IOTM Blog
Posted: Mar 21, 2022
Category: Selling Music
online distribution promotion marketing newsletters call-to-action music streaming services online presence bandzoogle radio airplay press plan ahead sell music pre-save
**Guest post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.
"Whether you’re an up and coming indie artist, or have a new album almost ready, releasing a single is a great way to create some momentum around your music. A single can not only get your fans excited, but can be pitched to press, radio, or playlists to build some buzz. Along with this, you should sell a single from your official website...Anyone who gets to your website is interested in finding out more about you - so make it a priority to pitch your single and the story behind it. Here’s how to prepare, release and sell a single from your music website."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 14, 2022
Category: Merch
merch promotion music business vinyl marketing plan sell music promotional items atomic disc
**Guest post written by Atomic Disc, originally featured on their blog.
"Production times for vinyl used to be 2 to 3 months and labels and artists would plan their release campaigns around this. Now, we're looking at 10 to 14 months for vinyl runs...The total capacity of the roughly hundred vinyl pressing plants around the world is about 160 million records per year. The current demand, or orders in the cue, are between 320 and 400 million records...To make matters worse, every stage of the manufacturing process from producers of raw materials, printers of the vinyl packaging, pressing plants and transportation were hit with either shutdowns or slowdowns due to Covid restrictions."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 1, 2022
Category: Promotion
make money promotion fan engagement social media marketing platform entrepreneurship career goals crowdfunding instagram branding sales funnel patreon fangage
**Guest post written by David Andrew Wiebe, previously featured on MusicGoat.com.
"Looking for a Patreon alternative to create a better fan experience by offering exclusive content? Had thoughts of selling content and paid subscriptions? Wish you had direct access to all your stats and fan data so you could market better? Interested in creating a profitable online fan club? And what if you could do all this on your own, brandable white-labeled website?"
Posted: Dec 20, 2021
Category: Promotion
social media promotion know your audience photos video marketing posters musicgoat.com collaboration timeliness fan engagement tagging ticket price
**Guest post written by Jessica Fender, a copywriter and blogger at Edubirdie with a background in marketing and sales. She enjoys sharing her experience with like-minded professionals who aim to provide customers with high-quality services. Previously featured on MusicGoat.com.
"If you want to get more people to attend your music event, keep reading. I'll show you how to generate more pre-show hype using an outstanding social media marketing strategy. Here are a few tips you can use to boost your event marketing efforts."
Posted: Nov 8, 2021
Category: Promotion
exposure promotion spotify music streaming services pr campaign have a story cyber pr apple music musicgoat.com
**Guest post written by Ariel Hyatt, previously featured on MusicGoat.com.
"Music pr is designed to raise awareness of you in the press. To help build and share a story, as well as build up critical acclaim. Of course, a great article or review may lead to sales, but overall, if selling music is your goal, music PR services are not the only thing you will need. WHY?"
Posted: Oct 11, 2021
Category: Promotion
promotion podcasts sponsorship branding interviews collaboration banners now hear this inc ebook gimmicks
**Guest post written by Bruce Wawrzyniak, who runs Now Hear This, Inc. and www.InterviewTipsCourse.com.
"...this list of 20-plus ways that you can promote (your music, your podcast, your book) can overwhelmingly be done alone and with little to no cost! So, rather than sit back and say, “Okay, my new release is on Spotify or my podcast is now on iTunes or my book is on Amazon,” promote the little minnow rather than sitting back and waiting for people to find it swimming in the ocean-sized inventory of content on those platforms. Remember that as easy as it is to hire me to be your publicist and do the promotion for you, up until then, when you’re on your own, if you don’t promote, who else will?"
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 4, 2021
Category: Promotion
social media merch promotion newsletters interviews quotes email now hear this inc awards promotional items public speaking
**Guest post written by Bruce Wawrzyniak, who runs Now Hear This, Inc. and www.InterviewTipsCourse.com.
"...this list of 20-plus ways that you can promote (your music, your podcast, your book) can overwhelmingly be done alone and with little to no cost! So, rather than sit back and say, “Okay, my new release is on Spotify or my podcast is now on iTunes or my book is on Amazon,” promote the little minnow rather than sitting back and waiting for people to find it swimming in the ocean-sized inventory of content on those platforms. Remember that as easy as it is to hire me to be your publicist and do the promotion for you, up until then, when you’re on your own, if you don’t promote, who else will?"
