Cover Bands Suck

This is awesome. From the Asbury Park Press: A musician who took responsibility for starting a rumor about Jon Bon Jovi’s premature demise said he did it to protest the rock star’s publicized nonmusical activities, but now says he was wrong. Jeffrey Goho of Fairless Hills, PA. [CBS note: Check out Jeff's band Minutia here], … Continue reading »

It was announced today that Guns-n-Roses would be inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. Bands become eligible 25 years after the release of their first album. Guns-n-Roses release ‘Appetite for Destruction’ on July 21, 1987. This was expected. Of course Guns-n-Roses would be inducted. Politically, if the band wasn’t nominated, it would have resulted … Continue reading »

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are tough nights for new bands, but we’ve all had to start there. Did you rock-the-fuck out at your first show and now want to book that second show? From a business standpoint, how eager will that venue be to have you back? Use the chart below to figure out the likelyhood. … Continue reading »

The short answer: CD Baby. “We’re excited to let you know that starting today, you’ll be making more money from your MP3 sales at CDBaby.com. We’ve simplified our digital-download pay structure, and we did it to benefit you. On every digital purchase (single song or album) made from CDBaby.com, you’ll get paid 75% of the … Continue reading »

In the latest issue of JUMP Magazine you’ll find the debut of my DIY column for bands. Physical copies of the publication can be found throughout Philadelphia. – Anthony From JumpPhilly.com: Performing live is a wonderful and rewarding experience. Any musician will tell you. There’s nothing quite like it. The bigger the crowd, the more … Continue reading »

Whether you like the band or not – you gotta admit that their video holds your attention.

From Gazzmic.com: While bold early adopters were first discovering the joy of online shopping back when the internet initially gained steam, most consumers were still a little nervous about purchasing items from websites. E-commerce began as a niche shopping experience for super consumers who wanted very specific products that couldn’t be found in their local … Continue reading »

Talent Buyers, Booking Agents, Booking Agencies     Date: Friday, September 23nd, 2011, Time:  3:30pm – 5pm Location: Rusty Rudder – Stage “C” Kyle Brendle – Stone Pony Vince Volz – Double V Booking / Legendary Dobbs Brian Waymire  - Buddy Lee Attractions / Red Gorillafest Anthony Caroto – The Grape Room Jeremy Weiss – CI Companies … Continue reading »

As a booking agent, I use ReverbNation to find new bands for the club. My first taste of any band will be their default image. ReverbNation requires (suggests, would prefer to see) that a photo of the band be used. A good photo tells me that the band is – if not for even just … Continue reading »

Every week I receive a bunch of posters at the club. They’re folded, rolled or shipped flat in large envelopes. However, on this particular day, a package from Nick Young really stood out. He employed the use of brown paper bags. “My first substantial tour as a solo act was back in January of this … Continue reading »

Moses Avalon is reporting that a new contest from CNN will cheat a struggling artist out of potentially $20,000 / year.  I read the article…. very interesting. I agree that CNN is pulling a fast one on the artists, but in a small way I understand why they have to do it. It cuts down … Continue reading »

Just before you hit the send button – read the email you’re about to send a club. Does it truly represent your band? Here are a few tips to help you get the gig: Include a link to your pages on Facebook and ReverbNation. Facebook because we want to see your ‘likes’, and ReverbNation because … Continue reading »

Ever wonder how much money a top selling artist makes on tour? Or as a band – who books them? Pollstar.com has released a PDF that’ll answer both of those questions. William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, Live Nation Global Touring and Creative Artists Agency are well represented. How did Jeff Dunham get on the list?

And when you’re done watching the video: www.EvilAsFuck.com www.PoliticalNookie.com

You’ve got the album, the Facebook page, the MySpace page (WHY???!!!!), a couple of shows coming up and a gaggle of friends who dig your music; but why isn’t your band showing up in multiple search results? SelfPromotion.com is a free site that offers a pile of great information on a subject that scares most … Continue reading »

ReverbNation co-founder and all around nice guy Lou Plaia has written this great article now available on hypebot.com: Many bands and performers are anxious to get on the summer festival scene each year and the shocking truth is that the great majority of them submit their press kits without music or documentation of their fanbase.  … Continue reading »

What good is your Facebook page if visitors can’t hear what you sound like? Here are some free options to fix that: ReverbNation After installing this app to your profile, and assuming you’ve updated your ReverbNation profile, visitors to your Facebook page can view all of the important information about your band in a single … Continue reading »

From delicious-audio.com: Most Bands that succeed beyond the local level eventually do so with the aid of a manager. What does this person do, aside from collect a healthy cut of the money? We interviewed two NYC managers and one publicist with different experiences in the local scene to help us understand… Bands often complain … Continue reading »

Upon arriving at the club today I saw a package at the door…. twas these: Would you like a few absolutely free? Send your mailing address to TastyCadaver@gmail.com and then wait patiently by your mailbox. Another option would be to buy the official t-shirt which also comes with free stickers.

