We like to think we’re unique as snowflakes, but we musicians can be pretty similar when it comes to the mistakes we (continue to) make. In this episode, Kevin and Chris discuss 10 common errors and oversights many DIY artists are guilty of. Are you guilty too? Plus, news about SoundCloud albums, Spotify playlists, the DIY Musician Conference, and more.
#161: How to double your merch sales overnight!
Want to move twice as many CDs at your next show? Hear all about the merch-table makeover that happened for Chris Robley during his seven-night residency last month, and how switching a few simple things around made a huge difference. In this episode, Kevin and Chris talk merch tips, pet peeves, and more — plus big news about Spotify, the RIAA, SoundExchange, and a crazy good deal on CD Baby distribution.
Get in on the $29 for 29 days deal. Check out the video HERE.
#157: The Star Wars Episode – What artists can learn from epic mistakes!
With Star Wars, George Lucas built an epic cultural touchstone, and then later left fans feeling betrayed by a series of epic fails. What can musicians learn from his creative mistakes? Lots! Travel with Kevin and Chris to a galaxy far, far away — where you’ll learn the ways of The Force, and pilot your music career through the meridian trench towards indie success.In this podcast we reference a video series by Red Letter Media. You can find that video series HERE.
#156: Annie Lin – How to legally sell a cover song
You’ve recorded a really unique cover version of your favorite song and you can’t wait for your fans to hear it. But hold on a second! Have you secured the proper license to release that tune? In this episode, Kevin speaks with Annie Lin from Loudr about when, why, how, and who an artist needs to pay in order to distribute a cover song, and what can go wrong if you don’t properly license your cover song before its release — plus, a little about how Loudr makes cover song licensing easy for independent artists today.
License your cover songs at Loudr.Fm HERE
#155: Roundtable – The Official DIY Musician Conference Recap
Heads are abuzz and hearts are aglow after CD Baby’s first-ever DIY Musician Conference. What made this event so special? What were the key lessons learned over three jam-packed days of workshops, mentoring sessions, and panel discussions? Kevin and Chris talk about some highlights that are applicable to your music career. Plus, music news: the launch of YouTube Red, Apple Music’s subscription numbers, and Adele’s newest hit video.
#153: Roundtable – The DIY Musician Conference Preview
CD Baby has built a better, stronger, friendlier music conference geared specifically towards DIY artists. But why? And how? And where? And what can you expect when you attend? In this episode, Chris and Kevin talk about the event, what they’re most excited about, and how you can make the most of your time at the conference. Plus music news, listener calls, and questions for our resident music publishing expert.
#151: Josh Collum – A micro sync success story
Micro-sync licensing might sound like small peanuts, but indie musician Josh Collum has earned over $200,000 from online sync opportunities, Audio Swap, YouTube lyric videos, and other user-generate content. In this episode, Josh talks about how he quickly grew his micro-sync revenues from a few hundred dollars a year to tens of thousands every quarter.
The soundtrack video referenced in this podcast can be found HERE.
Want to see how people are using music in wedding videos? Watch THIS.
#150: Roundtable – What artists need to know about Apple Music
Apple has officially announced their new music streaming service called Apple Music. The new service will be available for iOS users on June 30th. Will Apple Music change the music industry forever or will it be just another streaming options in a increasingly crowded field? Join Kevin and Chris as they look at the Apple Music launch through the indie musician lens. Do you have an opinion about what the Apple Music launch means to the industry? Call our listener line or email us to weigh in!
Check out all our articles on Apple Music:
How do i get my music on Apple Music?
What effect will Apple Music have on the industry?
How to claim your Apple Music artist profile through ‘Connect’
#148: Rob Filomena – Professionalizing your music rights
Meet Rob Filomena, CD Baby’s Director of Music Publishing. In this episode we’ll discuss the growing opportunities for indie artists through music publishing, and why professionalizing all you music rights isso  important. Also, CD Baby announces it’s first ever DIY Musician conference happening this coming Fall of 2015. All the details can bet found HERE.DIY Musician Conference tickets are just $49 and are available HERE.
#146: Roundtable – Your best touring tips!
