From the category archives:

Promotion

Finding money for your project – a look at Kickstarter and other fan-funding sites

by Keith Hatschek and Casey Newlin November 3, 2011

For decades, record labels have served as “banks” for musicians, loaning artists money up-front to write, record, and release their music. In the utopian scenario, this up-front money (an advance), would be paid back from the artist’s royalty earnings from album sales (recoupment), and everyone would walk away happy. Read more…

10 comments

Holiday Sales – Do Something Special

by Disc Makers September 28, 2011

The Christmas/holiday season is the time when retailers make the bulk of the their yearly sales and profits, and the music industry is no different. CD and music sales peak in the last months of the year, and whether you have a holiday theme to your album or a Christmas song added to your playlist or not, there are plenty of things you can do to make the holidays translate to a profitable season for you and your act. Read more…

1 comment

Taking it to the Streets – Busking Tips From Veteran Street Performers

by Michael Gallant September 21, 2011

Performing to an appreciative audience doesn’t always mean having to pitch a venue, schedule a gig, and pimp it far and wide. In fact, many skilled and experienced musicians choose to take their tunes to the streets, playing to informal audiences at train platforms, thoroughfares, and parks everywhere. Read more…

4 comments

Artist Booking Essentials: College concerts and the military market

by Rick Goetz August 5, 2011

What advice would you give a DIY artist that wants to get into the college circuit? The college concert market is ruled by two entities: the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) and the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA). These two organizations are working in a cohabitative nature, but I would say to some extent they are also competitors. They both set up the infrastructure for schools and their programming boards to come together to one place. Agents and artists come in on the other side of the fence and work to find a way to book the entertainment onto the campuses. Read more…

7 comments

5 Habits That Will Make You a More Successful Musician

by Scott James August 3, 2011

There are a lot of posts out there that have great tips for becoming a more successful musician by using things like social media, sales techniques and email marketing strategies. I wanted to take a bit of a different approach and look at getting better results by improving the foundation that those things are built on…YOU! By changing some of your unconscious habits you can literally multiply your results in just a matter of months. Read more…

5 comments

One Thing a Day for My Songwriting Journey

by Doak Turner July 5, 2011

If I told you you should do over 350 things for your music career between now and this day next year, you’d probably think I was crazy. But you could do one thing a day, right? One thing a day over the year is how many? Exactly, 365 things on your journey in the next year. Read more…

4 comments

Setting Your Goals

by Ariel Hyatt July 1, 2011

In any aspect of your personal or professional life, setting goals is an empowering way to set the stage for success. In regard to your music, taking the time to visualize your goals can help you pave a personal roadmap for defining and achieving success with your career, whether you consider music your hobby or you are making a living out of it full-time. Read more…

2 comments

10 Questions to Ask a Potential Band Member

by David Hooper July 1, 2011

It’s like a job interview, but so much more. A band member isn’t just doing a job – they are joining your creative family. You want to be sure of their technical ability, and you also want to be sure they will blend with the rest of the band. Success for your group depends on a synergistic blend of personalities. Here are ten questions you can ask a potential band member to ensure they will be exactly what you need to take your band to the next level. Read more…

1 comment

How to Create a Wikipedia Page for your Band/Music

by Disc Makers June 28, 2011

WikipediaGetting a Wikipedia page approved for your music project can be tricky. It can also be great for building credibility and gaining exposure for your music.

Because of the sheer number of relatively unknown independent artists out there, Wikipedia has become very strict in its guidelines for accepting artist pages. Wikipedia editors are composed of volunteers from around the world and they all interpret Wikipedia’s guidelines a little differently, so, mileage may vary. Read more…

12 comments

How To Make it in Philly as a Musician

by Disc Makers June 22, 2011

We are always interested in the local music scenes throughout cities across the country. Here’s a look at the state of the Philadelphia scene from Flying Kite Media and some local Philadelphia producers and musicians:

Who would have figured we’d have the Schuylkill River to thank for depth of musical talent in Philadelphia. The Schuylkill provides millions of gallons of water to the city. And according to Philadelphia music producer and engineer Phil Nicolo, the state of music in Philadelphia is as vibrant as ever thanks to the water.

Read more…

0 comments

An Innovative Approach to an Album Release

by Disc Makers June 17, 2011

Kaiser ChiefsWe are always on the lookout for new album release strategies. Here’s the latest from Billboard.biz and the Kaiser Chiefs:

U.K. guitar group Kaiser Chiefs is taking an innovative approach to the release of its new studio album, “The Future is Medieval” (Fiction/B-Unique Records), by allowing fans to choose their own track listing and album artwork.

Read more…

0 comments

Re-Energize Your Career

by Scott James June 7, 2011

Do you ever feel like you’re just going through the motions? Like your shows are not quite as fun for you as they used to be? Has your audience started to shrink and lose interest? Then now might be a good time to take a step back and reflect on where you are and what you can do to change.

If your audience has started to dwindle then chances are you’re feeling anxious, depressed, sad, etc. Not exactly the right frame of mind to put off an attractive energy that’s going to make people want to forget about whatever else is going on, get in their cars and pay to come see you play. Read more…

2 comments

10 Music Licensing Tips: How to get your music ready for Film and TV

by Michael Gallant May 24, 2011

If you’re like many independent artists trying to get your music heard far and wide, you might dream of having your music licensed for use in movies and TV shows. Music placement can indeed be a potent career booster — when it comes to visibility, credibility, and getting paid — but it’s a tough world to break into, and many talented artists don’t know where to start. To that end, here are some tips to help you get your house in order before you ever talk to a music supervisor on the phone — so when that precious licensing opportunity comes, you’ll be ready.Read more…

6 comments

How to Land a Music Festival Gig

by Keith Hatschek and Casey Newlin May 23, 2011

From Bonaroo to High Sierra and the Warped Tour, it seems that more and more music festivals are popping up all over the world. But for emerging artists, landing a slot at a festival, even as an opening band, may seem out of reach – a goal for “later” in your career.

To find out just how feasible it is to try to land a spot on a festival stage, we spoke with a talent booker from San Francisco’s 18-year-old Noise Pop festival… Read more…

11 comments

Five Reasons Your Emails Aren’t Being Returned

by Rick Goetz April 28, 2011

I am a big believer in doing as much legwork on your own as you possibly can before reaching out to music industry executives. That being said, there comes a time in every artist’s career where you’re going to have to approach someone in the industry to get to that proverbial "next level." Let me assure you that there is a right way of doing this and several wrong ways of doing this. Sadly, many artists repeatedly write emails that go right into the trash because of very basic mistakes that can be easily avoided. Read more…

1 comment

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