Unsigned Musicians - Network & Resources Blog | SeeJoeRock.com

“Interact with your fan base. Some of my all time favorite bands are the ones that vlog, blog, and tweet. It humanizes the band, and forms a personal connection with your fans.”
- TLarkin Productions / www.seejoerock.com/tlarkinproductions

“Music is what feelings sound like. Don’t be afraid to lay it all on the line.”
- RYO Records / www.seejoerock.com/ryorecords

“Your live show should appeal to all five senses. You need to learn how to make the audience buy into and believe in what you are doing on stage. Strive to make people feel passionately about your music. Make them absolutely love you or absolutely hate you. There is nothing worse than a lukewarm listener.”
- Break My Band / www.seejoerock.com/BreakMyBand

“Management is not what every band needs especially when you are not ready. Establish yourself, develop relationships and a resume before you take the next step! Find out what the bands missing, not what you already have!”
- DJQ Artist Management / www.seejoerock.com/djqmanagement

“Being successful in the music industry consists of 40% talent and 60% promotions! Why release great music if no one knows about it.”
- AheadPR / www.seejoerock.com/AheadPR

“5 helpful tips for printing on a CD!!
1.) Make sure to use the correct Dering templates and follow the specs.
2.) For CD labels sometimes simpler is better. Sometimes using solid PMS spot colors renders better results than artist’s images or subtle and detailed artwork.
3.) Keep type larger than 8 points for easy reading and higher quality printing.
4.) If you want to print on a disc without printing a white base coat down first, be aware of the different surfaces of the disc. For example the center area of the disc is clear plastic. Printing type or logos across these different surfaces can lead to unappealing results.
5.) Remember that the silver surface of the disc can be used to add an additional “color” to your artwork. Letting the silver of the disc show through type or graphics can add a nice effect to your design”
- Dering Corporation / www.seejoerock.com/Tracy

Find more helpful PRO TIPS by our SeeJoeRock.com PROS on www.seejoerock.com/professionals

So this past weekend, we had the amazing opportunity to attend the Dewey Beach Music Conference in Delaware and let me just say, it was awesome!!  For those of you who don’t know what this event is or what goes on, be sure to check it out here [Dewey Beach Music Conference] and get hooked up for next year!! It’s every independent, DIY Musician’s MUST ATTEND event!!

I have to say, out of all of the amazing people we met, pros in the Industry, amazing bands and musicians.. the one thing I took home with me that I thought was crucial to make sure I got back to every musician out there reading this.. was the importance of musicians getting themselves registered to get PAID for their PLAYS! And one way is with SoundExchange. Read the rest of this entry »

Need ideas on how to spread the news that you are ready to hit the music scene? Don’t know where to start your music marketing and promotional efforts?

This is Part 2 of a two part series about getting your music heard, especially if a career in music is your ultimate goal.

We had so many ideas for Indie and unsigned musicians, singers and songwriters music marketing tips that we couldn’t fit it in one article. Here is part two with more ideas to get the word out on your music. Read the rest of this entry »

100 Tips to Market Your Music (Part 1)
By Artistopia

Marketing is all the activities and processes of planning, communicating and executing a product, with a price, the promotion and the placement of an item to an end user.

Your music is your product which you are then supplying to the end user - The Music Fan

Between you and the fan is a big space on how to bridge this gap. You may think that if you just get a record deal with some label, your prayers are answered and this instant bridge is built across that space.

This is for the most part, not how things work today.

As an aspiring indie or unsigned singer, songwriter, or a musician in a band you can not do just a few things to promote yourself and expect success in your music career.

Offline and online music promotion and marketing exposure is an ongoing process in this DIY age. Music companies are looking for artists that already have fan bases, sold CDs, and are proven ready to move up to a higher level.

Presented here are more than 100 tips and ideas for you to think about and tweak as you will, to get noticed, gain fans, and get heard. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a post from an entertainment attorney.
Copyright Your Songs -by Hillel Frankel

Songwriters need to protect their work. You would not pitch your billion-dollar reality show to MTV without protecting it would you? Well maybe you would, but remember, when you record and send out samples of your songs they can be spread all over the world in the amount of time it takes to upload an MP3. That dude in Russia who wants that American pop sound can re-record your song and get his US partner (that he pays in petrodollars) to pay the $35 filing fee and register the song first with the US Copyright Office, and you are shit out of luck and out of a hit song. Sure you could try and sue some day when the song is a hit for Sergey Putin. Just try and get a lawyer to represent you in a copyright claim using the CD of the song you mailed to yourself via U.S. post as evidence.

Read the rest of this entry »

By David Hooper | June 2008

No man-or band-is an island. The success of any musician is the cumulative effort of many people. As you set out to become a legend, there are ten people you want to surround yourself and your band with. Whether you hire these folks, or simply find them and build a mentoring relationship with them-they have the expertise you need to get where you want to be: on top.

1. Stylist

Stylists aren’t just for corporate bands. Someone who is an expert in style and public opinion can give you an objective view about how other people see you. Talk to a stylist about your overall sound and the vision of your band and get some feedback about ways you can express that with your on-stage appearance.

2. Graphic Designer

A graphic designer is going to be able to help you design your “brand”. That can include everything from your website design, to your t-shirt graphics and your album cover. These are items that make a huge impression on people long before they have a chance to hear your music. Most graphic designers appreciate it when you bring them solid ideas and examples of things that inspire you. The more direction you can give them, the easier it will be for them to provide you with a finished product you’ll love.

3-10 to come!

By David Hooper | August 2008

If you want to get a record deal, get people to your shows, or sell music like crazy, the answer isn’t some kind of “magic pill” website that you post your music on, blindly sending out a bunch of demos, or anything to do with having good music… although good music certainly helps. The answer is to develop a mindset that naturally attracts people to what you’re doing as well as an understanding of how the music business game is played.

As you develop as a person, your music career will develop with you. Sounds crazy, but it’s true, and I’ve seen it time and time again, with thousands of acts that I’ve worked with, from garage bands, to the guys selling out arenas.

Of course, part of developing includes making mistakes along the way. Check out these ten common music business mistakes, and ways to avoid them…

10. Being too difficult (or too nice)

First of all, let’s get this clear… Just because you wrote a few good songs and recorded them, it doesn’t mean the world revolves around you. Lots of people write and record good songs, so get in line.
Don’t stop reading! There’s more! >>>