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Musicians: 6 Tips to Rapidly Grow Your Instagram Following

The following is the latest in our ongoing content collaboration series with SonicBids. Enjoy!

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With 500 million active users, Instagram is a great visual social media platform to build your online community. Instagram allows you to give your fans a peek into your world through your photos and videos. While funny memes, quotes, and viral videos may get attention, building a community of fans for you and your music requires the right strategies. Here are six tips to grow your fanbase on Instagram.

1. Tell your story

Think of your Instagram feed as your personal online magazine. Use your photos and videos to visually tell your story. Pick main content themes that show who you are as an artist, and build a consistent feed. Some example of content themes are performing, recording, your musical interests, fashion/style, and religion/spirituality.

2. Decide on the overall look of your photos

When someone visits your profile, your first nine photos should have a consistent look. Decide if you want your Instagram feed to feature photos with an array of bold, eye-catching colors or if you want your photos to have a more minimalist, monochromatic look. You also need decide to whether you want your photos to have cool undertones or warm undertones.

Use a photo-editing app like VSCOCam to edit your photos to match your theme.

3. Post consistently

Along with having a consistent theme, you also need to be consistent in your posting. Consistency is key in building your followers over time. Sporadic posting could actually cause you to lose followers.

Post to your page one to three times a day to build your following. Create some of your posts and schedule them ahead of time with apps such as Hootsuite and Later to stay on top of your social game.

4. Use the right hashtags

Think of hashtags that both represent your brand and what your fans are searching for on Instagram. Use an analytics tool such as Iconosquare to see which hashtags are popular among your fans. Switch out your hashtags every few months to keep them fresh and correlate with your fans’ interests.

5. Spark engagement

You have to give in order to receive likes and comments on your Instagram content. Ask your followers questions, and post call-to-action photos to engage them. Like other peeple’s photos, and leave genuine comments on their content. Commit to engaging with a specific number of people per week to grow your following.

6. Post at the right times

In order to receive the most engagement, you must post your content at the right times. Post your content morning, afternoon, and evening to reach your fans in different time zones. Use Iconosquareto analyze when your followers are online. Study your followers’ behavior for at least a month and make adjustments to your posting times based on your findings.

Lauren Gill is the founder and chief power specialist at Power Publicity, a marketing, branding, and public relations firm that empowers entertainment, nonprofit, and lifestyle brands. She has executed several successful marketing and PR campaigns for major and indie recording artists. You can follow her on Twitter @IamLaurenGill and @_powerpublicity.

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Do You Know the True Costs Involved With Recording and Releasing a Single?

This post is the latest in our ongoing collaboration series with Sonicbids.

Often, when musicians start writing a single, they’re not thinking of all the steps and costs it will take to actually release it. But all those costs catch up to you really quickly. There’s just so much to take into account – from the rehearsal and recording, to the mastering and distribution. And if you put it off instead of planning everything out from the get go, you could find yourself scrambling for time and money to get your single out on time.

Just a little planning from the start of the process could save you a ton of headaches, so in this article we’re going to go through all the costs you can expect when recording and releasing a single.

Rehearsal

If you’re lucky enough to have a big enough garage (and understanding neighbors), this won’t apply to you, but for everyone else, the first cost you’ll hit when releasing a single is rehearsal space. You want to make sure you have the song 100 percent worked out and know all the parts like the back of your hand before you set foot in the studio. This will keep the recording process going smoothly.

Copyright

Next, you should take the time to register your copyright with the federal government. If you’re going to be working with other musicians or a producer, they’re going to want to know that you own the copyright to your song. In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a big expense at all – about $55 – but it’s still something a lot of musicians skip.

Recording studio

Next, you’ll hit the studio. Keep in mind that if you’re not fortunate enough to have a good local studio, you’ll also have to factor in transportation and lodging costs to get there. Studios will usually charge by the hour, or sometimes they’ll rent out a couple hour blocks or even a day for a little cheaper. Some studios will give you a lower price for low-traffic hours, like night and early morning.  

Equipment rental/purchase

Sometimes a new song requires new gear. Maybe you need a new pedal to get that sound you’re hearing in your head, or a six-string bass to get a bigger range. You should also make sure you’re stocked up on the basics like extra strings, sticks, and picks. The last thing you want to do is spend your expensive studio time out looking for a music store when your strings snap.

