The internet has become the new center of the music world. Music placement in podcasts is a great way to boost your online promotion efforts for your band.  It’s a great way to gain new exposure for your songs and reach a wider audience. There are loads of audio and video podcast shows

The music industry can sometimes seem like a battle field of shady business practices, stolen property, copyright infringement, and shattered relationships.  With so many people shooting to make it big, it’s more important than ever to protect yourself and your music.  It all

Pinpoint a specific mood. Music placements are chosen because they perfectly match the mood of the visual scene they are supporting.  Try to envision how your composition might be used.  Would it be for a rainy day scene?  Winning the big game?  A horror sequence?  A

One of the aspects of Internet marketing I'm working on for the next edition of my book (the 2009 Edition) is the impact of social media on marketing music. Now, every year there is inevitably a "buzz" about the this or that - some big new something that is the rage in online marketing. Well,

I just received my biggest single payout ever for digital music sales from CD Baby. Over $2,000 just in digital music sales. That got me thinking. Why do people buy music? What is it that makes someone, a total stranger, actually go out and PURCHASE music? Especially when, in this day and age,

In February 1999, Sheryl Crow found herself in the strange position of having won a Grammy Award for an album put out by a record label that no longer existed.

In the weeks before the Grammys, A&M — the record label that had signed her, nurtured her career, and overseen her rise from

American Association of Independent Music   The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) represents a broad coalition of independent music labels. They list over 200 independent record labels with a write up on each label and a website link. Great site for finding potential

Sorry, if you were looking for the golden ticket, this is not the post for you.

You read about artists who’ve had success and you realize there are so many different paths.  Some were in the right place at the right time, a lot toiled away for years developing a fan base, others found

Promoting your music online these days is meant to be easy - but due to the sheer number of sites out there it might not always seem that way. This is a brief guide to why Last.fm should be one of the main sites you use to promote yourself, and how to get the most out of it with minimal effort.

Ever Since I started the independent artist | music journey on the web, I have been mining it for useful information and helpful resources on a daily basis to help guide me on my way. Need a great tip? Blogs are great pit stop. Want to learn form the pros? There is usually one at every at every

New performers looking to book concert and establish contacts often start looking for a manager to handle the business aspects of their music. This is especially the case in cities with big music scenes, like New York, Los Angeles and Austin.

Before diving into such a relationship, however,

The top 8 things unsigned/independent artists do wrong

How do all, after last week’s shambles of a post I’ve decided to do something that all encompasses the ethos of this blog, so this week I will be employing lexiphanism left right and centre as I humbly muse over the top 8

Perhaps with some tweaking, here’s what current wisdom tells you:

Make music.Give your music away; it’s your best advertisement.Organize into a business entity.Go on tour.Build an audience.Sell stuff and a bit of music when you can.Go on tour again.Sell even more stuff.And when you

XMU - XM 43 Music Submission Information

Submit your music for consideration to:

Billy Zero
Program Director, XMU
XM Satellite Radio
1500 Eckington Place NE
Washington, DC 20002

Please include the Submission Form (PDF), a brief biography, along with your phone number, email address,

A lot of independent artist overlook an important step within the completion of their independent album. I believe that this happens due to their understanding of the importance of this step. What I am talking about is the song or album matering process. Below are a few videos that should assist

For every instrument, there could be 1 million great players out there in the world, but who is actually creating anything?  I’m not a music critic, but it doesn’t take a professional to asses that we are obsessed with duplicating and replicating what has come before us rather

Today, the Internet provides unprecedented opportunities for independent music to find an audience. Unsigned bands and solo singers can now build a fan base that will not only listen to their music, but to buy MP3 downloads.

The Internet’s Grassroots Movement

It’s indisputable that

Are you steering everything you do in terms of getting a record deal?  I don’t blame if you are still. It’s been ingrained into our heads that a record label is the mighty savior.

I just read a post by George Howard on what an Artist Manager should be doing in today’s

The music industry is a monster filled with different motivations and ambitions ranging from a need of creative expression, delusions of money, or egotistical influence. The harsh reality of the business reveals you have a greater chance of winning the lottery as opposed to making it as a

So you're all excited about the CD you've just gotten back from the pressing plant. Now what? Shop to the major labels and get the usual artist royalty of 13 points AFTER recoupment? Possibly, if there happens to be an offer on the table. How about shopping to the more receptive independent

Getting a record deal gets harder every year. The days of record impresarios like Phil Spector discovering a group, taking them into the studio and making them famous overnight are long gone.

These days, the music business is sometimes more about the

I am now about to save you an enormous amount of time and frustration in setting up a publishing company. The tips I'm giving you here, revealed in print for the first time, were gained by yours truly through a series of hard knocks

This article is meant to explain and clarify what you can expect, both creatively and financially, from hiring a producer to assist you in your goal.

One of the ways a producer can be most useful to you is by

Learn The Art of Digital Sampling. A digital sampler is a machine capable of taking any guitar sound, drum sound, voice, etc., and making a perfect digital duplication. It can then be played on a keyboard, edited, etc. Unless you've

One of the most difficult things to understand is what the A&R Community is really looking for. What does an artist have to have to get signed to a recording contract? For lack of a better name, I call these intangible things "signing ingredients." And the more of them you have, the more