Posted: Jan 4, 2021

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers. Originally featured on CelebrityAccess.com. Reprinted with permission.

"T​he Save Our Stages Act...just passed as part of the COVID-19 Relief Bill. The Save Our Stages Act will provide financial assistance to independent venues and promoters that have been devastated by the pandemic’s shutdown. The Save Our Stages Act will enable these locally owned businesses to hold on until it is safe to gather, reopen fully, and once again return to serve as economic engines for their communities."

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan of MakingMoneyWithMusic.com. Originally featured in the Disc Makers Blog. Reprinted with permission.

"...there’s a lot to managing a music career if you intend to make money with your music. Fortunately, do-it-yourself doesn’t mean do-it-alone. Plugging in and outsourcing to music services that handle different aspects of the industry is one way to get the help or expertise you may be lacking. In this post, we’ll tackle roles and services associated with live music events."

Posted: 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...

Posted: 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…"

Posted: 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."

Posted: Oct 7, 2019

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post by Eki Shola, a musician and physician that creates a healing and transformative space for the listener through sharing her lush, jazzy-soul, live electronica vibes.

"We all do it but I’m not sure if we openly talk about it. Instead, what I’ve observed are a range of reactions - some subtle and others not. I’ll chat about two different scenarios but in reality, I think we all fit on a spectrum, save for the bands that appear to play completely perfect and are tight all that time (but I guarantee they did not start that way)..."

Posted: Sep 30, 2019

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Joe Hoten; an avid writer of songs, content and song related content, and regular contributor to Bands for Hire. Originally featured on Ditto.com.

Posted: Sep 3, 2019

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Jake Shane, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who resides in Spain. He makes his living as an independent artist by touring around Europe. His fourth album will be released in October, 2019.

"A recent article by Larry Fitzmaurice titled “17 Indie Artists on Their Oddest Odd Jobs That Pay the Bills When Music Doesn’t” is by turns comforting and deflating to the indie musician...Contrastingly to me, none of those artists makes their living exclusively from music, and many of them actually lose money touring. So, what does this mean for musicians in general, and me specifically? Well, a variety of things, but I’ll limit myself to three important factors..."

Posted: Aug 5, 2019

Category: Health

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**Guest post written by Electra (The Rock-n-Roll Health Chick), an Integrative Health and Nutrition Consultant and Coach, specializing in the health of musicians.

"No one likes a hypocrite, and I want to feel great as well. I’ve been having the lemon and salt water in the mornings and more fruits and veggies. That leads us to the second most important change you can make to think and feel your best...EAT WELL."

Posted: Apr 29, 2019

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars Artist Services.

"You know how difficult it can be for bands to create leverage when trying to negotiate better guarantees from venues? Well something is happening in Pennsylvania that is going to make that even more difficult ... and musicians nationwide should be keeping an eye on this because it is something that could spread to other states."

Posted: Sep 4, 2018

Category: Fans

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**Guest post written by Ariel Hyatt, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.

Posted: Apr 9, 2018

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by John Kay, a touring and performing songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, and the leader of John Kay & Who’s To Say.

"..the burning question which keeps those who are truly passionate about their local music scene is: Why? Why does “the scene suck”? Why does it need fixing? What is the root of the problem? It’s more complicated than a one-answer summation, but I proffer that a major contributor to why a local scene suffers—and new/young/up-and-coming bands ultimately fail—is the recording engineer’s decision to manipulate an amateur band’s recorded performance into a near-perfect production."

Posted: Mar 5, 2018

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.

"In the early days, a lot of bands book their own shows until it becomes necessary to seek out an agent or when an agent finds them. For serious artists, hiring a booking agent can be a big step in launching their music career to the next level. If you are wondering when you should get a booking agent, here are some things to consider..."

Posted: Feb 12, 2018

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Roz Bruce of Zing Instruments.

"So, you've been rehearsing with your band mates for several weeks now, you have a set together and are finally feeling ready to start gigging. But what can you do to make sure everything runs smoothly? As someone with 10 years of gigging experience, I would like to share some first gig: dos and don'ts with you, to ensure that your first gig is memorable for the right reasons!..."

Posted: Jan 2, 2018

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Joshua Rich, a pop pianist out of Washington, DC.

"The best thing I have learned as a performer is how to get out of my own way - to look at myself through other people’s eyes...Listening to others and being open to what your strengths are can be the difference between making it and not..."

Posted: Dec 11, 2017

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Adam Young, CEO and founder of Event Tickets Center, a marketplace for tickets to sports, concert and Broadway events.

"Playing a concert takes a ton of preparation, especially when it’s your band’s first time on stage...But when it’s finally time to make your debut, it’s important plan for the venue—and it’s hard to know what to expect until you start going to performances at a wide range of bars, clubs and concert halls in any town. When you do, here are a few things to keep an eye out for..."

Posted: Nov 27, 2017

Category: Fans

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**Guest post written by Amanda Kenyon founder of Blue Crane Music, a New England based artist management, booking, and consulting service dedicated to helping musicians grow their careers.

Posted: Nov 20, 2017

Category: Touring

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**Guest post written by Andrew Tufano, Nashville based Acoustic Pop Singer-Songwriter.

"When you’re strapped for cash on the road, it can be a relief to have a bandmate in the passenger seat, lifting your spirits and holding things together. At the same time, splitting $42 in tips and then going out to drink every night can make turning a profit feel like a luxury you can’t afford. Here are some of the pros and cons to touring alone versus with your friends."

Posted: Aug 28, 2017

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.

Posted: Dec 12, 2016

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Louise Dodgson, Editor at The Unsigned Guide.

Posted: Dec 5, 2016

Category: Marketing

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**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars.

"What I am going to talk about in this article is rooted so deeply in common sense yet so few bands actually do it. Your live show will ALWAYS be your most powerful tool when it comes to marketing your music, your merchandise, your music brand, and getting people to sign up for your e-mail or text lists..."

Posted: May 23, 2016

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest Post by Max Garcia Conover, modern folk singer-songwriter out of Portland, ME.

"i just did the taxes for my first year as a full-time independent songwriter and i wanted to share some details about the business side of the work i’m doing...so here’s me...taking some pride in humble, honest, hard-won earnings:"

Posted: Apr 26, 2016

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.

"Many years ago I remember standing on the side of the stage talking with a crew member of The Marshall Tucker Band...We were in the middle of our first tour as a major label act and I was chatting with him about our experiences on the road...After a while, the roadie pointed up at the sound check that was taking place onstage and in his thick Southern accent he said, “These guys are just happy to still be playing.” Things had certainly changed for these guys over the years, but they were still at it. Why?"

Posted: Mar 28, 2016

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Carlos A. Machado of Mystery Loves Company.

"With almost 200 shows and multiple music conferences in the past two years, Maddy and I have learned a ton about the current music industry. For those wanting a career as singer-songwriters, here are a two things we think are worth keeping in mind..."

Posted: Feb 1, 2016

Category: Touring

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**Guest post written by Joshua Powell, singer-songwriter, DIY musician, and frontman for Joshua Powell and the Great Train Robbery, as featured in his blog Fearsome Folk.

"I’ve been on and off the road with my band for over three years now, and it’s been entirely DIY, grassroots, self-booked. We’ve learned a lot along the way, but I’ve discovered one secret to touring as the single most valuable principle to make sure your tours are worth the trouble. Never play a show without booking 1-3 other bands as local support..."