You might not rely on music to pay your bills, but I am willing to wager that a part of you hopes will one day provide for your needs. The fact you even consider this as a possibility should make it clear that your music is a business. Your name – be it your own or that of your group – is your brand, and your product is a mixture of music and live performance.
The term ‘brand consistency’ refers to any attempt to communicate messages in a way which doesn’t detract or wander away from the core brand strategy, values and foundation. In other words, brand consistency is all about being yourself in everything that you do so that consumers know who you are, what you produce, and what your work is all about.
To be clear, brand consistency is much deeper than remembering to use the same logo with proper Pantone color over and over again. These things are helpful, but brand consistency is an ever-evolving process that pulls consumers into your narrative and makes them feel as if they are a part of your personal journey. From your music to the photos you choose to promote your every move, and everything in between, your message and focus needs to be clear.
Without brand consistency, consumers will lose sight of the message you are trying to convey, which in turn will cause them to lose interest. If they cannot understand what you are trying to do, they will find it hard to trust your future output, thus making it increasingly hard to convert listeners to supporters.
The biggest acts of today, be it Drake or Twenty One Pilots, have impeccable brand consistency. Everything these artists release relates back to the messages they are trying to convey, and in many cases further, a narrative that the artist has been developing for the majority – if not all – of their career.
Every artist and band should establish a brand and a guideline for maintaining it as soon as possible. These efforts should include instructions on how to use all your branding tools (name, logo, typeface, photos, color palettes, etc.). Being specific is key. Know exactly how you want to be presented and find clear ways to communicate that to anyone who works with you moving forward. This includes publicists, booking agents, promoters, etc.
If you are unsure of what your brand is or what people expect from your music, do not be afraid to turn to your fans for answers. Their response may not be uniform, but it will shed light on what elements of your current output are resonating most with your audience. Embrace those things, further emphasize them, and plot your next moves with that knowledge in mind.
For help marketing your new and unreleased music to the industry at large while staying on brand, consider using Haulix for your promotional distribution needs. Haulix offers customizable promo pages and email invitations no competitor can rival. Sign up now for a free one-month trial.
Getting press in music is harder than ever before, but with a few simple steps, you can develop a meaningful relationship with industry gatekeepers.
The competition for attention in music is fierce. Whether you’re seeking to reach consumers directly or trying to get press from genre gatekeepers, there is a countless number of competing talents vying for the same thing at any given moment. Those artists lucky enough to get ahead do so first and foremost because they possess that intangible ‘it’ factor that draws people in, but that alone doesn’t make a career. The only way to continually move forward, both with fans and members of the press, is through engagement.
You can find a million articles about engaging your audience, but far less tell you how to support the members of the press and music community who find time in their busy schedules to promote your work. It’s not hard to do so, but it does take time, and hopefully you will make the decision to engage that content more often after reading this post.
But first, a few hard truths about music journalism and promotion in 2019:
The vast majority of publications are writing less news posts because the traffic those posts receive is declining with each passing year. Most people get their news from artists via social media, which for many makes sharing anything that is not ‘a scoop’ or an otherwise exclusive/cool piece of information a waste of time.
Many publications, especially larger outlets like Rolling Stone, are featuring less new talent now than ever before. The reasons for this are numerous and unique to each site, but one common argument against new music coverage is that it often fails to generate traffic. The lucky few who do receive attention from these outlets earn their appearance by first developing a dedicated following online or creating something that is undeniably special.
The term ‘exclusive’ means very little in 2019. There was a time when exclusivity existed online, but these days, most content can be embedded anywhere in a matter of seconds. What matters most is the information surrounding the content. For example, appearing in Rolling Stone may be a cool thing to brag about, but if a smaller site can offer more compelling writing to accompany your latest creation that site could potentially play a larger role in earning you new fans than RS.
Some sites will say yes to anything. Traffic is king online, and many sites are scrambling to grow their daily readership by any means necessary in hopes they can make a few pennies more from people viewing ads. That desperation leads many to agree to anything pitched their way, which in itself is not a bad thing. Promoting new music from young artists is something to be admired in a time when many don’t make time to do so. However, many sites who agree to everything put very little time into making any one piece of content special.
