Getting Discovered

One aspect of the music industry that has never changed is that the hardest part is getting discovered. While there is a multitude of new avenues for exposure, there is greater competition and you need to be sure that you are focusing in the right direction. Radio is still the #1 outlet for new music but it’s becoming a harder and harder to break into. Short of finding a way onto the airwaves, the next best thing you can do is to make sure that your music is accessible from a smartphone. YouTube and Pandora are the most popular but the bottom line is that smartphone ownership has gone up 500% is the last five years so it’s time to get on board if you haven’t already.

Click More, Read Here 

Make The Most Of Your Release

So your latest opus is finally complete – or maybe it’s your first opus – either way releasing your album strategically is critical to its success. As excited as you may be to start tossing vinyl, CDs, and download codes from the rooftops, you must exercise restraint and focus on building up some buzz first. This will help ensure that your release is successful right off the bat. It will get passive fans engaged and people who have never heard of you intrigued. The most obvious thing to do is to pick 1 -3 songs to release as mp3 singles starting a month or so before the release date. Another way to build buzz is to send the album to as many bloggers and music journalist as you can, but do some research and only send to ones who seem like they’d be receptive to your sound. 

Click More, Read Here

Crowdfund Correctly

Crowdfunding has become an exceptionally useful tool for bands/musicians who are being held back by financial woes (so…pretty much everyone). But before you get carried away with daydreams of recording your opus on the dimes of your fans, you need to give seriously pragmatic thought to how many dimes you ask for. Don’t ask for the exact amount that you think you’ll need because other expenses are always going to come up. Maybe you’ll have to go back and fix some backing vocals that didn’t come out quite right, maybe you have a lot of fans in Europe and sending them the album once completed will cost you what should be your first couple hundred bucks in revenue. Your best bet is to aim for an amount roughly in the middle of the bare minimum and the worst-case scenario maximum. 

Click More, Read Here

Keep 'Em Coming....

For the past few decades, bands generally released a new album every 1 - 3 years. However, lately the smart trend for independent artists has been to return to the even older practice of much more frequent releases of smaller scope. There are several benefits to this approach. First, it keeps you at the forefront of a fan’s mind so if you ever come up in a conversation, no one is likely to say, “Oh yeah, I was into those guys for a while…then, I don’t know….”. It shows fans that you are keeping things fresh, you’re serious about your music, and builds you a reputation for being prolific which always great for creating buzz. Another benefit is that it keeps fans wanting more so that when you do release a full length, it will be an event rather than just another crack at success. 

Click Here, Read More

The Best Way to Positive Results is a Positive Attitude

Just about every piece of career advice a musician receives comes with an intimidating to-do list or things no musician ever wants to do. As you’re struggling to cross tasks off that list, there are some words-of-wisdom you should keep in mind because nothing will halt your career like a broken spirit. For example, comparing your bands status to the success of others will only inspire unproductive jealousy and dramatic rivalries that you can’t win. Get used to constructive criticism and the word “No”. You will undoubtedly get a lot of each. Eating as healthy as possible and developing a reasonable budget will help relieve of stressful situation and feel better about what you’re doing in general.

Click More, Read Here 

Social Media Done Right

The two things that drive a successful social media campaign are creativity and calculation. The creativity element is obvious and should come fairly easy since you’re a creative-type already. In this case, it specifically means finding interesting ways to links your individual social media accounts and in general, favoring quality over quantity. If all you are doing is reminding people three times a week that you have a new album with the exact same sale pitch, they will stop paying attention. Try to think of as many new ways to sell it as you can and even if you’re still bugging people three times a week, they will at least see that you’re putting some effort into making the sale and you’re more likely to retain their attention.

Being calculated about the campaign(s) is arguably more important. Being thorough in studying your analytics and doing research on when most people check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., will ensure that campaign is being noticed. Keeping track of what’s working and what isn’t will keep your efforts focused, optimized, and fruitful.    

Click More, Read Here