IOTM Blog
Posted: Jul 6, 2020
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Kai Marks & Lyron Haceon of Les Flair, an electro-pop project based in London.
"With not a single track released and a limited budget in tow, we sold out a string of live shows across the UK, led by word of mouth alone. Which we've now come to realise, is the most powerful tool in music marketing. Here’s our top tips for building a strong WOM foundation and translating hype into sales..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 29, 2020
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!
"Want to make your music livestreams as AMAZING as possible? Don't just sit in front of your webcam with a guitar! Follow this tutorial and your streams will be INCREDIBLE!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 22, 2020
Category: Recording
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**Guest post by Caleb J. Murphy, a songwriter-producer based in Austin, TX, and the founder of Musician With A Day Job, a blog to help part-time musicians succeed.
"Anyone can be their own producer. Don’t believe me? Read on and I’ll show you the whys and hows of producing music yourself..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 15, 2020
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post by Kristen Ford, Nashville based indie rock act with a passion for music business and a book on DIY touring in the works, featuring members of the health, scientific and musical communities of Nashville.
Until we have a vaccine, have increased testing capacity and learn more about antibody testing and if having the Coronavirus antibodies in your system means you cannot contract the Covid-19, we must move forward in a "new normal" environment...
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 8, 2020
Category: Touring
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**Guest post written by Bug Hunter, a "thoughtful, self-reflective pop" singer-songwriter out of Seattle.
"It started as a plan to play a couple East Coast shows while attending our old drummer’s wedding in North Carolina. Eventually our radius got so big that we just decided: “Hey, let’s just drive out there and play a show every night along the way”. So we packed up the minivan in Seattle and drove for 15 days, playing 14 shows without any prior experience in the markets we were visiting (save for Seattle and Portland)."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 1, 2020
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post by David Figueroa of Avoid Cliche, a musical artist branding company.
"When you've got your music ready, you want to send it out into the world for everyone to listen to it, but the worst thing you could do is to send it out in shoddy clothing. It's important that you get your branding right. You only get one shot. Here are some common mistakes that I see over and over again. And how to avoid them."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 26, 2020
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!
"Episode 17 of Words of Fang. As a band, when do you need to "throw your weight around", and when do you need to, well, just stay quiet? Fang tells you the secrets of the trade!"
View Full ArticlePosted: May 18, 2020
Category: Recording
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**Guest post by James Longman of AudioReputation, a technology writer & blogger by profession.
"A very common question we have been trying to answer is – can I use my headphones to record and mix music? Well, unfortunately the answer isn’t “definitely yes” because of some reasons, but if you have some decent mixing skills and you can trust your ears, then the answer goes pretty close to “yes”..."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 11, 2020
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Gideon Waxman, a London based drummer & music educator.
"...it [performing live] can be stressful if you are not adequately prepared and if your musical equipment isn’t in top condition...your mindset can also be holding you back from reaching your full enjoyment...Whether you are playing at a local open mic night, or if you’re performing a theatre to a thousand people, we’ve got you covered with these top tips to help prepare you for successful and enjoyable live performances."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 4, 2020
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Vinnie Hines, Co-Owner of Artist Collective AKA @ac_vinnie.
"At Artist Collective, we’ve found that the most effective way to engage with your fans is through meaningful relationship building exchanges. These types of connections are invaluable and the foundation on which any type of notoriety is built...We urge you to use text message marketing for these 5 AMAZING REASONS..."
Posted: Apr 27, 2020
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post by Casey Burke of Plaze, which helps musicians connect to the people & resources they need.
"Thankfully, musicians have found ways to maintain their livelihood in the absence of physical human contact. Enter: the Instagram livestream. While not strictly new, this format has taken off during all the unrest, and it’s likely to develop for at least as long as social distancing is the norm..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 20, 2020
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.
"This isn’t the first time [the music industry] has been forced to adapt to tremendous change and adversity. No one is immune to the threats of disruption, volatility, and hyper competition that exist in this industry. Despite the fickle nature, there are things artists can do to set themselves up for success in the long run. Here are some thoughts on how to weather the storms and come out on top..."