Writers help artists they like before anyone else. If you’re lucky, someone with influence will discover your music and take an active role in promoting it without being asked. Most artists, however, are not that lucky. You should constantly be following and engaging with writers and publications online, as well as engaging with their content. Make yourself recognizable to them without coming across as someone trying to get something in return. Journalists are inundated with requests all day long, so try to not be another person in a long line of anonymous voices screaming into someone’s inbox for attention. In other words, be a decent human who treats others like they matter.
Got it? Good. Back to the matter at hand.
If you can overcome the immense competition for the media’s competition it is in your best interest to show appreciation for the content creator’s work. It should be clear from the points above, but the market for coverage of new artists and music from largely unknown talent is quite small. Getting someone to pay for that coverage is basically impossible, which is why so many of the best new music writing and promotion comes from people working for free out of their home, dorm, etc. They write about the music they’re passionate about, and that passion is what their audience wants. It should be what you want, too.
Whenever you’re lucky enough to receive positive coverage you should — at the very least — engage with the content in some small way (like, favorite, heart, etc.). That small act, which takes just seconds, tells the writer you see what they’re doing and you appreciate their effort. It tells them the time they spent crafting content to help promote your music instead of someone else was not time wasted, and it makes them feel as though they are part of something bigger than themselves. They are now part of your journey, and that connection to your career may very well lead them to cover you more in the future.
You will get further ahead if you actively engage with the content through sharing or commenting on content related to your group. These actions show appreciation for the content, but it also adds something of a personal touch, especially if shares are accompanied by original text. Like parents always tell us, saying “thank you” and being polite will get you far in this life. In music, showing appreciation through promotion and direct engagement tells writers that you respect their craft as much as they respect your art. It sends a message that their content is seen and felt, which is the same thing you are searching for as an artist.
Virtually anyone can get covered once or twice, but the key to consistent press coverage is networking and the relationships you develop over time. It’s work, but it’s work that’s well worth the effort required.
TIDAL is the first streaming platform to make developing young talent one of its primary concerns.
Spotify and Apple Music are the first names most think of when asked about streaming services, but TIDAL is not far behind. Jay-Z’s music streaming service boasts 4.2 million subscribers worldwide, and as of this week, the platform has become the first in its field to make a focused effort to discover and develop promising young talent.
Tidal Unplugged is a new, $1 million endowment program made possible by philanthropists Mark Lampart and Robert Nelsen, two of venture capitalists associated with the platform. Kicking it off in Detroit, the promotion aims to give artists the means and resources to pursue their passion. A brief explanation on the Tidal Unplugged landing page reads:
All local artists are welcome to submit an acoustic performance to be eligible for the program. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity allows aspiring musicians to dedicate more time and energy to seeking a career as an artist.
Artist Incentives:
– Artist incentives – Creative budget – Monthly stipend – Access to recording & creative resources – Industry mentoring – Promotional support via TIDAL Rising – Opportunity to perform in a TIDAL Unplugged showcase
At the end of the program, finalists will develop and finish four songs for distribution. Once complete, the tracks will debut on TIDAL. Artists will also maintain 100% ownership of their works.
TIDAL hopes to expand the program in other markets.
Sbumissions for TIDAL Unplugged begin on March 1. For additional information, please contact unplugged@tidal.com.
Not all music conferences are created equal. Some will change your life, but others are a waste of time.
Music conferences are an increasingly popular way to learn about the industry, network with peers, and gain access to business leaders who may otherwise be unavailable. No two events are the same, which can be a good and bad thing for consumers, but they all promise to help dreamers learn how to make their fantasies a reality.
The truth is that no one can make your dreams a reality other than you. The best any conference can do is offer the chance to learn how to best position yourself for success. Maybe the means attending panels featuring discussions between industry figures you admire or perhaps it means submitting to showcase at a place where movers and shakers in the business may be present, but success itself is still your responsibility.
