Relationships are the driving force behind a successful music career. Think of a photographer who captures your essence, a marketing expert who promotes your music, and a meticulous mentor who helps you find order in chaos. As an independent artist, you’ll encounter a diverse network of supporters who can redefine your musical journey. In episode #346 of the DIY Musician Podcast, Chris and Cristina explore these essential connections, unveiling eight key allies you should engage with. Plus, Chris has a big announcement…

 

Running ads for your music isn’t easy, no matter what the experts tell you. But it CAN be one of the best ways to reach new listeners and build a lasting audience of fans and customers.

So in this episode, Chris and Cristina talk about 10 ways to streamline your ad efforts.

The point of this conversation isn’t to provide tips on maximizing and optimizing and endlessly tinkering with options. It’s to simplify your life running ads, so you can realistically see progress, not perfection.

 

After 18 years as a band AND business, Bombadil is still going strong.

In this “Artist Spotlight” episode, Cristina and Chris interview James Phillips of the independent indie-folk band about their long journey as a recording and touring act, the challenges they faced along the way, and how the key to their longevity is creative respect, daily habits of collaboration and communication, and treating every aspect of their music like a business.

Check out Bombadil’s music and tour dates.

Follow their touring and recording adventures on Instagram.

Threads is one of the fastest growing apps in history.

Can musicians benefit from adopting this “carbon copy of Twitter,” or is it all hype?

In this episode, we ask CD Baby’s Social Media expert Rachel Bearinger all about the app, its origins, how it’s integrated with Instagram, present and future functionality, and the real concern:

Should musicians embrace Threads, ignore it, or wait and see?

Are you struggling to find the time to make and promote your music? Are you wasting some of the time you DO have?

As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Sadly, music is such a public-facing endeavor that an artist’s ego can feel like it’s always on high-alert, which can lead to to moments where we put our worst foot forward!

What can we do about it? In this episode, Chris & Cristina discuss some common musician pitfalls when it comes to social etiquette, networking, artist mindset, and more.

Plus we’ll hear a short discussion between CD Baby’s Jack Poulis and Lee Wilson, an R&B singer who found success while exploring a completely different genre).

 

Are there common struggles most young musicians face? Can they be avoided?

Whether you’re a new musician just starting out, or you’re an experienced artist looking for a reminder on healthier ways to maintain your music career, this episode is for you.

Cristina and Chris discuss the five things they wish they’d known years ago. If they’d learned these lessons earlier, their music (and happiness) might’ve been further along by now.

 

After 15 years of hosting this podcast, Kevin Breuner has moved on to the next adventure in his music career — but the DIY Musician Podcast will continue!

What’s going to change? What’s going to stay the same? In this quick bonus episode, Chris Robley previews the new format, and tells you how you can shape the future of this podcast!

 

After 17 years at CD Baby and 15 years hosting this DIY Musician Podcast, Kevin Breuner has a big announcement: He’s saying farewell to both and looking forward to a new adventure in his music career.

Where’s he headed? What did he learn from his time at CD Baby? And what’s his top 6 tips for musicians who want to make a life in music?  All that and more in this episode.

 

Artists who want to promote their music online know they have to be active on social to build an audience and engage fans, but some days you just don’t know what to post!

If you’re stumped for social inspo, check out this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast where we run through an insane list of ideas for you to try.

 

 

Pursuing a music career can be incredibly challenging. As an independent musician, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated. The journey is full of ups and downs, and the road ahead looks like endless work.

But why do musicians really quit? What are the pain-points that cause so many talented musicians to throw in the towel? And most importantly, how can you overcome these challenges and thrive in your music pursuits?

In this episode of The DIY Musician Podcast, we’ll take a look at some common reasons why musicians quit, and offer encouraging solutions to help you keep moving forward!

Spotify has some amazing new features to promote your music and create a better listening experience for users. In this episode, we’ll discuss each of them, as well as five creativity, marketing, and productivity hacks!

For more information about claiming your Spotify for Artists account and how to use the tools within, check out this article: https://diymusician.cdbaby.com/music-promotion/spotify-promo-tools/

 

Whether you love it or hate it, social media is one of your best options when it comes to finding an audience for your songs and building a lasting fanbase.