Session musicians

Sometimes your creative vision goes beyond the instrumental capabilities of your band, and that’s where session musicians come in. These musicians specialize in recording other people’s music, and they will usually charge by the hour. If you’re on a tight budget, try to pull in local or amateur session musicians or friends who will do the job a little cheaper or in exchange for your services on their album.

Producer

The producer is the creative director of your song. They’ll help you with the arrangement and channeling your creative ideas, they’ll help the engineers with the overall direction of the sound, and they’ll help keep the project on track and on budget. They will often charge by the hour or by the project.

Recording engineer

Recording engineers are in charge of setting and hooking everything up, and manning all the equipment to capture the best sound. Like producers, they will usually charge by the hour.

Mixing engineer

The mixing engineer will take all the tracks you recorded in the studio, find the best takes, and put it all together into a song. They’ll adjust the levels, add EQ, effects, compression, reverb, and the like to make the song sound as good as possible. Most mixing engineers will charge per track, though some may charge more if you have really long songs.

Mastering engineer

Mastering engineers get the song ready for release. A lot of what they do is raising the level, evening things out, fixing minor problems with the mix, and adding text information to the track. Like mixers, mastering engineers will often charge per track or album.

Artwork

If you’re looking to distribute your song on major online retailers, it definitely helps to have some great looking artwork to go with it. Plus, this will also give your some cool images for your promotion. Artwork doesn’t have to be super expensive. More likely than not, there are a bunch of talented artists in your town who could come up with something really cool for a few hundred dollars.

Distribution

Once the single is done, you need to get it out to your fans. It’s probably not worth putting your single on a physical CD by itself, so you’ll just be dealing with digital distribution. Both CD Baby and TuneCore will distribute your single to the major digital retailers for about $10. Other services like DistroKid will let you distribute as many songs as you want for about $20 per year. Loudr will also let you distribute an unlimited number of songs for a 15 percent commission.

Promotion

Depending on where you are in your career, promotion could be completely free or a pretty big expense. Social media and your email list are both definitely great tools to get your music out there. Try to come up with a creative campaign that builds off engagement and sharing, and give early sneak peeks to get your fans hyped. You could also use the album art and make an easy lyric video for YouTube.

If you have a bit more money, you could boost some posts on Facebook to get more exposure when your single is released, hire a publicist to get some great reviews, or create a music video.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about even if you’re just releasing one song, and going into it with a plan is the name of the game. Just like recording and releasing music, you should also have a plan for your music career. You need to know where you want to go and how to get there, and that’s exactly what you’ll learn how to do in the ebook Hack the Music Business. Click here to download the ebook for free.  

Dave Kusek is the founder of the New Artist Model, an online music business school for independent musicians, performers, recording artists, producers, managers, and songwriters. He is also the founder of Berklee Online, co-author of The Future of Music, and a member of the team who brought midi to the market.

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8 People Who Can Help Your Music Career Right Now

This post is the latest in our ongoing content collaboration with the fine folks at SonicBids. Enjoy!

You know the story: one fateful night at the local music hot spot, an up-and-coming local band is playing a show to a packed house. The place is going wild when suddenly, the crowd parts as a hot-shot record executive strolls in. The band plays their last song and starts packing when, out of nowhere, a sweaty, diamond-ring-encrusted hand is thrust into the face of the lead guitarist. It’s the hot-shot record executive, and he wants to offer the band a record deal. It could happen to you, right?

Don’t count on it!

The reality is, if your band isn’t very well known, there’s a slim chance of attracting a high-ranking record executive, producer, manager, agent, or any classic representative of the old music world. Instead of leaving your band’s success up to some fateful meeting, step back and think about who you already know or see often. If you’re an active musician working on making your presence known in your local scene, these eight people you probably already know can help you get your music into the right hands and keep your career in music rolling.

1. The barista at the local coffee shop

It doesn’t matter if you like coffee or coffee shops – the local coffee shop is going to attract local music lovers. There are probably lots of flyers for shows on the windows already. Next time you walk by or need a cup of coffee, introduce yourself to the baristas working. Mention your band, and ask if you can hang up flyers or leave a stack of CDs next time you stop in.

2. The DJ at your favorite college radio station or podcast

Spend a lot of time listening to college radio or podcasts? If they’re playing bands you like or similar-sounding bands to yours, stop listening and start communicating. The people DJing for college radio stations and podcasts are just like you: a fan of music. Find their contact info online and send them a short, polite message introducing yourself and your music. If they like what they hear, they might want to play you or introduce you to someone who can help you get your music heard.

