Your Band Your Business

In today’s rapid content, easy-streaming/consumption-from-the-cloud climate, what’s a better music release strategy: albums or singles?   Music Release Strategy #1: The Storytelling Nature of Albums Albums are still important when you have something to say as an artist via a collection of songs that have cohesion. If you’re inspired to create such a collection, and you think it will resonate with your audience, then you should pursue that.   Music Release Strategy #2: The Attention Span for Singles However, so much of the music industry (as well as just about any other industry today) depends on the attention of your audience. Unfortunately, [...]

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 you even know? These are tough questions to answer. Sometimes it’s not clear how your music is being used, even when a contract is signed by both parties. For example, are you retaining 100% of your writer’s share? How much publishing are you sharing with someone else, if any? Is your music being re-titled? What are the terms and territory agreements, and are terms renewed automatically? These are just a few areas [...]

Recent articles from Eleven and the Amplifier focused on a few basic marketing tactics you should refine. This month, we're going to try something different: Setting the GPS on your music career and setting goals for musicians and bands. Think about this for a minute: Where you currently are is POINT A (Starting Point). Your music career journey is the blue line that your vehicle follows. Your vision of what you want your music career to look like and where you want it to end up is POINT B (Destination). Like the GPS on your phone, your progress is that [...]

In our last article we talked about having a digital “home base” that you own, a website and the importance of constantly collecting interested fans to add to your email list. Another communication layer to add is social media. This is important because using social media for musicians' careers offers a method of quick communications that can either be narrowly targeted or widely distributed online, on a regular (daily) basis. Staying seen and heard via text, audio, video, and image posts helps keep you top-of-mind with your fans and increases your ability to be discovered by new potential fans. Post [...]

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 for you" place for your fans and music industry contacts to easily find you, listen to your music, watch your videos, sign up on your email list, and directly contact you. Social media is necessary too, but your own website and email list allows you the most control over your online presence and ability to communicate directly with your fans even if Facebook changes its algorithm and no one sees your [...]

Recently, I was having a discussion with a friend about the pay for artists’ and musicians’ services. My friend was perhaps half joking/half serious about having me perform at an event for her work.  In a half joking response I said, “Sure, if the price is right.” […]