In this episode, we talk with Cassie Petrey, CEO and co-founder of Crowd Surf, a music marketing firm that has run social media campaigns for household names like Camila Cabello, Kim Petras, and Backstreet Boys, as well as countless local and grassroots artists.

 

Email is still the most effective online communications channel you have to market your music, drive sales, and deepen your connection with fans.

If that’s statistically true (and it is), then why do so many musicians fumble when it comes to their email list?

In this episode, we’ll address 15 common mistakes musicians make when it comes to email marketing.

 

Are you holding your own music back?

Whenever we hear an artist rationalize why they haven’t achieved a certain level of success, it often seems like they’re getting in their own way due to some outdated beliefs or faulty priorities.

And this has nothing to do with the quality of the music. Sometimes people with amazing songs aren’t reaching the audiences they could because they’re holding too tightly to ideas that no longer serve them.

Is it time to embrace new tools, trends, and mindsets? Time to abandon some stale modes of thinking? In this episode, we’ll discuss five things we should all let go of!

 

There’s too much music out there now for an average listener to care about YOUR SONGS just because they’re available on streaming platforms.

That’s why you need to create anticipation BEFORE your new music launches. In this episode we’ll discuss how to do exactly that, drawing lessons from artists such as Walk Off the Earth, Emma McGann, and Ellie Dixon.

 

Would you rather earn a living from your music or gain massive reach on social and streaming?

Of course those two things don’t HAVE to be at odds, but when you’re towards the beginning of your music career, it helps to focus on one top priority.

There isn’t a correct goal; it’ll differ depending on your interests and talents. But how you allocate your time and budget will change based on the priority: paid or famous?

In this episode, we discuss those differences.

 

Everyone is talking about A.I. — or “artificial intelligence” — and the impact it will have on musicians and artists.

Will advanced machine-learning and information synthesis help usher in a new era of creativity, or could artificial intelligence destroy the music industry (on its way to destroying humanity?)

 

For independent artists, the most reliable way to earn a living from music isn’t streaming, social monetization, or even lucrative opportunities in sync licensing. It’s merch sales!

In this episode, Dave Cool of Bandzoogle talks about creating merch items your fans will love, how to make effective offers, and using the best tools for selling online.

 

Want to bring your listeners on a journey? To send them on an adventure that goes deeper than bonus “behind the music” content? How about a multi-player RPG your fans can play together on Discord!?

That’s exactly what celebrated songwriter and Twitch livestreamer Emma McGann did with her newest album “The Monsterverse.” She created an immersive experience for fans that combined her recordings, videos created with 3D graphics, an RPG built using a Discord Bot, and more.

The Monsterverse takes “music promotion” to a whole new level. In this episode of the podcast, Emma tells how (and why) she constructed a whole world around her music.

 

If you’re releasing new music in 2023, of course you want it to “succeed” and reach as many listeners as possible!

But you’ll need much more than checklists and rote release strategies; making your music relevant in a world of infinite songs takes the right combination of good marketing mechanics AND exceptional tunes, videos, messaging, and more.

In this episode we’re gonna go deep and help you build a great foundation for any new singles or albums you release this year.

 

In some ways, 2022 felt like another year on pause. In other ways, the past 12 months passed in the blink of an eye. How did music trends (and the music industry) change this year? And what are our biggest predictions for music marketing, music creation, and music consumption in 2023?

 

 

TikTok is a powerful platform for music discovery; your songs and videos can reach the right new fans because of TikTok’s algorithm. But did you know it’s also one of the best places to find inspiration and showcase your  quirkiness.

TikTok travels at the speed of memes, and that means there’s a constant churn of humor, skits, trending audio, fun filters, and more. Conversations to join. Creative collaborations. Things to imitate or spin your own unique way. More than other entertainment or social apps for artists, TikTok frees you of always needing to be the prime instigator and driver of every piece of content.

In this episode we talk with multi-instrumentalist, TikTok connoisseur, and CD Baby’s social media expert Rachel Bearinger — all about the culture of TikTok, how to source inspo, stay organized on the app,  and keep up with the pace of a platform that thrives on memetic energy.