What does the death of myspace mean for all the bands trying to promote their music?

December 3rd, 2009
jr asked:


myspace used to be the best place for new artist to promote their music and start a fan base, but now that most people have left to go over to facebook what do the bands do? go over to facebook 2 and try to promote over there?

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What are some great sites to promote your music?

December 2nd, 2009
Scriz asked:


What are some great sites to promote your music?

Posted in How to Promote Music | 3 Comments »

What is a good band website were you can promote your music?

December 1st, 2009
josheturner23 asked:


Ok well what Im trying to ask if anyone out there knows of any rock alternative websites where you can share some of the music your band makes and promote your band.
Something like that but not a forum or myspace or anything.
Please NOT MYSPACE
My Drum teacher got on this one website I forgot what it was called but it showed some of the music his band played and stuff.
So if anyone knows of a place or a place at least similar please,
i need your help. (:

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Posted in How to Promote Music | 4 Comments »

Top Eight Tips for Indie Artists

November 24th, 2009
Ty Cohen asked:


Over the next few minutes, I am going to go over some music promotional ideas, offer advice on selecting musician resources and show you how to promote your CD without emptying out your wallet. Independent artists have the upper hand and no longer have to worry about being signed to a major label to make it.

1. As I said before, you don’t need a record deal to “make it” in the music industry. The industry has changed and that is no longer the absolute measure of your success. You can define your own success.

2. As an Indie artist, you won’t have anyone telling you what to play, how to dress, how to promote your CD, which songs to sing or who to socialize with. It is all about you and your creativity!

3. Financial freedom is one of the most wonderful things about being an independent artist. You can come up with all types of music promotional ideas about how you market your music and what you do with your profits.

4. Spend the most amount of time on your first album. Take full advantage of every musician resource out there. First impressions are everything so you want this first one to be great.

5. Spend your money wisely. Don’t go crazy with studio time and rack up tons of bills. Try to work out any problematic areas before you go on the studio clock.

6. Don’t skimp on the manufacturing of your CD. You these people to be reputable and it is ok to splurge in this area. You want to make sure you release a good product no matter what.

7. Schedule your own tour. You want to build an incredible fan base because they are the best musician resource out there. Your fans love you but they will also be honest about your music and shows. If they don’t like something or something is up to their standards, they will let you know.

8. Lastly, never underestimate the power of the Internet when searching for music promotional ideas on how to promote your CD. The Web is your friend and that is where the Independent artists make the most dough. Get a website and get a MySpace page.

These are just the top eight music promotional ideas and tips that I can offer you. Constantly try to redefine your music and come up with innovative marketable ideas. The opportunities are endless so take advantage of every single one of them.



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Promoting Your Band - Tips For Musicians

November 21st, 2009
Bill Arnoldi asked:


Your band is starting to take shape, finally. You’ve recorded a demo and have had a little airplay on your local college radio station. You’re starting to regularly play shows, and although the band’s not headlining yet, you feel like your playing is solid. Shopping that demo around isn’t doing much for, because none of the labels have ever heard of you. And while you have a close-knit group of people who come out to your shows, most of them are personal friends, or friends of friends. So what’s next? How do you start chipping away at gaining exposure? Here are a couple of tips for promoting your band.

1. Use online communities -

Websites like DFJams.com, SectionZ.com, and Myspace.com are great tools that I think all musicians should be taking advantage of. These musician’s sites allow bands and artists to sign up and basically receive their own free web space. You can post MP3 files, videos, show dates, and sometimes even post blog entries. This allows you to keep your fans up to date on what’s going on with your band, introduce new songs, and basically engage people that you normally wouldn’t be able to. If the musician’s community you utilize has a message board or forum, definitely get on and participate. One of the greatest things that the internet has to offer musicians is the wealth of knowledge other users have, go ahead and tap it!

2. Maintain a website -

In addition to musician’s communities, go ahead and start a website for your band. Start by purchasing a domain name, do a google search for www.yourbandname.com. And if it is not taken, go to itsyourdomain.com and buy it. You can find affordable hosting for your website at networksolutions.com. But if you are not very internet savvy, hire a web designer to do this all for you. You can use your website as a base of operations on the internet. Post sample tracks, music lyrics, photos, and show dates. It’s like using a musician’s community, except the only limit to what you can do, is what you can imagine.