With this in mind, it’s important that aspiring professionals who want to attend music conferences select the right event to meet their needs and help their career. There are many conferences that offer little to no useful information, as well as many more who gladly take money from artists in exchange for showcase opportunities that have little to no likelihood of being attended by people who can actually boost a career. These events happen all over the country every year and will continue do so because the vast majority of aspiring professionals are so desperate for the keys to success that they will go anywhere and do anything to get ahead.
But that’s not you. The fact you’re reading this now says you’re only interested in making wise investments with your time and finances. You understand there are no shortcuts in this business, and that alone places you in rarified air in your peer group.
We’ve had the opportunity to attend music conferences from coast to coast, and though we have not been to them all, we do know several that have the potential to change your life and career. Don’t miss these events:
The largest gathering of dreamers and professionals in the world, SXSW is the go to destination for anyone trying to rise through the ranks of the music industry. There are hundreds of speakers, thousands of performers, and all the parties anyone could hope to attend. The street food is pretty good too.
We believe everyone should attend SXSW at least once in their lives. It’s a chaotic event unlike anything else that isn’t for everyone, but those determined to get their name or music in front of tastemakers can accomplish that on the streets of Austin as long as they have the confidence to step up and say something.
LAUNCH is the SXSW of Pennsylvania. In fact, it may be better than SXSW because those in attendance have more access to industry leaders and a better chance of seeing the next big band in music. The event welcomes thousands from around the US for four days of discussions and mentoring, all lead by some of the brightest minds in the music business. At night, the festival takes over the city of Lancaster with hundreds of live performances happening all over the historic downtown area.
Haulix has participated in LAUNCH several times and will return this April to appear on one of the many great panels curated by the event staff. We’d love to meet you, so please come out and say hello!
Music Biz 2019, powered by the Music Business Association, will return to Music City USA to unite leaders in the commerce, content and creative communities across the globe to discuss the future of the music business and to build relationships that will steer the industry for years to come. Here you can find representatives from the biggest names in music, as well as networking opportunities with peers in a city where anything can happen.
We collaborate with the Music Biz organization throughout the year on webinars and other educational opportunities. Their star power and location sure makes Music Biz an event worth attending, but it’s the fact that they care about making sure everyone gets something from their conference that places them on this list.
For its second year, ECMC is adding more nationally recognized speakers, such as Matt Starr; Tune Core founder, Jeff Price; and documentarian, John Rash; along with 30 other speakers and panelists. Additionally, for the live music showcases, ECMC will be adding several national acts to compliment approximately 75 international, national, and 20-30 local performers. ECMC 2019 is hosted and sponsored by a Who’s Who of innovative local companies, including O’Connor Brewing, Percolator, and Homemadesoul Music. So far, ECMC 2019 has artists booked from four nations including the U.K. and Japan. The growth has been spurred by overwhelmingly positive response of first year attendees and the successes of 2018 artists, such as being added to Warped Tour and other major events, widespread national media coverage, and the signing of licensing and other deals from the conference.
Every conference promises opportunities to get ahead, but ECMC backs their claims up with evidence of success that no one can deny. Also, it’s the only conference on this list to feature Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman AND rap icon Ice-T in the lineup. If that’s not enough to make you want to attend, we don’t know what to tell you.
Don’t let the name fool you. DIY Musician Conference has something to offer artists and aspiring professionals alike. The event itself is young, but the industry talent it attracts is seasoned. You will be face to face with movers and shakers of the industry who are still actively involved in shaping the business of music on a daily basis. You will also rub shoulders with peers who, like you, are ready to take their career to the next level.
One of the internet’s most popular phrases, ‘Hustler Harder’ is a recipe for disaster, depression, and feelings of inadequacy.
Read a motivational blog, any motivational blog, and you’re bound to see the word ‘hustle’ used as if it were going out of style. People will tell you to hustle every day, hustle nonstop, always be on your hustle, etc. But what does this really mean, and what – if anything – will hustling every day really do for your career?