3. The clerk at the music store

This might seem obvious, but it can be surprising how few musicians look to their local music stores for support. These people spend their lives buying, selling, sorting, and organizing music of all styles. If you need any sort of information, from cool bands or places to play to what’s happening this weekend, your local music store clerk probably knows more than he wishes he did!

4. The sound guy at the local venue

There might be no better resource for learning more about your local scene. If there’s a bar or club where you regularly see bands, chances are the sound guy has seen a hundred times more bands than you. Introduce yourself and your music, and the sound guy probably can point you to the venue’s talent buyer, introduce you to other similar bands, or just hip you to anything you might be interested in knowing about playing at that particular spot. All crucial info!

5. Your friend who runs an independent record label

Maybe you’re already out and about in the local music scene, and you happen to be friends with someone running his or her own independent label. You’d be surprised at how common this is! Whether or not the label puts out vinyl, CDs, cassettes, or even just digital, your friend might be willing to release your music if it fits the label’s style (and it’s good). It never hurts to ask. Even if your pal can’t or won’t release your stuff, he or she can point you towards other labels that might be interested and help you connect with other bands or musicians.

6. That Facebook friend who you know is a successful musician IRL

Facebook is breaking down more walls than ever, letting musicians connect with each other regardless of where they live in real life. If you’ve been on Facebook long enough, you’ve probably seen some well-known local musicians or even famous musicians come up in your feed as possible “friend” connections. Add them as friends and send them messages! Introduce yourself and your music, and let them know that you’re a fan of theirs. You might be amazed at the responses you get.

7. Your family

This might seem like a no-brainer (or totally embarrassing), but your family can be a surprising resource for advancing your music career. Keep them knowledgeable on your doings in the music world and invite them to performances, even if you know your dad won’t be moshing in a basement anytime soon. If you and your family have a decent relationship, they might mention you and your pursuits to someone who can help you down the line. Remember, you are being proactive. Swallow your pride and believe in your music!

8. People in the hallways at your rehearsal space

If you practice at a dedicated rehearsal space, chances are you aren’t alone. Next time you’re taking a break from your band or music, hang out in the halls and see who’s around and listen to what other bands are playing. Knock on the door after you hear some awesome band stop playing, and introduce yourself. Next time you talk to someone randomly as you walk to your space, politely let them know about you and your band.

Above all, don’t give up hope. For every person interested in your music, there might be 10 people that aren’t. Don’t worry about it. Keep spreading knowledge of your music, and keep meeting people. Sooner or later, someone who can help you will take notice.

Christopher DeArcangelis is an active musician and copywriter from Chicago. He writes songs, plays guitar, and sings vocals for the rock and roll band MAMA and is the founder of the creative agency Static Free Industries.

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4 Common PR Mistakes That Make Your Band Look Unprofessional

This post is the latest in our ongoing collaboration with SonicBids. Enjoy!

Haste makes waste in so many situations in life. That includes reaching out to the media to cover your band or contacting PR agencies to represent your band. You’d be surprised how a few small PR mistakes can make you (and your band) look like a great big dope. The good news is that these mistakes all come with easy fixes. If any or all of these apply to you, get to rectifyin’, yo!

1. Sloppy emails

If you reach out to a member of the media to cover your band, or to a publicist or a manager seeking representation, a bunch of spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors scream “amateur hour” at areally deafening volume. It takes just a few seconds to do a quick spell check or grammar scan. Double check before you hit that send button. It’s only a moment, but it makes a world of difference.

Remember, if you’re reaching out to the media, these are people who traffic in words and content all day, every day. They’re going to be the first to notice that you used “it’s” when you really meant “its.” So don’t start out on the wrong grammatical foot. It makes you look sloppy and unseasoned.

2. Acting too casual with an industry person you don’t (or barely) know

Whether you’re sending out a cold email, or even an email to someone you actually met and exchanged business cards with, using a super casual “hey” greeting and/or not addressing people by their first name comes across as rude, lacking tact, and totally unprofessional. Demonstrating confidence with a “bro” tone is not your goal here. Being courteous and professional is your goal.

If I get an email from someone with an unfriendly, boorish, or super pushy tone, I don’t even bother to respond, as both a publicist and as a writer. So don’t be rude or curt. Get in and get out, but do it with niceness.

3. Poor-quality assets (or none at all)

I’ve gone to fact-check info, such as band member last names and positions, and I’m routinely shocked when I can’t even get a proper band member listing from a Facebook page. Come on, guys! That’s basic stuff right there. Get with it.

