2018 was a wild ride! We saw some big changes in the music industry as the power continues to shift to the people and we independent artists are loving every bit of it. On this blog, we covered everything from complying with new data regulations enforced by the EU, getting sponsors for your music events, practical things you can do to make your music stand out, ways to get more subscribers, how to avoid scams, and we even covered ourselves. We talked about any and everything dealing with running your own business as an independent artist. Each year, we notice that particular posts get a lot more love, than the others and we’re highlighting those today. Here are our Top 10 Posts from 2018.
#10 How to Generate a Physical Mailing List for Free
Snail mail is making a come back. With all the emails flooding inboxes on a daly basis, snail mail provides a fresh perspective on promoting that can make you stand out. The key is to keep costs down by generating your own mailing list, using postcards instead of letters and envelopes (which also cuts down on postage), and strategically sending mailers for certain shows. Click here to read the article.
#9 Artist Feature: Stolie
Juggling between two active acts, two home bases, and a full gigging calendar, our Artist Feature of the Month has a lot to share about managing a full-time independent artist career. I’d like to introduce you to Stolie, a pop-rock singer-songwriter catering to adults who also happens to be a bilingual genius showcasing a combo of music and learning for kids. This fascinating interview will inspire you to think outside the box and figure out creative ways to monetize your talents and passion. Read on…
#8 Do Not Take This Pay-To-Play Gig or Any Others Like It
Nothing like a good scam to wake up in the morning to. I received a pay-to-play gig “opportunity” notification in my email this morning and I was wildly offended. This is a prime example of why we independent artists have to be diligent in protecting our music and our money from predators like this. Here’s an example of a pay-to-play gig “opportunity” you want to stay far away from. Read on.
#7 Three Books Musicians Should Read
This FallI don’t know if your gigging schedule is anything like mine, but I tend to have fewer gigs in the Fall and Winter. I often use this time to record albums and catch up on my reading. So, if that’s you we’re in the same club! Here are a few books that I recommend adding to your library this Fall. Read on…
#6 A GDPR Guide for Musicians in Plain English
I’m sure by now you’ve heard or seen the effects of GDPR. Several months ago I started getting notifications from Google about GDPR and how data is managed. I didn’t think much of it until just about all of my other online affiliations sent me messages about privacy, consent, and protecting my data because of some new laws going into effect over in the European Union. I finally opened one of those emails up and quickly found out this wasn’t something I should be ignoring. In fact, it impacted me in multiple ways. As an independent artist, this new law impacts you too! Read on…
#5 Musicians, This is the BEST Trick to Get More Subscribers
Your artist website is your online artist hub. It hosts all of your newest information regarding shows, videos, photos, promo materials, reviews, blog posts, and more. It is where people go online to learn more about you and your music. Your website is a benefit for fans and potential fans in that it provides the information they want and need about you and your music. More importantly, your website is supposed to provide you with more fans. If it’s not doing that, then you may want to consider making a few changes starting with the squeeze page. Read on…
#4 How to Get Sponsors for Your Music Events
Having sponsors for your music events is simply magical. Bringing business leaders together with the community can promote togetherness, diversity, and a community-in-action atmosphere. Sponsors can help you cover expenses related to putting on your events, impact your revenue earnings in a positive way, and make it possible for you to do events you only dreamed of. Also, your sponsors will more than likely advertise their involvement in your project which will multiply your exposure as they get your music and message out to their constituents as well. Read on…
#3 Twenty (20) Newsletter Content Ideas for Musicians
Providing a constant stream of content in newsletters to your music fans is not very easy. In the past I’ve allowed months to go by without sending emails out to my fans. I knew I that I needed to send something out, but I felt like I just didn’t have anything to say. What do you say to your fans when you’re not releasing content or in between releasing content and you don’t have any cool auditions, interviews, or awards to boast about? Here are some ideas…
#2 Three (3) Easy Steps to Establishing Your Musician Persona
This guest post is written by Clara Charron, a music industry writer, teacher, and late night show host who loves to talk about the business in bright and colourful ways.
As an independent artist in today’s digital age, clear branding is essential. The rise of technology has made it possible for you to record music without a major label’s backing; however, it has also made it easier for everyone else to do the same thing. With more content out there trying to flag down fans’ attention, clearly knowing who you are, what you stand for, and how to express it to the world is essential. Today’s article focuses on the expressing part. Read on…
#1 Eight (8) Steps to Become a Successful, Full-Time Singer-Songwriter
Luckily, there are already tons of resources available for you to become the best singer-songwriter you can be and do it full-time! Whether you’re just starting out or have been doing music for a while and need some encouragement regarding how to do it on a full-time basis, follow the tips in this guide and you’ll become a full-time singer-songwriter sooner than you might think. The key is to be committed to reaching your goals. Read on…
In addition to 38 posts added to The Crafty Musician Blog in 2018, we also launched a handful of resources, templates, worksheets such as the One Year Content Writing Guide, The Sponsorship Proposal Template, the Artist Development Course, the Music Career in 4 Months Training, the Ultimate Goal Setting Workbook.
We started 2019 off with a bang as we launched the Finding Your Musical Purpose Challenge, a 5 Day Workshop where independent artists will learn how to identify their purpose, mission, and identity as an artist while learning how to use their purpose to attract and build a supportive community of loyal fans. The workshop consisted of 5 Daily LIVE streams in our secret Facebook Group at the beginning of January. The replays from the workshop are now available here if you want to take the Challenge.
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