Posted: Jun 16, 2014

Category: Live Performance

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

 

"So many artists forget about and fail to take advantage of what makes an acoustic show in a small venue so important to building a fan base. The audience is close to you. The setting is intimate. The audience can see you expressing emotions with your eyes and face. Yet so few actually capitalize on the opportunity." Read on to find out how you can...

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Posted: Apr 28, 2014

Category: Promotion

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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.

 

"The truth of the matter is that if you want to take a proactive approach to getting attention for your music, you have to think about that kind of stuff [your story]. Whether you are looking for some press or simply to connect on a deeper level with your fans, your story matters. That’s right. Not only do you have to write and record the songs, but you also have to tell an engaging story..."

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Posted: Apr 21, 2014

Category: Live Performance

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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 met with my old friend Sal at Panera one morning. He’s a young and aspiring musician and was willing to look past my greasy hair and elbow-holed flannel to ask for advice on getting his foot into the door of the independent music community....As I fumbled to explain to Sal what I believed makes our show (or any show) one of superior quality, I realized that I could distill most of the factors into four easily digestible elements...and I believe them to be..."

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Posted: Apr 14, 2014

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Danny Schmitz, an indy musician, writer, and connoisseur of all things Mexican food.

 

"Being a musician, it has taken me a long time to accept the fact that music is actually quite visual. To be honest, I’ve always intrinsically known this, but have never really realized it. There is no disputing that people associate their favorite artists with their best-known songs, but it is almost always accompanied by a visualization of the artist."

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Posted: Mar 24, 2014

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Brandon Seymour, musician, SEO analyst, web designer, and social media marketer.

 

Independent bands and musicians in particular stand to gain a great deal of exposure if they put the time and effort into creating quality, engaging videos and marketing themselves on popular video platforms like YouTube, Vimeo and others of the like...Plain and simple, videos work. It's just a matter of figuring out how they can work for you...

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Posted: Dec 30, 2013

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Brandon Seymour, musician, SEO analyst, web designer, and social media marketer.

 

What I find really interesting though is that some niches act as if they are immune to the constant pressures of the modern day marketer. In my experience, one of the biggest offenders is the music industry - specifically independent artists. I've been working in SEO and inbound marketing for about four years now and since I've always had a passion for music, I wanted to take some time to discuss some simple, highly actionable steps that musicians can take to start marketing their band like a boss.

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Posted: Dec 16, 2013

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Sarah Lynch, digital music marketing and social media content manager.

 

"Just how powerful does a statement have to be in order to capture an audience’s imagination?? For musicians, having a killer live show is essential because it is one of the only opportunities that fans have to see, interact with and get to know you as a person behind the music. So how do you make an audience fall in love with you?"

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Posted: Dec 10, 2013

Category: Fans

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**Guest post written by Dae Bogan, Music Industry Insider For The Indie Artist, of Dae Bogan Music.

 

"There’s something I want to share with you. You may not know this–or you might have forgotten–but your friends are not your fans. Shocking? Let me explain.."

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Posted: Oct 28, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Brian Penick, author of Musicians' Desk Reference and Touring Musician, as featured on Billboard.com.

 

1. Reality Check! (Setting Milestones + Goals) 2. Proper Merch Mentality 3. Take Care Of Yourself First - Initial Self-Servicing...

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Posted: Oct 14, 2013

Category: Social Media

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**Guest post written by Brandon Seymour, musician, SEO analyst, web designer, and social media marketer.

 

"If your band doesn’t take the time to build and maintain a strong social following, then chances are you’ll get left behind. I hate to break it you, but there’s a lot of independent bands and musicians out there. Even if you’re from a small town in the middle of nowhere, your online presence helps you compete on a global scale." Here's how...

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Posted: Sep 13, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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Deciding the next step to help break your music and band can be a confusing one. You'll have people tell you what they think you should do and if you don't know any better or have an experienced person to talk to about it, packing up the van and moving to LA might seem like the very best option. But before you do that, take a listen to what industry veteran and manager Bruce Flohr thinks of that approach and his opinion on the best way to get some worthwhile attention in the music industry.

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Posted: Sep 3, 2013

Category: Facebook

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**Guest post written by Chris Lee of The Shakers, a melodic high energy Rock act from Los Angeles, CA. 

 

"I would like to go on record and state that, with every fiber of my being, I vehemently HATE social networking. I hate it. I hated Myspace. I hate Facebook. I hate Google+. I hate Tumblr. I hate Twitter. I hate Pintrest. I hate Instagram. And god help your mortal soul if you so much as THINK about sending me something on frikkin LinkedIn. Unfortunately for myself, and hard working musicians everywhere, the fantasy of being discovered over night came and went with my TMNT feetie pajamas as did almost the entirety of what I once (thought I) knew of the music industry."

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Posted: May 27, 2013

Category: Promotion

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**Guest Post from Bandzoogle.com.

 

"Having an email newsletter might sound a little old school, but the reality is that it’s still proving to be the best way to keep in touch with your fans over the long term. So when it comes to fan engagement, having a newsletter should be high on your priority list of tools to use."

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Posted: Mar 12, 2013

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post from Jordan Gaw of Final Drive, a Metal band from St. Louis, MO.

 

As an independent band, we all play countless shows in small venues and DIY spots with local promoters and club owners. Communication, respect and networking are essential for getting the most out of every gig. Gaining new fans, establishing relationships and executing an amazing show, that not only sounds, but runs smoothly, is your mission (should you choose to accept it).

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