Reaching a large audience is a pretty tough undertaking, so it’s important to find ways to maximize your project’s online presence. In this video taken from our free course, “Touring on a Shoestring”, Jeremy Young walks us through some helpful tips for doing just that. Share your music online. One of the most important steps toward enhancing…
Money, such as it is, is hard to come by in the music business of the 21st century — so most bands have to jam econo just to break even (if that). Fortunately, there are lots of cost-efficient options for the modern touring band — especially those who are only able to make regional jaunts. So I thought…
Ok, so you’ve decided to make music. That’s wonderful! Welcome to the community! The music that you’ll be creating is obviously the most important thing you’re going to have to work on, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things to think about. Doing this whole “being a musician” thing comes with responsibilities if you…
To the readers who complained that my recently published “5 Worst Ways to Describe Your Band If You’re Trying to Get Press” piece lacked suggestions for successfully relating your sound to music writers: here’s your answer! While these tips are meant to help guide you in successfully illustrating your style, I’d like to point out…
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with a group of musicians to discuss the essentials that first-time touring bands often forget. During those conversations, another topic came up: the things they used to bring on tour that just ended up taking up space. If it’s your first tour, your mind is racing at a…
If you want to be an active professional musician, you should learn to sing. It’s an incredibly beneficial skill for your ear development, and it’s a lot of fun as well! There are tons of benefits to being able to sing and play an instrument at the same time. For musicians that are primarily instrumentalists,…
A band is a unique and complex relationship, and with so many different personalities and goals among band members, things can sometimes get tricky. Some people are direct, some are passive, some are more organized than others. “Musicians are sensitive and odd creatures,” says songwriter/guitarist Paul Hansen of indie folk band The Grownup Noise. “So…
As fun as being in a band is, it can challenge you in a big way as a musician and a person. Don’t underestimate it – if you’re trying to be serious about your band, then these are the 10 commandments you need to live by. 1. Thou shalt be a good hang Number one…
With months and sometimes even years going into the creation of a new body of work, it’s an understood expectation that artists put together some sort of marketing plan in anticipation of their album release. And once your music is available, it feels like the weight of the world is officially off your shoulders. However,…
The first thing to understand about music is that it’s completely subjective. You might make music for yourself, you might make music for an audience, but the audience will always form their own opinions about your labor of love. The same is true for me: some people love my work, some people hate my work.…
