IOTM Blog
Posted: Feb 19, 2019
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Donna Maurer, a contributor on multiple music blogs and lover of creating helpful articles for her fellow musicians and music lovers.
"If you want to be successful as a musician today, you must learn to diversify your income streams. That way, when the live gigs and album sales slow down, you’ll still have money coming in from other areas to keep you going until things pick up...Here are some unique and creative ways to make money when your career hits a lull."
Posted: Jan 2, 2019
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by PJ Taei, the founder of Uscreen.
"With the number of streaming video sites and over-the-top services available today, starting your own online course on literally any topic has never been easier than it is right now...creating an online music course is a good idea for a wide range of different reasons, all of which are worth exploring."
Posted: Dec 10, 2018
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Joshua Bloomberg, singer-songwriter for The One 800s out of Los Angeles.
"A lot of you must be wondering, Why the hell is Josh trying to get me to call a 1-800 number?...for the curious, I thought I’d explain why I’ve chosen this archaic method of communication to promote my new album – and why one week later it’s already a success."
Posted: Dec 3, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Matt Santry, independent musician and founder of the Well Paid Musicians Club.
"There’s a character named James [in the Netflix series "Westside"] who works construction by day. In the first episode, he asks his boss to cut his hours down to 3 days a week so he can have time to practice for an upcoming show. They show James digging ditches, tearing down walls and doing backbreaking manual labor...This is insanity to me! He's a talented guy. So why couldn't he do 1 cover gig at a private event and make that same amount [of money]?"
Posted: Nov 5, 2018
Category: Fans
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**Guest post written by Evan Price, Music Mentor and Founder of Artist Collective.
"Instagram focuses in on content gold like photos and videos. Luckily for us, they are still running an interface with few ads that allows pages to be grown easily. Careers have been built on the back of strong Instagram followings and I’ve seen it work."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 24, 2018
Category: Licensing
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**Guest post originally featured on Ditto.com.
"Getting your music featured in a TV show, movie or even a video game can not only help your music reach the ears of new fans, but also generate a substantial amount of cash, so it's well worth looking into sync licensing. Before we get into the HOW, let me very quickly explain WHAT music sync licensing is and WHY you need to strongly consider licensing your music for synchronization." View Full Article
Posted: Jul 23, 2018
Category: Digital vs. Physical
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**Guest post written by Sylvia of Vinyl Price Comparison Search, previously featured on MusicGoat.com.
"Vinyl is back on the (turn)table as a means for new artists to get their musical message out there. And vinyl record shops and online stores are even making a revival. But if you’re an up ‘n comer is it worth putting your needle on the groove, when there are cheaper and easier options at your fingertips? Let’s take a spin around this complex issue…."
Posted: Jul 2, 2018
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Josh Wardini, Editorial Contributor and Community Manager at websitebuilder.org, originally featured on The Music Entrepreneur HQ.
"Today we’re going to talk about increasing your music website’s conversion rates. And by this, we mean making on-site changes that will give you more results, even if the same number of people visit your site. We’ll also be looking at an example of how conversion rates work, and why increasing them could mean a much more profitable music career for you. So without dragging out the intro, let’s get to the good stuff."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 23, 2018
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.
"A huge component of being successful in the music industry has to do with how you market yourself...Creating a powerful brand will help you achieve [lifelong fans]. Your band is the music making machine that will enable your career, and your brand is the face of your music that people will learn to know and love."
Posted: Apr 16, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"Most people don’t even carry cash and never use checks for anything. Your band, which is your small business, needs to change with the times and accept credit cards. Don’t worry, it is very simple to do."
Posted: Mar 12, 2018
Category: Sponsorship
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**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars Artist Services.
"This is the first in a new series of articles examining the various tools music artists should be using to advance and grow their careers...All music artists are looking for ways to make more money but a lot of them aren’t aware of some of the tools that exist to help them increase their income. One of the most common questions I field from artists has to do with how they can get sponsorships. They know businesses are out there sponsoring everybody from artists to athletes but many have extremely limited knowledge in how those sponsorship agreements actually come about. Simply put, they don’t know about sponsorship decks."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 18, 2017
Category: Merch
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**Guest post written by Glen Perry of Audio Mastered. He's been a musician for over 15 years and has done everything the hard way so you don't have to. You can find more advice and buying guides, such as the best Bluetooth transmitters, over at AudioMastered.com.
