10 Hard & Awful Truths About Being an Independent Artist (And What You Can Do About It)

For independent artists, the road to stardom is not always red-carpeted and bathed in the spotlight. Obstacles and challenges can unnerve even the most determined indie artist. However, knowing what you can do about these ten hard and awful truths about being an independent artist can ensure a smoother and more successful journey.

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Five Ways To Promote Your Music As An Independent Singer-Songwriter

Sometimes it’s hard for an independent singer-songwriter to change gears from creation to promotion and figure out where to start promoting their new release, some of these examples may be obvious but I hope they help! Here are some ways I’ve been promoting my new EP “Life Gets Strange”.

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How To Start Your Own Independent Music Career

Kick-starting an independent music career is an exciting prospect, but it demands unwavering ambition and ample insight. If you’re considering pursuing a career in this industry, here are some helpful suggestions that’ll set you up for success.

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Unsigned And Social – Touring On A Shoestring Budget

Guest post by Willa B.

Recently, my band, Storm the Palace, did a weekend tour in England, in the London area. The whole thing offered some good general takeaways for getting the most out of a short space of time when you don’t have much money, being your own PR machine, and utilising the differences inherent to every venue.

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Crash Course On Using Spotify And Other Streaming Services - For Independent Acts

The subscription-based music streaming model of Spotify and others – at the moment – makes it extremely unlikely for independent artists to make any significant money from sales of their music directly via those services.

It’s still also yet to be proven as a viable business model in itself, even after hundreds of millions of pounds invested in it. However, subscription-based streaming (although it will change and evolve) is here to stay, for the foreseeable future.

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Digital Music Distribution To China

Musicinfo advocates independent musicians by connecting them to digital distribution and social media services in China.

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15 Best Part-Time Jobs For Musicians

This post was written by Lisa Occhino and originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

You were probably well aware when you decided to pursue music as a career that money wasn’t exactly going to start pouring in on day one. It’s no secret that until you’re able to earn a full-time living as a musician, you’ll need to supplement your income in some way.

The key is finding jobs that provide some financial stability, but also flexibility so you can still play gigs, rehearse, write, and go out on tour.

While having a side job that’s related to music is awesome for obvious reasons, many of the best jobs for musicians are actually in completely different fields, allowing you to dedicate all of your creative energy to your craft. The 15 jobs for musicians below are far from an exhaustive list, but use this as a starting place to see what jumps out at you or sparks an idea.

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Top 7 Ways To Know If Your Song Is Ready For Release

Often, whenever an unready indie musician approaches me about possible music promotion, they say things like “You must hear this amazing song that I made” or “I am ready to explode onto the scene” or worse yet “I have created something no one has ever heard before!” 

Look, I get the enthusiasm, I really do, but the on-the-surface excitement felt by a musician hyped on their own new music must be scaled back a bit, in-order to see the whole picture that is.

There are always going to be those who rush to the finish line, those who think that paying their dues, or putting in the effort do not apply to them; but, they apply to almost everyone, and how you craft your song is one part creative, one part skill, and another part industry rules.

It is great to have enthusiasm and confidence, but let’s focus on the music here. 

So, without further ado, here are seven great ways to tell if your song is ready to release.

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Is Your Single A Flop?

“Oh well, there’s always the next single.”

“It doesn’t seem like anyone is interested.”

These are two things I often hear from bands following the first week of pitching media on a single. This is often after only seeing ten to 20 outlets cover the band. Did I mention it was after only one week actively promoting the release?

There’s often a sense of panic from musicians after that first week – the band invested a lot of money – and it’s already a flop.

It’s not, I promise.

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The Internet Killed The Record Deal: Launch Your Album On Your Own

Saying you need a record deal to launch an album these days is like saying you need a desktop computer to visit the Internet. Twenty years ago people would not have believed that you could have every song in the world in the palm of your hand or on your television, but here we are. Now it just takes a mic, a bathtub, a computer and few clicks to launch your record and make it accessible to people all over the world. But it’s also just as easy for your music to get lost in the shuffle and disappear into obscurity. The following tips are your best shot at making it in this ever-evolving music game and getting the airwaves bumping with your heartbeat.

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What Music Supervisors Really Think About Indie Music

So, what do music supervisors really think about indie artists and/or labels? What are their thoughts when they get a submission from a startup label or local musician in their already cluttered inboxes? Do they see the message and automatically think, ‘oh wow, not another indie, don’t they know we’re a big deal?’ Do they shade indie artists and wish that they were never born? Well, check out this interview to help answer your questions to how to increase your chances of securing a use of your song in film or television.

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New Year's Resolutions

The time of year for New Year’s Resolutions is almost upon us again, and with it will come fair-weather promises to ourselves to get into shape, cut down on alcohol, and maybe tidy the garage. For many of you who frequent this site, the New Year’s Resolution will be something along the lines of a fairly vague ‘be more successful’, and that in and of itself is fine, but I’d like to invite you to take a step back a little.

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Why The Live Show Experience Is So Important In Laying Down The Proper Foundation For The Independent Artist

Setting the proper foundation for your career in any business is very crucial in setting yourself up for success.  When it comes to building your career as an independent artist building and setting the proper foundation is equally important. There are so many things that you  should make sure is in order to make sure that this is properly executed.   

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Independent Recording Artist Development in 2014

I sometimes get approached by aspiring recording artists looking for help, and I’ve broadened my skill set from a songwriter to music producer. One of my long-term goals with Leet Music is to be serve as a music / label and publisher for artists within the anime, video game and “otaku” music genre. This article outlines my plans and how I hope to benefit from it.

What is artist development?

Recording artist development is how an publisher (record label, etc.) partners with an emerging artist to create a music product for the first time. Often the artist will provide creative assets like vocals, sometimes the music and lyrics, and the publisher invests in the business of music production, assets like graphic design and music video, as well as promotion and distribution of the record. In exchange for assuming financial risk in the project, the publisher often takes the lion’s share of the earnings from the music.

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