MuseWire COLUMN: Music internships can be a great opportunity for the beginner to the semi pro, to the professional musician that might be changing focus to another aspect of the music business. At the same time, the wrong music internship can leave you as an unpaid employee, doing crap work and learning nothing. Before jumping […]
MuseWire COLUMN: Artists need to think past the recording to get it heard, to get it sold and to get that larger fan base at shows. Too many focus on the recording and don’t think about the marketing, the promotion and the branding of how they will get that music out there. Looking at the […]
MuseWire COLUMN: In the music industry of today, the more questions that are asked more frequently will help artists make the smarter choices. There are a great deal of people out there that know what they are talking about, just as there are truck loads more than are fakes. The more questions an artist asks […]
MuseWire COLUMN: A lot of musicians and bands are playing on any given night, at any given club in any given city. So taking a smart approach to music advertising and gig advertising when it comes to social media promotion of the performance date is a good idea. One of the best ideas for musicians […]
COLUMN: So you have the music, the show, the look … and you figure that all the business stuff just needs to be handled by someone else. I mean, you are just that good. All you need now is the management, the agent or the label to make it happen. That’s how it works, right? […]
COLUMN: The most effective approaches to arguing, communication and problem solving for artists is crucial in this business…I can do a better summary than that…No, lets try this…Fighting and arguing sucks. How’s that for a summary? Much better. Whether you are in a band, running a business, in a relationship or any other type of […]
COLUMN: On any given day you can find that critic who is pushing his or her opinion on craigslist, a forum, some website or anywhere online where he or she can make a loud, brash and often harsh statement. This statement is generally incredibly opinionated, usually rude and brazenly offensive. Funny thing: while the author’s […]
COLUMN: In this hurting economy, many people are finding their bank accounts, wallets and savings a lot leaner lately. These same people are finding their credit card debt and their bills mounting. If money makes the world go round, the world’s been turning a lot more slowly lately for most people. It is hard enough […]
COLUMN: Hardship spurs many people to work diligently to fulfill their goals and stride closer to their dreams. The struggle becomes a daily battle, complete with minor skirmishes and obstacles, as well as the succulence of victory. Those victories add up and when they do, they create momentum. Momentum is precious and needs to be […]
COLUMN: How many times have you put off a challenge, a job, a plan or an assignment and claimed you would get to it when the time was right? We all have, but a sad fact still remains: it's never the right time and it never will be. Do it anyway, even during the tough […]
COLUMN: With the creation of the updating and micro-blogs such as Twitter, Rejaw, Plurk and Kwippy, as well as the status updates featured on sites like MySpace, Facebook, Imeem and other social sites, getting a quick message out to the masses is easier than ever. People can send a text from their phone or update […]
COLUMN: Lets say you have a great website, a whole bunch of secondary and social networking sites with strong content, a consistent logo and accessible music samples as well as music available for purchase. Now, as far as new fans, you are giving them a great deal to look at and listen to. But what […]
COLUMN: How do you reach out to fans, industry professionals and everyone else on the web? Most people think the answer is a website, a MySpace account, maybe a blog, a YouTube page, a Flickr account. While these pages are necessary, many artists don't even have these few pages, let alone all the others they […]
COLUMN: When was the last time you videotaped or digitally recorded yourself on stage? When was the last time you watched yourself perform, scrutinizing the playback for performance issues, pros, cons or just an overall review of your stage performance? Most people never have. Or, if they have recorded themselves, the footage was taken by […]
COLUMN: The band is coming around the corner as far as a song is concerned. The overall mix is just about there for the song. All the levels are right, all the instruments are balanced the way they are desired and the song is basically done. Is it time to save that mix and move […]
COLUMN: The ignorance, the arrogance and the unprofessional nature of the solicitous emails I receive on a daily basis from artists or their management never ceases to amaze me. I’m told this goes for overall basic email etiquette in any and every profession. Still, the lack of effort is jaw dropping; professionalism, style, and basic […]
COLUMN: Everyone is tired of that same old phrase “you only get one chance to make a first impression.” It is repeated ad nauseum from business schools to beauty pageants and everywhere in between. As much as I would rather say to throw away the stuffy old phrases, parables and sayings, this is one that […]
COLUMN: Many musicians labor with such meticulous effort and attention to detail when it comes to the production, recording and creation of a song or an album in the studio, but then abandon that work ethic once the album is done in exchange for instant gratification. These musicians make sure that when it comes to […]
COLUMN: American Idol began its eighth season last week with two-hour episodes airing on both Monday and Tuesday. That’s four hours of people with severe delusions of grandeur, and completely unrealistic hopes and expectations, all rooted in a profound misunderstanding of the music industry. All of this, plus the contestants’ lack of understanding of what […]
COLUMN: Have you ever picked up one of those weekly magazines you’ll find in any given city and seen all of the bands listed for performances all over that paper? You see them playing sometimes three nights in a row in a radius of less than 15 miles, and then they wonder why they have […]