Soundwhich, Make Royalty Free Music Like Sandwich

Music is math that moves people. That’s the conceit behind Soundwhich, an online platform that allows users to access, combine and share the basic “ingredients” of music to create their own songs, all without preexisting musical knowledge. 

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How Much Do Top Musicians Make Compared To Average Jobs?

How much more do top musicians make compared to ordinary jobs? We mapped the incomes of the world’s 25 top paid musicians against average incomes. We discovered that a star like Diddy can make the average annual minimum wage in just over an hour!

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Oticons Faculty Film Music Competition 2018

The Most Established Film Music Competition in the world with the most Unique Challenges is Launched & Online once again!

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[Case Study] How Derek Webb Sells Out House Concerts

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

When Derek Webb decided to grow his artist income by performing house concerts, he turned to Bandzoogle’s website and marketing tools to book up his tour schedule and sell out his shows. 

He sets aside every second weekend in his calendar and fills them with as many shows as he can fit, earning up to $1000 per event.  We’ll show you how he does it.

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Musical Mayhem: 4 Issues That Could Destroy Your Flourishing Band

Being in a band is a dream that many people have growing up. For most, their dream ends after high school or after getting tired of playing small gigs for family or friends. However, there are a chosen few groups that gain fame across the country and throughout the world. What are some issues that could derail that success?

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3 Keys To Breaking Into The Industry As A Broadway Musician

 Fairbanks violinist Caitlin Warbelow wanted to grow up to be a scientist. Instead, she’s performing on Broadway in Tony-nominated “Come From Away,” a true story about the September 11 attacks. Warbelow earned degrees in violin performance, anthropology, cartography and urban planning before stumbling into success, which she says came to her unexpectedly. She was trying to make it as a musician in New York City when the opportunity came her way.

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Anxiety And Depression - You Are Not Alone!

Working in the music business can make you depressed! That’s the conclusion of a recent online study in the UK with more than 2200 participants: musicians and people working in the music business. More than 70% of the participants recorded to have suffered from panic attacks or high levels of anxiety, almost as many people have recorded to have suffered from depression. Not many musicians dare to talk about it. Not many agents or managers either, by the way.

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Toronto Get’s a Music City Twin - What Does it All Mean?

Well, it looks like Toronto and Austin are now twins. Music city twins, that is. Each city’s respective council have approved a musical alliance partnership between the two cities.The music city initiative, 4479 (named after Toronto’s longitude and latitude coordinates), is lead by Music Canada. 4479 will be a collaborative effort between Toronto city official and members of the music industry to increase attention and tourism towards Toronto’s music scene. 4479 also plans to make Toronto a leading music destination. The city of Toronto will work to strengthen relationships with other music cities around the world, particularly Austin, TX.  Austin is a city that has seen amazing growth and tourism traffic in recent years thanks to music industry events such as South by South West and Austin City Limits, among others. This seems to be an exciting time for the industry here and for the city of Toronto as a whole; but while this is a great step for our city, one can’t help wonder just how much of an impact this alliance can make on the culture and economy of Toronto - in actuality.

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Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Your Music Career

This is a chapter from my book The Independent Musician’s Survival Guide. You can see more chapters here.

So now you know that it’s possible to make money from your music career, and you also know you should take things one step at a time. But before you go out and start trying to earn money from your career, it’s important you take time to set goals for what you want to achieve.

While it’s easy to say, “I want to get a lot more fans” you have to ask yourself, how is saying this actually going to help you achieve your goal? It’s a non-specific “want,” rather then a well thought out business plan.

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5 Country Music Meccas of the South

Country music is as American as apple pie and baseball. The genre, a combination of American folk music, blues and western music, originated in the southern American United States in the 1920s. Since then, country music has evolved to appeal to a broad, international audience. Said Scott Stem, the Media Relations Director for the Country Music Awards (CMAs), “We are a very real-life music, based on real-life experiences.”

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Progressivism: 4 Easy Ways Artists Can Stay Relevant

Keeping up with the times is something almost everyone struggles with.  It’s a challenge to step out of our comfort zone and try something new.  However, in a professional setting, the only way to survive is to submit to the idea of change.  For musicians, progressivism can sometimes be an especially challenging concept.  However, it is imperative that we continue to adapt to new trends, and stay relevant to our fan base.  

 I’ve picked four basic methods every musician can implement to ensure they are ‘with the times’:

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6 Bad Habits Most Musicians are Guilty Of

It’s hard being a musician these days. In addition to writing/performing music, we’re often bombarded with the need to maintain an online presence, deal with licensing contracts, book tours, work with promoters, find sponsors, record/mix/master/distribute CD’s, and more. Because the work can be overwhelming, it’s easy to fall into bad habits and do things that hurt, not help our careers. Here are some of the bad habits that musicians are guilty of:

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Talent VS. Taste. The Ugly Truth.

Let’s look at this idea a little closer. I wanted to discuss this certain ugly truth, which plagues the music industry, and great musicians everywhere. The music industry is flawed, and unfortunately not very fair. Best to know the truth and move on accordingly.

As you look around the industry this is highly apparent. I’m talking about he highest paid musicians vs. the level of musical talent. The popular attractive pop star vs. the refined musician. For example, Britney Spears vs. Diana Krawl. Lil Jon vs. Christian Scott. Unfortunately salary is not dictated by the level of talent in our capitalist structure, but the most in demand style of music.

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The Musician of Oz

The great and powerful, Wizard of Oz, presented himself as a supernatural, omniscient being.  However, he was revealed to be a much different individual, operating a complex facade of smoke screens and holograms, without any real power.  Musicians can put themselves in the same position as Oz did, by abusing the gap between the digital and dimensional worlds.

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