I take issue with the idea we should always be hustling for a few reasons. For starters, not everyone knows how to hustle. People often confuse hustling with merely getting your work done, or doing whatever you think needs to be done to get ahead. That may be true in some cases, but the hustling as an idea is a bit broader in its definition. Hustling refers to being smarter than those you’re competing against to get ahead. This goes beyond working hard for long hours. In fact, you don’t even need to do those things to truly hustle. Lots of people get ahead by doing less than their peers, and that is its own form of hustling.
Secondly, hustling every day never guarantees success. A person with a terrible voice can practice singing every day for the rest of their lives and never be half as good as the least successful major label artist. Likewise, I can hit the gym every day and never gain enough muscle to be a linebacker in the NFL. Just because I want something and work diligently towards achieving it does not mean that goal will one day be realized. It makes it more likely, sure, but that’s about it.
Third, and most importantly, some hustles are actually detrimental to your personal development. Some people spend years of their lives working toward something that is never going to happen and in the process make great sacrifices that they later regret. To understand whether or not this is happening an individual needs to disengage from their hustle and take stock of their life. They need to possess the power to step back, examine what does and does not work, then adjust their path in life accordingly. When someone hustles hard every single day, 24/7, the opportunity for reflection is lost. By the time people do think to look up, time and life have often passed them by.
Very few people hustle hard every day and achieve their goals. The vast majority hustle hard for longer than they should and realize they missed their chance to pursue their passion. Worse yet, many often miss out on experiences with family and friends because of their dedication to the idea of hustling hard.
Those who hustle hard will inevitably burn out. Don’t hustle harder, Hustle smarter, and by that I mean constantly evaluate your situation and what you need to do to create the life you aspire to experience. Examine the world around you and ask yourself if you are really leading to the life you want. If the answer is no, adjust your trajectory and keeping moving. Then do so again and again periodically for the rest of your life.
A great hustle is just one part of the recipe for success. Other elements include talent, networking skills, and general likability. Do you really think the hardest working person always gets the job over the person people like the most, or that those who are naturally gifted in a particular field do not rise through the ranks faster than those who have to work on their talent? The idea that hustling hard will eventually give you what you want only applies in a world where things are fair and trust me – this life is not fair.
Don’t hustle to hustle, don’t work hard just to say you drove yourself to the point of mental exhaustion, and don’t place work over people. You may never get where you hope to go, but you can still enjoy the journey.
With a growing global audience and low startup costs, podcasts are the next step in digital marketing and fan engagement.
Did you know that 50% of all US homes are podcast fans? How about the fact that over 44% of the entire US population, or roughly 124 million people, listened to podcasts over the last twelve months?
On a global scale, more than one in four residents of Japan, France, Canada, Italy, the United States, Australia, Sweden, and Spain listen to podcasts monthly. In South Korea, more than half of the entire population (58%) listens to podcasts on a monthly is.
These figures and other available online are growing with each passing month. Podcasts were practically unknown a decade ago, but today there are more than 500,000 shows offering millions of hours of entertainment for listeners. Studies show the average podcast fan commits to six or seven shows each week, and most (80%) listen to each episode in full. Podcast listeners are, on average, smart and loyal listeners who actively support the shows they enjoy through either digital promotion, crowdfunding, or engagement with sponsors who make their favorite programs possible.
All this data is impressive, but what is even crazier is how few musicians have decided to engage their fans through podcasts.
A podcast can be anything you want. Some choose to interview people they find interesting, while others stick to a theme or subject. Pop-punk band Waterparks host a series where they read fan fiction about their group. The possibilities are endless!
The perks of having a podcast are numerous, including:
Direct engagement with fans
Ability to deliver new content to fans regularly
A promotional vehicle for tours, albums, and anything else
Creates future promotional material (you can share clips on your social media)
Allows fans to know you better (they don’t have to stalk you, they just have to listen)
Provides a platform to discuss and dissect your art
Potential to create new fans for your music through conversation
Fill time while at home or on the road that is otherwise spent scrolling social media or staring out the window
Potential for extra income, either through fans buying merchandise or sponsors getting behind the show
Podcasts are also incredibly cheap to create. Many shows are recorded using a smartphone voice memo app, but others use the same microphones artists use to create demos in their home studios. Hosting is available through a number of providers, including several that have offers for free hosting to first-time users, as well as free distribution to major platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.
