As a musician, do you NEED to be on Facebook? And if so, how often? A couple months ago we posted an article written by singer-songwriter Eric Eckhart called “Time to STOP marketing your music on social media?” In it, he talks about his frustrations with online music marketing and how it can easily become […]
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9 Secrets From Indie Artists for Selling a Ton of Merch After Their Shows
You packed the house. You had a fantastic performance. The entire crowd loved every minute of your set. Now you have to turn that enthusiasm into album and T-shirt sales. How do you go about doing that? That’s a question I asked a few indie hip-hop artists who are masterful at the merch table in hopes […]
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How to Turn Your Fans Into Your Marketing Team
Louis Tomlinson of One Direction takes selfies with fans. (Photo by Cameron Spencer) Today, indie musicians are their own marketers, and finding time to improve and execute both your marketing campaign and your music is something we all struggle with. But did you know that you actually have a huge marketing team out there just […]
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5 strategies to get your fans sharing your music DIY Musician Blog
Spreading the word about your music is a big task, especially when you also need to dedicate your time to your music and maybe even a day job. However, you actually have a huge team of marketers out there just waiting to promote your music – your fans. In fact, your fans are probably already […]
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Indie Labels Hope Apple Will Finally Make Streaming Pay
This article first appeared on WIRED.com Apple Music, the tech giant’s long-awaited foray into music streaming, launches today. Apple is hoping it becomes the one, true streaming service that can get millions of people to pay to play, just like it got millions to pay for downloads from its iTunes Store. Some indie insiders hope so, […]
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Improving your speaking skills between songs
This post originally appeared on the DIY Musician Blog. 3 steps to better stage banter at your next show Lots of musicians are comfy-cozy when it comes to playing through their songs on stage, but they freeze up when they have to tell a story, thank the crowd, draw attention to merch, or ask for […]
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Take a Look: Now Even More Visibility Across All of Your Scheduled Messages
When it comes to business, social media is very much a team effort. That means several stakeholders are likely contributing content across a variety of social profiles that belong to your brand. In order to keep everything together—and ensure no one steps on anyone else’s toes—it’s important to have a comprehensive view of what everyone […]
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How an Email Newsletter Launched a Designer’s Career
A few years ago, designer and illustrator Maria Fabrizio was struggling to find her purpose. She’d always been artistic and had earned a BFA at the University of South Carolina and an MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University, then started her own studio. But she was feeling stuck. Then the pope resigned and everything changed. “I […]
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Are Trendy Subject Lines Right for Your Business?
It’s that time of year again, when retailers remind you to buy gifts for “dads and grads.” Ah, seems like just yesterday we were “falling into great savings.” As usual this spring, I started seeing “dads and grads” popping up in my inbox. I’m interested in random copywriting trends, and Father’s Day is right around […]
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SEO for Musicians: 3 Tips To Optimize Your Website Content
[Editors Note: This blog was written by Melanie Kealey and was originally featured on the Bandzoogle Blog. If you’re looking to increase your online presence, Bandzoogle is THE place to go to build your artist website!] Making your website rank well in search engines can seem like a daunting task. Now more than ever, people […]
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Ever do something on stage you wish you could take back?
Have you ever gotten caught up in the moment and done something you’d later regret during a concert? Thanks to smartphones, those moments can now live on forever! Check out the embarrassing tirade from Smash Mouth’s lead singer in the video above, and then let us know — what’s your worst on-stage moment? Did you […]
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How We Use Facebook Custom Audiences for Our Marketing
Back in 2013, Ben wrote about Facebook’s Custom Audiences feature and how seamlessly it can integrate with MailChimp accounts. A lot has happened since the tool launched—at MailChimp, and probably at your business too. So if you missed the integration when it was new, or if you’re one of the few million new users we’ve […]
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Why bands should play two (or more) shows in the same town in the same week, and how venues can benefit from it
[This article was written by Cristof Ensslin, cellist and manager of The Wilhelm Brothers, a cello-infused folk rock band from Asheville NC.] Are you doing the booking for an indie band? Have you ever come across a venue that didn’t want you to book another show within a certain radius and time span? Chances are, […]
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Apple Music Lacks A Core
Mark Knight, the founder of Right Chord Music explains why Apple Music fails him and struggling musicians. I’ve always been a firm believer that when it comes to music consumption people broadly fall into three groups. 1. Listeners 2. Active Listeners 3. Discoverers The first group is the most passive in their consumption habits, the […]
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7 signs your music grind is finally paying off
[This article is written by guest contributor Brandon Waardenburg, founder of artist coaching service Apparatus.] The lustre of performing live can die pretty quickly. When you’ve seen more dive-y bars than you’ve seen daylight hours. When you step in yet another unidentifiable sticky object on the bar floor. When the door man stiffs you $100 […]
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9 Secrets From Indie Artists for Selling a Ton of Merch After Their Shows
This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids blog. You packed the house. You had a fantastic performance. The entire crowd loved every minute of your set. Now you have to turn that enthusiasm into album and T-shirt sales. How do you go about doing that? That’s a question I asked a few indie hip-hop artists […]
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SoundCloud Imposes API Streaming Limits
As part of its moves to monetize the platform and properly compensate creators, SoundCloud has been making a series of changes – some of which have not been well received by users. ________________________ Starting July 1, SoundCloud will introduce streaming limits. Any track hosted on the service and delivered via its API will be limited […]
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A2IM Cautions Indies Not To Sign Current Apple Music Offer
After a source shared the contract that Apple Music was offering independent record labels, we wrote about Apple’s insistence that no money would be paid to rightsholders during the 90 day free trial of its new subscription music service launching on June 30th. Apple’s iTunes is among the top sources income for most labels; and […]
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