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 27, 2021
Category: The Musician Business
promotion online presence concise know your audience major artists electronic musician
**Guest post by Electronic Musician.
"Can you describe your music in 6 words or less? It's the first question that anyone asks you about your music: What kind of music do you make? Your answer to that question is the most important thing. It’s even more important than your story. So don’t wing it. You should prepare it ahead of time and have it at the tip of your tongue when interviewers, the media, and people you meet ask. Don't try to make a perfect and complete description: the goal is to get them curious enough to ask to want to hear your music. That's how you'll know if you've created the right description. Here are some simple ideas to help you describe your music effectively..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 7, 2021
Category: The Musician Business
show booking promotion professionalism persistence follow up email now hear this inc interview tips course
**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: Jul 26, 2021
Category: Promotion
social media youtube promotion spotify soundcloud apple music singles be patient playlisting submithub email
**Guest post by Vince Martellacci of ForgeCollective.
"There are three main ways musicians can go about getting their music on playlists, ranging from old school to modern...They are: email outreach, digital submissions, and social media relationship-building...all three have their place, and all three work."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 10, 2021
Category: Promotion
live streaming social media facebook twitter youtube promotion newsletters instagram bandsintown facebook events create videos artist collective contests banners clubhouse
**Guest post written by Leonard Patterson of Artist Collective AKA @ac_leonardp. This is an excerpt from his new book, 365 Livestream Ideas For Musicians.
"13. Schedule a Facebook Premiere 14. Create an Event 15. Join the Club(house)..."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 3, 2021
Category: Promotion
music venues promotion call-to-action restaurants bandsintown videos plan ahead hashtags artist collective reward live streaming
**Guest post written by Leonard Patterson of Artist Collective AKA @ac_leonardp. This is an excerpt from his new book, 365 Livestream Ideas For Musicians.
"1. Custom Domains 2. Custom Overlays 3. Partner with Venues..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 12, 2021
Category: Live Performance
show booking promotion selling your act value talent buyer live performances justin paul pollstar ticket sales
**Guest post from Justin Paul, music/career coach, A&R, DJ, and producer.
"First and foremost, talent buyers look at how many tickets they believe (based on data) an artist can sell. The more tickets an artist can sell, the higher the performance fee they can command. Sometimes talent buyers are tastemakers, and they take a chance on an up and coming artist/band that may not have much data available. Typically, those are opening acts or the middle of the lineup. Up and coming artists may even play for free or a smaller amount and are often more suited for club events."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 1, 2021
Category: The Musician Business
distribution social media merch make money website improvement promotion marketing online presence publicist branding delegate responsibilities promoters
**Guest post by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan of MakingMoneyWithMusic.com. Originally featured in the Disc Makers Blog. Reprinted with permission.
"While you hear a lot about independent musicians and how you can build a music career with a do-it-yourself mentality, doing it yourself doesn’t mean doing it alone. There isn’t a singular music industry. Instead, there are industries that serve every facet of the foundation upon which you build your career, and you have to master them all to succeed and grow as an artist...Today we’ll tackle another subset of roles to help grow your music career: those associated with merchandise and getting media exposure."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 14, 2020
Category: Promotion
promotion cyber pr live streaming social media merch newsletters fan engagement instagram experience google hangouts facebook live contests charity
**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"It is that time of year again...As an artist, there is no better time than the HOLIDAZE to work on building engagement and connections with your fans...you will find 7 tactics to first activate your fan base around holiday music promotion and ultimately build engagement, generate sales, or both." View Full Article
Posted: Nov 2, 2020
Category: Touring
show booking lodging touring plan promotion gear practice health be realistic vip tickets free ticket giveaways presell keys to success hudson moore digital tour bus
**Guest post written by Hudson Moore, originally posted on DigitalTourBus.com.
"I’ve been a touring independent artist for 10 years. I’ve booked, advanced, produced, and promoted almost every headline show I’ve ever played. I still have a long way to go, but I’ve been fortunate to play some amazing shows to fans across the US and over the years I’ve picked up a few tried and true tips and strategies that have helped me that will hopefully add value to you as well. So without further ado..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 24, 2020
Category: Fundraising
promotion fundraising crowdfunding incentives fan engagement setting goals plan ahead email pre-promotion bandtwango
**Guest post by Nicole Hoglund, Managing Director of Bandtwango, the premier crowdfunding platform for country music artists.