A great tour can make you feel on top of the world. A bad tour can make you question everything. We asked CD Baby artists for advice when it comes to successful DIY touring, and how to make sure there are more ups than downs when logging miles in support of your music. In this episode, Kevin and Chris share their favorite bits of touring wisdom from the CD Baby community, plus they discuss the launch of Tidal, YouTube Music Key, and rumors of iTunes streaming.
The Doubleclicks article mentioned in this episode can be found HERE
The merch article mentioned in the episode is HERE
#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.
#079: Roundtable – See ya 09! Hello 2010!
iTunes and Lala tie the knot and tech blogs are a buzz with the news. What does this mean for the future of digital music? Are we moving into the cloud? Also, 2009’s top ten viral videos are not what you might expect (sadly no monkey that smells his own poop and then falls backwards out of a tree). The Podcasters recap last weeks interview with Ryan States and chat about their holiday music endeavors. Plus your stories, tips, tricks and comments on our listener line. Enjoy this episode with a cup of hot coco. We’ll see you next year!
The Top 10 viral video list can be found here
A special thanks to Matt at Finley Sound. Â You can get the Christmas song he mixed for free here. Â Need something mixed? Check out his site http://finleysound.com/
#064 Roundtable – Twitter Vs. Music Journalism
Watch Christopher Weingarten’s Twitter rant here.
In the News: The RIAA wins it’s case, The New iPhone 3.0 is finally released and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor bows out of social networking (or so he says). This week’s episode focuses on a video by Rolling Stone music critic Christopher R. Weingarten. Click the link below to watch. As always, calls, emails and now tweets, from our listening audience.
Mentioned in this episode. Robert’s (AKA Chris Bolton) Storylife Podcast
#063: Bruce Houghton – Blogging the future of music
Bruce Houghton (Founder of Skyline Music) is a long time industry veteran who has been booking music talent of all shapes and sizes for over 20 years. Â As the shift in the music industry became apparent, Bruce started a blog as a way to keep the artists on his roster informed on new developments in the business. Â His blog, called Hypebot, has grown in popularity and become one of the leading music business blogs that pays special attention to the growing indie music community, or as Bruce likes to call it, the musician middle class. Â His experience and insights make his blog a must read for the indie artist who is serious about moving their music forward.
Check out Bruce’s blog Hypebot here – http://hypebot.com
#062: Roundtable – Popstars and Power Outage
Pandora adds a paid subscription option with perks. Walmart gets rid of its DRM’d songs. Emusic moves beyond the indie market and stirs controversy. File-sharing is now a part of the Twitter-verse. The podcasters revisit last weeks interview with David Gray and discuss how pop music plays into the world of indie music for better and worse. Your calls, tweets, and comments. Plus in unexpected power outage leaves Kevin, Chris and Robert in the dark. They finish out the podcast in a battery powered fin-alley with lots of laughs.
Recommended in this podcast: Anvil: The Story of Anvil
#061: David Gray – Anatomy of a Music Career
David Gray has done it all. He’s been a musician, songwriter, publisher, producer, A&R rep and worked for some of the most renowned record companies in the world. Currently he’s head A&R for Simon Cowell’s Syco Records label. You’ve probably seen some of the music reality shows they produce like, “America’s Got Talent, X Factor, and American Idol.” After the show is over, it’s David’s job to continue the artist’s development and help them create their albums. In this interview, conducted by the president of CD Baby, Brian Felsen, David shares his experience as a musician as well as an insider in the mainstream music business.
#060: Roundtable – Throw your Fans A Party!
Paste magazine launches their “save Paste” campaign in order to preserve one of the top selling music magazines in the country. Webcaster’s rights are debated in the White House. Twitter gets bigger and BIGGER. The podcaster’s recap last weeks interview with professor Nancy Baym and discuss viewing your music career as party which you continually throw for your fans. Plus Your emails and phone calls! It’s a DIY party for the independent musician!
#059: Nancy Baym – Online Fandom
Artists and musicians spend a lot of time communicating with their fan community, whether it be social networks, email, or just the music itself. With so much thought and energy going into fan communication, it funny how little time is actually spend considering the fan’s perspective. In this episodes, we hear from Nancy Baym, an Associate Professor in Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. She is an award-winning teacher on topics including the use of new communication technologies in creating identities, relationships and communities, interpersonal communication, and qualitative research methods. She has spent years studying online fandom to understand what communities like music fans a re really looking for. It might not be exactly what you think!
