As someone who spent more than a decade working in radio, I often confuse folks in my seminars and my mentoring program when I tell them not to spend a whole lot of time worrying about getting played on the…
Does my pre-order entitle me to bittorrent a CD? Five Tips for Effective Record Releases
Jason Calacanis opens up a great question for debate. If you pre-order a CD, does your support of an artist entitle you to grab it via bittorrent? If you’re a working musician, this question offers an opportunity to serve your…
Guitar Tab Archive Shut Down Due to Copyright Issues
OLGA, a venerable and very popular guitar tablature archive, received “take down” notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Guitar tab archives are such a gray area for working musicians. For up-and-comers on a budget, guitar tabs are a simple,…
Clell Tickle: Indie Marketing Guru
Ever wonder who really assigns those scores at Pitchfork?
SellaBand: Fans Pay for Your Recording Sessions
Over the last few years, I’ve been talking to clients and members about how to get a core group of your fans to fund your recording sessions by selling pre-order copies and letting folks purchase “executive producer” credits on discs.…
The Difference Between a Music Business Manager and a Business Manager
Deborah Neville offers excellent insight into the various roles of your support team, especially the distinction between your manager (who helps shape your overall career strategy) and your business manager (who tells you when you can and can’t buy that…
Pressing & Distribution: My Favorite Kind of Record Deal
In Grow Your Band’s Audience and Music Management for the Rest of Us, I write about how the best kind of record deal you can land is a “P&D.” That stands for pressing and distribution, and it means you, the…
Tip: Write The Press Release First
I was in a meeting at the day job today when one of the marketing folks mentioned an awesome, mind-exploding idea that fits perfectly with setting music career goals: write a press release, then work backwards. The idea is to…
Interpol Signs Major Label Deal with Capitol Records
Though it might have seemed that Interpol was already on a major label, it was really a solid critical and fan presence that elevated them to today’s deal. Selling nearly a million records on Matador Records had something to do…
Retail Promotion Strategies for Independent Musicians
I’ve just posted a new video to the spinme.com members area! It’s a broad overview of the ways I recommend that you use retail to grow your audience. Members can log in and access it here.
Orientation for New Spinme.com Members
I finally had a chance to give you a personal tour of the new site and the membership area. If you’re interested in joining our music business mentoring program, check out this video for the technical details.
Nashville Star 5 Auditions Begin This Month
Nashville Star’s on USA again this January — I was a huge fans of the first two seasons, though I didn’t catch much of the past two years. Still, I always enjoy the emphasis the show puts on live performance…