Shanta Thake books artists and bands at Joe’s Pub at the Public, one of New York City’s most celebrated venues for emerging and established performance artists. (They book an astonishing 800 shows a year). Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe’s Pub debuted in 1998 and plays a vital role in supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. If you’re an artist trying to get the attention of club bookers, or book a tour, don’t miss this episode!
#136: Mary Gauthier – Love, Trouble, and Indie Success
I
n this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, Kevin interviews Americana Troubadour, Singer, and Songwriter Mary Gauthier. Mary is currently on a world tour to promote her new album, Trouble & Love. Mary is a shinning example of an how an independent artist can wrangle the music industry, find success, and stay independent. Mary shares her thoughts on the changing music industry, on building a team, connecting with fans, and creating and selling a record. Don’t miss this episode!
Check out Mary’s new album and tour dates on her website!
#134: Shannon Curtis – No Booker, No Bouncer, No Bartender
Shannon Curtis is a touring musician and author. Her new book, “No Booker, No Bouncer, No Bartender: How I Made $25K On A 2-Month House Concert Tour (And How You Can Too)” explains how independent artists can make more money and build more meaningful fan relationships by performing in homes instead of traditional music venues. Shannon shares stories and advice from her experiences playing living rooms and tells us how she discovered house concerts in the first place.
GET THE EBOOK ON AMAZON
GET THE PAPERBACK FROM SHANNON’S SITE
#131: Ari Herstand – Should You Pay to Play?
Ari Herstand is asinger/songwriter and bloggerbased in Los Angeles, California. Ari has played over 600 shows and writes about being an independent musician on his blog, Ari’s Take. He also regularly contributes to popular indie music news and advice sites, including our very own DIY Musician Blog.
In this episode, Ari sits down with CD Baby’s Kevin Breuner to talk about the phenomenon of “pay to play” gigs for bands. Ari recently penned an article on the subject and it garnered quite a bit of attention, not to mention a lot of interesting responses. Before you consider paying for a gig, listen to Ari’s take on this controversial practice and learn how to look out for the pitfalls and scams that can leave an unwitting band in the lurch.
Get more info about Ari and his music at http://ariherstand.com
Check out his new album Brave Enough HERE.
#128: Roundtable – How Much Are Musicians Paid to Play? Part 2
Thinking about touring Canada anytime soon? Think again. Canada’s new exorbitant performance fees make it nearly impossible for non-Canadian independent acts to play there. iTunes radio is alive and may not turn out to be the Pandora killer that some assumed it would be.
We asked our listeners “How much money do you pull in at a gig?†The answers might surprise you. Tune in to hear how artists just like you are ‘bringing home the vegi-bacon’ in this action-packed episode of the Do-it-Yourself–Because-You-Love-it Musician Podcast.
#125: Roundtable – How Much Are Musicians Paid to Play?
In the news: Pandora’s controversial tactics to reduce what they pay artists. Japan is poised to take the lead as world’s biggest music seller. And Amazon releases its first “Cities That Rock List” a compilation of US cities that sell the most music.
In this episode we asked CD Baby musicians how much they get paid when they gig. Find out what what your fellow musicians are getting paid and get tips on how to make more money from your gigs and choose gigs that pay more than others. If you’re looking to make more than just drink tickets at your next gig, this episode is for you.
Let us know how much you get paid or ask us a question we can answer on the show.
#094: Martin Atkins – Tour Smart!
Martin is a longtime musician (Public Image Ltd, Killing Joke, and Pigface) and a full time lecturer at Columbia College Chicago. He recently penned a book called “Tour Smart and Break the Band†that examines all that is needed to hit the road and have a productive touring experience. You might be thinking, “How hard is touring? You just jump in a van and go!â€Â Well, Martin has a lot to say on the topic, and if you want to use touring to move your music career forward, you’ll definitely want to make sure you are touring smart.
To find out more about Martin and his book, click HERE!
#076: Corey Smith – The grass roots approach to success
Corey Smith made headlines when his independent music career slowly grew into a multi-million dollar business, selling out large venues normally reserved for those with chart topping hits. No, it was not some sort of internet trickery that built his following, Corey simply toured diligently and worked hard to make honest connections with his audience. As his fan base grew, he stayed focused on building that connection and being intentional with his business decisions.  It’s also important to note that his grass roots success was accomplished without any radio airplay or push from a label.  Lots to learn in this episode, so get ready to take notes!
You can hear Corey’s latest release here -Â http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/CoreySmith
#065: Matthew Ebel – Stream your concerts to the world!
Getting out on the road to build an audience is a constant struggle for the average indie artist. Limitations on time, money, and resources are all huge hurdles to overcome. But what if you could take your show around the world without moving a single guitar amp or eating another drive-thru meal? Now you can! Indie artists like Matthew Ebel have harnessed the power of online services like UStream to accomplish just that. Each week, Matthew performs live via UStream without leaving the comfort of his very own basement. Internet audience members congregate (in the virtual sense) from all points around the globe to watch his homespun concert broadcasts. The interview with Matthew goes into great detail concerning some of the technical aspects of how he produces a UStream show, so be prepared to take notes.
You can see Matthew Ebel’s UStream show every Tuesday at 6pm EST here – http://matthewebel.com/ustream
#058: Roundtable – On the Road with Chris Robley
In the News: Mainstream radio is still a racket. Also, when is the best time of day to Twitter?
For our main topic of discussion, our own Chris Robley uses Haiku to woo his audiences as well as other experimental promotional techniques on his 2 week tour down the California coast. Listen as he shares what worked and what didn’t. Plus calls and stories from our listening audience.
Check out http://bandago.com where Chris rented his luxury tour van.