IOTM Blog
Posted: Apr 9, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by John Kay, a touring and performing songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, and the leader of John Kay & Who’s To Say.
"..the burning question which keeps those who are truly passionate about their local music scene is: Why? Why does “the scene suck”? Why does it need fixing? What is the root of the problem? It’s more complicated than a one-answer summation, but I proffer that a major contributor to why a local scene suffers—and new/young/up-and-coming bands ultimately fail—is the recording engineer’s decision to manipulate an amateur band’s recorded performance into a near-perfect production."
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 2, 2018
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Anitra Jay of TheCraftyMusician.com.
"Writing strong email content to engage your fans is not an easy task...The first most important thing about a good email is its subject line. The majority of your fans will use the subject line to decide whether or not to read your content. So if you want to get your fans to open your email newsletter, you have to write appealing headlines."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 26, 2018
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Lucie Watson of Platoon.
"If you’re working in the music industry as an artist, manager, label, distributor or any other field you’ve probably had or heard a conversation about the power of Spotify playlists. Some questions I frequently get asked are “how can I get on Spotify’s playlists?” or “how can I get on New Music Friday?” or “when can I start to see playlist additions?”. What I’d love to tell artists and managers is that it’s easy...but more often than not the response I give is this: there’s no way I can guarantee placement on a playlist ahead of a release."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 19, 2018
Category: Recording
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**Guest post written by Cassie Steele, content editor for GuitarFella.com.
"While many successful indie artists are still tied to big labels for distribution purposes, many are seeking alternatives in terms of recording and producing. We are living in the age of the home recording studio with especially indie artists producing top-quality tracks with inexpensive gear. While creating a home recording space to produce your dream indie album can be time and energy consuming the end result will be well worth it, especially if you want to achieve the best sound possible without sacrificing your artistic integrity."
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: Mar 5, 2018
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.
"In the early days, a lot of bands book their own shows until it becomes necessary to seek out an agent or when an agent finds them. For serious artists, hiring a booking agent can be a big step in launching their music career to the next level. If you are wondering when you should get a booking agent, here are some things to consider..."
Posted: Feb 26, 2018
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Ty Hager, a writer, songwriter, novelist, radio producer, and owner of Bargain Bandsites & Bios in Nashville.
"With all the spiffy technological advances, getting your music out there is easier than ever before...However, some things technology simply can't do: it can't un-suck a sucky song, and it can't un-crap a crappy bio. There are ways to make songs suck less, and to make bios less crappy...These are just a few things I've learned not only from writing bios (and press releases) for thirty years, but from reading countless articles on the subject. I'll share enough of the highlights with you to maybe un-crap yours a bit, or to help you start from scratch!"
Posted: Feb 19, 2018
Category: Online Presence
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**Guest post written by Allison S. of Bandzoogle.com.
"The best way to keep fans focused on you is through your own custom website. A website puts the focus on you and your music. It’s easy to build a website, but how do you know if you did it right? Let’s take a look at the most common ways bands win and lose with their website."
Posted: Feb 12, 2018
Category: Live Performance
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**Guest post written by Roz Bruce of Zing Instruments.
"So, you've been rehearsing with your band mates for several weeks now, you have a set together and are finally feeling ready to start gigging. But what can you do to make sure everything runs smoothly? As someone with 10 years of gigging experience, I would like to share some first gig: dos and don'ts with you, to ensure that your first gig is memorable for the right reasons!..."
Posted: Feb 5, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joshua Rich, a pop pianist out of Washington, DC.
"Have you heard the famous story about the invention of the V-8 engine? Seems that Henry Ford kept telling his engineers to create it, and they kept coming back saying it was impossible...As a creative person - one who is pursuing my dream of becoming a successful performing artist, I think it’s super important to remember these points:"
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 29, 2018
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"Find out what your fans want by asking them. I learned this little tip by following online guru Michael Hyatt. He does a reader survey every year, and he learns how to run his business from the results. Don’t be afraid to ask your fans what they want. Most of the time, they will be excited to share this info with you. It will make them feel more connected to you as well."
