We recently got this question from one of our readers, and in light of last week’s post, You’re Talented. How Come You’re Still Broke?, we thought it was the perfect time to respond. Q: As an independent artist starting out, I just released a CD and have no significant budget. What should one consider being successful? [...]
The last time we interviewed a venue owner on this blog, it was some 3 years ago. Since then we haven’t come across too many venues that care just as much about their artists as they do their patrons. Just read “An Open Letter to Venues that Exploit Their Musicians” and you’ll see what [...]
So what’s the deal!? You either have a very expensive hobby or a lousy paying job. At least that’s what it feels like, right? Well, lets not make it so black and white. Just because you’re not making $50k a year doesn’t mean its not a job. Lets break it down and find out what [...]
1. WRITE IT DOWN Have some ideas on where you want to be by the end of 2012? Get a pad of paper and write it down. List all of your goals (crazy and sane) and isolate the most important ones. Tack it on your wall and hold yourself accountable. 2. TELL YOUR FANS [...]
Who hasn’t been affected by the death of Steve Jobs? I’m actually not an iPhone user (or a user of any Mac products), but i have alot of respect for this guy. My genuine interest in him began rather late in the game. In fact, I was on the road this past August and came [...]
So for mother’s day, I went home to visit my mom. To my surprise, my parents had some friends over and the 4 of them were talking about an NGO they would like to start overseas. The more they talked, the more I knew what today’s post would be. No matter what goal you have [...]
Have you done this lately? Visit your website as if you are a random visitor. Put yourself in the shoes of the beholder… is your site easy to navigate? is there anything that’s confusing or not intuitive? is the most important information on the homepage? does your site clearly direct visitor to all other important [...]
THE ARTIST: Via Linota Lancaster, PA THE QUESTION: My CD release party is coming up and I’m going to need to start playing as many shows as possible to get the word out. I noticed you are booking a lot of stuff. Just thought I might write and ask if you had any suggestions for [...]
We’re only a few weeks away from the start of Fall Semester, so its about time to start thinking college booking. I was hanging with a friend of mine, Ife Kehinde, a few months back and we were talking about how to score college gigs while living as a student. The following thoughts will apply [...]
Do you prefer to play clubs, lounges, and “official” music venues over coffeeshops and non-traditional spaces? Here are some thoughts on the pros and cons of booking these types of venues. If you are a new aspiring musician, you might pick up a few things below and make an informed decision on the the type of avenue you intend [...]
“Goals that are products of dreams are worth pursuing” It’s the last week of the year. Yea, official “New Year Resolutions” are highly overrated but goals are not. Take some time this week to really think about your life and your music. Evaluate: Where were you last year and how far have you come? I [...]
Warning: the world “copywrite” is used roughly10 million times in this blog. It might get old after a while. Why Should You Copyright Your Music? The #1 reason people copyright music is to protect their songs from being stolen. Whether you’re concerned about this or not, its just one of those things you’re supposed to do. If your [...]
Its overwhelming! The amount of information, resources, social networking sites on the internet is overwhelming. An independent artist has thousands opportunities and avenues to get their music out there. If you’re interested in a few of these, check out the following recent recent blogs. Positive: If one thing doesn’t work, try another Just because 1 band is using [...]
In the last month, some new and interesting websites have been passed on to me so I thought I’d do a post on new and underrated music resources for independent artists. If you are aware of other resources please post them in comments…and give Grassrootsy readers a short description of what the they’re all about [...]
Here is the second installation of Tips and Tricks. I’m thinking there will be many more to come in the future. For other Holiday ideas, read Take Advantage of the Holiday – Make Some Dough, Yo! Have a show during the Holidays? If you have a show during the holidays, chances are that you can get [...]
