Web sites like Pitchfork, Tiny Mix Tapes, and cokemachineglow have made being a passive indie fan that much easier. Track these topics:
Are your street teams doing more harm than good?
I’m almost ready to post the recording of our first Street Team 101 call to the members area, but I want to reiterate something I mentioned on the call: A lot of folks are using the term “street team” to…
INXS Booking Agency (and slick middlemen)
All that posting about Rock Star: INXS has given some folks the impression that my company is the booking agency for INXS. Uh, no. Just a fan. You can stop e-mailing me now. But you can find their current itinerary…
Your Competition IS The Real World
We talk a lot on our member conference calls about the things that you’ve got to do to build an audience big enough to make financial sense for talent buyers to book your band. Remember, there’s no longer (in 99%…
The Shift
Mike Matney realizes he’s buying most of his music in digital form. So do I. So are lots of folks, especially the kind of tastemakers that can spread the word about your songs. So, why are so many independent musicians…
Could Your CD Be the Next “Da Vinci Code?”
Bob Baker has unleashed even more of his most outrageous music marketing ideas, and one strikes me as having tremendous potential for the right artist. Have you noticed the thread in popular culture right now that audiences love looking for…
New Fiona Apple — Was it a triumph of buzz over content? And does that even matter?
The new Fiona Apple record is finally hitting the streets after six years! As we’ve discussed here before, it probably wouldn’t even have seen the light of day without significant support from her audience, even though many of the parties…
Commissioned Songs
If you’ve been listening to any of my recent teleclasses, you’ll know that I’m big on the idea that the centuries-old concept of direct patronage is coming back in a huge way. And here’s another example: commissioned songs for special…
Would you like to be fired next?
Remember when Trump kept telling the project manager on last week’s Apprentice not to bring a certain person into the boardroom? And he said it again and again? And the dude brings that guy back anyway, so Trump fires him…
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Leaps Into Digital Music Distribution
Hey, orchestras can be indie artists, too! And the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is launching its own e-label to distribute live recordings of its events. This is an innovative move, because the tight union contracts at most orchestras have made it…
“Street Team 101” Teleseminar Series Starts Tonight!
If you’ve been struggling with getting your street team off the ground, sign up for tonight’s first installment of my new “Street Team 101” series. We’ll be recording this for our membership area and for a new CD release, but…
Open Phones, Wednesday @ 3pm ET
We have some room left on my next Open Phones conference call! It’s your chance to get all your specific questions about finding success in the music industry answered without having to pay a consulting fee. If you’re not already…