Posted: Mar 24, 2014
Category: Online Presence
cover songs fan engagement keywords marketing plan online presence seo social media youtube
**Guest post written by Brandon Seymour, musician, SEO analyst, web designer, and social media marketer.
Independent bands and musicians in particular stand to gain a great deal of exposure if they put the time and effort into creating quality, engaging videos and marketing themselves on popular video platforms like YouTube, Vimeo and others of the like...Plain and simple, videos work. It's just a matter of figuring out how they can work for you...
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 17, 2014
Category: The Musician Business
create scarcity fan support hometown marketing music career professionalism show booking
**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?...
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 10, 2014
Category: Music Festivals
be a friend career goals community support grassroots music business music festivals networking
**Guest post written by Salina Sias. Salina is a Brooklyn based singer-songwriter with a deeply personal folk-inflected vision and serves on the board of directors of Women In Music. This piece was originally posted on ThrowtheDiceandPlayNice.com.
"I just got back from the 26th annual Folk Alliance International (FAI) music conference in Kansas City, MO...They [music conferences] can be overwhelming, as I can attest after having just dragged my butt back to Brooklyn from Kansas City. So, the generous soul that I am, I thought I’d share my experiences and advice after my first trip ever to a “folk-music conference.”"
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 5, 2014
Category: Renman Music & Business
breaking bands discovery getting started live performances managers music business web presence
Finding the right manager might be the most important decision an artist makes after they've picked their musical partners. But finding a great manager is not easy. In this lesson of Renman U, the Renman talks about why to hire a manager, what a manager does, what qualifications you should be looking for in a manager, what personality traits to look for, when to get a manager, how to connect with a manager, and about the artist manager relationship.
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 3, 2014
Category: Show Booking
booking agents draw music business selling your act show booking tour booking touring strategy touring tips grassrootsy
**Guest post written by Joy Ike, creator of Grassrootsy.com and Independent Musician, as featured on Grassrootsy.com.
THE QUESTION: I have a question that I hope someone here can help me with. After you’ve sent an email and you don’t hear back for a week or two, is it ok to resend the same email in the case that it got lost in the shuffle? I don’t want to come off as being pushy, but I want to make sure that they actually received the email.
THE ANSWER: Art, this is a really great question that I think a lot of people struggle with. It’s hard to know how to follow up on a email when you don’t know if it was ever read, if it reached the correct person, or if the receiver purposely didn’t get back to you. So we’ve got a few suggestions on what you can do...
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 24, 2014
Category: The Musician Business
diy entrepreneurship licensing make money marketing plan music business
**Guest post written by David Priebe of Green Room Music Source, a full time agent/artist manager and also part time instructor of music business at the Institute of Production & Recording in Minneapolis.
"It official- it’s now impossible to make money in the music industry." There are scads and scads of articles and commentary that sound a lot like that statement. What you hear much less about are the people who completely disagree with that sentiment. I’m in that camp, and I’m going to tell you why...
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 18, 2014
Category: Online Distribution
amazon cd baby exposure itunes online distribution online presence pandora radio promotion
**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, a DIY singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, CA with 550+ shows under his belt. Originally written for Digital Music News and featured in his blog Ari's Take.
Posted: Feb 10, 2014
Category: Royalties
blake morgan congress irespectmusic make money pandora radio airplay royalties
**Guest post written by Blake Morgan, artist, musician, record producer, and founder and owner of ECR Music Group.
Posted: Feb 3, 2014
Category: Digital vs. Physical
cd's make money merch music streaming services online distribution repeat customers royalties spotify super fans
**Guest post written by Danny Schmitz, an indy musician, writer, and connoisseur of all things Mexican food.
Posted: Jan 27, 2014
Category: Online Presence
bandzoogle calendar listings call-to-action free ebook online presence website improvement
**Guest Post from Bandzoogle.com.
Posted: Jan 20, 2014
Category: Licensing
cover songs howtorunaband licensing limelight youtube
**Guest post written by Chris "Seth" Jackson, a bass guitarist and composer and founder of HowToRunABand.com.
"My band is recording a cover song, Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot. Since it’s a cover song, I need to get the rights to use it. I found a really easy and affordable way to license the music! But, I also found a giant and annoying snag in regards to YouTube. A snag so big it makes me a bit resentful of the music industry’s antiquated ways."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 13, 2014
Category: Marketing
community support free music grateful dead make money marketing marketing plan marketing platform music business yovigo
**Guest post written by Brandon Swift, musician and creator of Yovigo.com.
Music marketers and artists who have come after The Grateful Dead have been trying to emulate this marketing model since the group's success with it. The model casts a wide net of influence for any artist or group hoping to make a serious mark in the music industry. Here are some reasons giving away your music works so well and has the power to help those who are willing to make a considerable profit.
