Facebook Tempts Labels With "Slideshow," WMG Signs On

Videos are taking center stage at Facebook; and as YouTube has proved, people love to add music to their videos. Under a backdrop of record labels bashing YouTube, Facebook has chosen to explore a more controlled option. Facebook has confirmed that it had been testing a new product, called Slideshow,…

Attention DIY Arists: Windowing Won’t Work For You

While the practice of "windowing" releases has seen a lot of popularity among artists like Adele and Beyonce, the article explore why, for most DIY musicians, making it harder for fans to access your music is probably a mistake. __________________________ Guest Post by Chris Robley on The DIY Musician With…

A DIY Style 12-Week Plan To Promote Your Next Album

Promoting your album by earning media attention is an excellent way to grow a fanbase, but hiring a publicist may not be in the budget for a lot of independent artist. Here we walk through a twelve week plan for effective DIY promotion. _____________________________ Guest Post by Hugh McIntyre on…

Concord Bicycle Music Invests In AEG Events Firm Bounce

With income from recorded music sales declining, record labels are expanding their reach in other areas of the business. Merchandise, management and most recently, the industry’s healthiest sector, live music, are all now part of more and more record labels’ revenue plan. _____________________________________________ AEG has sold an equity stake in…

What’s Working in Indie Music Today: Lessons in Success from New Artist Model Member Shannon Curtis

One of the best ways to get new strategies and ideas for your music career is to look at what other musicians are doing. So Dave Kusek and Lindsay McGrath of the New Artist Model are putting together a series of case studies from talented and successful musicians who are…

How To Upload Your Videos To Amazon’s New YouTube Competitor

YouTube, which has come under fire for its payment structure even as it renegotiates its contracts with the major labels, has just met its first truly viable competitor – Amazon. For creator’s, that means new options to monetize their content _________________________________________ Amazon has announced the launch of Amazon Video Direct…

5 Unspoken Rules For Bands Contacting Press

As an independent artist, you are often put in the position of reaching out to the press yourself. Here we look at five unspoken rules that, if followed, will keep you navigate the complex world of self-promotion and hopefully increase your chances of success. _____________________________ Guest Post by Amy Sciarretto…

Ultimate Guide To Selling Band Merch Online

In this step-by-step guide to selling band merchandise online, we look at how to choose the right merch to invest in, the various types of physical and digital merch available to sell, where it can be purchased, and how to set up your online merch store. ____________________________ In this latest…

Mastering Band Promo: A Step-By-Step Daily Routine

As in independent musician, it can be easy feel stuck when working against the forces of the industry. In order to combat this, it’s important to establish a daily routine that keeps you productive. _____________________________________ Guest Post by Sophie Chernin on Soundfly’s Flypaper One of the worst things about being…

Merchbar May Hot Music Merch Chart: Dave Matthews, Alabama Shakes, Foo Fighters, More

Dave Matthews Band fans are raising their DMB Flower Series Pint Glasses to celebrate DMB’s 25th Anniversary. Cheers to Dave Matthews Band for 25 years of rock n’ roll magic and landing the number one merch item this month. Alabama Shakes, a Merchbar favorite, is coming in strong with a…