"It's Not Just About The Music…"

“It’s not just about the music- the music is the foundation and the platform but to make that music heard it is so much more. A great song is kind of the beginning. Even most the songs on the radio- I would say it’s half great songs and half good songs put out by great artists- people would rather hear the okay or good songs by the artists that they love and stand behind and the movement they follow rather than great songs by people that they don’t care about.”

“It’s all about the moment and the experience, you have to give people something they can remember- maybe it’s doing something in your set that’s a little bit different that they can’t get with anyone else. You have to give them exclusive content; it’s the same business model for almost anything. Why do people wanna buy this when they can buy that? What does your product have that the other products in the same exact market don’t? What’s different? Music is the same thing.”

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What question do YOU have about creating success in today's music industry?

What questions do you have as you pave your path in the music industry?

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Teamwork In The Music Industry

One individual can never be allowed to undermine or destroy a successful business. If a player isn’t happy and wants to leave – they should be allowed to continue their career elsewhere. Each team needs players who will benefit the team as a whole – this benefits the business as well – because the team IS a business.

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How To Live Stream Your Concert

Not only can you reach your fans with new tools like live online performances, but you can also add more money to your bank account by selling tickets for your live streaming events. This article reveals 5 crucial steps for engaging your virtual audience.

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The Ultimate Gig Booking Guide | Phosphene Productions

Booking regular shows is an essential part of being a musician when expecting to be heard by the public, and a question we here at Phosphene Productions get asked a lot about. Though everyone has their own technique when it comes to finding the perfect show, many artists new to the scene should devise a “template” to work by and to keep yourself organized when contacting so many different people.

Our goal in this article is to give you a sort of template to use when beginning to develop your own booking strategy, and by the end you should have all the necessary information to kick off your gig.

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Post-Show Procedures: 8 Things Every Band Should Do After the Performance

Do you have a post-show plan? Is there a set of procedures that you work on after each performance? Or, does your band simply work on the next upcoming event – the next show, the next rehearsal, time in the studio, etc.?

In almost every professional endeavor, there is some kind of routine or review period to measure performance or follow-up with customers:

• In sports, the coach diligently sits down with the entire team to review footage of the previous game. Team member celebrate successes and most importantly, look for areas of improvement.

• In corporate business, the board of directors and executive staff look over stock performance and make decisions to keep their shareholders satisfied.

• In the arts, performers carefully review each element of the show to see what delighted audiences and what could use work.

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An Honest Review of the All-New Sonicbids EPK System

Today, I was checking out a Sonicbids EPK that was emailed to me. Much to my surprise, the layout for a Sonicbids artist profile completely changed – there was no quick bio, music player on top, or a useful set of links (press, stage plot, etc.). Instead, I found a Pinterest-like layout with navigational tiles. I thought it was just some lame option that the artist chose, but decided to check using my own band’s profile.

This is what I found:

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FAILURE VS.SUCCESS - Your Music Career

Get used to the word “no”. You’re going to hear it a lot. But all it takes is a “YES” or two and you’ll be on your way. Don’t be afraid to ask for help either. You may find a patron saint out there who would love to be a hero. It happens more than you’d think. You will run into disappointment. That’s a fact. But, don’t let that deter you. Remember, you can only measure your success by comparing it to your failures. Some of the biggest names in music failed miserably before they succeeded.

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6 Things You Can Do With $100 That Will Change Your Music Career

Money. Let’s face it: most artists aren’t very good with it. Most of us don’t have much to invest into our music career (relatively speaking), and when we do, we tend to throw it at some random opportunities without a larger strategy in mind.

Take, for instance, submission fees to music festivals. Each year, thousands of artists spend over $100 in application fees or subscription costs to EPK sites, in hopes of getting a show at SXSW, CMJ, Bumbershoot, or other large festivals. Personally, I think festivals are overrated in terms of importance for your career, but if you really want to get in, try reading this guide: How to Get Into SXSW.

You can easily spend $100 on strings, picks, or sticks. You could even buy a cheap electric guitar. Or, if you were riding in my tour bus, $100 almost covers the gas from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA.

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5 Ways For The Working Musician to Make Money Online

Musicians like artists, graphic designers, film makers, or ony other type of freelancer as we all well know through YouTube and personal websites, work tirelessly on their online presence. This is now the forum where new artists get noticed, and frelance musicians and composers not only get work but also showcase talents and portfolios. For the archetype of the working musician as a jack of all trades, we all well know that gathering income from many sources is paramount to one’s financial and personal success. With all the work that one puts in to building up an online presence for the hope to get more gigs, more students, more downloads sold or whatever that may be, there is also secondary income sources that one can take advantage of from building traffic and a following, much like the savvy internet maketers strive for in their own commercial pursuits. Here are some approches in and out of the box.

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Making the most out of touring...

I’ve been touring for almost a decade now and have developed some strategies that have helped…….. When we first started hitting the road, we’d leave town in our ice cream van with a bottle of Jack Daniels, some other accoutrements, and just took off for the first city… our plan was always to see which guy in the band could score a girl to like him that night, then we’d all follow her to her house and crash there. Well, that didn’t always work and when we started getting real girlfriends, you can imagine the drama that THAT caused!
 These days, whether I’ve got label money for tour support or we’re going out on our own I follow a few simple rules that end up saving me a crap load of money.

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