How Do Professional Bands Get Ready To Go On Tour?

It’s such an exciting experience for professional bands to get to a place where they’re able to go on tour. This means that it’s no longer a local garage band that only friends and family come to hear. Now, there are people in other states who want to hear the live version of the music. Not only is it a huge compliment, it’s also a huge accomplishment. Now, in order to adequately prepare for a multi-city tour, there are a few components to consider.

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8 Reasons Why Artist To Fan Social Apps Work

The big social networks should be seen as the top of the funnel in converting your followers into dedicated fans. Here are the top 8 reasons you should use a GigRev Powered direct-to-fan micro-community platform to build a digital fan club and bring fans closer.

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MusicThinkTank Weekly Recap: Support Your Scene

• Kenzie Fitzpatrick | The Benefits Of Participating In Your Local Music Scene
• Rachelle Wilber | Power Chord: 4 Equipment Essentials Every Electric Guitarist Needs
• Roland Tec | Essential Questions Concerning Songwriting Collaboration
• Hailey Stratton | 20 Creative Marketing Resources For Musicians On A Budget

Support Your Scene: The Benefits Of Participating In Your Local Music Scene

“Support your local music scene!”  

Whether you’re in a band, work for or own a venue, are in the business of promoting, or are content with simply supporting your favorite artists and musicians, you’ve probably heard the above admonition at least once in your life.  

And yes, supporting your local music scene is important. Even still, in 2018! Actually, it’s not just important—it’s essential. For bands, fans, and the community as a whole. 

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Power Chord: 4 Equipment Essentials Every Electric Guitarist Needs

Playing the electric guitar can be a lot of fun for many reasons. It can help you perform some of your favorite tunes in the world. It can even help you write a few incredible songs you can call your own. If you want to take complete advantage of your guitar proficiency, though, you need to make sure to invest in these four vital pieces of equipment.

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Essential Questions To Answer Before You Finish A Songwriting Collaboration

In a music-theatre context, there are a number of questions that must be answered before any song can be completed. Often when lyricists and composers collaborate on songs for a new show, these questions may be answered unconsciously or internally by each collaborator or not at all. If one person were writing a show all by herself, that might be just fine. But in a collaboration with one or two other artists, it’s critical that everyone on the team articulate these questions together, discuss them and come to agreement on each answer. If this is done before starting work on a given song, it can save everyone a lot of extra work, frustration and other unpleasant feelings. Take the time to be just a little bit pedantic when it comes to songs you’re co-writing for a new musical and you’ll be much happier with the results.

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20 Creative Marketing Resources For Musicians On A Budget

If you’re like most musicians from humble beginnings, you likely don’t have a very large pool from which to gather money to support your dreams in the early stages. Here’s a collection of affordable, often free, resources to help you get your feet off the ground and save as much money along the way.

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MusicThinkTank Weekly Recap: Sell Merch

• Bree Noble | How To Sell Merch & Music At Shows Without Being Sales-y
• Robert Lanterman | Financial Lifehacks For Musicians
• Daniel Matthews | 3 Things To Do If Your Job Doesn’t Match Your Music Career
• Wallace Collins | Contracting With Minors In The Entertainment Industry
• Dominic Benavides | Business Cards For Musicians

How To Sell Merch & Music At Shows Without Being Sales-y

When it comes to selling merch and music at live shows, it’s not uncommon for musicians to feel uncomfortable and out-of-their-element. This unsettling feeling usually causes musicians to avoid sales altogether.

After all, we musicians are creatives. Deep down, we believe that the quality of our creative products should speak for themselves.

And yes, it should…

But only if people know about it.

That’s where marketing comes in.

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Financial Lifehacks For Musicians

To dedicate a good amount of your time, energy, and resources on music is to accept that the financial reward rarely even doubles the sacrifice you put in. If you want to take your music seriously — even as a serious hobby — this makes some of your personal expenses a little bit harder to come by.

Whether it’s food, travel, or healthcare and insurance, the musician life is not always an easy one. However, hard is not the same thing as impossible. Here are some basic life hacks for saving money as a musician.

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3 Things To Do If Your Job Doesn’t Match Your Music Career

What if your job isn’t flexible enough for you to take the next step in your music career? You’re going to have to find a way to make the band your priority. Only bands who truly want to bring their music to a wide audience will get there.

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Contracting With Minors In The Entertainment Industry - Judicial Approval A Necessity For Businesses From Modeling Agencies To Tech Companies

Contracting with minors in the entertainment industry can be a legal minefield. From talent bookers and modeling agencies to technology start-ups and other computer software companies, the predicament of employing or contracting with a party under the age of eighteen has become an increasing problem. The minor is not bound by the contract and may disaffirm the contract at any time during minority or within a reasonable time after reaching majority. Without a valid written agreement the employment is “at will” under the law of most States which means the minor can depart at any time. The dilemma created by a minor’s ability to disaffirm a contract is that it may seriously jeopardize the employer’s financial investment in the services of the minor whether it is the ongoing efforts of an agency to develop the career of a young talent or the technology company’s expectation that is owns the copyright in the code created by the teenage whiz kid it employs.

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Business Cards For Musicians

Business cards, we’ve all had them. Some of us swear by them, others say “neh” and do away with them. Whatever type you are, I’m sure someone’s handed you one at some point. And you probably thought, “what the hell am I supposed to do with this?” Or maybe you were like “sweet dude, I’m gonna call you right away.” Either way it probably got you thinking. You may have thought, “wow this person really comes prepared.” I seriously doubt you thought, “heh, look this guy, what a dinosaur, still uses business cards.”

In this article we’re going to take a look at a few things you can do with business cards to stand out amongst the sea of musicians out there, and why business cards for musicians still can be used today.

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MusicThinkTank Weekly Recap: Marketing Manifesto

• Mark Knight | The Music Marketing Manifesto: 10 Principles For Success
• Michael Stover | Live Performances Are About More Than The Music
• Jordan Gates | Your Band Is Your Brand
• Mark Knight | How To Get Your Music On A Spotify Playlist (From A Band That Has)