How To Tap Into Creativity When Inspiration Won't Strike

Guest post by Randi Zimmerman. This article originally appeared on the Symphonic Blog.

If you’ve ever sat down to get some work done and been suddenly hit with a mental roadblock, this one’s for you. We all have moments where we feel uninspired no matter how hard we concentrate, and it can be frustrating when we can’t seem to find our way past it.

Luckily, there are many ways to boost creativity in a situation like this.

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4 Ways To Create Atmospheric Lighting For Your Live Shows

When it comes to live shows, the lighting is big part of the crowd’s enjoyment. It can really make a difference in how they are able to get the full experience of your show. So don’t make the mistake of having sub-par lighting that doesn’t represent your performance in the best way. Use these four tips to create the best atmospheric lighting possible

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Should I Quit Music? (How To Avoid Burnout)

Here’s a question you’ve probably asked yourself: “Should I give up my dream of being a musician?”

Maybe it’s just me who’s asked that. But I doubt it.

It’s tough being a musician with a day job. That’s what I am, so I get it. It’s hard trying to make music in the nooks and crannies of my life. Music often takes a backseat, and the quality of my creativity seems to diminish.

And that’s when I feel like giving up on music. That’s when the Burnout Beast reers its ugly head and threatens to bite.

But there are some tactics I’ve found super helpful in avoiding burnout. Things that help me whip out a fire extinguisher and point it at that fire monster.

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How To Save Money On Tour This Summer: 5 Tips

Guest post by Gideon Waxman. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

Being an independent touring musician might seem like a dream job for many. But the truth is that it’s not quite as glamorous as it’s made out to be, and the early stages of touring for an artist or band can be tough and grueling.

The fees aren’t great, and if you’re lucky to sell out of merchandise while on the road, that might just be your biggest source of income for the tour. In order to maximize your earnings you will need to minimize your spending. As the old English proverb says: “look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.” Instilling good spending habits will allow a band to continue to grow while being financially sustainable.

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4 Ways Musicians Can Use An EPK

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

An electronic press kit (EPK) — sometimes also called a digital press kit — is essential for making a strong first impression on promoters, bookers, media, and other music industry professionals.

You can think of it as your interactive artist resume, where anyone interested in your music can find all the information they need in one place. You can use your EPK to help you get more press, more gigs, and come across as a serious artist.

Since your website is the first place people will go to learn more about you and your music, you should host your EPK there. Then as you progress in your music career, you should keep your EPK up to date with new music, press, photos, and videos.

So, how exactly can you use an EPK to help your career?

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Tips For Successfully Recruiting New Band Members

When you need to find a new band member, it can feel frustrating, overwhelming, and upsetting. Like it or not, your band will probably change at some point, so it’s a good idea to be prepared. Whether you need a new member because your bassist left in a huff, your drummer moved away, or your vocalist didn’t appreciate the band’s shift from country music to heavy metal, having a few search strategies up your sleeve can help immensely.

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How To Be Thankful You're A Part-Time Musician

Complaining is just too easy. Especially when you don’t have what you want. 

Example: being a part-time musician.

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Music Royalties Explained: Where To Register To Get All Your Music Royalties

The right song, registered correctly, can pay your bills for the rest of your life if you’re lucky. The problem is that music royalties are complicated, and many artists don’t know where to register to collect all the royalties they may be owed. Here are the 5 places you need to register to ensure you’re being paid properly:

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8 Best Ways To Promote Your Music

Do you enjoy making music? If yes, we definitely understand you because it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do in life. It gives you the pleasure of creation and lets you express your deepest thoughts, ideas, and feelings. However, finding your place in the music sun is everything but easy.

An industry report conducted by the Next Big Sound shows that over 90% of all artists worldwide can be considered undiscovered. What does it mean? Well, most musicians simply cannot win over the new audiences and increase the number of listeners.

The competition in this field is extremely harsh, so you should try to use state of the art marketing channels in order to reach the target audience. It’s a long and challenging process, but we will help you get through it by presenting the eight best ways to promote your music in 2019.

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6 Benefits Of Playing House Concerts Over Bar Gigs

Guest post by Patrick McGuire of Soundfly’s Flypaper

When musicians set out to dominate the world with their music, they usually envision playing to sold-out stadiums and amphitheaters of screaming fans, not living rooms in front of only a handful of attentive listeners. But believe it or not, for lots of artists, house shows end up being more beneficial and sustainable than ones played at traditional venues, and organizations like Sofa Concerts are trying to connect more artists with even more opportunities to everyone’s benefit.

If you’re an indie touring musician who’s used to a certain type of environment, and you still need some convincing, here are six great reasons why you should play more house shows.

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Want To Make Money As A Musician? 4 Tips For Building A DIY Home Recording Studio

If you’re a musician with some experience in audio recording, owning and operating a home studio can be a good way to make some extra money on the side or even build a full-time business. While the earnings may not be huge at first, it’s entirely possible to make $20 an hour or more for recording, mixing and mastering songs. Here are four tips that will help you put together your home studio so you can start making money from it.

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Proper Moving & Storage Techniques For Musicians

As diehard musicians, there is nothing more important than our instruments and the songs we create. Because of the significance of these possessions, it is essential that they are always stored and moved as securely as possible, so they are not warped or otherwise damaged by the elements.

Whether you are storing your equipment for the day or the next year, you want to make sure that it is properly cared for. Also, when you are going from one gig to the next, you want to ensure that your equipment arrives in the same condition in which it left. To help with these scenarios, consider the following advice:

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Submit Hub - A Scam

I’m part of a band that has had its fair share of false-starts over the years. Preparing for these false starts, I’ve repeatedly put together lists of potential blogs to pitch our music to when we’re building up to a release. To do this, I head over to The Hype Machine, head to the indexed sites, filter what’s relevant to my music, and then take down the details from the list I’m presented with. I’ll generally head to each blog, look up their submission guidelines, and make a couple of notes to personalise my emails to them, where possible. A couple of years ago, the vast majority of the blogs suggested the same – a variation on sending an email with a link to stream, be it via your own email or a web form. Since then, there has been an increasing trend towards using a service called Submit Hub.

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Touring Tips For Bands On A Budget

Hitting the road and taking your band on tour is exciting. Whether this is your first tour and you’re still getting your feet wet or you’re veterans of the road, it’s important to make sure you stick to a budget so you can get to your designated performance locations with ease (and have a little fun along the way).

Playing music professionally is actually more of an investment than people tend to think. Until you reach “rockstar status” or you have a record label paying for your travel expenses, most of the money spent on a tour will come out of your own pocket.

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