5 Crucial Factors You Have To Consider Before Moving To NY Or LA For Your Music Career

This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids blog.

Every musician wants to base him or herself in buzzing surroundings that promote plentiful opportunities for creative collaboration. Therefore, it’s no surprise that many artists who aren’t from major cities around the country have lofty aspirations of hitting it big and moving to Los Angeles or New York City. Yet all of the motivation or talent in the world cannot hide the reality that not every artist is ready to make this next step. There are multiple factors in play that are necessary for every artist to put into perspective before making such a momentous decision. So before you pack your bags with visions of accomplishing all of your wildest dreams, be sure that you refer to this list and are honest with yourself by evaluating each factor when determining whether or not you’re primed to make the big move.

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The 5 Most Annoying, Ineffective Ways That Bands Seem to Always Promote Their Music

This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids blog.

We wholly recommend promoting your band on social media (duh). It’s easily the best way to maintain and grow your following, and it’s arguably eclipsed flyering as the most reliable way to announce a show and reel in a crowd. What we can’t advocate, however, is being obnoxious about it. We’ve all had our nerves grated by someone’s promo. No matter how alluring or special the artwork, there are certain marketing moves you just shouldn’t make online.

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How a New Band With No Fanbase Can Start Building Local Buzz

This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids Blog.

Every band has to start somewhere. Many groups playing the world’s largest stages today started in small clubs in and around their hometowns. But sometimes, it’s difficult to even get that far. When you’re at the very beginning, with no fanbase or connections whatsoever, how do you cut through the noise and get people to notice you? Social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and fans you already have, but it’s becoming harder and harder to access new fans through it with so much oversaturation. Here are my tips on how a band with no fans or connections can get moving and start building a career.

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How to Perfect Your Band's Social Media Strategy: The 70-20-10 Rule

Is your band’s social media presence lacking thoughtfully crafted material with keen attention to strong content variety? Oftentimes, bands starting out spend too much time focusing on self-promotion. The conversation is one-directional, leaving followers with no way to engage other than to buy a product. While sales should be an underlying pursuit of social media, building your brand and telling your story in a conversational manner is the real goal. Luckily, there’s a simple, time-efficient equation to give your band’s social media the perfect balance. It’s called the 70-20-10 Rule.

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9 Secrets From Indie Artists for Selling a Ton of Merch After Their Shows

You packed the house. You had a fantastic performance. The entire crowd loved every minute of your set. Now you have to turn that enthusiasm into album and T-shirt sales. How do you go about doing that? That’s a question I asked a few indie hip-hop artists who are masterful at the merch table in hopes of finding out some of their secrets to success. What I ended up learning from Jake Palumbo, Tah Phrum Duh Bush, Toussaint Morrison, Joey Batts, and N.M.E. The Illest is a little something I like to call The Nine Merch Commandments.

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The 3 Biggest Delusions Musicians STILL Have About the Music Industry

This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids blog.

Despite mountains of easy-to-find evidence to the contrary, musicians still have some serious delusions about the music industry and how to “make it.” To quote the amazing Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones – because what he says is #truth – “If it was an overnight success, it was one long, hard, sleepless night.” If that still hasn’t penetrated your skull, well, here are three more specific delusions musicians still have about the biz, and each one revolves around the idea thatovernight successes are a serious myth.

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5 Quick Email Etiquette Tips for Bands (and Everyone Else)

This article originally appeared on the Sonicbids blog.

While the internet and new technologies propel the world into the future, I’m amazed by how many of us have the online etiquette of a caveperson. Seriously, I just got an anonymous link posted on my social networks with the blurb, “Yo, check my song out.” Two seconds later, I got a friend request from someone with no profile picture other than that creepy default blank head. While the following tips aren’t groundbreaking, they serve as reminders that just might help us all to be a little more mindful the next time we get online. And like your mom says, “Better behavior gets better results” – in this case, meaning more loyal fans, better gigs, and more placements. Enjoy!

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How to Craft Your Band's Pitch for 5 Types of Media Outlets

This post originally appeared on the Sonicbids blog.

The media has come calling, and you can’t wait to tell your band’s story over, and over, and over again. Who cares if you sound like a broken record – any press is good press, right? Wrong. It’s true, you could have much worse problems. But think of it this way: If you saw an article about your favorite band (or actor, or comedian, or whatever), picked it up and dove in only to find the same anecdotes you’ve read a dozen times, you’d be disappointed and might even toss aside the whole story. Look at each media opportunity as a way to attract new listeners and draw your existing fanbase even closer. Here’s how to tailor your band’s story to maximize your chances of getting picked up by five types of media outlets.

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4 Tips for Creating Shareable, Watchable Video Content

These days on the internet, it’s all about content. Companies pay big bucks to people who craft everything from blogs to tweets and Facebook posts; forward-thinking brands even shell out thousands for Vine videos and fun Instagram photos. Having interesting, relevant, and most importantly, shareable content is key these days – the more you have, the more eyeballs go to your site, your social network profiles, and your brand. Content is the new advertising, and the world isn’t looking back.

Big brands and Fortune 500 companies aren’t the only ones who should play the content marketing game – anyone looking to keep an audience engaged and entertained (certainly something a band or an artist can identify with) should pay attention. Before you start spending time and money creating content, though, think about what kind you’re going to make. Are you the kind of artist that’s going to be huge on social media? Will you write blog posts? Or, will you create videos that show who you are and what you’ve got going on?

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