Posted: Apr 13, 2020
Category: Tips & Tricks
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**Guest post by Whitney Asher of The Marketing Mixtape.
"...feeling distracted? If you’ve got a ton of to-do’s but can’t seem to focus, check out our top 3 productivity hacks… & then get back to work!!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 6, 2020
Category: Tips & Tricks
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**Guest post by Kristen Ford, Nashville based indie rock act with a passion for music business and a book on DIY touring in the works.
Seeing as so many gigs are canceled, with business as usual impossible due to coronavirus social distancing, I am trying to make the most of this unfortunate situation. If you are a musician like me, whether you are self employed, have a small business with a few employees or just do music part time and are still missing some of your income due to Coronavirus cancelations, I hope some of these resources will be helpful...
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 30, 2020
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"I wanted to come up with a few ideas for you if you are dealing with lost revenue from a gig being cancelled. I also wanted to make this post more universal than just for this latest pandemic. My hope is that you can use these ideas for a cancelled gig under any circumstances."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 23, 2020
Category: Technology
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**Guest post written by Matt Santry, independent musician and founder of the Well Paid Musicians Club.
"Part 2 of this series focuses on getting professional-quality video with a smartphone."
Posted: Mar 16, 2020
Category: Technology
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**Guest post written by Matt Santry, independent musician and founder of the Well Paid Musicians Club.
"I think we've all been guilty of posting amateur-looking videos that make us look or sound worse than we really are...Or maybe you don't post any video because you're afraid that what you have isn't a good representation of what you do...We've (myself and Brian Fitzgerald) created a 2 part video tutorial on this topic that goes into more detail."
Posted: Mar 9, 2020
Category: Touring
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**Guest post written by Charming Disaster, a goth-folk duo based in Brooklyn, NY.
"Over the past few years of touring the U.S., we’ve learned a thing or two about maintaining the fabulous lifestyle to which we’re accustomed even while we’re on the road, and we wanted to share some of our time-tested tips with other indie artists...Adding a touch of class to your tour routine is a great way to stay healthy, boost morale, and maintain your delusions of grandeur."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 2, 2020
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by James Redhead, one half of the duo behind the music podcast Anyone Can Play Guitar.
"We thought it worthwhile to give a balanced view [about support slots] based on what we’ve learned so far, to help all you bands and artists make as informed a decision as possible when you’re presented with such opportunities, or even before you start actively seeking them out. Let’s start with the negatives…"
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 24, 2020
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Rachael Rubright of Dozmia.
"...a booking agent has a lot of artists vying for their attention or pulling their interest away from you. So, what can you do to put yourself on that booking agent’s radar? This article will outline some tips to help you get noticed."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 18, 2020
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Carlos Castillo of Schwilly Family Musicians - music marketing strategist, web designer, live performance recordist, international road-tripper, lap steel player, and Captain of the Schwilly Family.
"Things I DO KNOW are: Music and Business. I studied them separately and built a BRAND NEW bridge between them. And that bridge is a LOT easier to cross when you don't have a herd of greedy trolls weighing you down..." View Full Article
Posted: Feb 10, 2020
Category: Touring
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**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!
"Episode 16 of Words of Fang. Eventually, your band will be faced with the daunting task of touring outside of your home country. Here are some Dos and Don'ts about DIYing your cross-country-conquest!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 3, 2020
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Rahil Verma of Promoly, a software that helps record labels and publicists keep on track with their promotion.
"Even though any promo is better than none, it’s undeniable that some music marketing strategies are better and more effective than others. That means that choosing how you’ll promote your music is half the battle. These are the six music approaches we recommend you start out with."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 27, 2020
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Jeff Lysyczyn, music industry veteran, educator, and creator of Music Business After Dark.
"The fifth episode of Music Business After Dark, a series of informative vlogs by music industry veteran and educator Jeff Lysyczyn."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 21, 2020
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Tom Jordan, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"You can make [booking shows] easier on yourself by using some effective strategies that help me book 200 shows a year. I pay my bills exclusively with music, and I’ll tell you how...If you’re prepared up front, you’ll avoid a lot of frustration. Preparation is important and makes a HUGE difference in outcomes."
View Full Article