"A common mistake bands and artists make is not paying attention to the economics of their merch table. Unfortunately, some bands shy away from a data-driven approach and only sell a few cliché merch items - think T-shirts. By taking a closer look at less expensive, but more profitable items, bands can add fresh additions to their revenue streams..." View Full Article
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."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 13, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joe Hoten of Bands For Hire.
"When your band breaks up, it's like losing your family, your job and your favourite hobby all in one fell swoop...This is of course a feeling best avoided at all costs, so here is a list of ten reasons explaining why it happened, and how you can hopefully prevent it from happening again."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 23, 2017
Category: Touring
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**Guest post written by Andrew Tufano, Nashville based Acoustic Pop Singer-Songwriter.
"I’ve made $44,917.42 in revenue in the past 18 months exclusively as an independent touring musician without a fan base. Over that time I played 249 shows, taught 91 lessons, and did other musical jobs for cash. There’s nothing particularly glamorous about my financials, but enough people have asked me to help them through theirs that I thought I’d publish my strategies. Here are some tips to keep your finances in order so you can tour profitably." View Full Article
Posted: Sep 5, 2017
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.
"Over in our Facebook Group I was asking about what excuses people are allowing to hold them back. As it turns out I've had a LOT of the same excuses hold me back over the years. So I reckon it would be useful for you to know how I put them behind me. Interested? Here we go!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 21, 2017
Category: Touring
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**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, the author of How To Make It in the New Music Business.
"I’ve made a ton of mistakes and got screwed over by talent buyers, promoters and club owners more times than I’d like to admit. I learned everything the hard way and it took me years to figure out how to actually book a successful, money making tour. The biggest thing you want to remember when thinking about setting up a tour is: do not book a tour just to go on tour..." View Full Article
Posted: Jun 19, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Vinnie Hines of Artist Collective.
"It’s almost understood that if you’re a musician, you’re likely unemployed, homeless, broke or all three. I deal with it constantly when people ask what I do for a living. Though I love writing and booking, I will always and forever identify as a “musician.” It’s my passion and my purpose and here’s the kicker: I’m not broke. The reason for that, is that I have approached my music like a business from the get-go." View Full Article
Posted: Apr 17, 2017
Category: Sponsorship
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**Guest post written by Corey Koehler, an indie singer-songwriter from Minnesota, as featured in his blog MusicGoat.com.
"You heard right: Music sponsorships and endorsements are real and there are a ton of companies that sponsor musicians. But there’s one small problem. Small indie musicians, like you and I, do not have audiences big enough for them to sponsor us..." View Full Article
Posted: Feb 13, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Vinnie Hines of Artist Collective.
"There’s a place where that musical dream can still become a reality. The beautiful part of it is that it’s a rapidly growing industry based completely around good times, scenic views and constant entertainment. It’s the cruise ship entertainment industry, and this is how you “get in"..." View Full Article
Posted: Oct 10, 2016
Category: Online Distribution
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**Guest post written by Corey Koehler, an indie singer-songwriter from Minnesota, as featured in his blog MusicGoat.com.
"Here’s the good news: These days if you want to sell music online it is pretty damn easy. You find a nice music distribution service, upload your songs and BAM… you are worldwide. Your music is blasted out all over the world in less than an hour. Here's the bummer..." View Full Article
Posted: Oct 3, 2016
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.com.
"What is key to a great music website? An engaging, easy to scan, music page, with lots of songs to listen to. It should reflect who you are as a musician, and offer lots of options for your listeners in an organized way." View Full Article
Posted: Sep 19, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joy Ike, creator of Grassrootsy.com and Independent Musician, as featured on Grassrootsy.com.
"We’ve been working on this list for a while and thought it was high time to share it. Keep in mind that this post is primarily for the working musician..." View Full Article
Posted: Aug 23, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Bandzoogle.com.
"One of the biggest challenges facing musicians is generating income. Although sales of recorded music have dropped significantly, there are many new sources of income available to musicians. Bandzoogle have put together a free eBook called “23 Ways Musicians Can Make Money” to help musicians and bands find ways to generate more money for their careers."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 16, 2016
Category: Royalties
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**Guest post written by Katie Lott, Songwriting & Voice Coach, as featured in her blog Modern Songstress.
"So what the heck are royalties, and how do you get them? Royalties are fees that are paid to the composer (that’s you!) every time a song is played anywhere: radio, live venues, TV, satellite radio, internet radio, streaming services, etc." View Full Article