IOTM Blog
Posted: Dec 7, 2022
Category: Tips & Tricks
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**Guest post originally featured in the Symphonic Distribution Blog.
"Every year, from about mid-December on, the music industry becomes a ghost town. People start going on vacation, taking time-off, major label artist releases slow down big time, and for indie artists, it’s no man’s land. And while that, coupled with the frigid temperatures, might be enough to have you want to hunker down and avoid leaving the safety of your home for the next few months, this time of year is actually incredibly powerful for setting yourself up for success. You just have to know how to take advantage of it. Here’s how..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 29, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"The music publicity process for any band or artist – no matter how big or small – is very much the same. Of course, the size of the music blogs and other outlets in which you receive placements will vary dramatically. This is based on what style of music is hot at the moment, combined with many other factors including label, tour schedule, size of your online fan base, and the number of streams." View Full Article
Posted: Nov 23, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"Here, in How To Be Your Own Music Publicist Part 2, we will go through the 5 things that need to be addressed before you can start pitching to music blogs and publications. 1. Research Music Blogs 2. Prepare Your Target Lists 3. Get Your Email and Newsletters in Order 4. Determine Your Ideal Release Schedule 5. Prep Your Visual Assets and Social Media Posts" View Full Article
Posted: Nov 16, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Cyber PR, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
"The world of DIY music publicity can feel very overwhelming. Sadly, a lot of artists get bad advice when they are just starting out that the first thing they should do is go out and hire a music publicist. We don’t think this is the best advice at all as you may not be ready for a music publicist right off the bat. There are many things you should do first...Another thing to understand is, that when attempting to be your own music publicist you need to look beyond Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Rolling Stone. Being an indie music publicist involves understanding a complex ecosystem of music blogs, playlists, podcasts, social media influencers and traditional media – newspapers, magazines, television and radio. It is possible to do it yourself and this guide is here to help." View Full Article
Posted: Nov 8, 2022
Category: Tips & Tricks
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**Guest post written by Don East of Killer Rig Music in the USA.
"No one ever plans on their instrument being damaged or stolen, but the unfortunate truth is that accidents happen all the time. That's why it's important to have insurance for your musical instruments. This way, you can rest easy knowing that they are protected in case of an emergency. In this article, we will discuss the importance of musical instrument insurance, and touch on some of the policies to consider."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 1, 2022
Category: Technology
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"One of your band’s best friends should be Google services. They offer lots of free resources that can be powerful for running your band’s business. Did I mention these are FREE? Plus, these resources can be accessed anywhere you have an internet connection. Let’s talk about how you can use these to help your band run more smoothly."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 25, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"Your song is now uploaded to digital distribution platforms and it’s officially online with millions of streaming stores...Once your song is on all streaming platforms, the hard work begins: Promoting and Sourcing Your Music...Sending to a playlist is the most efficient and effective way to get your music heard, undoubtedly. But how do you place your track on a playlist? Should you focus your efforts on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer or Tidal?...If you want to know more, you've come to the right place."
Posted: Oct 18, 2022
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Dennis Kurtz of What's Next Nashville.
" Last week I made the point that you are worth what you can draw! This is true if you are doing a hard ticket show...Most original music artists build themselves as a hard ticket, but also play soft tickets shows along with their hard ticket shows. Usually as a seller I try to find out what the budget is in these situations before I quote a price...Typically, here is how these gigs are priced..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 11, 2022
Category: Recording
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**Guest post written by Hovey Otis.
"As a musician, there are few things more frustrating than feeling fatigued during a recording session. You're in the studio, you've been working hard all day, and suddenly your creative spark just seems to disappear. It's normal to feel exhaustion setting in from time to time, but there are ways to overcome it and get back on track. Here are some tips for dealing with fatigue during a recording session."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 4, 2022
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Matt Santry, founder of www.WellPaidMusician.com.
"The app is called Thumbtack. I think it's overlooked by musicians because it's an app for every imaginable freelancer from dog walkers, plumbers, website designers, and yes, performing musicians. So what sets this app apart from Fiverr and other freelancing marketplaces?...how does it work?...what's their business model?"
Posted: Sep 27, 2022
Category: Social Media
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**Guest post written by Yona Marie, originally featured in her blog.
"It's not too late for you to get some shine and go viral on this popular platform. I say this mainly because of TikTok's current algorithm, which doesn't focus as much on follow count as you think it would. Sure, people who already have tons of talent will get a lot of views since they have probably been working hard on their content for a while now. But with great content and a great approach, you could also blow up on the platform!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 20, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"Without a doubt, Spotify is the biggest music streaming website on the market. As for 2022, there are currently more than 356 million Spotify users, 182 million of them are paying subscribers. Out of all these users, there are loads of Spotify playlist curators...If you're an artist releasing music to Spotify and other streaming platforms via a music distribution service, the best way for you to get your music heard is by getting on Spotify playlists."
Posted: Sep 13, 2022
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Wes Walls of Bandzoogle.
"Once you have created a music website, you can take your online presence a step further by optimizing your band's ranking in search engines. This is called SEO for musicians, and it makes it easier for your fans to find the information about you that they want. Whether you want to discover the best SEO keywords for musicians, or just start making your songs, social profiles and events show up in Google, this checklist will help you to get started."