3. Flyer shows / Pass out business cards -

If your band is serious about gaining ground in the music industry, you’ll need to treat it like a business. So, I would definitely recommend having business cards printed up, with your contact info, and your band’s website address. When you go to your local record store, drop a stack off. When you go out to clubs to see bands play, leave some there. Pass them out to people on the street. Do whatever it takes! An alternative to a traditional business card is the CD business card. This is a wallet sized CD that has all of your business card info printed on it, and also contains files. You can place song samples, photos, whatever you want. Most places that manufacture audio CDs also offer CD business cards at affordable prices.

Getting your band from the garage to a major label is not easy by any means. It is a combination of hard work, dedication, and pure luck. But that doesn’t mean that you should not have a focus and a strategy. Like I said earlier in the article, a successful band is run like a successful business. You know your goal, and to reach this goal you need to use every tool at your dispense. These 3 tips are 3 of the many tools that will help you further your music career.



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Downloading Online Music – 5 Hot Tips

November 17th, 2009
Davion W asked:


Downloading online music in recent years have picked up at tremendous speeds. And I am talking about downloading online music at legal websites such as iTunes, Amazon, HMV and the likes. It is understandable since MP3 players are taking the lion’s share of the portable digital music players market. Downloading online music MP3s naturally becomes a popular activity especially among youngsters.

You do not have to worry about the legality of downloading online music at these online music stores. The online music stores have sought for the permission or licence of record labels to distribute their music. In return, the record companies are paid hefty sums of royalties of course. What are some of the handy tips music lovers can use when downloading online music?

1. Cost per song

It is important to compare this among the licensed music retailers as their prices tend to vary. On average, a price of $0.99 or less per music piece is quite reasonable. Some sites offer you a monthly subscription that permits you to download a specific number of songs every month. It can be anything between 30 to 40 songs.

2. Newsletters

Sometimes, there would be promotional offers for entire albums or top hit singles. The trick is to sign up for their newsletters to receive such news updates.

3. Music Genre

Different music stores offers different music genre. Some specializes in rap, while others may offer oldies. Generally, the most established ones would carry Alternative music, Rock, Country music, Hip Hop, Christian music, Pop, Reggae, Dance music, R&B, Jazz, Techno, Blues, Classical, Trance music and movie soundtracks. Music videos are also available at majority of the online retailers.

4. Service Agreement

Remember to read the terms and conditions of the online music site. Downloading online music directly to your computer is acceptable at all sites. However, if you wish to copy them to a portable digital device such as an MP3 player or to copy and burn them onto a CD, it requires different user rights. Be sure to clarify with the site to ensure that you stay on the right side of the law.

5. Sound Quality

The most common music format is MP3. But for those who appreciate better music or want to listen using a home theatre system, this piece of advice would be useful to you. Music files are normally compressed to reduce the space required. MP3, AAC, WMA and Vorbis formats are compressed files that have lost bits and pieces of the original music. Such music files are called lossy files. MP3s are the worst of the lot. So if you want to get the best out of your favourite musical piece, avoid these. WMA and FLAC file formats are able to retain the original sound without music loss, making them ideal choices if you are downloading music online to build a private music collection.

Read more about downloading online music at my popular music blog. This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.



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Promoting Your Film- 14 Low Cost Tips

November 13th, 2009
Abhishek Agarwal asked:


There are many independent film makers who do brilliant work but its goes unnoticed as no one comes to know about them. So the film makers must make it a point to promote their film as much as possible.

Usually people consider the promotion part once the film is made. But, I would suggest that once you have the title of the film on hand start the rapport building process. The large studios as we all know have their in-house publicity departments that spent loads of money to promote their creation. But your brain child would not suffer due to lack of expenses.