"There are always elements that can lead to an artist having a successful campaign. From choosing the right incentives for their audience, shooting for a realistic monetary goal, and to having an engaged fanbase all help, however there is one element that we know is the most important one for artists to succeed, pre-promotion of their campaign."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 20, 2020
Category: Social Media
social media diy facebook marketing platform promotion direct to consumer fan engagement budget know your audience value blogging web traffic
**Guest post written by Eddie of The Entrepreneur Drummer, an online blog/resource dedicated to teaching business education to session musicians.
"Facebook now makes the majority of its revenue through selling advertising however it's a dangerous game to get into, especially if you're a novice. A whole array of deep-diving settings and unknown terminology means that it's very easy for you to lose a LOT of money very quickly. Don't fret though, I've found a great way to find new clients on Facebook for absolutely free, all it costs you is your time."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 6, 2020
Category: Marketing
marketing fan engagement know your audience content word of mouth posters emotion lighting collaboration promotion spotify social proof les flair
**Guest post written by Kai Marks & Lyron Haceon of Les Flair, an electro-pop project based in London.
"With not a single track released and a limited budget in tow, we sold out a string of live shows across the UK, led by word of mouth alone. Which we've now come to realise, is the most powerful tool in music marketing. Here’s our top tips for building a strong WOM foundation and translating hype into sales..."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 4, 2020
Category: Marketing
promotion marketing fan engagement artist collective quality long-term equality real-time updates visibility cost-effectiveness social media newsletters
**Guest post written by Vinnie Hines, Co-Owner of Artist Collective AKA @ac_vinnie.
"At Artist Collective, we’ve found that the most effective way to engage with your fans is through meaningful relationship building exchanges. These types of connections are invaluable and the foundation on which any type of notoriety is built...We urge you to use text message marketing for these 5 AMAZING REASONS..."
Posted: Feb 18, 2020
Category: The Musician Business
record labels youtube promotion marketing music album release schwilly family musicians videos invest the music entrepreneur grow your audience
**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.
"Things I DO KNOW are: Music and Business. I studied them separately and built a BRAND NEW bridge between them. And that bridge is a LOT easier to cross when you don't have a herd of greedy trolls weighing you down..." View Full Article
Posted: Sep 9, 2019
Category: The Lefsetz Letter
record labels merch diy managers promotion music festivals indie artists songwriting nyc la bob lefsetz genre booking agents
**Guest post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.
"Don't wait for help, do it yourself. Just like you can record and distribute yourself, you can promote too. If you're waiting for a manager to start, don't...Decide who you want to be. A hobbyist, a touring musician or a superstar. This affects your path..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 1, 2019
Category: Online Presence
music venues show booking booking agents record labels managers promotion music festivals radio promotion publicist bandzoogle press corporate gigs private gigs
**Guest post written by Dave Cool of Bandzoogle.com.
"An electronic press kit (EPK) is essential for making a strong first impression on promoters, bookers, media, and other music industry professionals...You can use your EPK to help you get more press, more gigs, and come across as a serious artist."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 13, 2019
Category: Touring
show booking press and radio touring touring plan promotion stay connected health be patient please and thank you plan ahead physical health collaboration ellisa sun
**Guest post written by Ellisa Sun, Jazz/Soul musician formerly based in San Francisco currently full-time RVing across the USA.
"200 days ago, my partner Ken and I left our home base in Oakland, CA to spend one year full-time RVing and playing as many shows as we can to build an audience, learn about the industry, and hopefully earn enough money to survive...the following 10 Things I’ve Learned are more focused towards DIY Musicians like myself..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 25, 2019
Category: Marketing
touring promotion marketing relationships with fans newsletters dozmia create scarcity target geographically drip campaigns a/b testing excitement fomo
**Guest post written by Nicholas Rubright, founder and editor at Dozmia, and lead guitarist for the band Days Gone By.
"with email marketing, you have direct contact to some of your most passionate fans...While [touring] can be a great way to gain exposure to a new audience, if you want to develop good relationships with the venues you're performing in, it’s also important that you get your existing fans to come out to the show...With these things in mind, how do you leverage your email list to get people to come to your show?"