3 Questions to Ask Before Going on Tour

You have heard it several times already: the music industry is not the same as it was 30, 20 and even 10 years ago! Today, you have to be a successful indie artist, before one of the Big Three record labels even consider signing you. A great way to promote your music and yourself, and gain more fans is to go on tour. Here are 3 questions to considers before going on tour:

5 Key People You Need in Your Music Team

If you want a long-term career in the music industry as an artist, you have to have a team; there’s no exception to this. Whether your goal as a musician is to be a local artist, achieve indie success, or get signed by a major label, having a music team will help you attain your goals. A music team can be made up of as many people as you like. George Howard, founder of Slow River Records, gives great suggestions about including a web developer, tour manager, and song pluggers in your own music management team. Nonetheless, with out these 5 key people in your team, you will not take your career in the music industry to the next level:

Legal Disputes in the Music Industry

In the music industry, it is fairly common to hear about or know someone who has entered into a legal dispute. Whether it is about distribution rights, a copyright claim or a contract, they are all matters that can greatly delay if not end your career in the industry. This post provides 3 articles that provide examples of popular artists and the lawsuits they've recently dealt with. I feel that as inspiring artists, bands and music industry professionals, we can all learn from these court claims.

Website Review: ReverbNation.com

Hello everybody! Today I will be reviewing the website ReverbNation.com . ReverbNation is a promotional website for professionals in the music industry. It most specifically aims for the independent part of the industry. They aim to use the technology for today to prosper careers in the music field. They provide hands-on and easy to use tools to distribute and promote solutions to career goals in the complex world of music. The following image is what ReverbNation stands for.

Veronica Belmont's interview with music industry professional Ethan Kaplan

For today’s blog post, I decided to write about a video I found of an interview. Veronica Belmont “Tech Talks” with Ethan Kaplan, who during the time was Vice President of technology at Warner Bros. Records, about the music industry. Although the video is about 4 years old, I found the information valuable and applicable for today’s industry.

The End of the A&R Era?

Possibly. A&R back in the day were considered creative people who had some sense of power over pop culture. They knew the dos and don’ts of commercial success, and they were responsible for scouting talent for their record label. They would go spend their evenings in nightclubs to listen and discover new artists or bands, and help them develop.  Nowadays, however, the talent needs to have some sort of momentum before A&R even consider getting involved. Once an artist achieves this momentum, they go straight to the contract without the need of an A&R.