If you truly want to make a living in this industry, you need to ask yourself, "what am I...
Band Management
Learn more about the music business and band management, including music licensing, booking your own DIY tour, music publishing, copyright law, music royalties, music promotion, music distribution and performing rights organizations.
With Create Music Group, Data is the Name of the Game
You can gain traction — even some success — all by yourself as an independent artist. We’ve seen...
Premium Lyrics: Curated Words for Serious Songwriters
“Why do I find it hard to write the next line? Oh, I want the truth to be said.” Spandau...
How to Keep Tabs on Your Record Label’s Books
IF YOU’RE SIGNED TO A LABEL, THE MONEY YOU EARN FROM RECORD SALES doesn’t flow directly from your supporters to your pocket like it did in the early days. A majority of your income now flows from...
Make Money on YouTube with ONErpm
There's a saying in the startup world by founder Marc Barros of Contour Cameras: "The best product does not always win, the product everyone knows about does." I often repeat this when I speak at...
Recoup Money You’re Owed From Shady Promoters
LIVE PERFORMANCE VENUES FUNCTION IN A FORMER ERA. Handshake deals are commonplace, ink is rarely spilled, and a promoter or venue owner’s word is often all you have to go on before you take the...
FLASHBACK: 1960s Heidelberg Cylinder Letterpress
The printing press heralded the new age of modern life by introducing movable type. Johannes Gutenberg is credited with invention of the printing press and movable type in 1440 (although I hear that...
The Art of Vinyl Record Jackets: An Interview with Jennifer Freund, Founder of Dorado Music Packaging
In an age where cover art is often confined to a 600-pixel square, Dorado Music Packaging is quite literally coloring outside of the lines. Now in its 20th year of operation, the North Hollywood...
Reach New Fans with Google Play Music All Access
An Interview with Google Music Guru Tim Quirk If you read this column, you know we try to cover as many new music platforms as we possibly can with one goal: getting your music to new fans. This...
Why A Million Plays on Pandora May Only Net You $16
THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN A PAY DAY. With a multitude of income-generating avenues available for musicians on the Internet, there is no shortage of ways to make money online. How much you can...
Tips for Booking Your Own DIY International Tour
DIY Travelogue: On The Road with Kristen Ford Hello! My name is Kristen Ford and I play indie rock, both solo and with my band. I’m based in Boston, but over the past three years I’ve been playing...
How Indie Artists Can Make Money with Shazam
This App is Saving the Music Industry While the music business glitterati is glorifying the rise of streaming, and crowning some new digital app or platform the next “savior of the industry,” let’s...
What Bands & Kickstarter Fail to Understand About Crowdfunding
Kickstarter replaces record labels! Kickstarter is panhandling! Kickstarter is only for people without access to other resources! The pervasive misunderstanding of the fundamental tenets of...