20 Reasons Why Bands Don’t Make It (by an A&R man)
Here are 20 common reasons why some artists never make it to the next level written by experienced A&R/Producer Loren Israel. Even if you do not enjoy everything he says, he has been involved in the business enough to speak the truth. However, some of the stuff seems dated by a few years and a […]
Featured Designer: Joshua Marc Levy
About Joshua Marc Levy: Joshua was born Jan 27- the same day as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lewis Carroll. He graduated SVA with honors in 1998 and worked in Entertainment Advertising and the Record Industry afterward. Shortly after leaving SVA, he won many awards including Young Guns, Art Director’s Club and a “First Place Student […]
Featured Designer: Chris Rubino
About Chris Rubino: Chris’s works have been exhibited in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and the U.S. He recently has created designs & illustrations for such clients as The New York Times, Banana Republic & The NY Public Theater. Rubino’s work has been strongly influenced by his screen-printing background making limited edition posters for bands such […]
Indie Musicians: “Grunt Work” is What Building Your Music Career is All About
Replace Your Misconceptions As a consultant and educator, it’s my job to replace your misconceptions about the music business with a dose of business savvy. It’s not surprising that so many artists don’t have a clue about how much grunt work is required to build the foundation of their career. We consumers see only the […]
IRSC Code- What is it, Why you need it, How you can get it
What is an IRSC Code? The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC), is a standard that every musician, record producer or any sound recording copyright owner must follow in order to have their works tracked and get paid with royalties. ISRC code is embedded on every song MP3 or audio CD discs. This is done […]
3 Ways to Convince People to Sign-up For Your Mailing List
I cannot recall signing up to a mailing list ever! Not for my favorite products, or favorite authors, or favorite bands. That’s because I’m anal and I want my inbox free from unnecessary marketing e-mails as much as possible. Whenever I need a specific service or product, I’d much rather Google it when I need […]
Indie Filmmakers: Sites to Post Your Short Films
Two years ago, the word on the street said that all the undiscovered talent was on the Internet. Sites like Ifilm.com and Atomfilm.com were getting unknown talents onto A-list movies. Lately, we aren’t hearing anything like that. Is the Internet dead for distribution? Hardly. Broadband, and other faster Internet connections are making it even MORE […]
CD Packaging: ICARUS Carnivalesque
Artist: Icarus Title: Carnivalesque Label: Not Applicable Year: 2005 Designer: Ollie Brown, Sam Britton Carnivalesque’s CD packaging is a great example of anti-design. They used discarded albums of other artists then scribbled and erased info on each page with a black marker pen. Its presentation is meant to intrigue and confuse. It makes us think […]
Get Organized!-Things to Prepare for CD Duplication
Like with every other area of putting together a CD, preparing for the duplication process is one that is just as important. You want to make sure to pay attention to the details and ensure that you don’t have to back track or re-print any of your CDs. Preparing the correct way and knowing what […]
Band Publicity 101: Get Their Attention, Give them What they Need
You must have realized by now that as an indie musician, you practically have to do everything on your own-including publicity. You barely have time to practice your music and ha! You still have to contact that editor, that music blogger, that radio guy just for 2 minutes of fame. Do not complain, now. Yes, […]