The Amplifier
Free music career content about pursuing your passion, building your music business,
and turning your music into a profitable full time career
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Fanbase Growth: Capitalize on Connecting With Your Audience
Why is connecting with your audience so important to your music career success? The answer is simple: to build a dedicated fanbase… …a fanbase that can help to scale the introduction of your music to others who haven’t heard it yet. When you connect with your audience well — ...
Fanbase Growth: Capitalize on Connecting With Your Audience
Why is connecting with your audience so important to your music career success? The answer is simple: to build a dedicated fanbase… …a fanbase that can help to scale ...
Getting Fans: How to Build a Fanbase in Music
In this article, I’m going to share with you 5 steps you can use to start building your fanbase. Whether you’re just starting from scratch or have a ton ...
How to Promote Your Music on Social Media – Best Practices to Reach Fans
In this article, I’m going to share how to promote your music on social media. Of course, it's never as easy as everyone on social media makes it look, ...
Music Copyright: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Music
In this article, I’m going to share with you what you should know about deciding to copyright your music. Unfortunately, the answer is not a simple one, and if ...
What Does a Business First Music Career Coach Do?
In this article, I’m going to explain the difference between music-first and business-first, what a business first music career coach is, what they do, and how they can help ...
Music is Life: Make Your Music Career More Meaningful By Aligning With Your Personal Life
In this article, I’m going to show you how you can truly experience "music is life" and better live your life as a career musician (anyone really). In fact, ...
SMART Goals for Musicians: A Case Study By DJ Stacktrace
By now you should have a good understanding of what a S.M.A.R.T. goal is. In case you don’t, here’s a quick recap. A S.M.A.R.T. goal is: Specific Measurable Achievable ...
A Guide to Record Labels, Record Label Services, & Labels as a Service
RECORD LABELS: An outdated business model that takes ownership and control away from the artist LABEL SERVICES: A music-first alternative that provides record label services without debt and loss ...
Time Management for Musicians – Balancing a Plan & Staying Flexible
Time management. It's a skill we all struggle with and love to hate. There’s an old saying "there’s never enough time in the day." Do you agree? I certainly ...
Is Music Career Coaching Right For You?
Did you know that if music creators develop their business skills they are more likely to succeed in music and be happy? As we share this month, the plans ...
Career Planning for Music Creators: A Routine That’s Sure to Take You Farther
Did you know that if music creators take the time to think about their career planning on a regular basis they are more likely to succeed in music and ...
Having a Music Mission Statement Means More Musicians on a Mission
Music creators who develop their business skills and have a personal and business music mission statement defined are more likely to succeed in music and be happy. Changing the ...
What Is Song Mastering / Music Mastering & Why Is It Important?
Did you know that if music creators develop their business skills they are more likely to succeed in music and be happy? This month's Amplifier, in partnership with Artist ...
Musician Ears Reminder: Your Mom Said To Protect Your Ears!
Did you know that if music creators develop their business skills they are more likely to succeed in music and be happy? But as we share in today's article, ...
Music and Money: How to Have a Profitable Music Career
Did you know that if music creators develop their business skills they are more likely to succeed in music and be happy? As we share in this article, being ...
How to Book My Band: Consider the Live Music Venue’s Needs First
DISCLAIMER: This may not be the advice you were looking for when you searched "how to book my band", but know that this approach is going to make you ...
I’m a New Music Producer: What is a DAW?
The music industry is full of words & terms that might seem frightening to a beginner. One abbreviation that is constantly being thrown around is DAW. What is a ...
Know Your Why: Start with a Personal Development Plan
"Many musicians find it hard to develop their music career professionally because their “real lives” and the complexities of the music industry have gotten in the way. When musicians ...
Musician Mental Health Check: Take Time For Yourself Daily
Digital Workload and Mental Health I recently read an interview in Tape Op about the producer of the band Fugazi. He spoke about their photographer transitioning from film to ...
Song Royalties for Beginners: Are you Getting Paid what you’re Owed?
Before we jump in, I have two questions for you: When your song is used by someone else, are you getting paid for it? If you’re not, how would ...
SMART Goals for Musicians: How to Set a Clear Direction for Your Music Career
In this article, I’m going to show you how to get clear on the direction you want your music career to go using SMART goals. In fact, we at ...
Why Are You Still Wondering How to Get Signed to a Label?
The music industry landscape has changed drastically over the past 15+ years. It’s pretty much unrecognizable from the music industry that I grew up with ...
Band Website Required: Why Musicians Should Have a Home Online
Having a digital “home base” that you own (not borrowed, like your Facebook Page or Instagram) is vital. Your band website is an "always on, always available, always working ...
Songtrust & Eleven – Helping Music Creators Succeed Together
In keeping with Songtrust’s mission to educate creators around the world about music publishing, we’re working with organizations like Eleven Music Career Center to provide readily accessible and curated ...
The Value of Music Coworking for the Music Entrepreneur
While being a musician involves writing, rehearsing, recording, and performing your music, that makes up about 20% of what needs to get done in order ...
10 Types of Custom Band Merch You Probably Haven’t Thought Of
I had a wonderful opportunity to sit down with Roy Elkins, CEO of Broadjam.com (one of the internet’s leading sites for artists to submit their ...
7 Ways You Can Support Your Local Music Scene
There are several ways you can show your support and help local music in your city or town, as well as any place that has ...