Shinobi Ninja: good photo Band photography is a subject that has frustrated me for quite some time. Rebecca at HostBaby has written an excellent article on the subject which offers several tips that should absolutely be utilized. “Let’s get one thing straight here right away – good photography can make or break whether or not … Continue reading »

Back on tour in support of their latest album, Grabbleton’s Beach, Detroit’s aggressive funksters Downtown Brown brings the fun factor back to hard rock music. How’s the tour going? Have fans been receptive to the new album? The first run we did on the new album was amazing… people missed not having us around… having … Continue reading »

I met The Athiarchists in summer 2009 in Reno, NV at the Tonic Lounge. They didn’t look like much at first glance – just another band with shitty equipment. But this summer they’re playing the Mayhem Festival – AGAIN. Sort of. The Athiarchists (Aaron Tunnell – guitars/vocals, Dano – drums, vocals) will follow the tour … Continue reading »

The band just released a video for “Shipwrecked” off their new album, Back Through Time (release date: June 14 via Napalm Records). www.alestorm.net Alestorm reminds me of this band….

From diymusician.cdbaby.com: “We recently launched our new Music Store Widget, giving DIY artists a free and simple way to sell MP3s, CDs, and vinyl directly to fans. The customizable store can easily be embedded on your website, blog, or Facebook Page (through an HTML-enabling app like Static HTML: iFrames tab). Facebook’s importance as a music … Continue reading »

Just a quick note…. ReverbNation has changed the layout of their “Manage Schedule” page. It looks much nicer and is easier for users to update information. www.ReverbNation.com

Business is business and CD Baby goes for the jugular with their response to the recent frustration with Tunecore’s rate increase. The company has even created a new website. Sounds like a great opportunity for bands and it puts Tunecore in a challenging spot. So uh, Tunecore – now what?

From Gazzmic.com: With millions blown on lawsuits and very little revenue recovered for the music industry, it is obvious that filesharing can’t be stopped. The only way out is to either build a business model that takes advantage of the faster flow of media files or to produce a new way to consume music that … Continue reading »

Every week I hear the tails of woe from bands who are exhausted from maintaining their social networks. “There are so many”, “It’s hard to keep track of them all”…. etc. I of course am confused by this because it’s not nearly as difficult as some artists make it out to be. Today I came … Continue reading »

Tunecore has raised their album renewal rates from $19.99 to $49.99. That pisses you off doesn’t it? Here you are – a starving artist – and these motherfuckers – who clearly only care about money – have screwed you. Right? Wrong. Keep reading… There’s been some rumblings among musicians about this seemingly sudden rate hike. … Continue reading »

From Bob-Baker.com: www.bob-baker.com

From gazzmic.com: First of all, I would encourage that you post the MP3 to as many services as possible and send the link throughout all of your social media platforms. Choose links that best fit the methodology of the site upon which you will be promoting. For example, embedded links work best on timeline-based platforms … Continue reading »

From diymusician.cdbaby.com: If you’ve been using your Facebook personal profile to promote your music and engage with your fans, you may be wondering how you can switch your profile to a dedicated artist page without losing all your friends. This is a common problem, and now there’s a solution. With Facebook’s new “Profile To Business … Continue reading »

Back in February I got an email from this dude in NYC looking to book his tribute band. I checked out their live videos and they sounded pretty good. Not amazing, but pretty good. I offered them our standard door deal, but that wasn’t good enough. Hilarity ensues. And if you work with musicians, you’re … Continue reading »

SXSW has positioned itself as one of the Holy Grail’s of must-participate music events. To participate would mean the potential answer to any bands dreams. If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen at SXSW after a that big label rep catches our set at some crazy bar packed with people going apeshit over tunes. That’s … Continue reading »

This is an excellent article by Chris Rockett that can really help out a focused band. Tip #3 is my favorite though. I’m so tired of hearing bands say that they can’t keep up with all of the different sites – but in reality – you have too. And while most of the tips were, … Continue reading »

This will always bother me. Lazarus A.D.’s van was broken into while the band was on stage so their gear was safe. What did get stolen: money, clothes,  social security cards, birth certificates and personal items. If you want to help out LAZARUS A.D., please donate whatever you can via PayPal at this location. Read … Continue reading »

I’ve seen this image on quite a few things and thought maybe it was for a new social site or online retailer. Nope. “A QR code is a specific matrix barcode”. “Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR Code to display text, contact information, … Continue reading »

In 2004 I interviewed a band called ‘Brazil’. They were a new band on Fearless Records coming through town on a Coheed and Cambria tour. My first question to them was, “Do you know how hard it is to find information about your band online?” From musicthinktank.com: Make it easy for your fans to find … Continue reading »

This is why I’m a fan of ReverbNation.

From thornybleeder.com: 10. Set unachievable/overwhelming goals. To be accomplished by tomorrow. 9. Do whatever the client/customer/gallery owner/patron/investor/ asks. 8. Only do work that your family would love. Read more HERE.

Updated 5:39pm: New KISS Condoms are coming this month! I’m a fan of Gene Simmons the business man. I watch his show, Family Jewels, because of it. Gene Simmons only cares about money – and according to a friend who knows him personally, Gene Simmons is also the biggest asshole to be around. From MusicThinkTank.com: … Continue reading »

As a booking agent, it’s frustrating to see bands still only using MySpace. And then to see that they haven’t even logged into it since October… ARRGGHHH! I can’t work with bands like that. How do they promote their shows? Below is an excellent lesson from MetalSucks on the importance of maintaining your online presence … Continue reading »