Here are some inexpensive and free modes of film promotion:

1. Your word of mouth builds a lot of reputation.

2. While earlier the only sources to advertise films were billboards or newspapers, now television has also emerged as a very strong medium. However, it is very expensive and perhaps only the well established studios can afford them. Internet has introduced several new alternates in the marketing field provided one knows the trick to use them to the fullest. Internet or the World Wide Web as the name suggests offers varied promotional tools at your disposal. You would have tough time choosing among them. We suggest capture all of them together as it would lend you great help.

3. While your film is at its infancy stage, start a blog. Make regular entries in this blog and make a regular feature for many.

4. Now consider making a logo of your film. Remember, this logo would be used be in several places so it must be very attractive and should have the spirit that your film has.

5. Now switch to making a website of your film. Your logo would formulate the primary design portion of this website.

6. You might consider contacting some professional to design your logo and the website, but those who want to go economical on this front as well try gaining help from some friend or do it all by yourself. Just log on to the internet and you shall come across several websites that offer the domains & the website building tools.

7. Next, submit this website to some reputed search engine.

8. Design merchandise of your film with the film’s logo like T-shirts & hats. I remember, one of my friends put her film’s logo on some panties and then sold them. More and more girls bought these panties. Also the sale of these merchandise fetches you enough money for the post production phase.

9. Further, switch over to Myspace. Here build a Myspace page especially for your film. Many music artists now-a-days use Myspace for the promotion of their music. It has worked wonders for them. So trying it for the promotion of your film seems to be a great idea.

10. Now, as the time has passed and you have some portions of the film ready, consider putting them on YouTube.

11. Select some places where the film of your genre are played and try putting up your film there.

12. Next, work out some attractive fliers of your film and spread them across among the youth, like the local college. Usually, all the colleges have a common area for students’ public postings. Place your fliers around these boards. The young college students are always open to new & different stuff, so they can be the best audience to have. This will fetch your art a great reputation and recognition.

13. You can also try introducing some interesting contest where you shall reward prizes to the winners.

14. Once your film is ready to put up a premiere show, consider preparing a Media Kit. Distribute these kits to some local TV & radio stations.

Now, you can look forward to hire a professional publicist!



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1st Rule Of Promotion. Where Do I Start?

November 12th, 2009
Chris Riley asked:


The Starting Point

(1) Never put on a live music night unless you know the alternative crowd and are into the live music scene. Most people that start a regular night love that certain brand of music.

(2) Find a local pub that is known for its live music following.

(3) If you are under 18 find a church hall or community center. Function rooms are very cheap to hire or even free at times.

(4) With pubs and nightclubs they don’t usually give up weekend nights to first time promoters unless you have proved yourself in the past.

(5) Monday or Tuesday are very good nights to start up as pubs/nightclubs are usually not that busy.

(6) Live music nights are usually run from 7.30 pm until 10/11pm. These are sometimes called early shows. The club can then put on an early show and open up after.

Promotion Checklist

Use the following checklist to ensure you are organised:

(1) The venue is booked and the price has been agreed in writing.

(2) The bands are booked and understand the night’s concept.

(3) The soundman and P.A is organised and price agreed.

(4) Flyers, Tickets and posters designed and printed.

(5) Promotional material distributed accordingly.

(6) Budget calculated and allocated.

How to make your promotion stand out?

You will need at least 6 weeks to promote your event. Most venues are booked months in advance so being organised is essential. Many events fail because they are poorly organised or badly promoted.

Promotion Tips:

(1) Find events that showcase the type of theme similar to yours and distrubute flyers and posters.

(2) Street flyering

(3) Nightclub exit flyering

(4) Most towns or cities have a small publication like a “Local going out guide” or “What’s on guide”.

(5) Website Forums

We hope this guide is useful to you. Remember, if you have any further queries contact the Flyerboy team.



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Affiliate Program Promotion: Stop Being an Affiliate Program Jerk

November 10th, 2009
Ikey Benney asked:


There are millions of different affiliate programs on the internet and also offline to join and most are free.

During the past 7 yrs, millions of people from all over the world have joined these free affiliate programs in order to generate supplemental incomes or full time as home based businesses.

Since most of these affiliates have full time jobs and have little or no computing, website or business marketing and management skills, most have found it very difficult to generate affiliate commissions and reasonable income because they don’t know how to generate website traffics.

