MusicThinkTank.com | October's Most Popular Posts

MusicThinkTank.com takes great pride in being a renowned resource for all who comprise today’s music industry. We appreciate the conversations you start, the advice you share, the projects you promote, and the feedback you share and we want to encourage your continued efforts.

Thanks to our loyal readers and contributors, October was a great month for MusicThinkTank.com - so today, we’d like to share that success with you by highlighting October’s most popular posts. On behalf of MusicThinkTank.com, thank you for your support. We enjoy providing a unique platform where the music industry really can think out loud!

Laura Schneider, MusicThinkTank.com Community Manager

34,708   MTT (Journal) 4,685   MTT - 49 Ways to Get Free Music Promotion (Journal Entry) 4,606   MTT Open - 10 Awesome Independent Record Labels [LIST] (Journal Entry) 3,967   MTT - A&R Tips: The Art Of The Press Kit (Journal Entry) 3,755   MTT - Top 10 Rules For Better Songwriting (Journal Entry)

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MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Autism Speaks Through Music - David Grohl Reaches Out

• Diana C. Herald | Autism Speaks Through Music – Dave Grohl Reaches Out

• Phosphene Productions | Promotion for the Independent Musician

• Fiona Zwieb | 5 Benefits of a Virtual Assistant – For Musicians

5 Benefits of a Virtual Assistant - for Musicians!

You know that image we all have in our heads about personal assistants? Only celebrities are busy (and rich) enough to have someone to keep them on track and book their first-class flights. Maybe you don’t see the need for an assistant - you are determined to be the DIY musician and actually believe it’s possible . But your life is feeling unbalanced, and you are finding yourself spending more time updating Facebook than working on your next album.

Hiring a personal assistant is costly for anyone, especially a musician getting their feet off the ground, but there is an option here for you - a virtual assistant. You could still be hurting yourself professionally, financially AND personally by not hiring a virtual assistant - want to know how?

Below are 5 benefits of getting a virtual assistant of your own.

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Autism Speaks Through Music - Dave Grohl Reaches Out

On Thursday, Autism Speaks held their Third Annual Blue Jean Ball at Boulevard3 in Hollywood. The evening began with a star-studded blue carpet, including appearances from Joshua Jackson, Diane Kruger, J.K. Simons and Dave Grohl.

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Promotion for the Independent Musician

In a market saturated with the music of aspiring musicians and already well established acts it can be difficult for new acts to gain exposure. This begs the question, how does an artist stand out and get heard over the masses of music uploaded to the web each day? This guide was written as a follow-up of sorts to our blog “treating your band as a business” and also ties in with our online marketing crash course. The article will be split into two sections: the first pertaining to more traditional “physical” promotion techniques and the second focused on marketing your music online to listeners around the globe.

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MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Value Added Streaming

• Kristin Thompson | Value Added Streaming

• Graham Semark | Choosing The Right Music Producer For You

• Knar Bedian | Music Blogs: Cultural Voices Take On New Mediums

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Value Added Streaming

Value Added Streaming

The internet-fueled debate about the pros and cons of Spotify went another round last week, with contributions by David Byrne, Dave Allen, Jay Frank, Bob Lefsetz and Fast Company. I read them all, as I’ve done with the previous public debates about whether Spotify is a good or bad thing for musicians. As an indie record label owner and a long-time advocate for musicians through the Future of Music Coalition, I care deeply about these debates and, more importantly, about ensuring musicians and songwriters are fairly compensated for their work.

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Choosing the Right Music Producer For You

It is one of the most important decisions you will make when it’s time to master and record your music. Your producer is responsible for how your final record will sound so you need to be on the same wavelength, and be able to communicate effectively.

It is important to choose a producer who will let you create your own sound, not theirs so it is important to be confident about what you want and be clear that it is very much your music.

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Music Blogs: Cultural Voices Take On New Mediums

In the early days of the Internet, the curatorial role of music blogs was essential to the music-lover. The overwhelming mass of content online proved difficult to sift through, and the voice of music bloggers provided guidance to listeners, drawing attention to talent.

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MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: The Future of Music Marketing: Direct-to-Device

• Corey Crossfield | The Future of Music Marketing: Direct-to-Device
• Lukas Camenzind | How to Score the Next BIG Hit: 5 Marketing Tips From Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop”
• Phosphene Productions | Online Brand Marketing & Social Networking Crash Course

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: The Future of Music Marketing: Direct to Device

How to Score the Next BIG Hit: 5 Marketing Tips From Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Thrift Shop"

With over 7 million copies sold, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” is one of the highest selling singles of the past few years. But WHY was the song such a huge success? And what can you learn from it if you want to score the NEXT big hit? Here are 5 key insights:

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Online Band Marketing & Social Networking Crash Course

In our current society we are constantly glued to our tech devices and continuously downloading massive amounts of data through both our personal computers and mobile devices. In fact, over 488 million people use Facebook over a one month span with numbers growing everyday. With evidence like this it is no wonder that it is so important for artists to “put themselves out there”. Gone are the days of searching the Yellow Pages for a phone number, or buying a map to plot a course for vacation. These tasks and more are easily and efficiently carried out over the internet.

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The Future of Music Marketing: Direct-to-Device

Digital marketing has only been in its current form for the last decade. Despite the application of digital marketing within various industries, the majority of initiatives and campaigns have focused on the idea of direct-to-consumer (or within music as direct-to-fan). The focus lies solely on cutting out the middleman and reaching consumers directly.

The current conventions of digital marketing within the music industry focus on basic direct-to-consumer tenets but these ideas are now beginning to become obsolete. With the rise of hardware-focused technology such as the smartphone, the relationship between an artist and fan is facilitated through their devices.

The new way to reach fans will be direct-to-device.

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MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Digital vs. Vinyl: Where It Makes A Difference

• Jason Kane | Digital vs. Vinyl: Where It Makes A Difference

• Corey Crossfield | Apps Are The Future Of Music

• Mackenzie Carlin | Legal Landmine: Playing Music At Your Business

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap: Digital vs. Vinyl: Where It Makes A Difference