Make sure your website has a fresh, visually appealing skin. Your official site (and yes, you should have one of those), your social media pages, and your EPK should be up to date and have all the proper info, like your bio, your band members and their roles in the band, and contact info. Everything should be easy to find. If you don’t even tell people visiting your page who does what in the band, you’re wasting their precious time, and they may say, “To hell with it!” and move on if they can’t find what they’re looking for.

4. TMI social media presence

Don’t let your band’s social media presence become a hub of personal information or TMI posts, unless you’re really engaging with a fan club, hosting some sort of contest, or sharing a deep connection with fans. If you want your fans to know you on that level, fine. But be careful with how much access you allow.

Basically, just don’t act a fool on band properties. Save the drama and silly stuff for your personal feed… but with discretion.

Amy Sciarretto has 20 years of print and online bylines, from Kerrang to Spin.com to Revolver toBustle, covering music, beauty, and fashion. After 12 years doing radio and publicity at Roadrunner Records, she now fronts Atom Splitter PR, her own boutique PR firm, which has over 30 clients. She also is active in animal charity and rescue.

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The One Thing That Kills Promising Bands Faster Than Anything Else

This post is the latest in our ongoing content collaboration with Sonicbids.

Promising bands have a lot to deal with. From seeking, attracting, and responding to label and management attention, to possible press interest, to the basic desire to succeed, a lot of noise isn’tfiltered out. There’s one thing, however, that kills promising bands faster than anything else – and that’s focusing on everything but the music.

If a band gets caught up in all the social media shenanigans or trying to find a team before they have the great songs that are required to attract the music industry types and fans they need, well, they’re going to sink instead of swim.

If you’re in a band, and you don’t spend the majority of your time on your music, crafting the best possible material, you’re doing it all wrong. Nothing else matters, to quote Metallica. You can focus on the social media and the peripheral stuff later or in secondary fashion. Get the songs and the sound down first. Make songs people want to hear. Make songs you’re passionate about and proud of. If the music is great, it’ll start to react and find its audience. You can spend time sharing music online or reaching out to potential fans or media, but don’t let that take up the bulk of your time. You’ll derail the train before it leaves the station when you get caught up in too much of the external noise.

Your career starts and ends with great music. There’s this saying that you can only polish a turd so much. At the end of the day, it’s… still a turd. The same concept applies here. You can Instagram photos, post Facebook updates, and tweet your face off, but if you’re social media strategizing on something no one gives a shit about or something that is just plain bad, you’re wasting precious time that you could be using to craft better songs. Get the song parts down first.

I’ve had plenty of bands contact me with nothing to go on, claiming that they want PR to become the biggest band in the world. Zzzz. If there isn’t a quality song or even a legit or long-term career plan in place, it’s like trying to build a house without tools or a plot of land. It doesn’t just appear – you have to lay the concrete and then each brick atop that foundation.

So, yes, you can utilize social media and seek out representation when the timing is right, but make sure your songs are top notch first.

Amy Sciarretto has 20 years of print and online bylines, from Kerrang to Spin.com to Revolver toBustle, covering music, beauty, and fashion. After 12 years doing radio and publicity at Roadrunner Records, she now fronts Atom Splitter PR, her own boutique PR firm, which has over 30 clients. She also is active in animal charity and rescue.

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3 Things You Might Be Doing That Are Ruining Your Music PR Campaign

This is the latest post in our ongoing content collaboration with the fine folks behind Sonicbids. If you have the time, give their blog a click. We think it’s pretty cool.

Typically, you’re investing a considerable amount of money with a reputable music PR firm when you begin a publicity campaign. Knowing this, I try to put myself in my clients’ shoes and look at ways they can genuinely maximize the campaign to the fullest. This typically means additional engagement from the client to ensure we’re working in tandem to increase the chances of success throughout the campaign. After 13 years publicizing musicians, I’ve found there are three mistakes unknowingly made by bands that almost always contribute to the campaign’s demise.

1. Ineffectively using your social networks

I often have bands come to us who would like to see coverage in Rolling Stone or Stereogum throughout the campaign. The first thing I do is look at their social networks to see what type of following and engagement they currently have, only to find a Twitter account with 49 followers and tweets that are infrequent at best. Although social networks aren’t the only factors in receiving coverage, they do play a part for the higher profile outlets that want to see you have an engaged fanbase who will read what they post on your band.

When starting your PR campaign, you need to be ready to work your social networks just as hard as we’re working the media outlets. This doesn’t mean incessantly blasting your show dates or tweeting people to check out your band. It does mean getting to know your fans and the media outlets who cover you, and talking about them so they want to talk about you.