Therefore, some of them were forced to flock to the so-called internet-marketing gurus to buy internet-marketing e-books, website promotion softwares and read gazillion numbers of silly e-zines to learn how to promote their affiliate programs and websites.

Some of these so-called gurus went as far as seducing these internet newbies into attending their over priced internet-marketing seminars for $5000 in different cities in America and other countries of the world.

In some of these internet marketing e-books, the so called internet marketing gurus told them that the big secrets of getting rich on the internet were to get massive traffics by placing free classified ads, advertising in FFA (Free For All) websites, placing banner ads, doing pay per click advertising, creating thousands of blogs and pinging them, buying expensive text ad links, doing reciprocal link exchange with other websites, doing opt-in e-mail marketing, joint venture marketing, optimize and submit their websites to search engines, write articles about topics relating to their internet business and affiliate programs and submit them to thousands of article directories so as to get one way links, high page ranks and top 10 ranking so as to get massive traffics.

The so-called website marketing gurus seduced them into believing that to be able to do all these promotions they must use certain softwares and programs, which they must buy from them (the so-called internet marketing gurus!)

Some of these internet marketer newbies followed all these advices diligently and bought the softwares, did all the recommended internet marketing and promotions.

They have done the internet promotion work, but they were generating little or no traffics and sales despite spending thousands of dollars and their valuable time for 1yr-2yrs.

Finally, they became fade up and were forced to begin to scream, “Where is the money?”

What they did not realize was that most of the internet marketing strategies, which the so-called gurus had recommended, had been out of date, stale, invalid and did not work any more.

They did not know that the gurus do not even use those internet marketing and website promotion strategies.

This is because most of the so-called gurus had already made their money in various businesses before they got involved in internet businesses.

Most had built large customer base for about 10yrs-20 yrs before they began internet business.

One so-called internet-marketing guru sold his offline business for about $20,000,000 before he began his internet business and had more than 100,000 e-mail list to market any product to and generate thousands of dollars easily and instantly.

He was awash in raw cash and had 100,000 people he could send e-mails to market any product.

Obviously, most of the internet marketing strategies he recommended such as opt-in e-mail marketing worked for him and made him rich because he already had 100,000 in-house e-mail list databases of customers!

So, in their minds, the so called gurus might have believed that just because their internet marketing strategies worked for them it would work for everybody who bought their $29.95 e-books and website promotion softwares.

It is clear that what these gurus have been selling are half-truths.

They do not tell their customers the whole truth for obvious reasons.

Think about it.

Why would a so-called internet-marketing guru sell a powerful internet marketing “secret” which could make him $500,000 to somebody for $29.95?

Think seriously and logically about it.

Why would such a website marketing guru be naïve enough to sell it to thousands of Tom, **** and Jane all over the world and therefore create unnecessary competitions for him/her, which would affect his income and profits negatively?

This is a no-brainer.

It is irrational.

No right thinking, rational and profit-motivated businessperson will do that: cut his/her nose to spite his/her face.

This will explain why only the so-called website marketing gurus have been getting richer in their internet businesses while the buyers of their internet marketing e-books and website promotion softwares have been doing poorly, and not succeeding as much as the website promotion gurus have in their affiliate programs marketing and internet businesses.

Website traffics, visitors and customers are the lifeblood of every business, both on the internet and off the internet.

If you cannot get massive website traffics and genuine targeted visitors to your affiliate program websites, you will not generate any sales and affiliate commission and income.

It is as simple as that.

So what are the secrets, which can help you to begin to generate massive website traffics and genuine visitors so that you may begin generating large amount of affiliate commissions like the super affiliates in your affiliate programs?

Here are some common sense useful tips to help you skyrocket your success in affiliate program marketing:

(1) Choose and promote only high paying affiliate programs.

Before you begin promotion, phone the company and make sure they are real people (and not just a bunch of 12 yr old kids goofing around online) and inquire how long it takes them to pay the commissions and ask how to verify that they pay their affiliates.

Ask them to refer you to some of their affiliates so that you may verify everything.

