Posted: Aug 26, 2013

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, a DIY singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, CA with 500+ shows under his belt, as featured in his blog "Ari's Take". 

"...But what all the non-superstar musicians in LA have in common is, when we play a show in town we accept shitty shitty deals...This isn't going to be a post about LA (as that could fill a book), but rather the issue of "pay to play" clubs. Let's explore some of the many scenarios bands get offered by venues and promoters every day..."

Posted: Aug 21, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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It's easy to understand that there wouldn't be a music industry without music, but sometimes we forget that the creation process is only the beginning. Once created, a major part of the battle is having the right people, plan, timeline, and creative ideas to get your music to an audience. In this clip Pat Magnarella, manager of Green Day, talks about marketing an album a year and a half before release and some of the pieces he used in the campaign.

Posted: Aug 20, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post by Stephen Wrench of Musik and Film as featured in their blog.

The sooner that indie artists realize that they are on their own in this world of 360 deals and pay-to-play radio, the better off they will be. There will be no major label knocking on your door offering riches and fame just because you’re good. If you are good, you better be very smart and be savvy in business and the art of promotion if you want to succeed in the new world of being an independent artist.

Posted: Aug 14, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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Marc Geiger has a music industry resume to be admired. Among many other things, he started as a successful concert promoter, co-founded Lollapalooza, and is currently the head of Worldwide Music at William Morris Endeavor. In this clip, Marc and the Renman talk about the following age old questions:

-Do booking and talent agents actually read all those emails and listen to all those demos that you send them?

-Do you have a better shot of getting more exposure when based in a major market like LA or NYC?

Posted: Aug 12, 2013

Category: Show Booking

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**As featured in Indie on the Move's Touring Tips section.

Whether you’re planning a two-week mini tour or a two-month tour, first and foremost you should sit down and write up a mock itinerary. This will include the cities you plan to hit and the dates you plan to be in each city...

Posted: Aug 6, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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Making your music is the fun part, but if you can turn it into some money that makes it even more fun! A great way to do this is to use a music publisher and a music supervisor to help place your music in TV, Film, and Advertising! Supervisors and publishers are always looking for new music and in this clip Position Music's Jake Versluis walks us through five pieces to have prepared before submitting to supervisors and publishers.

Posted: Aug 5, 2013

Category: Promotion

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**Guest post by Mike Vial as featured in his blog. 

"The fact that it’s free or crowdfunded shouldn’t be the story; those are footnotes to the actual story, a story about the music."

Posted: Jul 30, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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The decision of whether to go to college or not can be tough for any aspiring musician. Do you go? Should you study music? Or do you get a business degree? The choice is personal for everyone and there are a handful of other questions to wrestle, but it always helps to hear other people's stories and experiences. In this clip, Incubus guitarist, Mike Einziger, tells us about his college experience at Harvard University, why he chose to study of Evolutionary Biology and Cosmetology, and how science, music, and the universe are all related.

Posted: Jul 29, 2013

Category: Promotion

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**Guest post by Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion as featured in their Song/Album Promotion Articles/Advice/Content. 

"It works like this: Radio stations are paid based upon their ratings (the number of listeners they have.) If a record label exposes an artist to many potential fans by way of performances, posters, TV, articles, or film, and these fans then want to hear that artist's song, they will have to tune in to the radio station that plays it. This means that this radio station is going to get all these new listeners, and thus is going to have higher ratings. But new acts can't do any of this for a station, and the station knows this."

Posted: Jul 23, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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Before you can succeed in this industry, you need to understand who you are and where you want to go in the big picture of things. In this clip, the Renman talks about setting your own compass, finding your true north, and reminds us of the importance of being yourself throughout your career.

Posted: Jul 22, 2013

Category: Show Booking

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**As featured in Indie on the Move's Touring Tips section.

When communicating with a booker, be as concise and informative as possible. Remember, he probably receives A LOT of emails every day, so the last thing he wants to read is a long-winded message. Try to keep it to 4-5 sentences while still hitting on all your main selling points...

Posted: Jul 15, 2013

Category: The Lefsetz Letter

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**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.

"DON'T DEPEND ON THIRD PARTIES - Being an artist is doing it your way. Now you no longer need a label, gatekeepers are not as powerful as they once were, so why are you playing to them? Of course it's more difficult going your own way, but that's the paradigm of the future. He who plays by the rules gets left behind..."

Posted: Jul 9, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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Using samples in music poses a problem for young producers unaware of the legalities and obligations that go along with it. In this clip, electronic producer Pretty Lights, aka Derek Vincent Smith, discusses the ramifications of using unlicensed music in a track, what he did to fix the problem, and the potential pitfalls if a producer is not careful.

