Music Business Hacks

Recently, Equifax customers got a choice to benefit from a major settlement: $125 or 10 years of free credit monitoring? It got me thinking: how do we think about opportunities that come our way? How do we make better, long term decisions? Resources: Episode #336: How to Make Better Decisions Equifax Settlement website Expecting $125 From the Equifax Settlement? Here's Why You Probably Won't Get It and What to Do Instead (article)

This one is as much for you as it is for me. We all have feelings of inadequacy, especially in the entertainment industry where everything feels like a front. How we address with those feelings can prevent burnout, extend the sustainability of our careers, and improve our productivity. Resources:  The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Imposter Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It by Dr. Valerie Young (BOOK) You Are Not a Rock: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Mental Health (for Humans) by Mark Freeman (BOOK) The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer (BOOK) Amanda Palmer's TED Talk:

If you've ever considered making your own merchandise, you'll want to listen to this episode. I share some of my own highs and lows with printing merch as well as provide some suggestions for you to create your own guidelines in approaching this idea. Are you going to the DIY Musician Conference? Use code DIY2019SC for $30 off tickets at: https://diymusiciancon.com/ Related Episodes: Episode #26: How to Calculate Return on Investment from Merchandise Episode #31: How to Get Better Pricing from Merch Suppliers Episode #39: 8 Tips to Help You Sell More Merchandise Episode #50: Supplies Every Merch Bin Should Have Episode #59: The Best Ideas of March:Merchandise, Digital Marketing, and the Interviews Episode #205: Hacks for Merch Booths at Conventions, Street Fairs, and Events Episode #287: Dropshipping Your Merchandise with Print on Demand Resources:How to Screen Print Your Own Shirts (VIDEO) A Simple Guide to Screen Printing Your Own Shirts (LifeHacker Article) Making Your Own Merch: Speedball All-In-One Scr

Today, I'm going to make the case for why a regular fitness routine is essential to your music business goals. I'll also share my personal minimum workout routine while on the road and give some tips on making sure that you are in peak performance condition. Resources: Infographic: 10 Best Fitness Exercises & Stretches for Musicians 10 Minute Workout, No Equipment Workout Best Hotel Gym Workout 10 Workout Moves for Your Hotel Room ALSO: If you want to go to the DIY Musician Conference in Austin this year, use code DIY2019SC for $30 off DIY Musician Conference tickets at: https://diymusiciancon.com/

Today, we talk about who you should tour with, both in terms of other acts as well as who you should bring with you on the road. Related Episodes: Episode #25: How to Get the Opening Slot for a Major Tour/Band

This week, we focused on little things - small decisions and daily decisions, small actions - and how the culmination of those little things can really add up to make a tremendous difference in your music career. Today talks about those big ideas and challenges you to focus on a couple of key areas. Episodes Reviewed: Episode #334 - Making It Rain Episode #335 - The Number One Reason Why Fans Will Buy Something Episode #336 - How to Make Better Decisions Episode #337 - Tour Blogging Your Way to Success Episode #338 - INTERVIEW: Katie Zaccardi on Self-Care, Wellness, and Time Management

Today's interview is with Katie Zaccardi. Katie Zaccardi is a songwriter, artist, music industry professional, and certified yoga instructor. Through her work in both music and wellness, along with her own experience with a generalized anxiety disorder, Katie discovered the urgent need for conversation surrounding mental health and self care within the music industry. Realizing the music industry’s demand for honest discussion on such topics as mental and physical wellbeing, Katie established Out To Be. Out To Be advocates a balanced path to personal and professional success that is grounded in wellness. At its core is the idea that what you set out to do, you turn out to be; that no matter where you begin, you make your own way to the most authentic you. The OutToBe Podcast invites listeners to engage with insightful dialogue on all things wellness and their relation to working in music. Through the Out To Be Coaching platform, Katie  supports artists and professionals with a personalized approach centered

Believe it or not, but blogging is still one of the most important marketing practices that any business or artist can do. If you can maintain it while on tour, you can do even more things with it like generating revenue, reaching new audiences, and building relationships with your fans (all while getting some killer SEO!). In this video, I share some of my secrets to success and give ideas on how you can get started. Resources: Episode #16: Hacking Yelp For Your Music WATCH: The Slants Taiwan Tour on Prime Video

In business school, we were always taught different business making models to help make the best decision possible. However, I realized that many musicians (even those in music college) don't get that same opportunity. Today, I wanted to go over some of the most popular tools used by business owners and how you can apply that same mindset to your music business decision making. Resources: Top 5 Decision Making Models from Management eBooks (free article) Decision Making Models and Biases from ToughNickel The Netflix Decision Making Model via Forbes

If you have a tough time selling physical copies of your music, tickets to your show, or other merchandise, then need to understand why fans choose to buy something or not. A recent survey revealed some interesting results. Here's how you can learn from that.