Furthermore, with Spotify’s recent acquisition of Gimlet Media and Anchor the streaming giant — who already has a large stake in podcasting — is planning to promote podcasts heavily in the months and years to come. Artists with shows will not only be able to promote their music and vice versa through a single platform, but they will also be able to earn streaming royalties from their podcast. That’s money which, unless otherwise agreed to in a contract, goes directly to the artist behind the show. It’s a side hustle that helps the main focus of an artist’s career in many ways.
Competition is music is growing fiercer by the day, and most acts use the same tricks as every other artist or business or consumer to build their audience. But right now, for what will likely be a very short window of time, there is a market for musicians willing to open up in podcasting that is largely overlooked. Any artist would be foolish to not take advantage of this opportunity. Podcasting offers a chance to grow closer to fans, build an audience, and earn a few extra bucks. What more could you want?
Process sheets are the most important part of any collaboration. Do you know how they work?
The vast majority of musicians rely on their knowledge and wits, or that or their managers, to navigate the music industry. That approach is good at first, but as your level of success begins to rise it’s always smart to surround yourself with people who may be better versed in the more complicated areas of the business. For example, songwriting credits and royalties.
You don’t have to follow industry news closely to know there have been many lawsuits involving artists and their teams where disputes boil down to who gets paid and how much they get paid for a song or record. While some of those cases are the result of shady business practices, others come to pass because the people involved at the point of creation were not fully aware of how Performance Rights Organizations (or PROs) calculate payouts.
As SonicBids explains, a publishing split sheet (often simply referred to as a split sheet) is a document that states who wrote what percentage of the song(s) recorded by a band or artist. A split sheet should be created for every song you write, before ever shopping it to a third party to be published commercially.
We recognize that many artists hate to think of music as a business, but those make a career out of music do so because they treat it as a business. Take a few minutes today to learn how split sheets work to ensure you get paid what you are owed for all future creations:
At some point in the last decade, the focus of promotional materials pivoted from an exploration of the art itself to something more focused on the personalities of those behind said art. The problem is, there is a lot more that goes into most of it than just someone’s character. You may have heard a saying about how the funniest people often feel the most pain, and the same thing goes for music. Those able to make others feel better usually do so by first trying to heal themselves, but just because you make others’ pain go away does not mean yours will too.
The same thing can also be said for writing and any other part of the music business. We’ve all succumb to this temptation of believing people’s personality is wholly representative of who they are. Maybe they’re the quirky Twitter commentator who has held a longtime publicity job, or perhaps they’re the angry critic whose takedowns of music notables has paid their bills for last five years. Maybe they’re a musician who sings about exorcizing demons, so we believe finding peace is possible, or perhaps they’re a really positive promoter who always thinks about the artists on the come up. We learn to see people as caricatures because it’s comfortable both in the short team and over the long haul. When we get close things tend to get messy.
Now if we all do this and we all know we do this then why is it so hard to break the cycle? When did it become taboo to let your flaws be known? In an era where the idea body positivity is finally getting the kind of widespread acceptance it has always deserved, we seem to have become comfortable allowing the confidence we have in our outside appearance to speak to our confidence in about other areas of life. We see a smile or hear a laugh and think, at least in some small way, that person’s life must be pretty good. After all, only people who have figured out something about this crazy thing called life could have that kind of expression.
I too have fallen prey to this kind of thinking in both of the ways described above. I have taken people’s personality as a sign of their mental and physical health. I have also used my personality to mask my struggles, such as hiding pain with jokes and writing about nonsense when really there is something very specific I wish I could discuss. The simplicity of only understanding a person or thing enough to categorize them as something in your head (good, bad, beautiful, ugly, smart, funny, etc.) is a plague, and it’s making us lose connection in an age where we claim to be more connected than ever.
