Promoting Your Music With Snapchat

Jack McCarthy is a contributing writer for of WeSpin, a growth training platform and community which offers a free Fan Engagement course available at: box.wespin.co.

If you or your band have been steadily growing a fanbase and seeing increasing engagement online while touring and releasing music, then you know all about the constant demand for content on your social media networks. If you are not sharing photos on Instagram, tweeting and direct messaging your fans, and getting comfortable using YouTube regularly then you are probably falling behind in taking full advantage of the social platforms where your fans live their daily lives.

Click to read more ...

6 Things Every Artist Needs From The Jump

Every rapper thinks they are the great, they think they are ready to change the game, and that’s good. However, before you can get to the top, you have to build the foundation from the bottom. With the internet today the world is at your fingertips, you just have to have the right tools.

Click to read more ...

It's Time To Rethink Everything

As many of you who normally read my blog post know that I do not support the music-streaming model that is currently being used. I believe that streaming in the current business model is not sustainable revenue for the music industry. To date there hasn’t been any music streaming service that has yet made a profit. It’s easy math here, the record labels and artists spend big time dollars to produce, market, and distribute music. In turn they receive pennies to the dollar, this seems like a no brainer. No wonder why music-streaming services have not made a dollar.

Click to read more ...

8 Ways To Get People To Share Your Song

Does promotion often feel like pulling teeth?

Has it been hard for you to get people to share your music?

If so, continue reading. We’re about to clear things up for you.

Click to read more ...

Want To Get In The Industry? Become An Audio Engineer

The dream of being a rock star eludes most of us. Fortunately, you can work and succeed in the music industry. Being an audio engineer, you can have a huge impact on recording, mixing, editing, and much more.

Click to read more ...

121 Things Not To Do In The Music Industry

All too often, we get wrapped up in new tactics, new ideas, new plans and new ways of getting bigger and better as musicians. With social media and the internet, there’s so much information that it’s almost become immeasurable.

This is great and all, but maybe we sometimes lose sight of what we shouldn’t be doing.

There’s lots of stupid shit you shouldn’t be doing.

Here’s a quick guide to what you shouldn’t be doing.

THE PERSONAL ELEMENT

1. Don’t ever stop practicing your instrument.
2. Don’t be an asshole.
3. Don’t WANT WANT WANT WANT. Learn to give back first.
4. Don’t get defensive. Learn to take constructive criticism.
5. Don’t forget to learn how to take destructive criticism, too. You’ll get a lot more of it than you think.
6. Don’t forget that everyone’s an asshole.
7. Don’t stop learning.

Click to read more ...

Thanksgivukkah Think Tank: An Industry Discussion Between Two Jewish Musicians

This week, we celebrate Thanksgivukkah, a rare occurrence where Thanksgiving eve and the first day of Hanukkah land on the same day. So rare, in fact, that we won’t see another Thanksgivukkah for another 70,000 years! This is not something we can’t afford to miss… This is it people. It’s now or never!!

For this rare occasion, we’ve partnered up two of our favorite Jewish musicians, and thrown them together in a virtual room to talk about how their heritage has shaped their lives and their musical endevors. Michelle Citrin (pictured left) is the star of the hit YouTube sensations, “20 Things to do with Matzah” and “Hanukkah Lovin’”, which to date, have received millions of hits, ranking in the top 20 most viewed music videos in 2008, and have been featured on Good Morning America, Yahoo.com, CBS Evening News, as well as The New York Times.

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 ...

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 ...

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.

Click to read more ...

The Shattered Hit Record Model

We’ve all heard the complaints about the current Music 3.0 music industry model: physical product doesn’t sell anymore, download sales don’t make up for the shortfall, and streaming music cannibalizes sales and pays a pittance in royalties. Then let’s heap on the accusation that music today is so formula and soul-less and generally a shadow of what it once was. But how does that explain the recent success of Mumford & Sons and Adele? Here are two principles that hold true in any age.

Click to read more ...

An 11th Simple Truth for a Delusional Music Industry

It seems like a week doesn’t go by without new proposals for streaming music services — some real, some imagined. Most services position themselves to be more convenient than digital downloads. Few promise better quality than CD audio. Therein lies the problem with listener-paid business models, a simple truth from the software industry that should be heeded.

When I got into the commercial software business, titles were delivered in boxes containing install discs accompanied by paper user manuals. From there it became commonplace to purchase a license key to download software and soft-copy documentation. It remains to be seen whether full-feature software can now be accessed solely through the cloud.

Click to read more ...

Jeff Price steps down as Tunecore CEO in an open letter

I feel compelled to write this after hearing about Jeff stepping down as Tunecore’s CEO. I’m not clear on who his replacement is, but I’m going to say something that Jeff was once kind enough to say about me: he’s everything that is right with the modern music industry. He makes time for his artists. He breathes music. I’ve always seen Tunecore as a supportive family and there can be no greater home for my work, and Jeff is responsible for creating such a welcoming and encouraging environment for emerging talent.

Click to read more ...

My TEDx Talk - The Fan Experience

I was recently invited to speak at a TEDx event. I spoke on the subject of fan experience. Here it is… enjoy!

Click to read more ...