Playlists are the thing. Playlists are the most important tool of the recorded music...
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.
Why Do Venues Require Bands to Have Liability Insurance?
We’ve written numerous articles on insurance for musicians, covering everything from basic terms...
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...
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...
Twitter #Music for Indie Artists (part 2 of 2)
Why the Social Media Giant Will Become Your Most Essential Promo Tool Twitter #Music is officially in the wild and available as an app in your favorite store or you can visit the standalone web...
Concert Security: How to Protect Yourself, Your Fans, and Avoid a Lawsuit
THE SAME ELEMENTS THAT MAKE FOR A GREAT SHOW can sometimes turn against you. The combination of large crowds, loud music, dancing, booze and a host of other elements are often a breeding ground for...
LEGAL PAD: Tips for International Touring
No matter what side of the spectrum you are on, touring in a foreign land can be complicated. If you’re considering your first tour or festival overseas, here are some things to keep in mind:...
LEGAL PAD: Stealing Your Way Up The Charts
The website www.ThatSongSoundsLike.com is dedicated to one mission: placing similar sounding audio clips from well-known artists side-by-side. With hundreds of submissions posted over six years,...
Forget a Record Deal, Get a Rights Management Deal
A Look at the BMG Chrysalis Master Model If you are a frequent reader of this column, you know that I have strong opinions on signing to major label. Specifically, I'm adamantly against it (for many...