How To Promote Your Music - The Ultimate Guide

Hello again, my Music Think Tankers. Today I’m going to look at 6 HUGE things you can do to better promote your music.

Now before you roll your eyes and think I’m going to tell you to “create a Facebook account and promote through social media” or to “get your music in as many places as possible,” listen up. This guide is going to be full of actionable content and advice that won’t be found in every post on the subject that simply rehashes information the writer has heard and not tried out themselves.

Click to read more ...

MusicThinkTank.com | Musicians, Should You EVER Pay-To-Play?

• Shaun Letang | Musicians, Should You EVER Pay-To-Play?

• Liz Upton | The Cost of Free

• Ken Dardis | Indie Artists: Expectations vs. Reality

MusicThinkTank.com | Musicians, Should You EVER Pay-To-Play?

The Cost of Free

By Athena Butler

When it comes to recorded music, today’s consumers enjoy a free ride and seem to have all the answers.  Song sharing is there for the taking and, in any case, the old music sales model is archaic. But if out with the old and in with the new is stylish in music, the same is not true of music recordings.

For the business, it seems, free is good. However, the decline of recorded music sales has been catastrophic since 2001, when piracy became rampant and the single song Apple economy banished the album. Now, hope for the sector requires a giant leap of faith. In the meantime, the tough job of finding new ways to compensate for this loss of profits falls to the record companies. It may appear that artists are gaining more exposure as music changes hands often and easily. But is the moneymaking of old within the reach of the business?

Click to read more ...

The New Napster: Mobile File-Sharing

As the rise of mobile messaging apps take over the current mobile user population, the ways fans interact with music are changing. Historically, file-sharing takes place over the desktop computer through a P2P software such as BitTorrent. The user opens the music files into iTunes and they have expanded their music library for free.

Many mobile users are starting to figure out how to download music through mobile messaging applications and their smartphones. Transitioning from desktop file-sharing to mobile file-sharing will take a bit of time for users to catch up but the new Napster is already out there.

Click to read more ...

MusicThinkTank.com | October's Most Popular Posts

MusicThinkTank.com takes great pride in being a renowned resource for all who comprise today’s music industry. We appreciate the conversations you start, the advice you share, the projects you promote, and the feedback you share and we want to encourage your continued efforts.

Thanks to our loyal readers and contributors, October was a great month for MusicThinkTank.com - so today, we’d like to share that success with you by highlighting October’s most popular posts. On behalf of MusicThinkTank.com, thank you for your support. We enjoy providing a unique platform where the music industry really can think out loud!

Laura Schneider, MusicThinkTank.com Community Manager

34,708   MTT (Journal) 4,685   MTT - 49 Ways to Get Free Music Promotion (Journal Entry) 4,606   MTT Open - 10 Awesome Independent Record Labels [LIST] (Journal Entry) 3,967   MTT - A&R Tips: The Art Of The Press Kit (Journal Entry) 3,755   MTT - Top 10 Rules For Better Songwriting (Journal Entry)

Click to read more ...

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Autism Speaks Through Music - David Grohl Reaches Out

• Diana C. Herald | Autism Speaks Through Music – Dave Grohl Reaches Out

• Phosphene Productions | Promotion for the Independent Musician

• Fiona Zwieb | 5 Benefits of a Virtual Assistant – For Musicians

Promotion for the Independent Musician

In a market saturated with the music of aspiring musicians and already well established acts it can be difficult for new acts to gain exposure. This begs the question, how does an artist stand out and get heard over the masses of music uploaded to the web each day? This guide was written as a follow-up of sorts to our blog “treating your band as a business” and also ties in with our online marketing crash course. The article will be split into two sections: the first pertaining to more traditional “physical” promotion techniques and the second focused on marketing your music online to listeners around the globe.

Click to read more ...

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Value Added Streaming

• Kristin Thompson | Value Added Streaming

• Graham Semark | Choosing The Right Music Producer For You

• Knar Bedian | Music Blogs: Cultural Voices Take On New Mediums

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Value Added Streaming

Choosing the Right Music Producer For You

It is one of the most important decisions you will make when it’s time to master and record your music. Your producer is responsible for how your final record will sound so you need to be on the same wavelength, and be able to communicate effectively.

It is important to choose a producer who will let you create your own sound, not theirs so it is important to be confident about what you want and be clear that it is very much your music.

Click to read more ...

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: The Future of Music Marketing: Direct-to-Device

• Corey Crossfield | The Future of Music Marketing: Direct-to-Device
• Lukas Camenzind | How to Score the Next BIG Hit: 5 Marketing Tips From Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop”
• Phosphene Productions | Online Brand Marketing & Social Networking Crash Course

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: The Future of Music Marketing: Direct to Device

Online Band Marketing & Social Networking Crash Course

In our current society we are constantly glued to our tech devices and continuously downloading massive amounts of data through both our personal computers and mobile devices. In fact, over 488 million people use Facebook over a one month span with numbers growing everyday. With evidence like this it is no wonder that it is so important for artists to “put themselves out there”. Gone are the days of searching the Yellow Pages for a phone number, or buying a map to plot a course for vacation. These tasks and more are easily and efficiently carried out over the internet.

Click to read more ...

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Digital vs. Vinyl: Where It Makes A Difference

• Jason Kane | Digital vs. Vinyl: Where It Makes A Difference

• Corey Crossfield | Apps Are The Future Of Music

• Mackenzie Carlin | Legal Landmine: Playing Music At Your Business

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Digital vs. Vinyl: Where It Makes A Difference

Legal Landmine: Playing Music at Your Business

Music offers the perfect audio backdrop for any store or business waiting room, either relaxing anxious customers or injecting energy into the lifeless. The right type of music can set the stage for the ideal purchasing attitude. However, music in the business world can be a bit of a legal landmine, with many seemingly innocent companies finding themselves guilty of stealing licensed tracks. Keep the following in mind as you navigate the complicated world of business and music

Click to read more ...

Being a Music Industry Professional

There is no doubt about it, music is fun- and it should be. For many, however, music is work. For these people music pays the bills, supports their livelihood, and puts food on their table. For these individuals who work in the music industry whether it be as performers, technicians, music teachers, managers, journalists, or marketers maintaining a level of professionalism is essential.

Click to read more ...