What you can do to enhance your campaign

Tweet at the very minimum of once or twice per day by retweeting, favoriting, and replying to your followers’ posts or updating them on what you’re working on. Obviously, the more engaged you are, the better results you’ll see. Don’t swing to the opposite side of the pendulum and overly engage so you burn out your followers and risk disengagement on their end.

2. Turning down coverage

Sometimes turning down coverage isn’t as obvious as telling your publicist you don’t want to do it (although that happens as well from time to time). It can be something like not following through on an interview request that was sent to you or showing up late (or not at all) for an in-studio performance. Perhaps you think an outlet is too small to be worthy of your time, but when you’re an emerging artist without a substantial following, you need to open up yourself to the opportunity for new fans. You have to build a foundation first before you can expect the big outlets to notice you. Expecting the big guys to jump on board without that foundation is the equivalent of being fresh out of college and expecting a company to hire you to be its next CEO.

What you can do to enhance your campaign

If you’re offered a phone or in-person interview, be prompt and available. If it’s an email interview, return the interview request by the specific deadline.

3. Emotionally disconnecting

At some point in the campaign, discouragement may set in, and you’ll feel like giving up. You’ve made this amazing record, and if people would just listen, they’ll immediately think your music is great. PR doesn’t work that way. It’s an insanely competitive, slow, and tedious process, and when one door won’t open, you have to knock on another one that will. The worst thing you can do for you campaign is check out when discouragement sets in, because that will only impede the process further. I learned very early on in my career as a music publicist to focus my energy on the coverage and positive responses we do receive if I want to have a chance to increase more coverage.

What you can do to enhance your campaign

Stay engaged, and when discouragement does set in, talk to your publicist to see if you can collaboratively come up with new ideas to move your campaign forward.

The moral of the story is that you must remain involved, consistent, and open so you can give your investment and music the opportunity and attention it deserves.

Janelle Rogers began her 20 year music industry career working for SXSW Music and Media Conference. She then went on to work for BMG Distribution for 10 years in the alternative music department where she championed bands like Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, The Strokes, Belle & Sebastian and The White Stripes. In 2002 she launched Green Light Go Music PR as a haven of honesty, integrity and passion for underrepresented artists and labels. She has since been named Mentor of the Year by the University of Michigan, Dearborn, appeared as a panelist at NXNE and been an official SXSW mentor.

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3 Tips for Recording Your Best Demo

This is the latest post in our ongoing collaboration with SonicBids.

In today’s highly competitive music industry, it seems like it’s becoming harder and harder for independent artists to break through the noise into the mainstream. Record labels are constantly bombarded with samples from “the next big thing,” but what’s the trick to actually standing out from the crowd? A high-quality demo is the perfect place to start.

A demo is a recording that demonstrates the talent behind an artist or band, usually created specifically for the purpose of convincing a record company (or other opportunities) that they should work with you. It needs to be well thought out, but come off as authentic. Short and sweet, but deep and powerful. Good quality, but not overproduced.

So what are some of the trade secrets to recording a great demo? Here are some tips and tricks.

1. Have a unique vision for where you’re going

It’s crucial when laying down the initial take to be thinking about the overall shape and vision for the idea. It’s a demo, of course, and when being spontaneous you might not want to write detailed parts.However, after you’ve built a strong foundation for a song, every other musical decision you make will come easier because it’s based off of something that is real to you. It’s that genuine passion that can ultimately come out when a record executive listens and helps you stand out, as guitarist Jack Côté explains: “My best guess at what the ‘it’ factor is, is something that’s catchy – familiar enough for people to enjoy, but also different and unique, bold and honest as possible. I think people can tell easily when things feel derivative, so it’s mostly about being as musically unique as possible.”

2. Capture ideas on the fly

Traditionally, recording a demo could only be done in a recording studio. It required time and energy spent writing the actual song, then countless hours rehearsing it before paying to make the final recording. Now, thanks to the ever-changing world of technology, musicians can capturing ideas right as inspiration strikes. They don’t always have to be fully fleshed-out ideas, but rather can serve as a reminder of great thoughts for future reference.

“Where we’ve had great traction as a band is capturing those spontaneous, genuine moments,“ shares Matt Hines of Dan & The Wildfire. "We often jam, trying out new ideas, committing those sparks of inspiration to a recording simply to listen back to later, and so as not to forget that riff we liked by the next time we meet. It’s such a joy to be able to go back and listen through so many ideas and rehearsals and moments from the past few years.”