Most affiliate companies do not pay the commissions and you will not know until after you had spent time and money for a few months to promote their products and generated a large commission.

Then you will find out they would refuse to pay.

So check out and research the affiliate program before you begin promotion to make sure you will be paid your affiliate commissions.

(2) Select and promote only affiliate programs in high demand with mass appeal but with small number of marketers and sellers/suppliers.

The demand must be greater than the supply for you to generate massive traffics and generate large amount of commissions.

The higher the demand for the product/service, the more there will be traffics/visitors, sales and large affiliate commissions to be made.

(3) Stay away from most free affiliate programs.

Since they are free, hundreds of thousands of affiliates may be promoting them already, therefore saturating the market and creating more supply than demand and therefore making it hard to generate massive traffics, sales and affiliate commissions.

(4) Create your own affiliate program landing pages for all your affiliate programs.

On this landing page, include a short review of the affiliate program and how you have enjoyed it (if you have or how anyone else who bought it enjoyed it.)

Or you may use any testimonials at the company’s website.

Be sure to optimize this affiliate program landing page with the proper keywords.

This will help it to be indexed in the search engines and so get exposures and traffics.

If you do not know how to optimize a website/affiliate landing page, please go to our website and get our FREE POWERFUL INTERNET MARKETING E-BOOK, “PRAGMATIC MARKETING, THE HIGH OCTANE MARKETING SECRETS OF MILLIONAIRE WEBSMASTERS”

(Go to: http://maychic.com/affprograms.htm)

In the FREE “PRAGMATIC MARKETING” e-book, you will learn also how to monetize your affiliate program landing pages so that if your visitors do not click and order the affiliate program product/service, you would still make money from the other money generating programs on the affiliate program landing pages.

(5) Promote your affiliate landing pages aggressively.

Submit them to search engines every two weeks.

You can go to our website and use the FREE submission softwares (http://maychic.com/resources.htm)

We also revealed automated website submission services at that page, which you may use.

Search engines index billions of websites all the time so competition is stiff.

Do not relax and wait for them to come and index your websites and affiliate program landing pages.

Submit the affiliate program landing pages to them every two weeks to keep them in the front before them.

(6) Submit your affiliate program landing pages to book marking websites and be sure to add book-marking buttons in them so that your website visitors may book mark them and help you get exposures in the search engines.

(7) Do link exchange campaign for the affiliate program landing pages.

The more links and exposures you get in the major search engines for your affiliate program landing pages, the more traffics, sales and large amount of commissions that you would generate.

The secrets are exposure, exposure, exposure and traffics, traffics, and more traffics.

To learn little known traffic generating strategies which most millionaire webmasters and internet business tycoons use which they hide from the general public to avoid competition, go to our website and download for FREE, our POWERFUL INTERNET MARKETING E-BOOK, “PRAGMATIC MARKETING, THE HIGH OCTANE MARKETING SECRETS OF MILLIONAIRE WEBSMASTERS” (Go to: http://maychic.com/services.htm)

May these ideas and insights into Google Adsense program, affiliate programs, affiliate programs promotion, affiliate program marketing, affiliate program advertising, Google Adsense program, affiliate program landing pages, internet marketing guru, website promotion softwares, internet marketing and promotion e-books, affiliate program commissions, internet marketing softwares, pay per click leads, pay per click income, affiliate program income, business marketing, business advertising, website traffic secrets, free website traffics secrets, internet marketing ideas, website marketing secrets, seminars, opt-in e-mail list, online business advertising help you to become a shining success in affiliate marketing.

