Berklee Online leading three workshops at the DIY Musician Conference

Berklee Onlineberklee has created a special mini curriculum for CD Baby’s DIY Musician Conference, happening this October 23-25 at Chicago’s Congress Plaza Hotel.

The folks from Berklee Online will host three sessions on Saturday (10/24) in the Buckingham Room, including:

1. “Stop Making Cents: Why Data is the New Dollar.”

In this discussion, Mike King, Chris Moon, Chandler Coyle, Colleen Theis, and Tracy Maddux will cover the overall mechanics‚ best practices‚ and successful techniques behind the collection and utilization of fan data.

2. “Online Marketing and Sales for Developing Musicians.”

Benji Rogers of PledgeMusic explores the tools and opportunities that bring artists and fans together like never before.

3. “Music Production 101: Recording and Producing in ProTools.”

Mike King and Chrissy Tignorl help you jump right into Pro Tools with this session exploring modern electronic production and recording techniques in the DAW.

These are just three of the more than two dozen sessions, workshops, panels, and showcases happening at CD Baby’s DIY Musician Conference. You can attend the whole weekend for just $79. Tickets are on pace to sell out though, so now’s the time to secure your spot.

Get tickets now.

 

 

 

The post Berklee Online leading three workshops at the DIY Musician Conference appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.


Source: Musician Resources

Get More Done: 5 Things Every Band Should Do

Stephen Melton performing in Denver, CO. Photo by David Bach.

Stephen Melton performing in Denver, CO. Photo by David Bach.

[This article was written by Dave Kusek, 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 book, and a member of the team who brought midi to the market.]

Playing with a band for a living seems like a dream for a lot of people, but like anything, if it isn’t built on a solid foundation, it will most likely crumble. That solid foundation is the relationship you have with your band. Think about it like this: even if you’ve managed to establish a really profitable music career, an internal band conflict can bring it all to an end.

Just keeping everyone moving in the same direction is a challenge, and unfortunately, it’s not something we like to focus on until it’s going wrong. Egos can get in the way, conflicting expectations can tear people in opposite directions, and miscommunication can send your productivity to the ground.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to stop all these problems before they start, and once you get everything organized, you’ll get more done, reach your goals faster, and feel more fulfilled as a group. You can get even more tips for organizing your band and your music career in this free ebook, so be sure to download it after you read this article.

1. Create a Hierarchy

Music is fun. And one of the best parts about being in a band is that you get to do what you love every single day. But if you want to make this your career, you need to think of yourself as a business – and that includes how your organize yourself. Just like a company, try to create a hierarchy of leadership that will help you make decisions and get more done.

You may be in a situation where one member is a clear bandleader with the other members working as salaried employees, or maybe you all have an equal say in things. Other bands will give the two main songwriters a bigger say in the decision making process.

2-2-5_Hierarchical-female-2

2. Decide on Decisions

How decisions are made and who can make them will build off your band hierarchy, but it’s worth making it crystal clear. Will the bandleader be responsible for all decisions? Do you have to get together as a group and discuss every time there’s a decision to be made? Or will each of you have the freedom to make calls without consulting other members?

3. Set Expectations

This is probably the most important point. As a band, you all need to settle on common goals and expectations for your career. Decide what sound and image you’re going for and how long you see yourself pushing your music career. The last thing you want is your singer to bail after a few years because he feels like he needs to “grow up” and get a “real job.”

Another really important expectation to set is how much time you can all realistically dedicate to the band. Some member may still want to hold down part-time jobs as a stable income while others may feel the best option is to go full force into music to “make it” faster. In the end, you may end up feeling like some members aren’t pulling their weight and that leads to tension in the band.

4. Divide Tasks

As a band you have a distinct advantage over solo musicians – you already have a team of people at your disposal and you can divide up the tasks to get more done. The key is to really make it clear which tasks each member is responsible for so there’s no overlapping or confusion.

You can also divide up the tasks based on each member’s strengths to really power drive your productivity. Let the most outgoing member be responsible for calling venue owners and promoters to get gigs. If one of your members is good at math, put them in charge of your accounting. If another member is always on Facebook, they could be responsible for updating your social media pages and growing your fanbase online.

5. Create a Band Contract

The last thing to do is to put together a formal band contract. There are a lot of options available to bands, so you’ll have to decide which is best suited to you and your career.

A partnership is easy and inexpensive to put together. However, your personal assets are at risk if you get sued or owe any debts and the partnership will dissolve if any member leaves. But if you’ve decided that the band is a short-term thing, a partnership will be perfectly adequate.

An LLC is a great option for bands in it for the long haul. Your personal assets are safe, members can enter or leave the band without disrupting anything, and they are still fairly easy and inexpensive to set up.

As you can see, taking the time to organize yourself as a band up front will help you in the long run. If you want to learn more, check out the New Artist Model online music business courses where you’ll learn how to turn your music into a successful business – a business where you are in control! You’ll create an actionable and personalized plan that will help you achieve a career in music, and you’ll be able to do it all with the resources you have available right now.

