Posted: Sep 6, 2022

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Jesse Young El.

 

"You're an artist who's just starting out in your career. You've been hustling, grinding, and making connections for years, and you're finally starting to see some success. Your music is starting to get attention, and you're beginning to perform at shows and venues. Or maybe that's not your story at all. Maybe you're rarely getting calls for shows. Maybe the venue you do get booked in is paying you very little. Perhaps your music isn't generating much revenue from royalties. If any of these is the case, then you're really going to have to hustle differently to make additional income. But don't worry, there are ways that you can make money as a singer or hip-hop artist beyond just shows and royalties."

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Posted: Jul 5, 2022

Category: Technology

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**Guest post written by Brad Johnson, a musician and producer from Southern California. When he isn’t spending time with his wife and kids at the beach, he is helping songwriters and musicians at Song Production Pros.

 

"We live in the age of singles and playlists, and the more music you release, the better your chances of getting discovered. With tools at our fingertips to self-publish, self-promote, and stay connected to our fans, most musicians' most significant challenge is staying creative and finishing projects. This is where Artificial Intelligence (AI) can come in to help. AI is still in its early stages for creative applications. However, there are several innovative products to leverage AI and help you break through creative barriers and make more music quickly..."

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Posted: Mar 28, 2022

Category: Tips & Tricks

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**Guest post by Sam Saideman, co-founder of artist management and consultant agency Innovo Management.

 

"2020 wreaked havoc on everyone’s lives, however in my opinion, artists (and freelance creatives as a whole) took the brunt of it. Reminiscing now, it’s clear which artists figured it out and which didn’t, but I want to utilize this piece to discuss ways I saw artists adapt in the hopes that it helps readers dig back into YouTube (and other resources) to learn a part of the industry they didn’t know existed! It’s worth noting, these are not the only ways to build supplemental income or adapt, but merely a few to start with."

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Posted: Feb 22, 2022

Category: Career Goals

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**Guest post written by Eyvindur Karlsson, a singer-songwriter and songwriting coach who helps artists stop wasting time staring at a blank page and waiting for inspiration so they can write more songs of higher quality. He is passionate about coaching songwriters to help them get more great music out in the world and is the owner of the website Strongwriting.net.

 

"If you want to improve in any area, whether professionally or personally, goal setting is vital...when done right, goals help us to assess our progress and reassess if we get off track...In this article I'm going to cover the basics of goal setting, from a songwriter's perspective, and introduce you to the SMARTER framework of goal setting."

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Posted: Nov 29, 2021

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Yona Marie, originally featured in her blog.

 

"Releasing songs as an independent artist is pretty easy thanks to technology. 50 years back, you'd be out of luck for the most part, but now is the best time to thrive as a musician or artist without having to rely on a label! The main thing about being independent is that you want to make sure you're always growing and learning when it comes to music industry knowledge. You are in charge of your career and will not have any big-money company backing you or guiding you."

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Posted: Aug 2, 2021

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Nick Voorhees, founder of Melody Nest.

 

"It’s absurd to think that the “starving musician” stereotype proves to be true more often than not. Producing, composing, and engineering songs to a professional standard is inherently valuable because thought-provoking sound is necessary to the human experience, but many musicians find themselves broke regardless. It’s usually not due to a lack of talent or drive, but because musicians tend to be un-blissfully ignorant of the abundance of digital opportunities available within their electronic reaches. It doesn’t have to be this way."

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Posted: Jun 14, 2021

Category: Recording

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**Guest post by Martin Kristiansen, founder of HomeStudioIdeas.com.

 

"Getting stuck on unfinished tracks is probably one of the most common issues for producers. I think we all can agree that starting a new track is so much easier than putting the finishing touches on an existing project. Today I want to share 7 tips that you can use to achieve some closure on your music-making. Let’s dive right in!"

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Posted: Jun 7, 2021

Category: Merch

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**Guest post written by Desi Thorne for Bandzoogle.

 

"The beauty of digital merch is that you can offer it to fans anywhere in the world. Create some one-of-a-kind items for your online store."

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Posted: Mar 8, 2021

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post from Justin Paul, music/career coach, A&R, DJ, and producer.

 

"The pandemic has hurt all artists, even larger acts had to cancel tours. Ultimately what we're talking about is that there has been loads of money lost for the artist, for the promoters, also for the sound engineers, light engineers, stage crew, food vendors, security, stage techs, drivers, venues, and merchandise sales in live music. Furthermore, the pandemic has created a lot of self-doubt and uncertainty for artists. Some artists are now thinking about shifting to a different career or creating side hustles. Multiple income streams are the way to go even during normal times."

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Posted: Feb 8, 2021

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan of MakingMoneyWithMusic.com. Originally featured in the Disc Makers Blog. Reprinted with permission.

 

"In part four of our DIY music business series, we cover the tasks required to get your music written, recorded, produced, and made ready for distribution...Whether you handle all these roles for your music, or just a few, there are resources that can help with each."

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Posted: Sep 28, 2020

Category: Licensing

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**Guest post written by Marty Dodson, a multi-hit songwriter, co-founder of SongTown, and co-author of The Songwriter’s Guide To Mastering Cowriting and Song Building: Mastering Lyric Writing.

