Music 101

11 Resources That Every Musician Should Be Using (2020)

11/23/2020 – We’ve learned about a lot of cool new tools So we’ll be adding those shortly. Post in the comments so you’ll receive an update.

Everyone out there who makes music knows “the struggle”. The daunting and unforgiving task of making a name for yourself in the music world. On your road to fame, two things will make your journey that less arduous: one, being organized, and two, being resourceful. In our opinion, the later of the two, along with your raw talent, will ultimately determine your growth factor.

So, in an attempt to make your job a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of resources (that you could start using today) which we truly believe can be instrumental in helping you achieve success.

If you have a suggestion you think should be added to this list, please leave a comment down below and if we add it, we’ll send you a $10 iTunes gift card as a thank you for your contribution.

Enjoy!

1. Buffer

buffer

Website: buffer.com

Cost: FREE (for basic features)

Why you should use it:  With so many social media accounts available today, it’s hard to stay on top of them all. Using buffer will allow you to schedule automatic posts to your Facebook fan page, Twitter, Google plus, and now Pinterest account too. You can customize different post times for different accounts. It really comes in handy if you don’t have a dedicated social media manager.

2. Next Big Sound

nextbigsound

Website: www.nextbigsound.com

Cost: FREE (for basic features)

Why you should use it: Ummm, because Pandora just bought it or to put it simpler, Next big sound allows you to track your growth across multiple platforms, including, soundcloud, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia.

3. NoiseTrade

noisetrade

Website: noisetrade.com

Cost: FREE

Why you should use it: Noise trade allows you to release your music without requiring people to pay for it. What makes it different from other music hosting platforms (band camp) is that it gives people the option to leave you a tip in an aesthetically pleasing manner. And trust us, a lot of people do! One more thing, you’re still able to collect an email in exchange for a download regardless of whether your fans leave you a tip or not.

4. WIX

wix

Website: www.wix.com

Cost: FREE (for basic features)

Why you should use it: Wix.com allows anyone to create a free website. Businesses and artists miss out on potential fans when they don’t have a dedicated place for people to find out all they want to about them. Keep in mind that a Facebook page is NOT a website. With Wix you can send people to one single place to hear your music, watch your videos, subscribe to your newsletter, find your social media accounts and see when your next show is.

5. MailChimp

mailchimp

Website: mailchimp.com

Cost: FREE (up to 2,000 subscribers)

Why you should use it: Relying solely on social media to reach your fans is a pretty bleak marketing strategy. Every artist NEEDS a mailing list by which they can reach their fans directly. You provide the emails and Mail chimp provides the convenience of messaging them.

6. AUDIAM

audiam

Website: www.audiam.com

Cost: FREE (25% administrative fee if it gets you additional money from other people using your music on YouTube.)

Why you should use it: How many home videos or even “professional youtubber” videos have you seen that have a song playing in the background? Chances are they just put that song in their video without acquiring a sync license let alone permission. If that was your song being used, Audiam would automatically find it and place ads in that video which the revenue generated from it would go to you. It’s free to use and Audiam only takes a small cut when they collect money on your behalf. Side-note: The guy you created TuneCore is the same guy who created Audiam.

7. Dropbox

dropbox

Website: www.dropbox.com

Cost: FREE (up to 2gb)

Why you should use it: In the music business being organized can save you a lot of time and frustration. Enter Dropbox – It’s the one place you can store press photos, press kits, MP3s, show flyers, and any other essential material you could possibly need to send someone while you’re on the go. They have an app for every platform, so if you add a file via one, they’ll all update at once.

8. Eyedea Worx

eyedeaworx

Website: www.eyedeaworx.com

Cost: Prices Vary

Why you should use it: Image is everything in this business. Eyedea Worx is your one-stop-shop for quality CD printing & duplication, album cover printing as well as all your marketing paraphernalia like key chains, lanyards, thumb drives, t-shirts and more through their off shoot NotionWorx.com.

9. Sound Exchange

soundexchange

Website: www.soundexchange.com

Cost: FREE

Why you should use it: With rise of streaming music services like Pandora and Spotify, it’s essential you sign up for sound exchange as your music could be playing across one of these platforms and you not even know it, but what’s worse is that you could be getting paid for the streaming of your music and not even know it. While ASACAP and BMI collect payments from terrestrial radio, Sound Exchange is a performing rights organization with the sole purpose of collecting royalty payments from streaming music services. It’s a different realm, with a different payment structure.

10. Legal Zoom

legalzoom

Website: www.legalzoom.com

Cost: $10 – $30 per document

Why you should use it: By now you’ve either heard the rumors or experienced it for yourself – there are some shady people in music industry. Handshake deals and trusting some of these people to do the right thing might be the wrong mindset to have. Legal zoom gives you the means to protect your interests through the means of standard legal agreements and contracts. Most of which are less than $20. It’s important to put everything in writing so all parties will know what’s expected and what will be expected should someone not hold their end of the deal.

11. PledgeMusic

pledgemusic

Website: www.pledgemusic.com

Cost: 15% commission on each pledge

Why you should use it: Releasing a quality project can get pretty expensive, especially if you make no comprise when it comes to quality. Pledge Music can help you raise the funds to finance your next project by leveraging your loyal fan-base. It’s like kickstarter but for people who make music.

12. Suggestions???

If you found this article helpful, please share it with your music buddies so they can benefit too!

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