When I first started the Unstarving Musician journey, I focused almost entirely on the music. I knew the business side was important, but it seemed overwhelming (and unexciting). While my lessons in legal and business matters come from experience in investing rather than music, I've gained valuable insights about the music industry through years of research, participation in a music marketing program, and conversations with hundreds of musicians for my podcast. What I've learned is that...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Happy Friday! Here's another new episode for your weekend listening pleasure. 315 Tony Harrah – Book Marketing, Sales Strategy, and Industry Independence 🎙 Book marketing takes center stage in part two of my conversation with independent musician and author Tony Harrah. He breaks down his mathematical approach to sales strategy, sharing insights on reaching target audiences without traditional industry gatekeepers. From his decision to self-narrate audio books to his perspective on working...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Happy New Year and welcome to the inaugural edition of Liner Notes Insider! 🎉 In the free edition of Liner Notes, I mentioned my interest in touring strategies. I also mentioned that I know many of you are interested in booking and tour management. That’s what this Insider issue expands on. This edition also includes links to bonus material that I know you’re going to love. Let’s dive in to the expanded Insider edition! Strategic Tour Planning Planning a tour isn’t just about booking random...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Happy New Year! 🪅 If you’ve been following Liner Notes, you know I’ve taken an interest in touring strategies. In a couple of August editions (links below), I covered everything from pre-tour planning to social media promotion. The response was great. Reading time: 6 minutes 👓 Liner Notes: More On Touring & Insights from Tara Brueske (Aug 21, 2024) Liner Notes: Touring Tips for Independent Musicians (Aug 07, 2024) I know many of you are interested in booking and tour management, so I’ll...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Why marketing and self-promotion matter for independent musicians Reading time: 7 minutes 👓 “You don’t do anyone any favors by lurking, put yourself out there!” –Nabeel S. Qureshi Let's face it - you could be the next great music artist, whether aiming to make a living or fund a passion project. But it won't happen if no one knows about your music. As entrepreneur Nabeel S. Qureshi aptly puts it, "You don't do anyone any favors by lurking, put yourself out there!" Your reason for being is to...
4 months ago • 8 min read
If a song is played in a forest, but no one is nearby to hear it, does it make a sound? This question is adapted from a famous philosophical thought experiment that begins, “If a tree falls in a forest…?” Reading time: 7 minutes 👓 Making art is a rewarding pursuit, but if only the artist can appreciate it, the artist’s work is only half done. No song will ever be heard or appreciated without some marketing effort, that was supported by a sales effort, that was underpinned by sound business...
6 months ago • 8 min read
Reading time: 7 minutes đź‘“ I've not talked much about short-form videos on the podcast, but it is a relatively new format. Full disclosure, I've shot only a handful of Instagram Reels, have yet to create a YouTube short, and am not active on TikTok. But don't let that turn you off. I've done a lot of reading on the topic. Here's fodder for getting your music out there with short-form video. Instead of approaching this topic from the perspective of how musicians can or should leverage...
10 months ago • 6 min read
Hey there, Happy Tuesday from Spain! I'm celebrating a big birthday with friends and family. Reading time: 4 minutes đź‘“ I recently researched donations as a monetization option for independent podcasters. It has since occurred to me that donations also work well in the independent musician world. The general idea is that donations can play a role in sustaining your creative endeavors. Note that in some cases below, we can substitute the word "tips" where I've used "donations." I can hear some...
11 months ago • 4 min read
Hey there, Hope you're doing well today. Here's the latest I've dug up for you on music publishing. Reading time: 3 minutes đź‘“ Music publishing is about protecting and making money from a composition (i.e. a song), NOT just the recorded version. Recorded music consists of two parts: the composition and the master recording (aka the master). The composition is made up of the melody or melody and lyrics. It is an independent piece of intellectual property with its own set of rights, protected by...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read