A collection of informative articles on Independent Music Business for the Indie musician. Booking, Radio promotion, online promotion, economics, and Music business related news
It has become a tradition for me to attend the Blues Music Awards in Memphis Every May. It always falls around my birthday, so it’s a great way to talk the wife into letting me make the trip with my blues buddies. This year I attended with Rick Lusher (Radio Promoter), Ben Elliot (American Showplace […]
If you’re a songwriter, (or a song enthusiast), and you can go to a songwriter workshop with David Olney, you go, period. “Anytime anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are, I say Mozart, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney. [David] Olney is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard – and that’s true. […]
The 2018 Independent Blues awards nominations are now in and ready for you to vote on. We do things a bit different than other awards in that we give you the opportunity to explore and experience artists and music you may not be familiar with. In order to maximize you experience we highly recommend that […]
Colette McLafferty lived through an unbelievable, yet true, experience and Confessions of a Bad, Ugly Singer is her account of that time. She is a professional musician, and at the time of this experience she was working as a session singer and singing in several tribute bands. but then in 2011, she was hired to sing […]
Before we dig into everything there’s to know about Spotify playlists at this moment in time, you should remember that just because someone has a ton of streams does not mean they have a ton of fans. Streams are not equivalent to downloads or sales. Apples and oranges. When someone bought a song or an […]
So, you are about to release your new CD and it’s time to get it ready to go to both the media for reviews and radio stations for airplay. One of the important items that should be included with your CD is your Onesheet! With that in mind let’s take a look at what a […]
SONAR relaunches as ‘Cakewalk by BandLab’: Iconic DAW now free to download for everyone World-leading DAW SONAR, with the entire SONAR Platinum feature set, is relaunching as Cakewalk by BandLab Full authentication and unlimited feature-access will be available free Early access to Cakewalk by BandLab is available now on Windows SINGAPORE, 4 APRIL 2018 — Today, […]
A Soundman’s Guide to Communicating With Musicians Neal Miskin As a live sound tech I interact with a lot of musicians, from seasoned professionals to amateurs playing their first gig. One thing remains constant regardless of the experience level of the performers, is that good communication helps make a good show. This article will be in […]
Are you an independent Country Music Artist who is looking for exposure for your music? The Indie Country Music Show might be the right outlet for you! Making a Scene, the #1 Resource for the Independent Artist and the Fans that Love them, will be producing an “Indie Country Music” Podcast to showcase and promote […]
First Impressions I have attended many music showcase events over the years, two notables being both the International Blues Challenge (IBC)and the Blues Music Awards, both held in Memphis Tn. Both of which present showcases and events geared towards the Blues market as a music genre. I have participated as both a judge and an industry professional […]
by Rhetta Akamatsu As a music journalist, I depend a lot on artists’ websites for information when I am writing articles. So, if you want your website to get you the attention for which you put it up, here are some suggestions: 1. Keep your website up to date! Use WordPress or another easy Content Management […]
There may be hope for all those diehard users of Cakewalk’s premiere DAW software “Sonar”. BandLab has announced that they have aquired all of Cakewalks Intellectural property and “Certain” assets from Gibson. What does this mean to you the user. Well it seems that Bandlab did not purchase the “Company” Cakewalk, but instead purchased the […]
Tips for Organizing a Hassle-Free Music Event From a monetary perspective, the American live music industry is growing steadily with revenue expected to increase from $9.28 billion in 2016 to $11.99 billion in 2021. Of the total revenue generated during 2016 more than $2 billion came from sponsorship while a further $7.4 billion was generated through ticket […]
As you may have heard, or not heard, Youtube has decided to create stricter rules for Monetizing Videos! We are going to attempt to break down this news and give you an understanding as to how this affects you as an independent artist! WHY? The new channel-monetization guidelines are one part of an attempt to […]
The evolution of technology has led to the development and manifestation of the digital forum as the largest market base. The online market is one that attracts clients from all over the world at the click of a button. Businesses, governments and even private entrepreneurs in different industries have taken advantage of the online forum […]
Spinitron caters to college, community and educational stations where the DJs spin the tunes according to independent aesthetic policies. Thousands of these stations across the country provide the alternative to the narrowly-defined music repertoire that commercial stations are forced to present. Apart from serving their listeners and pursuing their educational objectives, these non-commercial stations also […]