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 8, 2014
Category: Renman Music & Business
thom yorke music business jay boberg not static adapt
In this Renman MB throwback clip, the Renman sits down with Jay Boberg, long time record business heavy hitter. Jay reminds us that truly good art can be good business if the art is the focus and not used solely for exploitation. Among other gems of knowledge, Jay leaves us with a great quote about today's business: "The music industry is a river, not a lake. It's moving."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 6, 2014
Category: The Lefsetz Letter
artistic conviction hits major labels make money music business radio stations
**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.
Your ability to play exceeds social networking. Your chops are more important than your social skills. Frequently the best musicians are near mute, they speak through their music, which brings adoring fans to them. First learn how to play. Everything else comes next...
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 30, 2013
Category: Online Presence
bandcamp facebook fan engagement keywords localized marketing marketing online presence seo soundcloud twitter youtube
**Guest post written by Brandon Seymour, musician, SEO analyst, web designer, and social media marketer.
What I find really interesting though is that some niches act as if they are immune to the constant pressures of the modern day marketer. In my experience, one of the biggest offenders is the music industry - specifically independent artists. I've been working in SEO and inbound marketing for about four years now and since I've always had a passion for music, I wanted to take some time to discuss some simple, highly actionable steps that musicians can take to start marketing their band like a boss.
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 23, 2013
Category: Touring
epk facebook prerequisites show booking tour booking web presence youtube
**As featured in Indie on the Move's Touring Tips Section.
If you are considering going on tour, there are a few prerequisites that must be met in order for you to make everything happen...
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 16, 2013
Category: Live Performance
fan engagement fan support how to run a band live performances relationships with fans stage rules
**Guest post written by Sarah Lynch, digital music marketing and social media content manager.
"Just how powerful does a statement have to be in order to capture an audience’s imagination?? For musicians, having a killer live show is essential because it is one of the only opportunities that fans have to see, interact with and get to know you as a person behind the music. So how do you make an audience fall in love with you?"
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 11, 2013
Category: Renman Music & Business
career goals managers music business music career true north
This playlist is a group of videos arranged to get a manager's head in the right place for success. It starts off with the basics of what a manager does, from what to expect to what your actual role is. The playlist ends with a forward by Brandon Boyd, which perfectly describes the relationship of artist and manager, and gives insights on what it takes to succeed and work together over long periods of time.
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 10, 2013
Category: Fans
fan engagement fan support friend support live performances marketing music career promotion
**Guest post written by Dae Bogan, Music Industry Insider For The Indie Artist, of Dae Bogan Music.
"There’s something I want to share with you. You may not know this–or you might have forgotten–but your friends are not your fans. Shocking? Let me explain.."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 3, 2013
Category: Renman Music & Business
bob lefsetz business of renegades information mentors music business stay connected
No matter what you do in life, it's helpful to have a mentor that can help show you the way. This is especially true in the music industry, but having a mentor in this biz is much easier said than done! In this clip, industry analyst Bob Lefsetz tells us that the music business is of renegades and if you have a mentor, you're lucky!
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 2, 2013
Category: Show Booking
grassrootsy music business show booking tour booking touring strategy touring tips
**Guest post written by Joy Ike, creator of Grassrootsy.com and Independent Musician, as featured on Grassrootsy.com.
"STEP 1: Perfect your performance. Play as many open stages as you can to network with others and solidify your stage presence. Become a familiar face and make sure you get to really know the people. Give this a 6-month time period." Click the title to read numbers 2-7, including an in-depth description of each crucial step...
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 27, 2013
Category: Renman Music & Business
advice career goals fun. keys to success music business
In this highlight clip, Nate Ruess, lead singer of grammy award winning band Fun., talks about his career and path in the music business. Nate has a fantastic story about coming up in the business and prior to superstardom with his band Fun., he had given up all hopes of commercial success. Nate leaves us with a handful of great quotes to remember and motivate everyone trying to make a career out of their music.
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 25, 2013
Category: Delegate Responsibilities
show booking tour booking lodging promo press and radio
When it comes to touring independently and really maximizing success and profits along the way, it certainly helps to delegate show booking, radio/press/media promotions, and other responsibilities amongst everyone involved in the project - after all, you have to run your band like a well oiled business machine these days if you expect to make a splash and build a buzz.
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 18, 2013
Category: Show Booking
apca college gigs make money naca show booking tour booking touring touring plan
**The following is an excerpt from MusicBizAcademy.com's "The Truth About NACA: Gigging on the College Circuit" by Fran Snyder, originally published in 2001.
"The National Association of Campus Activities, established in 1960, is a non-profit organization that puts on regional conferences where music acts, comedians, lecturers and other entertainers showcase in front of campus activities programmers from around the country. There are 1200 member colleges and 600 associate members (talent or agent) which makes NACA the largest organization of its kind." So how do you land one of these coveted showcase slots and secure college bookings with fantastic guarantees?...
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 13, 2013
Category: Renman Music & Business
make money marketing middle class musician music business pomplamoose
Jack Conte is a musician, businessman, and creative entrepreneur. He's probably best known as one half of the band Pomplamoose, but what we didn't know was what an interesting perspective he has on today's music industry. In this clip, Jack talks about what it takes to be successful in today's music business and how the industry has changed from massive rock stars to everyday hustlers. It's the rise of the middle class musician!
View Full Article