Have you ever thought about the phrase "Make it rain" and what it actually means? Rain isn't any one thing, but rather, a collection of many little things. True success isn't experienced as a windfall or singular event - it's the combination of many concentrated, persistence, and consistent things. Related Episodes: Episode #8: SMARTER Goals

In today's weekly recap, I wanted to focus on using self-awareness to solve problems or overcome barriers in your music career. Is your problem your problem? What solutions open up when we started figuring out the right root causes for things we're struggling with? Episodes:  Episode #327 - Hidden Opportunities at Shows Episode #328- When to Fire Yourself Episode #329 - 6 Habits That Will Extend The Life of Your Music Career Episode #330 - How to Have More Effective Meetings Episode #331 - Getting More People to Shows: What Kind of Problem Do You Have? Episode #332 - INTERVIEW: Peter Lin on Jazz, Music Business Hacks, and Culture

ABOUT PETER LIN: Taiwanese-American trombonist Peter Lin is a young and creative musician active on the New Jersey and New York scene. A graduate of the esteemed jazz programs of William Paterson University (undergraduate) and Rutgers University (graduate), Peter studied with jazz trombone legends such as Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, Conrad Herwig, Robin Eubanks, Steve Davis, & Frank Lacy. He has performed with many notable artists including Slide Hampton, Winard Harper, Charli Persip, Valerie Ponomarev, JD Allen, & Radam Schwartz. Peter is also an established educator, holding a prestigious faculty position at Melissa Walker & Christian McBride’s non-profit organization, Jazz House Kids. His first record, With Respect, featured arrangements of classic Chinese and Taiwanese songs, which peaked at #3 on the NACC Charts and #4 on the RMR Charts. His second album, New Age Old Ways, features eight of his original compositions along with an original comic book with illustrations by Kelly Lin. RESOURCES:

When it comes to music business books, articles, and podcasts about selling more tickets to your shows, most only focus on one piece of the puzzle: awareness. However, no amount of letting people know about your performance will solve the problem if they don't actually care. In today's episode, I cover a more healthy framework to consider when overcoming problems: by solving the ones you actually have.

In the world of music business, meetings are extremely common: whether they are industry gatherings, pitches to potential partners, or regular sit-downs with your band, it is important to know how you can make the most of your time as well as make sure that there's proper follow up in the form of an action plan. Today is all about music business meeting best practices.

This morning, I came across an article from Inc.com that discussed habits that can extend your life by 12-14 years. They're not too different than habits we've discussed in previous episodes for your own health but it got me thinking: what are the habits that can help extend the life of a musician's career? Related Episodes:  Episode #5: How to Stay Healthy on Tour Episode #122: The Importance of Mental Health

Many businesses that experience some success eventually find themselves growing stagnant. It's no different with artists and the music business: at some point, you might find that the key to reaching new heights in your career is learning to let go. Related Episodes:  Episode #37: Band manager, publicist, booking agent, lawyer: who to hire and when? Episode #247: The World's Worst Manager

How do you make the most of your time at a show? What are you doing before you perform and how can you optimize that time to make more fans, get more sponsors, and make the show even more engaging? Related Episodes: Episode #43: Why Every Musician Should Have a Post-Show Game Plan Books: Music Business Hacks Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court

In today's episode, I'm doing an interview live from Anime Blues Con in Memphis, TN. We're speaking with nerd pop band, NIGHT SABERS. Night Sabers’ newest record, "Welcome to Saber School,” is out now on Lack of Talent Records. Be sure to check them out at DragonCon this year! Resources and Links: Learn more about Night Sabers: Facebook Spotify Twitter

Over the past five episodes, we covered this idea of becoming a pro. But what does that actually mean? And what does it take to get there? Today, we recap some of the biggest ideas from those episodes. Previous Episodes: Episode #319 - Creative Ways of Using Postcards Episode #320 - How to be a Professional Musician pt. 1: Who is a Pro? Episode #321 - How to be a Pro Musician pt. 2: The Daily Work Episode #322 - How to be a Pro Musician pt. 3: Be a Great Opener Episode #323 - How to be a Pro Musician pt. 4: Leading a Team Episode #324 - How to be a Pro Musician pt. 5: Be a Great Headliner Resources:  BOOK: Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield