IOTM Blog
Posted: May 16, 2023
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"Over the course of the years, I have learned that there are very important and valuable skills in particular that make a big difference and, from experience, have helped me continue to improve. Surprisingly, it's not time management skills, networking skills, or even improving your songwriting skills or talent that will launch your art career. So, what is the most important skill you'll need to become a successful artist?"
Posted: Apr 11, 2023
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the smart way to promote music.
"Now is truly the best time to be an independent artist. Thanks to the internet, everything is feasible and accessible. Regardless of whether you are just starting out in music or are already an established professional, spreading music around the world has become easier than before. As an artist you can promote your music independently and efficiently without needing to break the bank."
Posted: Jan 24, 2023
Category: Songwriting
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**Guest post written by Hovey Otis.
"When it comes to songwriting, having a unique and creative perspective can be the difference between a great song and an average one. But how can you look at the same lyrics in a different way and create something that stands out? Here are 3 tips to help you switch up your approach to songwriting and find new inspiration."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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..."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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." View Full Article
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!"
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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." View Full Article
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?"
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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..."
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...
View Full ArticlePosted: 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..."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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..."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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?" View Full Article
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..." View Full Article
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!" View Full Article
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..." View Full Article