that should be self-explanatory has been the death of many a band. Why is this, you may ask?...
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