Lessons From the Grateful Dead: Creating the Magic for Live Shows

There’s nothing like seeing your favorite performer live. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the nosebleed section, you can still say you saw your favorite entertainer live. People who’ve seen acts that are no longer together — The Beatles, the Grateful Dead, The Beach Boys — will never forget the experience. For many, it’s because the act stimulated more than seeing and hearing: it stirred feelings that remain decades later.

If you’re part of an act that’s getting off the ground, think of ways to give your budding fan base a few extras to help them become the next wave of DeadHead-like devotees.

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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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11 tips/tricks I used to make a following on Soundcloud with 4 CiTieS

In this article I will review the things I did to get 3,500 followers and 20,000 plays on soundcloud. Eleven simple and helpful tips/tricks that will definitely help you gain more activity in your soundcloud profile. The article contains also a 14 minutes youtube video where I go through each point with examples from my experience in the such social network.

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Top 5 Things to Avoid as a Beginning Band

So you and your friends have gotten together and formed a band.  It seems like the perfect idea.  You write good music, are really good friends, and want to work really hard to make it as a band because who wants to work in a dead end corporate job when you could be living off your dream.  I get it because I’m right there with you.  BUT, if you are serious about this, you need to start somewhere and I write this with the hope of having you start out better than where I was (which was square zero).  So here is a top 5 list (in no particular order) of things to avoid so you won’t have to make the same mistakes that I did

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I'm bringing Christmas In May!

Every year I walk into the mall on a nice fall day and at some point it happens. I start noticing the red and green decorations and find myself humming “Chestnuts Roasting” (Yes, I know the real title is “Christmas Song”. I choose to not use it as I think that’s a cop out title!) Last year, they literally had Christmas music and decorations up the first week of October! Before Halloween?!?! Seriously guys! What’s up with that!?!?!

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What Do You Do For Your Band?

Besides your instrument. Any musician can do that. What makes you irreplaceable in your band?

This is important.

Music is a highly competitive industry, and it’s no secret band lineups change all the time. Unless you happen to be a prophet of the guitar like Hendrix, being “good” isn’t enough to ensure you stay in a band. Youtube practicly has a dedicated channel called “12 Year Olds Who Are Better At Your Instrument Than You Will Ever Be”. A Total musician, the kind of person you always want in your band, contributes something that can’t be replaced by someone who can read guitar tabs.

What would qualify as something making you more valuable to the band?

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MusicWithoutLabels.com Meets WXPN Pt 2

This time around we interviewed Bruce Warren, the Program Director for XPN in Philadelphia, one of the nation’s most widely acclaimed radio stations for the proliferation of independent artists. They were responsible for being the first to give artists like MIA and Kings of Leon a welcoming home on the radio. They continue to offer an array of amazing music everyday. Check out what Bruce has to say about how he selects the music for XPN and the nationally syndicated radio show, World Cafe Live, and hear his advice for up and coming artists.

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