Below are some examples of affiliate program pages for you to use as models to study and implement our suggestions so that you may finally begin generating massive traffics, sales and large amount of affiliate program commissions from all your affiliate programs:

http://maychic.com/ap/seo/top-10-positions.htm

http://maychic.com/ap/unlimited-webhosting.htm

http://clickbank-cbmall.maychic.com

http://get-cbmall-store.maychic.com

http://clickbank-affiliate-marketing.maychic.com

http://get-clickbankbuddy-store.maychic.com

http://lose-weight-fast.maychic.com

http://ebay.maychic.com

http://indigestion-remedy.maychic.com

http://walmart-store.maychic.com

http://smartbargains.maychic.com

http://mp3-music.maychic.com

http://online-shopping-store.maychic.com

http://cinemadownload.maychic.com

http://ipod-music-downloads.maychic.com

http://unlimited-movies-downloads.maychic.com

http://free-unlimited-games-downloads.maychic.com

http://free-new-car-quote.maychic.com

http://computer-software-store.maychic.com

http://free-auto-homeowners-insurance-quote.maychic.com

http://appliance-parts-repairs.maychic.com



http://discount-perfumes-fragrances-cologne.maychic.com

http://industrial-supplies.maychic.com

http://time-warner-cable-tv.maychic.com

http://clickbankbuddy-online-shopping-store.maychic.com

http://seized-auction-cars.maychic.com

http://free-unlimited-music-downloads.maychic.com

http://sell-products-at-clickbank.maychic.com

http://amazon-online-shopping-store.maychic.com

http://top-10-search-engine-positions.maychic.com

http://maychic.com/maychic52.php

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/ebay_wholesale_directory.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/bad_credit_loans.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/credit_card_debt.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/bad_credit_personal_loans.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/unclaimed_money_fund.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/access_loans.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/divorce_mistakes.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/credit_secrets.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/repair_credit_reports.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/tax_lien_certificates.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/mental_math.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/scholarship_grant_guide.htm

http://www.maychic.com/cbag/speed_reading_audio.htm

Copyright Info:

This article is copyrighted and you may publish this article at your website, in your e-zine (newsletter, blogs) or send it to a friend as long as you retain the author’s resource box, including the website address, and refrain from altering the content or using it in any re-direction manipulation scheme.

If you do not agree to these conditions, please do not copy and use this article.

Anyone who violates this condition will be subject to legal action and payment of damages for violation of our copyrights.

Thank you.

Ikey Benney



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8 Music Career Tips

November 9th, 2009
S. Jones asked:


8 Music Career Tips

Do you want a career in music? Then musicians everywhere should read this article if you want to advance your career in music. Top lists are essential in today’s society. It’s a fun, fast and easy way to simplify a complex world. The following list, lists practices you should develop if you want to have a career in music last more than a ‘one hit wonder’. Remember, there is more than one way to get to your desired destination. From my observations of others, this list of professional practices, combine the most successful tactics of musicians who have what it takes to make it in this unpredictable music industry.

1- Make ordinary people who love music, love your music

We live in a time where music is made, heard and taken with us everywhere. We don’t leave home without our wallets or our Ipods. Just because the lives we live revolve around music, doesn’t mean that you will necessarily get your music signed to a record label just yet. Try soliciting your music to music lovers and music fans that are just like you. Talent scouts always keep an ear out for tips to come across on the streets. However, in order to get your music recognized you have to make sure that you are creating something new and fresh. 95% of the independently produced CDs out there contain regurgitated ideas that were ripped off from some other more gifted musicians. Prove to the music industry executives that ordinary music fans in your city love your music. In an executives mind, they want to give the audience what they want in a strong heavily advertise dose.

Tip: You can start by giving samples of your music on the street or at music venues. Be sure to have all your contact information on the CD or flashdrive. Also, put songs on your website (and if you don’t have a website, what are you waiting for?).

If people really love your music, they will tell others about it.

2- Play live as often as possible

People can always tell the difference between musicians who do it for the money and those who do it for the love of music. If you think about it really, you could make a living off gigs for the first few years of your music career, but you eventually hit a dead end. The truly gifted musicians who struggled and never gave up come to that bump in the road and overcome it. So take your music to the streets and perform at schools, fairs, festivals, benefits, weddings, parties, church groups—the possibilities are endless. Once you establish yourself, more and more people will come to see your play your music which then leads to paying gigs. The key is to play live and keep playing live.

3. Know your instrument inside-out.

Since the late 70’s there was a huge increase in garage bands, punk bands, rappers who just picked up on playing an instrument, or just started to sing-a-long with some friends, and then months later recorded a record. Great music and music artists were born because of this.