Whether you are doing your own radio promotion, or you have hired a professional radio promoter and you are working towards RMR Reporting stations. It is a good idea to sign up for an RMR account, where for less than $10, you can search for who is playing you (or any artist for that matter) […]
You want to promote your music online, yet you are a musician, not a professional marketer. Have no fear. You may not be an expert marketer, but how are you with building relationships? Sounds a little bit more doable, doesn’t it? Marketing is essentially meeting new people and developing a relationship with them, which is something […]
Time to Start your Project So, you raised some money, and now you are ready to take your project into the studio. There are so many things to consider before you start writing those checks. Let’s face it, recording a CD can be a very expensive project. So, lets see what we can do to […]
Even though this article concentrates on Blues, the information on the RMR charts is relevant to all the genres and Indie Musicians the RMR Charts report on. The Blues World in particular spends a lot of time on Radio Charts. Unfortunately, many don’t understand the facts behind the charts and how they work. What makes the Living […]
by Rhetta Akamatsu Twitter is a wonderful tool that will allow you to get the news out about where you are performing, your newest musical projects and recordings, personal band news and anything else you want your fans to know. You will be able to interact with hundreds and even thousands of fans, if you […]
Have you ever noticed how some social media profiles have this little blue checkmark next to their names. This tells any potential followers that this is a verified profile and they are recognized by that platform as being who they are and that they are influential in their field. Also getting verified opens you to […]
One of the biggest mistakes artists make when they hire a publicist is they have no idea what they need to have in place before they spend their money. If you do not have the right resources and materials in place to satisfy any potential interest, your whole PR campaign basically falls off the cliff. […]
Where it all Began ASCAP On February 13, 1914 composer Victor Herbert was eating dinner at the Hotel Claridge in NY City when he heard the piano player in the restaurant playing one of his compositions. As he looked around the bustling restaurant, he realized that while the patrons were eating and spending money, they […]
Live 365 Is Back By Richard L’Hommedieu In January of 2016 the copyright royalty board allowed the the small webcaster agreement to expire which resulted in an dramatic increase in royalty rates to those webcasters (See The State of Internet Radio). It is The Small Webcaster who creates a much needed diversity in a ever […]
Writing a Press Release Definition: “ A written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something newsworthy. Typically, they are mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to Blogs and assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, or networks.” In putting together your music business plan, one of the most important aspects […]
Where would you host your music if Soundcloud Closes? Recent news about Soundcloud started making rounds in quite a few social media group forums I lurk in frequently. The most popular article shared was the article by Tim Ingham published on Music Business worldwide. Another article by Andrew Liptak published just days later on The […]
Austin born indie blues guitarist-vocalist, Jackie Venson, announces her web series,How to Become a Musician. Venson just released her live album, and has been featured in such publications as Guitar Player Magazine, Austin Chronicle, Austin Monthly, Texas Monthly and Bitch Media among others. Jackie recently performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Now, Venson has created her […]
There has been alot of conversation out there between independent webcasters and independent artists about the new royalty schedule from the Copyright Royalty Board. Some webcasters have cut their loses and ran, some have geo fenced off the whole US market. If none of this makes sense to you, well you are not alone. I […]
UPDATE! The new bill (HR 1733, known as the “Fair Play, Fair Pay Act”) is currently being discussed in DC! (It is before the sub-committee on “courts, intellectual property and the internet.”) RIGHT NOW is the time to contact your local congress representative to really make a difference! You don’t need to take the time […]
In order to help discover new “indie blues” artists, Making A Scene is searching for independent artists that are creating new, original music that is rooted in the blues. The focus is not on traditional blues, but original blues that has the ability to appeal and be relevant to a new younger fan base. Making […]
Social Media is such a prominent force in the independent music world that it was inevitable that someone would come up with a business model that allows you to purchase Instagram followers, YouTube views, Facebook Shares and more. Many times those numbers of shares, video views are looked at as a form of success and […]
Whether you are an indie artist or a seasoned booking agent, no matter what genre, one of most important aspects of the music business is finding venues and their contact info so you can start to book yourself either locally, regionally or nationally. As any booking or indie artist booking themselves will tell you this is […]
