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...

Posted: Oct 17, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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There isn't a bigger problem in today's business than getting your music heard. There are hundreds of thousands of releases and different places to host music like YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, traditional radio, and Pandora to name a few, so how are you going to get people to discover your music? Getting a publicist is a great start. But like most things, you can't just hire a person and expect it to be successful. You need to present your music and band with a story. Something with a catch and creative angle to promote. In this clip, publicist Lesley Zimmerman talks about what you need to do to get yourself above the other artists you compete with and how to do it.

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."

Posted: Aug 21, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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It's easy to understand that there wouldn't be a music industry without music, but sometimes we forget that the creation process is only the beginning. Once created, a major part of the battle is having the right people, plan, timeline, and creative ideas to get your music to an audience. In this clip Pat Magnarella, manager of Green Day, talks about marketing an album a year and a half before release and some of the pieces he used in the campaign.

Posted: Jun 24, 2013

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest Post by Julian Weisser.

"Sure, you could probably play at least one show a week in your hometown, but that’s no good for you because at best you’ll be playing to the same people, and at worst you’ll be playing to no one at all. For the fans it’s just as bad because they’ll hear the same music over and over and it will change from an exciting night that they’ve waited a month for into exactly what they just saw a week ago."

Posted: Jun 10, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, a DIY singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, CA with 500+ shows under his belt, as featured in his blog "Ari's Take". 

"The most popular "myth" to debunk these days by talking heads in the biz is that it's not about who you know. Everyone will say "just be great - you don't need connections!" Bull...Most of the opportunities that musicians get aren't because they are undeniably great. It is because they are nice guys and gals who people like to be around."

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."

Posted: May 13, 2013

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Nifty of MusicFullTime.com.

"What many struggling artists fail to realize is that “successful” musicians operate with solid business principles. Successful business models – for the most part – can be applied across different businesses and areas of life. The primary business principle I’m talking about is “putting your customer first”; in this case, your “customers” are your fans. Fall in love with your fans and stop falling in love with your own music..."

Posted: May 6, 2013

Category: Promotion

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Word of mouth is as important today as it has ever been, plus now it’s got the engine of online social media behind it. People are more connected than ever and music fans, as you know, love to spread the word about their favorite music and bands. Fans also enjoy being a part of the discovery process and the more you enable them, the more effective their promotions can be. After you win them over with your awesome music, it is key to engage your fans regularly and show them that you really appreciate their support.

Posted: Apr 27, 2013

Category: The Lefsetz Letter

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**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.

"We live in a direct to consumer society. Amazon knows it. Google knows it. Apple knows it. But somehow musicians don't know it. They want someone else to do the work for them. They don't want to take risks, they don't want to fail, they don't want to try new ways. The new way is you bond to your fan. If he or she doesn't think you're living in their house, you're doing it wrong."

Posted: Apr 25, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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So you've outlined your marketing plan like in step #1, and you know what areas of promotion you want to focus on. That work begins in this step with the music. If you don't get that right out of the gate, you are toast. No marketing plan can save a record, if no one wants to hear the music. Jack Hedges, Director of Marketing at Canvasback Music, goes over step-by-step what you need to do in this phase. Of course, you have the elements of physically making the record, but then there are other considerations to be made. Do you want to make mechanical reproductions like vinyl or CDs? Is it going to be a digital/streaming release? Is it smarter to go with an EP or a full album? Jack walks you through all these things and more in step #2 to Building your Marketing Plan for your Album Release!

Posted: Feb 12, 2013

Category: Twitter

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**Guest post written by Chris "Seth" Jackson, a bass guitarist and composer, and founder of HowToRunABand.com.

Twitter for Musicians is a 30 day guide to kick ass and take names using Twitter for your band.

Posted: Jan 26, 2013

Category: Facebook

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Social media sites are great places to spread the word about your music, interact with your fans, and promote your tours and recordings. But what do you do when you're ready to move beyond your friends, family, friends of friends, and real life acquaintances? Facebook Advertising can be an effective and inexpensive way to help you expand your social network, but it needs to be done the right way to truly be effective.

Posted: Dec 11, 2012

Category: Promotion

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You sold the talent buyer, booked the gig, and are fine tuning the perfect set to blow the minds of a packed house full of soon to be die-hard fans. The last thing you want is to play your hearts out to a half empty room. Sure, the venue marketers will promote the show and do their best to fill the space, but don't just sit back and hope the space is filled with warm bodies...get out there and make it happen!