 

"One of the most popular questions we get at SongTown is “how many songs should I send to a producer or publisher?” The prevailing myth for aspiring songwriters is that “more shots equals a better chance of something great happening”. I want to dispel that myth and to explain why pitching your songs with a shotgun is NOT the best way to hit your mark."

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Posted: Aug 17, 2020

Category: Music Streaming

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**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!

 

"Daniel Ek, the CEO of Spotify, has been in hot water after stating that musicians "can’t record music once every three to four years and think that’s going to be enough". Is he right? Are we just slaves to never-ending work?"

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Posted: Aug 10, 2020

Category: Songwriting

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**Guest post written by Kristen Ford, Nashville based indie rock act with a passion for music business and a book on DIY touring in the works.

 

"Hearing how the audience responds can be hugely helpful in deciding to cut that verse or extend that outro, bands often "road test" songs before committing to record them. Now that many venues are closed for Covid-19 and open mics are on hold for the foreseeable future, it can be easy to feel stuck, isolated or missing the community feel. The more collaborators you have on a project, the more possible doors could open."

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Posted: Apr 20, 2020

Category: The Musician Business

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

 

"This isn’t the first time [the music industry] has been forced to adapt to tremendous change and adversity. No one is immune to the threats of disruption, volatility, and hyper competition that exist in this industry. Despite the fickle nature, there are things artists can do to set themselves up for success in the long run. Here are some thoughts on how to weather the storms and come out on top..."

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Posted: Apr 6, 2020

Category: Tips & Tricks

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**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.

 

Seeing as so many gigs are canceled, with business as usual impossible due to coronavirus social distancing, I am trying to make the most of this unfortunate situation. If you are a musician like me, whether you are self employed, have a small business with a few employees or just do music part time and are still missing some of your income due to Coronavirus cancelations, I hope some of these resources will be helpful...

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Posted: Sep 9, 2019

Category: The Lefsetz Letter

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**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..."

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Posted: Apr 23, 2019

Category: Songwriting

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**Guest post written by Chris Huff, originally featured in the Disc Makers Blog.

 

"If you are interested in writing lyrics with depth, you need a deep artistic well to draw from. All output requires input, and as a lyricist, I recommend you begin with words."

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Posted: Mar 11, 2019

Category: Giving Back

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**Guest post written by Jamie Wyman, singer-songwriter and Executive Director of The Great Blue Song Project.

 

"How many times have you heard people say, “I always wanted to learn to play the guitar” or, “I wish my parents made me practice the piano when I was a kid”? You are one of the few who followed through. And now that you have nurtured your musical superpower, you must use it for good. Here are five ways you can use your musical powers for good..."

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Posted: Jun 12, 2017

Category: Songwriting

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**Guest post written by Matt Lindley.

 

"Every musician takes inspiration from their heroes – modern pop music owes a debt of gratitude to the Beatles and Elvis Presley, while the lineage of hip-hop runs from 1970s New York acts like Afrika Bambaataa and Kool Herc to modern stars like Drake and Kendrick Lamar. But how much do you know about the careers of the legendary artists that have paved the way? And what can the musicians of today learn from them?"

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Posted: Jan 23, 2017

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post by Niki Walker, lead videographer of NPR's Tiny Desk series. Originally posted on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest Tumblr.

 

"The Tiny Desk is essentially the opposite of a concert venue or a music video. There’s nothing to hide behind except a real, tiny desk, in a real, very-active office. In some ways, our look is easy to replicate, because it’s all about the music...A lot of people film their Tiny Desk Contest entries on their own, so we thought we’d share a few things we’ve learned by filming almost 600 of these things..."

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Posted: Dec 12, 2016

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Louise Dodgson, Editor at The Unsigned Guide.

 

"Working with a booking agent is a topic we’re often asked about by artists and bands who wonder whether they should still undertake all gig bookings themselves or acquire the services of an agent who can bag those lusted-after festival slots and tour supports. Do I need an agent? At what stage should we approach one? Will a booking agency even work with an unsigned or emerging band? If you’ve ever wondered about any of the above, this blog is for you!"

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Posted: Sep 26, 2016

Category: Recording

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**Guest post written by Clay Mills, hit songwriter, producer, performer, and founder of SongTown.com.

 

"People often ask me if they have to do full-production demos to present songs to publishers or major artists? I do a fair amount of full demos, but I also have had about half of my major cuts from pitching home demos done on a very basic set-up on my mac laptop..."

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Posted: Oct 12, 2015

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.

 

"I’ve been a vocational musician for almost 30 years...This is an incredibly difficult business to make any sort of sustainable living at for that long, so inevitably people ask me what advice I would have for anyone who wants to do the same. Opinions are certainly like assholes, but I’ll give you my take on that. Do with it what you will..."

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Posted: Aug 17, 2015

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post by Stephen Wrench, CEO of Musik and Film.

 

"I recently had the pleasure of pitching a very talented well produced artist to major labels...They never listened to it [the music] because their social media numbers were not good enough?"

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Posted: Feb 9, 2015

Category: Career Goals

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**Guest post from the DIY Musician Blog.

 

"Jerry Seinfeld is arguably one of the most successful comedians of our time...So how did he do it? The answer is actually much simpler than you may think and it’s a proven method to helping you effectively smash any goal you set for 2015."

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