To combat this in my own small way, I started sharing my story, warts and all. It was not easy at first, but in time it got easier. I challenged myself to write about myself every day, and every time I told a story I tried to add at least one detail unique to that story that told people something about me. Maybe it was a way I thought about some bigger concept, or perhaps it was just a turn of phrase. Sometimes I detailed the things I ate and why, but other times I would just mention a song and its inadvertent relevance to whatever events were unfolding.
You know what I found? The more I exposed my true self to the world the more people seemed to give a damn. All the pushback and negativity I expected to encounter never amounted to much if anything. Instead, I was inundated with messages from people of all ages, some of whom were complete strangers beforehand, telling me how much they connected with some part of my story.
They say in marketing you only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention or you may never get such an opportunity ever again. That may be true when it comes to physical products, but in the game of life and art, the real success is found in strong, lasting relationships. It’s not just about grabbing someone’s attention, but connecting to them on a level so deep they hunger for they grow to have a kind of dependence on that connection. A longing, if you will. And you, the creator, will feel it too. Because at the end of the day all we have for sure is one another, and there is peace to be found in the communities we build together.
Whether you’re an artist trying to bring attention to your work or a person trying to connect with the world around you, the clearest path to success – not to mention the only real chance at happiness any of us have – is through the true expression of self. Let people into your world, show them ‘the process’ of being who you are and working towards who you want to become. Allow people to understand better that they share this journey called life with you, and through doing so hopefully, inspire them to create as well. Even if all you do is entertain them, you’ll know they’re taking in something real and true and representative of the struggles you overcome to do whatever it is you do.
“A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power.” – Brian Tracy
If you use any social media platform, then you have no doubt witnessed an avalanche of resolutions, hopes, and dreams for the new year being shared over the last few weeks. You may have participated yourself. If not, that’s okay too.
Resolutions are good intentions with a better name. Hopes and dreams are much the same. We all want to be better, and most of us tell ourselves each new year will be different than the last. Some of us make lists filled with changes we hope to make, while others choose just one or two areas of life they would like to improve. Both methods are useful, but neither one guarantees results.
Most people don’t understand that a declaration of a desire for betterment is not enough to create meaningful change. Most know what they want in life, and many try to get there, but the vast majority fall short of their goals for one simple reason: They don’t have a plan.
Resolutions are nothing without plans. As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Maybe you want to sign a record deal this year, or perhaps you want to launch a label of your own. Maybe you want to write for your favorite magazine or speak at a half-dozen conferences. There are no apparent reasons for those goals, or any other (within reason), to be considered impossible. You can do more than you know, but even the simplest of goals can feel hard to achieve without a good plan.
To borrow a quote from Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
This week, take some time to sit down with pen and paper. You can use a computer or phone if you desire, but studies have shown that writing — real writing, by hand — helps forge a meaningful connection to what you are creating.
Once you’re seated and comfortable, write out the things you hope to accomplish this year. Dream big and use as many details as possible. If you want a record deal, what kind of deal and with what label? If you’re going to write more, how much and for whom? If you want to write a novel, what will it be about?
After the goals are in front of you, grab a second sheet of paper and outline your plans to achieve every goal you’ve set. We all have to start somewhere, so where will your next journey begin? Details matter. You cannot go from writing once a week to churning out chapters overnight. Just like those who wish to lose weight must commit to lifestyle changes so must those who want to be more creative commit to changing their habits. Maybe you need to get up earlier, so you have more time to create, or perhaps you need to find a new career that allows you to express yourself better. Whatever it is, write out exactly how you plan to achieve that thing, step-by-step.
2019 is upon us. As the music business slowly returns to normal, we wanted to take a few moments to reflect. The past year has been a busy one for us. From traveling the country to appear at conferences and colleges, to creating a wide array of content covering our changing industry and the best ways to navigate it, we did our best to bring you a little bit of everything.
Everyone knows music professionals are busy so we wouldn’t blame you for being unable to keep up with our every post or activity. Instead, we decided to compile our favorite posts from the past twelve months and present it here for easy access.
Use the links below to catch up and prepare for the year ahead.