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 6, 2022
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Jesse Young El.
"You're an artist who's just starting out in your career. You've been hustling, grinding, and making connections for years, and you're finally starting to see some success. Your music is starting to get attention, and you're beginning to perform at shows and venues. Or maybe that's not your story at all. Maybe you're rarely getting calls for shows. Maybe the venue you do get booked in is paying you very little. Perhaps your music isn't generating much revenue from royalties. If any of these is the case, then you're really going to have to hustle differently to make additional income. But don't worry, there are ways that you can make money as a singer or hip-hop artist beyond just shows and royalties."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 30, 2022
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Digby Pearson, founder of Earache Records.
"...every new band or artist needs to get their music online if they want to be heard by as many people as possible...Playlists on platforms like Spotify have the potential to propel a song into the public sphere as much as the charts or radio play. And if your music gets used in a viral TikTok video, you could soon see your fanbase soar. Music distributors help to make that happen...If you’re ready to take the next step in your music career and want your tunes to be heard by more people, here are five things you should know about how digital distribution - and the distributors that make it happen - work."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 23, 2022
Category: Managers
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**Guest post written by Yona Marie, originally featured in her blog.
"Have you reached the point where you need someone else to manage many of your business aspects in order to you to be able to focus more on the creative side of things? Are you unsure of the process for getting a manager that fits your style, location, budget, and interests? You are not at all alone...Not everyone that can manage should manage you. Also, more importantly, not everyone that is looking for management is ready for it."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 16, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"How to avoid this kind of fraud? 1. Use Chartmetric and SpotOnTrack 2. Curators have multiple playlists that all roughly have the same number of followers 3. Curators have large playlists but hardly any followers for themselves 4. The curators' playlist followers have very often no profile pictures and similar names 5. Curators sell playlist placements for money 6. Playlists do not appear on the ‘Discovered On’ section on the profile of an artist..."
Posted: Aug 9, 2022
Category: Tips & Tricks
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**Guest post written by Logan Crowell, Founder & President of HOME, Helping Our Music Evolve.
"Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Imagine that your job and your next promotion rides on finding that one in a million song or artist that is going to take the world by storm. IT MAKES SENSE THAT EXECUTIVES AND A&R REPS RELY MORE ON DATA ANALYTICS THAN THEY DO ON THEIR EARS. They can find artists and songs based on the reactions from a huge ‘test group’ like TikTok, which gives them more objective confidence in their decision making than their own ears can. STILL...DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE PITCH."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 3, 2022
Category: Health
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**Guest post initially featured on functionalcentral.co.uk.
"There’s a lot that we can all do in order to support our mental health. Let’s explore some of these actions now."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 25, 2022
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"Every musician should get into a habit of practicing and rehearsing. Some people think these are two words for the same thing. Practice and rehearsal are not the same things. You need to know the difference so you can do both properly."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 19, 2022
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Haley McCarthy of Bandzoogle.
"A landing page is the perfect combination of creativity and action, allowing you to gain more fans and build a lasting relationship...As a musician, you can cater to this part of the fan experience with well-crafted newsletters...To build your mailing list, you can create a custom landing page on your music website to capture fan emails. But what is a landing page and how do you encourage fans to sign up for your mailing list? Let’s explore how to use the email opt-in landing page to build your email list!"
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 12, 2022
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by David Andrew Wiebe, founder & CEO at The Music Entrepreneur HQ.
"So, normally I talk about frameworks for success, just like in the last episode of The New Music Industry Podcast. This episode is going to be a little different. What follows is a framework for failure. Now, this might seem a little strange, but by the end of it, I think you will begin to see how powerful an exercise it can be...Let’s get into this."
Posted: Jul 5, 2022
Category: Technology
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**Guest post written by Brad Johnson, a musician and producer from Southern California. When he isn’t spending time with his wife and kids at the beach, he is helping songwriters and musicians at Song Production Pros.
"We live in the age of singles and playlists, and the more music you release, the better your chances of getting discovered. With tools at our fingertips to self-publish, self-promote, and stay connected to our fans, most musicians' most significant challenge is staying creative and finishing projects. This is where Artificial Intelligence (AI) can come in to help. AI is still in its early stages for creative applications. However, there are several innovative products to leverage AI and help you break through creative barriers and make more music quickly..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 28, 2022
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Vampr Publishing, originally featured in their blog.
"Networking is essential for any musician. Whether you are just starting out or you have been playing music for years, this can help you build relationships with other musicians, industry professionals and fans. Networking is also a great way to take advantage of opportunities and to get your music career off the ground...For artists who are just starting out, this can be a daunting task. However, there are some simple tips that can help you get started. Here, we will take a look at 5 networking tips for musicians that will help you get ahead in the music industry."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 21, 2022
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by One Submit, the ultimate music submission platform.
"Spotify is one of the biggest online platforms for streaming and promoting music in 2022. Spotify currently has an astonishing 406m active users and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Spotify has created an amazing platform for indie artists to promote their music. Spotify’s success however, has led to the unfortunate establishment of Spotify playlist fraud and scams. From fake Spotify playlists to fake streams, there are many scams you should be aware of when using Spotify to promote your music."