MusicThinkTank: Call for submissions!

Thank you to the MusicThinkTank community for your committed readership and the insightful content that so many of you have shared!

Without your contributions, this website would not exist. If you have something to say about the music industry, we strongly encourage you to consider contributing a post to MTT. Please remember to review the submission guidelines posted on the MTT open page before posting.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful submissions, we look forward to reviewing and sharing your content with the music business community!

MusicThinkTank: Call For Submissions!

Thank you to the Music Think Tank community for your committed readership and the insightful content that many of you have shared!

Without your contributions, this website would not exist. If you have something to say about the music industry, we encourage you to consider contributing a post to MTT. Remember to review the submission guidelines posted on the MTT open page before posting.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful submissions, we look forward to reviewing and sharing your content!

MusicThinkTank: Call For Submissions!

MusicThinkTank: Call For Submissions!

Thank you to the Music Think Tank community for your committed readership and the insightful content that many of you have shared! Without your contributions, this website would not exist. If you have something to say about the music industry, we encourage you to consider contributing a post to MTT. Remember to review the submission guidelines posted on the MTT open page before posting.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful submissions, we look forward to reviewing and sharing your content!

Self Publishing on YouTube

Everyone knows how important the YouTube platform is for indie musicians. It’s a great way to get your music out to fans, grow your fanbase, and provide your fans with great content from music videos to vlogs. There are plenty of musicians out there who have become successful mainly because of their YouTube channel, with Karmin and Pomplamoose being two of the most successful examples. They grew their audience by targeting young teens with covers of popular songs. Other musicians, like Alex Day, have based their career entirely on recorded music sales and a YouTube channel featuring music videos and hilarious vlogs.

However, there is another aspect of YouTube that is vastly underutilized by the musician community on the platform - publishing. You don’t need a publisher to get your music placed in YouTube videos. You just need to be proactive with social media and reach out to YouTubers you think would be interested in using your music with their creative content.

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Google Adwords for Musicians

Dave Cool is Director of Artist Relations for musician website & marketing platform Bandzoogle. Twitter: @Bandzoogle | @dave_cool

Google Adwords might not be the first method you think of using to promote your band. But, if you’re looking to book weddings or other private gigs, Google Adwords can be an effective method of driving visitors to your website and reaching potential clients.

Getting Started

First thing’s first: anyone can use Google Adwords. You don’t need to be a huge corporation and you don’t need to hire expensive consultants to start running ads.

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11 Things You Need To Bring On Tour | BandHacks

(Article Repost from BandHacks)

So you’re going on tour. Time to dump your girlfriend, because there’s gonna be coke, girls, parties, beer, and did I mention the coke? But before you get to live your 80’s hair metal fantasy, you need to pack your bags with everything you’ll need for the trip.

I had to learn the importance of almost everything on this list the hard way, and I’d like to help you avoid the mistakes I’ve made if at all possible.

1. Smartphone

This one should be a no brainer. Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone, and for good reason. On tour, I rely on my smartphone every day. I use Gmail to contact promoters; Google Maps to find venues; Yelp to find restaurants; Spotify to listen to music; Netflix to watch shows. The uses are endless (I’ll be writing up another article on my “must have” apps). The major drawback to most smartphones though, is their battery life, which is why you also need…

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How to Create a Music Marketing Budget in 4 Simple Steps

One of the most important things you can do to prepare for the year ahead is to create a budget for your musical activities. Having a budget will give you a much clearer look at where you want to go financially, how you’ll get there, and what your progress is along the way.

We’ve broken down the process into 4 simple steps to help you create a budget:

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Networking: Why it’s So Important and How to Do It

Everyone talks about networking and how it’s so important for your business, but when it comes down to it, not many people know how to do it and why it’s so valuble. Here are a few tips for all the new networkers out there.

No matter what your business, if you’re a up and coming musician, a publicist or an accountant, it’s important to know people in your industry. Industry connections, no matter the context, can make a considerable difference when it comes to growing and maintaining your business. People you meet along the way in life can help you to learn new things, and with our ever changing culture, you never know who you will need in your corner in the future.

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MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Why do musicians always feel disappointed about their career?

• Tommy Darker | Why do musicians always feel disappointed about their career?

• Shaun Letang | Earning From Your Music Part 2 - Recording Christmas & Holiday Based Songs

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Why do musicians always feel disappointed about their career?

Why You Should Consider Non-Traditional Marketing

Let’s face it: when it comes to sell whatever we do, most of us feel uncomfortable. That is very true for musicians, too. Virtuoso jazz violinist Christian Hows address this problem in this interview with Jonathan Fields at 25:40 as “fear of self-promotion”.

What do we do to overcome this fear?

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MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: How To Make Money With Music Part 1: Gigging

• Shaun Letang |  How To Make Money With Music, part 1: Gigging

• Ariel Hyatt | 49 Female Music Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Advice (Part 2)

• Matthew Myers | Independent Recording Artist Development in 2014

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: How To Make Money With Music Part 1: Gigging

How To Make Money With Music Part 1: Gigging

Hello all, and welcome to Part 1 of what I hope will be a ongoing series on how to better make money in your music career. Whether you want to earn a full time income from your music or you simply want to make enough to cover recording or equipment costs, this series should go a way in helping you achieve that.

Today I’m going to look particularly at how you can make money from gigging. I often see musicians leaving money on the table from their gigging efforts, either through shyness, or simply because they didn’t know how best to monetize their performances. With that in mind, here are some of the main ways you should be making money from each gig.

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MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: How To Promote Your Music - The Ultimate Guide

• Shaun Letang | How To Promote Your Music – The Ultimate Guide

• Taylor Wilson |  Holiday Gift Guide: Digital Recording Gear

• Ariel Hyatt | Thanksgivukkah Think Tank: An Industry Discussion Between Two Jewish Musicians

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: How To Promote Your Music - The Ultimate Guide

Holiday Gift Guide: Digital Recording Gear

Help the musician in your life capture the spontaneity and energy of their live shows (and make some extra money!) with these recording tools that will help them get the job done.

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