Prior to the late 70’s disco craze, music was made and performed by musicians who in some way or another worshiped some master bluesman, jazz player, songwriter or whatever. The appetite of these musicians was not just ‘be good’ but to be GREAT! Never settle for anything less. So think about what stage you are at RIGHT NOW, and go beyond it. Reconnect yourself to your instrument or voice. Take lessons, search the internet for your favorite song’s guitar chords and learn it. Challenge yourself beyond your limitations. You may possibly find a new sound that will make you stand out even more. Record labels love to listen to innovative new sounds all the time, in face they bank on unique sounds.

4- Copyright your music

I’m shocked at how few artists are not willing to spend a few dollars to REGISTER THEIR SONGS WITH THE COPYRIGHT OFFICE. Who in turn, are the same musicians who complain about not getting what is owed to them. You have to protect your investment, so start treating your music as a business. If you intend on creating a music career out of your music and work so hard for so long to come to find out that someone else stole your idea, you have no one to blame but yourself. It’s fast and easy. Go to www.copyright.gov

5- Promote your music to make it stand out

Promote your music by writing and designing effective promotional materials; bios, fact sheets, cover letters, press releases…Some other tips that can help musicians promote their music careers, is to make your promotional materials compelling and highly informative. List your accomplishment, quote positive reviews by fans, awards, live appearances. Organize all this information into a ‘Media Kit’, ready to be handed out at a moment’s notice. Also, research which record labels you want to send this information to and personalize each packet to the type of information the label would be interested in.

Tip: Stay away from creating any generic kits, record producers aren’t interested in what has already been done.

6- Know what record labels and music publishers you hope to sign with

Getting signed to a record label is like applying for a job. You have to have the right credentials and experience for them to hire AKA ‘sign’ you. They are not going to waste their time on candidates AKA ‘music artists’ who are not worth a second glance. Having any record label or music publisher admire your work and take interest in your music is certainly an honor, don’t get me wrong. However, don’t rush. Make sure that this label is the right match for both parties.

Tip: Questions to consider when being approached by a record label.

*How have they done with your particular genre of music?

*What specific ‘points’ are they offering you?

*Who runs the label or publishing company?

*What is their reputation in the music business?

*How do you like them as people?

These and other questions are critical in making the right decision for your music career.

7 Get your own Lawyer

Being in the music industry is half the challenge. The other half is the business of getting signed. The music industry has always had, has now, and will always have, the involvement of entertainment law attorneys. The relationship between a musician, record label, publisher, publicist, image consultant and whoever will always come down to two attorneys negotiating contracts for the musician and company to protect each other’s assets.

Tip: When choosing a reputable, ethical and well respected attorney is a serious necessity for any serious music artist.

8 Musicians- Educate yourself if you want a record deal.

Musicians if you want that record deal, you better what that deal is and learn the business of the music industry. Naïve or misinformed musicians are a danger to no one but themselves. Keeping musicians in the dark has been the name of the game for years. Learn to READ AND UNDERSTAND everything you sign BEFORE SIGNING a record contract.

Dozens of stories have come up in the past decade about musicians having their label bleed their bank accounts dry, leaving YOU THE ARTIST broke! Groups like TLC, The Backstreet boys, Mary J. Bleige even Pop-Princess Britney Spears have all complained about their record label having all the control of their money. Now, there are articles, blogs and books everywhere warning artists to protect themselves. Classes and programs are offered in understand the business of the music industry. Mathew Knowles, father and manager of the group Destiny’s Child and singer/actress and daughter Beyonce Knowles, took courses in business management and music industry business before contributing to the success of the group and the his daughter. Don’t let your label exploit you!

Education is power, and the more you know, the less powerful your label will have over you and your music career. Learn about the business side of the music industry because no one will sit down and teach it to you.

-8A Final Thoughts

Please, Please Please!…spend SOME time and money educating yourselves about the music industry business. Just a few hours and a few bucks can protect your music career forever.

For more information, you can Read many more of my Articles and Blogs at my page on Talent Trove http://www.talenttrove.com/mystage/view/59334



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