I meet too many aspiring musicians who tell me they’re just waiting for that lucky break for the world to discover their talent. In the meantime, they’re usually the same folks watching every episode of American Idol instead of booking…
Music Management Skills: Get Others Involved
While revising the site’s “About” page, I realized that it’s been a while since I wrote about one of the most important skills for a music manager to develop: the ability to rally and display support. Bands often get stuck…
Announcing my fifth music business book: “Audience Supported.”
I’m so excited to tell you about the launch of my fifth music business book, “Audience Supported.” I started writing about the music business when I was still working as a public radio producer. My then-girlfriend, now my wife, took…
All new editions of spinme.com music business books in 2011.
Thanks to Lori’s help and to a much easier schedule since moving into Center City Philadelphia, I’ve got the road map for all new updates to my series of music business books in 2011: Grow Your Band’s Audience (“Tenth Anniversary…
Giving yourself the space to shine.
Pamela Slim writes that it’s easy for creative people to fool themselves into thinking that their strengths can overcompensate for environmental variables. Have you ever watched yourself spiral downward with something that’s usually a cinch? It happens to musicians and…
Scoring Big on the Secondary Concert Ticket Market
Jay Frank and I were chatting not long ago about concert ticket pricing and margin for large touring acts. He and I have both managed bands, booked bands, and booked venues, so we’ve seen this from both sides: Nearly every…
Putting the Wolf at the Door: Setting Hard Goals for Your Music Business Career
At the start of every new year, plenty of us resolve to lose weight, to get our finances in order, and to generally get our asses in gear. Ian Ayres, author of Carrots and Sticks: Unlock the Power of Incentives to…
Why You Should Own Your Band’s Website
Delicious is dying. And if you’re not a hardcore web citizen, you might not know the reason why so many folks have become so upset about it. In short: a beloved, free service that thousands of people used to automate…
Four Rules for Artistic Success
James Danziger offers four essential rules for young photographers to “survive” in what’s becoming a challenging line of work. It strikes me that all four rules apply to emerging musicians and artist managers, too: 1. Have talent. Danziger says, “Talent…
Make Space to Leave MySpace
The alarm clock woke me up with the news that a senior News Corporation executive hinted about the possible closure of MySpace within “quarters, not years.” Even if MySpace manages to avoid a total shutdown, independent musicians should worry whenever…
Music Management Skills: Act as if you’ve already got the power to make your artist a star.
“Fake it until you make it.” That’s frequent advice in the music industry. Just look at Lady Gaga. Folks that know her well can tell you about the tipping point when she went from another New York singer/songwriter to a…
Who will your music influence?
There’s a long-running trope about the Velvet Underground that goes something like: “The Velvet Underground only sold about a thousand copies of their first record. But every single person that bought that record started a band.” It’s funny to me…