A rock headliner-turned-artist manager shares her insights into the business side of music. By Maureen Herman In 1991 I was living in a drafty warehouse on Chicago’s South Side, practicing with my band in the basement and playing local clubs — until I got a call that would change my life. An old friend phoned [...]
We’re kind of used to musicians being referred to as “artists” in a live situation. The truth is that while a musician might be an artist in the songwriting stage of the musical process, they aren’t really creating when they perform. The ability to perform is a more a skill than an art; much like [...]
The best part about growing a following is that it helps to prepare you as a performer. Starting small is like an education, in that you can improve in tiers as your fan base expands. Few people have the ability to get up in front of people with no fear from the start. The vast [...]
When starting out, growing a following can seem like an impossible task. If you play it smart, however, it’s actually much simpler than it appears. As we’ve stated before, it is hard in that you must play a lot of shows and make sure that you get your name and music out there, but the [...]
If you ready yesterday’s post on alternatives to terrestrial radio, you caught the part about satellite radio’s unsigned artist programs. Well, here is a post about exactly how to submit to XM’s unsigned artist channel, XMU 43. The first thing that you need to do is download the submission form from here (pdf document). Fill [...]
Radio has always been a huge part of the music industry, yet in recent years the landscape has changed. With the iPod replacing the Walkman and the growing field of alternatives to terrestrial radio, you need to rethink your radio strategy. In the golden age of terrestrial radio, stations would reach tens of thousands (or [...]
We’re pleased to announce that we’re starting our new RockStar Machine Music Promotion eZine. This is a free e-mail newsletter that’s published weekly. Sign up now and you’ll get: – Music Promotion Tips and Tricks – Useful Links to Promotion Resources – Site Updates – News – Access to Special RSM Content Sign up now [...]
If you’ve even dipped your toes in the water that is independent music then you’ve seen some of the horrible graphic work that is all over the place. It’s not that it’s all bad, but a lot of it… well, it just plain sticks. Bad album art, bad websites, bad flyers and bad T-shirts. They look [...]
Playing a lot of shows is great, but if you want to build a following you need to work on the show that you put on. Good music alone just isn’t enough sometimes, especially when your audience has never heard it. So what makes a performance memorable? What separates successful bands from the rest? It’s [...]
If you’re an unsigned or independent musician you’ve probably heard about GarageBand.com. If you haven’t you should (read this post, and) check it out immediately. GarageBand (GB) is an online community of musicians looking to get exposure for their music and music fans looking to discover new music. GB has been around since 1999 and [...]
