Creating A Band Agreement: What You Need To Know

This guest post by Canadian entertainment lawyer Byron Pascoe originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

Being a musician is a business. If you’re in band, one of the most important elements of organizing your business, is having an effective band agreement.

Without agreement among the members of your band, whether verbal, written on a napkin (is that still done?), texted, or written by an entertainment lawyer (shameless plug), some key issues will need to be negotiated at a time when perhaps not everyone is acting reasonably. Or you may need to rely on the law, which may not provide appropriate solutions for your situation.

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Complete SEO Checklist For Musicians

This post was written by Wes Walls and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog.

It’s not easy figuring out how to start optimizing your band’s presence in search engines. So we took all of our SEO advice and broke it down into one handy checklist.

For details on how to do each of the things on the list, you can refer to our “Complete Guide to SEO for Musicians“ eBook.

Without further ado, here’s your checklist for optimizing your band for SEO:

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10 Record Deal Red Flags

This guest post by Canadian entertainment lawyer Byron Pascoe originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

When a band receives their first record deal, there’s a sense of accomplishment. Someone likes me! Where do I sign?

Before signing a contract with a label, it’s important to understand what you’re signing.

When I’m reviewing a record label agreement for an artist, it’s not uncommon for there to be a number of “red flags” – warnings to watch out for in the agreement and/or the relationship with the label.

The following list (in no particular order) provides some common red flags to keep in mind.

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15 Ways to Get More Music Fans

This post was written by Lisa Occhino and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

They say you need a thousand true fans to build a sustainable music career. But getting those first few diehard fans who play such a crucial role in building momentum can feel almost impossible when you’re just starting out.

There are dozens and dozens of ways to get more fans for your music, but it’s ultimately going to come down to your level of commitment and finding the right balance of tactics that works best for your personal music career strategy.

The list below isn’t exhaustive, of course, but if you nail these 15 essentials, you’ll be well on your way to getting more music fans.

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3 Easy Fixes To Make Your Music Website Even Better

This post by Dave Kusek originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

You’ve probably heard this a thousand times before… as a musician, you need to have a website.

Sure, it’s easy enough to put together a website for your music, but making a REALLY EFFECTIVE website? One that will help you actually engage with your fans and sell more music? That’s a little more difficult.

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The Complete Guide To Marketing Your Music Online

This post was written by Lisa Occhino and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

These days, there are so many different ways to market your music online that it’s tough to even know where to start. What’s worth your time, energy, and money? What isn’t? How many social media platforms do you need to be active on? Do email lists still matter?

This comprehensive guide will outline your options and help you determine the best approach to each aspect of your music marketing.

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6 Ways To Make Sure You’re Leaving Nothing On The (Merch) Table

This post was written by Brian Buchanan and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog.​

It’s 2017! Here we all are in the future, and what do you know - the music industry hasn’t collapsed!

Sure, CDs aren’t selling the way they used to in stores. Neither is digital music, thanks to the explosion of streaming services. But those of us living the nose-to-the-grindstone, unglamorous life of the touring musician know a secret: people still buy stuff at shows.

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How To Get Publicity To Promote Your Music

This post was written by Lisa Occhino and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

When you hear “music publicity,” what comes to mind? A feature on the cover of Rolling Stone? A glowing album review on Pitchfork?

For many independent bands, the concept of getting publicity sounds out of reach, so they figure they don’t need to worry about it unless they “make it big.” But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

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How To Get Booked At Music Festivals

This post was written by Lisa Occhino and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

Booking a music festival gig is one of the most effective ways to grow your fanbase and grab the attention of industry tastemakers. Earning a coveted slot on a festival lineup is a key indicator that you’re not only an extremely talented band, but also that you’re serious about putting in the work to take your music career to the next level.

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[eBook] A Complete Guide To SEO For Musicians

Written by Wes Walls; originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog.

SEO is one of those mysterious and challenging topics for musicians who want to use search engines to promote their music, and who understand how powerful it can be. If SEO matters to you, but you’re not sure where to start or how to do it: we have something great to give you.

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11 Killer Content Ideas For Musicians To Get More Fans On Social Media

This post was written by Lisa Occhino and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

As a musician, you surely understand what a crucial role social media marketing plays in getting more fans for your music, but actually figuring out the kind of content you need to post can be confusing. What it all boils down to is finding the right balance for the specific audience you’re trying to build.

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The Complete Guide To Selling Your Music Online

This post was written by Dave Cool and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog.

If you’re working on your next album, you’re probably thinking about how you’re going to promote and sell your new music. When it comes to selling your music online, there are countless options available to musicians.

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How To Get Songs Placed In Film And TV (8 Rules You Need To Know)

This post was written by Ari Herstand and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog. It is an excerpt from his new book How To Make It in the New Music Business

If pursuing licensing is your main focus, you need to plan this out long before you write your first song, let alone record it. The fact of the matter is, not every song or every genre works for licensing.

If your chorus is all about Sarah, but the main character of the show is named Amy, they aren’t going to use your song, no matter how perfect it may be musically. And because TV moves so quickly, they aren’t going to ask you to go replace “Sarah” with “Amy.” It either works or it doesn’t. For the most part.

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How To Optimize Your Band Schema For SEO

This post was written by Wes Walls and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog. 

Schema is one of those things that, as a musician, you might have heard about but probably don’t want to have to learn. It’s pretty technical and easy to get wrong.

So we’ll try to simplify it for you in this post, and give you some easy shortcuts.

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