A Brief History of the Blues A Brief History of the Blues in Song! by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud Listen to the history of the blues with over 50 songs, progressing from the beginning of the blues and ending with some of the new hot artists of today! The Beginnings Even though the origins of […]
An Exclusive interview with Barbara Newman – President and CEO of the Blues Foundation by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud Barbara B. Newman has been selected to succeed Jay Sieleman as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Blues Foundation, the Memphis-based, international music organization dedicated to preserving blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, […]
If you are a touring musician and you put any time on the road, this is the app for you. WAZE by Google is one of the world’s largest FREE community-based traffic and navigation apps. You are Joined by drivers in your area who share real-time traffic & road info to save time, gas money, […]
This is a real eye opener for anyone in the music industry. Indie Musicians, take heed of what the trends are telling you! .. The global market for recorded music fell slightly in 2014 to $14.97 billion, down 0.4 percent from the year before, as sales of online music matched those of CDs and other […]
An Exclusive Interview with Lou Plaia of Reverbnation! by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud Lou Plaia – Co-Founder/EVP Music Industry & Artist Relations – ReverbNation In 2006, he co-founded ReverbNation which is now the leading online music marketing platform used by more than 3 million artists, managers, labels, venues, festival/event/tour promoters and other music industry professionals to […]
SHOW # 261 – 02/16/15 ROUNDTABLE # 4 – MUSICIANS,CLUBS & BMI – MUSIC ROYALTIES & WHAT THEY MEAN TO YOU Panelists included Musician, Tas Cru, VP River City Management, Carson Lamm and BMI Executive Jeff Syracuse. The conversation revolved around the reasons BMI (and ASCAP & SECAN) do what they do and how the […]
How One Generation Was Single-Handedly Able To Kill The Music Industry The old music industry is dead. We’re standing in the ruins of a business built on private jets, Cristal, $18 CDs and million-dollar recording budgets. We’re in the midst of the greatest music industry disruption of the past 100 years. A fundamental shift […]
Interview with Steve Ceragno from Dropcards.com by Richard Lhommedieu on Mixcloud www.dropcards.com Listen to the Interview to find out MORE! dropcards.com is a way to bridge the gap between the digital download market and your merchandise table. Unlike CD’s your digital content can contain video, graphics, EPK’s, Music, E-Books, Apps or any other file that can be […]
Are you looking to do a radio promotion in Blues radio? Are you looking for somewhere to listen to Blues? Well here is the updated Blues Radio Master List for December 2014 FREE!! No where else will you find such an extensive listing of ALL Blues Radio! Merry Christmas!! <Click Link Below> Blues Radio Master List
Recently Blues Matters Magazine published their “2014 Writers Poll” of the Best in Blues, within this list of prominent blues players and proponents of the genre is the category of “Blues Radio – International”. Since this magazine is based out of Europe, 3 US based stations were chosen in a 3 way tie for the #1 […]
EDITORS NOTE: This is reprinted with permission of the author. I felt it was ironic that an independent musicians needs to be at odds with an organization that is designed to protect his rights. It is an interesting read, and a conversation that needs to happen with the new music business increasingly becoming centered on […]
Before you decide to “BUY” likes for your Facebook band page .. you have to watch this! It may hurt you more than help you!
My advice to the younger musicians who want to earn a living at their craft. Recently I read a post about a younger player who wanted to know what they would need in order to be successful in a music career. They questioned attending music college and how to convince their parents they were doing […]
Are you looking to do a radio promotion in Blues radio? Are you looking for somewhere to listen to Blues? Well here is the updated Blues Radio Master List for October 2014 FREE!! Who Loves you? <Click Link Below> BLUES RADIO MASTER LIST!
What is Blues? BY BARRY KERZNER One of the most frequent and recurring discussions in blues concerns the basic question, “What is blues?” Obviously, there are many opinions regarding this this topic, and blues lovers are infinitely passionate abouttheir particular viewpoint. Blues is music that bridges many divides, bringing people together to share in its beauty […]
There’s a lot of talk , that there is no where to hear blues on the radio these days. While this is a work in progress, check the list for Blues radio show near you, or listen to a station in another City on the Web . If you are not listed and want to be or if […]
Respect Your Venue Sometimes a club has live music for free – no cover charge. In these instances the club pays a certain amount to the band to entertain, hoping to encourage an even bigger crowd to come in to eat/drink. It can be a win for both parties. It is usually not required to order […]
