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A Musician’s Guide to Creating an Online Presence
By Cameron MizellFor the independent, D.I.Y. musician, establishing a balance between online and offline efforts is becoming increasingly difficult. It seems that every new social networking site that pops up is one more task to add to your overflowing list of things to do. With each website you’re trying to fill the shoes of musician, marketer, sales person and booking agent if not more. It’s a full time job in and of itself–simply too much for musicians who also hold down some sort of job outside of music to help support themselves. How is one supposed to keep up?
This article is not about how to keep up, rather it’s about how to ignore the noise. To be blunt, there are people out there trying to make money from you. This is a classic case of products and services that we didn’t know we needed until they existed. In most cases, we don’t need them. If they’re not trying to sell you something, they’re just trying to get your attention or your internet traffic. I’m not blaming these people; they only exist because independent musicians make a good market. We have only ourselves to blame for all these distractions.
It is entirely possible to ignore most of what’s happening online and still have a large internet presence. The beauty of the internet is that your presence can exist without sitting in front of a computer. Here’s what I suggest.
$80-100k, Health, Pension…As a Jazz Sideman?
By Musician Wages.comThe New York Times ran a full-length feature last week on jazz pianist Larry Fuller. The article included interviews with John Pizzarelli, Jeff Hamilton, and John Valenti (owner of…
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5 Music Gadgets I Can’t Live Without
By David J. HahnThere are a few small music gadgets that I think are mandatory to my job. A metronome (with a tuner is a plus), a nice set of headphones, a few small recording gadgets and one little adapter you might think is a bit odd.
I left out my computer, my keyboard, my iPod – those gadgets are too obvious. Here’s a list of the little things I can’t live without.
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I Want Horns on My Record – Now What?
By Elizabeth Dotson-WestphalenAs a professional trombonist, vocalist, and horn arranger, I’ve been on many recording sessions since moving to New York City in 2000. Some are easy on me — and on the musician or producer who hired me. And some are like pulling teeth. So here is a short guide on how to make these sessions as smooth as possible. My focus is on recording horns, but many of these tips apply to all types of sessions.
This article is really all about communicating well. Know what you want to add to your music, and be able to write it out or at the very least explain it clearly. Find great people to help you execute your vision, and pay them for their talent and expertise. Have a plan to utilize your studio time effectively. And then enjoy it!
Oregon, Montana Relax Labor Laws For Musicians
By Musician Wages.comTwo state laws passed this month, impacting musicians in Oregon and Montana.
Both bills concerned the employment status of musicians working at nightclubs and bars. Previously, musicians in both Oregon…
The Recession and Musicians – Chicago Tribune Article
By Musician Wages.comThe Chicago Tribune ran a story last week about musicians dealing with the ongoing economic recession.
The article offers the idea that the musician industry has not been as impacted…
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Dating a Musician Gets a Bad Rap
By David J. HahnThe musicians I know are professional and intelligent. They have spent so many years in school that they should be legally licensed to practice medicine. They play gigs, teach in studios and work more than they sleep. They also love, date, marry, have kids, buy houses and walk around like normal people.
I think that when grrl.com says “musician” they actually mean to say “drug addict.” Can we please start making that distinction? If a girl dates a guy that ends up being a manic, heroine-laden, social disaster – I would prefer it if we could blame it on that particular guy, not on the fact that he’s a musician.
Musicians get a bad rap, and it comes from the kind of generalizing that a lot of these links are soaked in. The arts industry attracts a motley crew, there’s no doubt about that. But when somebody finds a bad apple in the bunch – blame the apple, not the tree.
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To a Mother Concerned About File Sharing
By Musician Wages.comMusicianWages.com recently received the following question from a mother concerned about her son’s file-sharing. Along with Music Careers at About.com and KnowtheMusicBiz.com, we asked the musician blogging community to help us answer the following question. The article includes links to all of the responses.
“I have a teenage son who tells me his pirating music is no big deal. Since he is a musician himself, I point out to him that someday that’s going to be his money people are stealing. But he remains unphased.
“He tells me the record sales make money for the record label, not the artist. He says that the artists make all their money from touring and live concerts. He thinks the pirated music promotes the concerts and therefore helps the artist make more money. I still don’t allow pirating in my house.
“But tell me what you think – as artists out there having your work “shared,” are you just glad to have it being enjoyed, or does it bother you? Admittedly, he is stealing music that is recorded by major record labels, so maybe its different than the independent musician working for his living. But I’d still like to hear what you think.”
To a Mother Concerned About File Sharing by Cameron Mizell
By Cameron MizellI have a teenage son who tells me his pirating music is no big deal. Since he is a musician himself, I point out to him that someday that’s going…
To a Mother Concerned About File Sharing by David J. Hahn
By David J. HahnI have a teenage son who tells me his pirating music is no big deal. Since he is a musician himself, I point out to him that someday that’s going…
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Music Rehearsal: A Userʼs Guide
By David JolleyEvery musician, no matter what facet of the industry, will inevitably face the daunting specter of rehearsal. Below you will find a set of guidelines to (hopefully) ease this process that to many can become the bane of the very existence of any working musician. A lot of this probably seems pretty common sense, but this author remarkably lacks in such things and has had to learn some of it the hard way.
1.) Be prepared
Get your music as early as possible and actually look at it a little bit. Score study can make all the difference when preparing for a rehearsal process. I know that if you’re like me, procrastination can be your enemy when it comes to looking over your part. The more face time you spend with the music, the more familiar you will be with the notes, rhythms, and road map of any musical endeavor. If there is limited or no written music to learn, try to familiarize yourself with the style and intent of whatever you are going to rehearse. You can do this by listening to recordings of the band you will be playing with, bands with similar styles, or the actual tune, piece, or score when possible.
Open Invitation to Music and Musician Bloggers – Group Blogging Event on April 16th
By Musician Wages.comMusicianWages.com, Music Careers at About.com and KnowtheMusicBiz.com are organizing a group blogging event for all music and musician bloggers. MW recently received a comment from a reader concerned about her teenage son’s file-sharing. We believe that this is a topic with as many answers as there are musicians and invite you to join us in a synchronized response.
If interested, please write a response to the following question and post it to your blog on April 16th, 2009. Send an email to webmaster@musicianwages.com with the URL of your response and we will post a list with links to all of the participating blogs.
Suggested title: To a Mother Concerned About File-Sharing
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Cuts Musicians Salaries by 12%, Administrators by 15%
By Musician Wages.comMinnesota Star Tribune reported this week that an agreement had been reached between the musicians and management of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The musicians have…
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The Self-Released Album Reference Guide for Musicians
By Cameron MizellReleasing your own album can be overwhelming. In fact, just writing about how to release an album is pretty overwhelming.
To date, I’ve written a fair amount about how I make a living as a freelance musician based on my own experience. But there’s much more information freely available by a wide variety of experienced writers and musicians, many who have taught me a thing or two about the music business. The problem with all this information is that it just becomes too much, and trying to take it all in eats up the time and energy you should be spending working on music.
This article is a reference guide–a virtual table of contents to 20 articles useful information about what it takes to release an album yourself and market it on an independent musician’s budget.
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5 Ways to Find Musician Jobs
By David J. HahnThese days we’re all looking for more work, right? Maybe the hours at your steady gig were cut in half, or you might be in one of the dozens and…
Charleston Symphony Musicians Receive 25% Salary Cut
By Musician Wages.comCharleston’s Post and Courier reported this week that the musicians and management of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra have agreed to a new contract. The orchestra is hopeful that the new…
