Is Your Live Show Any Good? – Two Performance Tune-Ups with Tom Jackson

By Chris Robley
May 4, 2012{ 2 Comments }

mic2 Is Your Live Show Any Good? Two Performance Tune Ups with Tom JacksonSure, an audience expects you to sound good– play in time, sing in tune, remember lyrics, etc.

But a great live show takes so much more than simple execution; you’ve got to create memorable moments on stage, and that involves tweaking, practicing, and perfecting all those OTHER things about live performance: the look, the moves, the banter, the set-list, the arrangements, the lighting, positioning, and length of the show.

Are you creating real moments on stage?

We’ve had the privilege of interviewing live music producer Tom Jackson for CD Baby’s DIY Musician Podcast on two different occasions. Tom is a performance coach (and so much more) who’s worked with big-name acts from Taylor Swift to Jars of Clay, helping them craft a concert from start to finish that sends audiences clambering to the merch table. Read more »

How to Get Your Music Placed in Film and TV

By Chris Robley
May 3, 2012{ No Comments }

A high-profile sync placement is one of the best ways to get exposure for your music (and make a little money while you’re at it).

But how do you get your songs placed in film and TV? Well, one way is to sign your music up for CD Baby’s sync licensing program; through our partnership with Rumblefish, your music will be included in a pre-cleared catalog of tunes available to music supervisors who’re looking for just the right music to fit their project. Best of all, our sync licensing program is non-exclusive, so you’re always welcome to seek out sync opportunities directly or through other agencies as well.

If you decide to wade into the water of music licensing on your own, you need a solid sync-placement strategy. Check out this helpful video from Hollywood record producer Joe Solo, or read my summary of his advice below on how to get your music placed in film and TV.

Read more »

Outside-the-Box Busking Tips: An Interview with Headwater

By Chris Robley
May 2, 2012{ 2 Comments }

Screen shot 2012 05 01 at 10.39.11 AM Outside the Box Busking Tips: An Interview with Headwater

Busking on a boat?

One day, my band earned about $300 from performing in the streets of San Francisco for a few hours. We thought that was pretty impressive, and patted ourselves on the back accordingly.

But it pales in comparison to Canadian band Headwater. They’ve earned a combined $83,000 from “busking” on a ferry system (the largest in the world) that runs between Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. And over the course of their high-seas (or high-straights) adventures, Headwater has sold more than 3,000 CDs to unsuspecting passengers-turned-fans.

How’d they do it?

I asked Headwater’s Matt Bryant a few questions about the band’s busking experience. Here is what he had to say:

Q: How did you get started “busking” on a ferry?

A: One day we were coming back from a gig in Victoria and started playing tunes to pass the time. Before we knew it, we were getting serious applause – and by the end we’d sold 70 CDs. Read more »

What Do You Still Have to Learn About Live Performance?

By Chris Robley
May 1, 2012{ 5 Comments }

iStock 000002111651XSmall What Do You Still Have to Learn About Live Performance?Argghh! May– that frustrating time when the seasons haven’t quite made up their minds yet, flitting between cold snaps and heat waves.

There’s one good reason to be thankful that it ain’t summer, though! You’ve still got time to put your summer gigging, touring, and festival calendar together– and we want to help.

May is going to be “Touring Month” here on CD Baby’s DIY Musician Blog, with lots of great advice from bands who’ve made a living taking their music from town to town. But we also realize that few musicians have the opportunity to hit the road for weeks or months at a time.

With that in mind, we’d also like to make sure we offer some performance tips that don’t require you to quit your day-job or take extended leave– from the basics of booking, to putting the perfect setlist together, to creating memorable moments on stage.

So, what are the topics you’d like to learn more about when it comes to performing, booking, travel, tour promotion, etc? 

Please let us know in the comments section below, and we’ll try to incorporate that info into this month’s theme.

Check out the DIY Musician’s Complete Guide to Touring!

CD Baby Jingle-Writing Contest!

By DIY Musician
May 1, 2012{ 49 Comments }

iStock 000005582617XSmall CD Baby Jingle Writing Contest!We’re having a Jingle Contest!