You can find more of Nancy Baym’s writing’s on here blog http://www.onlinefandom.com
#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.
#057: Matt Malley – Life as a Counting Crow
Whether you’re slugging it out in small clubs, or selling millions of albums, there are consistent themes that run through every artist’s experience. Matt Malley, former bass player for the band the Counting Crows, has done both and he shares his experiences as an indie artist and as a member of a major label touring act. Matt joined up with the Counting Crows in 1990, when they were just a California indie band struggling to find a name for themselves in the Bay Area. Little did Matt know that the Counting Crows would soon become a household name. After years of success, platinum albums, and hit songs, Matt left the band in late 2004. Once again he found himself back in the world of indie music, though a bit older and wiser. In 2008, he released his first solo album on CD Baby. Matt’s journey as a musician has become a familiar story as major label artists decide that DIY is sometimes a happy alternative to the rigors of a major label relationship.
In this episode:
Some keys to the Counting Crows success and even a couple mistakes!
An inside look at the Counting Crows as a business
Matt’s tips for up and coming artists
Matt’s solo album is available at CD Baby here http://cdbaby.com/cd/mattmalley
#056: Roundtable – A Music Career Without Touring?
iTunes introduces variable pricing. Facebook stays on top. The podcasters recap our last episode, where David Nevue demonstrated that it’s entirely possible to make a living without the constant touring and gigging that most musicians do. But is this possible for the rest of us? Listen in as the broadcasters weigh in on this topic while sharing calls and comments from our audience.
Our new podcast T-shirts are here! Help support the podcast by sporting our stylish logo. You can buy it direct from CD Baby here – http://cdbaby.com/all/cdbabypodcast
#055: David Nevue – Building a Music Career Online
The internet is an irreplaceable tool for music promotion, but is it possible to build a music career in cyberspace alone?  In this episode, we hear from solo pianist David Nevue, who built his music into a full time career just by creating an effective online presence.  For the modern day DIY artist, David’s business model is the perfect example of what can be accomplished with great music, a little merchandising know-how, and a long term vision.  A lot of ground is covered in this interview, so get ready to take notes!
David Nevue’s artist website can be found here – http://davidnevue.com/
To check out David’s book, “How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet†click here.
#054: Roundtable – Finding Frequency
How often do you post a new song, demo, album or blog post? In the web 2.0 universe artists are competing for the attention of an increasingly distracted audience. Keeping your fans engaged often means frequently and consistently producing dynamic content. How does an artist do this without compromising the quality of their product? In this roundtable episode, the podcasters are joined by special guest, artist manager and Portland PR person, Ryan Wines, who wrote an intriguing post on his blog about releasing music with frequency in mind. Â Do you have a music promotion strategy that involves releasing music on a frequent basis? Â If yes, we want to hear about it! Â Read Ryan’s blog here – Â Petmarmoset.net
#053: Bill Thompson – Mobile Marketing
The cell phone has rapidly evolved. It’s hard to even think of another technology that has changed as quickly as mobile phone technology. The way we use our phones has changed drastically as well. What started as just a portable phone, has turned into what is now basically 
pocket computer. In many cases, the actual phone is the least used feature of the device.
In this episode, we talk to Bill Thompson, from Full Sail University, who teaches a course on Mobile Marketing & Commerce. For the indie artist, the mobile phone offers a world of possibility. It takes the technology formerly only available on our home computers, and puts it into real world situations where interactivity can be maximized.
The Mobile Marketing Association website can be found here – http://www.mmaglobal.com/
#052: Roundtable – The Working Musician
News, calls, emails, tips and tricks!
The Podcasters revisit last week’s episode with Greg Poree, share some more Twitter tips, and investigate the art of playing other people’s music for a living. This and much more on your beloved DIY Musician podcast.
The Seth Godin interview that Kevin mentions can be found by clicking here!
Want to check out Matthew Ebel’s subscription side to his artist website? Just click here to sign up and enter in promo code cdbaby50. The subscriber side of his website can be accessed at http://matthewebel.net