5 things to help you keep going as a musician

If you want to stay encouraged and motivated as a musician, I have five resources to share with you.

Check them out below…

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Let's talk about ethics and music promotion

When it comes to ethics and music promotion, it’s important to start at the top with the worst offenders. Mark Knight RCM blog founder tackles the paid reviews debate.

In the last few week’s we’ve come across several online articles and posts criticising music blogs for their ethics. While none have been directed at us, they peaked our interest and got us thinking…. 

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Missing! Women in the music industry!

Don’t be fooled by the success of big names like Billie Eilish, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. Women are not the majority. There is a drastic difference in both the representation and the portrayal of women in the music industry, compared to their males counterparts.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme was #ChooseToChallenge, as from challenge  comes change. In the spirit of this, Identity Music hosted a social media women’s week, dedicated to celebrating some of the amazing female talent we are fortunate enough to work with. Now, we want to raise awareness against the bias that lies within the industry. 

Before we continue, we should stress that we have no doubts about there being amazing male talents within the music industry. At no point does tackling such an important issue call that into question. Here at Identity Music, we work with a variety of artists across all demographics. We believe that talent and creativity are all that matters and that every musician should be afforded the same opportunities.

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MusicThinkTank weekly recap: Word of mouth advertising & more

M Banks  | How to leverage word-of-mouth advertising for your music

Alex L | Tips to make the most of your piano practice time 

M Banks  | How to get an expensive car for your music video

Jure Rejec | Streaming won’t make up for the revenue lost by the lack of live gigs.

Tips to make the most of your piano practice time

No matter how much time you spend practicing, you want to make sure that every minute of it counts toward furthering your ability to play the songs you’re learning, and your overall skill on the piano.  
It’s better to put in half an hour of very productive practice than an hour of unstructured meandering. Here are some tips to get as much out of your practice time as possible.

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How to Leverage Word-of-Mouth Advertising for Your Music

As a musician, it’s important to promote your music in multiple ways. Many musicians focus on self-promotion through advertisements, appearances, and meeting fans.

 

Although this method produces an increase in sales, there is a strategy you may be missing known as word-of-mouth advertising. To learn more about this strategy and ways to incorporate it into your next campaign, read on.

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How to get an expensive car for your music video

As a musician, there’s plenty of competition out there. Not only do you want your music to stand out, but also your music videos. Having engaging music videos helps promote your music and can even get you nominated for video awards.

 

So, how do you make a music video that will stand out against your competition? Consider adding an expensive car to your next music video.

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Streaming won’t make up for the revenue lost by the lack of live gigs.

The Covid-19 pandemic boosted online music consumption like never before. Universal Music Group has recently reported that their streaming and subscription revenues grew by 15% to $4B in 2020, meaning they generated around $11M each day from streaming alone.

The market seems to be skyrocketing, streaming is praised as more democratic for all artists, it all sounds great in theory. But the question remains: can an artist (or label) rely solely on streaming for income?

I don’t think so.

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MusicThinkTank weekly recap: Sex sells & more

• Mark Knight | Everyone knows that ‘sex sells,’ but for an independent, female musician…
  
• Your Online Singing Coach | Video: 3 pop vocal techniques to learn from “Drivers License”
•  Charles Vallena | 10 Hard & awful truths about being an independent artist
•  Wallace Collins  | The ABCs of NFTs (understanding “non-fungible tokens”)

Video: 3 pop vocal techniques to learn from "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo

As a professional singer and vocal coach, I love to study the nuances in the vocal delivery of mega-hit songs. The goal of learning these stylistic choices is to interpret them to fit our own voices.  If you’re seeking a more contemporary sound, you can utilize these techniques by choosing the nuances that feel natural and authentic to you, remembering to maintain your own unique tone.

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Everyone knows that ‘sex sells,’ but for an independent, female musician looking to discuss sexuality on her terms, this old adage couldn’t be further from the truth.

We find ourselves living in a world where 120 million people visit PornHub everyday, over 200m have watched the lyric video for WAP by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion and almost half of 18-29 year olds have used an online dating site. It’s easy to assume we are the sexually liberated generation.

But despite all this it’s rare we talk openly about sex.  The ‘sexy’ and ‘sexual’ agenda is largely still set and controlled by men, for men. But when a women wants to use ‘sex’ or be ‘sexy’ on their own terms, the barriers go up.  

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10 Hard & Awful Truths About Being an Independent Artist (And What You Can Do About It)

For independent artists, the road to stardom is not always red-carpeted and bathed in the spotlight. Obstacles and challenges can unnerve even the most determined indie artist. However, knowing what you can do about these ten hard and awful truths about being an independent artist can ensure a smoother and more successful journey.

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The ABCs of NFTs (Understanding "Non-fungible tokens")

NFTs are suddenly headline news! Artists and musicians are using NFTs as a new way to release their products into the marketplace. NPR reports that the artist Grimes recently sold several NFTs for over $5 million and an NFT video clip of LeBron James making a historic dunk for the LA Lakers earned more than $200,000. Rolling Stone reports that the rock band Kings of Leon is releasing its new album in the form of an NFT. At the auction house Christie’s, bids on an NFT by the artist Beeple are already reaching into the millions. It appears that what started as an online hobby among a certain group of tech and finance geeks is now being catapulted into the mainstream.

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MusicThinkTank Weekly Recap: Support your growing band & more

• Rachelle Wilber | Earn More Cash to Support Your Growing Band
• Emma Sturgis | Your Band’s First Gig? How to Prepare
• Anica Oaks | 4 Must-Haves to Improve Your Garage Band
• Jure Rejec | Every Music Festival Will Have an App by 2025