We would like to congratulate Corey Smith on the release of his new album, ‘Keeping Up with the Joneses.’ We all went out to his show at Highline Ballroom last night and were absolutely blown away; what a phenomenal performer!
We just got word that Corey Smith has debuted at #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts! If you would like to order a copy, check out his online store: http://coreysmith.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=11623_25505
Bloggers/Podcasters/Internet Radio Host... Read Full Story
Q. What are your favorite blogs/audio blogs featuring new music do you like to visit?
A. Believe it or not I love BlogCatalogue.com. Blog Catalogue is a directory of just about every blog mentionable.. I usually go to the music section of blog catalogue and just enjoy the array of music blogs. When it comes down to the nuts and blots of getting the latest on what’s happening in quality music blogs it’s the Hype Machine (hypem.com)
Q. What inspired you to start site?
A. WSF Radio is s... Read Full Story
I have been a strong believer in Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 true fans theory that he wrote about on his blog in March ’08. If you are not familiar with it is well worth reading:
http://tinyurl.com/1000TrueFans
As I travel around to music conferences and speak I hear people who say that this theory is not viable and impossible for artists to prove and I totally disagree with these naysayers. I am out to explore the 1,000 true fans theory and I will be doing so each and every week at Music Think Tank ... Read Full Story
My phone rang last week and it was Tom Silverman from Tommy Boy calling to discuss my panel for his upcoming Chicago New Music Seminar. Tom was half amused and half disgusted. “Have you seen Billboard this week?” He asked. Since Billboard is a publication I largely ignore, I fessed up: “No. Why?” “You have to see this article,” he said. “It’s the most ridiculous thing ever.”
In a few moments, I was reading it and I was laughing out loud... Read Full Story
1: Pick A Niche And Dominate It
There are no ultimate 100 Indie Maximum Exposure vehicles for one simple reason. Indie artists must break from a niche. That niche must be well delineated and can be very, very small and still be effective. The mistake most artists make is making a pop record that does not have a niche to break out of.
The adage, think globally act locally can be re-stated think mainstream, act niche. The newer your niche, the greater your chance of becoming identified with i... Read Full Story
17: Stop the Musical Masturbation
I wasted so much time playing open mics and writer’s nights in Nashville and Boston. The same is true of all the “hot new music sites” that spring up every 20 minutes on the Internet. The fans do not go there, you’re only entertaining yourself. Every open mic I’ve ever seen is a room full of musicians politely waiting for their turn to get on stage. These events only introduce musicians to other musicians and offer some live p... Read Full Story
30: Create Amazing Music - Recorded and Live
Creating amazing songs/music and putting on a killer live show. That is the number one thing an artist needs to do.
- Emily White
31: Record and Release (LOTS OF) Music
No excuse exists with today’s technology to wait for a label, manager, sugar daddy, etc. Write Write Write! Record Record Record! Release Release Release! Plan to release 20-30 songs PER YEAR for the first 3-5 years without any lulls. If you cannot write enough mate... Read Full Story
38: Learn How to Rehearse
You know the rules to get a song on radio intro/ verse/ chorus/ verse/ chorus/ bridge/ chorus, 3 1/2 minutes long, etc. But live those rules change…it’s a different medium. You need to find the moments in the songs and develop them during a rehearsal. Rehearsals are a great place to take chances and be spontaneous.
- Tom Jackson
39: Play Shows Locally & Frequently First
I differentiate this from TOUR (which is what is the ultimate plan). The idea... Read Full Story
53: Have A Killer Website at Your Custom Domain URL
Create a webpage that lures in the “just looking” visitors and gets them to upgrade to level 2 of your site when they give you’re their email / contacts. The level 2 experience of your site should be enhanced from the level one “tire kicker” level in terms of content quality, quantity and how quickly it is updated. Once you have enough level 2 members you will want to create a level 3 experience that is another... Read Full Story
69: Tell Them It’s Okay To Share With Creative Commons Licensing
Copyright law is clear: Your songs are yours. But what if you want to tell people it’s okay to share your music, or use it for noncommercial purposes, as long as they attribute you? Enter creativecommons.org, a simple way to license your music to let people know what you want people to do with your music, while keeping the rights that you want to reserve. If you use the creativecommons.org website banners on your o... Read Full Story
