This morning I launched The League of Musicians - a 10-part newsletter series with only 1,000 free spaces that I can proudly call the best newsletter in the music biz. The League is designed for 1,000 smart proactive musicians who want to learn the insider tips and secrets on music promotion and developing a music career. Each email is themed around a certain theme e.g. music industry law, getting gigs, blogging for musicians etc. and...
If you're lucky enough to be going on tour with your band you might feel that all you have to do is pack up your instruments, get on the road and let the good times roll in. Don't forget though that there are a few things that you'll need to bring with you to make the most of the experience. Here is our list of the top 5 most essential, indispensable, must-have items to bring with you on tour. 1) Replacements for Breakables It would be...
As many of you may know, I recently launched a book that I co-wrote with Rob Lawrence called Get Noticed, which is a book on how to raise awareness of yourself in a busy space. Today, I want to offer the first ten musicians who get in touch the opportunity to read the book at a discounted price in return for some free promotion of their music. Myself and Rob with the wonderful musician, Nikki Loy! Here's the deal... The first ten...
We know that success in the music industry relies to some degree on ‘who you know’. That reality naturally poses the question of ‘how can I meet people who will make me a successful musician?’ The type of people who probably spring to mind are highly connected managers, record label executives, venue promoters, and other big-time music business professionals who work alongside successful musicians on a day-to-day basis....
Being a healthy musician has three benefits; it helps you produce better quality music, it helps you write more quality music in less time, and it allows you to write quality music for longer. Those three areas can roughly be summarized as 1) improving creativity, 2) improving productivity, and 3) longevity. Being Health Improves Your Productivity When Richard Branson was asked what his number one tip on productivity was, he replied...
The only thing more difficult than getting that song you KNOW will be a hit some airplay, is keeping the band intact long enough for fame to actually happen. The presence of a solid, working dynamic between band members is as important as a great hook, and as essential as good management. Bands have historically been formed in oneof two ways. A band can be formed by a group of friends agreeing to make a go of it together. Or a corporate...
I once heard the saying “the hardest place to sell a book is in a book store”, which is referring to the fact that a bookstore is the place where your book will have the most competition. This is the same situation when trying to get gigs; the hardest place to get a gig are the venues where all of the other bands in your area are pitching to as they have the highest competition. One excellent trick around this is to seek out...
GUEST POST: Chris Rockett is a musician and music marketing consultant from London who uses Direct-to-Fan marketing tactics to help level the playing field between DIY musicians and major label artists. Your music sales page is a very important cog in the music marketing wheel because it is the place you send enthusiastic fans who show an interest in buying your stuff. credit: ElvertBarnes The page itself does not have to be...
I'll be honest, when I used to perform drums live with my band or deejay in clubs, I hated the thought of wearing ear plugs as it tended to just lower the quality of experience by muffling the sound and reducing the volume, but over the years as my hearing became worse and worse I realised not only the increasing importance of wearing earplugs, but also that if you invest in a high quality pair, you won't compromise on the audio quality or live...
Before you start thinking about recording your music, you need to be aware that nothing is free. Most new bands can really only afford to pay for their equipment and musical instruments and therefore have little to no money to spend on recording costs. 1. Loans If you do not have the money to pay for the recording upfront you may have to consider getting a loan to do so. You can do this in one of two ways. -Go through the...