3. Don’t sacrifice sound quality

Five years ago if you told a record executive you were submitting a demo that was recorded on a phone, they would have laughed you out of the room. Even today, when recording on the go is becoming a more common occurrence for independent artists who are often traveling from gig to gig, chances are recordings will come out sounding awful, thanks to the less-than-superior microphones on today’s smart phones. Luckily, there are new apps out there that exist to help solve this problem. One of them is Spire, powered by iZotope. Spire is a free 4-track recorder that adds professional polish to your recordings so you can record, mix, and share great-sounding audio anytime inspiration may strike.

No matter how you end up recording a demo, the important thing to remember is to make it a reflection of who you are as an artist. Staying inspired and motivated are traits you should never lose in this industry, and will only help drive you towards that breakthrough musical moment!

Spire is partnering with Sonicbids to discover the best original tracks to feature on the Inspired Collection, an official Spire SoundCloud playlist. To enter, just download the free Spire Recorder app (iOS only), record your original song, and enter it for free on Sonicbids by December 2, 2015.

In addition, the songwriter with the most incredible song will be selected to be featured in a performance video, shot in their favorite recording space. We’re so excited to hear all your original creations! Be sure to enter by December 2.

Stacey Dyer Messier is the strategic, creative liaison between product and marketing for the Spire brand, which is passionately designed by iZotope. As a trained vocalist and past performer of metal, jazz, trip-hop, and classic rock, she’s excited to be working with the incredibly talented members of Sonicbids.

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4 Things You Need to Stop Telling Yourself if You Want to Be a Successful Musician

We recently partnered with our friends at Sonicbids to share blog content in order to better equip our readers with the tools they need to successfully navigate the modern music business. This post, written by Amy Sciarretto, originated on the SonicBids blog.

Success doesn’t come easy. I’ve used this quote from Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstonesbefore, but it’s worth repeating: “If it was an overnight success, it was one long, hard, sleepless night.” If you want to be successful, you have to work hard and not skip any steps or take shortcuts. But you already know this – or at least you should if you’re here, reading our advice!

Here are four things you have to stop telling yourself if you want to be successful, simply because these thoughts or sayings could derail you from your desired course of action and end result.

1. “If it hasn’t happened now, it never will”

Erase that thought from your brain and don’t allow it to be part of your mantra. Negative thinking doesn’t do you or your bandmates any good. Some bands may blow up seemingly overnight, but go back and trace their history and you will find most acts have been toiling for years. Ed Sheeran used to play pubs. Finger 11 released several albums and hung out in Creed’s shadow before finally having a hit. Modest Mouse was the king of college radio and indie rock until one song pushed them through. The same can be said for alt-rock angst queen Liz Phair, who was a critical darling before she had a pop radio smash. It can happen at any time, and it ain’t happening without a plan. So have a plan and execute it as best you can.

2. “Why did that band get huge and we didn’t?”

Don’t compare yourself to another act in that way. It’s not productive. Instead of bemoaning someone else’s success, focus on your own or how to create your own. Crib from their playbook instead of sulking about it. Look at what they did and how they got to where they are, and try to replicate it with your own unique spin and in a way that properly applies to your sound and situation. But don’t compare your trajectories as good vs. bad, big vs. small, have vs. have not. Use the information at hand and turn it into action.

3. “I’m not making any money, so why do I even bother?”

Stop being a self-crippler with that type of thinking. I know – it sucks to be working hard and seeing minimal financial return and having to have a side job while pursuing your dream job. But you have to, well, suck it up. As is the case with any investment, it’s not always instant. ROI take times and effort, and you have to accept that from the get-go. You have to sacrifice. If you aren’t willing to put in the work and suffer some of the losses, then maybe this isn’t for you. Just remember that anything worth having is worth struggling for.

4. “This is a waste of time”

It’s your art. It’s not a waste of anything unless you deem it so. All art will eventually find its audience, but you have to think positively and believe in what you’re doing in order for that connection to be made. If you’re telling yourself that it’s not worth your time, then why wouldanyone else invest precious time listening to it? Be positive. Seriously.

Amy Sciarretto has 20 years of print and online bylines, from Kerrang to Spin.com to Revolver toBustle, covering music, beauty, and fashion. After 12 years doing radio and publicity at Roadrunner Records, she now fronts Atom Splitter PR, her own boutique PR firm, which has over 30 clients. She also is active in animal charity and rescue.

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