If you’re putting your media kit together and need advice on your press release, marketing strategy, publicity campaigns, and EPK, we’ve got it. When you’re ready to create the perfect sales pitch for your indie band, here are some expert blog posts that will help you get your marketing campaigns and press kit in order. Read more.
Musicians getting in trouble with the law – well, that’s nothing new. What’s a good music resume without a couple of arrest reports to fill out the career dips? But what about that YouTube “take down” notice you just received for the video you posted of your band covering “Freebird?” You got a mechanical license to release the song on your CD (right?), and the video turned out awesome, so you owe it to the world to post it online. But did you get a sync license for your online videos of cover songs? Read more.
The Future of Music Coalition just released the results of a research project they conducted where over 5,000 US-based musicians were surveyed about how they earned money. Here is the list with their findings. 1. Publisher advance. Bulk payment to songwriter/composer as part of a publishing deal. 2. Mechanical Royalties. Royalties generated through the licensed reproduction of recordings of your songs — either physical or digital. Read more.
We stumbled across this graphic with stats on piracy and estimations on revenue lost to file sharing and bootlegging on BackgroundCheck.org’s blog. Not exactly sure how it fits into their world view, but the information is relevant to us folks making and listening to music. See it here.
In February 2012, Disc Makers presented the 12th annual DM Palooza showcase at Philadelphia’s premier World Cafe Live venue. DMP12 hosted 17 acts, all featuring Disc Makers’ employees showing off what we do when we’re not at work. See more…
Updated February 2021. These recording and studio tips offer insights on acoustics, microphones, music production, gear, plug-ins, tones, mixing, and everything in between — for all your home studio and pro studio recording endeavors. Read the posts.
Touring as an indie doesn’t mean getting on a luxury bus and having a tour manager handling gigs, logistics, accommodations, and meals. Here’s some good advice on how to tour culled from loads of blog posts and articles we’ve published on touring. These highlights should get you thinking about the ins outs of how to get gigs, what an indie tour can be, and touring tips to take with you on the road. Read more and download your FREE guide.
Robert Brenne is proving that a guitar amp can be built out of anything. Well, one comment suggests an amplifier made from a loaf of bread, so maybe that’s crossing the line – but who knows? Wired.com posted this article about a guy making homemade amps out of pop culture items like lunchboxes and thermoses, some of which he’s sent to his idols in Metallica and the White Stripes. Read more.
Updated September 2017. Our indie guide to gigging includes posts that will help you transform your performances, travel smarter, maximize merch sales, and book better gigs. Read More.
If you’re in the Philly area on Friday Feb 10th and want to know what Disc Makers’ employees do with their time outside of work, DM Palooza 12 is the place to be. Once again we’re taking over the upstairs restaurant venue at The World Cafe Live to put our music where our mouth is. Read more.
Did you know ringtones make up 1/3 of online music revenue? Did you know ringtones can go platinum? The folks at MusicProductionSchools.net put together this infographic that spells out some fun and interesting facts about ringtones. Check out the entire infographic.
If you’re a songwriter looking to do something special for a youngster, here’s an organization worth checking out. Sing Me a Story is a program that gives children in hospitals, orphanages, and youth organizations around the world the chance to write and illustrate stories about anything they want – childhood memories, people they know, stories they’ve invented – it’s up to the child. Through Sing Me A Story’s network, these stories are distributed to songwriters, who turn them into songs. Read more…
Brian Lipski, who heads the dedicated group of audio engineers in the SoundLab Mastering Suite at Disc Makers, explains some of the basics about post-production mastering and the gear used in the process – either in your home studio or in a professional environment like the SoundLab. View video…
Check out the latest and greatest indie music from CD Baby!
Here are the 10 best-selling albums in October: See all 10…
Doug and Tom from the SoundLab at Disc Makers put this fabulous video together that walks you through some of the basics for recording great guitar tones in your home studio. Getting a great tone on tape is the first step to making a great recording – check it out and learn about mics, tips on mic placement, Pro Tools, working with amplifiers, and more. Read more…