Yin And Yang And Your Music Career

I’m failing as a musician. Life is unfair.

I didn’t get that gig I wanted. The music industry hates me.

My music isn’t getting on any Spotify playlists. I can’t win!

That manager never called me back. Why doesn’t anything go my way?!

If you’ve said any of these things, join the club. This post is for you.

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6 Marketing Strategies To Get You Featured On Playlists

In this DSP era, getting discovered in such an insanely crowded space is the main focus for artists looking to make it big. Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music offer MILLIONS of tracks, so how is it possible to get recognized as an independent musician trying to break through the noise?

One good way to do it is with playlisting. 

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Tips For Musicians When Performing In Bars

Bars, cover bands and summertime go hand in hand. In almost every town around the world, you will find a club or a bar that hosts live music. This is an opportunity that can enable a band, solo or duo artists to engage with the crowd and make money.

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Making Your Own Name In The Music Industry

Making your name in the music industry can be something that is difficult to do. In the music industry, there is always a lot of competition going on. Here are some tips and tricks that you can use to help you reach success in the music industry.

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How To Take Your Band On Tour

Today’s music industry looks a lot different than it did twenty years ago. CDs are gone, the music-sharing wave that was Napster, Kazaa, Morpheus and Limewire has come and crashed, and the digital music industry has transformed our listening experience into a subscription-based one. 

But some things never change. Touring live is perhaps the simplest and most intimate way of sharing music. If you want to make your name as an artist, it’s still difficult to do without hitting the road. But how do you go on tour? Here are some tips. 

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4 Lavish Christmas Gifts For The Pianist In Your Life

If you have a pianist in the family, you’re likely trying to find a great Christmas gift that will help them with their hobby. With so many options out there to choose from, it can be hard to determine which ones are going to be the best. Here are four of the most lavish Christmas gifts that you can get your favorite pianist.

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How To Set Up Your Garage As A Music Practice Space

Garages make the perfect jam room. If you’ve got a garage that’s leading a boring life, home to the second fridge and unloved folding chairs, it’s time for a transformation. That extra space is potential, waiting for you to make the most of it. 

Converting your garage into the perfect practice space for you and your bandmates to jam out is simpler than you might think. With a little determination, you can do the job yourself in a few days and have a space that’ll make you and your neighbors much happier than when you used to play in the backyard. 

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Enjoying Your Outdoor Music Festival Experience

Tips on how to get the most out of your first music festival.

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5 Reasons To Start A Band (Other Than Fame And Fortune)

Let’s be honest - we’ve all had ‘the dream’. Millions of adoring fans singing every word back to us, an army of teamsters at our beck and call, an endless supply of money and every other vice under the sun, never having to deal with the daily grind, the 9 to 5, or the Man ever again. Please note the emphasis on ‘dream’.

We need to careful in this day and age - particularly us millennials, who apparently want everything done for us already - that we’re doing things for the right reasons. On the one hand, we can’t expect that whatever we create is a guaranteed meal ticket; on the other, we shouldn’t create something solely to become a meal ticket. If you work for your meals - or even make them yourself - they’ll taste better anyway.

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5 Tips For Working With Touring Bands, Artists

Whether you’re a festival organizer or simply cobbling together a basement show at the last minute (but please don’t) there are certain practices when working with mid-level or less well known acts that will help build goodwill and make sure the performance goes off smoothly.

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How To Tap Into Creativity When Inspiration Won't Strike

Guest post by Randi Zimmerman. This article originally appeared on the Symphonic Blog.

If you’ve ever sat down to get some work done and been suddenly hit with a mental roadblock, this one’s for you. We all have moments where we feel uninspired no matter how hard we concentrate, and it can be frustrating when we can’t seem to find our way past it.

Luckily, there are many ways to boost creativity in a situation like this.

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How To Save Money On Tour This Summer: 5 Tips

Guest post by Gideon Waxman. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

Being an independent touring musician might seem like a dream job for many. But the truth is that it’s not quite as glamorous as it’s made out to be, and the early stages of touring for an artist or band can be tough and grueling.

The fees aren’t great, and if you’re lucky to sell out of merchandise while on the road, that might just be your biggest source of income for the tour. In order to maximize your earnings you will need to minimize your spending. As the old English proverb says: “look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.” Instilling good spending habits will allow a band to continue to grow while being financially sustainable.

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Musician's Malady: 4 Ways To Relax After A Grueling Show

Most of a musician’s time is spent honing their craft, preparing for shows, and playing performances. However, once the shows are over, it can be hard for musicians to handle the inevitable crash felt after riding that live music high. Musicians looking to overcome this musician’s malady should try the following ideas.

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Submit Hub - A Scam

I’m part of a band that has had its fair share of false-starts over the years. Preparing for these false starts, I’ve repeatedly put together lists of potential blogs to pitch our music to when we’re building up to a release. To do this, I head over to The Hype Machine, head to the indexed sites, filter what’s relevant to my music, and then take down the details from the list I’m presented with. I’ll generally head to each blog, look up their submission guidelines, and make a couple of notes to personalise my emails to them, where possible. A couple of years ago, the vast majority of the blogs suggested the same – a variation on sending an email with a link to stream, be it via your own email or a web form. Since then, there has been an increasing trend towards using a service called Submit Hub.

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