Straight answers on the parts of the music business nobody teaches you: building a team, writing a bio that actually gets read, getting press without a publicist, marketing between releases, and the production side of getting a track release-ready. No gatekeeping, no agency-speak - just what actually works for independent artists doing this without a label behind them.
Hiring a friend as your manager can work well - or quietly wreck the friendship. Here's what to nail down before you mix money and a friendship that matters to you.
You don't need marketing experience to promote your music online - you need to cover 4 fundamentals: a dedicated presence, an email list, press, and content. Here's what each …
An album's success is decided as much by the promotion around it as the music itself. Here's a 5-stage DIY plan covering everything from distribution to press - no manager …
Music marketing isn't a special skill reserved for label teams - it's a handful of unglamorous truths every working musician has to accept. Here they are, no fluff.
Your website is the one online address that's permanently yours. Here's the full checklist of what belongs on it - and what people leave off by mistake.
Merch is often where independent artists make their real money, not streaming. Here's how to choose what to sell, price it right, and get it in front of fans.
Spotify's verification system now has two separate badges - and neither one requires a follower minimum anymore. Here's exactly how to get both, and how to actually earn the …
The 'build a PDF and dump it in a Dropbox folder' era of EPKs is over. Here's what to use instead, and when a cloud folder still makes sense.
None of these mistakes look fatal in the moment - that's exactly why they're worth knowing before you make them. Here's what actually costs you followers, and the fix for each.
Building an email list isn't complicated - it's a checklist. Here are 9 concrete steps to get one going and keep it growing, without needing any marketing background.
A real plan starts before the tactics: goals, a look at your local market, and only then the four working parts - a fan magnet, an email list, paid ads, and social media, all …
A first draft of your artist bio is never the version that should go out. Here are 7 concrete edits - length, person, proofreading - that turn a rough draft into something you'd …