Posted: Jul 8, 2013

Category: Managers

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**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, a DIY singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, CA with 500+ shows under his belt, as featured in his blog "Ari's Take". 

"A manager's biggest asset is not being you. A manager talking his band up will get a much better response than the singer talking his band up. Even if the manager is the lead singer's brother (Imagine Dragons)...You need to be kicking ass on your own BEFORE any manager will want to represent you."

Posted: Jul 3, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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From Imagine Dragons to Eminem and Rihanna, Alex Da Kid works with and produces the biggest artists of today's music business. Currently, Alex is flying high thanks to his production on the smash single RadioActive by Imagine Dragons. In addition to producing, Alex recently started his own record label Kid In A Korner in partnership with Interscope. In this clip, Alex talks about who helped him along his career path and why he studies successful people's careers to help him in his own.

Posted: Jul 2, 2013

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Nifty of MusicFullTime.com.

"Begin by thinking of yourself as more than just a “hired” musician playing for an evening in a nice (or not so nice) restaurant. Viewing this opportunity as a typical “gig” is actually a 9 to 5 mentality that’s fatal to your income potential. The restaurant has hired you, not for the purpose of doing “you” a favor, nope. The restaurant owner is trying to add value to her customers."

Posted: Jun 28, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

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

Music doesn’t sell in the numbers it once did, but a bigger variety is being consumed. There is so much more to choose from. Everyone is splintering into thousands of little niches. So your best course of action as a creator is to nurture and take care of the core people who are really passionate about what you do...[And]...

You have to do everything yourself. And that means booking, teaching lessons, playing shitty gigs for cash, producing, making your own records, working in a music store, etc. etc. You can’t specialize anymore...

Posted: Jun 24, 2013

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest Post by Julian Weisser.

"Sure, you could probably play at least one show a week in your hometown, but that’s no good for you because at best you’ll be playing to the same people, and at worst you’ll be playing to no one at all. For the fans it’s just as bad because they’ll hear the same music over and over and it will change from an exciting night that they’ve waited a month for into exactly what they just saw a week ago."

Posted: Jun 21, 2013

Category: Songwriting

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

"Sometimes the artist doesn’t even know if he likes his own work...When Bruce Springsteen heard the test pressing of “Born To Run”, he smashed the record into tiny pieces. Couldn’t stand to listen to it. He thought it was the worst piece of shit he had ever heard...The writer Saul Bellow is quoted as saying, “Works of art are never finished, they are abandoned.”...This is true. So the real question is when do you walk out the door? And if you are in a group, how do you get everyone going in the same direction so you can finish?"

Posted: Jun 19, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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The music industry of the new era has benefitted and suffered at the same time from the accessibility of music making technologies. As it stands, there are so many artists looking to break in and be heard that a lot of artists get lost in the mix. Tune in as we talk to Tunecore founder Jeff Price as he weighs in on all of the music streaming services that have become available to the common artist, and what he feels is the best way to be heard!

Posted: Jun 17, 2013

Category: The Lefsetz Letter

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**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.

"The major music business, the "new music" business, is built upon radio, it depends upon it....[but] just like music piracy is a dead conversation, just like streaming has eclipsed it, terrestrial radio is dying...however, its replacement has not reared its head yet. Therefore the oldsters say radio is forever. But lousy sales figures of today's mass market records proves this to be wrong...[so] The young acts of today have to depend upon the young entrepreneurs of today to build their careers..."

Posted: Jun 11, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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Bass player and manager Blasko discusses how he got his start as a musician, from underground hopeful to center stage bass player, and how he transitioned into becoming the manager of the Black Veil Brides.

Posted: Jun 10, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, a DIY singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, CA with 500+ shows under his belt, as featured in his blog "Ari's Take". 

"The most popular "myth" to debunk these days by talking heads in the biz is that it's not about who you know. Everyone will say "just be great - you don't need connections!" Bull...Most of the opportunities that musicians get aren't because they are undeniably great. It is because they are nice guys and gals who people like to be around."

Posted: Jun 3, 2013

Category: Merch

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Booking fees and ticket sales only represent a portion of a performer's income for everyone from the independent artist to the big name band selling out huge venues. As a result, it is essential to take advantage of any opportunity to bring in extra cash via merchandise sales for CD's, T-shirts, and the like. But how can you create an inventory of merchandise without breaking the bank? Here are a few places you might be able to score some great deals...

Posted: May 27, 2013

Category: Promotion

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**Guest Post from Bandzoogle.com.

"Having an email newsletter might sound a little old school, but the reality is that it’s still proving to be the best way to keep in touch with your fans over the long term. So when it comes to fan engagement, having a newsletter should be high on your priority list of tools to use."