Livestreams were a lifesaver for musicians and fans alike during the pandemic, approximating the...
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.
Build a Business, Not a Following
If small business owners in other lines of work took the same advice that has regularly been doled...
10 Ways to Tune Up Your Music Business for 2022
Here are 10 ways to tune up your music business for the coming year. Make a commitment to focus on...
Nervous Energy – How To Handle Pre-Gig Nerves
"ROCK CONNECTION" by david leprince is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0 Your heart starts racing, a lump forms in your throat, your palms begin to sweat and your stomach is in knots. These are...
Split Sheets, Getting Paid and You
An Interview with SongSplits CEO Todd Wright If you read this fine magazine, you have read about split sheets. As a songwriter/producer and someone who does music licensing for a living, I...
Indie Data: You Don’t Have to be Big to Reap the Benefits of Good Metadata
Artists who are self-managed, or working with smaller teams or labels, often hear about the data we provide to labels and distributors and ask some variation on the question, “Why do I have to worry...
Playlist Freedom with TuneMyMusic
Playlists are the thing. Playlists are the most important tool of the recorded music business today. That is undeniable. No amount of web advertising, email blasts, radio ads, or even social...
Why Do Venues Require Bands to Have Liability Insurance?
We’ve written numerous articles on insurance for musicians, covering everything from basic terms and phrases, to specific details about liability coverage and policy requirements. We’ve also asked...
How to Treat Your Band as a Brand
If you truly want to make a living in this industry, you need to ask yourself, "what am I selling?" Here's a hint: it's not music. Music is not your product. It can't be. Consumers simply won't pay...
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 many examples of this, whether it’s the perfect playlist add that results in thousands of new...
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 Ballet’s "True" In 1983, while staying at his parents’ house, Gary Kemp wrote the lyrics to what would...
How Much Liability Insurance Does My Band Need?
We’ve spoken at length about liability insurance for live bands, especially touring bands and those performing at large outdoor events like festivals, fairs and the like. A while back we discussed,...
10 Tips for Making it in Today’s Music Industry
Dear Indie Musician, You’re Not Going to Make It Well, there is ONE secret… It’s harsh, it’s brutal, but it’s also true. As an independent musician, you’re not going to “make it.” What do I mean by...