If you’d like more strategies like these, you can download this ebook for free. It will take you through some of the best strategies for indie musicians to help you grow your fanbase and your career.

Email Sign Up: Become a Smarter Musician

The post Get More Done: 5 Things Every Band Should Do appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.


Source: Musician Resources

Topics we’ll be covering at the DIY Musician Conference

DIY Musician Conference scheduleLast week we announced the full schedule for the upcoming DIY Musician Conference, happening this October 23-25 in Chicago.

It’s a solid lineup of workshops and panels specifically geared towards musicians who manage their own music careers.

If you want to see a breakdown of sessions by topic, check out the list below.

—-

Music marketing, promotion, and PR

Publicity for Every Artist: Crafting Stories That Get You Press — w/ Dmitri Vietze

Online Marketing and Sales for Developing Musicians — w/ Benji Rogers (Sponsored by Berklee Online)

Email Marketing for Bands: Everything You Need to Know to Build a List, Create Emails, and Grow Your Fanbase — w/ Joy Merten

Top 5 Mistakes When Planning a Release: a special live taping of the DIY Musician Podcast — w/ Kevin Breuner and Chris Robley

Band Website Explosion: Mastering Your Online Presence — we/ Chandler Coyle and Rebecca Bateman

—-

Songwriting and publishing

Songwring Across Genres: Indie Artists Share Their Approaches — w/ Black Milk and Crow Moses

Publishing Unlocked: Your Money is Waiting for You w/ Rob Filomena

—-

Touring and live performance

Band Smart: 50 Ideas to Make $100k More This Year (Keynote) — w/ Martin Atkins

The Four Most Important Things You Need to Know for Performing Onstage! (Keynote) — Live band makeover with Tom Jackson

DIY Touring: from Booking to Backline — w/ Billy Geoghegan

Go Book Yourself! — w/ Dmitri Vietze, Mark Steiner, Dayna Malow, Eric Muhlberger, and Austin Ellis (Sponsored by GigSalad)

—-

Music rights and revenue streams

Show Me the Money: How to Maximize Every Revenue Stream for Your Music — w/ Kevin Breuner, Rob Filomena, J. Gibson, and Lauren Danzy

SoundExchange: What It Is, Why It Pays, and How to Get Your Share — w/ Lauren Danzy

Back Me Up! Starting New Projects with Funding — w/ Hayley Rosenblum

YouTube and Your Music — w/ Ben Kihnel and Kevin Breuner (Sponsored by Rumblefish)

Publishing Unlocked: Your Money is Waiting for You w/ Rob Filomena

—-

Recording

Music Production 101: Recording and Producing in Pro Tools — w/ Mike King and Chrissy Tignor (Sponsored by Berklee Online)

—-

Branding your musical act

Band Website Explosion: Mastering Your Online Presence w/ Chandler Coyle and Rebecca Bateman

Eye Catching Visuals: How to Get the Best Band Photos Ever — w/ Becky Yee

Your Band is a Brand: Communicating Who You are to Get Results — w/ Janice Bond

Publicity for Every Artist: Crafting Stories That Get You Press — w/ Dmitri Vietze

—-

Building a DIY music career

From Indie to Major in Nine Months… And Back Again (Keynote) — w/ Brian Mazzaferri and Tony Van Veen

Careers That Break the Mold: How Three Indie Artists are Creating Their Own Path — w/ Patrick Griffin, Chad Lawson, Shannon Curtis, and Jeff Murphy

Stop Making Cents: Why Data is the New Dollar — w/ Mike King, Chris Moon, Chandler Coyle, Colleen Theis, Tracy Maddux (Sponsored by Berklee Online)

Plus Friday night’s open mic at the The Bottom Lounge, Saturday night’s artist showcase headlined by Black Milk, and the opportunity to talk to representatives from these cool music companies — all for just $79, though the price is going up in mid-September, so…

Get your tickets now!

The post Topics we’ll be covering at the DIY Musician Conference appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.


Source: Musician Resources

His most famous song? He almost didn’t write it and he doesn’t know what it’s about.

At about 11:50 into this video of Pixies frontman Frank Black (aka Black Francis/Charles Thompson) playing an acoustic set for a wonderful group of kids facing some tough times at the Children’s Cancer Association, he introduces his song, “Where is My Mind?,” by saying it’s the one he’s most known for, and goes on to talk about how it came to be.

Among the highlights:

* It almost didn’t exist. He was strumming around on it at his house and only saw it through after some encouraging words from his then-girlfriend.

* It’s THE song that gets him placed in movies, TV shows, and “invited to social events.”

* He has “no idea what this song is about.”

Just another reminder that inspiration can strike when you don’t even realize it, and that a song can connect with an audience without having any direct relevance to anything, let alone shared experiences.

Do you have a song you almost didn’t finish but are glad you did? Got a favorite song that has no discernible meaning but hits you in the feelings every time?

Sound off in the comments!

Frank Black on "Where is My Mind?"

Photo of Frank Black by Simon Fernandez, and used under Creative Commons license.

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The post His most famous song? He almost didn’t write it and he doesn’t know what it’s about. appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.


Source: Musician Resources