IOTM Blog
Posted: Sep 20, 2023
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Adam Percy of Bandzoogle.
"No matter your genre or style, if you’re a musician, chances are you’ll be looking at playing shows on a tour. For a lot of musicians, crossing the country and playing in other parts of the world is the dream - and it can be a huge component for your success as you reach outside of your core local fans...One of the best ways to set up a tour and hit the road effectively is to network and plan gig swaps. It’s a helpful way to find suitable venues as well as broaden your audience reach. Here we’ll look at figuring out if gig swapping is a good fit for your band, and how to get started with it."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 16, 2020
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post by Jeff Lysyczyn, music industry veteran, educator, and creator of Music Business After Dark.
"Episode 6 of Music Business After Dark, a series of informative vlogs by music industry veteran and educator Jeff Lysyczyn."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 7, 2017
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Michael Corcoran of musicSUBMIT.
"Let’s say you’ve reached out to a few college and internet radio stations with your music...and - gasp - the Radio Station actually replied to say they listened and really dug your stuff...You’re still a few steps away from actually getting the airplay you’ve been promised. If you neglect these final steps, don’t be surprised if your song never gets played on that station." View Full Article
Posted: Feb 21, 2017
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post by Garrison Snell of Crosshair.
"Placement on playlists is the digital equivalent of radio placement, except that playlists aren't limited by geographical location AND they can be used to work your song into bigger playlists...Influencer marketing (placing stuff with influential digital celebs) is still the most organic form of promotion and word of mouth..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 31, 2016
Category: Licensing
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**Guest post by Brian Penick as featured on the SOUNDSTR Blog.
"Editor’s Note: This infographic is intended to visualize the world of General Licensing and how proposed changes could affect songwriters and music licensees."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 29, 2016
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Michael Corcoran of musicSUBMIT.
"It’s best to start promoting before you hit the road, but if you’ve already departed for the first town, you can still find ways to promote the very next show and increase your chances of a successful tour...Here’s one secret: Invite the local music industry folks to come out to your shows...Here’s what you do:" View Full Article
Posted: Nov 16, 2015
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Jonathan Sexton, CEO of Bandposters.
Selling out shows in your hometown isn’t easy...Having lead time and a local tribe gives you an opportunity to do something special. But what do you do when you go out of town?..Here are a few ideas to get you started building your fanbase in a new place.
View Full ArticlePosted: Sep 21, 2015
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Michael Corcoran of musicSUBMIT.
"It goes without saying, all bands and musicians want to get their songs on the radio. There’s no point drumming up all the benefits of having your music broadcast to thousands of listeners with one spin on the radio. And of course radio stations want to find songs they think their audiences will want to hear...
But therein lies a nearly century-old problem for both artists and radio stations..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 13, 2015
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by BeTH isBell, host of The Flower Power Hour and the New Releases show on KMUD, an FM station in Northern California.
"1. We have a music library at the station where we label and file all CDs, and vinyl records, that we receive from artists, labels, and distributors. What I've noticed is that CDs in jewel cases or digipaks with the artist and album name on spine get pulled for airplay 5x-10x more frequently than CDs in slim cases or sleeves where the artist/album name, and sometimes, the CD itself can't be seen hiding on the shelf squeezed between the CDs in jewel cases. Truth..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 28, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Erica Sinkovic, CD Baby's Web Product Manager and general music enthusiast, as featured in the DIY Musician Blog.
"Whether you’re an independent artist or signed to an independent label, you’re sure to have a lot on your plate already. Between booking shows, debating merch, planning your next big marketing move, juggling social media-insanity, oh yeah, and writing new material, the last thing you want to add to your plate is a radio campaign...I’m here to tell you: don’t abandon radio."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 9, 2014
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post written by Patrick Hertz of Tinderbox Music. This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids Blog.
"College radio is a unique mix of non-commercial stations that range from small-watt student-run operations to huge, vastly influential public and/or community stations. This spectrum allows for most any independent artist to find terrestrial radio airplay – that is, of course, if the music is good..." View Full Article
Posted: Jan 6, 2014
Category: The Lefsetz Letter
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**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.
Your ability to play exceeds social networking. Your chops are more important than your social skills. Frequently the best musicians are near mute, they speak through their music, which brings adoring fans to them. First learn how to play. Everything else comes next...
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 23, 2013
Category: Renman Music & Business
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Everyone that's somewhere in this music industry got there somehow. Getting your foot in the door in the music industry is a tough thing to do and no matter how you get your start, it's even more difficult to get to that next level. Take a few minutes and listen to program director of KROQ, Lisa Worden, talk about how she got coffee, held table reservations, and did what it took to move up in the biz.
View Full ArticlePosted: Jul 29, 2013
Category: Promotion
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**Guest post by Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion as featured in their Song/Album Promotion Articles/Advice/Content.
"It works like this: Radio stations are paid based upon their ratings (the number of listeners they have.) If a record label exposes an artist to many potential fans by way of performances, posters, TV, articles, or film, and these fans then want to hear that artist's song, they will have to tune in to the radio station that plays it. This means that this radio station is going to get all these new listeners, and thus is going to have higher ratings. But new acts can't do any of this for a station, and the station knows this."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 17, 2013
Category: The Lefsetz Letter
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**Guest Post by Bob Lefsetz of The Lefsetz Letter.
"The major music business, the "new music" business, is built upon radio, it depends upon it....[but] just like music piracy is a dead conversation, just like streaming has eclipsed it, terrestrial radio is dying...however, its replacement has not reared its head yet. Therefore the oldsters say radio is forever. But lousy sales figures of today's mass market records proves this to be wrong...[so] The young acts of today have to depend upon the young entrepreneurs of today to build their careers..."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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.
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