Here’s what you need to do and what you can win:

1. Write a 30-second jingle about CD Baby (jingle must include “CD Baby” to be considered).

2. Post a link to your audio (and/or video) in the comments section of this blog post between 5/1 and 5/31.

3. We’ll pick the best jingle(s) and give away a prize-pack that includes: Read more »

The Magic of Mastering: An Interview with Grammy-Winning Engineer Evren Göknar

By Chris Robley
April 30, 2012{ No Comments }

Evren 300x199 The Magic of Mastering: An Interview with Grammy Winning Engineer Evren GöknarFor a guy who still has a long career ahead of him, Evren Göknar has built up an impressive resume.

He’s engineered sessions for artists as diverse as Tupac Shakur, Mavis Staples, Carole King, Steve Vai, and The Cult.

As a mastering engineer, he’s worked with such notable acts as Lenny Kravitz, KISS, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Good Charlotte, Mariah Carey, Iggy Pop, Heart, NWA, and the Georges Thorogood and Clinton.

In 2011, Evren was awarded a Grammy for mixing and mastering the “Gathering of Nations” album (Best Native American Music Album).

Audio mastering, the post-production process that converts a finished mix into its final deliverable form (CD, vinyl, MP3, etc.), is perhaps the most behind-the-scenes and mysterious (to us musicians) part of making a record. It involves the application of additional equalization, compression, limiting, leveling, fading, and noise reduction, and it requires an audio engineer with ears of gold to give each mix just the right processing treatment– not too much, not too little.

Evren Göknar was kind enough to answer some questions about how he works with musicians during the mastering process. Read more »

Have You Experienced Sexism in the Music Industry?

By Chris Robley
April 27, 2012{ 40 Comments }

iStock 000017819101XSmall Have You Experienced Sexism in the Music Industry?None of these statements probably strike you as particularly revelatory: white people CAN rap; black people CAN play country; women CAN rock!

Let’s all pat ourselves on the back for a minute– we’ve recognized the foolishness of many of our former assumptions. (And by “our,” I suppose I mean “society’s,”– which I’ll let you define however you like.)

But the battle ain’t won yet!

OK now, party-time’s over. Just because fewer limitations are imposed on us these days based on race, sex, socio-economic status, or any other demographic category, it doesn’t mean racism, sexism, classism, or other -isms have completely subsided in the entertainment world; they’ve just taken on more subtle forms.

For this particular blog post, I’m curious about your experience with sexism in the music business; after all (as the cliche correctly goes), it’s a male-dominated industry. Read more »

Musicians & Bands: 11 Must-Follow People on Twitter

By DIY Musician
April 26, 2012{ 5 Comments }

iStock 000019131106XSmall 1 Musicians & Bands: 11 Must Follow People on TwitterTwitter is loaded with awesome content and growing every second. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up– so here are 11 people we think are worth following on Twitter right now (in alphabetical order by Twitter handle after CD Baby):

@cdbaby (of course!) 

Expert industry advice, news, & promo tips from the world’s largest distributor of independent music.

1) @billboardbiz

Billboard Magazine’s online business news site. Read more »

Fostering Creativity: Advice from John Cleese

By Chris Robley
April 25, 2012{ 2 Comments }

A little something for the middle of your workweek– advice from Monty Python’s John Cleese on how to set up an environment conducive to creativity. Hint: it involves space, time, confidence, play, humor, and a 22-inch waste. Read more »

A Musician’s Guide to Pinterest: Why You Should Be Using the World’s Fastest Growing Website Ever

By Chris Robley
April 25, 2012{ 9 Comments }

Pinterest Logo A Musicians Guide to Pinterest: Why You Should Be Using the Worlds Fastest Growing Website EverPinterest– isn’t that a website for wedding planners, cake-makers, and vintage-clothing aficionados? Well, yes; but plenty of bands are finding uses for the social scrapbooking site too.

Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum, for instance, have been using Pinterest for months to post pictures of lyric sheets, favorite Gibson guitars, and… favorite brands of cereal. Their fans are eating it up and sharing the bands’ content across the web.

And with 10.4 million users, some data shows that Pinterest is the fastest growing standalone website ever, so there are plenty of potential fans to be reached.

What exactly is Pinterest?

It’s kinda like Twitter, but for pictures and videos instead of 140-character messages, a combination of a digital pin-up board and a scrapbook. From your Pinterest page you can create different boards for different interests– one for album covers, one for tour posters, one for fan shots, one for music videos, etc. Plus, other people can pin things to your public page, which encourages sharing.  Read more »

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