3 Keys to Booking Gigs at Small Venues
If you perform as a solo singer-songwriter with guitar and/or piano, or if you have a small band, you are likely looking for gigs at local venues ...
Getting Inspiration From the Greats
My favorite concerts make me want to rush home, grab my guitar, and practice into the night—until I’m so tired I just can’t hold the ...
Crowdfunding 101 For Musicians
You’re in a band, which means you have no money. Ah, the eternal joke…but it’s true, of course. Those expensive instruments you bought certainly weren’t ...
Are you Employable? Finding a Survival Job Outside of Music
For about a year, I held a factory job, performing quality control tests and working on creating a database to organize the results. It was ...
How to Make a Live Music DVD DIY (Part 3)
Today we come to the final article on DIY DVD production. If my first two articles didn’t scare you away – congratulations! You’re an official ...
How to Make a Live Music DVD DIY (Part 2)
In our last article, we talked about the video aspect of creating a live DVD for your band. Now we’re going to talk about something ...
How to Make a Live Music DVD DIY (Part 1)
All right all you insatiable DIYers out there, I’m about to hit you with the ULTIMATE in DIY projects for your band. No, not a ...
Marketing Recorded Music to Make Money at Live Performances
Here’s what I want to know: Are CD sales and digital download sales really where musicians are going to make their money now and/or in ...
Your Band is a Brand, Market it like One
What image is conveyed when you read this description: “We play ska-country-jazz, have purple hair, and wear corduroys.” …
Fang’s Rules for Gig Etiquette (aka Don’t be a Dick!)
Manners. Etiquette. Remember those things your mother tried to teach you? “No, honey, that’s the SALAD fork.” Turns out they’re actually pretty important in the ...
When Should You Give Up? (Hint: Never?!)
“We know what you want to accomplish. We may even know how you’d like everything to turn out. The real question ends up being– what ...
How Music is a Vehicle to Build Relationships
Here’s a quote from Richard Branson’s book, Business Stripped Bare: “In an era of digital downloads and headphones that tune out the rest of the ...
How to Increase Your Show Attendance
This month’s article continues on some of the lessons I’ve learned from former NIN drummer, label owner, and all around awesome-haired-British-dude Martin Atkins. Last month’s ...
Sharing Rehearsal Space: It Is Everyone’s, and It Is No One’s
The idea of mixing business with pleasure, through the oft-needed shared work space, came up recently during a discussion with two friends in NYC. He ...
The Most Metal Guide to Printing Your Own Band Shirts
I’ve been fortunate enough to have a chance to work with one of the top names in the business side of band management – Martin ...
Are Fans your Band’s Friends or Foes? (Part 2)
You remember this one– the blog post about the recent survey results indicating the #1 thing a band or artist needs to do in the ...
5 Additional Ways to Monetize Your Music
Earlier on we identified 6 revenue streams that can make you a full-time musician. Due to the demand of this topic we’re offering a few ...
Google Apps MotherF#@$%, do you speak it? – Part 3
We’ve finally come to the end of our series on using Google Workspace to manage your band. If you haven’t read the previous articles yet, ...
Springboard to Fame? Why Festivals may still be Worth the Trip
Dreaming about getting your band on a festival ticket where your music will get heard by those in the industry who may be able to ...
The Revenue You May Be Missing Out On
As a new band starting out, you might immediately think that there are only a couple of ways to earn extra revenue. Between that and the ...
Google Apps MotherF#@$%, do you speak it? – Part 2
This week is a continuation of our last post on managing your band using free online resources. If you haven’t read the last post, then ...
Are Fans Your Band’s Friends or Foes? (Part 1)
There’s a recent music-related survey (Yes, ask anyone who knows me, I actually enjoy tearing apart the results of almost any type of survey) and ...
Google Apps MotherF#@$%, do you speak it? – Part 1
Unless you’re very rich, or very lucky, as the leader of your band, you’ll also be the manager, secretary, booking agent, and public relations contact. ...
Your Music as a Business at Tax Time
“Apart from death and taxes, the other thing certain in this life is that I’ll never be a fashion icon.” – Iron Maiden Lead Singer ...
Do you look like a band?
Picture your favorite five bands at the heyday of their popularity. Now, for the sake of argument, let’s put them all in a big bowl, ...
The Art of Pulling Together a Press Kit
You want publicity for your project? It starts by thinking about your band, not as just a group of amazing musicians, but as a “brand.” ...
SXSW: The Ultimate Guide to Representing your Band and Brand
It’s almost March, and if you’re in the music industry, you know what time it is: South by Southwest (SXSW) time! As many bands make ...
Breaking Out as a Cover Band
There’s no shame in taking inspiration from tried-and-tested music. …
9 Essential Tips for Kick Ass Band Posters
So you’re a newer band on the Madison scene, and you want to start making a name for yourself. You’re going to want to let ...
To Social Media.. Or Not to Social Media?
As an instructor, consultant, journalist, and personally active-user of social media of all types, I am often asked if posting to Facebook or sending out ...
Today’s Popular Music is about Quantity, not Quality
Let’s face it: more and more of us are putting away the good ol’ fashioned FM radio and opting for services that give us more ...
News & Articles About Eleven
New Ownership Changes for Eleven Music Career Center
Eleven Music Career Center is rebranding and restructuring. The music business coaching brand you’ve come to know and love will continue at TurnUpToEleven.com, but with the business behind ...