Posted: Jan 22, 2018
Category: Marketing
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**Guest post written by Cassie Steele, content editor for GuitarFella.com.
"The internet has opened up a world of opportunity for musicians, enabling you to release music to a wide audience without the gatekeepers of record labels or a distribution company. However, you need to know what you’re doing. Releasing music online without a marketing plan and expecting it to sell is like dropping your CD in Times Square and expecting a record producer to pick it up..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 15, 2018
Category: Royalties
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**Guest post written by Blake Morgan, artist, musician, record producer, CEO of ECR Music Group, and founder of #IRespectMusic. Originally featured in The Huffington Post and later featured in The Trichordist and Digital Music News.
Last week, Blake Morgan published a story in the Huffington Post that discussed his heated exchange with Spotify execs in a closed-door "artists-only" meeting. Just as the article was gaining traction, it was suddenly removed...Here's Blake's original article...
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 8, 2018
Category: Social Media
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**Guest post written by Ged Richardson of Zing Instruments as featured in the Ultimate Guide To Social Media Marketing For Musicians.
"You’re an aspiring musician and you don’t have much time to dedicate to social media...The good news is there are certain social media smarts that work regardless of which channel you're on. These tips are channel agnostic - i.e. they're perennial tips that can be used on whichever your platform of choice happens to be."
Posted: Jan 2, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Joshua Rich, a pop pianist out of Washington, DC.
"The best thing I have learned as a performer is how to get out of my own way - to look at myself through other people’s eyes...Listening to others and being open to what your strengths are can be the difference between making it and not..."
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: Dec 11, 2017
Category: Show Booking
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**Guest post written by Adam Young, CEO and founder of Event Tickets Center, a marketplace for tickets to sports, concert and Broadway events.
"Playing a concert takes a ton of preparation, especially when it’s your band’s first time on stage...But when it’s finally time to make your debut, it’s important plan for the venue—and it’s hard to know what to expect until you start going to performances at a wide range of bars, clubs and concert halls in any town. When you do, here are a few things to keep an eye out for..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 4, 2017
Category: Social Media
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**Guest post written by Ged Richardson of Zing Instruments as featured in the Ultimate Guide To Social Media Marketing For Musicians.
"The commonest mistake that musicians make is not to consider who they are trying to reach with each platform. That’s right. You need to think who are you trying to reach. And the complexity doesn't stop there. People you’re trying to reach don’t all use the same social media channels either..." View Full Article
Posted: Nov 27, 2017
Category: Fans
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**Guest post written by Amanda Kenyon founder of Blue Crane Music, a New England based artist management, booking, and consulting service dedicated to helping musicians grow their careers.
"Do you ever wonder how other people discover new music? YOUR music? We did...So we did what any modern day Joe would do to answer such a question: ask friends on social media. And here you have it, the unofficial survey results." 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: Nov 6, 2017
Category: Lodging
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**Guest post written by Andrew Tufano, Nashville based Acoustic Pop Singer-Songwriter.
"It’s not always practical to only tour in cities that you know friends with couches you can crash on, and nightly hotels might not make sense in your budget. Finding cheap or free places to sleep is one of the easiest ways to slash your expenses on the road. The following outlines what I did from age 19 to 21 to tour over 100,000 miles in 40+ states without bequeathing my life savings to the Holiday Inn."
View Full ArticlePosted: Oct 30, 2017
Category: The Musician Business
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**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.
"Most musicians sink a lot of money into their gear. This is how they make a living! Sometimes, it took years and years to acquire this gear. Don’t let one horrible event wipe you out. I’ve seen too many stories about how a band had to call it quits because their gear was stolen, or damaged. They couldn’t continue to make a living, so they gave up their dreams to get regular jobs to pay the bills. If this sounds like you, then you need INSURANCE." View Full Article
Posted: 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: Oct 16, 2017
Category: Social Media
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**Guest post by Vinnie Hines of Artist Collective, as featured in their Instagram Growth Program newsletter.
"Geotags are one of the most underused aspects of Instagram posts and stories. This is much more useful than just showing off where you've been. As a musician, you'll be able to leave a trail of influence behind your daily life, bringing more fans to you with ease." View Full Article