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4 Steps to Convert Goals into Results

In the Key of Success"Goal" is such a ridiculous word. It’s a word that, once you put it in place, you automatically create its inverse: the possibility of failing to achieve it. The prospect of failure can be so scary that it becomes impossible to take action towards achieving your goal, and thus, the downwards cycle of mediocrity and spinning the wheels begins! Read more…

Top 10 CD Baby Albums: December 2011

by Disc Makers December 29, 2011

Two Steps From HellGeorge DonaldsonRed MollyCheck out the latest and greatest indie music from CD Baby!
Here are the 10 best-selling albums in December: See all 10…

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Desktop Wallpaper – January Edition

by Disc Makers December 28, 2011

January Desktop WallpaperThe talented designers in our Design Studio created twelve original works of art (one for each month) that feature some of our favorite songs. Each month we will post a new design, in six common desktop sizes, so you can use them as your desktop wallpaper. January’s wallpaper features “In A White Room” by Cream! Click here to get yours!

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Independent Success – An Interview with Sean O’Connell of Music Allies

by Rick Goetz December 16, 2011

Be great and be honest with the connection that you’re making. You’ve got to hustle and make your own destiny. But my biggest piece of advice is, team up with someone passionate to work with you. And that doesn’t mean someone from the music business. When you look at a lot of people I’ve worked with and look at who their managers are, they started as enthusiastic young people who didn’t have training in the music business… Read more…

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Press Kit Fundamentals – How To Write A Compelling Artist Bio

by Michael Gallant December 12, 2011

Samson MicAs creative and expressive musical artists, we’d like to believe our music speaks for itself. It does, of course, but a well-crafted artist bio is still a necessary part of your press kit and promotional efforts. In addition to giving the reader a glimpse into your musical career/journey/accomplishments to date, an engagingly written band bio can increase the chances of your music getting heard, whether you’re approaching music journalists for press coverage, creating an electronic press kit, or just trying to draw in casual visitors to your website. Read more…

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Fundraising with CDs and DVDs: Manufacturing and Packaging

by Andre Calilhanna December 7, 2011

When it’s time to raise money for your club or organization, you may already have your go-to method of procuring funds. But there’s always room to improve, and maybe it’s time to find an additional revenue generator – or it may be time for a totally new solution. Perhaps you’re terrified by the whole concept. Read more…

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2012 Gear Guide: Four pieces of music gear priced under $300

by Keith Hatschek December 6, 2011

Samson Mic Time for our year-end round up of music equipment for your wish list that’ll offer outstanding value without breaking the piggy bank. We’ll take a look at music gear that includes an innovative router to help you make maximum use of your guitar pedals, a great USB microphone, an eight-track recorder, and a dock to help convert your iPad into a recording hub. To help me select this year’s picks, I consulted one of my own music tech gear gurus, Bob Furlong, Sales Engineer at Fort Wayne, IN-based Sweetwater Sound.
Read more…

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Top 10 CD Baby Albums: November 2011

by Disc Makers November 23, 2011

David M. BaileyTom ChapinDoughboyz CashoutCheck out the latest and greatest indie music from CD Baby!
Here are the 10 best-selling albums in November: See all 10…

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Desktop Wallpaper – December Edition

by Disc Makers November 23, 2011

December Desktop WallpaperThe talented designers in our Design Studio created twelve original works of art (one for each month) that feature the cities where Disc Makers offices are located. Each month we will post a new design, in six common desktop sizes, so you can use them as your desktop wallpaper. December’s wallpaper features New York! Click here to get yours!

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Who Hires Session Musicians?

by Bobby Owsinski and Paul Ill November 21, 2011

Since music today is recorded professionally everywhere – from bedrooms onto laptop programs like GarageBand to 2,500-square-foot near-perfect acoustical environments attached to control rooms loaded with recording gear worth millions of dollars – it’s safe to say that almost anyone making music will be able to hire you for a professional recording session. If you’re in demand, you’ll probably get all sorts of playing opportunities from sources you wouldn’t suspect. That being said, the top three sources for session work are contractors, producers, and highly respected session musicians. Read more…

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The Tip Jar Effect

by Scott James November 15, 2011

The Tip Jar EffectRemember the Seinfeld episode where George goes to give the guy a tip at the pizza place, but the guy doesn’t see him put it in the jar and he tries to reach in and take his money back?

It’s funny because most of us can relate to it (well, hopefully not the part about reaching back into the jar!). If we’re being totally honest, when most of us give someone a tip we want them to see us doing it. We want them to feel like they’re getting hooked up and a part of us wants to be acknowledged for making a contribution. Read more…

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12 Tips for Writing, and Selling, Great Jingles

by Michael Gallant November 10, 2011

Everyone has experienced it before — you see an advertisement on TV and three weeks later, you’re still humming the same catchy melody that playfully urges you to buy a soft drink, bring your car in for a new muffler, or change insurance companies. Such is the mysterious art of jingle writing.

Crafting words and music for the sole purpose of selling a product can be lucrative, creatively challenging, and fun — but how do you make the jump from indie songwriter, musician, artist, or producer to trusted messenger of a company’s brand? What do you do once you’ve actually landed your first gig writing commercial ad music? Read more…

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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…

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Top 10 CD Baby Albums: October 2011

by Disc Makers October 31, 2011

George DonaldsonPale Blue JakBrian Brushwood & Justin Robert YoungCheck out the latest and greatest indie music from CD Baby!
Here are the 10 best-selling albums in October: See all 10…

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DIY Video Accessories

by Kyle Cassidy October 28, 2011

Producing video is an exciting hobby and rewarding business, but it takes a lot of gear. Sometimes, the rewarding and the exciting part can be in just making the gear. There are lots of pieces of equipment made to perform very exact tasks in video production, from camera mounts that help cameras move smoothly to light producing and shaping tools. We all look through thick catalogues crammed with gear with a quickening heartbeat and wide eyes (I know I’ve never seen a light modifier I didn’t immediately know would solve every problem I’ve ever had with lighting), and this gear acquisition syndrome….Read more…

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5 Tips for Approaching Music Blogs, Writers, and Other Music Press

by Julia L. Rogers October 28, 2011

Part of being a DIY artist is marketing yourself like an entrepreneur or small business owner. You’re presenting the brand of “You, Inc.,” comprised of all the unique things about your music and you as an artist. And while putting some tracks up on social media platforms like Facebook and MySpace – and your own website – is an important part of your marketing plan, you can’t just leave it at that and hope someone will simply stumble across your music.

An important part of your PR efforts as a DIY artist is to effectively present yourself to music blogs, podcasts, online music communities, websites, and magazines. It’s a given that if you’re at the stage where you’re ready to approach the music press, you should have at least two things: 1) a professional-sounding collection of your songs that represents you at your best; 2) tangible proof that you are playing regularly and working hard at providing an engaging experience for your fan base. Read more…

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